Beauty Report: Skin Care, Skin Care, Skin Care

I've gotten a few questions about my skincare routine so I thought I'd share the full rundown here. On a daily basis, my routine is quick and to the point. I hate the feel of a dirty or dry face so I wash and moisturize religiously. In the evenings I try to put a little more love into the routine and at least once a week I carve out some at-home spa time for face masks and such. 

Choosing skin care products can be expensive and overwhelming so I like to go on the recommendations of my mom (who has tested just about everything) and my friends. Local blogger Meg Biram posted 22 nuggets of wisdom from her dermatologist that I enjoyed and also got me thinking it's probably time to check back in with a derm. 

All the products are linked and listed below but here's the basic outline:  

AM Routine

PM Routine

  • Cleanse with Philosophy Purity Made Simple & my Clarisonic
  • Apply Thayers Witch Hazel toner
  • Apply Dr. Perricone Eye Cream, Serum & Moisturizer
  • 2-3 times a week I'll swap out the Dr. Perricone routine for the Korres facial oil

Once A Week

  • Peter Thomas Roth Enzyme mask
  • Sephora Clay Mask
  • Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Serum
  • m-61 PowerGlow Peel

If you buy nothing else on this list, buy this product. I picked up a bottle of Thayers witch hazel toner at Target after reading all the hype and thought, what the hell? I have never been a fan of toners because they dried my face out way too much. Thayers contains no alcohol so you won't get dried out, but it does contain witch hazel which soothes any irritations your skin might have. I have some small red splotchy spots on my cheeks and the Thayers toner has completely gotten rid of them. Read the reviews on Amazon if you don't believe such a simple product can do so much.

I've been using Dr. Perricone's Pre:Empt line for awhile now and I still see great results. Bright, glowy skin. Moisturized and happy. It's probably time for something a touch stronger since I'm 35 and this line is billed as being for younger women....but we'll see. 

I'm still a huge fan of the Nuxe Huile Proidgieuse dry oil, but it's become harder and harder to find. This oil by Korres has been a nice replacement. The added bonus is that it contains Vitamin C which makes a huge difference when you're going for that "glowing from within" look. 

I enjoy doing a weekly mask routine. It's a little "me time" and it makes me feel like I'm getting rid of the gross and grime from the week. I liked the Sephora sheet masks so much I decided to try their clay versions and ended up loving those too. One pouch holds 4-5 full-face masks making their $8 per pouch price tag a huge bang for your buck. 

The Peter Thomas Roth enzyme peel is simultaneously gross and satisfying. You apply a thin layer of the gel across your face and gently rub it in. The result is all your dead skin cells sloughing off, which you can feel and see. See? Gross...but satisfying. 

This part of my routine and the next one do the real heavy lifting. This retinol serum has Vitamins C and E in it and is a pro at renewing your skin. The results are visible over night, brighter more refreshed skin that doesn't look tired. I use this once a week. But be warned, while retinol is great, using it nightly is something you have to acclimate your skin to. Start with once a week and work up from there, slowly, over time. Otherwise you'll end up with peeling, sad skin.

I got these little PowerGlow Peel pads as a free sample one day at Blue Mercury and ended up also loving them. Each packet contains one towelette that you swipe over a clean, dry face. The result is a temporary tingle that I would say goes from low to medium intensity before quickly simmering down to nada. Apply your normal skin care regiment after the tingle has ended and your face is dry.

I like to use the Peter Thomas Roth retinol serum and the PowerGlow Peel once a week, staggering them apart by 3-4 days.

Even with all that jazz above I still have some skin tone inconsistencies or blemishes that I like to cover up. I've come to prefer a matte look and switched to the NARS Velvet Matt Skin Tint recently. A little goes a long way so the tube lasts forever and the tint itself provides slightly more coverage than other products while still being sheer and buildable. 

That's all I got, folks! While I love playing with make up and other products, I don't futz with my skin care routine all that much. Is there anything I should try? Any other miracle products I haven't heard of yet? Let me know!