Before you judge me for that photo ^^… well. I just liked it. And then it felt right to me. Like, all of us who care about our skin are probably trying to undo too much of the laying out and sun damage and partying and lack of sleep and… all of the bad stuff we’ve done to our precious, delicate epidermis.
For whatever reason, people have been asking me about skin care lately. I hope that means that I have the dewy, porcelain complexion of a twelve year old novice nun but I suspect it means that I’ve educated myself on skin care products and I like to share that knowledge with unsuspecting friends.
But whatever the reason why I am being asked for these opinions, summer is upon us, and I thought it might be a good time to do a series on skin care, including my basics, tips and recommendations.
Ready?
The List of Must Have Essentials
Cleaner
Vitamin C
Retinoid
Exfoliant
Sunscreen
I’ve done a lot of research into French, American and Asian skin care routines and brands, serums and lotions and whatnot. I’ve analyzed organic versus chemicals and I know the difference between emollients, peptides and collagen. And I will bring more information to you about all this in the coming weeks but for now, check your medicine cabinet to see if you have all these things.
These are the five essential items that I will not go on a trip without (if the trip is longer than two days). These five things are really ALL YOU NEED for good tone, texture, resiliency, wrinkle prevention. I can maybe - MAYBE - knock one thing off this list, but I’m not going to. Because, I really think you need all five.
Question: Do you apply all five at once?
Please, NO.
Here’s the routine.
Day 1: AM
clean, Vitamin C, sunscreen
Day 1: PM
clean, retinoid
Day 2: AM
clean, Vitamin C, sunscreen
Day 2: PM
clean, exfoliate
That’s it. Do it every day.
Question: BUT WHAT FIVE THINGS DO I BUY??
I already told you to check your medicine cabinet. If you have a face wash, a Vitamin C product, a retinoid, an exfoliant and a sunscreen, just use what you have for now. The most important thing is the ROUTINE. Use up what you already own while you’re waiting on all my fabulous product recommendations. There may be some trial and error, anyway, so why waste money before you have to?
Question: BUT I DON’T HAVE ONE OF THE THINGS AND YOU REALLY NEED TO TELL ME SOMETHING TO GET STARTED WITH.
Okay, that wasn’t a question, but I get your point. Here are the cheapest, most effective essentials you can get started with before we go on a deeper dive through SkinCareLand.
Cleaner - I’m not judging if you don’t have a face wash.
But if you REALLY do not, start with something very gentle like one of the Aveeno foaming cleansers or I love the Hado Labo cleansers with hyaluronic acid.
2. Vitamin C serum - I’m going to direct you straight to my number 1 recommendation. Basic, not fancy but highly effective.
3. Retinoid - If you’ve never used one before, any drugstore retinoid should be a good starting point. And maybe don’t use it every other day like I recommended above. Start twice a week and USE sunscreen!!!
4. Exfoliation - I might have a whole blog post about this and why this is important to all of your skin care concerns. Most basic exfoliant? Gently rub a washcloth over your face in the shower.
5. Sunscreen - BY FAR SO IMPORTANT. Especially as we head into summer, friends. Again, I’ll have another bunch of recommendations for this but for now, find yourself an SPF 30 or higher at the drugstore and start using it all the time. You can generally find a good Neutrogena sunscreen everywhere. Look for the helioplex ones: Neutrogena Dry Touch.
And that is where I’ll leave you.
Yes, I can actually hear all your questions, like, “um, did you forget moisturizer?” No, I did not. Stay tuned, I have at least two (or three) more blog posts on this very timely subject! And have a Happy SUMMER!!!
If you have any specific questions or concerns, hit me up!
For Part 2: Sunscreen, click here.
For Part 3: The Other Essentials, click here.
For Part 4: Why Moisturizers are NOT an Essential (But here are some that really work), click here.