my day + night clean skincare routine

YOU KNOW I LOVE my clean skincare. Aside from the obvious benefits to my skin and body, I also just love opening up a brand new bottle or jar of some gorgeous elixir and taking in the color, texture and smell of it, like an exotic spice you’ve never cooked with before [this is why the Beauty Heroes Discovery or Detox Box is magic]. There are a growing number of really notable clean beauty brands that have spent countless intentional hours, months and years researching and developing products that harness the inherent natural benefits of super powerful plants around the globe to target specific skin concerns and there is def no longer a feeling that you’re ‘settling’ with clean beauty - it performs as well or better than the toxic stuff out there with the added bonus of eliminating the yuck and actively working toward sustainability. A total win-win of the best kind.

HOWEVER, IT can be super confusing to know when to use all that stuff and which products you actually ‘need.’ While the need part is entirely personal to your skin concerns [and 100% up for debate], the order of operations does have a bit of rhyme + reason behind it and you want to make sure you’re getting the max benefit from those gorgeous [often expensive] elixirs that have been so carefully crafted. So I’ve put together a little peek into my own skincare routine for you, with the products I’m currently loving, the order in which I use them and why in hopes that it might clear up some questions.

IN GENERAL, despite my deep love of skincare products, the less you can get away with doing to your face, the better. Just like with anything else in your body, adding a few things to enhance its miraculous natural function is magic, but if you overdo it, your body might fight back and so will your skin. It’s a lesson I’ve learned SOOO MANY times. It can be hard to resist the urge to use ALL the stuff, especially when things are off balance, but your skin [and body] will thank you for using a bit of restraint. That said, everyone’s tolerance is obvs different and if your skin loves ALL the stuff, then totally go for it. If you’re a person whose skin likes almost none of the stuff [been there], you already know about that restraint and should find the few things that are serious powerhouses for you and stick with them.

I HAVE been using the same set of products for quite a while now and I have a good, effective routine down [which in no way keeps me from trying other beautiful things]. Lovelies, as always, I am obvs not a skincare professional and have learned these things from both trial + error and from reading a lot about skin health and skincare, because I find it super interesting. As always, if you have questions, do reach out. I love to chat clean beauty and would be so happy to hear what you’re using and loving. Check out the post on My Clean Beauty Favorites for much more on why I adore each of these beautiful products and many others. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

My Morning Skincare Routine

STEP 1. CLEANSE
I used to just splash a bit of cool water on my face in the morning, but my aesthetician recently recommended I start cleansing and add an acid to my morning routine and it’s working really well. The Doré Le Cleanser is gentle but really effective. It’s viscous and hydrating and I really love it [and super reasonable].

STEP 2. TONER
I’ve been using Mutha’s Rebirth Amniotic Toner for a bit now and I really like it. The exfoliating combination of AHAs and PHAs are helping to keep my skin even, clear and soft, which is a serious feat in dry dry CO.

STEP 3: MIST
I add a spritz [or 4] of Laurel Hydrating Elixir for good measure. The scent is straight heavenly and it feels super refreshing and nice. The gorgeous single-farm pure hydrosols and other powerful botanicals she uses are too many to list, but I can tell you the slow, intentional effort put into making each batch of Laurel’s specials formulas is so worthwhile.

STEP 3. SERUM
Next comes the protective layer. I’ve been using Maya Chia’s The Super Lift Vitamin C More for a few years and absolutely love it. It’s magic. I’m also loving Mutha’s No 1 Serum Vitamin C, which has a slightly more liquid, silky, hydrating texture that feels super amazing on my skin, especially when it’s parched. It has vitamin c, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and rice kefiran that help protect your skin from environmental damage, even skin tone, reduce lines and on and on… The gist is that both of these powerhouse products [or others like it] set you up for the day to protect your skin from stressors, while actively combating fine lines and hyperpigmentation. I use these two interchangeably. For transparency, Mutha gifted me the No 1 Serum, but I like it well enough to buy it.

STEP 4. MOISTURIZER
I’ve been using and LOVING Alpyn Beauty’s Super Peptide & Ghostberry Barrier Repair Cream for about two years now. I love the silky texture and ‘thickness’ of the cream. It’s formulated with 8 peptides and 5 ceramides and some beautiful botanicals. And there is no overpowering scent [or one at all], which is important to me. I also really like Tata Harper’s Repairative Moisturizer. It’s deceptively lightweight for the powerful moisturizing punch it delivers.

STEP 5. SUNCSCREEN
I use it every day, no matter the weather or what’s on my calendar. Even if you’re just sitting in front of your glaring computer screen all day, sunscreen will help protect you from the skin-damaging light that it emits, too. I searched for YEARS for a clean sunscreen that I love and recently fell hard for TWO of them [yay!]. I use Tower28’s Sunny Days SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen and Le Prunier’s Plumscreen interchangeably depending on whether I care about having the tint.

