I’m pretty lucky. I’ve always been told I have nice skin, and I’ve never had a tremendous amount of acne or other skin problems. But, I think that a lot of that has to do with being a stickler for skincare ever since I was… oh, about ten or so. My mother always had a skincare routine she stuck to, and raised me to believe that a good preventative routine was much easier than trying to conceal a mess of scars and bumps. (Thanks, mom!) Even in my wildest teenage and early-20′s days, no matter how late I stayed out or where I was, I made sure to take off all of my makeup before bed and use a good sunscreen and moisturizer. And, I think it shows.
I know that a lot of women start using preventative treatments around 25 – 30, and I am one of them. I’m hoping that a focus on prevention of wrinkles will help me later in life, and maybe this routine will help you, too!
My skin type: I am extremely pale (I have Vitiligo, so I actually have no pigment in my skin) and it is a combination of oily/dry in the winter and straight-up oily messiness in the warmer months.
The routine:
1. I begin by washing my face with Mario Badescu Orange Cleansing Soap. From the Mario Badescu website: Orange Extract makes this gentle, cream cleanser mildly exfoliating and very refreshing. Non-oily, non-detergent formula is safe and effective for all skin types to remove make-up and build-up from the skin’s surface without drying. This is actually my morning and evening cleanser (I’ll be doing my nighttime routine in another post) and it’s lovely. It’s a moisturizing cleanser that never irritates my skin or makes it feel greasy. It just seems like a good, basic cleanser, and I love the scent. It reminds me of orange blossoms!
Not the most luxurious packaging, but I love this no-frills cleanser!
2. After drying my face with a wash towel, I use a cotton pad to apply Mario Badescu Glycolic Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion all over. Here’s the description of the toner from the Mario Badescu website: Oily, dull, congested skin will be refreshed and disinfected with daily use of this astringent. The powers of Citrus Extracts combined with 4% Glycolic Acid reduce the build-up of dead skin cells. Not recommended for acne-erupted skin. Much like the face wash, I find this to be a nice, basic toner. Prior to purchasing this, I was using Thayer’s Rose Petal Witch Hazel toner, which was equally nice and non-irritating. Neither of these toners are magical on their own, but I find that my skin looks more even and my pores appear smaller when I use one after washing. Sometimes I will switch things up and use my Caudalie Beauty Elixir as a toner, which my skin also really likes.
The Sonny to my cleanser’s Cher
3. I use one pump of Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion. Eucerin’s website says: This lightweight, gentle broad spectrum SPF 30 formula with UVA/UVB sunscreens including zinc oxide and titanium dioxide helps defend against long-term sun damage and also provides effective moisturization. I’ve tried (and been fairly disappointed) with a number of moisturizer + SPF combos that have pilled up on my skin, broken me out, or flat out didn’t moisturize OR provide sun protection. This little gem, however, gives me no trouble at all. One little pump is enough to spread evenly on my face, and it does not form little pills or make my already-oily skin even more slick. It sinks in nicely, allowing me to put on my primer and foundation without any fuss. And I love that it’s two products in one because it saves me time in the morning, and saves a bit of space on my bathroom counter.
SPF + moisturizer in one? I’m sold.
So I’m noticing a trend with my morning products… I never really analyzed them before, but laying out my routine shows me that I prefer simple products in the morning. That might have something to do with the fact that I am not a morning person at all, and often am rushing out the door to go to work without time for extra niceties. My evening routine is a bit more complicated, since I really take my time with that one. I’ll be posting that soon. :) In the time being, let me know if you’ve tried any of these products, and what you think of them. (Or if you have any recommendations on a good morning eye cream – I’m missing that in this routine, and am open to suggestions!)
