Skincare Routine

I am a firm believer that everyone should have a skincare routine. It doesn’t have to be long and involved or use expensive products and it absolutely doesn’t have to involve every type of product you see on social media. I have two skincare routines: one for the morning and one for the evening. I’ll share my routine and what products I use (I’m linking to Sephora for most of them because they have everything in one place, but you do you).

Morning

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I shower every morning and I wash my face while I’m in the shower. Don’t @ me, it works for my skin. I go back and forth between two face washes–this Soy Face Cleanser from FRESH and this Milk Jelly Cleanser by Glossier (bonus that the Glossier one comes in TSA-friendly sizes). I have also tried and liked this Youth to the People green juice cleanser but I don’t feel like I need any “graceful aging” products right now. When I get out of the shower I pat my face dry (don’t pull the towel down your face, it will pull at the delicate skin by your eyes) and then spray toner on my face. I love this one from Little Seed Farm that I got as a gift as well as the rose water toner from Trader Joe’s. The toner from TJ’s is literally $4 so start with that one if you’re venturing into toners for the first time. Stick it in the fridge during the summer so it cools you down and feels more refreshing. Once the toner dries it’s time to moisturize. Last year I started using eye cream on a recommendation from a friend and OMG this is life-changing. I use this Kiehl’s avocado eye cream and the best and only endorsement I can give is that I used it during GOTV in North Carolina while basically not sleeping and I barely had under eye circles. Pat it into the skin around your eyes gently so, again, you don’t pull at the skin. Then I use the Rose Deep Hydration Cream from FRESH all over my face. You know how you blend foundation down underneath your chin and the top of your neck? Do that with the moisturizer too. I usually do all this pretty quickly after getting out of the shower and then don’t do my makeup for a while to give my skin some time to absorb.

This seems like a lot but it’s actually not. The basic idea is: cleanse, tone, eye cream, moisturizer. Boom, done.

Evening

Honestly, my evening skin care routine most days is to remove my makeup with a makeup wipe (no link here because to be honest I switch it up to whatever gentle but still makeup-removing wipe is on sale) and then I put on the eye cream and moisturizer I use in the morning. I do, however, do a face mask of some sort at least once a week and usually make that part of my evening relaxation. I alternate between sheet masks, this Kiehl’s mud mask, this Boscia peel-off mask (the pink one is exactly the same as the black charcoal one but is pink and somehow always on sale), and Drunk Elephant’s Babyfacial (a definite splurge but I bought the midi size when it was on sale on the Drunk Elephant website so it was significantly less expensive). If I do a face mask it’s after I take off my makeup and most likely instead of moisturizing unless I’m using a mask that has dried out my skin.

I tried not to make this overwhelming and I hope it’s helpful. The biggest change I saw in my skin was when I upgraded from drugstore face wash to a higher-end cleanser. The ones that I use are still very affordable but have made the biggest difference.