Night Skincare Routine

Hello my lovely people out there!!!!

Makeup is a very important part of our life. All of us love to look beautiful and we pay lot of attention to how to makeup to look pretty. However, a good makeup look starts with a healthy skin. I have friends who go to bed with all the makeup on the face and that is a terrible mistake. Other people think that using makeup remover wipes or micellar water is enough to keep a healthy skin. Keeping a healthy and beautiful skin involves a bit more but it does not need to be something tedious. You can make your night skincare routine a relaxing time for you and enjoy each step, as it is a moment for yourself. I am going to tell you what I do as my night skincare routine. There are many different ways of taking care of your skin but that is the one that works better for my very dry skin.

 The most important step is getting your skin clean. If the skin is not clean, none of the product you apply later are going to penetrate the skin and it is going to be a waste of effort, time and money. The two-step cleansing is important even you do not use make up because the skin produce some sebum as a natural process and pollution and other contaminants stick to our skin. I know I can be paranoid with cleaning my skin but I need to feel it is clean before I apply any other product.

 If I use makeup, I start with an Eye Makeup Remover. Skin around the eyes is very delicate and needs special care. It is better to clean it with a product specific for this area. It can be aqueous or biphasic eye makeup remover, which contains an aqueous and an oily layer and you need to shake before application. I prefer the biphasic ones as they remove better the mascara and eyeliner residues. To apply the eye makeup remover use a cotton or reusable pad and wipe very gently from the tear duct to the outer V and from up to down. 

Yves Rocher eye makeup remover

I start now with the first step of the double cleansing. It must be done if you used makeup but it is advisable to do if you did not use it. During the day we are exposed to lots of agents as pollutant, own face sebum, skincare creams, sunscreen, etc. which normally clog our pores causing skin problems. The first step of the double cleansing helps to eliminate that dirtiness. You can use a face cleansing oil or balm. You need to apply small quantity of product on your dry skin and give a gentle massage. Then with rinse with warm water. If you have oily skin don’t worry, the face cleansing oil not only will not add oil to your skin but also will help you to reduce it. 

Cleansing Oil

Now we will go to the second step of the double cleansing process. We need this step to remove all the aqueous soluble impurities as sweat. For this step there are in the market different product’s format, cleansing milk (good for normal skin), cleansing gel (for oily or combination skin), cleansing foam (better for dry skin) and so many others. This part of the routine is very important, you should do it morning and night.

Independently of the type you choose, you need to apply it to your damp face. Then give a gentle massage with circular movements using your hands or other device as silicone pads, cleansing brush or with whatever you like more. Finally rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly. I use to change the cleanser I use, I like to try different brands to see the differences. One of my favourite, which I am using now, is L’Oreal Fine Flowers Gel-cream. It foams a lot and has a lovely scent. I apply it with my silicone pad.

Many days, if I don’t use makeup and I stay most of the day at home, I use micellar water instead oil cleanser. I apply it with a reusable pad and, even if in the instructions say “no need to rinse”, I like to rinse it. Micellar water contains micelles made of small particle of soap or tensioactives and I don’t want them on my skin. Anyway I need to wet my face to apply the cream cleanser…… One of my favourite micellar water is Simple Micellar Water.

Left: Face cleanser; Right: Simple micellar water

The next step after cleaning my face is not a daily step. I normally do twice a week. This step is the skin purification. That can be done exfoliating the skin or using a purifying mask. I use to exfoliate my skin twice a week. The objective of the exfoliation is remove dead cells and unify the skin. There are two type of exfoliation: physical or mechanical and chemical. Physical exfoliation makes use of small particle which remove dead cells when you massage them on your skin. Chemical exfoliation uses different compounds, normally hydroxyacids (AHA and BHA) or enzymes, which penetrate the skin and break the link between dead and healthy cells, helping to the dead cells elimination. If the concentration of component is low you only need to apply the exfoliating cream and continue with the routine. In case that you use a higher concentration of active compound, the exfoliating is called peeling and you need to apply and rinse after some time. Peeling is not indicated for sensitive skin.

The use I make of exfoliation depends on my skin necessities. At that moment I am doing a physical scrub once a week, using St Ives Apricot Face Scrub (I love apricot kernel as scrub particle and this particular one has a lovely apricot smell) and apply chemical exfoliation once a week. I am using The Ordinary AHA30% and BHA 5%, but you should be very careful with this product as it is quite strong.

You can also use purifying mask at this point. Normally masks are applied after the toner, but that is not the case of the cleansing masks. I don’t use them too much, only when my skin really demands, but some people like to do weekly. The way you use is very simple: apply your mask, let it sit for some time and remove it. There are lots of choices of masks, tissue, cream, burble, etc. Most popular masks are clay and charcoal masks. My favourite type is the peel-off mask. You apply some amount of sticky jelly cream to your face. Once that is dried you will have a plastic film on your face. Remove the film and your skin will be radiant and smooth.

