My Skin Care Routine

Having a good and consistent skin care routine is essential for me! I wear makeup on a daily basis so it's important that I have a routine to ensure my skin doesn't freak out. Keeping my skin healthy also helps my makeup to apply flawlessly and to stay on all day.

Skin care is perhaps one of the most frustrating and also most satisfying things to understand. Understanding your skin and what your skin needs can take a lot of time. I've been experimenting with different products and techniques since I was a teen and I still don't have it all worked out. But I've learned so much about the importance and the complexity of it. Make note that I'm not an esthetician or any type of skin care professional, but I'll do my best to supply some helpful information!

First off, a little bit about my skin. I have sensitive combination/oily skin with a lot of redness and hyperpigmentation. I get hormonal breakouts around my chin and forehead, mostly. My acne tends to be open comedonal acne and an occasional cystic acne pimple (normally only one or two at a time). I have some medium sized pores around my nose, but nothing major and if it’s the winter season I get some flakiness on my nose and chin. (BTW I’ve embedded some links with more information about my acne/skin type if you’d like more explanation!).

Now that that’s covered, let’s move on to how I actually combat this shiz!

First up, my morning skin care routine:

1. I start off by cleansing my face. First I splash my face with water and then I use one pump of my CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and massage that into my skin. CeraVe is awesome because it doesn’t have any irritants in it and it helps to rebuild your skin’s natural barrier.

2. I rinse my cleanser off, pat my face dry with a clean towel and then use a toner. I don’t do this everyday because it can be drying. But if my skin is feeling clogged I’ll use my Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control on a cotton pad apply it all over my face and neck area.

3. Next I’ll use some type of serum. Normally I use L’oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector. I’ve been using this particular serum for several months and have actually noticed a difference in the texture of my skin. My fine lines have diminished quite a bit and my skin is so much smoother! I’m in love!

4. For moisturizer I use Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. It’s super light weight and moisturizes my skin better than any higher end product I’ve used. Plus it doesn’t break me out, which is a pretty big thumbs up in my book.

5. Lastly, if I remember to, I use an SPF of some kind. My favorite is Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream with SPF 50+. It feels a little oily at first, but it sinks in quickly. It doesn’t clog my pores like most sunscreens and it helps correct my dark spots and hyperpigmentation.

After all that’s complete I apply my makeup and go about my day. OH and while I’m going about my day I drink a butt load of water. I’ve seriously noticed such a difference in the glowiness and plumpness of my skin if I drink lots of water.

When the day is done and my face is looking a little drab I run into my bathroom and wash my woes away!

Night time skin care routine:

1. Alright so generally I’ve got quite a bit of makeup to take off. I start off by rinsing my face with some cold water and then I take off most of my make up by using one pump of my CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and massaging that into my skin and over my eyes (with my eyes closed of course!). I rinse that off with cold water and if my eye makeup isn’t all the way off I go in with another pump of my CeraVe and rub away the rest.

2. Once a week I use my Clarisonic Mia 2  with the sensitive skin brush head to exfoliate my face. I use a pump of either my CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser or a pump of my Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. The Clarisonic is a great tool to use if you have clogged pores and uneven texture to your skin. It uses vibration to draw out impurities and dirt/oil. Although it can do wonders for your skin, I would only use it once or twice a week. When I first got it I used it everyday and it was super drying and made my skin pretty flakey.

3. After I pat my skin dry with a clean towel I use my Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control toner on a cotton pad. I only use a toner if I haven’t used my clarisonic. The reason for this is because my clarisonic has already cleansed and exfoliated my face, if I went in with an additional toner it would be drying to my sensitive skin.

4. Next I use two to three drops of The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil applied to my T-zone with my fingertips. This product is bomb. It heals any acne scarring and blemishes that you might have, seemingly overnight! Anytime my skin is looking like a nightmare I put this on and in the morning my skin looks like new. It’s got an herbally smell that I wasn’t too keen on at first, but now I love it!

5. Then I’ll go in with another oil, Bio Oil. I use one to two drops all over my face, applied with my fingertips. This stuff is pretty inexpensive and it helps heal scarring and uneven skin tone. Plus it adds extra moisture and it doesn’t clog my pores.

6. Then I apply my night time moisturizer all over my face and neck. If my skin is breaking out or looking inflamed I reach for The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion. This stuff, in combination with the Tea Tree Oil, is amazing at reducing redness and inflammation. If my skin is super dry and flakey I go for a more intense treatment, my Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief moisturizer. This stuff is awesome because it’s a gel like consistency so it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy at all. It sinks in right away and makes my skin feel so amazingly soft, I would recommend this to literally everybody, it’s incredible.

7. If I have a major breakout I’ll apply a healing mask only over the blemish to spot treat and wear it overnight. My favorite masks are Freeman’s Feeling Beautiful Clay Mask Avocado and Oatmeal, Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Bentonite Clay Mask, and Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque.

8. Lastly, if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll spritz some Lush Tea Tree Water all over my face to seal everything in.

Annnnnnnd that’s it! I know that seems like a lot of fuss but it’s just what works for my skin! I love trying new products and experimenting with different techniques. Everyone’s skin is different so it’s important to do some research of your own. While the products I listed above are great and work for me, they might not be right for you and your skin type. My favorite place to learn about skin care and products is R/Skincareaddiction on reddit.com. It’s a forum where common people and skin care professionals come together to share advice and tips on skin and skin care. You can ask questions as well as communicate with others about all things skin! There’s also a sidebar on the site with lots of listings for other websites as well as master lists for basic, intermediate and advanced skin care.

Like I said above, skin care can be frustrating and complicated. There are so many products on the market which can make finding your routine overwhelming. One of the biggest mistakes I made as a teen was just buying all things acne related and assuming this would solve my problems. But I completely dried out my skin which made it ten times more inflamed and ten times oilier. I forgot that I needed to take care of my skin, not attack it. But no worries, take a deep breath and know that there are zillions of people just like yourself looking for ways to make it easier! Do your research and understand that it takes time for your skin to recover and balance out. Remember that healthy skin will lead to beautiful skin!

If you guys want more tips or any product reviews make sure to leave a comment below!

Laters,

xxgk