Over the past year or so, my approach to my skin care has changed quite a bit. Throughout my adult life, I've really learned a lot about my skin through both trial and error as well as learning about the science of skin care and different people's approach to skin care. The internet tends to have a lot of very, very strongly held opinions when it comes to skin care - and everything, if we're being honest - and I've seen a lot of people whose opinions and expertise I really respect making really black and white statements about what you should and shouldn't do with your skin. I get it, as humans we tend to want firm, decisive answers to questions, especially when it comes to things like our skin that can be so tied to our confidence and feelings about caring for ourselves. The problem is that skin is complicated, our needs are complicated, and sometimes the best thing we can do is try a bunch of different things until we figure out what works - and that can be a pretty awful process, if we're being honest.

Something that I've really figured out in the past year is that what works for me is really paying attention to my skin - where it's at and what it's in need of - and reacting accordingly. Where I've gone through periods of having a really firmly set skin care routine as well as periods of basically throwing everything but the kitchen sink at my skin in hopes of that holy grail perfect skin, my approach to skin care now is a lot more thoughtful and even holistic. I listen to science and try to use ingredients that have real evidence supporting them and I'm mindful of protecting and nourishing my skin overall, but when I sit down to do my skin care, particularly at night, I choose what I reach for based on where my skin is at and what I feel it needs.

So what I wanted to do with this post was to break down a week in my skin care routine and really address what I'm using on a day to day basis and why I'm choosing to reach for it, both from a position of where my skin is at as well as where I'm at personally. That's another thing that I don't necessarily gets acknowledged, especially in a climate in the beauty community where everything gets picked apart and anything less than a perfectly executed skin care routine is treated like trash. Some nights I want to do a full pampering skin care routine that takes me a long time and others... honestly, there are other nights when I barely want to do skin care at all so I really do the bare minimum. I'm human.

Anyway, without further ado, here's one week of my nightly skin care routines!






DAY 2 - Wednesday
On Day 2 of this experiment, my skin was feeling a little bit dry and sensitive, so I really wanted to focus on a nourishing and hydrating routine. I started with a double cleanse, as per usual, and then followed with a wash off mask that I'm testing out. Once my face was clean and ready for leave on products, I didn't want to reach for anything that might stress my skin out and just focused on hydrating and moisturizing the skin, with a rich cream moisturizer to really act as an occlusive and lock everything in overnight. Woke up with skin that felt bouncy and healthy and just overall so much better.

Indeed Labs Watermelon Melting Balm
Pixi Beauty Rose Cream Cleanser
Sephora Collection Banana Cream Mask
SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier*
make p:rem x Credithink Tamanu Calming Serum*
AVONxTHEFACESHOP Mango Seed Advanced Moisturizing Butter*


DAY 3 - Thursday
On Day 3, my skin was feeling pretty good - though it was a VERY long day of wearing makeup and I definitely felt a little bit congested by the time I washed my face so I had to give it a really, really thorough cleanse. Because my skin was feeling good and it had been a few days since I'd used a chemical exfoliant, I went in with an AHA/BHA serum and layered it with a more soothing serum, a lightweight moisturizer and an overnight oil. I like to use a chemical exfoliator at least a couple of times a week as both an anti-aging type of step as well as a step to maintain clear skin, and I'm always more likely to reach for it on a day when my skin is feeling a little bit greasier and more congested because of a really long makeup day, so this was great timing.

Indeed Labs Watermelon Melting Balm
Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser*
Flawless By Friday Forever Flawless Booster Serum
Dr Belmeur Cica Peptide Ampoule*
May Coop Raw Moisturizer*
ACURE Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Night Oil*


DAY 4 & 5 - Friday & Saturday
I'm lumping these two days together because I did the exact same super basic night time skin care routine these two nights. On the weekends (especially these days) I tend not to wear makeup and I also tend to go really simple and downright lazy when it comes to my skin care on Friday and Saturday nights. I actually feel like my skin really likes this bit of rest and reset where all I'm really doing are the maintenance steps of cleaning my skin and then replenishing the moisture. Ultimately, as much as I love all of the transformation steps in my skin care routine, I really do like to take a couple of days off from hitting my skin with them and just keep it really, really simple with products that I love.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser*
CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion*


DAY 6 - Sunday
On Sunday evenings I tend to dig pretty deeply into my self care routine and this is usually the night that I'm most likely to really focus on my skin care routine. Though I didn't do any kind of mask this week, this is when I tend to do a sheet mask and chill out with a cup of tea, following with really beautiful, intense skin care steps. This week, I decided that I wanted to get a retinol serum into the routine, as well as some great hydrating and moisturizing steps. As you can see, I started with a thorough cleanse, followed with a hydrating essence, layered two serums that I think compliment each other quite well, and then followed with first a hydrating moisturizer followed by a really lovely oil. If there's one night of the week that I'm most likely to look like I've been dipped in glow at bedtime, it's definitely Sunday.

9Wishes Rice Foaming Cleanser
May Coop Raw Sauce*
CeraVe Skin Renewing Cream Serum*
The Inkey List Hepta Peptide Serum
Dr Belmeur Cica Hydro Cream*
THEFACESHOP Mango Seed Advanced Radiant Moisturizing Oil*


Day 7 - Monday
It seems only fitting that I would end this 7 days of skin care much like I started it - feeling tired and lazy (I feel like that's going around at the moment....) and just keeping it fairly simple with my skin care routine. As usual, I did a double cleanse to first remove my makeup and then to clean the skin and then followed with a couple of different serums with some ingredients that I know my skin loves. I finished with a pretty rich moisturizer - I swear, the ups and downs of the weather this spring are making it important to pack a good punch of moisture and protect my skin - and called it a night.

Indeed Labs Watermelon Melting Balm
Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser*
make p:rem Tamanu Calming Serum*
The Inkey List Hepta-Peptide Serum
belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb*


I think this was as much an exercise for me in really seeing what a week in my skin care routine actually looks like as much as it was for sharing it with you guys. As you can see, day to day my skin care routine changes and I reach for different products based on what my skin is looking for. And honestly, there are actually products in my collection that didn't get used this particular week even though they're staples in my collection during any other week. It's just a matter of where my head is at, where my skin is at, and what I think my skin could benefit from on any given day.

Like I said, you really don't need anywhere near this many different products in your collection - I just happen to have them because A) I'm a skin care nerd, and B) I test a lot of products out for this blog - and you definitely don't have to reach for this many different products in one week. My point, really, is to listen to your skin and use the appropriate products along with the more long term transformative products.

Anyway, I hope someone found some value in this post and might find some inspiration when it comes to both products and a way of looking at your routine.

Thanks for reading!