My Current Skin Care Routine
Trying out new skincare products is one of my favorite things to do! Searching for new skin care products is one of my least favorite things to do... I like to say that I have very complicated skin and my skin care journey hasn’t been anything but frustrating (If you haven’t read my post on “My Skin Care Journey” check it out). My skin type is extremely sensitive and very dry due to my rosacea, and rosacea affects people differently meaning that they have different triggers and symptoms. That being said, I feel as thought I have done everything that I could possibly afford at the moment to find a skin care routine that alleviates some of my rosacea symptoms and makes me feel confident in how I look. While I am still not 100% happy with how I look and the products I use, I have currently settled on a skin care routine that I can afford and at least reduces the redness, dryness, and itching.
Let’s talk about my routine and go in depth with the products I use!
This might get a little complicated because I change parts of my routine on a day to day basis depending on how my skin looks/feels, whether I wore makeup that day or not, and whether I’m too tired to do a full routine to take my makeup off or if I want to just go to bed. Try to follow along!
Option One: Full Routine
On a full routine day, I have applied makeup, been wearing it all day, and I’m ready to take it off. I don’t know about you, but I know that when I wash my face in the sink, I end up coming out of the bathroom looking like I jumped in the tub so I start my face washing routine in the shower (that way I have a reason to come out of the bathroom soaked and not get crazy looks from my family wondering what the heck I’ve been doing in there). Because my skin is so complicated, I do what’s called a “double cleanse” where I remove my makeup with Neutrogena Hydroboost Hydrating Cleansing Gel and then wash my face again with Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser. The 1st wash removes most if not all of my makeup and it’s a “foaming” product which I find dries out my skin more than cream products. I apply the Hydrating Cleansing Gel to a little silicone exfoliator scrubby (because exfoliating brushes and other products are way too harsh on sensitive skin like mine), and start scrubbing my face. I rinse off with warm water (not hot because that’s heat is one of my rosacea triggers) and then use my fingers to apply the Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanse and rinse with cold water. The Ultra Gentle cleanser is a cream product so it adds a little hydration back into my skin after using the foaming cleansers.
Option Two: No Makeup Day and Skin Looks Good!
Even on a no makeup day, my face washing routine starts in the shower. Since I didn’t apply makeup, I don’t have to start off with a harsh makeup removing cleanser so I do my first cleanse with the Aveeno Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser. I apply this with my fingers, rinse with warm water, and use the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser as my second cleanse just like in my full routine.
Option Three: No Make Day and Girl, your skin needs some work!
On days like this, I don’t do my traditional double cleanse. (Say whaaa?!) I haven’t worn any makeup and my skin is looking a hot mess. I know I said that exfoliators are too harsh blah blah blah… BUT days like this don’t come around often (anymore…) so I use the Aveeno Positively Radiant 60-Second In-Shower Facial Cleanser . I’m a rule follower, for the majority of the time, and the product says “in shower” on it so who am I to say “Nah..I’m gonna use this outside of the shower and risk getting my socks wet at the sink” ? So I do just as the bottle says and use it in the shower and leave it on for 60 seconds (or more depending on how long it takes to shave my legs). The main reason Iove this cleanser is because it uses soy and lemon extracts to exfoliate and it makes my skin feel baby booty soft.
Option Four: Makeup Day-but the effort is too much to do a full routine before bed
When it is too late to take a shower and I’m too tired to deal with wet socks at the sink so these are the days where I opt for the makeup removers. There are 3 that I use depending on the levels of laziness, exhaustion, and how much makeup was worn that day.
Level 1: medium amount of eye makeup and low exhaustion: At this level, I use the L'Oreal Micellar Cleansing Water for normal to dry skin. I absolutely detest cotton pads because they pill and leave fuzzies on my face and they create unnecessary waste so I like to pour a little of the micellar water onto an Always Off Makeup Cloth and wipe the makeup off my face. These cloths are the my favorite and the softest microfiber cloths I’ve ever used on my face (highly recommend).
Level 2: lots of eye makeup and medium exhaustionNeutrogena Hydrating Eye Makeup Remover Lotion . I put however much I think I’m going to need for my eyes on my fingertips and rub it into my eyes to breakup all of that makeup. I use the makeup cloth to wipe everything off and then repeat the process for the rest of my face. I like to make sure I get all of the eye makeup off my face first before using the lotion on the rest of my face because I don’t want to look like a monster with eyeliner and mascara rubbed all over my face if I were to do my entire face at the same time.
Level 3: medium to lots of eye makeup and high exhaustion: At this level, I go for the Garnier Skin Active Micellar Makeup Towelettes. This is not the product I’d prefer to use for makeup wipes but there were on sale and I wanted to give them a try but I prefer the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Makeup Removing Wipes. Makeup wipes get a good amount of makeup off but they dry my skin out so I tend to not use them too often.
After I have chosen and followed through with one of the options above, I PAT, not rub, my face with a towel and then apply my current favorite moisturizer which is the Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel Cream for extra dry skin. It HAS to be the one for extra dry skin because not only does that describe my skin type perfectly but
the regular Hydroboost Gel Cream is fragranced which is a no-no for sensitive skin. If you take my recommendation and want to get this product, be extremely careful picking it up at the store because the 2 tubs look EXACTLY the same except for the tiny little print on the one I use that says “extra dry skin.” I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to get more and came home with the wrong tub because I wasn’t paying attention. This moisturizer is my absolute favorite so far because its super hydrating, the gel-like texture is really satisfying and cooling, and one little tub of this lasts me approximately 3 months. My only gripe with it is that it is in a tub and not a bottle so you are sticking your fingers in it which makes it less sanitary which could end up leading to more skin problems but I can overlook this issue because of how well it works for me.
Phew! Now that you’ve read my skin routine novel, I hope it wasn’t too confusing or complicated to follow and I hope that it might be helpful to those of you experiencing the same skin issues that I do. I do expect this routine to change once I have ran out of some of these products and when I try new stuff so I will keep you updated! What is your skin-type and what is your favorite skin care product to use?
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