I should start by saying that my skin is neither oily nor dry, but somewhere in the middle. I don’t purport to say that these products will work for everyone, but they have worked for me. I think that, essentially, good skincare amounts to cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and protecting.

Skincare can be expensive. But you will have your skin longer than any pair of shoes, so remember to give skincare a proper place in your fashion/beauty budget! I think healthy skin is fundamental to great fashion. It helps you look and feel more fabulous!

1. Cleansing— I am an advocate of oil based cleansers for people who wear foundation a lot. Nothing that I have come across removes makeup better. Shu Uemura makes cleansing oils for several skin types. After my makeup is off, I follow up with Origins “A Perfect World” cleanser, using only a tiny bit because it can be drying (also good for oily skin). At least once a week and sometimes twice a week I will do a mask. This black tea mask by Fresh is great, though it can sting a little! Also great is the Boscia detox mask for people who want something a bit gentle.

Origins cleanser, Fresh Black Tea mask, Shu Uemura oils

2. Exfoliating— This step works with with cleansing. If you are using makeup and anything else on your skin, but are not exfoliating, you may have dead skin buildup which can lead to problems like dullness. My Clarisonic brush was a fantastic beauty investment! It sloughs off dead skin in a way you cannot achieve with just hand washing. I use it with the Origins cleanser. I also use more traditional, granule-based exfoliation with Om Aroma’s “elixir” which has crushed champagne grapeseeds and is infused w/ mother-of-pearl. I don’t over-exfoliate though! I do this maybe 3 times a week, alternating between this and the brush.

Clarisonic, Om Aroma

3. Moisture— In my opinion, this is often the root of both dry skin and oily skin. Dry skin isn’t getting moisture and skin becomes patchy or flaky. Likewise, oily skin may not be getting enough moisture so it overcompensates by producing oils. Lush’s gorgeous moisturize is great because it has great ingredients and keeps my skin dewy for several hours at a time. No other moisturizer I’ve used beats this one. Remember to gently pat your moisturizer onto your face. I use this in the morning and at night. As far as eye creams go, I love this one by 100% pure, another all natural company, which has coffee in it to boost the skin. I keep it refrigerated for even more boost in the morning.

LUSH Gorgeous, 100% Pure Eye Cream

4. Protection— This is often the most overlooked category, but perhaps one of the most important. The best thing you can do to keep your skin looking young and staying healthy is to wear sunscreen every day, even if it’s overcast, seriously! I love this one by Shiseido because it’s very effective and leaves no white cast on my skin. Remember, you should wait a few minutes between applying your moisturizer and applying your sunscreen! Finally, now that you have a healthy canvas, it’s important to be careful with what you put on it. I am very picky about foundation and my favorite is by La Mer. It helps me look flawless and supposedly has some of La Mer’s skincare tech in it. They have a limited range of colors though. My second favorite would be Makeup Forever Face and Body, which should work for most skintones.

Shiseido sunscreen, La Mer foundation

Please let me know if you have questions! I am very passionate about good skincare and would love to hear your thoughts or about great products you love. Remember, give yourself 1 day per week when you refrain from using products on your skin (beyond gentle cleansing if wearing makeup) to give your skin a break. I will be making a post with my daily makeup routine some other time! P.S. I think text was better for this, a video would have been very long, but I may make videos in the future!