Aside from my love and passion for fragrance, I have a love for skincare as well. I think it would be safe to say its somewhat of an obsession. I really started to take care of my skin when I entered my 30s, and now that I am approaching 37 very soon, I have spent a lot of time and money really curating and finessing my skincare routine. When I started my YouTube channel, before I transitioned into it ultimately being a fragrance channel, I loved discussing and sharing my skincare journey! So I thought I would share my favorite products and current routine!
A bit about my skin…
I have oily combination skin, that has developed a lovely texture over the years. Also its very bratty and often throws tantrums, so add sensitivity to the mix! My skin texture I attribute to my youth, growing up my dad was a surfer and my family lived at the beach. I have VERY fair skin, so I was always drenched in SPF, as I got older I noticed my sunscreen would break me out so I stopped wearing it on my face. It was when I was in my 20s I realized… OMG Sunscreen for my body should not go on my face! So I started investing in great SPFs for my skin but the damage was already done… a lovely texture. Textured skin is a common concern for a lot of people, and for me aside from larger than life pores (THANKS genetics) congestion, and wanting to start on an anti-aging regime, it was the biggest issue I had with my skin. It was around 30 that I developed a desire to learn more about skincare, and not just to buy whatever a sales associate, friends or targeted ads told me. Learning about what ingredients and WHY became important, as well as an emphasis on realistic results. I knew I couldn’t fix everything. Repairing is much harder then preventing these issues. But over time I was able to work WITH my skin to see realistic results, and that was incredibly rewarding.
Realistic results?
So I will never tell anyone how to live their life, especially in regards to their appearance. However anyone decides to present themselves to the world is their own journey. I won’t police peoples choices when it comes to their appearance. Plastic surgery for a lot of people can be incredibly empowering. For me I never had a huge desire. Doesn’t mean I wont ever, buuuttt its not important enough for me to worry about it currently. What I mean by this is, there are some results that can ONLY come from getting injections/going under the knife. And if that is your jam, then own it and work it! I know a lot of my main issues could be completely resolved with cosmetic surgery and more invasive procedures. But I am not worried about it enough to consider these procedures currently. So when I look to skincare products I have a very real expectation for results. Patience is key as well. A lot of these products requite a few cell turnover cycles to show real results. So over the years I learned what to expect and when. It has really helped me not get discouraged, and truly find the right products and ingredients for my skin.
A little TLDR about my routines…
I have at least 2 routines, a morning and a nighttime. And with these routines I have a plethora of products. I am listing them below but know that all of these products have worked amazingly for my skin and concerns. Just because they work for me doesn’t mean they will work for you. Also some of these products are pricey. Price doesn’t equal quality or efficiency! There are some amazing products that are super affordable! I have just learned over the years what works for me, and why! If I can find a more affordable alternative I will always go with that. But I have no real budget if the product works well for my skin.
Day Time Regime
- Cleanser (Either Micellar Water, or a gentle cleansing cloth)
- Exfoliation (usually chemical but not always)
- Toner
- Essence
- Treatments/Serums
- Eye Cream
- Moisturizer
- SPF
Nightly Regime
- Oil Based Cleanser or Balm (This step I will use makeup remover on eye makeup)
- Water Based Cleansers or other…
- Exfoliation (usually chemical sometimes mechanical)
- Toner
- Essence
- Treatments/Serums
- Eye Cream
- Moisturizer
- Sleeping Masks/ OR Face oil
Cleansers!
Cleansing is my favorite part of a routine. It feels so invigorating to wash off the the gunk from the past 10-12 hours, and so uplifting to clean your face to start your day! There are a variety of different cleansers for different skin types! I have oily/combo skin that is on the sensitive side. These cleansers are my most favorite and have worked the best for me.
Holy Grail Cleansers-
- DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
- Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm
- La Mer The Cleansing Gel
- Lancome BI-Facial Makeup Remover
- Cle de Peau Eye and Makeup Remover Sheets
- La Mer Micellar Water
Other Favorites-
- Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Soap
- Banila Co Clean It Zero
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
- Tatcha Camelia Cleansing Oil
- Skinfood Rice Brightening Facial Tissues
- Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk
Exfoliators!
