A PERFECT AM SKINCARE ROUTINE - Product recommendations to help you attain and maintain healthy skin.
I get requests for product recommendations daily. They run the gamut.
Which is the best sunscreen that blends in? How do I get rid of these marks on my face?
Some are even product specific: Is the Sunday Riley CEO serum worth it or should I try something else?
All great questions! And they’re indicative of how complex the market for skincare products is.
There’s so much clutter!
Faced with an infinite number of brands and products, and a constant barrage of beauty marketing, it’s amazing anyone can find what they need for a functional skincare routine. In my experience, most people don’t.
I think most consumers have a throw-spaghetti-against-the-wall mindset. They have no idea where to begin or how to weed through it all. And they certainly don’t know what works.
Some people believe the more expensive a product is, the better its quality, benefits and efficacy. A beauty brand would never be allowed to sell something that doesn’t work, right? Wrong! They do it every day.
Others steer clear of the hype and dumb it down to a cleanser and face cream.
Neither strategy will help you attain and maintain healthy skin. And certainly not skin that has the sought-after qualities of youth: smooth, plump and free of prominent spots, marks, imperfections and lines.
So I thought I’d share my skin health essentials – the kinds of quality products I use (and love!). Just what your skin needs to be its healthiest. And yes, it’s most youthful.
It’s simple: the ideal routine has to meet the needs of your skin in order to optimize your skin health. This includes cleansing, toning, exfoliating, antioxidant protection, moisture and hydration replenishment and protection from photodamage with SPF – for your face and around your eyes.
This week, I’m presenting a perfect AM skincare routine. Next week, I’ll share one for nighttime. Have a look…
A Perfect AM Skincare Routine
1. A really good cleanser.
Why it’s important to your skin health: If you’re the type who doesn’t wash their face in the morning, I have one word: eww. Product from the night before may still on your skin and in your pores. A light cleanser is all you need in the AM.
What I like about it: The Untoxicated Clean Start Facial Cleanser is lightweight, non-stripping, and barely emulsifying (a good thing!). It’s no-frill, allergen-free and just what you need. Explore my review of Untoxicated here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add Untoxicated’s Clean Start Facial Cleanser to your routine for $17.95 here.
2. A really good toner.
Why it’s important to your skin health: Daily pore maintenance is crucial to healthy functioning skin. While ideal for oily and acne-prone skins, Salicylic Acid (BHA) benefits all skin. It deeply penetrates pores, going where no cleanser can to prevent the clogging that causes acne, irritation and an imbalanced skin barrier.
What I like about it: The Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is hydrating and gently exfoliating. It clears pores of the embedded sebum that traps dirt and bacteria and sloughs away the dead surface skin cells that clog your pores. It’s gentle enough to use 2x daily. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant to your routine for $35 here.
3. A really good Niacinamide serum.
Why it’s important to your skin health: Like Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is essential to daily pore maintenance. It helps flush out pores – and more. It’s a superpower active that brightens, unifies tone, moderates oil, and strengthens your skin barrier to prevent moisture loss.
What I like about it: The Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is as perfect as a product gets. It’s light as water, easily layered, and packed with actives – beyond the 10% Niacinamide. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster to your routine for $49 here.
4. A really good Vitamin C serum.
Why it’s important to your skin health: Both Niacinamide and Vitamin C deliver antioxidant defense, brighten, and even out skin tone. But Vitamin C does what Niacinamide doesn’t: stimulates collagen production. Collagen is a key factor in skin’s youthful quality. And collagen loss accelerates as you age. Vitamin C helps slow and even reverse the decline.
What I like about it: The Drunk Elephant C-Luma Hydrabright is a milder Vitamin C serum that’s well tolerated by most skins. It’s less aggressive than popular Ascorbic Acid (pure Vitamin C) serums, but there’s no evidence that a 15% Ascorbic Acid serum is more effective. I love the texture and gentler formula. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add Drunk Elephant’s C-Luma Hydrabright to your routine for $68 here.
5. A really good eye cream (for dark circles).
Why it’s important to your skin health: Unless you have a concern for dark circles, you don’t need an eye cream. Because the skin around your eyes has the same needs as the skin on the rest of your face, you should apply everything in your routine around your eyes.
What I like about it: The INKEY List’s Caffeine Eye Cream is one of my fave eye creams for dark circles. I love its light, silky texture. It’s hydrating and moisturizing and has bit of caffeine to alleviate morning fatigue. I also love The Ordinary’s Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG serum, which is an even more potent targeted treatment for puffiness and dark circles. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add The INKEY List’s Caffeine Eye Cream to your routine for $11 here.
Constantly fighting dark circles?
Find out what causes them and how best to make them go away!
6. A really good moisturizer.
Why it’s important to your skin health: A key component of skin is its lipid content. Skin lipids like ceramides, carbohydrates and fatty acids are essential to a healthy, balanced barrier. Lipid loss occurs as you age and levels decline in dry air. A simple lipid-rich moisturizer is all your skin is asking for. No sexy complexes, $350 creams, or marketing spin. Just replenish those lipids!
What I like about it: Untoxicated’s Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream is one of the best lipid-rich moisturizers on the market. I love its tight ingredient list, light, fluffy texture and ability to replenish lipids to plump skin and prevent moisture loss. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types, especially dry skin.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add Untoxicated’s Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream to your routine for $24.95 here – or the Lightweight Hydrate Lotion for combination and oily skins here.
Lost your lipids? Replenish them with a good face cream.
Find the perfect lipid replenishing moisturizer and get your skin right.
7. A really good eye SPF.
Why it’s important to your skin health: Your eye area is the most susceptible to damage of any skin on your face. The skin is thinner and highly exposed to UV rays, which is why crow’s feet lines are the first signs of photoaging you see. You have to protect your immediate eye area with a daily sunscreen. The trick is to find one that doesn’t bleed into your eyes.
What I like about it: Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Dew Balm SPF 45 is the most pleasurable SPF for eyes I’ve come across. I love how it molds to the eye socket. And with SPF 45, you get the protection against photodamage you need in your eye area. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Dew Balm SPF 45 to your routine for $30 here.
8. A really good sunscreen for face.
Why it’s important to your skin health: A daily sunscreen is the most important product in your AM routine. The Skin Cancer Foundation states that: “responsible for 90 percent of visible changes to the skin, photoaging is a direct result of cumulative sun damage you’ve been exposed to throughout your life”. Find an SPF you love and wrap up your AM routine with it.
What I like about it: The INKEY List’s Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen is brightener, hydrator and sunscreen in one. I love the all-day dewy finish. It’s free of fragrance and drying alcohol – and wears comfortably. It’s also only $15. Explore my detailed product review here.
Who it’s for: All skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Add The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen to your routine for $15 here.
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