My Current Skincare Rotation
I always treat my skincare routine as a wardrobe kind of situation. My skin is never exactly the same day-to-day, and while it is generally well-behaved as of late, it never hurts to chop and change which products I use in order to fit my skin's needs from day-to-day. I have combination skin, and tend to break out around my chin, but often have a few dry patches around my cheeks fyi.
Step 1: Cleanse ~ If there's one step in my skincare routine that I never forget to do, its cleansing. I never leave my makeup on at night and I also always cleanse my face in the morning. For a morning cleanse I usually go for the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, which is perfect for the morning because the texture is lightweight and refreshing but never feels stripping. I also will sometimes use the Glossier cleanser at night if I'm wearing little to no makeup on my face or had a day indoors and decided not to wear SPF. On a more regular basis though, at night I remove my makeup with the blue capped Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, which is geared towards waterproof makeup because I wear waterproof mascara. This micellar water does a great job at removing all my makeup but I will go in with the Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm afterwards in order to really cleanse my skin.
Step 2: "Treatment" ~ Ok so this isn't entirely one step but I wanted to lump all of this stuff together so I didn't have a million steps. Most days I will use an acid toner, my favorite being the Pixi Glow Tonic, right after I cleanse my skin in the morning. Using an acid toner really helps the tone and texture of my skin. Depending on how my skin is, I will sometimes opt to use one of the Glossier Super Serums. I have been loving Super Pure because it has really helped with some congestion that I've been experiencing around my T-Zone. I will go in with Super Bounce when my skin is feeling a bit dry and dehydrated, as it really does help with those two things without leaving my skin feeling overloaded with product or oily. I have used Super Glow for dullness, but haven't used it enough to give it a full recommendation but it does feel nice on the skin albeit a bit watery. At night, after I cleanse I use the Effaclar Duo on any spots or residual scars from past spots that I have. I have been using this product for years and don't see myself straying to another spot treatment any time soon.
Step 3: Moisturize ~ The moisturizer step is the step where I change up the products the most. For the morning I will use moisturizer right after applying a serum, or right after the Glow Tonic if I opt not to use a serum. If my skin is on the dryer side or if it's really cold outside I will use the Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich, which I love even though I have slightly oily skin because even though it is rich it really sinks into the skin and feels very moisturizing rather than greasy or heavy. During the warmer months though I will use the original Glossier Priming Moisturizer because it is very lightweight and works really well under makeup (as the name would suggest). At night I really go the whole hog with moisturizer. I always use the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatmentas my eye cream because it is super moisturizing and super thick so it is best used at night. Since I'm only 22 I don't need a targeted anti-aging eye cream and I love this one because it is so basic and so good at making my under eye area so soft. Most nights I will use the Origins Make A Difference Plus moisturizer because it is really rich and creamy but is very basic and, like the eye cream, doesn't do much else but moisturize. I love this cream for nighttime as well because it smells so calming. About twice a week (or more if my skin is really freaking out) I will use the Pai Rosehip Regenerate Oil either by itself or underneath the Origins moisturizer. This oil is amazing at soothing any kind of irritation my skin gets and is a real lifesaver during the winter months when my skin can get very dry almost to the point of eczema. I also find that because it is a rosehip oil it is really good for getting rid of any kind of pigmentation from leftover acne scars, with enough use over time.
P.S. I do use SPF pretty much every day but will go more into that in a later blog post :)