My Skincare Favorites, All in One Place

I have had the best skin of my LIFE lately. I’ve finally locked into a routine that works, and I’m sticking with it. I love trying new things, particularly beauty things, but sometimes it pays to just figure out what works and stop buying into gimmicks (I have to repeat that to myself on a regular basis). I liked putting all my favorite chronic pain recommendations into one post, so I thought i”d do the same with skincare. This is my skincare routine, most of which I have written about separately, but now it’s all in one place.

First and foremost, my number one, absolutely do this, I’m serious advice is to see a dermatologist. There are absolutely estheticians and Sephora employees and other beauty industry people who are passionate and knowledgeable about skincare. There are also people in these roles who will tell you all kinds of bullshit. If you want evidence based, unbiased help with your skin? You need a derm. If you have any kind of skin issue (ance, rosacea, eczema….) YOU NEED A DERM. It will save you time and money AND it will actually work. (Click here for my posts on Accutane)

Okay, now for the skincare recs. In the chronic pain aggregate I listed all my recs by price, from low to high. This time I’m working through my skincare routine, morning and evening, plus a few extras. First, morning!

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water

I’m a night showerer, and I hate washing my face in the sink, so in the morning I use Bioderma to take off my nighttime skincare and prep my face for the day. I first got Bioderma when my mom went to France and I sent her with a list of beauty to bring back for me. Bioderma is MUCH easier to find now in the US, so I don’t need to take an international flight to stock up. I even found a huge bottle at Costco, with the pump lid, and I now use that bottle all the time (I decant new bottles into that bottle, I haven’t seen Bioderma at Costco ever again!).

Pixi Glow Tonic

This one is a relatively new addition to the routine, but it is so good I’m mad I didn’t try it earlier. I think I was wary of adding another chemical exfoliant, when I already use Retin-A, but I did some research and it’s fine. I wrote all about combining retinoids in my review of Glow Tonic, which you can find here. This has made such a difference in my skin, and I love that it’s effective while also being gentle, cheap, and easy to pick up at Target. I also have the pre-moistened pad version for traveling, reviewed here.

Reusable Cotton Rounds

I apply both Bioderma and Pixi Glow Tonic with reusable cotton rounds. I have pretty standard ones - they’re basically tiny washcloths - but you can get all kinds. I’m thinking it’s time to replace the ones I have that I got two years ago (here’s my post on those) but I can’t figure out what to buy so I’m still using these, and they’re fine! They look tired, but they still work! I use separate pads for Bioderma and Glow Tonic, but even using two a day I don’t feel like I have to wash them constantly, and they’re easy to take care of. I did have to re-sew the little bag I use to wash them in, but that wasn’t a big deal. I mentioned this in the original post, but I don’t use these to take off makeup, so I can’t speak to how well makeup washes out, but for morning ablutions, they are fantastic.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I love my snail slime. I wrote about Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence here, and I’ve since tried a lot of other snail products, but this one is still my favorite. I use it morning and night, and I really think it helps heal any irritation and moisturize and soothe without feeling heavy. If you don’t already have a bottle of Snail 96, go get some. Right now. GO!

Basic, Effective Moisturizer

Okay, I didn’t list one product for this one, because there are many. You can use any moisturizer you want, of course, but prefer a basic, no frills, effective moisturizer. I love Cetaphil Deep Hydration 48 Hour Activation Serum, and I wrote about it here, but I have read MANY reviews that hate it. It is (lightly) scented so if you can have absolutely zero scents then yeah, this is not for you. I have a small bottle of CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion and it’s fine, but I want something a little extra. I decided to try the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream (it comes in MANY forms but I got this tube) and it is absolutely fab. It’s like a more affordable (and also richer feeling) First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, which I also love and have mentioned numerous times. There are so many choices, and it all depends on your skin type, needs, budget, and whatever else you like and is important to you!

Sunscreen

One thing that is non-negotiable in a good skincare routine is sunscreen. The sun is a killer who wants to steal your beauty. Like moisturizer, there are a lot of sunscreens to choose from and there are myriad factors in deciding which one is for you. Right now, I’m using La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Face Sunscreen SPF 60, but I also love the ease of the Supergoop Glow Stick (reviewed here) and I’ve always had good experiences with Neutrogena sunscreens (this spray I reviewed is super handy). I am very, VERY pale, and because of that white cast is not really something I am concerned with. Even when I use a proper amount of sunscreen, as long as I have some time to let it settle in, I’m good. BUT, I know this is a prevalent issue, and I’ve been keeping up with Charlotte Palermino’s quest on TikTok to find an effective sunscreen that will not leave you looking like Pazuzu.

After this, if I’m going to wear makeup, I put on makeup. BUT one of the things I unburdened myself with in 2020 was doing a whole FACE of makeup each day. I now rarely wear makeup, and if I do, it’s like, a little concealer, brow gel, and mascara. I cannot be BOTHERED.

