My beauty routine
I am not a beauty guru. But I do have skin, and despite what every 12-year old boy believes, bar soap is not all you need. I have oily skin, and while I’ve yet to find the Holy Grail that turns my face into that of a dewy porcelain doll, I have found some products that really help.
Before getting to the specifics, here are a couple guidelines I’ve learned along the way:
Shop for ingredients, not promises. Packaging and marketing make a lot of claims that can rarely be fully backed up. If you’re looking for something to help with wrinkle prevention, you could just grab whatever cream is labeled ‘anti-aging’ and it'll probably work fine, but there's a good chance you'll be overpaying for that product. Instead, do a quick search for what ingredients help with wrinkle prevention and you'll see stuff like retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide, and sunscreen. If you then look for products with those ingredients and forget brands and fancy packaging, you'll find effective solutions that don't break the bank. And by sheer chance this list includes products with all of those ingredients!
Most of the effective ingredients are affordable. The beauty industry is full of expensive products even though the great majority of the active ingredients have been well known and mass produced for years. It's very common for companies to make new products using different formulations of old ingredients just to sell it for more. Don't fall for it. There are several brands now that focus on transparency and accessibility so there's no reason to overspend. Some of those brands are below!
So after years of trial and error (mostly error), here's what's currently earning its spot in my beauty routine.
The face department
A face routine starts with a good cleanser and this is my go-to. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser just works. It's not exciting, it doesn't smell like a tropical vacation, but it cleans your face without turning it into the Sahara Desert or an oil slick. It can be used every day without risking skin reactions, and if you have oily skin like me, using twice in a row is recommended. Notice the aforementioned niacinamide, one of the ceramides that CeraVe draws its name from.
Smells and feels great, and does help with oily skin. The Bioderma cleanser is what I rotate in when I want something that feels a bit more luxurious. It's French, which automatically makes it fancier than me, but it doesn't act (cost) like it.
This is where I do the I'm from Rice Toner if I'm doing toner that day. It’s not part of my daily routine but it's nice to do semi regularly. It's a bit of a culty product but that's okay because it's not expensive.
This is a great well-rounded serum. The COSRX 6X Peptide Skin Booster has a solid mix of the hits that help with overall skin health and appearance, including that important vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. It's like the Leatherman of serums.
If you want to go hardcore on the serums, The Ordinary has the best offerings in our price range (we're poor). And there's the added benefit of feeling like a mad scientist because all of their products come in cool little vials. They have a whole line of affordable skin care products and this is a great serum starter set.
A good moisturizer for oily skin is hard to find. Most are still too greasy. Cetaphil DermaControl Moisturizer absorbs into the skin well, and this one has the added benefit of also being sunscreen, which becomes increasingly important for skin health as you age.
This is the other moisturizer that I use frequently. I love how this TONYMOLY Tako Pore Sebum Control makes my skin feel, and it comes in the cutest little octopus container.
Nice and affordable retinol serum. CeraVe strikes again with their Resurfacing Retinol Serum. Retinol can get crazy expensive, but this one does the job without requiring a second mortgage. In general, it's best to make retinol a part of your evening routine because it makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight.
These do actually work well at making blemishes disappear faster. Mighty Patch Invisible+ are basically tiny stickers that suck out all the gross stuff overnight. It's weirdly satisfying and actually effective.
The hair situation
When I stopped using cheap shampoo, I was frustrated and delighted at the difference. Frustrated because I didn't want to have to start spending more than $2 for shampoo and delighted because the difference it made to my hair was a substantial improvement. This Aeterna VITA Intense Repair Keratin Shampoo is one of those products that actually does what it claims to do. My hair is fuller and softer, and it goes longer before starting to get greasy. I don't even have to use conditioner with this.
For the body
If you just have to have body wash, I can't stop you, but a nice moisturizing bar soap is all you need. For me, you can't beat the fresh scent of Irish Springs.
