What a time to be alive and not just alive, but a living – breathing woman of rich color. So in efforts to upkeep my God-given melanin, I tapped into a conscious effort to invest in phenomenal skin care products and a simple skin care routine.
I have always held an affinity for skin care, facials, spas, hydrotherapy and the whole 9 yards since I can remember ; yet for whatever reason I perceived skincare application to be reserved for an occasional experience that one indulges in. You know, birthdays, anniversaries, girl trips, etc. Just imagine, 10-year-old me would plan to have those “Calgon Take Me Away” spray mists as party favors for my hotel spa theme birthday parties! I took my birthday parties very serious as a child and my mother just let me roll with it!
Nonetheless, this year I decided to deal with my skin stress due to not so gentle skin habits because —- I got so tired of having to beat my face to look alive and half decent! When I say, I was soo used to wearing my fatigue from long 12+ hour shifts, life events and lack of sleep on my face like a badge of honor – uhh so used to it that I honestly look back like whyyy sis?!
My desire this year was to to really dive deeper into my mental health and with all the work I was placing within, I wanted to finally work on the exterior parts of me.
So on my off days, I started product researching and it was soo exciting! Sephora became my best friend, we kicked it on the daily and my Sephora favorites listed kept growing!
Once, I researched and researched — I finally figured what my skin type, what it needed and the best order for usage. My skin care routine gently follows the Korean Skincare Routine. Thanks to resources like Youtube, Pinterest and SEPHORA – ( my heartbeat), I organized and accumulated my products months at a time and tried not to use too many products at a time although at first, just the few seemed like a LOT, lol.
I compiled a list by product type, order of usage and I went into detail on each category. These are majority of my skin saviors that I used and used on the daily for my dry and slightly sensitive skin. Please note, I didn’t use all products at the same time within each category, I switched products up every six weeks to seasonally.
Badaboom – the list:
Cleanser*
Exfoliator (weekly)*
Toner*
Essence* (optional)
Serum*
Eye Cream (debatable, but I need)*
Moisturizer*
Masks (weekly)*
MY CLEANSERS -
The Cleansers : Simple Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Water, Belief Creamy Cleansing Foam Moist, Youth to the People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Superfood Cleanser, Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. I normally used the Simple water after using my make-up wipes. Using the Clarisonic Mia Smart with my products give me a good full cleanse and worked better than my fingers. Yet for that extra cleansing feel; Belif was everything! Fingers will do as long as I cleansed for at least 60 seconds- no lie! Not pictured is the Fresh Soy Cleanser – the OG of my cleansers.
MY EXFOLIATER -
The Exfoliator: OLEHENRIKSEN! Take my money with this walnut scrub baybee! This Olehenriksen Transforming Walnut Scrub is truly gentle yet effective. This exfoliator lasted for awhile as I used it up to three times a week and it didn’t strip my skin of the little moisture that I had.
MY TONERS -
The Toners: My holy grail, Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner is the one I can rely one to be gentle yet effective for my skin.
Pixi’s Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner was added later in 2019 and although it has 5% Glycolic Acid, it didn’t tingle much and really help maintain clear skin for me.
AN ESSENCE - OPTIONAL
The Essence: Lancome’s Hyrda Zen was the perfect prep for my other products. Essences aren’t necessary to a skin routine however; they allow for extra absorption of the other products that come after.
This essence was the “zussh” I needed and honestly wanted!
MY SERUM-
The Serum: Olehenriksen Truth Serum. This serum was that glow I loved and needed. Serums help to lay down the foundation for the moisturizer. I had a lot of dark circles present under my eyes and this serum came to my rescue. I used this serum all over my face and throughout the year.
MY EYE CREAMS -
The Eye Creams: Belief Moisturizing Eye Bomb, Olehenriksen Banana Bright Eye Cream. An eye cream is vital to a great skincare regimen! The skin under our eyes is very delicate and needs to be treated as such. This Belif moisturizing eye bomb is another great hydrating tool in my kit. Between this and Oleheriken Banana’s Bright Eye Cream, my eye area hasn’t been better. Looking forward to adding some night time creams in the future for sure!
MY MOISTURIZERS -
The Moisturizers: Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, Belief The True Cream – Aqua Bomb, Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream. Fresh, the OG in my skin toolbox never disappoints; and Belif’s Aqua Bomb was one I used from spring until late fall! Drunk Elephant’s Cream was whipped cream that definitely gave me supple skin especially in early winter. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration so vital for moisturizers.
LE MASKS -
The Masks: Laniege Lip Mask (I wear this throughout the day because it’s so bomb and lush), Laniege Water Sleeping Mask ( once or twice a week at night), Lancome Advanced Genefique Hydrogel Melting Mask (tried once – amazing), Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Sheet Mask (weekly – not pictured). I tried sheet masks throughout the year and loved them! Make sure the masks aid whatever your skin care concerns are.
Ta-daah! ONE YEAR LATER!
My skin is now nourished and plumped and what obvious dark circles sis?? Minimized for sure! Yes for less concealer usage and more bare beats!
So far, that’s it, but later this year I’m pumped to try more products like Dermalogica, Tatcha, Kiehl’s, Biossance, Murad, Pixi, The Ordinary and more from Fresh, Olehenriksen, Drunk Elephant and Lancôme! Additionally, I’m looking for a good SPF for 2020!
Let me know below if you’ve tried any of the products that I have and what your experience was like! Don’t be shy, join the skincare family – it’s so beautiful here and judgment free here!
Laneige lip mask is my fave! I swear by it!