It is 2020 and it seems like forever ago I was in my bathroom using a soap and a body shop hydrating cream and thinking that I will never get a wrinkle in my life. But then, Korean skincare happened. I started reading and obsessing and I use 20 products to prevent any sign of aging! If you have bought all of the products beauty bloggers recommended and now are left feeling confused about how should you use them, no worries because we will guide you on how to layer them perfectly.
1. Cleanser
I should have mentioned it in the beginning and put a disclaimer that I use so many products and do not advise you to follow my example. I triple Cleanse. I start by using something to remove my eye and lips makeup remover (micellar water or white and flower by Elemis) and continue to do my first cleanse. I love balms to remove makeup and impurities. You can definitely use gels or cream cleansers if you favor them, but for me, I always start with a cleansing balm and my Clarisonic brush. I use it every time I wear too much makeup and it gets your face super-clean. If you have a low budget and need a cleanser than try Cetaphil or CeraVe(hydrating cleanser), are one of my favorite drugstore products.
2. Treatment Cleanser
I truly believe that cleansing your face is the most important part of your skincare routine. If makeup is not removed properly, you are just applying layers to block your pores and impurities which will lead to breakouts. The second cleanser I go for a treatment cleanser, to reduce oil, hydrate the face, or just make my face more radiant. There are countless second cleansers for every skin problem.
3. Scrub (once a week)
Since I use the Clarisonic brush I scrub once a week or twice a week if I am doing an enzymatic scrub. For scrubs that have harsh particles, they are more suitable on acne-prone skin, if you have dehydrated face try finding a gentle scrub or enzymatic scrub. If you have sensitive or mature skin the enzymatic scrub is the one for you. Enzymatic scrubs are applied as masks and usually do not have the tiny particles you encounter in traditional scrubs. You need scrubs cause they remove dead skin cells and reveal a youthful-looking complexion.
4. Essence and Toners
If you are using both I would suggest using the essence first and then the toner. They both have the same properties and are used to prepare the skin for the next step. It moistures the skin so it can better absorb the serum. Drugstore product that you can try is Pixi(Glow Tonic) or Snail Bee(high content skin) and for the essence Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment by Fresh or Bioeffect.
5. Eye (serum and creams)
I use both! I try using the serum for dark circles and the cream for hydrating my under eyes and trying to prevent the wrinkles. The skin under the eyes is very delicate and needs hydration. I also recommend using the eye cream around your lips cause the skin is very delicate there as well. CeraVe is a choice for cheap and good products for eye serum and cream.
6. Serums
Serums have a lighter consistency and usually more benefits than creams. The choices are countless, you can find exfoliating serums with AHA and BHA, hydrating, smoothing, whitening, etc and they usually deliver great results. (AHA BHA PHA 30days MIRACLE SERUM)
7. Moisturizers
You want to lock in all the good benefits you fed your skin, and that is why you apply moisturizers. They are thicker and you have to find the right one for your skin type. If you want hydration, oil control anti-aging the choice is yours. Always make sure to find even the right texture. I use different day and night moisturizer but if you are saving there are tons of moisturizers you can use both day and night. An affordable moisturizer is La Roche Posay Lipikar balm. And another good one but a little bit pricey is The rich cream by Augustinus Bader that celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham love.
8. SPF
I beg you, if you do not use anything, please never skip SPF. Number one aging factor is the sun, you can get dark spots and also the cases of skin cancer have increased drastically. Try finding a good SPF, depending on where you live. I use SPF 30 during winter and SPF 50 during summer. (Note that the SPF does not stand on how strong the protection is, but it stands on how long it stays on). Drugstore products that are very good are La Roche Posay Anthelios 60(get the tinted one if possible) and Centella Green Level safe sun SPF50 by Purito. Hailey Bieber showed us her favorite which is Elta Md UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF46.
9. Masks
I want to empathize a bit on the importance of masks. When I use the mask I do them after the scrub. I always keep 3-4 masks in my house in order to use the one my face needs most that day. I keep two for oily, pores and acne skin, a hydrating mask, and an antiaging mask. I would also love a brightening mask but I have not found something that I love still. My face changes the whole time, due to hormones, stress, and lifestyle and I always try to balance it with masks. A good mask is Drunk ElephantF-Balm™ Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask which is one of Hailey Bieber’s favorite. I love Hailey skin so I mentioned her skincare products.
10. Spot Treatment
We all have the cursed days where we breakout. Some lucky ones just get one pimple for a day and other a whole area for a month. Either way, I always keep something to spot correct, you can use Mario Badescu or the Acne Pimple Master Patch.
11. Neck and Decollate Creams
YOu should take care of your neck and hands the same way you take care of your face. I like splurging on skincare and taking that extra neck cream, but if you are using a good antiaging moisturizer you can definitely use that.
12. Lip Balm
Nobody likes chapped lips and that’s a fact. Use hydrating balms to avoid dehydrated lips and even wrinkles. In summer times find a lip balm that has SPF.
I believe I covered most of my skincare, sometimes I like to use boosters, exfoliating pads, eye masks, etc and also love using tech devices. If you are interested in what I use the comment below so we can make tools I use at home articles.
LOVE,
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