2/23/2021 0 Comments Morning & Nighttime Skincare Routine for Dry Skin 2021 (Mostly Cruelty-free & Affordable)I'm sure that many of you out there are deciding to get started with a skincare routine (or maybe just want some ~inspiration~ on new products to try). However, with the wealth of information (including pseudoscience misinformation!), it can be incredibly overwhelming to try to figure out what you do and don't "need" to include in your own skincare routine. Ultimately, every single person's skin is different, so everybody's "perfect" skincare routine will be different. Plus, your skin's needs naturally vary with the changing weather, your surrounding environment, alterations to your lifestyle, etc., so even your "perfect" skincare routine won't always be "perfect" for you. Nonetheless, as someone with dry skin as my primary skin concern (and acne as my secondary concern), I hope to give you a place to start by sharing my personal skincare routine of mostly cruelty-free and drugstore products. I do these routines each morning and evening. EXTRA DISCLAIMER: A true basic skincare routine is cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen (in the mornings). I have a pretty extensive routine, but I've been on this ~skincare journey~ for several years now. So, I know my skin's needs, and I know my willingness to spend a lot of time on my routine every morning and night. This amount of product really isn't "necessary" for everybody. Ultimately, the best skincare routine is the one that you'll do every day! Morning skincare routine for dry skinSTEP 1: RINSE FACE WITH WATER As a busy college student, I keep my morning skincare routine simple. I don't use cleanser, and I just rinse my face with water. This helps to wake up, it saves time, and it prevents my dry skin from being over-stripped of its natural oils. STEP 2: HYDRATING SERUM Next, I use a serum as my first layer of hydration in the morning; I find that layering multiple hydrating products of different textures and consistencies is really helpful for dry skin. I either use the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence (one of my holy grail skincare products) or whatever other hydrating serum I currently have in my collection (the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum as of right now, which is nice but I probably won't be repurchasing because of the price). While I always have the Cosrx Essence in my collection, I like to play around and switch up the hydrating serum that I purchase. I focus much of the serum on my cheeks and forehead, which are the places I tend to get the most flakiness. STEP 3: MOISTURIZING CREAM As my last layer of hydration in the morning, I use a thick moisturizing cream. This is something that I tend to switch up whenever I use up, but right now, I'm using the Elf Cosmetics Fragrance Free Holy Hydration! Face Cream. It's decently good, though I wish it had more oil for my dry skin. However, the lack of a very rich oil formulation does make it nice and non-greasy for the morning and suitable for most skin types. I'm not super picky about fragrance vs. fragrance-free because I don't have sensitive skin, but I do appreciate that this is fragrance-free but still doesn't smell like dog poop! It just smells like a regular moisturizer. OPTIONAL STEP 3.5: FACE OIL On days that I want to be extra friendly to my dry skin (mostly in the winter), I pat on a few drops of face oil. I feel that this helps to really "seal in" the moisture. Currently, I am using the Fourth Ray Beauty Glow Up Face Oil. I find that drugstore-priced face oils are such an incredibly good value because you only need a small amount of product each application, so the one bottle has lasted me so long. However, I do have to be wary that a face oil can make sunscreen on top less effective. STEP 4: FACE SUNSCREEN After moisturizer, I use SPF on my face. Yes, skin-damaging ultraviolet rays can still persist during the winter! Admittedly, I haven't been wearing SPF every single day, especially because I don't really like my current sunscreen. I am currently using the Alba Botanica Sensitive Sunscreen Fragrance Free SPF 30. While I will continue to use it until I completely finish it up, I don't particularly recommend it. Because it is fragrance free, it has an incredibly unpleasant that you need to be mentally prepared for. More importantly, it leaves an icky, greasy film on my skin (which I didn't even know was possible on my incredibly dry skin), and it pills incessantly if I try to apply more than a quarter-sized amount. It is a chemical sunscreen, and it has a white cast when I first apply it, but it fades after a few minutes. STEP 5: LIP BALM Lastly, I apply a lip balm. My lips usually still are quite moisturized from the previous night's lip mask, but it's just something I need to apply throughout the day regardless because I have naturally very dry lips. I haven't found a "holy grail" (cruelty-free) lip balm yet, especially I want to be better about using SPF on my lips while not shelling how huge amounts of money because I go through lip balm relatively quickly. I mostly just use whatever random lip balm that I can find around me. I recently got the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 in the Shea & Vitamin E variety. It's nice and emollient, though I honestly would prefer a stick lip balm (rather than a squeeze tube like this) during the day for convenience. EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR DRY SKINOPTIONAL STEP 0: MAKEUP REMOVING PRODUCT On days that I am wearing particularly stubborn makeup, I first go in with a dedicated makeup