Good Morning
I have never been a morning person. In April I temporarily moved into a condo that faced sunrise and I was wide awake at 5 am and full of energy. I would workout, enjoy a morning coffee and then I had the time to do my skincare routine. Now it is November and I am back to my usual self: stay in bed until I must move. Luckily since I had months to work on my morning routine I am efficiently able to do my skincare before dashing off to work.
My morning skincare routine has fewer steps than my evening skincare. The first three steps in my morning skincare routine; cleanser, toner and essence; use products that I also use in my evening routine. I will briefly discuss them here but please read my other post for more information.
The last photo is my current morning skincare routine. The products are in the order I use them and I will discuss them more below. Like in my evening skincare routine post while I will include information on the key ingredients these products use I am not discussing the science or efficacy behind those ingredients. I will discuss why I like them and what skincare benefits I have noticed in my skin. Hope this is all helpful!
Cleanse: In the morning I only use a single cleanser. Even though you can build up oils and sweat overnight I do not find a need to double cleanse.
Water Soluble Cleaner: To keep things simple I use the same water soluble cleanser day and night. Currently I am using the AmorePacific Treatment Enzyme Exfoliating Powder Cleanser. This is a powder to foam exfoliating cleanser which I also discussed in my evening routine post.
Pro: Although this is considered a chemical exfoliating cleanser it is gentle enough for daily use. I find that it leaves my skin soft and hydrated after use.
Con: The packaging!! the powder is dispensed through a hole in the top which doesn’t have any mechanism to stop an excessive amount of powder being dispensed. The lid snaps shut but can easily flip open. Once when travelling the lid flipped open and a bunch of powder split out! They need better packaging because when reading the Sephora reviews I am not the only one this has happened to.
Key Ingredients: Green Tea-derived Probiotic Enzyme remove dead skin cells while papaya Enzymes support healthy turnover.
Toner: Toners are used after cleansing to help remove any impurities that remain after washing your face. Currently I am using the Saturday Skin Pore Clarifying Toner and I love it! This toner contains 10% glycolic acid.
Pro: This toner does a great job smoothing out my skin, evening its texture and minimizing my pores.
Con: If you do not use glycolic acid much or have sensitive skin use this only a few times a week! It can sting a bit when you first start using it.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic Acid exfoliates the skin and minimizes the look of pores. Witch Hazel helps to improve the tone and texture of the skin.
Essence: This is a relatively new addition to my skincare routine. Currently I am using the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (Pitera Essence).
Pro: Leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. Overall I feel the texture of my skin is much more even. This is a product that it is hard to see the benefits from it until you stop using it. Once I stopped I noticed how much more dry my skin looked and felt.
Con: When I first tried this product I found the smell very off putting. It is hard to describe, but an unpleasant herbal smell comes to mind. I am now used to it and the smell is not as noticeable. The Tatcha Essence has no scent and is a great alternative.
Key Ingredients: Pitera™ is their trademark ingredient. It contains over 50 micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and natural acids to condition skin.
Serums: Serum are usually a lightweight moisturizer with specific ingredients included to address a targeted problem. Because a serum is lighter in consistency it goes on first after cleansing. Day time serums focus on hydration and skin protection while night time serums help with resurfacing and repairing the skin. I prefer daytime serums with a weightless and traceless finish. Typically you apply the serum with the lightest consistency first, finishing with your heaviest layer. Below are the serums I use and in the order I use them.
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF: This is a daytime vitamin c antioxidant face serum that delivers advanced environmental protection and diminishes the appearance of fine lines and discoloration. I had been a long time user of the Skinceuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C serum which I love. When I finished my last jar I decided to try out the Phloretin serum.
Pro: I apply about 4 drops of this serum to my face every morning. This serum easily absorbs into my skin. I have noticed it helps with brightening and evening out my skin pigmentation. Compared to the C E Ferulic serum the Phloretin Vitamin C formula is a lighter formula and better for acne prone skin. Once I am done with this jar I will be changing back to the C E ferulic serum to get a better comparison between the two.
Con: None.
Key Ingredients: This product contains 2% Phloretin (derived from apples and the root bark of fruit trees this antioxidant neutralizes damaging free radicals, helps improve cell turnover, and improves the appearance of discoloration), 10% L-ascorbic Acid (this form of pure vitamin C has anti-oxidant benefits by neutralizing damaging free radicals and protects against oxidative stress while providing visible anti-aging benefits), 0.5% ferulic acid (a plant-based antioxidant, ferulic acid neutralizes free radicals and enhances the antioxidant benefits of vitamins C and E)
Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum: The purpose of this hydrating serum is to visibly replenish the complexion and improve the look of skin texture and tone.
