My Skincare Routine

I’ve always been open and honest about my skin journey on social media but have held myself back from sharing about the progress of my skin (which I’m beyond proud of) simply because I don’t want it to sound like bragging, that I’ve “figured it out” or like I’m trying to sell products to you, but I’ve never seen my skin looking this happy in years and wanted to share. I’ve struggled with moderate hormonal acne over the past few years and I felt like I had done absolutely everything in my power to help my skin, but nothing really worked. I went to a dermatologist and only saw slight improvement. Over the past few months, I’ve developed a new routine that my skin has absolutely been LOVING and I’ve never seen my skin this happy and wanted to share with you in hopes to help someone who is going through something similar.

Having “perfect” or “flawless skin” is not something I aspire to have and acne is not an indication of my health and even in times when I’m the “healthiest” my skin has never and probably will never be flawless and that’s perfectly okay with me. In the past few months, I feel like I’ve discovered a lot of what brings me joy and I think happiness gives you the most beautiful “inner glow” that’s truly something that can be seen on the outside. I’ve been disciplined as to learning more about my skin - what it likes, what makes it upset, but mostly just letting it be - not picking and overdoing it on anything, just nourishing it and letting it do what it does best no matter what it looks like.

I debated on sharing this, but I’m going to share my tried and true products in this blog post because I wish I had known about these products earlier and I’ve seen an immense change in the health of my skin, NOT because I think you “need” any or all of these products or that they will work for YOUR skin, but because they’ve done wonders for mine and sharing about the things I love is what I do best. I’m thankful for my skin now and always. 

Here is my updated skincare routine and how I use each of these products! Something I have to say about these products is that I am so happy that they are affordable, and it’s taken me a long time and a lot of money in products to find what works for my skin and in hopes that it could help you, I wanted to share the favorites that I’ve been testing over the past few months!

*some of these products contain commission links, meaning I do make a small percentage off of your purchase but at no cost to you - thank you for supporting me by using these links!

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

Usage: A few drops to skin morning and night before following up with Squalane oil

I use this product morning and night after cleansing to promote skin hydration. Be sure to apply to slightly damp skin to help the product properly soak into your skin. This is the first product from The Ordinary that I tried and I was instantly hooked - I love the way that it helps my usually dry skin to look and feel hydrated.

The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane

Usage: Dime sized amount morning and night or whenever skin is feeling dry.

Another AMAZING hydrating product. You can use this on your skin and hair! As I said above, my skin is often dry so finding products that help with hydration is essential for me to keep my skin well nourished. This Squalane oil soaks in quickly and doesn’t leave your skin “oily” as much as it soaks in and gives a nice hydrated, moisturized feel.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Usage: a pea sized amount morning and night before heavier moisturizers.

When I first tried this product, I knew that it would be one of the KEY things that would fix my skin. I put this on and after the first day using this my skin already looked more even, clear, and less irritated. I’ve heard from many many many people that this is their holy grail product from The Ordinary and if you’re someone with acne like me, if you don’t look into ANY of the other products in this line-up, please, please, PLEASE look into this one. It’s made such a noticeable difference and at the steep risk of “wasting” $5.90 - I think that it’s well worth giving a try! Take a chance on this one!

Hylamide Glow Radiance Booster

Usage: 3-4 drops AM/PM daily.

This product will give you that GLOW that looks like you are radiating so much that your friends will ask you if you’ve just come home from a long vacation (no travel or sun damage necessary)! This is definitely one of the more “frivolous” or “unnecessary” parts to my routine BUT I will say it’s one of my favorite products to use because it never fails to give me a good glow that keeps building as you use the product. Although this is a “self-tanner” technically, I will say that it gives such a natural glow that’s not orange at all. There is also no DHA in this product and instead they use a Raspberry Keto Sugar! Love love love this product! P.S. you can order this with all the other Ordinary products because it is a sister company.

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

Usage: Once a week for NO longer than 10 minutes. Note - If you use this product you MUST use and always wear sunscreen.

Ahhh, this is yet another cult-favorite tried and true The Ordinary product. I waited until my second shipment of The Ordinary to give this a go after seeing it in countless YouTube videos and hearing rave reviews. This gives you BRAND NEW SKIN let me tell ya. However, with that brand new baby skin comes some REAL responsibility - although it’s so cool that you can get a peel in a bottle at home, you need to take sun protection very seriously and never use this on compromised skin. If you are looking to get a more even tone or help reduce scarring or overall skin pigmentation issues, this is your product. I love it.

Youth to The People Yerba Mate Resurfacing Energy Facial

Usage: 1-3 times a week, in the morning.

I love love love this facial. It feels so so gentle compared to other exfoliants that I have tried. The first time I tried out this product I was actually in shock at how radiant my skin looked after using it only once and each time I use it I love it more and more. I struggle a lot with my skin looking “dull” because of congestion but this has helped a ton. Plus, I just really love this company!

For sunscreens, I am currently trying out the SuperGoop Play Sunscreen for both my face and body and will share my thoughts as I continue to use it!

Hope you all enjoyed reading a bit more about my skincare and as always, I am here to answer questions and would love to hear your favorite skincare products and if you try any of these out, please let me know how you like them!