Your Skin’s New BFF: Hydration and Simplicity
I never thought of myself as someone obsessed with skincare, until I went to pack for a weekend away and somehow filled my entire travel makeup bag with just my morning skincare routine. Although I didn’t set out to curate a perfect skincare routine, I have somehow managed to create a multi-step routine that keeps my skin hydrated, supple, and mostly breakout-free. I have focused on incorporating hydration and simplicity into my routine, prioritizing my skin and its needs. Read below for a little bit about my skincare journey before I walk you through the products in my morning and evening skincare routines!
I had really bad skin in high school. Despite trying to cake my face with makeup, the scarring and pimples still showed through, and all of the product just ended up irritating my skin more. After a much-needed visit to the dermatologist, I was prescribed spironolactone and topical treatments to help ease my breakouts. In addition to this medical treatment, I was also told to keep my skin hydrated by using simple yet hydrating products. Prior to this, I had been buying practically every anti-acne product on the market: from pimple creams, to face washes, to topical creams, I had it all. The issue with all of this? It was severely drying out my skin. While the true cause of my acne was hormonal, exposing my skin to all of these drying products didn’t help, it actually just made my skin worse. That’s when I shifted my routine to focus on only products that would help and supplement my skin - prioritizing hydration and simple products. That philosophy is what led me to my skincare routine today. Take a look below for all of my tried and true favorite skincare products!
Morning Routine:
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
This facial cleanser was the first product my dermatologist recommended to me at my initial visit, and I haven’t gone back since! I use it morning and night and it works to keep my skin clean and hydrated.
Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Lotion
This is a dermatologist-prescribed lotion to help keep my skin clear! I use it daily to keep my skin as breakout-free as possible.
OSEA Ocean Eyes Age-Defying Eye Serum
I am a HUGE fan of this eye serum. I know I said I wasn’t on the hunt to create this skincare routine, but this is a product I hunted for. I had been wanting a lightweight yet effective eye serum that would get rid of morning puffiness and target early lines! I have been so pleased with this product and cannot recommend it enough!
I am sure I am not the first one telling you about Miss Hailey Bieber’s incredible skincare line. This product, though? Easily my favorite. I use this as a base before my other skincare products, but also use it to mix into my foundation for a more dewy and weightless makeup look! #obsessed
OOTD Beauty Intensive Moisture Face Serum A.M.
Korean skincare is known to be super good, and I actually picked up this serum at Marshalls! I am always somewhat cautious when buying Marshalls skincare, but this is a great product and I have loved the results. Truly one of the most hydrating parts of my skincare routine and I look forward to putting it on every morning! They sell it at Marshalls, but you can also get on Amazon!
Caudalíe Vinoperfect Brightening Serum
I absolutely love this serum. I bought it for the first time a couple of summers ago when I was studying in Paris and have bought countless refills since. This is another product I look forward to putting on every morning just because I can feel my skin soak up the moisture and look so radiant afterwards! It is a bit on the pricier side, but a bottle lasts me at least a couple of months. Truly cannot recommend enough!
Caudalíe Vinoperfect Instant Brightening Moisturizer
You definitely don’t have to use both the serum and the moisturizer in order to get supple and hydrated skin, but I do love adding this moisturizer to my daily routine! I find it just adds to the overall hydration of my skin and helps lock in the moisture from my other products! Again, a bit on the pricey side, but you only need to use a little bit each time for great results!
Hailey did it again with this cream! I talked about locking in the moisture with the last moisturizer, but like to add on top of that with this moisturizer to truly lock it all in. This cream is on the heavier side in terms of consistency, but once it is on you don’t notice the weight! It spreads in the skin really well and locks in moisture super well, providing the perfect base to start my makeup routine.
EltaMD UV Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 46
I consider this the start to the “makeup” part of my skincare routine. I usually give my skin a 5 min break after Step 8 because let’s be honest, that’s a lot of product to put on your skin all at once. You need to give it a break to allow everything to soak in! I take my vitamins or whatever and let my skin rest before going in with these last three steps before jumping into my full makeup routine.
Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer with SPF 15
Why do I double up on sunscreen and basically triple up on moisturizer every morning you may ask? Truthfully, I have no explanation for this other than the fact that this has been a staple in my skincare routine for years and my skin doesn’t seem to mind it! This is a good moisturizer to use if you just want one product on too, because it moisturizes and provides essential SPF coverage! Sunscreen is so important for your skin!!
Will fully admit I got influenced by social media to buy these, but hey, who didn’t! I like the extra bronzing boost they give me before I transition into my makeup routine, and know that they also give some extra skincare supplements with antioxidants and peptides!
After Shower Moisturizer
CeraVe Moisturizing Face & Body Cream
So I actually never stop moisturizing throughout this routine and yes it may sound insane but truly skin hydration is so so important! Aside from drinking water, moisturizer is one of the best things to keep your skin hydrated and looking fresh, which is why I put on this CeraVe moisturizer every time I get out of the shower! It is a thicker cream to lock in moisture and hydrate my skin after a hot shower!
Night Routine:
Ok so my nightly routine is not quite as extensive as my morning routine, and I actually end up using a lot of the same products! I have linked them again below if you want to check out!
This is dermatologist-prescribed, but works to help breakouts at bay with daily use. It is also supposedly good for fine lines and wrinkles!
Thanks for reading! I hope this was fun to read and gave you some new products to possibly try!
Xx,
Megan
