UPDATE: 7/15/2020- Recently I have read a lot about how witch hazel might not be the best choice as a toner. I still know lots of people who have amazing skin and swear by it, but I am currently in search of a different toner. As with any skincare routine, you just have to do what is right for you and your skin. When I find a new toner that I love I will update you :)
Recently I have gotten some questions about my daily skincare routine, so I thought I would share the products I use and some tips and tricks. My skin has not always been what it is today. I used to get terrible cystic hormonal acne, dry skin, clogged pores, dullness, all of it! I would never be caught dead without a pound of makeup on my face because I thought my skin looked so bad. Now I wear make-up because I enjoy it, but am comfortable doing the no make-up thing too. Over the last 2 years I have developed a routine that really works for me, but here is the real tea. I don’t think any single product is going to fix your skin. Honestly, the health of your skin depends on your overall health. As I tried to live a healthier life, my skin also improved. So, before we dive into the products, let me set the foundation.
Every day I drink water. Like a lot of water. My goal every day is at least a gallon. I do not drink soda/pop/coke or alcohol, ever. Really all I drink on a normal basis is water, kombucha, and black coffee. Occasionally I will have sweet tea (and you know my weakness is bubble tea) because I cannot drink cold tea unsweetened. But that is on a rare occurrence or special occasion. My signature “cocktail” is water with fruit in it! Lately I’ve been obsessed with pineapple lemon water. I also don’t consume much sugar, because when I do, my skin shows it. Also, I do not use tanning beds (anymore) ever. Not even for a little bit, not even with my face covered. I am pale and I am proud!
A.M: As soon as I wake up, I wash my face with KORRES Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser. Then I either use a mask, or go right to exfoliation. Every day for a month I used Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay mixed with either water of apple cider vinegar. My skin improved dramatically, like I cannot say enough good things about this product. Just try it! It may burn the first time you use it if your pores are really clogged, but it is worth it. Now I use it every other or every third day depending on how much time I have. My skin is so much softer, brighter, and just over all cleaner when I use this product!
Next, I use Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Exfoliating Peel Gel about every third day. I would use it every day but I don’t think that would be good for my skin. Your dead skin literally balls up and wipes away. The first time I used this I was shocked at the amount of dead skin on my face! I am literally addicted to rolling all the dead skin cells off my face. After that, I use a cotton ball to wipe Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner all over my face to close the pores, and let it dry.
Now its time to moisturize with Weleda Skin Food or KORRES Hydra- Biome. After that sets in comes a very crucial step. Sunscreen. I know it is tempting to skip this step, but your future self will thank you. I know you might be worried about breaking out but use Neutrogena Clear Face SPF 55! It has never made me break out. If it’s a makeup day then I do that next, or if not I’m probably heading right to my yoga mat.
P.M: I shouldn’t have to tell you, but I’m going to because it's so important, TAKE OF YOUR MAKE UP BEFORE YOU GO TO BED! I used to be the absolute worst about this, and I would leave my make up on for days. That is not an over-exaggeration either. I do not use makeup wipes because of how bad they are for the environment. Instead, if it was a make-up day, I use The Original MakeUp Eraser. If it was a no make-up day, I use Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel. Then I wash my face with KORRES Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser again.
Another product I contribute to my acne being almost nonexistent is Curology. The company is amazing and I love my custom formula. I have been using it since 2017 and it is the only thing that helped my cystic acne. I had been to several dermatologists and undergone some pretty painful skin treatments with no luck. With Curology, all I had to do was answer some questions and upload some pictures of my skin. For $20 every two months you get a large bottle of custom medicine, and a dermatologist is assigned to you and helps you through the entire process. After using every night for a month, I saw results. My cystic acne is now completely gone! I still get the occasional small pimple but that’s usually because I ate too much sugar or didn’t do my routine. Now I use it once or twice a week because my skin is so much better.
After Curology, I use The INKEY List Retinol Eye Cream under my eyes. This stuff is great because it is the only under-eye retinol I have ever used that doesn't dry out my skin or clog -my pores. After using it for about a week I really noticed a difference in the firmness of my under eye area. No more fine lines, puffiness, or dark circles! Lastly, moisturize with Herbivore Emerald Hemp Seed Deep Moisture Oil Glow. Then it's off to bed for some beauty rest.
Do I still get the occasional breakout or bad skin day(s)? Yep! Actually, I have some acne on my chin at the moment because we have been doing a lot of yard work and digging in 90-degree heat the last few days. But my bad skin days and acne have reduced dramatically since I actually started giving a damn about my skin. It is never too late and you are never too young to start taking care of your skin!
There are 4 main things I definitely want you to take away from this:
1. Wash your face every day! Especially before bed. This is the easiest way to minimize pores and improve the overall health of your skin.
2. Moisturize. This includes hydration. Remember “good skin comes from within” so drink your water, please!
3. Wear sunscreen on your face every day. I don’t care if it’s negative 10 degrees and you haven’t seen a blue sky or the sun in a month. It is integral for overall skin health and anti-aging because UV rays actually break down the collagen and elastin in your skin. They also enlarge your pores and basically give you wrinkles.
4. Exfoliate on occasion, once or twice a week to clear away those dull dead skin cells.
I hope this helped you, and maybe gave you some ideas for your own skincare routine.
Everyone’s skin is different, but I have used a lot of different products over the years, and these work best for me. I hope they work for you too! Some of these products were gifted to me by the company, and I do receive a commission on some products. However, I would never endorse anything I didn’t 100% believe in or trust. There are many products I receive that I never talk about or post because frankly, they suck! A lot of these products I was originally gifted, but then loved so much I kept buying them. You can shop all the products in this post below, or through the links in the post. You can also instantly shop ALL my looks by downloading the LiketoKnow.it shopping app and following me to get the product details from this post and others.