It has taken me many years to learn the lesson of good skincare. I've always washed my face, and moisturized when I had the time, but I only started investing in good skincare products around 6 months ago. In high school and college, I sought out more full-coverage foundations and powders, rather than focusing on getting my skin issues under control. I long for the day when I feel truly feel comfortable running errands without a stitch of makeup on my face. However, I am convinced that if I keep taking care of my face, it will happen.
Quick info on my skin type: I have skin that is acne-prone, oily, and acne scarring on my cheeks. I also have what my first-ever doctor called "allergy eyes" where the dark circles under my eyes become more prominent in allergy season. Hot stuff, huh?
Here are the products that I use every night. I use the miscellar water and cleanser in the morning as well.
From left to right:
Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil,
Cetaphil Facial Cleanser,
Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream,
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream,
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil,
Simple Miscellar Cleansing Water
Out of all these products, Boscia's Makeup-Breakup has been the best and most drastic change for my nightly routine. Using only 1 or 2 pumps, and gently rubbing my hands over my face,
all of my makeup comes off. My foundation, my waterproof mascara, everything. The picture above is after I gently wiped my eye makeup a few times. It is the only makeup remover that has ever made my face feel truly clean and left no makeup residue. It is so gentle on the skin, taking away the tugging feeling I would get when scrubbing my skin with those makeup wipes. Sure, I look like a raccoon for a bit before I wash off the oil, but that's just proof that it's working.
This bottle here is a fairly new product. I've been using it as an alternative to a toner, which can be harsh on my skin. It was marketed as cleansing product, but also as a makeup remover. It definitely would not be sufficient as my only makeup remover, but it can still remove any leftover eye makeup, or in my case, any Boscia oil that I haven't washed off my face. I use this in the morning as well and it feels wonderfully refreshing.
I swear by this Cetaphil cleanser. My mom and I have been using it for years. And I've often seen dermatologists recommend this cleanser over the years in multiple magazines. Why? Because it's so gentle. This will work for every single skin type- dry, oil, acne-prone, combination, sensitive, you name it. I started using the cleanser in my early teens to wash my eyelids every night as instructed by my optometrist (which I still do, due to an eye condition that I have). I have gotten the cleanser in my eyes plenty of times, and it feels completely fine, no burning. I wouldn't be surprised if this could be used on babies. (
Tip: to mimic the effect that a shower has on your skin, run warm water over a washcloth, and then press it to your face for 30 sec-1min. It will open up your pores and there will be better results after washing your face.)
This is the only First Aid Beauty product that I've tried, and so far I'm impressed. I've heard rave reviews about the entire line, and now I'll rave about the Ultra Repair Cream. This small amount of moisturizer on my index finger is all I need for my entire face each night. I purchased the cream in early January, and I've used just over half of the tub. So I feel very good about spending a little more for this moisturizer than I'm used to paying. It is supposed to work well on dry or irritated skin, but it works wonderfully for my oil skin as well. It absorbs quickly into my skin after application, which I appreciate.
I'm a big believer in eye cream. It might seem odd that a girl in her early twenties is using eye cream, but it's not about anti-aging (but it never hurts to do preventative skincare!). It's important to keep that eye area moisturized. Particularly in the winter, it's one of the places that doesn't get covered up and skin there can easily become dry. This Benefit eye cream reduces the appearance of dark circles, which I am always in need of since it's in my genes. (
Tip: Always apply eye cream with your ring finger because it has the lightest touch and the skin around your eyes is the most sensitive. You should also not apply eye cream right up to your lash line, but rather at the edge of your dark circles and on your brow bone. Why? Because the cream will travel towards your eye as you sleep and cover the area. My sister recently told me she was waking up with messy eyes and had lots of sleep in her tear ducts. When I explained this to her, she's been apply it the way I'm doing in the picture above, and since I've heard no complaints.)
And let's not forget that I'm acne-prone! Lots of acne problems lately. I use this tea tree oil as a spot treatment on all of my blemishes or places where I can feel a blemish coming on. I also recommend
this spot treatment. Both work very well. Doing this step last is necessary so that the oil takes effect and isn't messed up with any other products. I can go to sleep and wake up with smaller and less offensive blemishes. The tea tree oil is intense and definitely requires the use of a Q-tip.
Then I go to bed, and wake up feeling and (hopefully) looking better! Do you guys only buy high end skin products or do you use a mix of high and low end like me? What are your favorite or must-have skincare products? Let me know!
