My Steps to Clear, Glowing Skin: After 18 months of trial and error and thousands of dollars spent in beauty products!
Over the past year and a half I’ve really been focused on my skin instead of trying different makeup to hide my skin. I’ve always had a combination skin – oily and acne prone in the T-zone and dry on the cheeks. My whole life has been a constant struggle between breaking out from my moisturizers and drying out my skin to prevent breakouts. But now that I’m at the time where I need to be conscious about aging and don’t have the time (or want to spend the time) to do a face full of makeup every day, I started focusing on my skin a lot more.
Over the past 18 months, I’ve tried THOUSANDS of dollars in skin remedies (I like to try things for at least a month before writing them off or loving them), and have consulted multiple skin specialists…and I have changed my skin completely! I actually found that using one main product line benefits greatly because the ingredients in all the products work together. Then I sprinkle in a mix of other brands for the specialty products like anti-aging, exfoliating, moisturizers, and masks. I’ve gotten tons of compliments over the past six months on my skin and have been asked about my products and routine…so after 18 months of figuring it out, here they are!
NO, I do NOT spend 30 minutes every morning and night on my routine. I’m a busy chick, ok? I try to get away with the LEAST amount of work for the most efficiency. Plus ain’t NOBODY got time for that.
Disclaimer: YES there are times when I just take my makeup off at night with a makeup remover wipe (Costco’s are the best!). And to be honest this is like 3-4x per week sometimes if I’m working late and just super tired. I also slip sometimes on my bi-weekly routine BUT one thing that I never ever ever forgo is my morning routine. One: because it sets me up mentally for a fresh day, and two: because I want to get all the gross stuff off from the night.
Disclaimer part 2: You need to give your skin a month to get used to something. By switching skincare products, you’re putting your skin into somewhat of a shock because you’re getting different ingredients or a different dosage of that ingredient. If it’s anti-aging products, yeah you might get a little pimple the first couple times because of the richness until you get used to it! If it’s an anti-acne product, it might dry you out a little at first. But give it time. That’s the only way I was able to find my groove and found this combination of skincare that has seriously changed my skin. I really don’t even like to wear face makeup anymore!
Morning Routine:
- I start with Collagen Powder in my coffee. I only do one scoop because I need to stay under 50 cals total before noon for intermittent fasting purposes (serving size is two scoops), but I still see the benefits. Since starting, my skin has gained a dewey, glowy complexion, and my hair and nails have been much more strong and grow faster!
- If I’m super tired, I will ice roll with this miracle tool. It wakes me up and decreases puffiness from tired skin.
- Before I wash, I Precleanse with the Dermalogica brand pre-cleanse oil. I use it morning and night and it lasts about 6 months! It gets all the makeup and dirt off before washing so that you can maximize your face wash. Plus it keeps my white towels clean, ha!
- Facewash time! I have been using the Dermalogica Clay Cleanser the past year to draw out impurities and keep my skin clear. I attribute my lack of breakouts to this one. I used to break out 2-3x per month and now it’s extremely rare if I see a pimple (I’m talking like once every three months now). The bottle lasts me around 4-6 months.
- Toner: Another Dermalogica product! I just love it because it smells great, has great ingredients, and keeps me feeling fresh. Plus the bottle lasts me about six months.
- Moisturizer with SPF: If I’m doing makeup for the day (about 3-4x per week), I use Dermalogica Oil-Free Matte with SPF, it creates a nice barrier before your foundation like a primer and also mattes your skin…it’s so great. If I’m just chillin’ with no makeup on that day (3-4x per week), I use Dermalogica Tinted Moisturizer with SPF.
- Final Touch: My lips get super dry after brushing my teeth so I use the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask to start the day.
Nightly Routine:
- Precleanse: Same Dermalogica Precleanse as my morning routine above.
- Facewash: Same Dermalogica Clay Cleanser as my morning routine above.
- Toner: Same Dermalogica Toner as my morning routine above.
- Recovery/Anti-Aging Moisturizer: I’ve been using Colleen Rothschild Extreme Recovery Cream, which is a mousse-like cream that isn’t heavy at all so won’t clog your skin up, but super rich and moisturizes like a dream!
- Lash and Brow Serum: This serum I’ve been using since last Summer has grown my little lashes so much (I can’t do fake even though I would love to, just don’t have the time to get them done!) and filled in my natural brows like crazy. Even my girl Abby at Bloom Beauty Bar has noticed! The serum goes on sale sometimes, so get it when it’s $29!
- Lips: The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask came as a rave recommendation from multiple friends and bloggers that I follow, so I had to try it. And they weren’t wrong! This product creates silky smooth lips and is so light that I use it during the day, too!
Bi-Weekly (2x/week) Routine:
- Exfoliate: I either use my Clarisonic or FrankBody coffee scrub to gently exfoliate my face in the shower in the morning. The Clarisonic is definitely easier and less messy, but the FrankBody scrub gives me an extra pick-me-up in the morning and has antioxidants and Vitamins A, E and D and nut oils. No, I’ve never broken out from it! It is really rich but doesn’t leave a yucky film on your skin.
- Full body scrub: On a weekend when I feel real bougie, I take a super long shower and incorporate a full body scrub with the FrankBody coffee scrub.This has gotten rid of the weird little bumps I get on the back of my arms and legs and makes my skin feel sooo smooth.
- Go through my same pre-cleanse and facewash routine I mentioned above.
- Ice roller for puffiness
- GloPro 2x/week if I didn’t exfoliate that morning(I only exfoliate 2x/week in the shower in the morning). I only use this at night so it gives my skin enough downtime to regenerate and heal overnight.
- I choose between three different facemasks based on my skin needs: 1) Origins clay mask for acne/impurities – this is like the dermal clay cleanser but super concentrated! I use this maybe 1-2x per month (usually around my hormonal acne time), 2) Laneige water sleeping mask for when I just need an extra silky smooth glow but I’m not experiencing crazy skin issues, and 3) Summer Fridays Jetlag mask for super dryness in the winter, after lots of sun, or when traveling.
- Whiten during mask! I use the SNOW Teeth Whitening kit because it doesn’t cause sensitivity and I actually see some results every time I use it. I like to do it 2x/week because I drink lots and lots of coffee and red wine.
- Rinse my mask off
- Toner: Same Dermalogica Toner as my morning and night routines above.
- Eye Patches: I use these BeautyBio eye patches or puffiness and dark circles! I keep them in the fridge for a cooling/de-puffing effect. I say bi-weekly because they can get expensive! I would love to use them every day, though.
If you haven’t checked out all of my fave beauty products including hair and makeup, check it out here!
