I shared my skincare routine back in the fall here, but now that the weather is warming up, I’ve switched out my heavier oils and creams for lightweight options. Like I’ve said before, I strongly believe in maintaining a consistent skincare routine to achieve healthy, balanced skin – introducing too many new products to your routine at once or using random products whenever you feel like it is a good way to upset your skin. Following a consistent routine allows me to achieve my skin goals – help keep my skin clear, lighten dark spots and hyperpigmentation, maintain a healthy skin barrier, and achieve dewy, glowing skin without makeup.

Skin Type: Combination
Skin Concerns: Hormonal Acne, Hyperpigmentation, Dehydration
Climate: Desert/Dry

MORNING ROUTINE

Cleanse: Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner or Bioderma Sensibio H2O on a cotton round
Tone: Cocokind Rosewater Facial Toner
Essence: Cocokind Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar
Vitamin C Serum: Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum or Maelove Glow Maker
Hydrating Serum: Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
Facial Oil: Winged CBD Radiance Facial Oil or Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil
Eye Cream: Farmacy Cheer Up Brightening Vitamin C Eye Cream
Massage Tool: Herbivore Rose Quartz Gua Sha
Moisturizer: Krave Beauty Oat So Simple Water Cream or Farmacy Daily Greens Gel Moisturizer
Sunscreen: Supergoop Glowscreen Sunscreen or Farmacy Green Defense

I’ve moved away from using a traditional cleanser in the morning. Instead, I like to wipe my face with a hydrating toner – right now I’m using the Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner. I stopped using a traditional cleanser after I read from a few people that doing the same reduced redness and dryness throughout the day – I haven’t noticed much of a difference, but I’ve kept it up! Using a micellar water is also a good option – I like the Bioderma Sensibio H2O. After cleansing, I follow up with a rose water mist. I started using the Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Mist as a toner a couple years ago, and I’ve been using rose water mists as a toner ever since – it’s hydrating, soothing and super simple. I think the Herbivore is too pricey for what it is, so I’ve been using the Cocokind Rosewater Facial Toner that they kindly sent over. It slightly smells like vinegar, but it doesn’t bother me. I follow up with the Cocokind Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar to boost hydration and add a bit of glow to my skin. My morning routine always, always, always consists of a vitamin C serum – my holy grail is the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum. I mix one pump of C-Firma with one pump of the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum, which is one of my favorite lightweight hydrating serums. C-Firma is sticky and absorbs very quickly, so I have to mix it with B-Hydra (or another hydrating serum) so it applies more evenly. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly vitamin C option, I also really like the Maelove Glow Maker – it has a watery consistency, and unlike C-Firma, doesn’t need to be mixed in with another product. After my serum cocktail absorbs, I follow up with a lightweight facial oil. Facial oils are probably my favorite part of my routine – mainly for extra hydration, but depending on which oil you choose, there are *so* many benefits. Right now I’m using the Winged CBD Radiance Facial Oil – it’s a blend of some of my favorite hydrating oils and 150mg of CBD, which is anti-inflammatory and helps reduce redness throughout the day. I also really love the Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil. Seriously leaves your skin glowing. I apply a hydrating eye cream – my favorite right now is the Farmacy Cheer Up Brightening Vitamin C Eye Cream – and massage my face with a gua sha. I use the Herbivore Rose Quartz Gua Sha to massage my jaw (I grind my teeth at night, so this helps to relieve tension) and massage the rest of my face to promote circulation and reduce puffiness. My favorite moisturizer lately has been the Krave Beauty Oat So Simple Water Cream – because it’s a water cream, it has an incredibly lightweight texture, but it’s perfect for my combination skin. It plays well with the rest of my products *and* it’s super affordable! I also recently received the Farmacy Daily Greens Gel Moisturizer and really like it! It’s a bit thicker than Oat So Simple, but still very lightweight and great for combination skin. I tend to opt for water or gel creams during the warmer months because Vegas is HOT and wearing anything heavier will make me gross and sweaty. Last but not least, sunscreen! You should be using SPF every. Single. Day. Even if you are inside and don’t plan on going outside! If you don’t agree, don’t @ me because I’ll be sitting here, protecting my skin, and preserving my youth all while minding my own damn business, but you can read this article on USC School of Medicine on why you should wear sunscreen inside. Anyway, my current favorite is the Supergoop Glowscreen Sunscreen. It’s a clean-chemical sunscreen that has SPF 40 and a pink pearlescent tint that leaves a glowy finish. It doubles as a primer and wears well under makeup! Another favorite is the Farmacy Green Defense, which is a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t leave a white cast.

