Now that we have done a primer for makeup, it is about time we do the same for skin care. Before we get started, I want to start by saying that I personally have very dry skin. Oily skin is not much of an issue for me, but moisturizing is very important part of my everyday routine. Because of this, I have adapted my skin care regimen to fit my personal needs, which will be reflected by my recommendations and the products I use. Also, skin care can be a little tricky, especially if you have more skin sensitivity or allergies, which means a product that I really like might cause irritation, or visa versa. Anyways, please keep those items in mind as we fall through the skin care rabbit hole.
Types of Skin Care Products
There are a variety of skin care products, so going over the types of products and what they claim to do, I think, is a good place to start
Moisturizer
Moisturizers help keep your skin feeling soft and smooth and can also calm irritation from acne-fighting products. Moisturizers can have other stuff added in for daytime use, which may include self-tanner, SPF, or light color coverage. There are two that I use the most often, which include the Clean and Clear Daily Moisturizer and Garnier Skin Active. Clean and Clear is my tried and true moisturizer, which I use in the evenings or days that I don't want to wear SPF. Like many products, this moisturizer also has a small amount of salicylic acid, which helps fight breakouts. The Garnier Skin Active works as a great daily moisturizer, since it also includes SPF protecting and a small amount of self tanner (plus it smells great!). I moisturize my face usually once in the morning before makeup and once in the evening after removing makeup. If you have dry skin, mixing moisturizer with your foundation or applying a generous amount before makeup can make the foundation look more natural and avoid dry/flakiness.
Cleanser
Cleansers...well..."cleanse" your skin! It is very important to remove SPF and makeup at the end of each day, which you can do with makeup removers or cleansers. For cleanser I am not too picky, I usually use a Clean and Clear foaming cleanser, but if you are looking for something unique I really like the Elizaveca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask. After applying to your face, the product foams up and creates a nice lather for shampooing your face. This isn't meant for everyday use of course, but it is nice to use when your face is feeling extra grimy.
Scrub
Scrubs are like cleansers, but they also have sand-like, coarse materials to rub off dead skin cells, leaving your skin smooth. For dry skin especially this is not meant to be done more than a couple times a week, but it is good to use every now and again. My favorites are by Neutrogena, with my tried and true being their foaming grapefruit formula. The product does what it claims for the most part and leaves my face feeling clean. As an added plus, it smells very nice too. They also have some other formulas as well if you don't want a grapefruit scented or foaming scrub. There are also scrubs for use on body and lips, too. Neutrogena has a body scrub, which comes in a larger bottle and is pretty much the same formula as their other scrubs, just FYI. Also, one thing to be careful of is never use scrubs around your eyes. Pretend there is a bubble around your eyes and no product can go in that area. I have read quite a few reviews where people have used these products and had the painful experience of getting the tiny beads in their eyes, causing scratches and irritation. Make sure that your hands are totally clear of scrub before you come in contact with your eyes. If you need to remove eye makeup, it is better to use a cleanser or makeup remover.
Acne Fighting (Specifically)
A lot of skin care and makeup products have salicylic acid thrown in, but there are also products specifically for this purpose which have higher concentrations of this acne fighting medication. One of which includes toners, which are a very strong form of this medication. I have tried both the Neutrogena brand and Clean and Clear, both of which are pretty much comparable. Toners tend to dry out the skin, so I don't use them very often, but they can be used up to every day for more oily skin. There are also acne zapping creams to fight breakouts; the one I have is also from Clean and Clear.
Face Masks
Face Masks come in a huge variety with a multitude of outrageous claims, but the spa-like experience of wearing it and the smooth skin you get afterwards keeps people coming for more.There are several types of masks, including sheet masks, peel-off masks, and creams/gels that you wash off when you are done. Que Bella is a brand at target that I like, which has a variety of masks with different ingredients, smells, and textures, which is fun to play around with. I also like the sheet masks from Tony Moly, which come in a variety of flavors inspired by food and beverages, and they also leave your skin feeling soft. Again, these are not meant to be an everyday thing, but the are fun to give a go every now and again.
Makeup Removers and Wipes
With new waterproof mascaras and stubborn eyeliners, we are now stuck with the new questions of how to remove eye makeup easily, quickly, and without irritating your eyes. Luckily, there are a variety of products in this category that solve the issue, which include micellar water, cleansing oils, wipes, etc. For stubborn eye makeup, wipes make the job very easy, but can create a lot of trash and become costly when used often. If looking for wipes, again I am not too picky but my favorites are the originals from Neutrogena. Another product I have liked is the Neutrogena cleansing oil. Much like spirit gum remover, if you are familiar with sfx, this product removes stubborn makeup painlessly and quickly. Bare in mind that this is an oil (and yes, it does feel like oil) so a residue is normal. I also really like the Clearasil cleansing pads and Stridex pads, but these have salicylic acid and can only be used for the face, not around the eyes.
Pore Cleansing Strips
Pore cleansing strips remove black heads and white heads, basically any dirt/grime trapped in your pores. They are most commonly used on your nose, but can also be used for other parts of your face. You have probably heard of the Biorre Strips, which work wonderfully. Biorre is also coming out with more charcoal infused products with the same goal in mind, although I have not tried these yet. There are also homemade recipes, although I can say after trying a couple they are usually kind of gross and don't work too well.
Misc. Creams
And of course, there are many creams, most of which geared towards anti-aging. I am not a huge believer in these personally and do not have products to recommend, but I wanted to give this category a mention.
So what do I start with?
- a moisturizer
- a makeup remover or a cleanser
- a special needs product of your choice (Scrub, Acne Fighting,Mask,Pore Strips)
Thank you for reading! What skin care products do you like? Did I miss any categories? Let me know down below! If you liked this post, be sure to check out Makeup: A Primer
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