Morning Skin Care Routine

Hello my beauty lovers!

The quarantine is going strong here on my end. I hope you all are doing well and finding some things to keep yourselves occupied for the time being.

If you ask me, one of the best ways to release stressed and feel at peace is to dedicate some time to yourself and do self care – happy mind is a happy body. They say, it takes 30 days to make a habit, why not to use this time now to create one (if you haven’t done so already).

Today I want to share with you my current morning skincare routine (products) that I have been using in the past 6 weeks. Just to clear some things out here – the steps of this routine haven’t changed since last time. I only have changed few products which I wanted to tell you about.

So, grab a snack, cup of tea or coffee, or whatever else to your liking ( no judgement zone here) and let’s get to it.

I have been having this morning routine for several years now, and the whole process feels like a second nature to me at this point. If one day I wake up and don’t follow these steps, I feel out of place. I almost feel like I cannot wake or my body can’t wake up properly if I ( for some reason ) miss my morning skin care routine.

Little side note here – think of when I travel, or stay with friends or family. Those are the times when I often cut corners and shorten the time and products I normally use when I am at home. Partially because some of the products are not very travel friendly, and partially because sometimes you have to share the bathroom with others, or due to the lack of time.

But today I am going to tell you about the typical morning skincare routine at my home that I do every morning religiously on my own time schedule.

Face wash

This step Is very important. Some may say, “well, I didn’t have makeup over night” or ” I didn’t sweat at night” , ” Why do I need to wash my face again in the morning?” Our skin produces sebum, aka facial oils, non stop. Also think of your face touching the pillow, the blanket; the dust in the room air and don’t forget hair products that may be laying on your face while you sleep. All that and some more may end up on you face – and you need that Off.

Regardless of your skin type ( mine is combination oily) give preference to a gentle face wash that wouldn’t strip your skin from natural barrier.

Currently I am using Mario Badescu Face Wash. I have mentioned this product in my January Monthly Favorites. Full post here in case you missed it.

Toner

Many dermatologists say that toner is an optional product, and if you use gentle face wash it shouldn’t disrupt your natural face skin Ph level. I, personally, feel like my makeup stays better (because my skin type is combination oily) when I use toner. Currency I am using Mario Badescu Toner and it is very gentle, cleanses, refreshes, and tones the skin nicely.

Vitamin C Serum

Why do you need vitamin C in you morning skin care routine? – In addition to its anti-aging benefits, topical vitamin C is also great for protecting your skin from damage—especially from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. That’s because vitamin C is an antioxidant, so it naturally helps to strengthen your skin and repel things that could damage it. I have been using Mad Hippie Vitamin C serum and I definitely notice how much brighter my skin became, also smoother. Vitamin C is very unstable ingredient on its own. Often cosmetic companies add ingredients in the mix to make sure vitamin C stays in its effective form. Helpful Tip: Vitamin C is sensitive to temperatures and light. Make sure to keep in a room temperature and dry environment. Also, if you notice a change in smell, it may be a sign that the product is no longer in its effective state and you should be careful continuing using. I would advice to discontinue using it at all.

Eye Cream

This is another product that I heard from both estheticians and dermatologists that is not necessary to use. If you use basic gentle moisturizer, it technically should be substantial to also use around the eye area. Exception would be a product that also had additional skin benefits in it, like Vitamin E or hyaluronic acid, or any other additional ingredients that you may be using to target issues you may have with the skin around eyes. I like to use separate eye cream and my recent favorite is Andalou Naturals Luminous Eye Serum. I have tried quite few products from this brand and it never disappointed me. This eye serum also contains caffeine to help with puffiness ( that’s something that I tend to experience pretty much every day), and glycopeptides that help to boost collagen for helping smoothing lines and wrinkles. I have repurchased this eye serum at least 4 times and I am loving how it works for me.

Another product that I wanted to mention here that is also an eye cream that I got to test this past month was Kiehl’s Eye Serum with Vitamin C. I have received it in PR and by description it was a wonderful eye area that would help with few concerns that I have around my eye area. I am in my mid 30s and start noticing minor fine lines. At this stage it is very important for me to use products that keep that very delicate eye area hydrated ( Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E) and protected (antioxidants, UV rays protection).

To its wonderful skin benefits, this eye cream is on a thicker side with its formula and it does have very interesting smoothing/ blurring effect that I have never seen or experienced with any other eye products before. Also having the warming effect upon application was a pleasant addition to the experience, it felt relaxing. However, when that cream got into my eye, it burned like no joke (possibly due to a high concentration of Vit. C or may be something else). I have sensitive eyes and they tend to water if there are sertain ingredients that are irritating. This product made my eyes water every time I applied it. If you have followed my blog for some time, you know that I don’t play games with skin care products if I notice something is off, even a little bit. I have used it 3 days in a row and noticed a consistency this happening every time. I stopped using that product after all. I guess, unfortunately, this eye cream will end up in my Monthly Fails.

Moistirizer

This is an essential step in any skin care routine no matter what skin type you have. You may skip serums, eye creams but you need the protection of the layer of you skin for the day. For the day use, you really do not need a complicated moisturizer. Stick with the one that is all occlusive, gives enough moisture for the skin, not greasy and provides a good barrier for the skin during the day. Currently I am using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer . It has shea butter and avocado oil that helps to soften and hydrate skin while ceramides help reinforce skin’s protective barrier. It works wonderfully for my combination skin any day with or without makeup.

GEL EYE PATCHES

Like I mentioned earlier, I tend to have puffy eyes in the mornings. I have been using under eye gel patches and Nuface therapy in the morning to help with that. Currently I am using Patchology FlashPatch Rejuvinating Eye gels. I keep them on while I have breakfast and take them off after that following with my Nuface device. This gel pads stay on very well without sliding around. Sometimes, I place them in the fridge for few minutes to cool down a little and then apply the patches on.

SPF

Last step and very important one for the overall wellbeing of your skin is SPF. I’ll leave this whole subject for some other time, because it’s big and vast and needs its own time and attention to be discussed. Right now I will share with you the product that I am currently using and have repurchased it several times because it is simply great. It is a tinted formula, however it is not greasy and works very well under makeup even with my oily skin type. It looks like the brand added more shades to their options which is great. Many time I’d skip face primer due to this SPF lotion giving smoothing and blurring effect on skin. I always recommend it as a must-try to all my friends and now you. I have mentioned this product in my Favorites prior. Full post here.

And one for the road, do not neglect the lip care products. Look into lip balm or any other neutral lip products that have SPF in them. Like this one that is very affordable and easy to find. Something that could be kept in your pocket, purse or makeup bag to reapply when you are out and about during the day.

And this is it. At first, it seems like there are a lot of steps, but it is really very simple. You may of course stick to only basics (face wash, moisturizer and SPF) and be out to the door in 2 minutes. If you have extra 5 minutes then go for the full list.

From Eve with love

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