Skincare Routine: as of right now

Honestly, my skincare routine is always changing. I like to try new products or sometimes go back to old favourites. As of right now, I am very content with my skincare routine so I thought I would share it with y'all!

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 I keep all of my skincare products in this little basket on a ledge next to my bathroom sink. I got it from Wal-Mart. Ain't it cute?

MORNING ROUTINE

In a lot of ways, my morning skincare routine is dependent on how I treated my skin the night before. 

Philosophy Purity made simple cleanser: If I used my Clarisonic Mia the night before (more on that later) then I'll use this in the morning just to freshen up my face. It's a very gentle cleanser so it's great for people with sensitive skin, which I am now learning that I have. 

Neutrogena Natural purifying pore scrub: If I didn't use my Clarisonic Mia the night before then I'll use this in the morning just to ensure that I've given my skin a good clean so as to allow it to rejuvenate itself with the help of some exfoliation beads. A good scrub has the power to totally reawaken your skin 

lots of little scrubbies in Neutrogena Nautural's pore scrub

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast: this is supposed to be healing ointment for people are recovering from facial peels and microdermabraison. After watching one of the beloved Lisa Eldridge's videos about how to cover acne with makeup (video here) I started using Cicaplast the way she recommends. If you have a blemish, use Cicaplast as a primer under your makeup to help create a protective barrier between the blemish and the makeup and to also heal the blemish under makeup. It's described on the tube as an "epidermal recovery accelerator." - Great stuff

Garnier Skin Renew anti-puff eye roller: I use this as my daytime eye treatment. It's light and it absorbs really quickly into the under-eye area so when I'm in a rush, I don't have to wait too long to be able to apply my concealer over top

La Roche-Posay Toleriane soothing protective skincare: My daytime moisturizer. I don't think I'll be using this as much for the hotter summer months, but it's a really good moisturizer in between the dry-skin months of winter and the more combination-oily months of summer...if that makes any sense

NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

After taking off my makeup (click here to read about my favourite makeup removing products) I continue on with this routine. My nighttime routine has been the most unchanging, with the exception of the Neutrogena Naturals product. I'm very happy with the nighttime routine I've concocted and I don't see myself changing anytime soon.

Neutrogena Naturals fresh cleansing & makeup remover: I use this cleanser as an extra precaution to ensure that I've gotten all of my makeup off. This is also a really gentle cleanser. I can use this on tough-to-remove eye makeup and it doesn't burn or sting. I also really like the smell of these new Neutrogena Naturals products - they smells like granny smith apples!


Philosophy Purity make simple cleanser: I use this along with my Clarisonic Mia at night 


Clarisonic Mia: the best skincare invention ever! It's basically an electric toothbrush for you face. It's the best exfoliation tool. I use this about 2 or 3 times a week to give my skin a more deep clean.


Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil: putting oil on your face is a very strange concept but I love it! I use this as my nighttime moisturizer. When I wake up in the morning, my skin just feels so lovely, replenished and quenched. Argan oil is chock-full of good and healing ingredients for the skin, like Vitamin E, which is excellent at healing scars. Argan oil is an all-around great product for the skin and hair.


La Roche-Posay EffaclarDuo: a serious godsend product. When you have a blemish, why choose between salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide? La Roche-Posay has eliminated the whole pick-and-choose process and created a spot treatment that contain both salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. It's a definite skin saver!


Kiehl's Photo-Age Corrector - High potency spot treatment:  I use this in conjunction with the argan oil to combat the old acne scars around my chin. No definite improvements yet, but it's a work in progress


Kiehl's Creamy Eye treatment with avocado: a super nourishing and moisturizing under-eye cream. It's definitely a lot thicker and creamier than the Garnier rollerball, so I keep this for nighttime when it can really do it's job.

Kiehl's avocado eye cream is a vibrant yellow-green colour

SPECIAL TREATMENTS:

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control power-cream wash: Whenever I have a shower, I always wash my face and lately I've been using this cleanser. It leaves my skin feeling really refreshed and cool after I use it. I've also noticed that my skin has been a lot clearer since using it and I suspect that it just stops any kind of blemishes from popping up. I also switch to using this cleanser with my Clarisonic when my skin is a little bit more troublesome 

Kiehl's Rare Earth deep pore cleansing mask:  I try to use this mask about 1 every week or two. It's a great way to do a clean sweep of my pores. It's a clay mask that you leave on for about 20 minutes, or as long as it takes to get hard and crackly, and then you wash it off. My skin always feel very clean after using this, but it's very drying so I use it only sporadically. 

Kiehl's deep pore cleansing mask -
a clay based mask

Bare Minerals pure transformation night treatment: If I'm in the mood, or if my skin is really in bad shape, instead of using my Josie Maran Argan Oil at night, I'll use the Roche-Posay Toleriane moisturizer and top it off with this night treament. This product from Bare Minerals is such a strange concept; it's basically foundation that you wear while you sleep. After I wash it off in the morning, my skin is literally glowing. I don't know what it is about this product, but it's wonderful. I use it sparingly because it's about $80 for that little tub - it's like gold.

Bare Minerals night treamtent -
foundation you wear to sleep

Boscia luminizing black mask: Another mask, but instead of washing it off, you peel it off when it's try. I thought it was a really cool concept, but in terms of pore-cleansing, it's not that great. I'm just trying to use up the remnants of this product and then I will not be repurchasing it. 

trying to use up the Boscia black mask

[not pictured] Biore Pore strips: everybody knows what these are! The strips that you apply to your nose and then rip them off, revealing all of the nasties that come out of your pore. I use one strip once a week. Pain is beauty. 

So that's my skincare routine, for now. I suspect that it will probably change a little bit once it gets into the hotter months. I've been wanting to go back to using Cetaphil as my cleanser for a little while now. I don't know what, I'm just inkling to use it again. It's an oldy but a goody. 

Until next time...

xoxoDarlingBuds