Pro: This product has a nice lightweight texture and is easily absorbed into the skin. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated. This is a great skincare addition during the winter and drier months.
Con: This products helps with my skin dryness but not sure how much it does for fine lines. I feel like this is a product that you do not realize you need until you stop using it.
Key Ingredients: Pineapple Ceramide (boosts luminosity and improves the appearance of skin‘s texture and tone), Provitamin B5 (as a humectant this product attracts hydration to the skin), Sodium Hyaluronate (with a smaller molecular weight than hyaluronic acid this is able to penetrate the skin and deliver intense hydration to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and promote visible firmness)
La Mer The Concentrate: I have used many La Mer products in the past with mixed reviews. When I read about their The Concentrate I was impressed with all the positive reviews. This sounded like a great products for sensitive skin or to help any irritated areas.
Pro: I love using this products around my T zone where I tend to get oily. I love the texture of it and it glides on so easily. This works a bit as a pore filling primer given the silicone content especially around my nose. I can get redness around my nose if I am using retinol and this product is great to reduce that. I also find if I have any irritated skin anywhere this is a great topical treatment to it.
Con: This product contains silicone which may not be the best for acne prone skin (although it states it is non-acnegenic). This product is mattifying so I am not sure how it would work for a drier skin type.
Key Ingredients: A restorative treatment serum infused with a concentrated form of cell-supporting Miracle Broth™ to help visibly calm redness and sensitive skin.
Eye cream: I feel like the Dermalogica Biolumin-C Eye Serum was one of my top product discoveries of 2020. I have been using this eye serum since May and discuss it more in my product empties post.
Pro: Love the lightweight texture which absorbs quickly into the skin. My under eye area is brighter and the fine lines and texture I have in my under eye area has improved. Fragrance free! I also love the packaging/dispenser.
Con: Going into the drier winter months I will be adding in a eye cream over top of this serum. While I love the light weight texture I do not think it will be enough alone in the winter
Key Ingredients: Vitamin C Complex is a stable form of vitamin C which enhances the skin’s ability to fight free radical damage and blocks environmental pollutants. Chia Seed Oil helps to depuff the look of eye bags and combat the appearance of eye wrinkles while nurturing the delicate area. Tremella Mushroom Extract hydrates, firms, and restores the look of skin's glow.
Face cream: During the summer I tend to skip a face cream and go straight to my sunscreen however in the winter my skin needs a face cream. My go to in the dry months is the La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizer.
Pro: Love the rich thick texture of this cream. It really helps to smooth out any dry patches I have. It leaves my skin looking plump and hydrated. When I wake up my skin still feels soft and hydrated. I can get eczema in the winter (mainly on my neck) and this cream is great at keeping my eczema patches moisturized.
Con: You need to take the time to warm this cream up before applying it. If I do not warm it up and my skin it too wet from my serums I feel that this cream just slides over my skin and I do not feel like it absorbs well. Given the thick texture may not be great for acne prone skin.
Key Ingredients: This cream is infused with cell-supporting Miracle Broth™, and lime tea which is an anti-oxidant that helps protect against stress and pollution.
Sunscreen: No matter what time of year it is; whether it is sunny, cloudy, rainy or snowing I ALWAYS wear a sunscreen. Whenever I ask any of my friends who are dermatologists what their skincare secret is, they always reply with: ‘wear sunscreen’. When I was younger I did not use a sunscreen religiously. Now I will not leave home without it. For a long time I was using the La Mer The Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid. This is still one of my favourite sunscreens but I decided it was time for a change. Based on the recommendation of a friend I decided to try the Chantecaille Ultra Sun Protection Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Primer. This was recommended to me since I wear makeup and this sunscreen also works as a primer. In Canada the labelling is the Chantecaille Ultra Smoothing Primer however if you read the ingredient list sunscreen ingredients are included.
Pro: This is a clean beauty product with a lot of good features: Paraben-free; sulfate-free; phthalate-free; mineral oil-free; petrolatum-free; palm oil-free; synthetic color-free; synthetic fragrance-free; GMO-free. I am actually interested in trying more from this brand since it sounds great for the skin. This product has no scent. This smooths the skin and helps to minimize pores leaving a great base for makeup. Since this a chemical sunscreen not a physical sun block it does not leave a white case on the skin.
Con: None that I can think of!
Key Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 2.75%
I know this was a very long post but I hope you found this useful! If you want more details on a specific product or more on skincare please let me know! Also check out the Good Night Post for my night time routine!
Photos: Paige Owen
