When my skin feels smooth and glowy, I feel more confident throughout my entire day. So, I’m constantly searching for the best products that will help my skin look its best so that I can feel my best. Even though what I consider to be the best skin care regimen is always evolving, today I’m sharing every product that has currently made the cut in my morning skincare routine steps for smooth skin!
Over the past few months, I’ve grown from an overly basic 3 step skincare routine to something much more lengthy. It does take some time. A few months ago, if I were reading some blogger’s 9 step skincare routine, I would have been like, “hahaha yeah right, that’s going to take too long, I’m not doing it.” However, now that I’ve done it, I really believe that it’s the multiple steps and the multiple products for different things that have helped make a difference! My breakouts have been reduced, my texture is a lot better, and my skin is more balanced since starting what is the current best skin care regimen for me!
All of the products listed below were gifted to me by the brands. In my line of work, skincare products make their way into my life almost daily, so of course I’m going to try what’s on my doorstep! BUT, for every product I do talk about, there are probably 5 or 6 others that I tried that didn’t work (and I kindly let the brand know I can’t promote them because I didn’t see results). Please know I would never share something with you out of obligation, I truly do stand behind everything in this post, and these are what have honestly helped improve my skin lately! This post may contain affiliate links (which means I make a small commission when you shop from them) because we all have to pay our bills, and I’d rather keep creating awesome content for you than get a real job. All opinions are my own.**
(Worth Mentioning) Microneedling
This obviously isn’t an every morning thing, but some of the noticeable differences I’ve seen in my skin lately are from microneedling treatments. You can read all about my microneedling experience here along with my results and whether or not it has helped my acne scars!
Best Skincare Products to Use in the Morning
1.) Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – Super gentle and really gets everything off my face. It gives me a fresh, clean slate to work with when applying the rest of my products!
2.) Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant – This stuff is worth every penny! It, in no way, feels abrasive but the gritty texture does wonders for the smoothness of my skin. Make sure you follow the directions on the bottle! Shortly after I added these two Dermalogica products to my routine (without changing anything else), I started to see an improvement in my acne, which I’m so grateful for!
3.) Pixi Glow Tonic – Sometimes my skin is super dry, other times it’s very oily. It seems like it just does whatever it feels like doing that day, haha. This toner is great because it keeps my skin balanced so that I don’t have to deal with all of that! I really notice a difference when I don’t use it. If my skin is looking red or feeling irritated, I use the Pixi Rose Tonic instead of the Glow Tonic.
4.) Michael Todd Beauty SonicEraser Pro – This nifty piece of beauty technology helps all of your products penetrate the deeper layers of your epidermis (the surfacy part of your skin). When your products absorb better, they’re more effective! My products also absorb faster when I use this, so this whole routine takes less time.
5.) Hēladerm’s Vitamin C Serum – Using the Michael Todd Beauty SonicEraser Pro, I apply this Vitamin C Serum for glowy, youthful skin. I love this product so much that I wrote an entire blog post on it. If you aren’t using a Vitamin C Serum in your skincare routine, you’re missing out!
6.) Clinique iD – Gems, this is SO cool! Clinique iD is a unique, personalized skin care line. You pick a Dramatically Different Moisturizer and then an Active Cartridge Concentrate based off your skin’s needs – there are 15 combinations! I went with the hydrating jelly (which has been friendly to my acne prone skin) and the green cartridge that calms irritated skin. I apply this with the SonicEraser Pro!
7.) SheaMoisture Soothing Relief Eye Cream – This is the best $13.49 you’ll ever spend for an eye cream. It helps with puffiness, dark circles, and color correction. Plus, the cooling applicator feels so soothing against your skin, especially in the morning. This stuff makes me look more awake in MINUTES!
8.) Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer™ Physical Daily Defense SPF 30 (if I’m going outside that day) – The best natural sunscreen option I’ve tried! Lightweight (be careful not to use too much or it will get oily, you just need a little bit), goes well under makeup, and is friendly for acne prone skin.
9.) If I’m putting on making that day – MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion, MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Base, MAC Strobe Cream – If you look at my close up photos, most of the time you wouldn’t know my skin is breaking out or that I have acne scars. And it’s not because of Photoshop, it’s because I’ve gotten good at covering things up with makeup and it all starts with these 3 products – they’re truly my heroes.
