Despite my current emphasis on skincare, I wasn’t always so great at taking care of my skin. That said, I gear my efforts towards having good skin so that I can go about the majority of my days sans foundation/BB cushion/tinted moisturizer.

Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Lotion

In college, I looked like I had just gotten my driver’s license. As a senior, freshman thought I was one of them. Besides the faint evidence of bad acne in my teens, I had pretty great skin. Since there was no immediate evidence to prove the need to do much, skincare was just a small step in my daily routine, and I didn’t need makeup. Though, that didn’t stop me from using too heavy concealer under my eyes for the non-existent dark circles underneath them. I look like a reverse raccoon in some of my college photos. “Skincare” during those years consisted of Clearasil face wash followed by Johnson & Johnson’s baby lotion. No SPF.

Oil of Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid Lotion

When I got to my mid-20s, I looked like I was still in college but not yet drinking age. At this time, I decided to venture beyond Johnson & Johnson’s baby lotion as my primary skincare product. I started using Oil of Olay’s Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid Lotion because my mom used it. From there, I bounced from SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence to Clarins’ Multi-Active Cream to treat the wrinkles that I started to be afraid of developing. Still no SPF.

Korean Beauty

In my early 30s, I dabbled in Korean skincare products due to every Korean person’s amazing skin. I spent a lot of money on products like Benton’s Snail Bee High Content Skin, Etude House’s Moistfull Collagen Set, Etude House’s Gold Darling Repairing Emulsion, and Laneige’s Water Sleeping Pack. A lot of my time was invested in the Korean multi-step regimen. But, I got tired of it very quickly and whittled the number of steps down to cleanse & moisturize.

SPF 50

The no-SPF life started catching up to me. I started noticing hyperpigmentation on my cheeks from the constant LA sun. I started using La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios AOX Daily SPF 50 and continue to use it to this day. The lightweight feel and quick absorption are great.

French Beauty

After the Korean skincare years and up until mid-2017, I was a devoted user of French beauty products that I bought in Paris. One is a miracle product that I had to stop using once I started IVF. I miss using it so I’ll start back up when I can. I’ll detail my love for French pharmacie beauty products in a separate post since it deserves one of its own.

Current Products at 35

The medication and immense stress of IVF dried out my skin and left a lot of patchiness and dullness. Up until this point, I was still using one moisturizer after washing my face before going to bed and feeling good about it. The loss of glow shocked me and I decided to change up my skincare to try to restore it.

Without further delay, here are my current skincare loves:

Toning

• Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 – This non-phenol toner evens out my skin texture, balances my skin, and restores some glow. It’s got a cult following of devoted users and I can understand why. I avoided getting this product for a while since a lot of online reviews described the smell as “cadaver”. No thanks. But, upon first use, I was pleasantly surprised to find the scent not bad at all. You only smell like salad dressing for a minute or so. Expect pretty quick results. My husband had a couple of breakouts and after a couple nights of P50 (he held his breath while I applied it – dramatic), his skin is clearer and smoother. Rather than using cotton pads, I apply this toner on my face and neck with my hands to avoid wasting any precious product. I still need some time to work up to day & night application. First two days I tried the day & night application, and my skin sloughed off as if I did a chemical peel. For now, this is a nighttime only product for me.

Serum and Treatment

• Caudalie Premier Cru Serum – If you follow me on Instagram, you might’ve seen in my Stories that I got this not too long ago. After day and night applications for the better of two weeks, I can affirm that this serum brings the “bounce” and more even skin tone back to my skin since it supports the skin’s natural collagen production. The scent is beautiful and not overpowering. Because it is lightweight and absorbs quickly, I can apply sunscreen and then makeup over it without my skin feeling sticky and tacky.
• Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II – My mom got this for me a while ago. Though I started out reluctantly using it, I quickly grew to like it. Before I got the Caudalie serum, I was using this on my face. It did a good job of improving the look of fine lines (I have one on my forehead) but was a little sticky after application. Now, I apply it to my neck day and night to minimize my “tech neck” – those pesky lines you can get on the neck from constantly looking down at your phone.
• True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster – Every few days, I’ll mix 2-3 shakes of this Vitamin C powder with a serum to help with signs of acne and aging. This one is in powder form to preserve its potency. The little bottle goes a long way.

Moisture

• Avene Thermal Spring Water – It seems weird to lightly mist this over the face following the previous two products. Didn’t I already dry my face? I do this to prepare my skin for the next product.
• True Botanicals Pure Radiance Oil RENEW – The crazy medication during the IVF process dried out and sucked out all the radiance in my face. I was desperate for something to bring my skin some dewiness and found True Botanicals. The Pure Radiance Oil is their most popular product and upon reading reviews, I was convinced this was the product to save me. However, when I first used the product, I was applying it to a mostly towel-dried face. No results were seen and I was ready to write off the product as “hype, no substance”. But, I re-read the pamphlet that accompanied my order that said it should be used on a moist face and tried again. Combined with a moist to wet face, this face oil works wonders. Absorbing quickly, it moisturizes my skin, leaves it very supple, and adds glow. When I travel, this is the product I will bring with me. Everything else in the regimen can stay home.
• Crème de La Mer – I started noticing a lack of glow and spring in my skin when I hit 34. The dry air in LA took the bounce out of my cheeks and added constant dryness. I invested in the smallest jar of La Mer and acquired larger and larger sizes as my rare brand loyalty grew. I only use this when my skin needs some serious moisture – in the winter or when the dry Santa Ana winds are blowing havoc through the LA area. You save the most with the 2 oz bottle but it is a serious investment.

Water Water Water

You can layer all the skincare products on your face to your heart’s desire, but you won’t see optimal results unless you hydrate and take care of your body from the inside out. I take my 25 oz S’well bottle (best White Elephant haul ever) filled with lukewarm water everywhere I go. It’s on my desk at work, in meetings with me, by the couch when I’m watching TV, by my bed. I try to drink 3-4 full bottles of it every day and at least 1 more when I work out. And yes, if you drink that much water, you’ll have to pee. A lot. Think of it as exercise. Also, try to do most of your drinking before dinner and quickly taper off before bedtime to avoid those half-asleep midnight pee sessions.

 

 

Do you have a holy grail skincare product that you absolutely cannot live without? Leave me a comment – I would love to know what you guys use to get your glowy complexions!