remover -- either one of the random liquid eye makeup removers from my mom or The Body Shop Chamomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. I don't prefer the packaging of the cleansing butter because it makes me nervous to put my moist fingers directly into the tin, but I do think it has been doing a good job of removing makeup. I also like the scent of it, and it doesn't have PET, a microplastic that is unfortunately common in many cleansing balms. STEP 1: FACE CLEANSER I use cleanser every night. Usually, I use an acne face cleanser with salicylic acid that I've been using for about four years, but the brand is unfortunately not cruelty-free. I tend to leave it on a bit before rinsing the product off in order to get a little more chemical exfoliation. OPTIONAL STEP 1.5: CHEMICAL EXFOLIATION MASK About once a week, I do intense chemical exfoliation via The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. This is a strong product, so I would only recommend using this if you've had experience with chemical exfoliants and know that your skin won't be irritated by it. You also need to be extra good about wearing sunscreen if you use this. I've been using this product for about two years now, and it helps my skin feel baby smooth. I leave it on for about 10-15 minutes since I know I don't have sensitive skin, and I've never really had a problem with it -- except an instance recently because of an outside circumstance. Again, this is a STRONG chemical exfoliator, so make sure not to use it whenever you feel like your skin has been sensitized, or else you'll end up like me with a damaged skin barrier for a few weeks. I had gone on an extensive hike outside, and the cold and the sharp wind really irritated my skin to the point of breaking out into hives for several days (this is something I know about myself and has happened in the past, but the hike was not my idea). However, I was stupid and still used the Peeling Solution that night, which made my already irritated skin even more irritated. This damaged my skin barrier -- leaving my cheek red, bumpy, and peeling -- and took over a week to fully heal. STEP 2: TONER/MICELLAR WATER After cleanser, I use the Thayer's Witch Hazel Rose Petal Facial Toner or whatever random micellar water I have on a reusable cotton pad. I swipe it all over my face to remove any post-cleanser residual makeup. It also helps to dampen my skin to prep it for the rest of my skincare since your skin best retains moisture if it's damp (as I will explain later). OPTIONAL STEP 2.5: CASTOR OIL If I have any really stubborn makeup (usually mascara or black eyeliner), then I use castor oil on a cotton bud to remove it. It helps to keep the castor oil on my skin for a few seconds before swiping it off. STEP 3: HYDRATING ESSENCE While my skin is still damp, I apply the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence all over my face as my first layer of hydration. Again, it's one of my holy grail skincare products, and I've been using it for about three years at this point. As it is an essence formula, it has a thinner consistency than a typical serum, so it should be used before those thicker products. STEP 4: HYDRATING SERUM/RETINOL After the Cosrx essence, I alternate between whatever hydrating serum I have at the time (currently the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum) and The Ordinary 0.2% Retinol in Squalane. There's no dermatological reason of why I can't use them together; I just like that it saves time and makes my products last longer. I usually just focus the Peach & Lily serum on the high points of my face to be a ~glowy ass bitch~, but if my skin is particularly dry, then I'll put it all over my face. One reason I bought this particular serum is because it has hyaluronic acid in it, which is a commonly used humectant to help hold in water. However, you do need to make sure that your skin is still damp when you apply it, especially if you live in a dry climate -- or else it'll actually make your skin drier by pulling water out of your skin. It also has niacinamide, which should lighten hyperpigmentation (such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne) over time. However, because it does take time to work, it's one of those things where I can't necessarily tell if it's actually helping to fade my acne dark spots or not. The retinol is suspended in squalane oil, which I like for my dry skin. I also feel like this retinol has actually done something for me. I don't use vitamin A products for "anti-aging" (first of all, hate that term, very ageist and equating a woman's worth and beauty with proximity to looking like a child) because I am a young person, but I try to use it for congestion and acne. I target the product around my nose, forehead, my chin, and inner/upper cheeks, which are all the places that I get the most acne. Before this, I had been using The Ordinary's Granactive Retinoid for about a year and a half, and I didn't feel like it did anything. I do feel like the 0.2% Retinol actually has helped with the stubborn texture around my nose (and more recently, my backne, too). STEP 5: EYE CREAM To be honest, eye cream isn't a super necessary product to have. The only "real" reason to use a dedicated eye cream rather than your regular moisturizer is if you feel like your moisturizer is too thick and rich for your under eyes. Personally, since it has a thinner consistency than regular moisturizer, I just like it to blend in more quickly and effortlessly on the ~delicate~ undereye area. I've been using the Acure Radically Rejuvenating Eye Cream for over half a year