A friend asked about my skincare routine, so I thought I’d share with all of you too. This is an update to my first skincare post in 2019. Some of the products remain the same, but I like to try new things so there’s some additions here.
A caveat: I am not a skincare expert. I honestly feel a little sheepish blogging about skincare since I don’t know enough about it. So these are just my preferences and observations as an interested-but-not-totally-informed consumer.
Some relevant facts about my skin for review purposes: I have combination skin. The area around my nose tends to get quite oily. I’ve had a history of blackheads and bad acne, particularly as a teenager and young adult. I even took Accutane when I was in college.
So here’s my current routine and whether or not I think these items work (at least for me).
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My Morning Skincare Routine
1. CosRx Low PH Good Morning Gel Cleanser – I started using this a few years ago and still do. The idea is that a low PH cleanser mimics your skin’s natural PH. Acne is more likely to happen when your skin is too acidic. I appreciate that the fragrance is light. BTW, I let my face air dry after I wash it. I don’t dry with a towel. I think this has helped reduce breakouts.
Cruelty-free: Yes
2. CosRx Blackhead Power Liquid – This is supposed to reduce blackheads. I’ve had this bottle for a year and even though I use it most days, I’ve only gone through a quarter of it. At this rate, the bottle will last for years! Does it work? I honestly don’t know. Can’t say that I’ve seen a difference. BTW, this bottle squirts quite aggressively. I’ve squirted anti-blackhead liquid onto my walls. Don’t know if it’s just my bottle or other ones, but cup your hand around it when pumping.
Cruelty-free: Yes
3. The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20 in Vitamin F – I’m on a quest to lighten my age spots and have tried different Vitamin C serums, though none of the really expensive ones like this Peter Roth one. Does this work? Hmmm, not sure. Prior, I tried The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2%, which is an extract from the bearberry plant. Though I felt like this didn’t do much for me, a friend says she noticed a difference for her spots.
Cruelty-free: Yes
4. Stratia Liquid Gold – This moisturizer is full of ceramides and oils to improve your skin barrier. I am happy to report that it works! I noticed a difference after I started using it. (My skin felt more irritable before). It has an earthy smell and a bright yellow color, which disappears as your skin absorbs it.
Cruelty-free: Yes
5. Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen – My final step is sunscreen, of course. This sunscreen has physical blockers. It goes on with a white cast at first, but that fades as it absorbs into your skin. (At least on my medium skin tone.) BTW, I’ve started putting sunscreen on my neck too. I don’t know if you saw that tweet about an elderly lady who had applied sunscreen her face but not her neck. The difference was stark! That got me putting sunscreen on my neck stat.
Cruelty-free: No
My Evening Skincare Routine
My winter evening skincare routine includes: toner, lactic acid, moisturizer mixed with facial oil, retinol (if not doing the acid), and a lip mask.
1. The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser or Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil – The first one is new to me, but the oil I’ve been using for years. They both take off makeup, just in different forms. The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser has a creamy texture. I guess it depends on what texture I feel like cleansing with that night. The oil leaves my face feeling softer. Sometimes I double cleanse just for fun. I’m aiming to switch to all cruelty-free products, though, and Sulwhasoo is not. So after I use up this bottle, I’ll try another brand.
Cruelty-free: The Ordinary (yes), Sulwhasoo (owned by AmorePacific): no
2. Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner – Toner is supposed to gently rebalance your PH and add some moisture back into your skin after cleansing. Out of the ones I’ve tried, this one is by far my favorite. I love the way it smells. If anything, this is like aroma therapy for me. But there’s also an unscented version.
Cruelty-free: yes
3. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA – On some nights, I use an acid. This is a chemical exfoliation to help skin turnover. I started using this after trying a sample of Sunday Riley’s Good Genes, which is pricey. The main ingredient in it is lactic acid, so I bought a $9 bottle from The Ordinary. If you’ve never used an acid before, you might want to start with something gentler such as mandelic acid. (Stratia makes one that’s $14. The Ordinary has one too.) I started with the lower percentage of the lactic acid (5%) initially and then worked my way up to the 10%. I feel like it does help my skin look better. It seems to help with breakouts too. If I stop using it, I’m more prone to breaking out.
Cruelty-free: yes
4. Stratia Liquid Gold – I use this as my nighttime moisturizer too.
5. Stratia Fortify Facial Oil – In the winter, I need extra hydration to deal with dry skin and intense radiators. This facial oil has a bunch of stuff in it, including camellia seed oil, which is supposed to be hydrating. I mix a few drops into my moisturizer.
Cruelty-free: yes
6. Stratia Night Shift – On the nights I don’t use lactic acid, I apply retinol after my moisturizer. Retinol is Vitamin A and supposed to be anti-aging, fighting those wrinkles and lines etc. Stratia says their 0.15% retinol in Night Shift is encapsulated in a lipid sphere, “which helps it penetrate deeply to stimulate collagen production.” Think of encapsulated retinol as a “time-release” retinol, which can be gentler on the skin. (More about retinols in this Bustle article here.) A pea-sized amount of this is all that I need to cover my face.
Cruelty-free: yes
Extras
Elensilia CPP Collagen 80 Timeless Eyecream – I randomly bought this while trying to meet the minimum for free shipping in an order. But does eye cream really work or is it a scam? In this Reel from Lia Yoo, founder of Krave Beauty, she says eye cream is structurally no different from facial cream and that collagen products don’t really work because it’s difficult to actually penetrate into the dermis layer. So, I’ll use this up since I already have it, but won’t be rebuying.
Cruelty-free: Not sure
Mario Badescu Brightening Mask with Vitamin C – Since June, I’ve been using this mask three times a week. Unclear if it’s actually brightening my face, but I enjoy the ritual of it.
Cruelty-free: Yes
Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask – A lip mask is another must for winter. I received a small pot of this in a Sephora birthday box. It has a sticky texture and does hydrate, but the taste is stronger than I’d like.
Cruelty-free: No (owed by AmorePacific)
Some Thoughts & A Referral Code
I feel like it’s hard to know if skincare works. Once in a while, it’s clear that a product does. But many times: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I have a few other products in the wings to try. I always seem to have a stash, haha. When I try a new item, I introduce just one at a time for a month. That being said, I do think that my skin looks better and clearer after I started a dedicated routine, so something must be working.
BTW, if you’re interested in Stratia, you can get $10 off your first order with my referral code.
I sometimes feel like I’m feeling my way through the dark when it comes to skincare. I suppose it’s easy to tell when something irritates my skin or breaks me out, but for any longterm change? It’s so hard for me to tell!
I feel the same. That’s why when something does work, I’m wowed