I started a skin care routine

Skin care has always been sort of hard for me to get into. I know that it is important and I want to have good skin when I am older...but I wasn’t sure where to get started and I felt like I was seeing so much conflicting information. Once I got some products, I wasn’t sure which order I should put them on in and whether they were for the morning or night. As for trying products, I recommend getting a beauty subscription box which will often include several trial sizes! 

I AM NOT A DERMATOLOGIST OR OTHERWISE AN EXPERT (you should totally listen to them instead of me!!) but here is what I have gathered so far as what is good for a girl in her 20s. I’ve spent hours researching (went all the way down the rabbit hole), used tons of products, and compiled the results here. 

This ended up being super long (I had a lot of questions to research) so below is a quick overview. Then, every Sunday I'll follow up with a deep dive into each type of product which lists the products I use and have heard good stuff about. 

OVERVIEW

My morning routine: cleanser - chapstick - (toner) - vitamin c - eye cream - (acne) - moisturizer - sunscreen - makeup

• Cleanser- this gets gunk off your skin, this sould be a gentle cleanser unless you have particularly oily skin. 

• Chapstick- I use this to keep most of the other product off of my lips so they don’t dry out. 

• Toner- I’m still figuring this out, but be aware there are different types of toners and figure out which type (exfoliate, hydrate, balance pH) is best for you. 

• Vitamin C- helps your skin produce collagen (plump skin) and an antioxidant (layer between your skin and the environment.)  

• Eye Cream- your eyes move the most and have the most sensitive skin so they need extra care. 

• Acne- these creams help dry out the pimple and remove extra oils or dead skin.

• Moisturizer- a barrier between your skin and the environment and helps to hydrate your skin (read: prevents wrinkles.)  

• Hyaluronic Acid- included in many moisturizers (if not, put on this serum immediately before your moisturizer) and helps your skin retain moisture thus preventing and reducing wrinkles.

• Sunscreen- prevents skin cancer and sun damage to your skin. 

• Order: chemical- move up to after chap stick // mineral- after moisturizer

• SPF: daily- 30+ SPF // outside- 60+ SPF

• Makeup- consider using a CC or BB cream rather than foundation!

My night routine: first cleanse - second cleanse - chapstick - (acne) - eye cream - vitamin c/moisturizer/retinol (I mix it up with this step!) - lip mask

• First Cleanse- this has to be harsh enough to get all of your makeup off, the more makeup you wear (especially waterproof mascara/setting sprays) the more intense of a product you will need here. You do not want little bits of makeup, dirt, and dead skin settling into your pores! 

• Second Cleanse- this can be more gentle and restorative (for nutrients and hydration.) 

• Exfoliate here one to three times per week. This helps to really reset your skin and clear out any accumulated oils and remaining products. 

• Chapstick- again, I think this helps keep my lips hydrated. 

• Acne- great time to pull out a Mighty Patch if you feel a friend coming on. 

• Eye Cream- you can go heavier at night as your skin is repairing itself.

• Target a skin concern- I do just one a night because I feel like your skin can only take so much. I sort of rotate through these.

• Vitamin C- good for wrinkles and gentle on skin.

• Moisturize- good for wrinkles and revitalizes your skin, this is my default.

• Retinol- good for wrinkles, but can be harsh on your skin, I use this once a week.

• Lip Mask- this is an intense chapstick that will help your lip skin to really rejuvenate and give your lips long lasting hydration.