My Current Skin Care Routine

Skin care is something that I am extremely lazy about, if I'm going to be completely honest. I've never struggled with any type of skin problems, but I do believe in maintaining a routine to keep up healthy skin. It's especially important for people my age to start and stick with a skincare routine if you want youthful looking skin to last (though I do have my own opinions about that...anyways...).

So here is what I currently use on my face divided by category. This is going to be a text heavy post, but I hope you will find it useful!




Makeup Removal

• Neutrogena Cleansing Towelettes: I use the Night Calming ones. They're about $8 a pack which is a little pricey for wipes, but I have not found anything that works as well as these do. I have tried Garnier, some off-brand kind, and Almay. These are the only ones with the perfect amount of moisture and power to take off ALL of my makeup using only ONE wipe. I swear by these things. If I'm going to be too lazy to wash my face at night, I always make sure to at least take my makeup off using these little babies. Worth every penny in my opinion, and they're gentle on my face and don't burn my eyes. And yes, they take off waterproof mascara easily! 
• Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion in hydrating: Sometimes I forget to take off my makeup before my shower at night which results in a raccoon face that nothing can help. Instead of using a towelette just to remove raccoon eyes, I use this lotion. It's very gentle, and it works very well. It doesn't burn my eyes, and it removes every last bit of makeup left. It's safe to use on your entire face as well, but I only use it for my eyes. I also have days where I don't wear foundation, but I will wear a little bit of eye makeup. This is perfect for taking care of it. It's very effective, and it it saves me from needing to use a towelette since the pack of 25 is a little pricey. You also don't have to rinse it, so for the lazy people of the world (aka me), it's perfect. This lotion is only around $6

General Cleanser 

• Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash: I actually just reviewed this, and you can find that here. I love this stuff. I use it at night before going to bed when I'm not feeling lazy, or I will use it in the shower since I shower at night. I don't shower daily to save my poor dry skin and scalp, so on my skip nights, I will just use this before going to bed. 
• Clean & Clear Morning Burst Face Wash: I use the brightening one (or whatever the yellow stuff is in the pump). I recently purchased this, and I LOVE it. It has caffeine, a bit of menthol, and lemon. I don't really feel the effects as I'm washing my face, but when I dry it and walk back to my room, my face feels so cool and refreshed, and I feel so much more awake. It's a perfect morning cleansing for me. It's only about $5. 

Exfoliating

• Neutrogena Wave Vibrating Cleanser: I use the exfoliating pads. I adore this product. I use it about twice a week at night in place of my Simple face wash. Sometimes I just feel like my skin needs a layer scrubbed off. When I first saw this product, I thought it was a little gimmicky, but I have come to love it and use it regularly. Definitely a permanent part of my skincare routine now. 
• ELF Lip Exfoliater: I absolutely love ELF products. They are cheap, and most of the products are actually pretty good. This is one of their bestsellers and for a good reason! It comes in lipstick packaging, and it's an exfoliating lipstick. You wet your lips with warm water, use this in circular motions, and then rinse it. It tastes really good, and it's incredibly effective. And it's only $3! I put a chapstick on my lips when I'm done, and my lips feel amazingly soft. I mainly only use this in the winter when this windy mountain valley that I live in starts to destroy my skin, but I use it every once in a while in the summer too just for good measure! 

Toner

• Olay Oil Minimizing Toner with witch hazel for Normal skin: This is the only toner I have used in years. It's gentle on the skin, inexpensive, and effective. After using this for a while, I have noticed that my skin looks healthier and more even. It claims it controls oil as well, but I can't really vouch for that since my skin is not particularly oily to begin with. I just know that I like this, and the smell isn't horrendous like it can be for a lot of toners. It's around $6 

Moisturizer

• Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Creme for Normal/combo skin: This is my holy grail moisturizer. It's the lightest formula I have ever used, and it feels so good on the skin. It's a gel rather than a cream. They have different kinds for different skin types, but this particular one is a gel. It's cooling and refreshing, and it's highly effective. It's about $8, but it lasts for months because such a small bit goes a long way. It's the only moisturizer I've used that doesn't feel like I even put anything on my face, and it doesn't feel greasy. I swear by this stuff, and I will never use another moisturizer unless they discontinue this stuff for some reason. *knock on wood* 

So there you have it! My complete skincare routine. I hope you found it useful. As usual, these are all things you can find at drugstores and Walmart and Target. Since starting this particular routine and keeping up with it, my skin does look a lot healthier. I don't have many breakout issues, but just in general, it looks and feels better. I know some people like to use a kit or one brand, but I find that this works well for me. I had to try a bunch of different things until I found a combination that works for me. 

The key to skincare is to be CONSISTENT. Don't give up on a product after only a few days. I would say stick with something for AT LEAST 2 weeks unless it's irritating your skin in some way. It's taken a while to settle into this routine, but I'm glad I found these products. I'm quite happy with it!