My Skincare Journey, Continued: My Skincare Routine [Part 3]

The skincare journey saga continues! For those of you who are just catching up, here’s part 1 + 2:

In this post I want to talk about my skincare routine! *Something to note: my morning + evening routine was created by my esthetician, Tara. Like I said above, it’s so important to work with someone who knows your skin! I’m prone to breakouts + I have a naturally oily face. These products might not be best for your face!

Step 1: Cleanse face with Glytone Acne Self Foaming Cleanser [I also love SkinCeuticals LHA Cleansing Gel]

Step 2: Exfoliate, every other day! SkinCeuticals Micro Exolating Scrubor PCA Daily Exfoliant

Step 3: Serums — both of these are expensive… but they do the job, so it’s worth it in my opinion! ++ you only need a tiny drop. I use both Blemish + Age Defense + C E Ferulic

Step 4: Moisturize with PCA ReBalance

Step 5: Sunscreen! EltaMD Tinted Facial Sunscreen… I’m seriously obsessed. I can never go back to not wearing tinted now!

Step 1: Cleanse Face with Glytone Acne Self Foaming Cleanser

Step 2: Retinoid /Retinol — I like AlphaRet Rejuvenate Overnight Creamright now, but I’ve also used PCA Skin Intensive Clarity Treatment. Retinoids + retinols are also expensive… but just like the serums, 100% worth it.

Step 3: Eye Cream — Neocutis Lumiere. I don’t think it matters if you use eye creams in your morning or evening routine… ++ honestly, I think eye creams are one of those products that you notice later… like years later. I like it at night because I use it as an “undereye mask” — I dab a layer under my eyes + let it soak in all night long ; )

PCA Skin Detoxifying Mask: dirty pores, blackheads
SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque: calming, hydrating, reduces redness, smells so good
Glytone Acne Tinted Spot Treatment: spot treatment on active acne!
Skyn ICELAND Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels: reduces puffiness, *I store them in the fridge + use these only when I look exhausted

*I’m in the market for more masks, so if you have any that you love… let me know! Would love a brightening mask!

Facial Steamer: oh yes, oh yes. I just got this + I’m so excited! I’ll be using it at night ++ then apply a mask on after. It feels amazing, especially in the winter!
Jade Roller: DIY facial massage ; ) — don’t forget your neck, too! It looks so pretty in the bathroom, too. #LymphaticDrainage
Gua Sha: I prefer the Gua Sha over the Jade Roller, because I like more intense “scraping” for my facial massage… lol. This set comes in three shapes which is nice, + it’s great for other small parts of your body that feels tight. I use with cocoa butter, + then wash the butter off
Ice Roller: Finally got one of these — it’s like a cold shower to your face!

#1] TREATMENTS! Obviously. This one will have it’s own post soon. Products made a huge difference to my skin, but I don’t think I’d be where I am now without treatments. I’ve done chemical peels, microneedling, + hydrafacials — all which have their own magic. Stay tuned for part 4.

#2] Eliminated dairy. I barely eat dairy anymore [besides the occasional siggi’s]. There’s no doubt that our diets play a role in our skin health, so if you are struggling with breakouts, going a month without dairy + processed food/sugar is an easy experiment to see if your face clears up at all!

#3] Stopped “touching” my face, + I’m not just talking about picking. I realized that I was touching my face a lot while I was working — hands on chin/cheek while writing, phone pressed up against my face while talking on it, etc. I became much more conscious of NOT touching my face throughout the day.

#4] Gave up hot yoga, sigh ; (. I freaking love CorePower Yoga, but I definitely know that it contributed to my clogged skin. How could it not?! I’d sweat like crazy all throughout class… 4–7 times a week! ++ half of the time, it would be 30+ minutes after class when I’d finally be able to take a shower. I’m not telling you to give up your favorite fitness class in order to achieve clear skin [+ everyone’s skin handles sweat/heat so differently!], but absolutely make sure that you clean your skin before + after class.

#5] Moved… the lightning in my new bathroom is way more “friendlier” than my old bathroom. I know this isn’t something that most people can change immediately, lol… but if your bathroom is florescent lighting, do not put your face close to the mirror to “look at it” — this also resulted in a picking spree for me.

#6] HYDRATE! This is a low hanging fruit, + something that I just didn’t do [+ honestly, something that I still need to work on!]. I have a nalgene + make sure that I drink 3–4 bottles every day!

Under eyes — hydration + exfoliation [+ sleep! lol] have helped with this, but my under eyes are my still “trouble” area, #genetics. I’m excited to experiment more with the gua sha + ice roller.
Scars — more microneedling in 2020!
Other parts of my body… I have taken such good care of my skin on my face, but the other parts of my body? Not so much. From ingrown hairs on my legs to dry hands, I plan on dry bushing + oiling up my body like it deserves!
Relieving stress ; ) lol… but really. Acupuncture, meditation, massage, journaling, etc… relieving stress OF COURSE plays a roll in skin health! There’s always room for more ~relaxing~ in my life.

Let’s be real. Of course my skincare routine isn’t perfect! Of course I’ve gotten a blackhead + whitehead since clearing up my skin. It’s been pretty rare, but it does happen. I didn’t even want to touch on this [no pun intended ; )] because I don’t want to advocate for picking at your face AT ALL, but I want to be real with you. Here’s what I do when a pimple sprouts up on my face:

Blackhead — extra exfoliation. ++ I’ll use the PCA Skin Detoxifying Mask to see if it goes away. If it’s still there + it’s REALLY bothering me, I make sure that my face is completing clean + HOT [open pores]. Then I’ll gently squeeze the blackhead ONCE. Immediately after, I’ll wash my face again with cleanser + then massage my face for like, 5 minutes to get blood circulating in my face. The trick here is to make sure you don’t have an indent in your face from squeezing the blackhead.
Whitehead — I’ll always put Glytone Acne Tinted Spot Treatment on whiteheads. Most of the time, it will become a tiny scab after 1 or 2 days of the treatment on at night. + then I leave it alone!

*The best part of this entire journey: I seriously barely have anything to even pick anymore! It’s been very impressive to watch my skin evolve. Sometimes I have an “urge” to pick… but since there’s nothing to pick at my face, I’ll tweeze my eyebrows or look for this one little black hair that always pops up on my chin to tweeze, #reallife. I swear I was a monkey in a past life.

There are many MANY things that contribute to clear skin, + it can be very overwhelming to not want to buy/do EVERYTHING AT ONCE. It took me 6 months to truly notice a difference in my skin. + it’s been a 15 months of consistency in my skincare routine, proving to myself that I have made a lifestyle change.

A lot of people asked “how much should you expect to spend on your face?” That totally varies on each person. Some of the items I listed [serums + retinoid + of course, every treatment] are expensive, while others [more water + eliminating dairy + NO PICKING!] are totally free. My morning + evening routine alone is around $450 up front, but the products lasts 3–6 months… so if you think about the investment per week: it’s $17–34. I am actually curious about the exact turn around time for each product, so I’m going to test that out next time I purchase new products! It’s an investment, like everything! + I can truly say every penny is worth it. I’ve never felt more confident in my skin. IMO Blemish + Age Defense is my favorite product.

If you have no idea where to start, book an appointment with an esthetician. I’m not sure about other med spas, but a consultation at SpaDerma in Chicago is totally free. + if you refer me, we both get $50 off a treatment, soOoO win win ; ). I’m so thankful for Tara, + in my final post [for now!] — part 4 of my skincare journey… I’m going to share all the TREATMENTS I’ve done with her ++ a Q+A with her! Stay tuned!

Rooting for you,