Morning Skincare Routine. It's Necessary.

Morning: I clean my face with Prugen Pharmaceuticals SulfaCleanse 8/4 containing green tea and aloe**. This is not foamy by any means, but it definitely cleanses my face of all the excess moisture from the night before and impurities the settled throughout the evening. I can truly feel it working. First thing I rub on my clean, dry face in the morning is Spironolactone 5% cream**. This is a hormonal medicine that can be taken either orally or as cream, and I have the cream. Since my acne was on my cheeks, it was evident to my dermatologist that it was purely hormonal, and I needed something to counteract that, hence this prescription. If you have a hormonal problem, I highly recommend asking your doctor about this product. I got Vitamin C 10% for free from my mother because her friend is a cosmetic dermatologist; however, you can get this anywhere. It is a relatively new product in my morning routine, so I don’t know if it has been a significant partner bettering my skin, but it definitely has not been problematic. On a day-to-day basis, I use PCA Skin SPF 30 Moisturizer. Because of the Vitamin C oil, my skin is already glowing, but this stuff takes it to a whole new level. Since my skin is finally clear of any major bumps, I love the shine and glow it gives me, but if you’re a matte lover, I would choose a different daily moisturizer. If I am not going to wear a significant amount of makeup yet still going to go out, I wear Dr. Jart’s Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment with SPF 30 instead. This stuff is amazing at disguising redness that I have from pesky acne scarring, but not to the point of feeling like you’re wearing makeup. It’s not as glowing as PCA skin, but I add Feeling Younger by Lush to the high points of my cheeks and nose to add that shimmer back. This is a very thick cream highlight made of all natural ingredients. Me being yellow toned and quite tan, I was afraid the pink undertone of the shimmer wouldn’t look good, but it is so natural looking, it really can’t go wrong with any skin. If I wake up with a significant puffiness around the eyes (July 5th, anybody?), I use the Petitfée Black Pearl and Gold Hydrogel Eye Patch. I’ve only used this once, but it is already a favorite. For one, it is relatively cheap, and two, it does what it says. With or without a fridge, the product depuffs, and who doesn’t like a little black and gold sparkle under their eyes? One thing I don’t like is how you have to wake up 20-30 minutes earlier or figure out how to incorporate it into your schedule because it needs that much time to do its magic. Every day I use Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. It claims to depuff, but quite honestly I don’t see a difference, or at least immediately, especially on days when I don’t need it and don’t even use Petitfée. The reason why I love this product is the pink shimmer gives my eye area. It is so glowy (there’s an obvious trend) and can’t help but dowse my eyes with this, and a perk to that habit is that it doesn’t sting. Last but not least I brush my teeth with Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste. I did very rushed research on the most lasting toothpaste as I was in the toothpaste aisle in bed, bath and beyond, and snatched the first one Google suggested, but to be quite honest, it is just like every toothpaste.

Day: Is this where I put makeup? If so, I always use Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Concealer for under the eyes if going out with friends. I just popped off the sponge and now use my *clean* fingers because a) the sponge is a great area for bacteria and b) the sponge holds so much product and leaves it to waste. Packaging flaw, but easy to fix. If my eyes are still puffy throughout the day (don’t judge!) and I’m not wearing concealer, I cool off my skin with Milk’s Cooling Water. I don’t think it does anything cosmetically different, but the cooling sensation is to die for. It’s like heaven’s most precious angels are kissing the under parts of my eyes. Who doesn’t want that?? I have so many daily lip products, but if I had to choose my top two, it would be the Dior Lip Glow in Berry for a pink sheen or the BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in Trail Blazer for a sheer beige shimmer. Honest to God, there are so many good chap sticks cheaper than Dior, but alas I have it and use it daily with or without a full face of makeup. I never leave the house without Burt’s Bees Hand Salve. This is the best hand moisturizer I’ve ever used. However, if you don’t like the lingering feeling of lotion, then you will not like this. I rub my hands together for a good 30 minutes, and once it is dry, I apply more. I’m seriously addicted, and did I mention the smell makes you feel like you’re in an English Lavender field? Speaking of smell, I am a perfumer, so my favorite perfume is something I custom-made myself (link is to my shop. Shameless self-promo). However, if you want to know my favorite mass-made perfume at the moment, it is Flora by Gucci. More specifically the Eau Fraiche, but they discontinued that. My sister has the original one, and it is just as good, so no worries. I can’t stop picking the bottle up and spraying away, and it’s about a two or three-year-old bottle, so I’m very thankful it has lasted this long. I always have my tea mug from David’s Tea (you could get any tumbler but this was cheap, and there’s a store by my work, and I get tea discounted because of it so bargain!) full of tea. If I listed the teas I own, this already too long of a post would be longer. If you would like a tea collection, please comment below! This might be weird, but if I’m feeling spunky, I refresh my breath with pure rose water. I know it sounds weird, but honestly, nothing feels better than breathing in roses via nose and/or mouth. It isn’t poisonous, so why not?

I am by no means a skin care guru or God forbid a dermatologist, but through research and patience, my skin has improved (If I’m going to be honest, most dermatologists I went to didn’t do sh*t for my skin, and I see that to be true for many people, so who's really trustworthy in the real world?). I am merely a teen girl who has problematic skin and want to help people out who are in the same boat as I was/am.

** I was prescribed this. Ask your dermatologist for a prescription, because there aren’t any reliable sites that sell it without a verified prescription.