Beauty Edit: My Daily Skincare Routine
I have been working on my skincare routine for the last year. Suffice to say it is the hardest thing I have worked on since graduating college. (Just kidding… but not really). I am finally happy with it and have seen great results in my skin, results that make me confident enough to go makeup free some days. I can do a separate post on my skin journey, because today I would like to dive into the products and give them a well deserving spotlight with the pros and cons.
This post will be in two parts, first being my day time routine, which you will read below, and then follow with what I do at night in another post. My nighttime routine differs throughout the week, both in products and application. I do want to preface this with stating what my current skin type is because the products I use are catered to my skins sensitivity, texture and balance which varies from person to person.
I have normal to combination skin, with larger pores on my nose and cheeks. I am most prone to breakouts in my tea-zone and chin. I still currently struggle with blackheads on my nose and cheeks, occasional breakouts on my forehead and hormonal breakouts on my chin. I have been on spironolactone in the past, but have been off of it for a year and my skin has never reverted back to it’s old ways. That consisted of cystic breakouts along my jaw line and chin.
Thank you.
Step 1: Wash face with cold water
I stopped using face-wash in the morning a few months ago and I was pleasantly surprised with how my skin reacted. I noticed less redness around my nose, smoother texture and less dryness under my foundation because I could actually feel my moisturizer plumping my skin with my skins natural oils.
I use cold water because it wakes me up and feels very refreshing in the morning, and once I’m finished doing a quick rinse I will lightly pat dry. I like to leave a little bit of moisture on my skin when I go in with my toner next.
I’ve had an on and off relationship with toner for a few years, I could never decide if it did anything and if I really needed it in my routine. When I first dabbled with it, I noticed my skin was getting really tight and dry and therefore, making no noticeable and beneficial changes other than needing moisture right away. Until I discovered an ethanol free toner by Nuria, the Rescue Pore-Minimizing Toner.
It has tea tree oil, rosemary and witch hazel, which have calming properties that prep my skin for the rest of my morning routine. I also use it at night to help remove any extra junk and build up from cleansing and makeup residue. For a full bottle, it’s only $26.00 which isn’t horrible compared to other toners on the market. It also lasted me 6.5 months with using it twice a day. (and sometimes in generous amounts).
Since I have larger pores, they get clogged easily and I do have breakout prone skin. I found that tea tree oil does the job really well with calming my skin and smoothing the texture in my t-zone where my pores are the most aggressive. I apply the toner by doing 3-4 drops into my palm immediately after I splash my face with cold water and lightly pat dry. I then use my finger tips to press the product into my skin, sometimes I use a makeup pad and wipe it onto my skin in upward strokes if I feel like I need a little something extra.
This is a great article from Allure that talks all about toner
After I let my toner set for 30 seconds, I will apply serum. I don’t double up on serums because I don’t want to overload my skin. Especially if I am going to be wearing makeup that day. (I do love serums though, once you find a good one it’s hard to break that relationship.)I like to experiment with serums that have different ingredients and properties to see how my skin fares, I don’t know if this is good or bad, but it is fun. I also notice if I stick with a product for too long, my skin stops reacting to it so I like to mix it up.
The non-gender specific serum, the everything serum, is A-mazing. It is vegan, cruelty free with 17 fabulous ingredients packed inside that help with brightening and firming. It also has a very natural scent that isn’t overpowering. I noticed a difference in my skins appearance, and texture after two weeks of using, and my acne scars are completely gone along my cheeks and chin. I ran out about a month ago, and my skin hasn’t gone totally down hill, but I can see and feel a difference with not using it. I normally don’t re-purchase serums but I am tempted to add this back in.
I apply 2-3 drops into my palm and warm the product with my fingertips, I then press and smooth the serum in upward motions all throughout my face. I make sure I focus my pressing onto my trouble areas first. Once this is pressed into my skin, I wait a minute or two before doing moving onto my next steps, I will usually brush my teeth after applying my serum so it has time to do its thing.
The only con to this product is the price, $65.00. Which is why I wasn’t running back to purchase it when I ran out at the beginning of August (your girl is on a budget). It is a very good size, however, I was using it twice a day for 6.5 months.
I never got into eye cream, I didn’t think I needed it. I do have darkish circles, but not to a point that bother me. Although now that I work full time by getting up at 4:30 in the morning without the luxury of sleeping through early morning classes, my under eyes are the first ones to reflect this drastic change to my lifestyle.
I recieved the context eye cream in my Allure Beauty Box, and I’m obsessed. The box sent a full size, which is fab, and I’ve been using it every morning to help brighten and protect my under eyes from these vicious early mornings I endure, and I have noticed a difference after using for the last two months. It’s very lightweight and fragrance free, and it sits lovely under concealer, without creasing or feeling heavy. It’s main ingredient is vitamin c, that has a lot of great antioxidants and preventatives for down the road as I continue to get up early and age every day.
I gently tap this product under my eye with my ring or middle finger, and then take any excess onto my lids. I will immediately follow with my moisturizer because I never apply moistuerizer under my eyes, so this has time to set and dry before I apply any make up later on in the morning.
I didn’t purchase this per-say, because it came in the box, but on the Context website it is $35.00 for 0.5 ounces of product. It falls right in the middle of the average price point for the size, compared to other cult favorites, like drunk elephant that comes in at 64 big ones for the exact same size. Context is for sure the way to go. I have other eye creams that I want to experiment with that have been included in other beauty boxes, but if needed I would purchase this one again.
Just call me Jennifer Aniston, because I have been using Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 since high-school. It has always been in my routine and I don’t have a lot to say about it other than it works for my skin and sits well under my makeup.
I never noticed any difference in my skin when using it, it’s never appeared more radiant but it does feel nice and has never caused me to break out. I like it for it’s price point and that the SPF is included in the moisturizer. I apply it by putting a pea size amount on my finger tips and massaging into my skin in upward strokes, I usually let this set into my skin by waiting a minute or two before starting my make up.
The largest con is that it is not cruelty free and is the only product in both my daily and nighttime routine that isn’t, so I am open to new options!
That is all for my daytime routine, all in all this takes me about 3-5 minutes in the morning, depending on how awake I am and how much I overslept. The main takeaway I have with what I do in the morning is taking a morning cleanser out of the equation. It has helped a ton with time in the morning and my skin has enjoyed being able to soak up its natural oils, especially since my skin has matured. I probably couldn’t have done something like this a year ago or back in high school, when my skin was more oily. All products are linked above in each step they are used, I hope you enjoyed this little post and impromptu product review and I will be following up with a nighttime routine here soon.
