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Your face is the most-seen part of your body, right?
So when I say “wash your face”, there should be a lot more to it than just SOAP – WATER – RINSE. Think of it as “grooming of your face” or “keeping your face healthy”. Get ready to dive into my daily/weekly skincare routine, including all the products I use and recommend. This is what works for my face, but everyone’s skin is different – take what you want and work it into your schedule!
If you’re like me, most days involve making meals, cleaning up after said meals, hustling to and from grocery stores/practices/ gymnastics/ dance/ the gym/etc. – you know, the glorious life of a stay at home mom. I do not put on makeup on a daily basis. I do not shower (gasp) on a daily basis. But washing my face? I do it EVERY DANG DAY. Twice (ok so sometimes I just crash at night, but #momprobs and #lifegoals).
MORNING ROUTINE
First thing in the morning (read: after breakfasts are made, lunches are packed, kids are on the bus, and the coffee is drank), whether I take a shower or not, here is my routine:
PREP Using a micellar water (I love the Bidoerma Sensibio H20 Micellar water) and these cotton reusable facial pads, I gently swipe over my face and eyes to remove any lingering makeup. If I’ve washed my face properly the night before, there should not be any makeup coming off, but there may be other impurities picked up from the pillowcase. Either way, this step tells my face: “it’s time to wakeup”.
CLEANSE+MASSAGE In the morning, I wash my face with a cream cleanser, specifically the Milk Cleanser from Maskcara Beauty. It’s a lactic acid crème-based cleanser that gently removes bacteria without stripping the skin of the natural acid and lipid protective cover of the skin.
Starting with a dry face, in an upward and outward motion, being gentle around the eye area where the skin is more delicate, I massage the cleanser into my face. Yes, MASSAGE. That’s important. Facial massage not only wakes my skin up and helps drain any retained fluid, it also deep-cleans areas that are prone to collecting dirt, like around the nose, chin, forehead, etc. It also works to gently exfoliate the skin. When the cleanser starts to absorb and it is hard to massage, it is time to rinse.
RINSE To rinse, wet a clean, soft cloth and gently wipe away the cleanser in the same upward and outward motion used to massage. The microfiber cloths from Maskcara Beauty are extremely soft and durable wash after wash, but I will use baby washcloths too if that’s all I have clean.
TONE Unless my skin is being hormonal (i.e., extra oily), I use a toner after I cleanse, and I always use a couple sprays on a cotton pad and swipe across my face (instead of spraying directly). This helps to make sure the toner is evenly distributed and that I don’t use more than I need. Once that dries, it’s time to moisturize. Maskcara Beauty’s Milk Toner works really well with the cleanser (and moisturizer) and doesn’t over-dry my skin.
MOISTURIZE This step has become super streamlined since introducing the Milk Crème moisturizer from Maskcara Beauty into my life. I used to apply serums, under-eye creams and other moisturizers and now? JUST ONE PRODUCT. I gently dab one pump (depending on your dryness levels you may need two) of the moisturizer under my eyes, and then massage it into the rest of my face. The milk moisturizer has done wonders for my overall complexion, skin texture and fine lines and wrinkles. It leaves my skin radiant and healthy looking, and it is also a wonderful base for makeup application.
EVENING ROUTINE
In the evening, or before I go to bed, I like a deeper clean to remove makeup and the general grime of the day, which is why this differs from the morning routine.
PREP This step is more important during the evening routine (whether I wore makeup or not) as my face has collected pollution and grime throughout the day. If I wore makeup, I will start by using eye makeup remover and cotton pads to remove my eye makeup. Then, using the same process as above, I gently swipe cotton pads with micellar water over my face and eyes, being sure to repeat as much as necessary to get mostof the dirt off (i.e., the cotton pads are mostly clean after swiping).
CLEANSE+MASSAGE To cleanse at night, I use Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash. This cleanser is deep cleaning and still doesn’t over dry or strip my skin. I dampen my face and hands with warm water, work one pump of the cleanser into a lather in my hands, and then gently massage it into my skin. In addition to the benefits of massage I mentioned earlier, this is a great way to de-stress before bed.
RINSE I rinse with warm water at the sink or in the shower and pat dry.
WEEKLY
Part of keeping your face healthy is sloughing off the dulling dead skin cells. While daily facial massage will help to exfoliate, I also use an intensive exfoliating treatment one to two times per week (so basically, I do it every time I wash my hair). I love Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate – it’s is an exfoliator that deep cleans clogged pores and leaves my skin smoother and brighter, and also has antioxidant benefits. The price tag may seem a bit steep ($85 for 2 ounces), but it lasts for a long time. I’ve had mine for almost a year with twice-weekly use.
ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH
More recently, I’ve added at-home dermaplaning into my routine. Sounds a lot fancier than it is: shaving the peach fuzz off of my face. For details and a how-to video go here!
