I have always preferred to keep my skin natural and my skin care simple as far as daily routines go. For me, the way I nourish my skin has always taken precedence over what I cover it with. Since I was old enough to walk, my mother insisted on slathering sunscreen onto my face every time I walked outside. Since the early days of her tidbits of advice, I have listened to my skin over the years and have gathered enough product knowledge to know what works for me and what doesn’t.
Your skin is the product of your life—nourish it, be gentle with it, and feed it the vitamins it needs. Up until my freshman year of college, I had consistently washed my face twice a day, with either soap (I know) or a glycolic acid cleanser my mother swore by. Strong Polish genetics may play a role here, but I never had a problem with this method. When I got to college, I remember I did a Lush face mask for the first time. My skin loved it.
I soon became obsessed with finding the one perfect skincare product (I am a minimalist at heart, but it might be a conditioned behavior since my financial resources have been allocated toward college. Correction: I am a gracious minimalist by disposition). Soon that one product turned into two, which eventually turned into four basic products that have made my skin softer, more glowing, hydrated. Don’t get me wrong, they took a long time to find. I had two strict guidelines: cruelty-free in both product and ingredient sourcing and a relatively short ingredient list.
PHOTO: Lex Kelly
I use a daytime moisturizer, a cleanser, a serum applied before bed, and a glycolic cleanser. My favorite moisturizer is by a brand called AA, a Polish brand. It has algae extracts in it and smells very fresh. I use it after I shower in the morning since hot water and steam opens my pores, so my skin absorbs it well. Before I found this brand, I used the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrate, which works really well too. Both are lightweight moisturizers that aren’t thick. For cleanser, I use the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, which leaves my skin really, really soft.
For serum and my glycolic acid cleanser, I religiously swear by The Ordinary. Their products are transparent in ingredients and purpose and create an actual, noticeable difference. I love their Rose Hip Seed Oil Serum, as well as their Glycolic Acid Toning Solution. Another really good serum is the Glossier Super Bounce.
Everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently to products, so find the ones that work for you. It may take some digging in order to find your perfect products, but they’re out there and don’t have to be expensive to be effective!
What skin care products do you use? Show us on social media by tagging @Cfashionista.
Featured photo by Jordyn Wissert.
