My skincare routine is the one thing I’m obsessive about.
From a young age my mom got me in the habit of washing my face and taking care of my skin. I thank her every day for that! Over the years my routine has changed because my skin keeps changing. I started out with oily skin, then had combination skin for a while, and now at 24 I have dry skin.
When I graduated from college I spent the summer doing tons of research about products and nailing down the products that worked for me. This involved many trips to Sephora. If you haven’t been to Sephora you must go – actually run! They have everything! The beauty experts at Sephora are extremely sweet and do their best to help you find a product you are looking for. If you are one of those people – like me – who has to try a product for a week before committing to purchasing it then Sephora is your place! They give you samples for EVERYTHING!
Clarisonic Mia: I invested in a Clarisonic at the beginning of the year. Best decision ever! At first my skin went through the whole “purging” and it was annoying but after a month I saw a difference. I use my Clarisonic in twice a day.
AM Routine: First thing I do is wash my face with a cleanser. The purity cleanser is my all time favorite! It has been on Allure Magazine’s Best of Beauty List since 2007!! After cleansing I use a toner – the Dior toner is extremely hydrating for my skin! Before this I used Clinique Toner in Step 3 – the beauty expert at Sephora told me I was basically putting alcohol on my skin and drying it out. In order to lock in moisture and keep my skin hydrated I use a serum. The PTR VIZ-1000 is a bit pricey but a little goes a long way! One bottle lasted me 10 months! You only need to use a pea size amount of it. A little goes a long way! To finish it off I dab on some moisturizer.
Cleanser – Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Toner – Dior Gentle Toning Lotion with Velvet Peony Extract
Serum – Peter Thomas Roth VIZ-1000
Moisturizer – First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream
PM Routine: In the evening I first wash my face with the cleanser to remove all my makeup. This cleanser gets it all off perfectly! Then I use my Clarisonic with the cleanser to wash my face [you have to remove your makeup before using a Clarisonic or else your brush will go bad quickly.] Then I use a radiance pad to exfoliate my skin. In the evening I use a Vitamin C serum. I started using this after I got a facial a couple months ago and the aesthetician recommend it – since I’m 24. She said it’s better to start sooner rather than later. Vitamin C helps support the natural collagen in your skin as well as brightening. I then top it all off with a night time lotion.
Cleanser – Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Exfoliate – First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
Serum – Peter Thomas Roth Vitamin C Brightening Serum
Moisturizer – CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM
Lips: I suffer from chronic dry lips. I used to carry Vaseline around with me everywhere! Then I heard of this Sara Happ scrub and my life changed! I use this scrub religiously every night! My lips are no longer dry or chapped! In addition to the scrub I use the lip slip at night. In the winter I get super dry lips – MI winter is pretty extreme – therefore I use the hourglass lip treatment oil. It is a bit on the pricey side but I swear to you it works!
Sara Happ Lip Scrub
Sara Happ Lip Slip
Hourglass N° 28 Lip Treatment Oil
Secret Weapons: On a weekly basis I use the GLAMGLOW mud mask. At first I was skeptical of all the reviews I read about it thus I bought the travel size version of it from Sephora. Unfortunately no sample for this product because it’s a mask. I will warn you though this mud burns – in a good way. I tolerate the burn because the results are worth it! I use this mask once a week. When my skin does misbehave – which is usually during finals week when I develop bad eating habits – I turn to Sonya Dakar. This drying potion is magic. If I suspect that I am about to breakout I immediately dab this on at night. In the morning my breakout is gone! Yes gone! This stuff is magic! I’ve had my siblings, cousins, friends use it and they all end up buying it. You do look like you have a constellation of start on your face at night – but oh well.
Sonya Dakar Drying Potion
GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD
In addition to using these products I also have some habits that I believe help me in achieving great skin;
1. H2O! I drink lots of water! I make a habit to drink one bottle in the morning with my coffee. One bottle at lunch. One bottle on my commute home from work/school and finally one more bottle in the evening with dinner. I have a Lululemon glass water bottle that I take everywhere with me to make sure I stay hydrated.
2. I wash my pillow sheets once a week. I read a study that concluded that washing your pillowcase once a week is great for your skin. I’ve been doing it for years – it may seem crazy – but it works. Don’t believe me? Check out this article here.
3. No fast food. You are what you eat. The closest thing to fast food for me is Panera.
My skin is my priority. To some this may seem extreme but to me having great skin gives me confidence and my 50 year old self with thank me when I don’t have a wrinkly face!
Thanks so much for this! You should post a pic of your flawless skin for proof! I also use the clarisonic and have to agree on its effectiveness. I will be buying the glamglow and the drying potion you recommended. For the past month I have been using cold cream and vitamin e cream as my routine and I have to say my skin has greatly improved. Good skin does give you confidence..this was a great read and I could totally relate. Thanks!
You are so sweet! Vitamin E is the best! I definitely agree that great skin plays a vital role in confidence!! It's worth the time and effort to take care of your skin!