It’s been a bit since I shared an updated skincare routine, so now seemed like a good time! I feel like over the years, I’ve gotten better at simplifying my routine (… a bit, at least, I still like skincare!) and at adjusting a bit based on how my skin is doing and what season it is, too. So this is the routine that’s working for me right now – but I’m really happy with it.
Morning Skincare
I keep things really simple in the morning. I have oily skin that’s somewhat sensitive, and is acne-prone, though it’s gotten better in recent years. I start by washing my face with this super simple creamy gel cleanser from Dr. Idriss – it doesn’t strip or irritate my skin. I follow that up with this super lightweight liquid toner from Paula’s Choice. I like to be able to add a little moisture immediately back into my skin with this, but the liquid texture means that it’s not too heavy for my skin. I just swipe it on my face with an ultra thin cotton square because it’s easiest for me to reach my face that way, but you could definitely just use your hands instead. My next step is a prescription acne cream from my dermatologist that I’ve been using since about middle school – it’s been working well, and I don’t want to mess with it.
I have added one active step to my morning routine – this redness treatment serum from Innbeauty Project. I’ve always had what I think is a slight case of rosacea, but I’ve always had other skin priorities to tackle first. This has azelaic acid, which should help treat the redness long term. Of course, I follow all of this up with sunscreen. My current favorite is the Relief Sun Aqua Fresh from Beauty of Joseon, which is super lightweight and sinks right into my skin. If I’m not wearing makeup but want to look slightly polished for any Zoom calls, I’ll use the other half of the redness treatment product, which is a slightly green tinted redness corrector. It sounds weird, I know, but the green turns beige-y on my skin, and just cancels out any redness.
Evening Skincare
My evening skincare is a little bit more involved, but not too much. This is where I use most of my active ingredients – exfoliants, things like that. I start by using Bioderma micellar water to cleanse my face – it’s much more accessible for me that washing at the sink again. Just like in the morning, I follow cleansing with the same Paula’s Choice toner. Then, I alternate between two products – every other night I use either my prescription tretinoin or this Lion Pose Unspotted serum. Both could potentially be irritating if used together, but alternating nights has worked really well for me so far! I love how the Unspotted has helped with post-acne dark marks and just overall smoothness and texture.
For the rest of my products, I try to go thinnest to thickest consistency. I start with this Dieux Deliverance serum, which I’ve been using for about a year now. It’s been great at overall calming my skin – it’s way less red and irritated in general. Then I use this gentle Vitamin C serum from Drunk Elephant, which I wrote a whole post about if you want to read more. It has been so nice to find a formulation of Vitamin C that doesn’t break me out. And I top all of that with the Dieux Air Angel moisturizer, which is just a nice lightweight gel-cream moisturizer, and makes my skin feel so bouncy every morning when I wake up! Finally, I end with this GrandeLash lash growth serum – I’ve been using it for probably three or four years now because it just works, and just swipe it on every other night.
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