Between finals season and winter, it’s a rough time for our skin. And while having gorgeous glowing skin is not the most important thing by far, it is a nice side effect to all the other reasons to all the other reasons to give your skin a little love. One of the reasons finals are terrible is that you can study as much as you want, but you never know what the actual exam is going to be like. Taking care of your skin is something with direct results to your actions, and though huge changes take time, skincare can be instantly gratifying to some extent.
Finals and studying can take a huge emotional toll, and self care becomes especially important. Self care does not mean skin care by any means, and it doesn’t even have to be something physical, but it’s important to take some time for yourself to give your mind a break, and for me, skincare becomes a ritualistic action I can take to focus on myself. Some other helpful ways to practice self care include making a new playlist, going for a walk outside to appreciate how beautiful our campus is, or meditating (I love the Headspace app, which also happens to have a great student discount). If skincare is one of your chosen self care methods, or you’d like to get into it, keep reading to learn my skin care routine, with a couple of my favorite products.
Masking
The usual mask stays on for about twenty minutes, which is just enough time to watch a short Netflix episode and turn your brain off for a bit. Exfoliating masks are a great form of instant gratification, partially because there’s something soothing and meditative about scrubbing off all your dead skin cells, and partially because your skin will be super soft afterwards.
Here are some of my favorites:
The Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ is definitely a splurge at $80, but it’s won enough rewards, including Allure Best of Beauty 2017, and gathered enough of a cult following to warrant trying it out. Like the name suggests, it’ll leave your face baby soft and give you a few days of glowing skin.
My next fave is the Origins Clear Improvement™ active charcoal mask. It’s not ridiculously priced at $28, and let me tell you, this baby works. It significantly helps my acne, and visibly reduces the size of my pores.
Find it here: https://www.origins.com/product/15346/11588/skincare/treat/mask/clear-improvement/active-charcoal-mask-to-clear-pores
My last mask is probably my favorite, at $6.99 it’s definitely affordable, and it’s super satisfying to peel off. It smells super yummy and gets your skin glowing. This one is great to use before any event where you want to look healthy and glowing, and as if you haven’t spent all day in the library.
Find it here: https://www.ulta.com/get-your-glow-on?productId=xlsImpprod10711269
Cleansing
The Glossier milky jelly cleanser, $18, is my all time favorite. I have sensitive skin, and this doesn’t irritate me, plus it really cleans my face. It leaves me feeling soft and moisturized, not stripped like some other cleansers have.
Find it here: https://www.glossier.com/products/milky-jelly-cleanser
If the mild Glossier cleanser doesn’t float your boat, the Murad Clarifying Cleanser, $30, helps your acne and leaves your skin feeling clean and soft. My favorite thing about this cleanser is that it’s gentle enough to use over your whole face and will remove any eye makeup you have on.
Find it here: https://www.murad.com/all-murad-products/skin-cleansers/
Toner
Okay, confession time. I don’t actually know if toners do anything. Cleansers are pH balanced now, so using a toner isn’t strictly necessary. Some people swear by them, and some people don’t believe in them at all. I don’t really believe in them, and this next product isn’t actually a toner, but I use it in my skincare routine where one would use a toner.
I just really can’t say enough good things about this product. It rocks. It has completely changed my skin, as well as many many others’. Even when I have a breakout, this stuff helps me still feel glowy and healthy. Glossier just calls it the Solution, and you can get it for $24.
Find it here: https://www.glossier.com/products/solution
Serum
If you haven’t heard of hyaluronic acid yet, you need to. One gram of hyaluronic acid can hold up to 6 litres of water. It’s like the moisturizing superfood. Glossier’s super bounce serum, $28, will leave your skin soft, plump, and uber moisturized.
Find it here: https://www.glossier.com/products/super-bounce
I’ve tried a bunch of different acne solutions, and many of them left my skin feeling dry and weird, and rarely actually delivered results. Murad’s Acne Clearing Solution, $42 is neither of those things. Your skin will still feel soft after using it, and continued use will show results.
Find it here: https://www.murad.com/product/murad-acne-clearing-solution/
Moisturizers
If you haven’t noticed, Glossier products work well on my skin. The priming moisturizer, $22, has replaced both primers and moisturizers in my routine. It has buildable coverage but never feels too heavy. It’s just your basic moisturizer, though, so read on for some that do a little more.
Find it here: https://www.glossier.com/products/priming-moisturizer
The Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer has SPF 15 and helps your skin even in tone and texture over continued use. This will leave you protected and glowing all day for just $13.79.
The Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar moisturizer is a little pricier at $39, but it features alpha hydroxy acids to chemically exfoliate while you moisturize, and the product is huge and lasts a very long time.
Find it here: https://www.ulta.com/renewed-hope-in-a-jar?productId=xlsImpprod11751089
Best of luck!