That said, mornings are still all about quick and effective skincare for me. Whether I'm heading out early or spending the day working from home, I generally don't want to mess with anything too slow or complicated in the morning. If my skin is acting up, I'll add in an extra product or two, but I'm going to save talking about those for a dedicated post. On an average day, my morning routine consists of three basic steps: cleanse, tone, and moisturize.
I do tend to change things up fairly frequently, but - with the exception of one product that you'll see in my night routine - I've used everything in my current rotation for a minimum of three weeks.
Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk
As part of Andalou's Age Defying line, the Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk is a gentle cleanser designed for dry and sensitive skin. It's more of a thick cream cleanser than a cleansing milk, but it rinses away clean and doesn't feel overly heavy on my skin. It leaves my skin feeling clean and extra soft, and it also smells yummy - like peach yogurt.
Nonie of Beverly Hills AHA! Skin Tonic*
Contrary to the name, the AHA! Skin Tonic is not an exfoliating toner with AHA's, but instead a gentle, witch hazel-based tonic that serves to refresh the skin and prepare it for the next step. It feels very light and non-sticky on the skin and I love that it doesn't contain any glycerin, as my skin sometimes reacts badly to toners with high amounts of glycerin.
Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream
My skin has been doing a lot better with cream moisturizers than oils this winter, so after repeatedly coming across this Trilogy moisturizer on super discount at Winners, I had to try it. As the name suggests, the Line Smoothing Day Cream is intended to restore hydration and smooth lines. With a blend of hyaluronic acid and avocado, olive, acai, and evening primrose oils to hydrate and nourish, and botanical hydroxypoline (an amino acid) to stimulate collagen production, improve elasticity and fight free radical damage, it sounds like a moisturizer with a lot going on. After using it for about a month now, I haven't noticed any dramatic line smoothing (not that I have a ton of lines/wrinkles to begin with!), but it's a good moisturizer. The scent is light, it feels very gentle, and it does a good job hydrating the skin. I don't know where to buy Trilogy products in Canada regularly, but if I come across it at Winners again, I'll definitely pick up a backup.
Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream / La Mav Anti Dark-Circle & Ultra-Firm Eye Gel*
I use these two interchangeably and out of everything in my routine, this is the one area where I'll be happy to switch to something else once these are finished. Neither are bad products, they just haven't given me the results I was hoping for. If you're very dry around the eyes, the La Mav - in spite of its seemingly light, gel consistency - is fantastic for hydration, and if you want an eye cream that you can immediately apply makeup on top of, the Balance Me is great in that regard. Both do also help with minor puffiness, I just wish one of them had been able to do more for my dark circles.
Badger Sea Buckthorn Face Oil* / Karooch Hazelnut Oil
Most mornings I use the Trilogy moisturizer and call it a day, but if my skin is feeling extra dry, I'll top the moisturizer with a couple drops of these two oils mixed together. The Badger is super hydrating and the hazelnut oil - my absolute favorite face oil - lightens it up slightly and helps to speed up absorption.
And there you have it: my current morning skincare routine. I'll have posts on my nighttime skincare and occasional products and treatments I use coming up in the next couple weeks too, so stay tuned for those!
*Press sample
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I am so excited to try this Cleansing Milk, and your review just makes me want to go pick it up now.
ReplyDeleteIt's really great! I don't think I've seen anything but glowing reviews. Let me know how you like it if you do end up picking it up :)
DeleteI love Andalou's hair care line so I have to try out the cleansing milk now.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I'm pretty new to Andalou products, but really impressed with all the skincare I've tried :)
DeleteMy skin has been going through a trouble phase, so I've been following a minimalistic approach with an emphasis on healing. I've been loving the effects of raw honey as a cleanser and in masks, followed by the Dr. Alkaitis Soothing Gel.
ReplyDeleteI always go very minimal when my skin acts up too! You really can't beat raw honey :)
DeleteAndalou is my favorite affordable brand! I'm always happy with the andalou product! it is rare i'm disappointed with this brand :) Nice post Caitie, love to read about routine :) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie! I wasn't crazy about the first couple Andalou products I tried - for hair/body - which is why I waited so long to try more. But, now that I have, I'm LOVING their skincare. Everything I've tried works so well :)
DeleteLa Mav eye cream sounds nice to me, I am mostly concerned about puffiness lately..
ReplyDeleteP.S.: I am so glad to have you as a part of the Green Bloggers Community on TLV Birdie Blog!
Oly | TLV Birdie Blog
http://tlvbirdie.com
Thanks Oly! I'm so glad you decided to create the community :)
Deletethe Trilogy cream sounds so promising!! I love Trilogy products and need to try more of them :) thanks for sharing your routine ♥
ReplyDeletehttp://storybookapothecary.com | stop by and chat :)
Same here, I'd love to try more from Trilogy! Everything I've used so far has been great :)
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