NIGHT ROUTINE

Pre-Cleanse: Bioderma Sensibio H2O on a cotton round to remove eye makeup
First Cleanse: Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm
Second Cleanse: HoliFrog Superior Omega Nutritive Gel Wash
Tone: Cocokind Rosewater Facial Toner
Essence: Cocokind Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar
Exfoliating Serum: Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Resurfacing Night Serum
Hydrating Serum: Caudalie Vinosource SOS Deep Hydration Serum
Facial Oil: Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Antioxidant Face Oil or Cocokind Chia Facial Oil
Eye Cream: Farmacy Cheer Up Brightening Vitamin C Eye Cream
Moisturizer: Caudalie Vinosource SOS Intense Hydration Moisturizer or Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream
Lip Mask: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

If I’m wearing eye makeup, I’ll saturate a reusable cotton round with the Bioderma Sensibio H2O micellar water to gently remove my mascara. This step has been crucial for me, since I used to remove my mascara by only going in with a cleansing balm and scrubbing the shit out of my lashes, which led to damage and fallout. Once I remove most of my mascara, I go in with the Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm to help break down the rest of my makeup and SPF. Allow me to briefly go on a double cleansing tangent – I strongly believe that double cleansing is *crucial* to achieving clear skin! If you’re only using one water-based cleanser, you’re probably noticing leftover makeup on your cotton round when you wipe your face down with a toner. A water-based cleanser is NOT enough to remove all your makeup, SPF, dirt, and general shit throughout the day – if it is, you’re most likely using a cleanser that’s too harsh for your skin, which could compromise your skin barrier (if it isn’t compromised already). An oil cleanser/cleansing balm will always be part of my nighttime routine, and even though I’m affiliated with Farmacy, I will always shell out full price for their cleansing balm if I need to (and I have, multiple times). Once I started double cleansing, my skin cleared up tremendously! Back to my routine – after rinsing off my cleansing balm, I follow up with a gentle, water-based cleanser to further cleanse away impurities. Right now I’m using the HoliFrog Superior Omega Nutritive Gel Wash. It’s really nice, I have no complaints, my boyfriend loves it also, but it’s $36 – more than I would personally pay for a water-based cleanser. I don’t remember the last time I bought a cleanser (I’m fortunate enough to have many to test!), but I would purchase the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser time and time again. After cleansing, I follow up with the same toner + essence combo from my morning routine (Cocokind Rosewater Facial Toner + Cocokind Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar). After patting in the essence, I follow up with an exfoliating serum. My current go-to is the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Resurfacing Night Serum. The texture of my skin dramatically changed when I introduced acids to it! Honeymoon Glow is inexpensive, but a very strong serum – I only use it 3x a week (M/W/F) so I don’t risk over-exfoliating my skin. My other favorite exfoliating serum, although pricier, is the Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment. She’s pricier, but she’s a bit more gentle if you have sensitive skin. Next, I’ll layer a hydrating serum on top in an effort to keep my skin hydrated and balanced after smothering it in acids. Big fan of the Caudalie Vinosource SOS Deep Hydration Serum lately. On days where I’m not using my exfoliating serum, I’ll apply the Caudalie serum immediately after applying my essence. For nighttime, I like to use a heavier facial oil – my go-to has always been the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Antioxidant Face Oil. My skin absolutely loves this oil; it’s incredibly hydrating, it feels luxurious, and that’s that. She’s pricey, so an amazing dupe I’ve tried is the Maelove Pure Marula Oil. If I had to choose which one I would buy, I’d pick the Maelove – it’s the same oil, it’s almost as thick as the Drunk Elephant oil, serves the exact same purpose, and it’s MUCH more affordable. I’m out of both of these oils (lol) so I’ve been using the Cocokind Chia Facial Oil – more lightweight than marula, but still very nourishing and absorbs quickly. I like a thick cream at night, so I’ve been swimming in the Caudalie Vinosource SOS Intense Hydration Moisturizer. I always accidentally apply too much, so I can sometimes feel the excess just sitting on my face, but I don’t mind and like to tell myself it’s like a moisturizer and occlusive sleeping mask in one. It’s already hot as shit here (in the low 90s at night), but I haven’t found the Caudalie to be too heavy for my skin… yet. When that time comes, I’m switching over to the Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream, which is probably my favorite moisturizer of all time (for morning and night). I finish off with the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in the OG berry flavor and I’m off to bed!

DISCOUNTS

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DISCLAIMER

Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you make a purchase through my link. Your support is always appreciated and allows me to spend more time on creating content and writing reviews! While some products mentioned were gifted to me by the brand, all thoughts/opinions are my own.

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