My Skincare Routine

Hello, friends!  I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!  It has been a rainy one here in North Carolina.  Actually, it has rained pretty much every day for the past two weeks.  We were in desperate need of the rain, but now I think we’ve had enough for a little while.  Crazy how Mother Nature goes from one extreme to another!

Several of you have sent me messages on Instagram wanting to know about my skincare routine, so I wanted to share the skinny on the products I use and the routine that works best for me!  Growing up, I had pretty normal (although freckled!) skin and rarely broke out, but in my late 20s, everything changed thanks to my changing hormones!  I developed full-on cystic acne, mostly on my chin and neck, but also some on my forehead, and so began my multi-year battle of finding the right solution to solve all my skin-related woes.  I tried soooo many skincare lines, and the only one that really helped was Proactiv, but I felt it was just too harsh on my skin and was not really helping with aging.  My skin went from extremely dry and flaky to incredibly oily – my makeup would wipe right off of my face by the end of the day.  It was so dang frustrating!  I finally decided to see a dermatologist, and was prescribed a couple of topical treatments including an antibiotic and a retinoid.  I cut out everything else I had been using and only used these medicines, plus the basic Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash as my cleanser.   My skin finally started to get under control and the breakouts subsided, so I knew it was time to find a good skincare routine to really focus on keeping my skin healthy but also help with aging.  I came across Drunk Elephant after seeing a beauty blogger mention it in a post.  I’ll admit, I am a sucker for packaging and was drawn to the bright, cute bottles and catchy name, so I started reading up on it and was intrigued by their philosophy and decided to give it a try.  At the time, Drunk Elephant was still pretty new on the market and only had a few products in their line-up.  You can read the background about Drunk Elephant here, including how it got it’s name (cute story!).  I started with this night serum, and shortly after I added in the Vitamin C day serum.  I quickly started to see a difference in my skin – the texture changed and it became very tight and smooth.  I have never had major issues with large pores, but the pores I could see around my nose seemed to get smaller.  Even my freckles were lighter and my skin tone more even.  My skin was in such good shape that for the first time in my adult life, I was comfortable leaving the house without foundation on my face!  I have been using the line for about five years now and have never looked back.  Over the years, Drunk Elephant has expanded their products, and I’ve tried just about every one of them!  I’ll run through all of the ones I have tried and how I use them below, as well as some other tips on my skincare routine.

My Morning Routine:

• Wash my face with the Beste Jelly Cleanser.
• Mix one pump of the C-Firma Day Serum with one pump of the B-Hydra Gel moisturizer.
• Apply make-up.
• Note:  on days where I don’t want to put on a full face of make-up, I will mix in a squirt of this tinted sunscreen and a pump of this bronzing serum with the C-Firm and B-Hydra for a sun kissed glow.

My Nighttime Routine:

• Wash my face with the Beste Jelly Cleanser (removes make-up, even on the eyes).
• Apply one pump of the  TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum to my face.  This can totally be used alone (that is how I started out), but I have since added in other products.  I mix one pump of the night serum with one pump of the NEW Protini Polypeptide Cream, and one drop of the Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil.
• A couple of nights a week, I use a dermatologist prescribed retinoid called Tretinoin.  I think everyone should have a retin-a based product in their skincare routine.  The retinoid tends to dry me out, so I will use the Lala Retro Whipped Cream for added moisture on those nights.  I do NOT mix the TLC Framboos Night Serum with the retinoid.

*NOTE about the Drunk Elephant products:  The C-Firma Day Serum and TLC Framboos Night Serum are the most pricey of the product lineup, but they each last me about six months, so I only have to buy twice a year.  The Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil lasts me about a year and a half.  The great thing about these products is how you only need one pump, and you can mix them all together so they cover a lot of skin and last a long time.  The product I go through the quickest is the Beste Cleanser, but only because I am using it twice a day, every day.  If you can only start with one or two products, I would recommend starting with either the C-Firma Day Serum or TLC Framboos Night serum.  Drunk Elephant also offers a set called “The Littles” that is a nice sampling of several of the key products, so that is also a good option with which to start!

Medi-Spa Treatments:

• To be totally transparent, I have reached the age where products alone will not keep all the wrinkles at bay, so I DO get botox a couple times a year for the lines in my forehead and the “11s” between my brows!
• In the fall and winter, I get chemical peels every few weeks – I love a good peel!
• I have also experimented with micro-current facials, although I have not had any in about a year or so.

Additional Skincare Tips:

• Drink LOTS of water!  It all starts with this y’all.  I drink at least 64 oz of water a day.  When I am lacking on water intake, I can totally tell in my skin.  Staying hydrated is soooo important to healthy skin!
• Wash your face EVERY night before bed.  Back in my late teens/early 20s, someone in the skincare business told me that for every night that you go to bed with makeup on your face, your skin ages 7 days.  I don’t know if that’s true, but it freaked me out enough to never want to find out, lol!  I don’t care how tired I am, how sick I am, or how tipsy I might be (ha!), I ALWAYS wash my face before bed.
• Wear sunscreen EVERY day!  Whether sunny or rainy, summer or winter, you should be wearing sunscreen on your face every.single.day.  My everyday foundation has an SPF in it, but if I am going make-up free for the day or if I am at the beach, I use this stand-alone sunscreen.  This can also be mixed in with the other Drunk Elephant products as a part of your every day routine (since it is currently summer, I am using the tinted sunscreen mixed with the bronzing serum I mentioned above!).
• Add Collagen Protein Peptides to your daily routine (or at least a few days a week).  All you need is two scoops in your beverage of choice each day.  You can add them to water, coffee, tea, etc, and the benefits are amazing (just let them dissolve completely for about five minutes before drinking).  They are great for your skin, but also for hair and nail growth.  Plus – if you’re tracking macros like me, they are a great source of added protein!

You probably noticed the ONE thing I did not mention as a part of my skincare routine is the EYES, and that’s because I need help in that department!  For some reason, I have developed an allergy to eye products in the past year or so (skincare related only – hasn’t happened with eye make-up, not yet anyway).   I have tried several different creams for the eyes, and they make my eyelids swell and then they get itchy and start flaking – it’s crazy!  Anyway, I definitely need to find a good eye cream for wrinkles and under-eye circles, so PLEASE let me know if you have any good recommendations!

Was this post helpful?  Comment below and let me know!  Also, I would love to hear about the products that you can’t live without!  And as always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about any of the products I have mentioned.  You can shop every product I’ve mentioned in the rotating bar below.  Have a wonderful day and week!  XOXO!

*NOTE:  This post is NOT sponsored or an ad – I truly love Drunk Elephant products and want to share the goodness with you all!

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