My Skin Care Routine - Fall 2013
As part of my bi-annual seasonal wardrobe update I also usually put together a new skin care routine for the upcoming season. Now, after about 5 weeks, it’s time for a quick check up: Are the products working out, how has my skin responded, do I need to change anything in my routine? So far, I am really happy with the results: my skin is not as dry as it usually is during this time of the year, and I’ve gotten into a good rhythm of a separate morning and evening routine. This post is a short overview of my whole regime and the five products I am using.
My Skin During the fall and spring season my skin is normal in the sense that it is neither too oily nor too dry - as long as I moisturize and cleanse it twice a day. During the past couple of years I have tried a lot of different skin care systems, but I always go back to the same combination of products: two different cleansers and moisturizers, one each for morning and one for nighttime, plus one make up remover. I’m not really into masks, weekly treatments, etc. My philosophy is “A little often”: I’d rather use a very gentle exfoliant and a high-quality, effective moisturizer every night than do an intense 4-product treatment once a week. To make sure my routine addresses all of my skin's needs I like to use different products in the morning and at night: In the morning my skin does not need a lot of cleansing, but moisture (to prep it for make up) and sun protection. My nighttime routine is about a) getting rid of my make up and b) exfoliating.
Although my skin is not the most resilient and gets irritated easily, it fortunately is very predictable: If I don’t cleanse, moisturize and take off my make up every single day, it will respond with clogged pores, redness and dry patches. As long as I stick to my routine, everything is good. I call the routine below my 'fall routine', because I will definitely need to adjust it around the beginning of December: In the winter my skin gets pretty dry, so I will probably keep using the same cleansers as I do now, but switch out my moisturizers for heavier, more hydrating formulas.
Five Products Morning cleanser: Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream Daytime moisturizer: La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Legere UV Make up remover: Eucerin Dermato Clean Micellear Solution Evening cleanser: Biotherm Biosource tonifying exfoliating cleansing gel Nighttime moisturizer: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Lotion
Morning Routine My morning skin care routine takes about 45 seconds. I first clean my skin with Dr. Hauschka’s cleansing cream. You are supposed to pat it on, not rub, so it's very gentle on the skin, super moisturizing and it smells delicious too, a little like oatmeal. I then apply La Roche-Posay’s Hydraphase moisturizer. It’s got an SPF of 20, is very lightweight and the ideal base for foundation. I have been using it since the beginning of the summer, you can read more about it in this post. La Roche-Posay also make a richer version for drier skin types, which I might switch to in the winter. For now, the lightweight 'Legere' one is fine, especially since I'm also using a relatively hydrating foundation on top (I'll do an updated make up routine post soon ;)).
Evening Routine Although I used to be a huge fan of just wearing tinted moisturizer or BB creams, I’ve recently gotten back into wearing ‘proper’ make up, including a medium-coverage foundation, blush, powder, etc. To make sure I get rid of all of that stuff at the end of the day, I go over my face with Eucerin’s micellear lotion before I follow up with my regular wash-off cleanser. The lotion manages to take off all of my eye make up too so I don't need to use a separate oil-based remover.
Although I like my morning cleanser to be super gentle, I prefer a more thorough cleanser for nighttime. I use Biotherm’s exfoliating cleansing gel for normal/combination skin - the level of exfoliation is perfect for daily use even on my sensitive skin and the exoliating beads are super tiny. After cleansing, I apply the key product of my whole routine: Paula's Choice 1% BHA Lotion. I’ve been using it for three weeks now and totally understand why this moisturizer/exfoliant/treatment has been getting such amazing reviews: It unclogs pores like no other product and also reduces redness at the same time, exactly like it says in the description. To me that sounded like a strange combination, but it really does work. Definitely a new holy grail product!
What is your skin care routine for the fall season? How different is it to your summer routine?