I have been asked many times to drop the skin care regimen! So, here it is, the long awaited skin care post! Healthy skin is so important for a woman to look and feel her best. The foundation of effective skin care is your daily routine. In this post, I will share with you my tried and true skin care regimen, and the products that I use every day and love.
Since everyone’s skin is different, it is important to craft a routine and select products that work best for your skin type. The types of skin are oily, dry, normal, combination, and sensitive. My skin is normal to dry, however, I’ve noticed that when the season changes it is very susceptible to becoming even more dry.
The best way to try out a new skin care product before investing is to go to a local department store like a Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus and ask for a sample of the products that either they recommend or you are interested in. This gives you the opportunity to try the products out and see over time how your skin reacts, before committing to purchasing them.
Now for the routine! If its a workout day the first thing I do is use a q-tip wetted with warm water to clean along my lashes and eyes. This is super important if you have lash extensions (which I do.) If I am just going to go workout, I don’t really see the point in doing the whole morning routine because you are headed sweat anyways.
AM Routine: Post workout, or on days where I don’t start with exercise, here is the routine:
1. Cleanser: I like to start with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser. This is a fantastic all around cleanser that is safe for all skin types. It cleans skin without stripping moisture, and it is paraben, fragrance, and dye-free. This cleanser truly does feel like a daily facial!
2. Toner: It’s a common misconception that toner can be super drying. But not all toner’s are created alike. The Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate toner from Youth to the People is an important part of the regimen. You apply it by misting it upon your face because it comes in a spray bottle (genius!). Rather than drying you out, it helps your skin to maintain its’ natural moisture barrier throughout the day. This toner is such a rock-star, you can actually spray it on your face throughout the day to help with moisture, even over your makeup.
3. Moisturizer: The next step in my AM skin care routine is moisturizer. No matter how late you are running, you can never skip your moisturizer. I repeat: you can never skip your moisturizer! There are two that I rotate between, La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer which I use primarily as my every-day moisturizer. This is a great one, its not super expensive ($23 at Target at time of publication) and it is perfect for normal – dry skin like mine.
Note: Occasionally my skin will be a bit dryer than normal, usually when the season changes or if we are traveling somewhere where it is more dry. When that happens and I need a little extra oomph in my regimen I reach for SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Anti-Aging Moisturizing Cream. It is suitable for all skin types and is fantastic for restoring moisture to the skin.
Tip: For moisturizer’s like the Triple Lipid Restore, which come in a jar, definitely have a few miniature cosmetic spatulas on hand like these. That way you can dip the spatula in the cream instead of your fingers, which maintains the integrity of the formula, and they help you use every last drop.
4. Body: Don’t forget to put moisturizer on your body, too! Kiehl’s makes an excellent all over lotion called crème de corps (and its on sale right now too at Nordstrom!)
And that’s it for the morning. From here you can put your makeup on or go out without- your skin should look fantastic enough!
PM Routine:
1. Remove your makeup: Fast forwarding now to bedtime, the first thing you always have to do is remove your makeup. No matter how excellent your face wash is, no face wash can remove all of your makeup by itself. I always reach for these Fragrance Free Makeup Remover Wipes by Neutrogena. They are super affordable, strong enough to remove all of your makeup, yet very gentle on even the most sensitive skin. You can get them on Amazon, at Target, or pretty much any drug store.
2. Cleanser: At night time I mix it up a little with the face wash and I reach for my La Mer Foaming Face Cleanser. It is formulated with sea algae white pearl powder and the result is clean, bright, and energized skin. It’s important to use warm rather than hot water with this cleanser, because the active ingredients will degrade in higher temperatures.
3. Eye Cream: Let’s face it ladies, after a certain age we have to start paying attention to a few details, and regularly applying eye cream is one of them. I always reach for Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream. When applying your eye cream, you want to put four small dots about a half inch below the eye starting between your nose and ending at the outer part of your brow, then repeat with three small dots about a half inch above your eye but below your brow. Blend your eye cream from there, but don’t blend too close to the eye, because eye cream will naturally spread further on the skin after you apply it. If it’s applied all the way up to your eye, it can actually irritate your eyes, leaving them looking irritated, tired, or puffy. AKA the opposite of the refreshed look you are going for.
4. Serum: Other than removing your makeup religiously every night, the best thing that you can do for your skin is apply serum before bed. Think about it, your skin is clean and whatever you put on next will work hard all night for your skin, so you want to be sure to choose a good one. La Roche Posay has a great option in their Niacinamide 10% Anti-Aging Serum. So Niacinamide is essentially a B-Vitamin, and it helps to brighten and even the skin tone. The other key ingredient in this serum is hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in the skin, but when it is in a serum like this it helps to pull moisture into the skin, and helps the skin the retain the moisture.
Another great serum is Sunday Riley’s CEO Glow (on sale right now at Anthropologie!). This serum is packed with Vitamin C, turmeric, and different seed oils. All Sunday Riley products are formulated by a chemist. This formula helps to brighten skin, including acne scars, and reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
5. Moisturizer: The last step in my evening skin care routine is moisturizer. At night I always reach for La Mer’s Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream which goes on so smooth and absorbs beautifully. It also helps firm the skin and reduce the appearance of lines.
And that’s it for the night time routine! It sounds like a lot when it’s all written out, but believe me it just takes five minutes and the results are so worth the time and effort.
There are a few honorable mentions that aren’t part of my everyday routine, but I reach for at certain times. Here they are:
1. Valitic Turmeric Soap: This bar soap is available on Amazon and it is packed with vitamin C, retinol, and collagen. It’s great for your face, but you can also use it on your body including your underarms and bikini line. It’s also fantastic for acne-prone skin.
2. Skin Booster Vitamin Shot Brightening Serum: By Physician’s Formula and available at Target, this serum packs a lot of punch for only $10. It features Vitamin C, licorice, and vitamin B3 (just like the La Roche Posay serum, above). It’s great for oily, sensitive, dry, and combination skin types.
3. DRx Acne Eliminating Pads: These pads, made by Dr. Dennis Gross and available at Nordstrom, are awesome acne fighters. Each pad contains L-Carnitine Clearing Complex which helps to clear out pores, balance oil, reduce bacteria, and to minimize inflammation. If you have a teenager in your life they are a life-saver!
4. Overnight Spot Patches: These little patches (by PanOxyl) are awesome for putting on a pimple right as it starts. They work all night, pulling all the junk out of the pimple, and reducing size and inflammation. Also great for the teenagers in your life, but also for the morning show host ;).
So, if you’ve made it all the way through, now you know ALL of my skin care secrets! I would love to read your thoughts on what works for you or your favorite skin care products! Feel free to drop a line below.
With love,
AB
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