I don't really put that much thought or money into my skincare regime. Or at least I didn't think I did until I put everything together to take these photos... What is all this stuff.
Even just having a skincare routine is still pretty new to me. I've been putting on daily sunscreen on my face for years, but all the other stuff not so much. All my stuff is just a hodgepodge assortment, either from a subscription box, free samples, or just random buys.
PM ROUTINE
I'm going to start with my nighttime routine first because I take my showers at night and that is when I wash my face.Face wash: Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser
Body wash: Neutrogena Body Clear
Acne spot treatment: Jan Marini Bioclear
Eye cream: Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream
Moisturizer: Garnier Fructis Gel
Lip mask: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (Vanilla)
Face Wash:
I'm always looking for ones that have salicylic acid for acne. I think this one is doing the job, just not when I'm all hormonal during that time of the month. Dang chin acne! I asked my husband if he noticed a difference from this more expensive one vs the cheaper one I was buying and he said no.
Acne spot treatment:
I've been buying Jan Marini ever since I moved back into my parents in my early twenties and my sister-in-law had bought my younger brother some skincare items for his acne. I saw these products in the bathroom, hardly touched so I started using them :) And this is where I learned the secret weapon for acne treatment: salicylic acid!
Eye cream:
This is a sample I received, and it's my first eye cream so I don't have anything to compare it to. I do my best to "pat" in on instead of smear/blend like it instructs, but I can be impatient.
When I use the product I do feel like my eyes feel different in two ways. Physically, it feels softer. And just throughout the day when I blink and pull the muscle up/crinkle my eyes, I can feel an ever so slight tightness from the product. Now is that because it's actually working or just the fact that the product is on my face and acting like glue who knows. Maybe it works to prevent fine lines by limiting your skin from moving? It is a cruelty-free brand, so I think I will buy the larger size once I finish this bottle. If I continue to like it. The only thing I don't like and could be because I don't tap it on always is if I rub my eyes (I know, I shouldn't be doing that anyway) the product can ball up off my skin.
Moisturizer:
I've been buying this gel one for a while, I like how it applies and is very cooling in the summer. I may have bought this in bulk on Amazon one time... I need to reorganize my linen/extra product closet and take count as to what I have.
Lip Mask:
My lips always get hella chapped. Plus my house is an ICEBOX and sometimes my husband has the fan on at night which I feel has a super drying effect. My husband will sometimes wake up with split and bleeding lips, but he just hasn't gotten into the routine of putting stuff on his lips before going to sleep. I always do and my lips thank me. I actually have like four different ones, but this is the one I'm using right now.
AM ROUTINE
Toner: Juara Tamarind Tea Hydrating TonerEye Cream: Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream
Moisturizer/Sunscreen: Aveeno Clear Complexion & Aveeno Sheer Daily Moisturizer
Lip balm: so many
Face Blotting Papers: DHC Blotting Paper
Honestly, the only thing I use consistently every day is the moisturizer. The toner and eye cream are a hit and miss with how much time I have. I spend too much time with kitty cuddles and wrangling this curly hair...
And I wish the clear complexion one had SPF in it so I didn't have to mix the two together.
My T-zone on my face gets really shiny midday so I try to use blotting papers instead of post-it notes, lols.
OTHER
Face peel: Goldfaden MD Fresh A Peel
Face mask: Juara Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Mask
Face mask: DHC Mineral Mask
Eye mask: Shangpree Gold Black Pearl Eye Mask
Every other shower, I use a face peel which I got in a beauty subscription box forever ago. It might even be expired by now. Whoops. I should check that. It says to use it three times a week, and I looked online to see how people manage that type of schedule, and someone was like, hello, it just means every other day. But I tend to just do Sun/Wed/Fri, easier to remember. My skin has been feeling super soft! So once this runs out, I will be looking for either the exact product or a vegan/cruelty-free brand (oh hello, I just looked it up, this one is CRUELTY-FREE!).
These ones I don't have a set time or day I use them, just whenever I feel like it:
Undereye mask: I usually use these in the summer for a nice cooling effect.
Tumeric Mask: I really like the turmeric mask. It smells amazing and gives a lovely tingle so it makes it feel like it's "working" but also I just like that sensation, it's very relaxing.
Mineral Mask: mostly I just like to make wrinkly witch faces in the mirror once it dries (the color is green). Probably not the point of the mask...
So after all of this, have I noticed a difference?
Well, yes and no.When I physically touch my face, it does FEEL softer and better moisturized. And the bit of skin under my bottom lip use to always feel bumpy when I would pull my lip in, if that makes sense? Like the pores were really clogged. But now that area also feels much smoother which I believe is from using the face peel.
But visually? I do seem to have less acne, but is that because my face is FINALLY realizing I'm not a teenager or is it the face wash? Or the AM moisturizer? Or the face peel? Or all of it? I HAVE NO IDEA.
I honestly see no difference for other issues. I still have fine lines and blotchy skin and dark circles under my eyes. To be fair, I don't always follow this routine to a T so there's that as well.
I didn't purposely take photos for this post, so here are some random selfies to try to show what my skin looks like in real life (I take more selfies than I ever post, mostly because I'm making funny faces in half of them):
