I used to be easily sucked into skincare companies’ marketing of the latest and greatest, and interested in trying new things, but in the past six months or so, I’ve been happily using and re-buying several products I’m incredibly satisfied with.
My general skincare routine –
Morning: I get up and rinse my mouth out, then go straight to take Dagny out for a short walk. I drink some lemon water, take my probiotic and then prepare my coffee. Right before I go to Pure Barre (at around 9:30 AM) I brush my teeth with Fat and the Moon Tooth Cleanse or just plain baking soda and water. I will generally apply some Schmidt’s deodorant quickly under my arms for a more “appealing” body odor – I don’t wear deodorant otherwise*, so in the summertime by the end of the day/next morning I can use a little refresh 😉
When I get back from Pure Barre I take a shower, and use a bar soap to wash (usually Dr. Bronner’s) and water to rinse my hair about half the time. When I wash my hair, I’m using the dregs of leftover shampoos from Oribe or R+Co. I don’t wash my face with soap in the morning, I just splash it with water.
Out of the shower I use almond oil on my body and spray my face with whatever hydrosol I have on hand, now it’s Fat and the Moon sage and rose face mist. After that I use Kypris Antioxidant Dew (I’ve repurchased this twice so far – I really feel like it brightens and firms my face) very sparingly. Then, I pat on some Squalane oil. Most of the time my final step is Suntegrity sunscreen/tinted moisturizer, but if I’m feeling like it I’ll use Kjaer Weis makeup.
Just a note on Kjaer Weis – I use her foundation, eye shadow, blush, highlighter…mascara, eyeliner…lip tint, lip gloss – everything and I am so happy with it, I can’t imagine using anything else. I did finally invest in the collector’s kit to hold everything though, as the individual compacts are VERY heavy. All of her products are refillable and the packaging is recyclable, so they’re truly zero waste.
At the end of the day I wash my face with either just plain honey or Indie Lee brightening cleanser. Once a week I shave my face, and also once a week I use the Josh Rosebrook exfoliator (several days apart). After I cleanse or do whatever, I use the face mist again, and then apply Fat and the Moon All Cream.
After using the All Cream for a while now, it is truly one product I don’t think I can do without. I used to use Shiva Rose’s rosehip cream for a super-moisturizer, but have switched away from so many coconut oil products to the All Cream. I LOVE IT so much. It’s actually based on a recipe by Rosemary Gladstar, and I have the book it’s published in, so I could theoretically make it myself, but I’m not ready for that yet LOL. I wake up in the mornings after using this and my skin feels so GOOD and soft, never dry.
Overall, with this routine I have noticed that my face seems “brighter” and more smooth/soft. I still have some uneven skin tone and millia, but those seem to be “disappearing” over time? In general though, all I aim to do with my skincare is help my skin be and feel moisturized (it’s dry usually) and protect it from the sun. I’m not trying to avoid getting wrinkles, or lines, or whatever. I just want my skin to look/feel healthy, which is what I think I’ve finally achieved with my routine. I’ve pretty much stopped paying attention to beauty product hype/messaging lately, which has been great for my wallet and my soul.
What about you, do you have a skincare routine that works for you? Do you ever make your own skincare products?
* I have quit wearing deodorant generally – except, as I mentioned, just before Pure Barre – and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I have asked all my friends/loved ones if I ever “smell” and no one has said so (I’m pretty sure they would tell me). Leo told me I smell like a human, which I think is good LOL. I decided mostly to forgo deodorant because of the stains I would ALWAYS find on my clothing no matter what I tried. I’m telling you, it has been so liberating. Even life-changing.
I will qualify my experience with a few statements:
- I don’t really sweat much unless I’m working in the yard or outside a lot
- I’m not around people all of the time (I work from home)
- I shave under my arms every day, and I think that helps keep some odor at bay. maybe?
- Generally, I don’t mind having a soft body odor. It’s natural. Literally 🙂
I do not wear any sort of deodorant either and work in health care, where I am around clients all day and scents and smells are important {due to hypersensitivities that occur with some medical diagnoses}. I do not sweat heavily, nor have ever had complaints {I have had complaints, however, if I wear scented body lotions.}
I really don’t think we {you} need to defend our choices via qualifying your experience.
As an aside, I was admiring your ficus tree and going to ask you a question about dropped leaves. My tree was going through periods where it would appear to drop all its new leaves prolifically. Another reader/commenter beat me to it, and I was surprised to hear your tree has the same issue. I took your advice and moved my tree in a spot where it receives some indirect sun and “can see the sky”. I also started misting it pretty liberally every other day, and miraculously, it has stopped dropping leaves. Guess we all need more hydration.
I am very intrigued by the tooth cleanser! How long does a bottle last you?
I recently made a splurge purchase on the Pure Botanicals Radiance Oil and I’m already sort of regretting it. It’s so expensive for me! But they have a 30 day return policy…so I figured I could return it if it’s not amazing. After my third pregnancy, my skin got blotchier with slight skin discoloration, and this product claims it will even out skin tone…so we will see! Shopping for skincare products is truly overwhelming! I’m hoping to find something that works for me and just stick with it. It sounds like that is where you are now!
I got my first bottle of tooth cleanse in the beginning of may and i’m just now running out. I would say that generally it should last four months?
it does have a soapy taste, and you have to be careful not to swallow any because it’ll make you nauseous!! not that i’ve swallowed much, just sometimes you get a little and swallow it and you can tell…
otherwise, i love it, especially the “flavor”
i’m very happy i’ve finally come to a good place with my skincare – i used to just try everything that came out but then i realized that it was REALLY hard to tell what was working, and how well. especially if you don’t stick with a routine for a while to give it a chance…so i just decided to stop and work with what i had and it turns out i’m happy with it. honestly, i’m not sure that the kypris is responsible for my skin looking/feeling so great, but i still hold on to the idea that one “needs” an antioxidant serum at a “certain age” ugh. and i’ve found the value very good. i also LOVE THE BOTTLE 🙂
oh, so glad your ficus is doing better! i should mist mine and i don’t – thanks for the reminder. i did move it downstairs in the place where my other one was that was doing so well and it has stopped dropping so many leaves and seems to be looking better. since it lost a lot it’s looking very sparse, but i’m sure they’ll grow in!
scented body lotions can be very aggressive! or perfumes…
you’re right, no one needs to apologize or explain decisions they make with regard to their personal hygiene or style choices.