Morning! Rise and shine! Or if you’re reading this at any other time, rise and shine anyway :)
I’ve had a request from reader Shay most recently in the comments, and from an uncountable number of emails, to share my skincare routine. I’ve been meaning to do a post about it for the longest time, so no better time than the present. Really!
Note: (1) Products I use will change from time to time. What does not change however, is the routine and sequence of products used. (2) I am on a hydrating and anti-aging skincare regime (3) This isn’t gospel and is liable to change often :)
Here’s my daily skincare routine and the products I’m currently using. Remember, you can click through to read my reviews if there are any :)
Morning – Rise and Shine!
- Wash with cleanser du jour – presently Vichy Essentialles facial cleanser * (but I’m getting bored) or Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Oil
- Pat on a lotion – presently Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil Free toner or L’Occitane Angelica face toner
- Apply a hydrating serum – presently Vichy Aqualia Thermal Forfitying and Soothing Concentrate serum* or Estee Lauder Hydrationist serum*
- Top up with Moisturiser – presently Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil Free Gel Cream* or L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream
- Finish off with Sunscreen – presently Hada Labo UV Moist Emulsion* or Cream or Clarins HP Plus sunscreen*
- Eye cream (when I remember) – presently Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Illuminator Eye cream
Evening – Time for bed!
- Remove makeup with a cleansing Oil – presently Hada Labo Olive Cleansing Oil or Dermalogica Precleanse*
- Wash with a facial wash – presently Vichy Normaderm Purifying Facial Wash*
- OR Use Clarisonic Mia with a facial wash – presently Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil Free cleanser* or Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid facial wash*
- Pat on a lotion – same as morning
- Apply an anti-aging serum – presently Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus (I can’t find my Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate) or Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair*
- Apply eye cream if I remember – presently Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum*
- Apply moisturizer – presently Tony Moly Intensive Snail Cream or Guerlain Abeille Royale cream
At various times during the week I also use the following :-
- Moisturizing mask – any sheet mask I have on hand
- Purifying mask – Aesop Primrose Cleansing Mask* or Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Clay Mask*
- Sleeping Pack – Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX*
- Face scrub – Kiehl’s Ultimate White Exfoliating scrub* or Strivectin-SD Instant Retexturizing Scrub*
Whew! It does look like a lot doesn’t it? But in the main, I only have about 5 steps in the day and night routines. On days when I do a mask or scrub, that is an extra step. It might seem like a lot, but I also don’t take very long doing my skincare routine. Its all quite quick to slap on as I go :)
And there you have it. What I do and use everyday. Some products are in the testing stage and so have no reviews. Products marked with an asterisk (*) have been in my routine for over 2 months.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this :) Its also made me think about which products need to be showcased, and soon! :D
Enjoy the weekend!
Paris B
I find it hilarious that the eye cream section has the extension “if I remember” LOL! Eye cream is the FIRST thing I apply right after I wash my face.
Thanks for sharing!
Yeah I’m really really lax about eye cream. Bad habit!
That seems a LOT…Well, compared to my spartan routine ^_~
What a coincidence. I’m running low on the Biore Cleansing Oil,
and was torn betweeen DHC and Hada Labo Olive Cleansing Oil.
How do you find the Hada Labo Olive Cleansing Oil?
I finally went with the DHC though since most people say it’s fantabulous – better than Shu!?!?
Hi Sue Lynn, hope you don’t mind me interrupting. Why not try the H20+ Face Oasis Cleansing Water? It’s like a cleansing oil but without the oil. I love it a lot coz doesn’t dry out the skin and don’t break me out. Here’s the link and you may check out the ingredients list…
http://www.h2oplus.com.my/previewproduct.php?id=10 [malaysian website]
http://www.h2oplus.com/product/face+oasis+cleansing+water.do?sortby=bestSellers [US website. More detailed ingredients list]
I’d be interested in reading about the Hada Labo Olive Cleansing Oil too! :-)
LOL looks like a lot right? Boils down to 5 steps at the end of the day ;) The Hada Labo Olive Cleansing Oil is ok. It cleans well, and doesn’t feel drying but I think prolonged use causes mild breakouts. A couple of olive oil based products have done that to me, so I’m guessing its that. I can’t use DHC. Breaks me out BIG TIME!
Your routine is largely same as mine! Morning=>hydration. Night =>anti aging. I have some anti blemish and anti pigmentation items thrown in as well.
How is the khiel’s oil free range? Especially the oil free cleanser with the clarisonic…
I like the Oil Free Gel Cream, that I can say. I’m really going through it very quickly because I also double it up as a mask most nights. As for the cleanser, I find that using it with the clarisonic leaves my face feeling super clean. On its own, its less so but it doesn’t dry out. So all in all, I’m quite happy with it.
Does it foam up?
Yes it does
This feels like you’re reading my mind! I was just about to start drafting out a similar post myself..because I find it’s good to keep track of what I use…so I can refer to it years down the line! LOL
What does the asterisk indicate by the way? And oh, what do you mean you cannot find your MRC?!!!
I think I defined it below – it denotes products I’ve been using for over 2 months :) I can’t find my MRC coz I can’t remember which toiletry case its in! :( Maybe I put it into a different travel bag. I’ll have to go look. My skin needs it :P I found when I was writing this, that it actually looks like I’m using a heck of a lot of stuff but when I put it on daily, I don’t even notice. Tells you a lot huh? :)
I see a Hada Labo product as a routine in almost all categories! I just bought the Nano + Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion and am still seeing what it’s gonna do. I’m interested in the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair too!
