I've never been one to read beauty blogs, but I really like
this series over at A Cup of Jo. It's fun to see what beauty products real women use (and by real women I mean beautiful creative hipster women with amazing skin and unlimited budgets), so I thought it would be fun to share my skincare routine on the blog.
It's only in the past few months that I've started to be a bit more diligent with taking care of my skin, and there are still more nights than I want to admit where I wash my face and don't do anything else. But when I'm careful about following my routine, I really do notice a difference—my skin is softer, clearer, and more even toned.
A note on my skin, it's pretty sensitive and I've had reactions to products that are supposed to be for sensitive skin (hello Cetaphil), and it's also a little on the oily side and prone to breakouts (though a little less so with my advanced age!).
Nighttime Routine
I usually have a shower at night and in the shower I wash my face with
this cleanser. It's a little on the pricey side for something you rinse down the drain, but I really like it. I've tried a lot of cheaper drugstore brands and haven't found one I like nearly as much. I love a creamy, foamy cleanser and this one delivers on both counts. It does a good job of removing dirt, grime, and makeup and it rinses off really well, so on nights when I'm too tired to do anything else, I at least feel that my skin is really clean. And a little goes a long way – you only need a pea-sized dot to get a nice lather. I find that because you need so little of it, and because I usually only use it at night, one tube lasts a long time (the tube I bought in July just ran out last week), so it's not too bad a value in the end. I often use it with one of these little
scrubby things. I also have one of
these brushes, but would like to upgrade someday to
this. A good alternative cleanser I sometimes use is
this one. It also is a nice creamy, foamy cleanser and does a good job of cleansing my skin.
Most nights I follow up washing my face with using
this toner. I know toners get a bad rap, and a lot of people think there is too much alcohol in this toner especially, but it has been a real game changer for me. I started using it when I was having a lot of problems with my skin postpartum, and by adding this into my routine my skin cleared up almost instantly. It has been one of my best beauty finds.
Most nights I use products from
The Ordinary. I only recently discovered this skincare line of
a few months ago when I was searching for some affordable
argan oil, and I absolutely love it! They are a Canadian company and they make skincare products with high quality active ingredients for a really low price. Each product contains only one active ingredient so you can mix and match products to find a routine that suits you. Right now I am using the following three products:
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA,
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, and
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%. I find that these three products have really helped to even out my skin tone and blemishes are fewer and far between. What I don't like about these products is that my routine takes longer than I like, as I have to apply three or more separate products. But if I apply them between other parts of my bedtime routine (between brushing, flossing, combing out my hair, etc) it's not so bad. Sometimes I'm a little lazy and will only use one or two of the products, either the Niacinamide or the Vitamin C cream. Now that it is winter I think I maybe need to add another moisturizing step into the mix. I have
this moisturizer, which is pretty basic, but I like it. I also bought
this from The Ordinary but haven't used it yet.
When I do have a blemish I use
this treatment cream and I find it clears them up quickly, sometimes overnight. A word of caution, this treatment is a little drying, and it will also bleach anything it comes in contact with (clothes, towels, pillowcases, etc) so be careful. We only have white pillowcases now because of this cream :)
A couple of nights a week I don't use my regular toner or the products from The Ordinary, and instead I use a retinol cream. Right now I'm using
this drugstore one and it seems ok. I'd like to
try one from The Ordinary once I use up my current tube, but for now what I have works. I find retinol can be a little irritating so that's why I don't use it every night. And I find it's too irritating to use with my salicylic acid toner, so instead I use
this witch hazel toner before hand, which makes my skin feel nice and refreshed.
I don't use a specially formulated eye cream (I read somewhere that they are a waste of money), and for the past year I have been using
this antioxidant moisturizer (which appears to be discontinued) as an eye cream. It seems to be to work fine. Some nights I'll put a little shea butter under my eyes too.
A few years ago I had some pretty bad eczema and along with the hydrocortisone cream prescribed by my doctor the pharmacist recommended I try
this cream and it is amazing! It cleared up my eczema fast and now anytime I have a dry patch on my face from the harsh winter air this really helps it. I also use it on my son in the winter and it helps with his dry skin too.
Morning Routine
My mornings are a lot more streamlined than my nighttime routine as I often don't have a lot of time, and I am really not a morning person. I don't wash my face, but usually give it a quick swipe with
this toner again. If I have a few extra minutes I'll put on a little of the same Vitamin C cream I use at night. And then I use sunscreen. I haven't found a great sunscreen since they changed up the formula of
my old favourite, but right now I'm using
this. And I'm pretty happy with it. For a while I was using
this one and I thought it was going to be my new favourite but I find it leaves a funny white powder coating on my skin and I can never get it to fully blend in. That's it. If I have time in the morning I'll put on a little make-up, but often I'm too busy rushing out the door and don't have time.
What's your skincare routine? Any great beauty finds?
XOXO
