Happy Hump Day, everyone! I’m so excited to share today’s post where I’m talking about everything to do with my skin care routine. Ever since I was probably about 14, I’ve had pretty average skin. I’ve never had anything like cystic acne but I definitely always suffered from random breakouts, a little acne scarring and uneven skin texture. For years I would go to bed wearing any type of spot cream I could find all over my face and then battle with dryness when applying my foundation every morning. But ever since I started working at Teen Vogue, I think I’ve started to learn more and more about skin care and have had some great opportunities to try different products, and at the ripe old age of 27 I think I’ve found exactly what works for me and I’m happy to say that my skin has been in pretty decent condition ever since.
1. Glossier Priming Rich Moisturizer 2. Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Exfoliant 3. LAPCOS Sheet Masks
4. Glam Glow Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment 5. Thayers Rose Water
6. Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream
First thing’s first, I just want to state that I’m by no means an expert but this is just what seems to be working for me and some products that I truly love! The first step in my routine is a little unconventional. I don’t actually use a cleanser to wash my face, I just have never been able to find one that doesn’t strip away all of the natural oils and give me that skin-tightening feeling. Instead I start by removing my makeup using a Simple makeup wipe (ALWAYS Simple, they’re my favorite wipes because they’re nice and moist) I know a lot of people hate wipes and say they do nothing but move dirt on your face from one place to another but I disagree. Once all of my makeup is off, I splash my face with cold water and then apply the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Exfoliant. I’ve been talking a lot on social media about this product lately because it has absolutely been instrumental in clearing up my skin. I use it every night before bed with a cotton ball and have seen such great results in the past couple of months since I started using it. Basically it unclogs enlarged pores, exfoliates dead skin cells, smooths wrinkles & brightens & evens out skin tone! I only use it at night time because the BHA in it really makes your skin extra sensitive to the sun. Then in the mornings when I wake up, I use Thayers Rose Water. I love this particular brand because it’s made from rose-petal water, vitamin e and their proprietary witch hazel extract which has lots of incredibly soothing benefits.
After that cleansing/toning step, I usually use one of the following three products. The Glossier Priming Rich Moisturizer is my go-to every day moisturizer that I use in the morning. It’s nice and thick but sinks into your skin pretty quickly, leaving it looking and feeling incredible. It also smells like roses so bonus points for that. At night, I usually use the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream. This product was my first time tipping my toes into using retinol – a renowned anti-aging ingredient that’s supposed to do wonders. It’s a little pricey but is definitely something that I know I’ll keep repurchasing because it really does leave your skin feeling nice and hydrated but also firmer. Once or twice a week I’ll switch it up and use Glam Glow Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment as an alternative. Even though it’s technically a mask, I like to use it as an overnight moisturizer once in a while for a real intense hydration boost, especially in the winter time when the weather dries out your skin.
And finally, I’m a huge fan of sheet masks, nothing made me happier during the Summer than getting home from work when it was so hot and muggy outside and taking a sheet mast out of the fridge. It’s literally the most refreshing feeling in the world. I’ve tried so many masks recently but my favorite will always be the ones by LAPCOS. You can buy them individually or in a set and there’s different ones for everything from brightening, moisturizing to pore care.
And that about wraps up the fundamentals of my everyday skincare! Another really instrumental thing that helped clear up my skin was making an effort to never place my phone on my face when making a phone call. Cell phones have more bacteria on them than most public bathrooms according to studies and I don’t know about you but my chin used to be the worst place for breakouts! It’s a small thing but it really worked.
