How To Improve The Appearance Of Your Ski
If you are looking for the ultimate skin care routine, I got you covered. This will be unlike any other skincare routine I have shared because I am going to get into the star ingredients to look when creating the ultimate skincare routine for both the day & the night to give you YOUR BEST looking skin! I must admit, I hate the term ANTI AGING. I find nothing wrong with aging at all. It is a blessing to age gracefully and that is what I want us all to aspire to do. I will be sharing how to have the most radiant, hydrating, moisturized skin you have ever had. I will help you know exactly what you should be looking for when purchasing products as well as give you recommendations for which products will work best for your skin type. If you have struggled with dullness/dryness, fine lines & wrinkles. This is the post for you.
STEP ONE - CLEANSE:
What does your cleansing routine look like? Do you ever go to bed without washing your face? Don’t be scared now, be honest! You may not be giving your skin the TLC it deserves and it’s okay. If you understood why cleansing the skin daily both day and night is so important; you may understand why skipping this step can cause more damage than you know. Without properly cleansing our skin, our skin care products are not able to truly work to its highest capacity. If it isn’t able to penetrate deep enough to actually work and we are essentially taking the products we paid for and not even getting our money’s worth! Also, if you are someone who has issues with their pores appearance, if you have enlarged pores and you would like to help improve them, cleansing your skin correctly can kept decongest your pores and improve its appearance.
The first step to getting your skin clean after a long day without stripping it from its natural oils is by starting with using a cleansing oil or cleaning balm to break down the dirt, sunscreen or makeup on your face. Some cleaning oils that I have tried and really enjoyed are DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Face Cleanser $15, La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil $17, ChanelL’Huile Anti Pollution Cleansing Oil $55 and Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil 2-in-1 makeup remover & cleanser $22-$50. Cleansing oils are meant to be used on dry skin and it melts away your makeup, sunscreen or dirt from the day. Cleansing Balms do the same as a cleansing oil, it just has a different texture and often times is used to break down makeup due to it typically being a faster way to break down a face full of long wearing makeup. Some cleansing balms that I’ve tried and really enjoyed are ELF Skin Holy Hydration Makeup Melting Calm $11, Byoma Melting Balm Cleanser $15, and Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Balm, Fenty Skin Melt Awf Jelly Oil Makeup-Melting Cleanser $34 is very unique because it’s like a cross between the cleansing oil and the cleansing balm. I also love the packaging!
Although cleansing balms and oils aren’t necessary every single time I cleanse my face. I usually use them at night after a long day and in the morning I will usually cleanse my skin only with a liquid face cleanser. I have tried many face cleansers, I am always on a quest to find my new favorite face cleanser. One way that I have improved the appearance of my skin is by using face cleansers with an AHA or BHA in it. AHAs stand for Alpha Hydroxy Acid and BHA stands for Beta Hydroxy Acid. They both help promote the skin’s natural exfoliation process. It breaks down and remove layers of dead skin cells that build up on the surface and emphasize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by exfoliating the skin chemically. When you add a face cleanser with an AHA, you reveal smoother looking and softer skin. Your skin is getting mildly exfoliated after getting rid of that layer of dead skin cells, your skincare products that you layer on your skin after you cleanser, it is able to penetrate much deeper. This allows your products to work much better, faster and more effectively.
Now that we have spoken about why AHA’s & BHA’s are important to have in your cleansers. Let’s get into what to look for when we are purchasing our cleansers. There are many types of AHA’s and the most popular are Glycolic acid and Lactic Acid. We can talk about these acids in depth at a later time but to keep it brief, Glycolic Acid is a great exfoliant and Lactic acid is a great for hydration, collagen stimulating and smoothing texture. The most popular BHA is Salicylic Acid and it is typically used to target rough or bumpy skin and unclog pores. It is extremely useful for acne prone skin. I must add a disclaimer, these are active ingredients meaning they may cause some irrational to the skin as they mildly exfoliate your skin. Use just a few times a week as your skin gets adjusted to it. This is also why I encourage trying these ingredients out in cleansers because you will be washing them off. PRO TIP: make sure you are cleansing your skin for a minimum of 60 seconds to make sure these active ingredients are actually able to work on the skin before you rinse it off and go to the next steps! Here are some cleansers that I would recommend, Glossier Cleanser Concentrate AHA Clarifying & Exfoliating Face Wash $21, Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta AHA/BHADaily Cleansing Gel $15-39, ExfoliKate Cleanser Daily Foaming Wash with AHA $22
STEP 2 SERUMS:
After your skin is double cleansed, this is when you will add your serum. Now if your goal is to have beautifully hydrated and glowing skin, you can use a serum with Hyaluronic acid or Niacinamide. Here are some of my favorite hydrating serums. Good Molecules Highly Potent Hyaluronic Acid Serum $12, La Roche-Posey Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid $40, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum $15.70, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum $20-$290, a new buy for me The Ordinary Multi-Peptide +HA Serum $31, and lastly one of my absolutely favorites; Fenty Skin Fat Water Niacinamide Pore-Refining Toner Serum with Barbados Cherry $34.
For your nighttime routine, adding a serum with a Retinol which works to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, I would highly recommend Versed Skin Gentle Retinol Serum $22, Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night $55. Again, this is something I would use just a few times a week while my skin gets used to it. It’s always important to note that when you use a retinal, you will need to use an SPF in the day time to keep your skin protected because your skin will become very sensitive when you add retinol to your skincare routine.
STEP 3: EYE CREAM AND MOISTURIZERS:
After using your serums, we now want to lock it all in by adding some moisturizers. Eye creams and face creams/moisturizers are a great way to treat any under eye issues and seal the deal on our serums. Although eye creams aren’t necessary for everyone, if you have dark circles under your eye or have fine lines and wrinkles; an eye cream will be a great way to improve the appearance the appearance of them. Some eye creams that I have and recommended to people over the years Ole Hendriksen Banana Bright Illuminating Eye Cream $44, this is incredible for dark under eye circles. Naturium Multi-Peptide Eye Cream $16 and Cera Ve Renewing Peptide Eye Cream $19. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest layer of skin on your whole entire body, this makes it more prone for fine lines and wrinkles. If you want ti improve the appearance of it, it is important to not only treat it but also keep it moisturized and eye creams are a great way to give it the concentrated TLC it deserves. Eye creams are essentially just a more concentrated moisturizer specifically formulated for the under eye.
After applying your eye cream if you are using it, this is the best time to add your face cream or moisturizer. Depending on your skin type you may need a face cream that is heavier or more hydrating. Some face creams that tend to be well received by the masses are Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream $24 (great for normal to dry skin), Benefit Aqua Bomb Hydrating Moisturizer $38 (great for normal to oily skin) La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair face Moisturizer $16 and a new fan favorite BYOMA Moisturizing Rich Cream $16. Lastly, if it is is the daytime, don’t forget to top it off with your SPF. All of your other skincare steps will mean nothing if you don’t protect your skin from the suns UV rays. The sun’s UV rays will make your hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and fine lines much worse. I can dive deep into sunscreen at a later time but find something that works best for your skins complexion.
RECAP:
Start with a Double Cleanse with a Cleansing Oil or Cleansing Balm then your face cleanser of your choice. Preferably one with an AHA/BHA. Apply a serum that is appropriate for either day time or night time and follow up with a moisturizer. SPF will follow if you are applying your daytime skincare routine.
