Ultimate Nighttime Skincare Routine: 3 Steps To Clear Skin
Fun fact: My nighttime skincare routine used to be super complicated and included a ton of products! Why is that? I suffered from serious cystic acne breakouts. These breakouts would appear on my cheeks and my chin for the most part. The breakouts eventually came to a screeching halt once I started my first round (and only round, thank goodness) of Accutane, a drug that virtually makes your acne disappear for good. The drug is no joke as it can severely affect your body and you must pay attention to certain side effects to ensure that you aren’t experiencing anything abnormal or else you need to stop taking the drug. My entire Accutane story will be up at a later time, so for now, let’s move on to my latest 2019 skincare routine that has been working for me this entire year to maintain a clear complexion.
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Step 1: Cleanse
The first step I take at night during my skincare routine is to cleanse my face. I wear a face full of makeup, eyeshadow, lipstick, and mascara which means there is plenty of work to be done to get rid of it at night before I head into bed. Cleansing the skin can be achieved in a few different ways depending on your skin type and cleansing method. Some people enjoy using emulsifying cleansing balms or oils while others stick to a basic foaming cleanser.
For my skin, I like to mix it up every so often with the cleanser I use to remove my makeup and dead skin cells at night. I also consider myself a beauty junkie (ahem, hoarder) so I also have plenty of cleansing products to try out on my skin.
The beauty products I use for cleansing are both from the drugstore and from high-end stores. Removing my makeup at the end of the night feels so good after a long day. I love to start out with a juicy foaming cleanser to really wash off the dirt and grime build-up that naturally occurs as I sweat and get work done at my desk. The action of washing the cleansing product between my hands and applying it to my face instantly puts me in a better mood and gets me ready for my well-deserved beauty sleep!
As for my current cleanser of choice, I keep the L’Oreal Pure Clay Cleanser Detox and Brighten on my bathroom counter. When L’Oreal launched these clay cleansers last year, I picked up each new one. The other two that I picked up were for exfoliating and mattifying. I saw an advertisement for them in a magazine and was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about clay cleansers.
To Use: Be sure to sanitize your hands prior to applying your face wash! Take the cleanser into the palms of your hands and run water underneath them to start the foaming process. Once the cleanser foams, begin to apply it to your skin. Make sure you pay attention to each part of your face and don’t forget about the makeup that could be lingering near your hairline!
This clay-to-mousse formula is one of a kind and I did not expect such a luxurious foam from a drugstore cleanser! You can feel this clay cleanser gently removing impurities to clarify and detoxify your skin for a clean and fresh complexion. I will point out that if you have dry skin I would not recommend this product because it may lead to dryness. The clay works powerfully to purify the skin and I have experienced some dryness from time to time when I do not follow up with a moisturizer.
Also, be warned: this cleanser is MESSY! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to clean my boyfriend’s sink after washing my face with this L’Oreal product, yikes. The clay cleanser has an obvious dark color to it because of the clay ingredients so be careful when you squeeze it out of the tube.
Step 2: Toner
After the skin has experienced a deep cleaning with the cleanser you love, it’s important to follow up with a balancing toner. That’s why I go for the Ole Henriksen Balancing Force Oil Control Toner. I first experimented with the Ole Henriksen brand when I splurged and purchased the kit containing a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer for just $36 before my trip to San Francisco and Hawaii in December. This kit came in handy when I was traveling! My skin looked healthy and balanced for the entire duration of my trip.
This $28 toner has the best ingredients for keeping your skin balanced and hydrated at the same time. The ideal combination of salicylic, glycolic, and lactic acids work together to combat oiliness and refine pores. Ole Henriksen products are clean and the brand only includes the utmost trustworthy ingredients free of parabens, sulfates, and mineral oil. Famous beauty YouTuber Desi Perkins also swears by this product which must mean it’s a winner, right?
To Use: Apply the Ole Henriksen Balancing Force Oil Control toner directly to a dry cotton pad. Gently swipe the cotton pad using upward motions across your face. Check the cotton pad for any remaining cleanser residue and if necessary use a second cotton round for another swipe of toner.
Some people like to skip out on using a toner. When I am extremely tired or simply do not have the product with me in my travel bag I also skip out on this toner and jump straight to applying a moisturizer.
The point of a toner is to address skin concerns (such as redness, pore size, or texture) and it also acts as a primer to the rest of your skin care products. Toner can prep your skin for any serums or moisturizers that you use next in your routine. Toner brings your skin back to its natural acidic state to help absorb your skincare products once you create a clean slate. It’s also vital to use a toner at night so the rest of your skincare products can sink into your skin while you sleep!
Step 3: Moisturizer
The final step to your complete skincare routine needs to include a moisturizer! There are a lot of great moisturizers on the beauty market to choose from, but I hope my suggestion makes it to your bathroom counter soon.
No matter what skin type you have, even oily skin, needs a healthy dose of moisture. As someone with combination skin, I find myself needing to add a moisturizer to my skincare routine on a nightly basis to keep my dry skin at bay.
Yes, I do have an oily t-zone, but I also have areas of dry skin that need extra moisture. I also use a special product for acne-fighting from Jan Marini called Age Intervention Duality which contains benzoyl peroxide. This creamy anti-acne product can leave my skin feeling dry which is yet another reason why a good moisturizer is important to invest your money in.
What sets the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream apart from the rest of high-end moisturizers is the lightweight texture, soothing skin-repairing peptides, and pH balancing ingredients. All of that inside one cream?! You betcha!
I know the price tag looks scary, spending over $60 on one single beauty product is not ideal, but I do believe that you get what you pay for with this creamy moisturizer from Drunk Elephant. Beauty editors continue to rave about Drunk Elephant products year after year which is why I trust the brand so much myself. I typically switch up my moisturizer from a cheaper drugstore one to this Drunk Elephant one to save as much product as possible, too. I will use my Drunk Elephant moisturizer on days when I feel like I need to provide my skin with an extra boost of collagen.
Right now you can also score a small sample of this Drunk Elephant moisturizer (and bonus face wash) as your birthday gift through Sephora. You can also buy the “littles” set of Drunk Elephant products to test this one out before you make the expensive commitment.
To use: pump up the lightweight moisturizer with your fingers until you see it appear on the top of the container. Apply a thin layer to your face after using a toner. Let the moisturizer sink into your skin before you lay down to rest. It will quickly dissolve!
Images Credit: The Studio Magnolia
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The Comments
Caitlin | Beauty & Colour
I have the Drunk Elephant moisturizer and love it!
Beauty & Colour | Vegan Fashion + Lifestyle Blog
Amanda
Caitlin | Beauty & ColourDrunk Elephant has my favorite moisturizer of all time!
xo Amanda
Elizabeth
Your photography is so lovely! I'm eyeing that moisturizer now, for sure.
Amanda
ElizabethThanks so much, Elizabeth!!
xo Amanda
Mariah Rickard
Totally important steps! Make sure you choose a cleanser right for your skin type too. I have oily skin and could never use a milky cleanser.
http://moosmusing.com
Amanda
Mariah RickardThanks so much!! Great advice.
xo Amanda
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