Good Night
Finally! After months of requests I finally sat down to write about my skincare routine. I have divided the posts in to my morning and evening routines. A skincare routine can seem extensive and cumbersome but I have grown to love it. I enjoy the self care time and I can honestly say I have seen great results.
I am always trying out new products and my skincare does change based on the seasons and weather but the order and type of products I use usually stays the same.
The last photo is my current evening skincare routine. The products are in the order I use them. I will discuss them more below. Although 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!
Double Cleanse: I only started to wear a lot of makeup starting about 5 years ago (before that I did not even own foundation). Since starting to wear makeup I noticed my skin starting to feel more dry and look more dull when I cleaned my face at the end of the day. A few years ago I read about double cleaning and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did! It has made such a difference in my complexion. Once a week I add in an exfoliating cleanser (but thats another post).
Oil Based Cleanser: The Erna Laszlo White Marble Cleansing Oil has been my go to for a few years now. I had previously tried out a few other oil based cleansers and balms without much success (Clarins, Bobbi Brown and La Mer to name a few). I had almost given up when I took the Erno Lazlo cleansing oil and cleansing bar combo on vacation due to its convenient travel packaging and I instantly fell in love with it.
Pro: This is considered a clean beauty brand. I like that this cleanser contains ingredients to help brighten the skin (something I am always trying to achieve!) This cleansing oil does not leave an oily residue. My skin never feels too tight or dry after using it. I also notice that it does minimize the look of my pores.
Con: None.
Key Ingredients: This cleanser uses peony flower extract to brighten and soothe skin. Lemon Peel Oil helps to exfoliate the surface layer of skin. Coconut and sunflower seed oils plump up its natural barrier.
Water Soluble Cleaner: I occasionally change the second cleanser I use but my current go to is the AmorePacific Treatment Enzyme Exfoliating Powder Cleanser. This is a powder to foam exfoliating cleanser.
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. There are a large variety of toners out there that offer different benefits depending on your skin type and the ingredients used. Toners provide a variety of benefits including minimizing the appearance of pores, removing residual oil and impurities and temporarily tightening the skin. Since my skincare goals include a brighter clear complexion I use a toner with glycolic acid. For YEARS I swore by the Pixi Glow Tonic exfoliating toner. I still love it but recently I switched over to the Saturday Skin Pore Clarifying Toner and I love it! While the Pixi Toner contains 5% glycolic acid the Saturday Skin toner has 10% glycolic acid. I will review the Saturday Skin toner.
Pro: This toner does a great job smoothing the skin. My pores are tiny after I use it and my skin’s texture is much more even. The Pixi toner has similar benefits but I notice more pore reduction with the Saturday Skin toner.
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. I have tried essences in the past but never been consistent with them. Since I have been using them routinely I have noticed such a difference in how hydrated my skin feels. If you use a lot of skincare products for brightening (like I do) which can be quite drying an essence can help to hydrate and re-balance the skin. Skin also absorbs skincare products better if it is damp. This is also how an essence helps. It hydrates and conditions the skin to prepare it for the serums, oils, and moisturizers to follow. The first essence I ever tried was the Tatcha The Essence plumping skin softener. Currently I am using the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (Pitera Essence). Both of these are great products and I would recommend either. Once my SK-II is done I may change back and re-try the Tatcha. I will review the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence below.
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: There are so many serums out there to choose from so what is a serum? Serums tend to be thin-viscosity products which contain concentrated amounts of active ingredients. Because a serum is lighter in consistency it goes on first after cleansing. Serums can be used for treating skin issues like discoloration, dullness, fine lines, or acne. You can choose your combination of serums accordingly. I always wondered if you can use more than one serum, and the answer is yes! It is usually recommended to use a maximum of two or three serums in a specific order so all of the ingredients can actually sink into your skin. Typically you apply the product with the lightest consistency first, finishing with your heaviest layer. Below are the serums I use and in the order I use them.
SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defence: this is a daily-use layerable dark spot corrector.
Pro: I apply this to areas where I have darker spots more as spot treatment although you can use it all over. I have noticed a more even skin tone. The skin around my mouth tends to be darker and I have noticed this has helped lighten that area. I use this product at night time but you can use it in the morning. The product website says you can use it in the morning with their Vitamin C serum so I may try that and see if it works better.
Con: You have to be careful and limit sun exposure when using this product. This is part of the reason I use it at night time. Always remember to use a sunscreen!
Key Ingredients: This product has a blend of anti-discoloration ingredients: 3% tranexamic acid (synthetically-derived ingredient that minimizes the reoccurrence of skin discoloration and stubborn brown patches with continued use), 1% kojic acid (naturally produced by certain fungi, kojic acid helps improve skin brightness), 5% niacinamide (a water-soluble vitamin which is found naturally and has been shown to help reduce the appearance of skin discoloration), and 5% HEPES (synthetically-derived acid activates natural enzymes in skin to help break the bonds that bind dead skin cells to the surface for even exfoliation).
