You know, I don't think I've ever done a specific post on my skincare routine!! I had a page up for a long while, but finally took it down because it changed so much and I haven't been able to update it yet. In the meantime...
I've been using the following routine for about a month, and my skin has been very happy with it!! Mainly I've been working on paring things down for less clutter and a more straightforward routine. My skin was also having a difficult time adjusting to the colder weather, so I needed a change to get my face feeling comfortable again. Oh, and I've been using the same routine for morning and night.
***All products purchased by me.***
If I wear makeup - I use a kleenex to gently tissue off any face makeup, except for the eye area. I figure the less makeup that gets sloshed around with my cleanser, the better.
1. Whether I wear eye makeup or not, I pat a Shiseido cotton doused in Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water (review HERE) over my eyes (morning and night). Then rinse.
2. Cleanse with Omorovicza Cleansing Foam (review HERE), but avoid the eye area - for some reason it gives my eyelids a rough texture so I stopped using it there. This is removed with a baby wash cloth or muslin cloth (not pictured).
3. Honey mask!! I don't really have a preference for a particular brand of honey, but I've been using this Trader Joe's one for the past month. While my face is still slightly wet from cleansing, I slather honey on my face and try to leave it on for at least 5 minutes. Sometimes I don't make it that long and get impatient, but even if I only leave it on for a couple of minutes it makes a difference in hydration levels!!
I've tried Manuka honey, but I can't tell a difference in effectiveness. Plus Manuka honey is really expensive and I don't want to pay that much for it when this one suits me just as well! Like the time I ended up buying a $50 jar of Manuka honey at Whole Foods without realizing it. UGH. How'd that happen??? Whole Foods is pricey, yes…and I didn't think to look at the price of said Manuka honey (it was the only jar they had) because, you know, how expensive could honey be right?! I bought some other things along with the honey, plus got some cash. I remember thinking the total seemed like a lot, but whatever it's Whole Foods, no? I get home…receipt falls out of the bag as I'm putting things away…WHAAAAAAT…that f@#$ing honey was $50!!!!
4. Spritz with filtered water. I keep this little spray bottle of filtered water (far left in the picture) and use it throughout my routine!! This one is from Container Store, and I refill it with the water from our Zero Water pitcher.
5. Apply Skin Beautiful Perfectly Spotless Treatment to face and neck (and chest after showering). I haven't reviewed this yet, but will be in the near future. I'm trying to wait until I've used at least 1/2 of this bottle…I'm about 1/3 of the way through it now. This is the old packaging - I bought it right before it changed, but the current product is the same. So far? I don't want to be without it! I noticed a difference after the first week, and continue to see incremental changes for the better. This product is to help fade pigmentation, and helps to prevent new patches from forming.
6. Spritz with filtered water. Using this before applying oil helps seal in more moisture.
7. Apply Passion Fruit Seed Oil to entire face and neck (and chest after showering). Review HERE. This is still my favorite oil that I've tried!! I've also been testing it around my eye area and like it so far…it might just replace the Sunday Riley, which would be very nice since the Passion Fruit Seed Oil is very inexpensive in comparison!! This bottle is from Garden of Wisdom, but I recently purchased some through From Nature With Love. The Garden of Wisdom one has been amazing, but I wanted to see if the FNWL one would be any different…you know…for science :-) Off the bat, each is sourced from different countries in South America. We'll see!!
8. Spritz forehead and cheeks with filtered water.
9. Apply LUSH Celestial Facial Moisturizer (review HERE) to forehead, cheeks and neck.
10. Layer Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream (when not using Passion Fruit Seed Oil) underneath Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream. You can read about my eye care HERE.
11. Apply Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment to any spots (review HERE).
12. Not pictured…last I apply anyone of as variety of lip balm I have on hand or am testing :-)
* Special treatment…1-2x's per week I apply Skin Beautiful Refining Micro Peel Pads. This used to be packaged in a pump bottle and called 15% Mandelic/Lactic Acid Exfoliator (review HERE). The formula hasn't changed, but the delivery system has. These pads are really scratchy, so if you have sensitive skin I'd caution against them except maybe as a once in awhile treatment. Despite the scratchiness, I find these pads to be a much more effective way of evenly applying the right amount of product. This is a strong treatment though…I wear a glove to apply, otherwise the skin on my fingers starts to peel!
And there we have it!! Are you happy with your current routine?? Any loves for your current products…looking to replace anything?