Exfoliators can be a game changer when it comes to your skincare routine. There are many different exfoliators on the market, mechanical, physical and enzyme. Making sure you don’t over exfoliate is very important, as you can hurt or damage your skin. Also the illusion of needing harsh or extremely abrasive mechanical exfoliators can definitely lead to such damage. I prefer enzyme and chemical exfoliators, but sometimes have a gentle abrasive physical one can be nice too.
Holy Grail Exfoliators-
- Sunday Riley Good Genes
- The Ordinary Peeling Solution
- Exuviance Triple Microdermabrasion Face Polish
- Tatcha The Rice Polish
- Exuviance Daily Resurfacing Peel
Other Favorites
- Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion
- Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel
- Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Treatment
- Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3
- Elemis Daily Resurfacing Peeling Pads
Toners and Essences!
Toners and essences can really change the game when it comes to your skincare routine. The first thing to remember is not all toners and essences are created equally, so finding the right ones can be very important. I like to use hydrating toners mostly, but there are other ones for soothing, and exfoliating. My essences I am very particular about!
Holy Grail Toners-
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution
- Lancome Tonique Confort Re-Hydrating Comforting Toner with Acacia Honey
- La Mer The Tonic
- PureHeals Propolis Softening Toner
- Sunday Riley Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner
Other Favorites-
- SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner
- Murad Hydrating Toner
- Sisley Floral Toning Lotion
- By Terry Baume de Rose Beauty Toner
Holy Grail Essences-
- SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
- Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence
- COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
- BENTON Snail Bee High Content Essence
Other Favorites-
- Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence
- Amorepacific Vintage Single Extract Essence
- Sunday Riley Pink Drink
Treatments and Serums
When I first started navigating skincare treatments and serums were the most foreign to me. There are so many different treatments and types of serums and you can easily get lost. You can use one or layer, but you always want to be mindful that ingredients work well together. You also want to be mindful of not overloading your face with to many products. You can always rotate your treatments nightly if you find your skin doesn’t absorb them well. But consistency is key, as well as patience. I prefer to use brightening and protective ingredients in the morning, and reparative treatments at night. I believe one of the most important ingredients to any skincare routine is an excellent vitamin c product!
Holy Grail Serums and Treatments-
- La Mer Genaissance
- The Ordinary Niacimanide
- OleHenricksen Truth Serum
- 111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Booster
- Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum
Other Favorites-
- Peach & Lily Glass Skin
- Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum
- Lancome Genifique Anti Aging Serum
- SKII GenOptics Aura Essence Serum
- La Mer The Regenerating Serum
Eye Creams!
The honest truth is, you don’t NEED eye creams. You can always dab a little extra moisturizer under your eyes. But some people love the feel and ritual of an eye cream. and yes for some people they can see a real difference. As I got older I noticed finer lines and a lot of dryness under there. My main focus is hydration, anti aging ingredients and yes… SPF! If I can find a good eye product that has SPF, well that’s worth the investment for me! A good rule of thumb if you want an eye cream in your routine is to have a good absorbing one in the am, and a nice hydrating and plumping one at night. Heavier formulas during the day can get all wacky if you wear a lot of make up or heavier concealers. Also a little goes a long way. An ounce of eye cream if used day and night can last you 8 months to a year!
Holy Grail Eye Creams-
- SK II Skinpower Eye Cream
- Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream
- Cle de Peau Enhancing Eye Contour Cream Supreme
- Pacifica Vegan Collagen Recovery Eye Cream
Other Favorites-
- Clinique Anti Gravity Eye Cream
- Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening + Depuffing Eye Cream for Dark Circles
- Clinique All About Eyes
- Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
- Supergoop Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream SPF 40 PA+++
Other eye products I love!
- SKYN Iceland Firming Eye Gels
- Elemis Pro-Collagen Eye Revive Mask
- Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
- Clarins- Hydra-Essentiel Moisturizing Reviving Eye Mask
Moisturizers!
