My Skincare Routine

I've always had nice skin. I was never plagued with acne, except for the very-occasional pimple on my nose. I don't have any special tips. In fact, when I was younger I had no skin regimen. I never used moisturizer, a special face wash, masks, or astringent and only washed my face in the shower.

Then again, I also never used makeup. 

I guess my childhood skincare"secret" tip is that I generally left my face alone. I didn't use any harsh chemicals or treatments, so my skin was never stripped or messed with. Now that I use makeup, however, it's more important to have a skincare routine in place.

I use makeup daily. This means I have to have a skincare routine in place to take care of my skin. Why? Well, in order to have a good painting you have to have a clean canvas. It might be easier to skip washing your face after a long night of partying or to go straight to foundation without using some primer first, but your skin is not going to look nice if you don't take care of it.

{Daily}

Morning skincare routine -AM

1. STEP 1: Wash face - Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
2. STEP 2: Tone - Boots Botanics Complexion Toner 
3. STEP 3: Treat - Sephora Instant Depuffing Roll-on Gel
4. STEP 4: Moisturize - Lancome Multi-vial moisturizer, Smith's Rosebud Salve

My AM skincare routine is pretty quick. I start off with a very light cleanser; Fresh's Soy Face cleanser. Although my face might feel oilier at times, I've found that starting off with a harsher cleanser leads to my skin drying out and that's never a good thing!

Toner helps to restore your skin's pH levels, so that you can apply moisturizer and have it sink in right away. It also helps to remove whatever might've been left on your skin. I use Boots Botanics Complexion Toner.

I don't sleep a lot, so unfortunately I have dark under-eye circles and sometimes puffy eyes. I'm currently trying to treat this using Sephora's Instant Depuffing Roll-on Gel. The rolling action of this gel is supposed to help stimulate the area and help to depuff the eyes. I'm also working on getting more sleep!!!

To moisturize, I use Lancome's Multi-vial moisturizer. For my lips (because lips need love, too!!) I use Smith's Rosebud Salve.

I'm then ready to apply makeup or get started with my day!

Nighttime skincare routine -PM

1. STEP 1: Remove eye makeup - Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover
2. STEP 2: Remove face makeup - Neutrogena makeup removing wipes
3. STEP 3: Wash face - Sephora face complexion brush, Origins Zero Oil deep pore cleanser
4. STEP 4: Tone - Boots Botanics Complexion Toner
5. STEP 5: Treat - Origins GinZing
6. STEP 6: Moisturize  - Lancome Multi-vial moisturize, Smith's Rosebud Salve

I start my PM routine by removing any makeup I wore throughout the day. I've found the best way to do this is by starting with the eyes and then moving on to the face. I remove my eye makeup with Lancome's Bi-Facil and then remove the rest of my face makeup using one face wipe. I'm currently using Neutrogena's makeup removing wipes, but I usually use baby wipes for this.

I keep very active working at my preschool, so at the end of those days my skin might be a bit oilier than usual. For these days, or for days when my skin needs a bit more deeper cleansing, I'll use my Origins Zero Oil deep pore cleanser so my skin is completely refreshed.

After applying toner to balance my skin, I follow with a different under-eye moisturizer. I wanted to use something a bit more heavy-duty for nighttime so I've been trying out a few different under-eye moisturizers. I'm currently using Origins GinZing (hopefully this helps with my dark circles). Afterwards, I slather on some of my AM moisturizer, Lancome's Multi-vial moisturize and some of that Smith's Rosebud Salve.

I usually have some downtime after my routine, so that I can relax before sleep. Turning on some music before bed is the best way to let go of the morning stress.

{Weekly} 

Once-a-Week skincare routine:

1. STEPS 1-3 of PM Routine
2. STEP 4: Wash face - Origins Zero Oil deep pore cleanser
3. STEP 5: Exfoliate - St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot scrub, LUSH Sweet Lips Scrub
4. STEP 6: Tone - LUSH Toner Tab in Dream Steam
5. STEP 7: Mask - (varies) Mask of Magnaminty 
6. STEP 8: Treat - Sephora Instant Depuffing Roll-on Gel
7. STEP 9: Moisturize - Lancome Multi-vial moisturize, Smith's Rosebud Salve

Once a week, I add a few more steps to my routine. Even after cleansing regularly, the skin develops a buildup of ickness that requires different products to remove. Personally, (TMI alert!) I have a problem with blackheads on my nose area. I've tried lots of different products that haven't quite worked out, so I'm always on the lookout for something better. 

For my weekly routine, I use the same products from my PM routine, except for a few additions: face scrub, lip scrub, and a face mask. They help polish my skin and lips before and remove any excess dirt, oil, and dead skin. I'm currently using St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot scrub. I thought I would try this out to see if it would help get rid of some blackheads (I haven't seen a change yet). I also use LUSH's Sweet Lips Scrub, which you can actually eat after using (mine is chocolate flavored)!

I use LUSH's toner tab in Dream Steam right before applying my mask. The toner tab helps remove any leftover face gunk (nice). To use one, you boil some water, plop this in and steam your face over the pot/bowl. Steaming your face helps to open your pores so that whatever mask you use can get a better clean. 

TIP: Remember, warm opens pores and cold closes them!

I like Dream Steam, because its smell is very relaxing. Siting over a pot of boiling water is not very comfortable, but with this great smelling toner tab, I can just sit and relax. 

Using a face mask after this helps remove anything beneath the top layer of my freshly cleansed skin. Simply removing what's on the surface won't be enough after a while, because what's beneath will continue to build up. I use a variety of face masks, depending on what I think my skin needs at the time.  This month, I've been using LUSH's Mask of Magnaminty. Mask of Magnaminty is similar to other mud masks in that it helps clear out your pores (are you starting to see a pattern in my products?). After the mask dries, I use COLD water to remove it.

I then follow with my usual AM/PM Moisturizing routine. 

What's your skincare routine? Do you have any special tips or tricks for keeping your skin clean?

-Claudia