Skincare Routine

I didn’t get serious about taking care of my skin until college. For many years I thought using moisturizer was silly because I had oily skin. I struggled with acne for years and never felt confident in my skin, until I had a skincare routine.  Just as we take care of our body through eating healthy food and drinking water, it’s important (but not our ultimate focus) to take care of our skin.

I’ll share with you my favorite products that have helped with my oily, acne-prone skin. My skin isn’t perfect but I’m confident in it. I can honestly say that there are many days I go without makeup.

1. Origins Checks and Balances: I use this product twice a week. I have sensitive skin, so I enjoy using this creamy face wash because it’s calming for my face. My face feels clean after using it and I don’t feel leftover residue from the product.

2. Olay Cleansing Brush: I use this product at the end of the week when my skin feels gross. I either use Check’s and Balances or my Dr. Bronner’s soap with the brush. I try not to over exfoliate my skin, so this product is only used 1x a week.

3. LUSH Dark Angels: This is a holy grail product for me! If you have noticed, charcoal products are making their way into stores. I’ve been using Dark Angels for 3 years and it has changed my life. I ran out of it for a few months and thought I would be fine without it, but that was a mistake. My acne started to come back and my skin wasn’t as bright as it used to be. Dark Angels is an exfoliate made from black sugar and charcoal. It might sound abrasive, but it isn’t. The avocado oil in it leaves your skin feeling soft. I use this product 1-2 times a week.

4. LUSH Herbalism: Another Lush product that I’m a huge fan of! I had a roommate who thought that I was using mold to wash my face. I had to inform them that it A) wasn’t mold! & B) it was a cleanser for my face. Herbalism is for people who have oily/blemished skin. It does exfoliate but it’s very gentle (ground almonds is the exfoliator). What I really like about Herbalism is that it soaks up the oil on my face and my face feels balanced.

5. Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap: I purchased this soap when I ran out of Dark Angels. I remember walking through Whole Foods Googling different products, as I sifted through the face soap aisle. I liked what people were saying about the soap and thought I had to give it a try. At first my skin was not reacting well to it – not sure why, but it’s all good now. Dr. Bronner’s Soap has coconut oil, olive oil, hemp oil, jojoba oil, and few other ingredients. I recommend the peppermint scent for mornings because it wakes you and your skin up! (You can use this soap for many things – read here).

6. LUSH Tea Tree Water Toner: You can see I’m a big fan of LUSH. I didn’t know much about toners until I went to a LUSH store and had them explain. Toners are another way to balance the skin on your face. The toner has tea tree oil in it which is good news for those with acne, because tea tree oil is antibacterial. It also reduces redness, which is a plus.

7. Origins GinZing Moisturizer: Another holy grail item. I’ve used different moisturizers throughout the years but didn’t see the difference of drugstore vs high-end moisturizes until I used GinZing. My face looks much brighter after I use this product (people have made comments about it!) The caffeine in the product is the main reason why it wakes your face up.

8. Murad Acne Spot Treatment: When that time of the month appears, I’ll put the treatment on those boogers and BAM! They are gone! I haven’t been disappointed with this product at all!

Do you use any products that you swear by? Comment below!