Friday, March 8th was International Women’s Day! To continue the celebration, I wanted to talk about skincare for a few reasons. First, it’s always important to take care of your skin but I find it to be even more important during the winter as the dry, cold air can be hard on your skin. Also, taking good care of your skin helps keep your face blemish free and moisturized, which can then make you feel more confident in your own skin! What better way to celebrate Women’s Day than by talking about how to take care of yourself and feel more confident! Here is an overview of what I have been using on my skin this winter. Please keep in mind I am not a professional when it comes to skincare and if you have any concerns about what to use on your skin, please use your judgement or consult a physician. Also, I have combination oily skin, so I use products that are suitable for me. Always make sure you are using the right products for you!
Step 1 – Pre-Cleanse
This step is always the first step of my night routine. Before I wash my face at the end of the day, I like to use micellar water or make-up wipes to remove makeup or any other dirt that might not come off with cleanser alone. My favourite micellar water is from Garnier, and now they offer a variety of different micellar waters and wipes to chose from based on your specific skin concerns. There are a lot of other brands that sell micellar water products, so feel free to find that suits you, your skin, and your wallet the best!
Step 2 – Wash
The next step (and the first step I take in the morning) when it comes to my skincare routine, whether morning or night, is washing my face. I wet my face with warm water and then apply my cleanser. I generally use a fairly gentle cleanser like the Clean & Clear Day/Night Combo Pack I have at the moment! I gently massage the cleanser on my face and then rinse again with warm water and pat dry with a clean towel. I sometimes switch in a more exfoliating face wash, such as the Garnier Pure Active 3 in 1 Wash, Scrub and Mask, when I feel like I need a deeper clean, but I try not to use it too often as I don’t want to disrupt my skin. The same goes for face masks, I only do them about once a week.
Step 3 – Toner
This is a fairly new step to my routine, but now definitely an essential one! Once I have washed and dried my face, I like to apply some kind of toner or solution. Some of my favourites include the Tea Tree Mattifying Toner from the Body Shop, the Exfoliating Skin Perfector from Glossier, and Clean & Clear’s Deep Cleansing Astringent. I have combination oily skin, tend to get blemishes easily and have spots of uneven skin tone, so I like to find toners that help with those issues. There are many similar products out there for different skin type and concerns, so make sure you use what is suitable for you!
Step 4 – Spot Treatment
I do not always complete this step, as I have been fortunate that I haven’t had to deal with severe acne in my life so far (knock on wood), but I often have a few stubborn pimples. I have tried a lot of different things but most recently I started using Calamine lotion after finding out it was the main ingredient in Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion (which I didn’t want to splurge on). You may know of calamine from putting it on mosquito bites, but it can also help to dry out pimples and speed up the healing. There are also other spot treatments out there like Clean & Clear’s Advantage Spot Treatment.
Step 5 – Moisturizer
Finally, my last step before heading out the door or putting make-up on is moisturizing. Like I said earlier, I have combination oily skin so I usually do not use a super greasy face cream, but I do need to use more than just a gel or light lotion in the winter. My go-to moisturizer in the winter is Olay’s Complete Moisture Cream with SPF 15. This moisturizer is hydrating without being greasy and doesn’t make me break out. Also, sunscreen is so important for all skin types so the fact that this product has some SPF is great! It is also important to moisturize your lips, especially in the winter. My favourite lip balm in the winter is the Blistex Medex Lip Balm, it is super hydrating and last a long time!
I hope you liked hearing about my skincare routine and that it inspires you to take care of your skin because taking care of yourself can help to make you feel more confident in your own skin!