My Nighttime Beauty Essentials
11:33 AM
Establishing a nighttime beauty routine is probably one of the most important things you'll do in your lifetime- dramatic?? As a warning to my sister and I, my mom always told us to start the anti-aging process as soon as possible. This is something I didn't take very seriously until I started to notice lines under my eyes. This quickly became an insecurity of mine and was simultaneously the start to discovering my nighttime beauty routine.
The products I use came from a year of testing out and trying different products. The products that I use right now are seriously a gold mine. This is probably about to sound like an add or some crazy product pushing statement but these products have seriously transformed my skin from dry and acne-prone to smooth and supple. Seriously? Yes.
Last Fall, I experienced something I have never experience in my life: hormonal cystic and scarring acne. It was so bad. Beyond bad. I couldn't leave my house without caking on makeup and coverup. It created such a negative cycle because I never let my skin breath but, I couldn't let the acne show. I felt so ugly and so insecure.
When I got home for winter break, I saw a dermatologist. Now, I will be the first person to say I hate putting unnatural things into my body but I was seriously desperate. She prescribed me an anti-bacterial pill and some topical creams. It took about two months but I can happily say that my skin is almost back to normal. Now, I say normal because I am dealing with the post-repercussions of those dark months. One of those repercussions is scarring. My face has awful scarring as a result of picking and trying to "do-away" with the pimples. So bad.
Along with dealing with the after-acne stages, I also have combination dry skin and throughout the winter months, it is exacerbated. I am constantly apply moisturizer to my face and if that moisturizer is pore-clogging, you can have a problem. But, thankfully, our great friend Spring is on her way!!
With all of these different things, I have found that the following products work for me amazingly. I also realize that everyone is unique in having different skin. I mean seriously, no one person's skin is alike. So, because these products work for me, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll work for everyone! I just wanted to say that as a sort of disclaimer.
Without further ado, here are the amazing products I use in my nighttime beauty routine:
1. The first thing I do is put my hair up into a messy bun to get the hair out of my face and prevent it from falling into my face.
2. Next, I wash my face with La Roche-Posay's Efflaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser. I bought this in December during the peak of my acne episode. My cousin Kelly recommended it to me when I sought her out for some skin advice. Kelly is a skin guru. This recommendation is one that I believe really helped my skin and aided in the clearing up of my acne. So, thanks, Kell!
3. After I cleanse, I apply Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum. It's always important to apply serum right after cleansing but before anything else. This stuff is magical and you only really need like 3 or 4 squirts of it. I squirt it in my hand and then apply it all over my face and décolletage.
4. After the serum comes one of my favs: Bio-Oil. People say and warn not to put Bio-Oil on your face, but I'm gonna go ahead and disagree, respectively. Bio-Oil is an oil that people put all over their skin to reduce the appearances of scars and stretch marks. I put it on my skin because I believe that it seriously helps me reduce the appearance of the scars left behind by acne. I put it on my face and décolletage. I treat it as a post-serum and pre-moisturizer. My acne scarring has really started to diminish to almost nothing- THANK GOODNESS!
5. Okay, get ready for the best thing to ever happen to my skin. Seriously.a.gold.mine. Soap & Glory is an unreal brand. I found out about Soap & Glory through one of my favorite bloggers: Amber Fillerup-Clark at Barefoot Blonde. I pretty much listen to everything she says because she is my blog-spiration. I remember reading about how much she loves their body lotion for dry skin. So, I decided to check it out for myself. One day I made my way to Ulta's Soap & Glory section to check it out. What a great day it was. Ulta (which I prefer to Sephora) was having a buy 2 get 1 free sale for Soap & Glory. Done. I was so done. I picked out three items randomly. I wanted two body lotions because they smelled divine. Then I saw an anti-aging face moisturizer Wish Upon A jar that was one sale so obviously I'm gonna give it a try. $80 dollars later (I bought other things, too) I walked out of Ulta feeling like a new woman.
That night, I went home and unpacked my treasures. First of all, the package is unreal. It's just a silver ball. I applied this glorious moisturizer that night. What happened when I woke up was magical. My skin felt unreal. I can't even explain it. After that, I apply it twice a day. Once in the morning, and once at night. My skin is a changed woman. Literally incredible. This is something that I know I'll be buying for the rest of my life.
6. Finally, after all of my moisturizer applications I apply eye cream. I use Garnier's Ultra-Lift Miracle Sleeping cream. I'm not crazy about it, but, it doesn't hurt to apply. Like mother always said: the anti-aging process should start ASAP!
7. If my face is feeling extra dry, I'll apply Julep's Night Shift Sleeping Mask. It smells amazing and I wake up in the morning with the dry skin healed.
So, these are the products I use before I lay my head on the pillow. I feel it's important to have a routine and establish it at a young age because I know my older lady self will thank me for it someday.
I'd love to know what kinds of nighttime beauty products you use! Comment below!!
xoxo Brynne
1 comments
Great products, I love La Roche-Posay! And the sleeping masks sounds awesome, I should give it a try.
ReplyDelete♡ Kristina
TheKontemporary