Moisturizers are single handedly one of the most important steps and products in your routine. And if you have to ask… YES you need a moisturizer. Oily skin can be dehydrated, just because your skin is oily doesn’t mean that it is hydrated. A lot of people with oily skin will skip using a moisturizer and that can cause damage to your skin’s moisture barrier (there are other factors that can cause damage, harsh cleansers, genetics, and environmental factors like pollution to name a few). A proper moisturizer will help protect and boost your skin’s moisture barrier The trick is finding the RIGHT moisturizer. I have Oily/Combo skin on the sensitive side so these products work amazing for me. But if you have dry or normal skin I would try and find different products, or versions that would work better for you.
Holy Grail Moisturizers-
Other Favorites-
- Belif The True Cream-Aqua Bomb
- ELF Fragrance Free Holy Hydration! Face Cream
- Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
- Tatcha The Indigo Cream Soothing Skin Protectant
- Fresh Youth Preserve Lotus Anti- Aging Daily Moisturizer
- Innisfree Balancing Cream with Green Tea
SPF!
One of the biggest enemies to your skin is sun exposure! Finding the right SPF can be tricky. Navigating different strengths and formulas can be daunting. But after a lot of trial and error I found the ones that work the best for me. One thing to remember is any products like a moisturizer or face make up that contains SPF will never have enough to truly protect you. Don’t rely on them, use a separate dedicated spf product for your skin!
Holy Grail SPF Products–
- La Mer The Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid
- Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid For Face
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50
- Colorescience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder
- COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA +++
- Murad City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 PA++++
Other Favorites-
- Sisley Sunleÿa Age Minimizing Sun Care SPF 15
- by Terry UV Base SPF 50
- Lancome UV Expert Aquagel Defense Primer & Moisturizer SPF 50
- Cle de Peau UV Protective Cream SPF 50+
- Heimish Artglass Glow Base
- Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense Sunscreen SPF 30
- Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Sunscreen
- Tatcha Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 35 PA+++
- Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+
Masks!
Masks are an effective tool that you can use to customize your skincare experience. Depending on the mask and treatment you can use them in the morning or as part of your nighttime ritual. I prefer to use masks at night, but sometimes will use hydrating and plumping masks in the morning if I want to pamper myself. Masks come in a wide variety of applications, sheet masks, clay masks, wash off masks and more. Below are a few of my holy grail masks!
Sheet Masks-
- SK II Facial Treatment Mask
- 111Skin Y Theorem Bio Cellulose Facial Mask
- Lancome Advanced Génifique Hydrogel Melting Mask
- TonyMoly Im Real Face Masks (Honey, Wine, Rice)
- Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask
Sleeping Packs and Nighttime Masks-
- Fresh Black Tea Overnight Firming Mask
- Pureheals Propolis Sleeping Pack
- Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask
- Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask with Saffron Flowers
- MISSHA Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask
- Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask
Clay Masks-
Other Favorite Masks-
- La Mer Lifting and Firming Mask
- Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask
- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
- Fresh Rose Face Mask
- Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask
- Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask
Face oils and other favorite products!
Here are some other essential and favorite products. I like to use specific facial oils at night instead of a sleeping mask. I usually will rotate these every other night. As for the other products they aren’t necessities, but I do love using them and find them helpful. I am particularly obsessed with hydrating mists that I love to spritz through the day!
Face Oils
- Sunday Riley Luna Retinol Night Oil
- The Ordinary Rosehip Oil
- La Mer Renewal Oil
- Exuviance CitraFirm Face Oil
- Sisley Black Rose Precious Face OIl
Hydrating Mists
- La Mer The Mist
- Dermalogica Ultracalming Mist
- Clinique Moisture Surge Facial Spray
- Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydrating Toner Mist
- Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist
- Lancome Rose Milk Re-Hydrating Mist
Other Favorite Skincare Products-
So that is my skincare routine in a nutshell. I do rotate various other products that I received as gifts, as gratis or purchased to test out. but overall these are the products that I love and have seen real amazing results! If you have any questions or feedback on any of these products let me know.
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Beauty Meow 