My Current Skin Care Routine for Glowing Skin

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With my wedding being just under 8 months away, I want to start getting on a solid skin care routine. I want to make sure my skin is looking it’s best on my big day! So not only am I going to continue prioritizing my skin care routine every day, but I have decided to finally invest in my skin. I’m going to do what I’ve said I would do every year and finally get monthly facials.

Local Options for Facials in Philly

Since moving to Philly I’ve tried out 2 facial places. My first facial was at Green City Beauty and I LOVED the relaxing spa experience I got there. Especially for the price they charge! I also checked out Hey Day which was strictly a facial experience minus any of the perks of a relaxing spa. Both places got the job done, but I definitely preferred Green City Beauty over Hey Day due to overall experience. Unfortunately, due to COVID, Green City Beauty is not offering any services that requires clients to remove their mask. So that lead me to researching some new local options where I stumbled upon Skin House Facial Bar.

Skin House Facial Bar

I checked out some of Skin House Facial Bar’s Instagram posts, watched their highlights, and checked out their website. I was quite pleased with what I saw and decided to book an appointment ASAP. If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen my stories post-facial on my overall experience.

Even though this place was not the full relaxing spa experience of Green City Beauty, they did exactly what I needed them to do. Extractions and help hydrate my skin! I saw Shireen and she blew me away with all the knowledge she shared with me. I learned what products she used on me and why, how these products worked together, and what I needed to incorporate into my skin care routine to prep for my wedding day.

My skin still feels amazing and much less congested a week later. I already can’t wait to go back next month!

My Current Skin Care Routine at Home

Being only a week post-facial, I have slightly tweaked my daily skin care routine. I haven’t done an update in a while and a decent amount of things have changed since my last post. So let’s dive in!

I still begin every morning with rinsing my face with cold water and I avoid using a cleanser in the morning. When you sleep your skin doesn’t produce as much oil as it does during the day and I want to avoid drying out my skin.

Serum

From here I add some of my Pure Culture Beauty Serum that I recently got online. This is a custom serum that’s based off of a quiz I took online and at home skin test. This serum is filled with Vitamin C, Bakuchiol, and Camellia Oil to help with hyperpigmentation, reduce fine lines, and strengthen my skin barrier. Since Vitamin C needs some water to be absorbed into the skin, I apply this serum to damp skin and use it during my AM and PM skin care routine.

After my facial, Shireen gave me a sample of iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum which includes Vitamin C and E as well as Retinol. Since this contains Retinol and my skin isn’t used to it, I apply this serum every few days in place of my Pure Culture Beauty serum so I don’t dry out my face. This serum should also only be used in the morning. So far I really like this serum, but if I were to purchase a full side bottle it would be a pretty penny. I will say, I did learn from an esthetician at my dermatologist office and Shireen that if you are going to spend money on any skin care product, it should be a good Vitamin C serum.

AM Moisturizer

I find I always seem to switch up my moisturizers when I run out. But after seeing Shireen, she expressed how important it is that I use SPF daily. I always knew this was important, but I’m so bad about applying it when it’s the cold winter months. I had no idea that phone screens, computer screens, and TV screens need to be blocked by SPF and not just the sun. That’s why I purchased the Supergoop! Play EveryDay Lotion with 50 SPF before I left my facial. I make sure I apply this every day.

I also sometimes mix this lotion with a drop of 111Skin NAC Y2 Pollution Defence Booster. This product shields the skin against physical and blue light pollution through a powerful combination of peptides and antioxidants. Normally I wouldn’t spend this kind of money on skin care products, but I received this in one of my BoxyCharm boxes.

Eye Cream

Eye creams and lotions tend to be another product I switch up every time I run out. Currently I’m using the Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel and I absolutely LOVE it! It’s a great price point of just $6 and makes my under eyes feel so soft. I use this both in my AM and PM skin care routines.

PM Cleansers

Something new that I’ve added to my skin care routine is the addition of a pre-cleanser. So I bought Environ Skin EssentiA Pre-Cleansing Oil from Skin House Facial Bar. This dual action pre-cleansing oil helps break down my makeup and get rid of any excess oils on my skin. Once this is rinsed off, I move on to my cleanser. Double cleansing is key to keeping skin clean and pores unclogged.

One thing I learned during my facial last week was I need to incorporate a cream cleanser into my routine. Surprisingly with all the cleansers I have in my shower, not one of them is a cream cleanser. So once I start running out of my cleansers I’ll be purchasing a cream based one. That said, I still use my Replenix Gly-Sal 5-2 Cleanser every couple of days. Since this contains glycolic acid, it chemically exfoliates my skin. On the days when I don’t use this cleanser I either use my Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel or Tula Deep Exfoliating Blackhead Scrub.

PM Moisturizer

I recently got Glow Recipe Banana Souffle Moisture Cream in my March Boxy Charm so I’ve been using this moisturizer at night to lock in all the goodness of my other products.

Lash Serum

I recently purchased the travel size Grande LASH-MD from Sephora to see if I’d like it. It’s a 6 week supply and OMG what a difference I see. I apply this to my upper lashes every night and after about a month of using it I notice a major difference in the length of my lashes. It’s pricey if you buy the full size tube, but it’s 100% worth it in my opinion.

MISC. Products

Sometimes before applying my makeup, I’ll put some Tule Glow & Get It Brightening Eye Balm under my eyes. It helps them feel refreshed and awake!

Another product I use 1-2 times a week with my PM skin care routine for exfoliation is the Herbivore Prism Exfoliating Glow Serum. Another pricy item, but since I only use it a couple of times a week, it’s lasted me a long time.

The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is still my go-to night time lip mask that I use every day. It’s a thick consistency so it’s best to wear to bed to help lock in your lip moisture.

Lastly, once a week I like to use these Grace & Stella Eye Masks to help prevent wrinkles and brighten my under eye dark circles. They are also super soothing to wear.

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What are some of your go-to skin care products you swear by? Comment below!

Sincerely,

K