My Morning + Night Skincare Routine

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Happy Sunday everybody. I’m pretty pumped to share this LONG OVERDUE skincare routine post with you. I’ve been getting a lot of messages remarking on how good my skin looks and asking what I’m doing (even a few asking if I’ve done fillers, I’ll take that as a compliment!). The answer is no, I haven’t, but I did get really serious about my skincare routine and invested in some treatments that have 100% drastically improved my skin. You may look at the below and think, this girl is cray, this is way too many steps. Honestly, when I’m doing it, it doesn’t feel that way, and in a weird way, my skincare routine is almost a form of meditation for me (just ask my friends, I’ve been this way since high school). Of course my routine changes with the seasons, so this is what’s working for me right now. I realized I’ve never done a post on masks, which feels crazy because I do them ALL THE TIME, and have so many I love, so I’m thinking I’ll do that soon. If you have any other skincare questions or posts you’d like me to do, let me know, I LOVE talking about this stuff.

Skincare Step-by-Step

Morning

• Cleanse with Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser or Farmaesthetics Herbal Cleanser *If my skin is feeling dry I’ll skip this step or just do a splash of cold water
• Tone with Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner
• Apply a few drops of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic **This is expensive but has been an absolute game changer for my skin (it also has over 100s of 5 star reviews). I haven’t had any breakouts since I started using this.
• Then apply a few drops of SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier (I apply anything with a dropper directly to my skin, not into my hands first, so no product is wasted).
• A few dabs of First Aid Beauty Eye Gel and if I have time I’ll use my jade roller especially around my eyes to de-puff.
• I’ve tried a lot of face oils and Indie Lee’s Squalane Oil is my favorite. I only need 2-3 drops and it’s super lightweight and moisturizing.
• I started using this SPF 30 moisturizer recently but loving it so far. It has incredible anti-aging ingredients like evening primrose oil and hemp seed oil. It’s also very lightweight on the skin.
• Finish with a spritz of Farmaesthetics cool aloe mist.

Night

• If I’m wearing make-up I’ll use this True Botanicals Pre-Cleanse Oil first, then wash with one of my cleansers.
• Tone with Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner
• Apply Biossance Squalane Eye Gel
• Treatment: I alternate between SkinCeuticals Retinol, First Aid Beauty AHA Resurfacing Liquid, and Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 1970. Using an acid every night has drastically improved my skin. If I’m feeling a breakout coming on or if I have one I use Caudalie VinoPure Serum as a spot treatment.
• If I’m using retinol I try to let it sit for about 20 minutes before applying face oil.
• Apply a thin layer of Ursa Major Recovery Cream, a little goes a long way. Tons of anti-aging ingredients and a clean beauty brand (also Vermont based)!
• Finish with a spritz of Heritage Store Rosewater

Tools & Masks

One thing I’ve learned is how to pay attention to what my skin needs. When my skin was at it’s worst, I was in a panic mode of sorts, trying anything and everything to make it better, which only seemed to make it worse. Most weeks I don’t exfoliate more than 1-2 times, particularly now that we’re headed into winter, my skin doesn’t need it as much.

Masks

• My favorite way to exfoliate is to mix Farmaesthetics Rose Perfecting Polish with the Herbal Cleanser so it creates a paste. I’ll rub this gently in circular motions (occasionally I leave it on as a mask for a few minutes) and then rinse.
• Ren’s Glycol Lactic Radiance Mask is another favorite that exfoliates gently and never makes me break out after using it. It has AHAs which is great for dead cell turnover and collagen production.
• I also recently started using Tammy Fender’s Epi Peel and it’s so nice for brightening and purifying your skin.
• If I’m needing hydration I reach for SkinCeuticals b5 mask or First Aid Beauty Bouncy Mask.
• The Fresh Rose Face Mask is always a favorite too, it smells so nice and it’s so soothing.
• When I’m traveling I use sheet masks, this watermelon one is super hydrating as is this Honey mask, and I like any of the Karuna masks.
• These are my favorite eye patches to instantly hydrate and lift. Everyone on my holiday list gets these!

Tools

• I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic when it comes to at-home skincare tools but after using the NuFace just once I was really impressed. I was introduced to Microcurrent therapy during a facial this spring and I was blown away by the results. Microcurrent facials are often referred to as the “natural facelift.” The NuFace is an at home device that lets you use microcurrent technology at home. I use it a few times a week and notice an immediate difference in my skin (looking more lifted, firm, tightened pores).
• If the NuFace isn’t in the budget right now, get yourself a jade roller. It’s not going to give you the same results, but it’s great at de-puffing and just feels really nice on your face morning or night.

Treatments

I’ve always been pretty good at getting facials every few months but two new treatments I’ve tried have been game changers.

• I got my first hydrafacial basically by accident. I booked it thinking it was something else, so was kind of confused throughout the treatment but I was BLOWN AWAY by the results. My skin never felt so clean and hydrated. It’s a pricey treatment at around $175 and it’s not a spa-like treatment the way a regular facial is, but it’s worth every penny in my opinion. I try to do this every two months. Allure breaks it down here if you want more info on what it is.
• This past spring I decided to get serious about my skincare and go to a medical spa. After struggling with hormonal acne and just noticing more fine lines and general lackluster in my skin I wanted to see what my options were. The esthetician I met with suggested VivaceRF. It’s microneedling with radio frequency so there is no down time (traditional microneedling can be up to a week). What does it do? It alleviates fine lines and wrinkles, minimizes pores, improves skin tone and texture, and stimulates collagen production. It’s typically done in a series of three treatments, each spread out over 4-6 weeks. I was told I would start to see results before the third treatment (right about now) and sure enough I’ve noticed a drastic improvement. It was expensive (around $775/treatment) and I was really nervous spending that amount of money but it has been worth every penny. My skin has honestly never looked better. Just do a quick google search “Vivace before and after” and you’ll see why it’s becoming so popular.

Well I wasn’t planning on writing a novel but here we are. I’ve always been pretty focused on taking good care of my skin but over the last year I’ve stepped up my game and it has definitely paid off. Some people like to spend money on handbags or shoes, I spend mine on my skin (I get that trait from my Mom, haha). There was a period in time where I thought I’d never be able to leave the house without wearing makeup again because my skin was such a mess, now, most days I don’t wear any make-up at all. I still get the occasional breakout and I still have forehead wrinkles and crows feet (though they honestly don’t bother me) but overall my skin looks and feels healthy. I was thinking of doing an everyday makeup post soon as I finally found a clean makeup routine I am loving, let me know if you’d want to see that! Happy Sunday, treat yourself to a face mask. xx

Skincare

Masks

Image via Dermstore.com