My Perfect Skincare Routine: Simple is Better

Today I am going to share all about my personal skin care routine! I haven’t mentioned it because honestly, I focus a lot more on the inside (food, supplements) because I have found that is what has made the most difference for me. When it comes to skin care most people focus on what they can put on their skin instead of what they can do inside. Heck this is exactly where I started!  Even though this isn’t where I would recommend to start, it is still an important part! And if you are just beginning on your journey – I would recommend you check out my past posts here and here and of course download my simple 1 day detox to glowing skin by tomorrow. Click here to check it out!

First I want to warn you, this routine is very SIMPLE. This is one of my personal values because we only have so much time and energy.  I like to reserve these things on what truly matters. And after spending years obsessing over my skin, I am done with seeking perfection.

When it comes to my skincare products, I look for these 3 properties:

1. Cleansing – Our skin is our largest organ and it needs to be cleaned regularly of dirt and dead skin. A good product will remove dirt and makeup without irritating or drying out the skin.
2. Hydrating – Our skin needs to be hydrated to be supple and clear. Hydration from both the inside and outside is key! This helps to move through toxins and keep the skin plump. This is one of the many reasons why I love the product line that I have found because it focuses on hydration! This has done wonders for my skin and makes the entire experience feel loving instead of an attack on my skin.
3. Nourishing – A good skincare line should have ingredients that are clean enough that you could eat! I do my best to avoid chemicals when I can and choose products with non-toxic ingredients. Everything that you put on our skin is directly absorbed into your body – so yes it does matter!

It took some trial and error, but I found simple clean skin care products that work for me and help my skin stay glowing. These are my favorite skin care products and tools that I use on a regular basis!

1. Gentle Daily Cleanser – Everyone needs a simple cleanser. I use the Gentle Skin Cleanser from Sense skincare line.  I never worry about it hurting my eyes or drying out my skin. It just simply removes the impurities and a little goes a long way! I also love that this Sense skincare line has a patented Self-Preserving Technology so their is no need for chemical preservatives! yay!
2. Norwex Makeup Remover Cloth – I like to wear the most makeup on my eyes and with that comes a big mess to taking it all off. I love the Norwex makeup remover because it is SO gentle and all my eye make-up quickly wipes off.  And it is re-usable which makes it is extremely cost efficient instead of make-up wipes!
3. Hydrating Toner Sense – This toner helps to hydrate and soothe the skin and is so  gentle it can be used as an eye make-up remover.  I love how my skin feels after the toner and it keeps my skin clear because it balances my skin’s pH. 
4. Daily Protection Moisturizer/Night Renewal Creme – I used to hate moisturizers but now they are THE key for my skin and avoiding breakouts. I had very oily skin growing up so I spent most of my time focusing on drying my skin out with excessive masks and toners.  These do have their place but not to the rate that I used them. They would shrink up my pores, but all the drying without any hydration would lead to even more breakouts. It was a constant cycle. Now I notice that if I skip my night renewal crème or if I leave on a drying face mask on all night, I typically end up breaking out because my skin was not properly hydrated. 
   
   Additional Favorite Products: These products I don’t necessarily use daily, but typically on a weekly or monthly basis!
5. Nutritious Crème Mask – See a pattern here? Hydration!! I love this mask because it puts in more hydration instead of drying my skin out! It is very soothing and non- irritating. I absolutely LOVE this mask!
6. Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner – Okay, so sometimes I like to do a quick cleanse with this toner. It IS more drying, but it nice if my skin is a bit rough and it needs some extra deep pore cleansing.  Some days my skin gets a bit extra oily and this helps to take off any excess oils, BUT I always follow up with the hydrating toner to make sure I am putting hydration back on my skin.
7. Clairsonic with Deep Pore Cleansing Brush – I also LOVE my Clairsonic. I have the deep pore cleanser brush and this keeps my skin smooth and exfoliated. I love how simple it is to use and it gives great results! I like to use this right away after a quick rinse of my makeup, but you can use to take off all your make-up as well.  I don’t use this every day, but just a couple times a week. *Note*If you are just starting to use it, it can make your skin break out, but that never happens to me now that my skin is used to it.
8. Merle Norman Clarifying Clay Mask– This I use if I have a big painful cyst.  This mask is very drying and I don’t use it all the time, but it closes my pores and makes my skin feel tight and clean! It also shrinks my cysts pretty rapidly.  I always make sure to hydrate with a soothing oil afterwards though to help my skin to heal faster.*New Finds* – Beauty Counter Charcoal Bar – I recently got started with Beauty Counter which I am SO pumped about! This company is all about *safer* beauty products.  I got started with their Charcoal bar and I love it!  I am not used to the whole idea of using a bar and exactly how I want to keep it in my bathroom. But I suppose I just need a bar holder and that solves that problem. I didn’t add this to the list yet because I haven’t been using long enough, but I am regularly using as of this week so I will keep you updated!! (PS. does anyone have a good bar holder suggestion?? Something that looks nice and is easy to clean. )

Soothing Face Oil by Beauty Counter – This is also a new find and I am just starting to use regularly.  I love that the oil is very easy to apply to the skin! It hydrates my skin and doesn’t make my breakout.  I have had some oils like Argan oil not work well with skin at all, but this one was perfect for my skin! Yay!

These are the skin care products that I use to help keep my skin glowing and smooth! It is simple nourishing because that is what I found works best for me!  I would love to know what your favorite products are for keeping your skin nourished especially in the dry winters!  Post a comment below and if you want to share the love, I would *love* and *appreciate* if you could PIN this post to your Pinboards. (pin-able images is below)

xx