The Ultimate Morning and Evening Skincare Routine You Need

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Where I Started

For as long as I can remember my mom has always told me how important it is to wash my face. She talked about the importance of taking care of my skin, made sure I had face wash, and occasionally gave me products she didn’t want (like that time she gave me a full container of Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer). UGH! I was dead. At the time, it was the single best moisturizer I’d ever used and to this day is still one of the best.  For the longest time, face wash and moisturizer were the only 2 products in my skincare routine… yikes, I know! But this had more to do with a lack of knowledge than laziness or refusal to go all in. I picked up tips and tricks and new products as I went along. I remember reading a teen novel series, The Clique, or something like that, where the main character talked about how she NEVER wiped her face, but instead dabbed it, to avoid tugging on her skin. And from that moment on, I dabbed.

Where I Am Now

Fast forward some years later and I can’t tell you how many products I have in my skincare routine because honestly, it’s too many. And my morning routine differs from my nightly routine so it’s safe to say, I’ve come a long way. But not just with my products, with my knowledge and with my desire to have clean skin too. And this is very much a privilege that I have to recognize because I have good genes and I have pretty much had clear, no fuss, skin most of my life. So I’ve had the luxury of not having to worry about acne like a lot of my friends did. Don’t get me wrong, I got, and currently get, acne. But my blemishes tend to come 1 or 2 at a time on occasion. Regardless, I don’t wash my face to not get acne, if that were the case I’d only wash my face when I had a pimple. I wash my face because I want healthy glowing skin and I might be addicted to the feeling of a freshly clean face right before it starts stinging from dryness, time to apply the moisturizer quick!

Why Skincare Is Important

You can’t always see the build up of crap that gets on your face throughout the day, of course I can see the obviously stuff like makeup. But even without makeup, your face isn’t going to be clean at the end of the day. How many times did you touch your face with your hands? Those things are filthy! *I say this but I’m pretty sure this is my #1 problem and I still can’t seem to not touch my face.* Did you wear any hats, scarves, headphones, glasses? All that stuff; it’s touching your face. I have these big noise cancelling headphones I wear at work. When I wear them around my neck the ear muffs rub up against my chin. Want to know what’s all over the ear muffs? Makeup. Wanna know what part of my face is currently battling pimples? My chin. It’s rough out here! But the point is, you can’t protect your face from every speck of dirt and oil. Which is why it’s important to establish a daily skincare routine and stick to it.

Don’t have one? You can follow along with mine. But remember it’s all about finding something that works for you!

Find What Works For You

While it’s important to establish your routine, it’s also important to recognize that you can still experiment and change up your products as needed or wanted. I LOVE trying new skincare products, switching up my moisturizer, and testing out different serums.  It’s also the best way to find out if something works for you or not. If you add in one new product to your routine and your skin has a reaction, or you notice something is off, it’s pretty easy to find the culprit. But if you try a bunch of new things at once, it’s going to be harder to figure out which one(s) don’t work. Now if you’re just starting out and everything is new for you, that’s ok, you’ll just maybe want to do a little research before you get out there. Visiting a dermatologist or esthetician would give you a jump start and allow you to find products that match your skin’s needs. They can discuss establishing a good skincare routine with you as well as advise which types of products to use.

Morning vs. Evening Skincare Routine

When it comes to skincare, you want to have 2 routines. A morning routine and an evening/nighttime routine. The items you use for both will be in the same order but with some additional products thrown in where necessary. I use additional products at night and add in extra steps to make sure I’m getting every spot of makeup off my face. Is a makeup remover towel (I love these from Amazon), eye makeup remover (Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover), micellar water (Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water), and makeup removing mist (One Size Go Off Makeup Dissolving Mist)? Not if you’re seeing makeup on a reusable cotton round dampened with micellar water after rubbing it all over your face. With primer, setting powder, and setting spray, our makeup is made to stay which means it can be a hassle to get all of it off.

Step 1: Wash Your Face

Start with washing your face. Obviously you want to get all the dirt, makeup, gunk, and build-up that has occurred during the day which is why I like to double cleanse at night. What’s double cleansing you ask? It’s exactly as it sounds washing your face first with an oil based cleanser and second with your typical face wash. I love to change up my face wash and right now I’m using Cera-Ve Renewing SA Cleanser and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I keep one at my sink and another in the shower, and I recommend everyone do this. It’s convenient to wash your face while you’re in the shower, this way you don’t accidently get puddles of water all over the counter and on your clothes. Because this somehow always happens. When I wash my face at the sink I use my PMD Clean device. I’ve had my pmd clean for about a couple of years now and I love how my face feels cleaner after washing and the fact that it wakes up my skin in the morning with it’s vibrations is an added bonus!

