Skincare is something I am extremely passionate about, but I wasn’t always this way. Honestly, I took horrible care of my skin, and I was never consistent with any routine. I by no means had perfect skin – I had acne, acne scars and extremely dry skin. Then I turned 22, and I swear all of a sudden I had expression lines on my forehead that I never had before in my life, and it freaked me out! I am TERRIFIED of aging, and that is what kickstarted my skincare journey, and my life was changed! My routine has definitely evolved since then and my skin has never looked or felt better.
As you can tell, I prefer Caudalie and Tatcha brands for basically everything. One tip I have is to buy products made in Europe (I like France) and Japan. In France, the ingredients allowed to go into skincare products is on much stricter regulations vs. products made here in the States and other countries which are not as highly regulated and therefore tend to have lower quality and more harmful ingredients. I have heard that Canada has even stricter regulations, but I have yet to try products made there. Secondly, Asian culture in general is HUGE on their skin care. The beauty standard there is minimal makeup and the main star is the skin, so they make amazing skin care products to attain that youthful, healthy glow.
Here is the breakdown of my daily (AM and PM) routine using my skincare essentials!
1.CLEANSER: My two favorites are the Tatcha Deep Cleanse and the Kate Somerville Daily Cleanser. I tend to use the Kate Somerville cleanser on days when I am using my Clarisonic and the Tatcha on days when I am not. They are both gentle on the skin and leave it feeling soft and refreshed without drying. I love my Clarisonic, but I do not use it everyday as it dries my skin too much, so I limit it to twice a week to exfoliate and get a deeper clean.
2.MICRONEEDLING: I love love love this, it was a game changer for me! I have this set from BeautyBio that includes a face, eye and body attachment, and I cannot recommend microneedling enough. This step took my routine and results to a whole other level. From the very first time using it I could see and feel a huge difference. What microneedling does is it creates these microscopic punctures in your skin. These punctures stimulate your skin to produce collagen and elastin which make the skin firmer, and more glowy and youthful. These punctures also create deeper channels for your skincare products to penetrate. This means that you maximize how effective they are, and you get your moneys worth!
3.TONER: It removes excess dirt, makeup and oils and makes your skin a blank canvas for the rest of the products. If you’re thinking “why do I need toner to cleanse my face when I just washed it?” then I challenge you to look into your cotton pad after washing your face and using toner. Yuck. You can find my favorite TONER at Sephora!
4.ESSENCE: I use this essence by Caudalie, and I really liked the way my skin looked when I incorporated it into my routine. Essence allows the products you use to further penetrate into your pores. It helps you attain dewy, glowy skin plus, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this one, the bottle is big, and it’s not crazy expensive. The first essence I ever tried was the SK II a couple of years ago, and I honestly cannot say that I like one more than another but, SK II is $99 vs this one which is around $50!
5.SERUM: OK. This serum by Caudalie is my holy grail product. I will NEVER not use the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. My skin tends to scar super easily, and those scars will seriously not go away, I’m talking years to months. So even after I had my acne under better control I still had crazy dark scars on my face, and they made me so self conscious. I can honestly say that this serum was the answer to it all and made my scars fade away within a few months of use. I could not believe the results! If there is one thing you buy from my list, it should be this one. It hydrates and gives your skin such a pretty glow, and if you have dark spots like I did, it might help you tremendously!
6.OIL: I recently incorporated this Tatcha Beauty Oil into my skincare, and I am obsessed! My skin is plumper and more radiant. I added this because I have skin drier than the Sahara so this step is not for people with oily or acne prone skin! I especially like it during these drier winter months where the weather really takes a toll. It absorbs easily and gives long lasting hydration. It is pricey, but I literally use 3 drops for my face so a little goes a long way.
7.MOISTURIZER: One analogy I was told that really stuck with me was that moisturizer is the cap that fits on a bottle. You can add all the water you want into a bottle, but if there is no cap, it won’t stay in. Moisturizer locks all the products you add into your pores. I use the Water Cream by Tatcha and it is my fav! It leaves my skin plump and hydrated. Since I am crazy for hydration, I will also add a layer of this Caudalie intense moisture rescue cream on top just to really seal the deal.
8.EYE CREAM: My mom bought this Bare Minerals Eye Creme from Ulta, and it feels really silky and hydrating. I am trying to be more consistent with using eye creams to prevent fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes. It’s never too early to start! I haven’t been using it too long so still waiting to see how I feel.
9.SPF: If there is one thing you take away from my skincare tips, I hope it is this: USE SUNSCREEN!!!!! Sunscreen is the single most important thing everyone, man or woman, should use. The sun emits harmful rays that damage your skin on a microscopic level. Not only can sun exposure lead to early signs of aging, it can also worsen conditions such as melasma and hyperpigmentation and cause skin cancer. I am religious about using sunscreen, and I like this one by Shiseido because it is not oily. It is recommended to apply sunscreen every few hours which I know is hard, but I recommend this powder sunscreen by Tarte. It is perfect for re-applying even when you have makeup on!
So, I definitely splurge on skincare, but that is because I think it is one of the most important things you can do for yourself when it comes to self care. Our skin is the only thing we will ever wear for our entire life, and we should care for it! It is an investment in yourself that I think is not just worth it, but necessary. Another reason to take good care of our skin is to have flawless makeup application. You can buy the most expensive makeup out there, but if your skin is not healthy it will never do those products or your face justice.
The Nitty Gritty
I understand that this is not for everyone, it is a bit pricey and involved. There are a few things that can be forgone, but at a minimum, women should at least be using the 5 most important products:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Serum
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
Stick to products with good ingredients, do your research, and be consistent! Try out different things because each person is different. It’s helpful to start by identifying what your skin goals are and going from there. Give products at least 3 months before deciding on how you feel about them (unless of course you have some sort of reaction). It takes that long for results to fully present themselves.
I hope you guys find my skincare tips helpful, and that you are inspired to treat yo’ selves!
XOXO,
Monica
