Non hair related blog alert! You might be thinking, “what the hell does she know about skincare, she’s a hair stylist?” Well, thanks to my obsessive nature when I hyper-fixate on something, I know more than most.
When lockdown first hit, I went from wearing makeup daily to forgetting how to even fill in my eyebrows. (An exaggeration, your girl still loves a full beat). I began to focus on taking care of my skin so that I could like how I looked without makeup. Controversial statement, but between working in the beauty industry and societies chokehold on how women present themselves, I didn’t feel beautiful unless I had a full face of makeup on, I know, sad.
To preface this my skin isn’t AWFUL by any means, I have some mild rosacea, occasional hormonal acne on my chin and a tiny bit of scarring from said hormonal acne, my skin is also sensitive, just like my feelings. I spoke with friends who I consider skincare guru’s and watched a multitude of TikTok’s and youtube reviews before deciding I’d never buy skincare from Sephora again. Keep your points besties, that price tag is not for me. I swapped all my over-priced mid products from Sephora as I used them up, and started switching gears to Korean skincare. The reason being two main selling points, firstly the most obvious was price. That shit is AFFORDABLE oooo honey, skincare that works and my cleanser doesn’t cost me over $20? Sign me up. The second reason was CLEAN ingredients, and truly clean ingredients. None of this Sephora clean seal of bullshit.
Over time, my skin adjusted to my new products, the texture changed, the hormonal acne became less frequent (also in part to my diet and lifestyle), and I began to almost dislike how I looked with foundation on, because my natural skin was just too good to cover up. You’re probably wondering “when the hell is she gonna give us the product list?” I’m getting to it. But I want to preface with a couple key points.
I eat a primarily plant based diet. Whole foods, grains, avoiding a lot of processed food, not eating meat. I don’t drink alcohol often, maybe once a week, I don’t smoke, and I get a full nights sleep every night.
I am someone who gets botox, this helps with my skins collagen production and is part of skincare regimen.
I go for facials, not often, but at least 3-4 times a year. Mostly microdermabrasion, but I did recently try a Morpheus8 treatment (very recent so the effects haven’t fully kicked in yet, but at dinner last night a friend told me my face looked like the paris filter, so clearly something good came of it)
All this to say, topical products alone aren’t always enough, at least if I want to keep my 36 year old face looking 26, which I do.
The Product Breakdown
My morning routine is often rushed and lazy because I like to spend as much time as possible sitting on the couch with a coffee and my animals before work. I usually do not wash my face in the morning, this is because I wash my face before bed, and I want those healthy oils built up overnight to keep my skin hydrated. Instead I will splash some water on my face to wake me up and then dive right into the products.
Every product is linked, I’m not saying you have to buy these to have good skin, but it will give you an idea of price and ingredient list and some places you can find similar products. If you live in the city, I get a lot of my stuff from Propr Life at Ossington and College.
I use a toner from the Ordinary , it’s gentle and exfoliating and gives me a good base for my hydrators.
After toner I apply a hyaluronic acid to help my skin better absorb my moisturizer.
Then moisturizer on my face and neck.
And finally sunscreen , 50spf ONLY if you want to avoid looking like Mr. Burns when you’re 50.
None of these products cost more than $50 and they work better than drunk elephant could EVER.
At night my routine is a little different, I do a double cleanse even if I didnt wear any makeup that day.
I use this oil cleanser it’s fragrance free, limited ingredient and feels like a dream on the skin. Followed by this waterbased cleanser .
My only splurge product is my Skin Ceuticals retinol which I use 2-3 times a week. I didn’t want to mess around with this and wanted a product that I knew was backed by medical aestheticians for actually doing it’s job.
Then my plush skin secret weapon , vegetable glycerin. Sounds kooky, but glycerin is arguably better for moisture absorption than hyaluronic acid. It is a natural humectant and LOVES hydration. I apply a thin layer of this 10 minutes before my moisturizer, allow it to sit and then put my moisturizer over top. It’s best to do this at least an hour before bed as your skin will feel damp while it’s absorbing and you want it to absorb into your skin, not your pillow case. When I wake up in the morning my skin is always so plush and dewy (this is why I don’t wash my face in the morning, I want that moisture to stay put).
That’s it, that’s all. I now love my lil bare face and my makeup routine is super paired down if I even wear any during the week. I still put on a full beat for a night out or if I’m feeling spicy but I don’t feel like I have to anymore and that is a W for me. I love to talk about this stuff with clients, so if you’re ever curious or have amazing tips to share when you’re in my chair then let loose, let’s hear it!
If you’ve read this far then thanks for caring about me and my face. You a real one.