If you use Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum at night, then which eye cream do you use in the day?
Now that you mention it, how unusual for Hada Labo to make an appearance everywhere LOL! I’m presently using the Estee Lauder Cooling Eye Illuminator in the day. Its an eye cream too. Otherwise, I don’t use anything :P
Wow!! Mine is the same morning and night. Cleanse tone moisturize. I’ll do scrubs 3 times a week and a clay mask every Sunday, heh heh heh
I used to use the same stuff day and night too. But when I switched to an anti-aging regime which I prefer to use in the night, I had to split things up. As for the cleansers, its unintentional. I’m just too lazy to move my cleansers from the shower to the sink everyday :P
Wow… your routine certainly is a lot more than mine… which at present is so spartan you would think I’d never heard of skincare before. :P But seeing as how my skin is nicely recovering, in the next few weeks I should be able to start adding stuff to my routine! Yay! :D
Hey, if a spartan regime works and is helping your skin, maybe best to keep it that way. :) Hopefully it only gets better!
Mine is the same, except that I don’t apply any serum, day or night. I think it’s time for me to rethink about it.
I find using a serum is useful for boosting the efficacy of the regime. So a hydrating serum will help with skin hydration better than just a moisturizer and ditto for other concerns, especially for whitening, because its more concentrated in ingredients :)
Oh Paris, can u pleeeeaaaassseee review on Guerlain Abeille Royale cream???
I went to the counter and it smells YUMMY but the price tag was too high for me to give it a go… It’s reviews are very limmited too.
Please please review on it please~!!!
Have a great weekend!
I’ll do that for sure Gin! :) I’d meant to write about it for a while but it kept slipping my mind. The price tag is very prohibitive but I find it helps my skin feel really soft. Look out for it soon! :D
So you use your Clarisonic every other day? Or much less? I’m looking to get one next week, should the planets align and stuff :)
I actually use the Clarisonic every evening but I will have some thoughts about that soon. The Vichy cleanser is used now because I’m finishing it up :)
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing, it always interesting to read what other people use. Right now most of the products I use are from Elemis.
I love Elemis products! But they are super pricey here. My skin loves the Pro Collagen cream :D
This is so interesting, I love reading about other’s skincare routine (Weird, I know) XD Though it kind of feels a bit like snooping in other’s bathroom/medicine closet to find out what they use :P
I think it’s getting pretty standard now- using around 5 or so products each time. I use about 6 (Cleanser, eye cream, toner, serum, moisturiser, sunscreen in the morning; Cleansing oil, cleanser, eye cream, toner, serum, moisturiser in the evening) and scrubs/masks are an extra step or 2 in the evenings too haha :D
I love snooping in other people’s stashes too! :D I think 5 is pretty normal LOL I think if I were using an Asian skincare line I’d probably end up with 10 each time. They are so complicated :P
I think your 5 steps routine is pretty normal. Mine is kept at 5 too. I’ve seen fuzkittie ( blogger based in US ) putting 10-13 on her face! *faint*That, to me, is a lot.
I read that ladies in Korea and Japan do use up to 9 products minimum each time. I can’t imagine the time it takes to put it all on :D 5 is just about manageable
Hiya!
Just wondering : Do you put the night care regime after your evening cleansing or just before bedtime?
For me, I nornally apply everything after cleansing and nothing before bedtime. Is that right?
cheers,
I do my night routine after my evening shower which could be hours before bed :) Can’t wait too long between cleansing and moisturizing or I’d be a prune :P
How’s your skincare routine going? I’m looking forward to read your reviews on the L’Occitane Angelica ones and Guerlain cream :)
Hi Coraline, thank you for the reminder. I do have to post about the Angelica skincare soon eeps! I stopped this routine for a while, because of breakouts, but I’m going back and these 2 products are working well. I’ll get onto reviewing them soon, promise!
oh I’m so excited to know that :) by the way, since I read about your recent breakouts, do you think it caused by layering many products from different brands day and night? For me the acne treatments from Neutrogena which have 2% salicylic acid did wonder. For prevention, you can add acne treatments (cleanser/toner/serum) in you everyday skincare routine before layering other products.
I think my breakouts were related to the Clarisonic (which will have its own thesis soon) LOL! I’ve gotten things under control and am back to this regime and so far, so good :D
I love skin care but somehow believe less is more. Maybe I should worry more about anti aging but I find women start doing it too soon and actually make their skin dependant on it. My rioutine is 3-4 steps. Cleanse, tone, moisturizer with sunscreen in the morning & in the evening will use a regular moisturizer & very rarely the eye cream. I believe eye creams are something I should be paying more attention to as crwsfeet are rather quick to develop.
It is funny that I do alll those steps for my skin too but I too forget to put on my eye cream mostly! :) I am sorry I am having the hardest time to understand your skin type Paris, what is it? The reason I asked is that I really wonder about Angelica series of L’Occitane, but people keep saying that it is not for my skin type (combination-oily) but I tried one of its serum or lotion I don’t know it was with spf40, and even with that high amount of spf it wasn’t oily and it made my skin feel very good! Do you have any idea, in the long run can it have a bad effect on my skin?
please share your current skincare routine. thanks