Top: Face Scrub, Photo by Polina Tankilevitch; Bottom: Face mask, photo by Anna Shvets.

Next step after scrub or mask (or after cleansing if you do not use scrub or mask) is the application of the toner. Lot of people tend to ignore the toner but in my opinion it is one of the most important product of any routine, day or night. The toner not only calm your skin but also reduces pore sizes and, the most important thing, re-equilibrate skin pH. Skin pH is very important, if it is too low (acidic skin) redness and acne can appear but if it is too high (alkaline) your skin can be very fry.

You can apply the toner with a cotton or reusable pad but I like to apply it directly with my hands. I don’t have any favourite toner, I can use any but must be alcohol free.

Now it is the turn of the hydrating mask. I love this step….. Once a week, in the evening, I light some candles, light some incense, play relaxing music and lie down with a mask on my face for some time. That is a lovely way to finish a stressing working week. Get a time when you put your masks on or you will keep it for longer than the recommended time.

There are different type of masks in the market, cotton, hydrogel, cellulose, tissue, …. Each one promising something different and with different ingredients. You have a great choice. You should not leave more than the recommended time, not reuse them and normally you don’t need to rinse. Something I normally do because there is normally an excess of liquid product: after applying the mask I drop couple of cotton pads in the pack and let them soak until the following day. You will need to properly seal the bag (you can use a clothes peg). You can then apply that excess which otherwise you are suppose to throw away.

After the mask (or the toner the rest of the days) I like to apply a serum. Serum is a product with a high concentration of active ingredients. It is absorbed very quickly and has an immediate effect. Each serum has different  effect: luminosity, hydration, anti-wrinkle, etc. Which serum I apply depends on the needs of my skin. I can use hyaluronic acid, collagen, vitamin C, retinol,…. I am using now Mandelic Acid 5% from Delia. Serums deserve a post for themselves, it is a very wide topic. My advice is always listen to your skin and you will choose the right product. To apply the serum simple put 2-3 drops on your hand and massage over your face and neck.

Serum, photo by Shiny Diamond

To finish with your routine, you need to give some hydration to your skin. It is better to have a specific cream for the eyes area and other for the rest of the face. The area around the eyes is very soft and delicate, it is around 0.5 mm thick whereas the rest of the face has 2-3 mm thickness. That means that area will suffer more the age effect and external agents than the rest of the face. Applying an specific eye cream is a key factor to eliminate wrinkles, puffiness, eyebags,… Apply the eye cream from the tear duct (avoiding it obviously) to the outer V and go over the brow bone. You should avoid to apply directly to the eye lid.

It is important to apply the eye cream before applying the night cream moisturizer. That is because eye cream will prevent absorption of the night cream in that soft area. Then, I apply the night cream. If I can buy only one product for my skincare, I will buy the night cream. There is no perfect cream, all depends on your skin type, age, season, texture you like and price, among other factors. I normally use a different cream in summer and winter.

Ziaja Olive oil Moisturizing Cream

You should apply the night cream with your hands over your face and neck, never forget the neck. And don’t forget to hydrate your lips with a lip balm or mask. I was normally using Nivea Lip Cream but recently I started to use Argan Oil Lip Balm from Technic Cosmetics.

I like to finish my routine in the bed, applying some hydration to my hands and feet, they also deserve. I apply tons of cream on my hands, every time I wash them, but what about the feet? I like to give them some care. At that moment I am using Ziaja Feet Cream for Diabetics. I am not diabetic but my mum is and I am testing this cream to recommend her if it is good. And for the moment it is very good (and cheap!!). For my hands I am using Yves Rocher xxxxx. That was a present and after I finish it I will go back to the cream I notmally use, hand cream from The Body Shop in different smells.

1. Technic cosmetics Argan Oil lip balm. 2. Handcream, photo by Linda Prebeza. 3. Ziaja Foot Cream

And that is all what I do. It looks long but excepting the day I use the hydration mask the routine does not take me more than 20 minutes. If you clean your face while taking your shower then you will need only 5 – 10 minutes to complete the rest and, trust me, you will see the differences in your skin.

As a summary, the steps I follow for a full skincare routine are:

• Eye makeup Remover
• Oil cleanser or Micellar Water
• Cream or Gel cleanser
• Scrub or Purifying Mask
• Toner
• Hydrating mask
• Serum
• Eye Cream
• Night Cream
• Lip Balm
• Hands and Feet

Hope you find this information useful.