SkinCeuticals Glycolic Brightening Renew Overnight: This product was gifted to me from SkinCeuticals. After trying it out now for a few months it is one of my new holy grail products. If you were to try one product from this post this is the one! After using this product for about a month I had an appointment with my Dermatologist. When I saw him one of his first questions for me was what skincare products I was using because my skin was looking so good! At that time this was the only new addition to my skincare routine and I had not seen him for a few months. If that isn’t a compliment for a product I don’t know what is!
Pro: My skin definitely looks brighter with a much more even complexion. This product is gentle enough for daily use and has not dried out my skin.
Con: This is another product that can make your skin sun sensitive so use sunscreen!
Key Ingredients: 4% Glycolic Free Acid Value (formulated with 6% added glycolic acid at a pH of 3.5 to deliver a 4% active level), 2% Phytic Acid (naturally derived product which provides exfoliation and acts as a chelating agent that inhibits iron molecules ability to catalyze free radical formation, promoting skin clarity and brightness), 1% Soothing Complex (derived from a combination of natural oils and botanicals this soothing complex forms a protective breathable layer to help lock in hydration)
Volition Beauty Snow Mushroom Water Serum: This is a brand that was relatively new to me last year. While at Sephora I was discussing my skincare concerns and my routine with one of their employees. She noted I was using a lot of brightening products which come at the expense of skin hydration. She suggested adding this product into my routine.
Pro: A drink of water for my skin it leaves my skin feeling soft and plump. This is another product where you really notice the benefit when you stop using it.
Con: Not the biggest fan of the packaging and dispenser. Until writing this post I did not realize there are brightening or pore minimizing benefits to this product. I do not notice this from this product specifically.
Key Ingredients: Snow mushroom (hydrates and locks in moisture, watermelon and apple extracts (visibly brightens and plumps the look of skin), marine water (minimizes the appearance of pores)
Eye cream: I sometimes feel like I am on a never ending journey to find the perfect eye cream. The Pixi Retinol Eye Cream was sent to me by the brand but I have been using it now for a few months and really enjoy it. I used to apply my eye creams before my serums but I have now changed to applying them after. Not sure what the right answer is there!
Pro: I love the packaging and applicator of this eye cream. Although this has a thicker consistency it is smooth to apply and easily sinks into the skin. I have noticed this cream helps to smooth out the fine lines under my eye area. The dark circles under my eye are also brighter.
Con: Retinol is in the middle of the ingredient list therefore I assume the actual concentration of retinol is not very high.
Key Ingredients: Retinol smoothes & refines, caffeine de-puffs & energizes, peptides firm & revitalize
Night cream: Due to their thicker consistency night creams are applied after face serums. While serums deliver active skincare ingredients the purpose of a cream or moisturizer is to create a barrier on top of the skin to keep the serums in. My current night cream is the Sisley Night Cream with Collagen and Woodmallow.
Pro: Love the rich thick texture of this cream and how nicely it sinks into my skin. It leaves my skin looking plump and hydrated. When I wake up my skin still feels soft and hydrated.
Con: The scent! The scent was so strong it gave me a headache the first time I used it right before bed. I thought I would never use it again but now I am used to it. I will never understand why the more higher end skincare brands insist on using strong scents! I may be in the minority on this though since people in the reviews say they like the scent. This cream is also very pricey.
Key Ingredients: A high concentration of soluble collagen helps to plump the skin and correct the visible effects of skin aging while the Woodmallow softens the skin.
Face Oil: Although a face oil may be a thinner consistency than a moisturizer, oils can easily penetrate moisturizers and serums but no products can penetrate an oil. So apply your face oil last! I am currently using the Pixi Overnight Retinol Oil. This product was also sent to me. Although retinols are usually used before a moisturizer directly on the skin since this is in a face oil I use it as the last step in my routine. I had not religiously started using a face oil until this summer. I had previously used the La Mer The Renewal Oil which I loved but ran out of.
Pro: This is a thicker oil and I like it in the dryer months to help hydrate my dry skin. In combination with my moisturizer I find I wake up with plump hydrated skin.
Con: Not sure how much retinol I am getting from this product. While I enjoy the texture and hydration I will likely try a different face oil after I am done this. I may go back to my La Mer oil or try something new!
Key Ingredients: Retinol smoothes & refines, peptides firm & revitalize, ceramides provide time-release moisture
I know this was a very long post but I hope you found this post useful! If you want more details on a specific product or more on skincare please let me know!
Photos: Paige Owen