The Sunny Days is super reasonably priced, broad spectrum, designed for sensitive skin and has really nice light coverage that just evens everything out. I’ve sweated in it and it’s been great. If I know I’m gonna get super duper sweaty [like running in 90-degree heat sweaty] than I personally opt for no tint. And while this tinted version is WAY cleaner than the one I was using for years, there are still a few ingredients in it that I don’t love [ex. I try to avoid Phenoxyethanol], so I’ll keep exploring, but this is def ‘better’ and I LOVE it for now.

The Plumscreen is def on the more expensive side, but it lasts me forever. It’s broad spectrum, SO silky smooth, leaves zero white cast, doesn’t smell sunscreen-y and feels super hydrating. I sometimes foist it on my teenage sons and it’s magic for them, too.

STEP 6. LIPS + PITS
I put a luscious little swipe of Alpyn Beauty’s Willow & Sweet Agave Plumping Mask on the lips and some Salt & Stone Neroli & Basil in the pits [for obvious reasons].

STEP 7. SCENT
A little spritz of gorgeous Liis Bo or Vyrao The Sixth and I’m off.

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

STEP 1. CLEANSE
I have learned over time that I need a little exfoliation just about every night to keep my maturing skin happy. I’m in big heart LOVE with Maya Chia’s Meringue Melt, it’s incredibly silky, plush and protective all while it uses a combination of 3 exfoliants [chemical, enzymatic and physical] to clear away dead, dry cells. Often exfoliating leaves you feeling a bit bare, but this leaves you feeling completely hydrated and smooth and so happy. It’s AH-mazing. I also use and LOVE Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser for super gentle, but very effective exfoliating. It’s one of the most subtle and perfect exfoliants I’ve used and it works really well for my skin. You could also use it as a little mask if regular cleansing with it is too harsh for your skin. I alternate these two cleansers throughout the week with no particular rhyme or reason. If you don’t need to exfoliate as often [or your skin won’t tolerate it] I also love Osea’s Ocean Cleanser and Doré’s Le Cleanser for a simple, but super effective clean. I’ve also started experimenting with double cleansing with One Love Organics’ Botanical B Enzyme Cleansing Oil. I’ve tried oil cleansers before and didn’t love the experience or the results, but this is feeling really good and my skin seems to love it.

STEP 2: RED LIGHT MASK
On the nights when I can squeeze in 10 minutes for my Omnilux, this is where it comes into the process. You want to use it with clean skin. I use mine for 10 minutes a few times a week and it has with ZERO doubt improved my complexion, smoothed fine lines and changed the overall texture and appearance of my skin. It feels a bit painful to shell out $395 for a skincare tool, but when you consider that it costs the same as two facials or a few in-office red light treatments, but you get to use it forever, it becomes a no-brainer. I really love love mine.

STEP 3. MIST
I start AND finish my day with a healthy heavenly cloud of mist and I love a few, but the Laurel Hydrating Elixir and Maya Chia’s The Optimist are at the top of my list. The HA serum that follows this step really needs moisture, so you might as well layer in something gorgeous that’s going to add beautiful value to your skin in so many ways. I’ve also been layering on True Botanicals’ Microbiome Enzyme Essence after the mist. It kind of sounds like a fake product doesn’t it? But it’s really awesome. It’s not a spray, you pat on a few drops day or night, and it feels super soothing and calming and I love it. I love the idea of slathering those active prebiotics right on top and I think it really makes a difference in the hydration and evenness of my skin. You def don’t need both of these steps, but I’m loving the layers right now.

STEP 4. SERUM
If you’ve been follow me for any amount of time, you already know that I LOVE Maya Chia’s The Straight A. It is a magical serum that has changed my skin and I think it’s essential. It combines 3 types of super gentle but powerful retinols with vitamins C and E and some super nourishing botanicals [including their signature chia seeds] to combat hyperpigmentation + fine lines and leave your skin super bright and nourished. Because this is the ‘active’ part of my nightly routine, I apply it first to get the most benefit from it. Use this only at night and make sure to use sunscreen during the day with any retinol product. Sometimes I get curious to try other serums and then always come right back to this because it just works so well for me.

STEP 5. HA SERUM
I’ve been using Osea’s Hyaluronic Sea Serum for a few years now and can’t get over the crazy moisture barrier it creates on my skin. I can still feel it when I rinse my face in the morning and I love it so much. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it’s like a serious moisture magnet and will pull water from anywhere it can [including deeper layers of your skin, so make sure you apply it over hydrating layers]. Hyaluronic acid is already present in your body, but like lots of other things, diminishes as you age, so adding a serum can help plump up lines and wrinkles. It’s also used for scar and wound healing, so might help heal acne scars and other damage on your skin’s surface. I LOVE this stuff and it’s now an essential part of my routine. I also really love the Ursa Major Forest Water Hyaluronic Serum and it’s about 2/3 the price.

STEP 6. MOISTURIZER
I LOVE Maya Chia’s The ARC for nighttime [and often daytime, too]. The ARC [Advanced Response Complex] is a crazy potent combo of amino acids, peptides and antioxidants that come together to address just about all of your possible concerns and it feels super nourishing and smooth. My skin soaks this stuff up any season of the year. It’s designed for nighttime use, but I use it many mornings, too, because my skin can handle it and it’s just goodness. I will say that I don’t love the packaging it comes in [the dispenser sometimes craps out on me and I wish they’d just use glass], BUT I love it so much that I overlook this inconvenience and use it anyway. It’s just that good. Alpyn Beauty’s Super Peptide & Ghostberry Barrier Repair Cream is also a perfect choice for day or night and is exactly half the price. I use them interchangeably .