now, and I still have quite a bit left. It comes with 1 ounce, but you really only need a tiny pea-sized amount per eye. I squirt the product onto my ring or pinky finger, and then I tap it out to avoid irritation or damage or something like that (IDK, I think I just heard that tip somewhere). Acure kind of annoys me because they're a bit of an anti-science ~cLeAn BeAuTy~ brand, but in terms of the product itself, I do like it. It's a good value for my money because it's going to last me a long time (plus I got to pay for it with my school meal plan hehe), and it has a comfortable, lightweight, and easily blendable texture. STEP 6: NIGHT CREAM/MOISTURIZER Typically, I cap off my (face) skincare routine with a nice and rich moisturizing cream. Currently, I am using the Elf Cosmetics Fragrance Free Holy Hydration! Face Cream (same as in the morning), though usually I have two separate moisturizers -- one that's more lightweight for the morning, and one that's thicker and richer for the evening. As I said before, I wish that this one had more oils to be friendlier to my dry skin, but it's good enough. Generally speaking, those with dry (not necessarily dehydrated!) skin should look for thicker moisturizing creams with oils like jojoba oil, squalane, or argan oil, and while this does have squalane, it still doesn't have a rich texture. OPTIONAL STEPS 6.5: FACE OIL/ACNE SPOT TREATMENT Particularly in the winter, I also use a few drops of face oil to really help out my dry skin. I drop a few drops into the palm of my hand and then pat it all over my face, focusing on the high points. I'm currently using the Fourth Ray Beauty Glow Up Face Oil -- same as in the morning and also the only facial oil I've actually ever used. If I have a pimple that I really want to get rid of, I use the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion as my very, very last face step. I dip a cotton bud into the pink powder (don't shake the bottle!), dab it onto any pimples, and then rinse off any remainder on my face in the morning. Generally, I do find that it makes a difference overnight. However, Mario Badescu is not really a brand I would like to purchase from in the future (they've had several lawsuits from people who had bad reactions to long-term use of products with undisclosed active steroids), so I'd really appreciate any recommendations for other cruelty-free acne spot treatments! STEP 7: LIP MASK I'm the type of person who has INCREDIBLY dry lips. When I use little (and honestly this still happens sometimes), my lips would get really chapped and gross, and then I would pick at and peel off the skin until my lips bled. I've been using the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in the wonderful original berry scent as my every-night-lip-treatment. I really love this stuff, and I wake up with beautifully soft and moisturized lips. Even now, I have to carry lip balm with me everywhere and constantly reapply throughout the day, and I have just accepted this as my fate (it's just genetic; my dad is the same way). However, I do find that ever since I started using this nightly, I have to reapply throughout the day far less often than I used to. My one tub of this lip mask has lasted for a while because you only need a pea-sized amount per application. I've also used this during the day to prep my lips for drying lipsticks, but I don't really like using it on a regular basis during the day because it does take some time to absorb, making it a messy product for whenever I take sips of water or wear a mask. Regardless, I love this product, and I dread the day I run out of it because Laneige isn't cruelty-free -- which is a HUGE shame!!! When I use this up, I'm going to try the Sara Happ Dream Slip, as recommended by Temptalia. STEP 8: CUTICLE OIL As the last step of my nighttime routine, I apply a cuticle oil right before I get into bed. Currently, I am using the NBM Cuticle Buddy (Strengthening w/ Lemon & Ylang Ylang). This comes in a rollerball applicator, which I like: both as a ~luxurious~ experience and for dispensing a perfect amount of product. I also enjoy the citrusy scent of this. I ideally would be using cuticle oil after every time I wash my hands, but that usually doesn't happen because I'm lazy. However, the times that I do use this during the day, I find that that it absorbs in quickly enough that I can get back to my day and get back to using my hands like a real life human being. That's my complete current morning and nighttime skincare routines! I am "married" to a few of these products, but as a self-proclaimed skincare aficionado, I am interested in having fun and experimenting with a lot of my routine. Some (cruelty-free) skincare brands I'm curious about and want to try out more of or try out for the first time are: Krave Beauty, Youth to the People, Derma E, Versed, Paula's Choice, Acure, Hanskin, Cocokind, and The Inkey List. If you're a fellow owner of dry skin or acne, I'd love to hear your product recommendations! And, of course, if you have any questions about these specific products or skincare in general, feel free to comment them down below or reach out to me on Instagram! Thanks for reading!
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about @glowyminoI have dry skin and very dry and textured lips. I also have a medium-light skintone (somewhere in the realm of NC25-30) with strong warm yellow/olive undertones. I have a tendency to prefer a glowy, lightweight base and color cosmetics in shades of a warm undertone. Read more about me in the about page! Archives
May 2024
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