Skincare. Hearing that word makes some people go nuts, and others feel indifferent. One thing is certain: skincare is important and an essential part of everyone’s life. But what do you do? How do you take care of your face? Especially since everyone’s faces are different and react to certain ingredients differently, how are you supposed to know?
No fear! Below is a beginner’s list to the steps and products you should be including in your daily skincare routine. Of course, you know your skin best, so only do what’s right for you. All steps can be customized for your face, your budget, and your preference!
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Cleanser
Cleanser is the first step in any skincare routine. This is pretty simple. A cleanser should be very gentle on your skin, no matter what skin type you have. Some people cleanse twice a day (once in the morning and once at night), while others simply splash water on their face in the morning and use their cleanser at night. Regardless, this is a product that you can either spend some big bucks on, or grab from a drug store. This is the product that will spend the least amount of time on your face, so it’s perfectly fine to go cheaper on this one!
Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser, $5.99, Target
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, $18, glossier.com
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Exfoliant
Step number two is a step you should only be doing a few nights a week. Some people with very sensitive skin may want to skip this step entirely! Exfoliating is great for getting rid of dead skin cells and cleaning out your pores.
St. Ives Apricot Scrub, $3.22, Target
Mario Badescu Botanical Exfoliating Scrub, $26, Ulta Beauty
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Serum
Step number three is optional, but it’s also a step that will truly upgrade your skincare regimen. This can be personalized entirely to what your skin needs or what your skin wants. There are thousands of serums available, and each does something different. A popular serum that benefits most skin types is a Vitamin C serum. This serum will make you skin glow and fights wrinkles. This is the most concentrated product and the most specialized, so this is the most expensive step.
Super Glow, $28, glossier.com
Skintreats Overnight Glow Serum, $24, Target
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Eye Cream
This, again, is a step that is completely up to you. Some people are insecure about undereye darkness or wrinkles, or feel like that sensitive skin should use some hydration. Eye cream should be used very gently! Always use your ring finger to gently pat the product underneath your eyes. The fourth finger is the most gentle for application purposes.
Burt’s Bees Sensitive Eye Cream, $8.29, Target
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment, $29, Sephora
Drunk Elephant Shaba Eye Serum, $60, Sephora
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Moisturizer
This step is great for hydrating your skin. Some moisturizers are just for hydration purposes, and others have the added bonus of priming your skin for makeup! Regardless, pick a moisturizer that you like. The more dry your skin, the heavier and more repairing you want your moisturizer to be.
Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer, $11.79, Target
Priming Moisturizer, $22, glossier.com
Ultra Repair Cream, $30, Ulta Beauty
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SPF
This is the most crucial step to every single skincare routine, no matter your skin type. Even if you don’t put a single product on your face, you must invest in SPF! Sun damages your skin every time you go outside without wearing SPF. Sun damage is sunburn, but later in life sun damage can appear in the form of dark spots and wrinkles. Yikes! If you want to look young forever, wearing SPF daily is a must. Also, make sure to reapply about every two hours. If you want, you can combine moisturizer and SPF in your hand and apply as one step, or you can buy a moisturizer that has SPF in it. Some tinted moisturizers have SPF as well if you’re looking to combine three steps into one! Try to get at least SPF 30.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Lotion, $9.99, Target
Invisible Shield, $35, glossier.com
Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense, $36, Sephora
BONUS STEPS
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Facial Mask
Masking is a great way to take care of your skin, and a great way to relax. Masks come in all forms from a tub to a peel, or even a sheet mask. Depending on what you want or what skin type you have, there are hundreds of different masks that do different things for you. Pick whatever you want, and mask once a week. If you’re feeling creative, you can also find lots of recipes to make your own mask!
Indian Healing Clay, $8.70, Amazon
I’m Real Cactus Sheet Mask, $3.75, Ulta Beauty
Skin-Brightening Peel Mask, $2.99, Target
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Facial spray
Finally, if you want, you can use a facial spray! These are great for applying throughout the day whenever you feel like your skin could use some moisture or cooling. Not required for great skin, but this product definitely comes in handy.
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herb and Rosewater, $7, Ulta Beauty
Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist, $32, Sephora
Skincare routines can be relaxing and fun! The most important thing is to remember that you get to decide what goes on your face. You know your face best. And if you don’t know your face, find out! Mario Badescu has an online survey you can take that will type your face, and even recommend products based on your results. However you decide to go about your skincare journey, just remember to have fun!