Cleansing Balm

Like I mentioned above, I don’t use micellar water or cotton rounds to remove makeup. Do people who do this not know about cleansing balms? It’s the 21st century, baby. Get on that oil cleansing train. There are three oil cleansers/balms that I think are absolute perfection, and I’ve written about all of them. My first love is Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil. This was my holy grail for YEARS, and while I haven’t used it in awhile, I’d still recommend it. I was converted to cleansing balms via Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, and I still have a tub of it in my cabinet, although I use it now mostly to clean makeup sponges. My luxury fave is Naturopathica Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm, which I still haven’t had to repurchase since I got two at Anthropologie in their 30% off Black Friday Sale in 2019.

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

A basic, gentle cleanser is always good to have around. I like to double cleanse - first a cleansing balm to take off makeup/sunscreen, and then a gentle cleanser like CeraVe or Cetaphil to make sure every bit of makeup, sunscreen, AND cleansing balm is gone. This is not mandatory - but if you like a ritual or feel that your cleansing balm is not washing off completely, then by all means double cleanse. (I LOVE the Naturopathica Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm, but I feel like I have to double cleanse with it, Clinique, not so much, but I do anyway.) I was a Cetaphil devotee for over a decade, and I only recently switched to CeraVe. Both are great! Use what you like! There is only name brand CeraVe (that I know of) but Target brand Cetaphil is a GREAT dupe and I would recommend it over the Real Deal. I mentioned my switch to CeraVe here, and I’ve talked about Cetaphil (ahem, TARGET) Gentle Skin Cleanser so many times. So many.

Dapsone and Tretinoin

These next ones, you can’t get at Target. They’re prescription topicals I get from my Derm. As I’ve mentioned before, I have seen a derm regularly since I was a preteen, and at one point my skin stopped responding to treatment, so I went on Accutane. Now I maintain my fab post-Accutane skin with two topicals. It’s important to continue seeing your derm after Accutane, becasue it’s not a cure, it’s a treatment. Think of it as kickstarting your acne treatment plan. I had to take Accutane to whip my skin into shape, and now I use dapsone and tretinoin to maintain what I achieved with Accutane. Makes sense, right?

I will say that these treatments may not work for you, so I’m not recommending this exact treatment, but instead just working with a derm on what YOU need. Everyone is different. I can use tretinoin on my face every single day, and my skin LOVES it. But if I use salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide - both OTC and generally considered gentler than retin-a- my skin absolutely freaks out.

Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

I use Snail 92 as eye cream. I wrote here about how I decant it into a different bottle, and how it’s working great as an eye cream. I usually put this on around my eyes before I brush my teeth, let it settle in, and then once my teeth are clean I continue with the rest of my routine. You don’t need a special eye cream, any rich moisturizer will do, lately when I want something rich I use a deluxe sample of Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream. When I want to feel like my eye cream is REALLY working, I put on my Dieux Forever Eye Masks.

Next I put on Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, but I already told you about that!

Then I put on my moisturizer. Same as in the morning. PS: There’s no law that says you have to have a special routine for day and a whole other routine for night. If you can only afford/remember/desire one moisturizer? Great! I like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream at all hours of the day!

Fresh Sugar Lip Wonder Drops

This is part of a whole nighttime lip routine that I have adopted in the past few months. I wrote about Fresh Sugar Lip Wonder Drops already, here, and I continue to LOVE this stuff. I apply this exfoliating serum and let it dry a bit, then apply CeraVe Moisturizing Cream to my lips. Put on a real thick coating, don’t be shy. Then, once that’s absorbed, I apply Aquaphor over it to seal it all in. When I wake up, my lips are smooth, full, and perfectly moisturized. I mentioned this practice here, and I learned it from TikTok!

Occlusive Layer

There are pauses in between parts of this nighttime routine. I usually put on my prescriotion topicals right after I shower, and then do the next steps some time after that, when I brush my teeth, and after that I go lay on the couch and watch TV or whatever. THEN, right before I go to bed, I press an occlusive into my skin to seal in all those moisturizers I applied. I switch between two occlusives: My long time love Eucerin Healing Cream, which I’ve talked about many, many times, is just a phenomenal product that comes in a never ending tub. For something a little more French, I use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, reviewed here.

Bonuses!

Pimple patches are one of the best inventions, maybe of all time (take that, Gutenberg!). My favorite are the Cosrx AC Collection, which I raved about in my review of ALL Cosrx’s patch offerings.

I LOVE a mask, and my favorite one is Farmacy Honey Potion. If you need something a little more gentle, Cetaphil Pro Derma Control Purifying Clay Mask is a great pick. When I want to use a mask, I will almost always reach for one of these two.