Step 2: Exfoliate (optional)

After I’ve washed my face, I dab it dry with a towel. Next, it’s time to exfoliate. Now this won’t always be a step in your routine. In fact it should only occur about 3 times a week but when it is time, this is where you want to use it. Exfoliating helps to rid the skin of dead skin, even skin tone, and allow for your other products to go deeper. When it comes to exfoliants you’ll want to find one that works best for your skin’s needs. Here are some of my favorite: The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel, bliss Jelly Glow Peel, Real Chemistry Luminous 3-minute peel. Also try out a lip scrub here to clear up that dead skin and get the blood flowing.

Step 3: Tone

After washing your face/exfoliating, grab that toner. I am a toner + facial spray kind of girl, I like them both. I like to use reusable cotton rounds to apply The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution or pixi Glow Tonic, then I spritz 2-3 pumps of my Mario Badescu rose water facial spray. Ahhh so clean, so fresh!

Step 4: Spot Treatment

Once your face is dry it’s time for acne treatment. There are several products I recommend: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (for all over the face), The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA (for all over the face, at night), Clearasil Rapid Rescue Deep Treatment Pads, Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum (spot treatment), Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum (spot treatment), and Benxoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment (spot treatment).

I will also use Differin Resurfacing Scar Gel to help fade my acne scars. 

Step 5: Serum

After spot treatments it’s time for serum. Now there are a million different serums out there so it’s really all about finding one that works for you. I know that retinol is an important ingredient to have in my skincare, especially as I get older, so I use retinol serums, usually at night. I also like plumping serums to keep my skin looking fresh and young, typically I reach for these in the morning. My favorite serums include Nip + Fab Hydrate Dragon’s Blood Fix Plumping Serum (AM), both CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum and CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum (AM or PM), and Glow Recipe Plump Plump Hyaluronic Serum (AM).

Step 6: Moisturize (Eyes, Face, and Lips)

Eyes

I’ve had eye cream added to my skincare routine since I was maybe 23/24. It’s so important to hydrate the sensitive skin around your eyes to keep you looking young and awake. I do this day and night because it’s such a crucial step in caring for your skin. In the morning I use OleHendriksen Bana Bright Eye Crème to brighten up my undereye area. At night I use Olay Retinol Night Eye Cream. I also like to use Jack Black Eye Balm De-Puffing & Cooling Gel on mornings my eyes are looking especially tired.

Face

After moisturizing your eyes it’s time to moisturize the face. Rather than have a separate step for SPF, I use a moisturizing sunscreen in the morning, my favorite is Supergoop! Superscreen Daily Moisturizer Sunscreen. I’m not sure if I’ll ever use another moisturizer in the day because this stuff has been amazing at protecting my skin from the Georgia summer sun. I experiment with hydrating moisturizers at night because my room can get dry with the fan going all night. Honestly right now, I don’t have one I’m really all about that I feel comfortable recommending. Occasionally, especially in the winter, I will do a leave-on hydrating mask from Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.

I’ll often use a separate neck cream in the evenings as well like Mario Badescu Vitamin A-D-E Neck Cream. I want to make sure my skin there is getting the necessary attention. If I’m out of neck cream I just use my extra moisturizer for that area, applying it from the base of the neck to the top.

Lips

For the lips I use 2 different products: the Lawless Forget the Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask or the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. Both are great! The Lawless one has that lip plumping tingling feeling on the lips and I use it in the AM as well because I like the effect it gives my lips. It is important to remember to apply and reapply lip balm throughout the day and to avoid licking your lips and peeling any dry skin. If you feel peeling, it’s time to do a lip scrub.

Extra Steps

At night I also like to take care of my brows and my lashes. I apply Benefit’s Browvo!Conditioning Primer to my brows and Maybelline’s Overnight Eyelash Conditioner.

The Most Important Step

The MOST important step in caring for your skin and protecting your health is sunscreen! No matter what time of year or what type of weather, you should always apply sunscreen. When I’m not using moisturizer with sunscreen I love the Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, it’s so light with a mousse-y texture and I like the tinted one because it blends easily with my skin. I also use Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen. Both are great under your makeup as well. 

If I’m getting ready for bed, I don’t apply sunscreen, that’s a morning thing. Instead I will use the rippled end of my pmd clean to apply a facial oil to lock in the moisturizer. I will choose an oil depending on how I’m feeling or what area I want to target. There are plenty of options and changing it up gives me the chance to try new ones to see what works best for my skin. I love The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane and The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil.

Fin!

And now you are done! Either you’re ready to get some beauty sleep or you’re about to face the day with a clean and fresh face. What does your skincare routine currently look like? What skincare products are working for you right now? Comment below!

You can see my full morning routine here and my full nighttime routine here.