STEP 7. OIL
Essentialist’s Daily Renewal Facial Oil is the last step in my routine. Face oils seem to confuse people most as far as timing and functionality and I totally get it. I was scared to try it, too, thinking like lots of people do, that it was just a greasy and weird layer that I didn’t need. BUT it is neither of those things and has really changed the texture and quality of my skin. Face oil is NOT a moisturizer and unlike the HA, it’s not a humectant that pulls in moisture, either. A face oil’s job is to keep the moisture you already have locked in like a little seal. Which is why it’s most effective as the last step in your skincare routine, on TOP of your moisturizer [it’s called an ‘occlusive’ if you want to nerd out with me]. If you want to be a ‘glazed donut’ at bedtime, this is the step you don’t want to skip. I’ve tried several face oils and always come back to Essentialist’s. It’s super natural, not at all oily and makes a huge difference in the texture of my skin, especially in the driest months. LOVE it.

STEP 8. EYES + LIPS
I slather on Alpyn Beauty’s Instant Bright Eye as the last step in my highly skincare regimen. It’s really nourishing and moisturizing and doesn’t bother my sensitive eyes at all. It’s the best eye cream product I’ve used and I love it. I sometimes dab on a bit in the morning, too. As for lips, I love several lip products right now, which is rare because I’m pretty fussy about them [I don’t want them to smell or taste like anything, be sticky or make my lips dryer than when I started]. My top 4 are Alpyn Beauty’s Willow & Sweet Agave Plumping Mask, Tower28’s SOS Lip Softie [I have one in my car, bag, pocket…], Ilia’s Lip Wrap Overnight Treatment and Poppy & Pout Lip Balm. I love and use all of them interchangeably and carry one or more of them everywhere I go [see a whole collection of the lip goos I love here].

STEP 9. NAILS + HANDS
The dry CO air makes hand and nail care an essential part of my routine. I experiment with lots of different products [my bedside table is littered with goodies], but right now I’m really loving the Londontown Nourishing Cuticle Oil. It’s obvs an oil, but somehow not super greasy if that makes sense. It soaks in quickly and leaves my nails and cuticles super healthy. I also LOVE Prima Skin Therapy as a very last-step hand cream. It’s incredibly thick and hydrating and nourishing and not at all greasy or watery and it smells absolutely divine. Also love The Seaweed Bath Co’s Collagen Hand Cream for a super reasonable option and for easy travel. Check out my Clean Hand + Nail Care Collection for lots more yummy products for keeping your precious hands healthy.

My Weekly Skincare Add-Ons

ABOUT TWICE a week or as needed, I like to give my skin a little ‘extra’ with a combo of both super active peels + exfoliators and a few very gentle, nourishing masks. I have a pretty good stash going, so reach out if you have questions about specific products, but these are the ones I grab most often.

+ Osea Seaglow Resurfacing Scrub: This is technically a cleanser and not a real mask, but I use it a few times a week, especially when the weather is changing or it’s super dry out and it is ah-mazing. It’s another potent combo of physical exfoliants and flower acids and takes just 3 minutes to completely brighten my skin. It’s really awesome.

+ GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator: This is an awesome double whammy of both a physical and chemical exfoliant - I scrub it on gently in circles for the physical and then leave it on for a few minutes while I do my other stuff for the chemical. It’s gentle enough not to bother my sensitive-ish skin but the result is seriously instantaneous and awesome. HOT TIP: I buy the li’l 15 ml size and it lasts me a good while without getting dried up. It’s def more powerful than the exfoliating cleansers I use, so more of a treatment.

+ Laurel Honey Berry Mask: This is a gorgeous, super clean mixture of locally-sourced honey and real fresh berries that brightens like nothing else I’ve tried. This unassuming-looking little mask is jammed with antioxidants, polyphenols and and vitamins and it leaves my skin super soft, smooth, SO bright and clear. My 15-year-old son also uses it when things get off and it makes a huge difference in his skin, too.

+ Activist Mānuka Honey Mask: This is a super simple and pure, but potent, mask that has just one single liquid gold ingredient and I love it, especially when my skin is off balance. Real, pure mānuka honey is rare and this is wildcrafted from native bushes in NZ. It’s MGO certified [850+], indicating that it’s both authentic and has the potent, effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that you want. It feels super calming and nourishing and I love putting it on my lips, too. It’s the only thing I use when my skin is broken out because it’s so gently and calming.

+ Blissoma Lavish Loving Recovery Mask: This silky mask is heavenly, especially if I’ve had too much exposure to the elements. It’s incredibly calming, moisturizing and nourishing and feels amazing. It goes on thick and velvety, but doesn’t feel cloggy or harsh. I love it after skiing or when my skin is a bit off from weather or wear.