I have seen a growing interest in what I do for my skincare routine is and what kind of skin I have. While I am happy to share what my skincare is I think it’s really important to remember that not everything works for everyone. Everyone has different complexion which means my skincare routine won’t work for everyone. I did want to break this blog post into 3 sections so you have all the information about my skin; my skin type, skin background, and my current skincare routine!
What is my skin type?
Since I am a redhead, I have tiny little freckles all over my face. Which honestly kind of look like blemishes sometimes but my skin hasn’t ever felt this smooth in my life. I also have eczema right around my mouth so I have to be very careful in what products I use because my skin is very sensitive. On my T zone, I have oily skin but in other areas it’s not bad so I say I have combination skin. I don’t appear to have dark spots under my eyes (yet) so I don’t use any treatment for that, just eye cream to help prevent it. On my forehead I do have lines from being so expressive which aren’t my favorite thing. But with my favorite vitamin c serum I have been able to reduce them significantly. I would say overall my skin tends to be a little bit more rosie. Hopefully that covers most things about my skin but feel free to ask!
Has your skin always been like this?
The short answer to that is absolutely not! In middle school, high school and college, I had HORRIBLE cystic acne right around my mouth. It would hurt to smile and I was always so embarrassed by it. I think it got progressively worse through college due to the lifestyle I was living. In middle school and high school, I did go see a dermatologist a couple times. They either gave me pills or topical creams to try and help… which did nothing. Most of the time it would make it so much worse. I didn’t know anything about skincare so I was just using drug store cleansers and creams without knowing what was in them. Most of the time just picked items I saw on TV haha.
In college, I did start birth control to see if that would help. While I think it cleaned my skin up a little bit, my body did not like the pill. I gained weight and my mood swings were insane so I eventually stopped taking them. I am also not a big medication person. I have to been in huge amounts of pain to take Tylenol or anything like that. During college I still didn’t know much about skincare or really look into what I was using. Just took advice from friends who had clear skin. Like I mentioned before, I think my lifestyle played a huge part into how bad my skin was. I pulled all nighters all the time (senior year was about once a week), was staying out late with friends, forgetting to take my make up off, and eating food that wasn’t good for me.
After college was when I really started to take my skin seriously. I started investing more money and time into finding products that helped my skin type. Through trial and error, I found that my eczema was causing dead skin to sit on the surface of my skin which lead to deep clogged pores. I also thought back to when my skin was at it’s best and that tended to be when I had spent a week at the beach. Lush has a product called “Ocean Salt” and I found that helped my skin clear up and even removed some of the scaring I had. If I am being honest, I was using it morning and night to help with my skin. Which I now realize wasn’t the best thing at all but it did remove a lot of the dead skin issues I was having from my eczema.
About 2 years ago, I went and got a facial where the lady told me my skin was very dehydrated. Right after that I went home and started researching clean products that were fragrance free to start trying. This is how I arrived at my current skincare routine!
Current Skincare Routine
Morning:
- Kiehl’s Cleanser: I love to start my morning with a good cleanser. It really helps me feel fresh and ready to put on all the other products. Kind of like starting with a blank canvas:) Kiehl’s cleanser is very gentle and one of the only cleansers my sensitive skin loves!
- Lush Toner Water: To brighten my skin and really wake it up, I use Lush toner water. At first I thought it was just water to be honest but after using it for a couple years now, I have noticed that my skin really craves the toner water. I tend to get a little more dry when I don’t use the toner water before other products.
- Kiehl’s Vitamin C Serum: Next I take one pump of the vitamin c serum and massage it into key areas. For me that is right around my mouth, around my eyes, and then my forehead. It’s used to reduce lines, brighten skin and even out complexions. If there is one thing you get out of this whole blog post, it should be that you NEED a vitamin c serum in your skincare! It does wonders for your skin but make sure to do research about the product before using it.
- (Recent Add) Maelove Glow Serum: I recently added this glow serum to my routine so I am still on the fence about it. I went back and forth about adding it to the blog post since I haven’t used it for long (about a week). But I have seen a lot more bloggers share SkinCeuticals C, E Ferulic which is about $166 so I wanted to share a less expensive option for you!
- Kiehl’s Calendula Serum-Infused Water Cream: This is also a newer item that I got during the Kiehl’s sale but I am in love! It goes on so smooth and my skin looks amazing all day long. It keeps my skin hydrated but not greasy.
- Summer Friday Lip Balm: I don’t know if I could go without this lip balm! I shared I do have eczema around my mouth so my lips are always chapped. This is so hydrating without being sticky and making me break out, which you would be surprised with how many lip balms make me break out.
Night:
- Kiehl’s Cleanser: I use the same cleanser in the morning and at night. This cleanser removes my make up but doesn’t strip my skin. What do I mean by strip my skin? You know when you use a cleanser and your skin is super dry and tight? That’s what I mean by strip my skin. This cleanser has never made my skin feel dehydrated.
- Lush Toner Water: Even though I use a cleanser to take my make up off, I also use the toner water with a cotton pad to make sure all my make up is off. You will be shocked at how much make up is left behind. So I use the toner water to freshen up my make up free skin but also to make sure that all my make up is off.
- Kiehl’s Vitamin C Serum: Same vitamin c serum as in the morning but I love to sleep in the vitamin c serum to make sure it really sinks into my skin overnight. I think this is key to seeing the vitamin c serum really work. I apply it in the same areas as I do in the morning.
- Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Oil: I take three drops of this, it lasts a long time, and apply it all over my face and neck. This product was the item that got me hooked on Kiehl’s products! I saw a massive change in how my skin looked in the morning. It was hydrated and didn’t look droppy in the morning.
- Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment: I don’t have a ton of issues with my under eye but noticed that I was a little dehydrated. I take a small amount on my pinky and apply it to both eyes. Then massage it under my eye and into my crows feet to help with lines. It’s a very creamy product which helps with hydrating and not having bags under your eyes in the morning.
- Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream / Summer Friday Jet Lag Mask: Depending on the night or how I am feeling, I either one of these creams. Most of the time, if I feel a little less hydrated on my face or have traveled then I lean towards the Summer Friday Jet Lag mask. The Ultra facial cream is my go to for most nights though!
- Summer Friday Lip Balm: Need to hydrate my lips over night with the best lip balm:)
Hopefully this is helpful and answers a lot of your questions! Do you use any of these products? If so, which ones? Would love to hear in the comments!