Skincare Routine du Jour

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(*) – item kindly provided by the brand

Not to be confused with a ‘current favorites’ list or whatever, this is just the skincare stuff I’m using right now. Some of it I love, some of it I like ok, and some I should just quit using but I don’t because I feel guilty if I waste things. In the same vein, I’m also making my way through some PR products that have been sitting on my shelf saying “uuuuuuse meeeee!” Not that I was avoiding it, I just only have one face to try everything on, y’know? In addition, visit www.howtotightenvagina.com/ to see the thing I love to do to help my skin stay fresh and young. In any case, I have opinions, and here they are. Take a look at these dermaplaning treatments and other important information here.

All Day Every Day

Clarisonic Mia Smart

This newest Clarisonic gadget really deserves its own post, which I promise I will get around to writing at some point. A few years ago I was a major cleansing brush skeptic (I even returned my original Mia), but I’m a convert. In the mornings the eye massager is a major lifesaver for puffiness. Uh, especially when our traditional Friday night wine tasting at Wine+Market turns into a glass or three… And I don’t always have time for a full routine with the firming massage head but when I do it makes my skin feel much more perky. I’ve been pretty pleased with the makeup blending capabilities. The various cleansing and exfoliating brushes of course are essential for the night routine.

Yes, it’s a pricey gadget system to buy into, but it just does so much.

Clarisonic Mia Smart ($199)

Day

Pixi pHenomenal Gel

I’ve been using this moisturizer for a month or so. Writing about it is a little tricky because I just… don’t have any real feelings. There’s not anything about it that makes me go WOW but – it doesn’t dehydrate my skin the way some gel moisturizers do. It absorbs pretty quickly. It doesn’t have any significant scent. The only supposed benefit listed in their product info is balancing your skin’s pH, but I’m not clear on exactly what ingredients are supposed to be doing that. It’s a water base with glycerin, aloe and a bunch of plant extracts, if that’s something you’re into.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for hardcore skincare addicts, but if you want to get skincare done without thinking about it too much – this is exactly what you need. To get more tips and even find products, visit opulent beauty.

Pixi pHenomenal Gel* ($24)

Hanyul Rice Essence Essential Eye Cream

This was part of my Aritaum haul in Vegas last year, and I’m still chugging along with it. The tiny tiny amount you need to cover the whole eye area means this little pink bottle will last basically forever. The star ingredient in it is fermented rice, which honestly I haven’t looked into too closely. Even without delving into the science behind it, this eye cream makes my skin feel baby-soft. It’s slow to absorb, so not so great if you’re in a hurry, but awesome to use with the Clarisonic eye massager I mentioned above.

I’d say this is definitely worth a buy if you’re into trying new ingredients.

Hanyul Rice Essence Essential Eye Cream ($30)

REN Clean Screen Mattifying Sunscreen

Already mentioned in my last post. The silicone-free-ness of it helps a lot with avoiding clogged pores, which is my #1 reason for skipping sunscreen, and I love that it’s not greasy. I have to work a bit to keep it from leaving a white cast on my skin, but I’m willing to make that trade-off.

REN Clean Screen Mattifying Sunscreen* ($49)

Night

Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Wipes

I picked these up at Walgreens while I was in Massachusetts for work, because once again I forgot to bring any makeup remover. That’s the one thing I always forget, and I don’t know why. Anyway – I hate them. To be fair, the micellar water is much less drying on my skin than most regular makeup remover wipes. They also don’t burn my eyes, so it’s nice to be able to use them to remove my eye makeup in a pinch. But, the cloths themselves are so. damn. rough. My skin flushes really easily, and it’s bright pink for a good 5-10 minutes after using these. The texture completely breaks what would otherwise be a pretty nice product.

If you don’t have sensitive skin and/or like a little manual exfoliation, you might actually like them. I haven’t gotten around to restocking my beloved Bioderma wipes so I’ll most likely use these up. I don’t have to like it though.

Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Wipes ($5)

Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel

I feel fairly lukewarm about this cleanser. On the one hand, it really does live up to its promise of being a hydrating cleanser. Or at least, it doesn’t make my skin feel dry and tight like most gel cleansers do. It makes my face feel clean, so I guess it does its job. But on the other hand, it seems to disappear within seconds of starting to use it. To where, I have no idea – it’s a mystery. So if I use it with my Clarisonic, it doesn’t feel like there’s any cleanser left on the brush by the time I get to the last section of my face. They’re also not joking when they say avoid the eye area – this stuff burns if you get it in your eyes. I don’t actually have any other full size cleansers in my skincare backlog right now, so I’ll use this one up before buying a new one.

This is a solid option for a bare bones hands-and-washcloth kind of routine, especially if you want something to help with brightening. I probably won’t be purchasing it though.

Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel* ($18)

REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm

This is the one redeeming product in my evening routine! You can already tell I’m pretty partial to REN skincare, but this one is a real rockstar in their product line. The jar looks absolutely minuscule (especially considering the price tag) but a tiny little bit just melts to cover your whole face. It doesn’t feel at all greasy, and my skin instantly feels completely hydrated. More importantly, I wake up with my skin still looking nice and plump. Like everything else in the Evercalm line, it really helps with bringing down redness too.

I expect this jar to last a good long time, but I’m already considering if I should buy a backup for when I run out. I’m usually a little skeptical about products that claim to work for all skin types, but I really think it’s true in this case.

REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm* ($48)

So that’s it in a nutshell! Of course sometimes I switch things around for variety, I’ve been pretty consistent with this product lineup for the past couple months. What have you got in rotation right now?