Let's Be Honest: This Is Christina's Kinda Skincare Routine

So, let me start off by saying that while I love skincare more than anything, I am abso-freaking-lutly horribly at maintaining a routine. I don’t have a morning or night kind of deal and I definitely don’t do it daily. Shame on me, I know, shame on me. What I will say is, I listen to what my skin is saying and modify what I typically do based on how my face feels that day. I sound crazy, I know.

First, I typically do a majority of my skincare routine late afternoon or early evening. I work a pretty physically demanding job, so I much rather sweat everything out at work and then wash it off when I get home. Second, I have very dry skin. I mean, the thickest of creams don’t quench my skin’s thirst or dryness. Besides using thick creams and drinking gallons of water, I don’t quite know what to do. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. And lastly, third, I have acne when I don’t exfoliate enough. From my experience, all of my dead dry skin tends to clog my pores. I hate it, but it is easily solved if I somewhat stick to my routine.

Here is my final little ramble before I begin, I try really hard to find cruelty-free products. Most of the products I use are cruelty-free and any products that I do use that are not, I am trying to find great alternatives for them so I can phase them out. Please, once again, let me know if you have any alternatives that are cruelty-free for me to try out. Now that I have rambled on for decades in this blog post, let me walk you through my process.

My typical (simple) skincare routine:

1. I always cleanse first. I know it’s not advised to cleanse in the shower, but whatever, I do. It tends to be the first thing that I do and I make sure that the water isn’t melt your skin hot. My favorite cleanser is Neutrogena® Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser. It’s ahhhhmazing. It clears everything off my face and keeps it feeling so smooth and moisturized.
   

   
2. Then I use Lush Angels on Bare Skin to exfoliate. I love lavender and that was one of my main reasons for buying it. It’s got the nice gritty texture that I look for in exfoliators thanks to the ground almonds. Even my boyfriend uses this stuff like it’s the best thing on the earth.
3. After my shower is completed, I go in with my toner. Lush Breath of Fresh Air is the best toner I have ever used. It tightens my skin without making it feel too tight or dry. After spritzing (probably a little too much) on my face, I walk around and let it air dry. Not only do I love the way it feels, I adore the smell of it. Nothing smells better than the combination of seawater and aloe vera to me. Nothing.
4. This is where I start to mix things up a bit depending on how I am feeling that day. Usually without fail, I use Ole Henriksen Truth Serum® Vitamin C Anti-Aging Collagen Booster. I am 23 and so I probably don’t really need anti-aging serums, but I love the way this serum puts a lot of moisture back into my skin. I think it makes it feel supple, soft and not nearly as dry as normal. This is by far the most expensive thing that I own when it comes to skin care, but it really is worth every penny.
   

   
5. Lastly, if I don’t use the serum or in addition to the serum, I use Pond’s Dry Skin Cream. I absolutely love this stuff. I put on a light layer if it is early in the day, but at night I cake this on like frosting on a cupcake. It makes my skin feel so smooth and as hydrated as possible. I’ve never had it clog my pores and it gets rid of really dry patches in less than three days. Despite this, I need to find a similar product that does not test on animals.

Now, I do have a few products that I want to give some shout outs to. I don’t use them as regular as the five products above, but I do use them enough to consider them important. There aren’t many, but let’s talk about the honorable mentions!

1. Anything by First Aid Beauty. I have loved everything that I’ve tried here and I can proudly vouch for them all. I love FAB products because they are effective, cruelty-free and they have products that suit my dry ass skin. They have products that work on very specific skin types and if you can’t find something you need, I would do some research on FAB. *I need to try their creams so I can start using one instead of my Pond’s cream.*
2. Witch Hazel of any brand. I love using Witch Hazel when my skin is really freaking out for some reason. It seems to clear up most of my spots within a few days. The only downside is that I cannot stand the smell. I just tell myself the benefits are worth the scent.
   
   

Well, that’s it my friends. This is my pretty simple routine. I do it once a day, if at all. I try to stay in that order but sometimes I’m lazy and will do two out of the five steps. Hey, we are all human and I refuse to get upset about it. I will say, exfoliating is my favorite thing to do in this routine. Let me know what your favorite step is in your skincare routine below!

- Christina

*Disclaimer: We are not professional skincare consultants. We highly encourage that you do your own research or consult a skincare professional if you have any specific questions about a product. We also do not make any money off these links / these are not affiliate links. We are making it easier for you, as the reader, to find the products we use. We just want to keep it 100% real with you.