Current Skincare Routine

As most of anyone reading this will know, I’m studying abroad for a whole year in Europe. However, between my summer and fall programs, I’ve had a bit of time to go traveling. I’ve been backpacking, so I’ve had to pack extremely light in order to not be weighed down. Nevertheless, I’m still a huge beauty addict, and it would be too difficult to not pack my skincare essentials. I’ve gotten my summer routine down to what I think is necessary and effective. I have oily skin, and this has been helping me keep my skin clear and my oil under control. 

1. I use two cleansers as of late because I ran out of my beloved multi-tasking Fresh Soy Face Cleanser over here and can’t find it anywhere. The first one I use is the Nuxe Melting Gel Cleanser. I massage a big blob of this onto my dry face and neck to loosen all my makeup, and then with a hot wash cloth, I work it all off. Only con for me about this cleanser is that sometimes I have to repeat this step because this doesn’t work as well as a balm or my Fresh Soy at getting off makeup. It also smells like roses. Pro for some, con for me. 

My second cleanse cleanser that I use after getting my makeup off at night and alone in the morning is the Vichy Normaderm 3 in 1 Cleanser, Mask, Scrub. Now, I’m not a fan of manual exfoliants, but my skin was starting to get a little bit clogged after I ran out of my Fresh Soy Cleanser. My makeup wasn’t being removed properly, and aside from my Effaclar duo, I was lacking BHAs in my routine. I picked this up, and I absolutely love it. The exfoliating bits aren’t big at all, and they don’t scratch up your skin. It’s gentle enough to use with my Clarisonic twice a day. It’s also a non-foaming clay based cleanser, so it’s very purifying, and it almost feels like everything bad is being sucked out of your skin. I don’t use it too often as a mask, but when I do, I just leave it on until it hardens, then Clarisonic it off. It leaves my skin feeling nice and clean. Again, the only con is a pretty strong fragrance, something I’m never a fan of, but because the product is so amazing, I can tolerate it. 

2. I love toner. A toner is what I use as my (chemical) exfoliant. My Mario Badescu Glycolic Toner is full of AHAs to get all the dead skin off and help fade dark spots. I wet a cotton pad with this and swipe it all over twice daily after cleansing.

3. As a beauty freak, I could absolutely not leave my serums behind. I like to think of serum as the powerhouse of any skincare routine. Everything you do before and after this step is basically to enhance them. I have my Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum that I use every other night. Not only is this one of the best things I’ve ever used to combat dark spots, it’s loaded with antioxidants, and it just makes me feel like I’m putting everything back into my skin that environmental stressors have sucked out. Definitely an essential for me to keep my skin glowing and hydrated. Another essential serum that I use every morning and night (I put this on over the Mario when I use them both) is the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum that I picked up at my favorite pharmacy in Grenoble. It sinks into the skin right away and helps to combat dark spots. My third, and last, serum is one to fight against acne. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo is probably one of the most raved about products from the French pharmacies, and it’s for a reason. This gem has been keeping my skin amazingly clear this whole time. Its main ingredient is salicylic acid which clears out the pore and keeps you from breaking out. I find it so effective, and I really just can’t be without it. I use it every morning and night.

4. I have a few moisturizers with me at the moment because I can never really settle down with one. Right now I’m having an affair with the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet. I love it. It’s very light weight, but I find it’s very hydrating for the night time. Not to mention it has a beautiful mousse-like texture that just sinks into the skin. A little goes a long way, and really, I have no bad things to say about this. I might even repurchase.

5. I think sunscreen is the most obvious and definitely the most important part of my routine in the morning. Not only do I not want to look like a prune by the time I’m fifty, I would like to avoid skin cancer, too. I have three sunscreens with me. One is my tinted Shiseido SPF 42 that I use on my face. It’s super light but hydrating; I put it on over my serums in place of my moisturizer, then I finish off with concealer. My second sunscreen is the one that came with my Caudalie Serum. It’s SPF 50, and I slather it all over my neck everyday. When I was swimming in the Mediterranean, it was the sunscreen I packed with me to protect my face and neck. I didn’t fuss with anything tinted at the beach. Just a warning though, it does flash back in photos.  

Now, most people will think I have this all backwards, packing more beauty products than I’ve packed clothes, but for a beauty junkie like me, it had to be this way. I find this routine has been working really well for me, and my skin has never looked better in the oily, sweaty summer.

So in summary...

AM

1. Vichy Normaderm 3 in 1 Cleanser, Mask, Scrub with Clarisonic Mia

2. Mario Badescu Glycolic Toner

3.  Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum

4.  Shiseido Urban Environment tinted SPF 42 on face, Caudalie SPF 50 on neck.

PM

1. Nuxe Melting Gel Cleanser, muslined off

2. Vichy Normaderm 3 in 1 Cleanser, Mask, Scrub with Clarisonic Mia

3. Mario Badescu Glycolic Toner

4.  Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum (every other night)

5. Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum

6. Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet