After turning 30 last year, I started taking my skin care routine a lot more seriously. Gone are the carefree days of my 20s of sometimes sleeping with my makeup on (not that I ever did that) and not prioritizing a good eye cream. Now if I slack off on my skin care, I directly see the results in my skin. On the positive side, when I’m taking care of my skin I also see a direct positive result and that has made taking care of my skin so rewarding. I love trying new products to see which ones I want to incorporate into my routine or if there are ones that will give my skin an even bigger boost. Skin care is an area I am happy to invest money in IF I notice the products working. Here is my current skin care routine for glowing skin. Everyone’s needs are different, but I’ve currently been focused on finding products that will help my skin look more radiant, minimize pores, balance my skin so it doesn’t get oily, reduce sun spots, and reduce redness. I’ve also been vigilant about making sure all of my makeup is completely cleansed off my face before going to bed at night. I’m going to continue testing out new products just because I’ve been finding it so much fun and I want to be able to report back on the best finds, but here is my current routine and favorite products.
My Current Anti Aging Skin Care Routine
for Glowing Skin
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Morning Routine for Glowing Skin:
I start the day with washing my face either with water or with this red clay cleanser. It’s very gentle and doesn’t dry out my skin. My skin is normal but can tend towards oily. If I’m using products that dry out my skin too much, my skin rebels by becoming overly oily. This cleanser does a great job of not stripping my skin of natural oils, but also gives it a good deep clean.
I follow that up with these cranberry toner pads. They cleanse, tone, and hydrate while smelling amazing and infusing skin with antioxidants. While I haven’t seen directly visible results of using these pads yet, I do really enjoy using them. I’ve just never been a person who has been 100% convinced I need a toner, but since every good skin care regimen includes a toner, I’m persisting with trying it. {Update: I stopped using them for a week and noticed a negative difference in my skin! It showed me these are really making my skin looks refreshed and toned!}
In the morning, I use an eye cream that has SPF 20. I’m a stickler about using SPF in general and I had been looking for a good eye cream with SPF for years until I found this one. It is light enough so that any makeup I apply on top doesn’t slide off later in the day. It’s also antioxidant rich to prevent aging and my favorite part is that it’s packed with mineral pigments to instantly brighten the eye area. Given that I have extremely dark circles, I really appreciate this benefit.
Next, I use this lactic acid treatment that has been the biggest game changer in my skin care routine. It’s one of the only products I’ve ever tried (in conjunction with this one) that I’ve noticed a drastic change in my skin. It has helped clear up my skin and I rarely break out anymore. It has lightened my sun spots, minimized my pores, and helps give my skin a radiant glow. Seriously magic. It also works really well in the morning under my makeup and gives it a good base. I’ve tried using it at night with my other holy grail item, but I’ve noticed I get the best results when I use this one in the morning and the other product at night. The price point is really high, but it has done so much for my skin that I happily allocate the majority of my beauty budget towards it. If you’re hesitant about dropping that much cash without knowing what it’ll do for your skin, I recommend starting with this duo like I did. You can try out both of the products at a much lower price. There’s also this lactic acid treatment by another brand for under $10. I haven’t tried it, but it has great reviews.
Finally, I top my skin off with a good sunscreen. I’ve been using this one for years and no matter which other ones I try, I always come back to it. It has SPF 50 and is super sheer so my skin never feels greasy or sticky. All the other sunscreens I’ve tried with this high of SPF usually have a greasy feel or give my skin a white cast.
Nighttime Routine for Glowing Skin
I keep my nighttime routine simple, because I’m usually so exhausted at night that if my routine is too involved, I won’t want to do it. As I mentioned before, I struggled in the past with always washing my make up off before bed. What has really helped with washing my face every night has been taking a nightly shower and washing my face in the shower. It just feels easier to me and it’s a nice way to unwind before bed.
If I’m not wearing very much makeup, I use the same cleanser that I use in the morning. It’s extremely gentle on my eyes, yet deep cleansing enough to take ALL my makeup off. If I’m wearing a lot of makeup, I’ll just do use a little more cleanser and really focus on getting it all off. Sometimes I’ll also use this cleansing balm as a pre cleanse before using my regular cleanser. It leaves my skin velvety soft and really gets all my makeup off. I love both cleansers, but you don’t have to use them both; either one will do the job just fine. It’s something I do if I’m wearing a ton of makeup, but I’ve also used them both individually and they both did a great job of cleansing my face, getting my makeup, and leaving my skin soft. The cleansing balm feels so incredibly luxurious that it can make washing my face feel a little more fun.
I follow that up with the cranberry toner pads from morning. If there’s any trace of makeup left on my skin, the toner pads will take it off and leave my skin fully prepped and ready to absorb my nighttime products.
Next, I use this anti aging eye cream. It’s extremely moisturizing without being overly rich. I’ve found that I can breakout a bit if my eye creams are too rich. This is the perfect balance and leaves my under eye area feeling very hydrated. I’ve given up on finding an eye cream that is going to improve my dark circles, so now I just look for one that is anti aging. I don’t have a lot of lines yet, but I have noticed an improvement in my fine lines with this eye cream.
Finally, I use my other holy grail item, this gentle retinol oil. Retinol works wonders for skin, but because my skin can get red and sensitive, I’ve never been able to use one regularly. I was able to jump into using this product every night without any skin sensitivity. That being said, it is extremely important to use a good sunscreen in the AM when using this product. This product has helped reduce redness in my skin, minimize pores, and leaves my skin so radiant. I also know it’s helping prevent aging and minimize fine lines. This oil provides enough moisture for me, but if you need more, you can follow it up with a light moisturizer.
Weekly Routine for Radiant Skin
Once a week, I like to give my skin a little extra TLC by exfoliating and putting on a good clay mask. I limit exfoliation to once a week because my morning lactic acid and nighttime retinol provide exfoliation and I want to be careful not to over exfoliate. I love the feel of freshly exfoliated skin, but I’ve found that if I over do it my skin can become flaky and oily. Everything in moderation!
I like to do this routine in the shower when I wash my hair. I just find it easier and I’m already in the shower for a longer period of time. You can do it whenever. I start by applying a thin layer of this enzyme polish to damp skin. After about three to five minutes, I gently massage it in small circles and wash it off. You can leave it longer, but as I said, I’m being care not to over exfoliate. I love this exfoliator because it exfoliates with an enzyme and a physical exfoliator. It also contains comfrey extract and argan oil to keep skin calm and moisturized. (PS. If you’re wondering how I only wash my hair once a week, check out this post)
I follow that up with this amazing clay mask. Thanks to the activated charcoal, French Kaolin clay, and Vitamin C, it leaves my pores super clean and my skin looking radiant and bright. Even Bassam likes this mask! I put it on his nose one time as a joke and when he washed it off he loved the way how “clean” his nose looked. Now anytime he sees me putting this mask on, he asks me to put it on his nose too!
I highly recommend buying both as part of this set as you’ll save some $$$. I know the price is still a little steep, but I feel comfortable recommending them because they really work. If you do want something a bit more budget friendly, this is my second choice exfoliator and my second choice clay mask.
I either follow up this routine with my regular nighttime routine or treat my skin to this sleeping facial. It’s packed full of wild rose oil, vitamin C, and turmeric extract and hyaluronic acid. I wake up to super radiant and soft skin! Sometimes I’ll even use this sleeping facial in the morning if I’m working from home that day.
I hope this post was helpful to you! I’m going to keep testing out new products because I just can’t leave well enough alone and I’ll keep you updated if I add or change anything in my routine. Feel free to let me know if there are any products you’d like me to test out!
Amy says
Your skin looks incredible!!
happilyeveradventures says
Aw thank you, Amy!
Robin says
Beautiful skin and helpful post! Something that would help is if you named the products, maybe making the product name the hyperlink. Think I would’ve clicked more if I knew which you were talking about… just a suggestion. Love your content!💚
happilyeveradventures says
Hi Robin, that’s a great suggestion, thank you! I will keep it in mind with future posts!
Lisa Hill says
There is a great collection to maintain a good anti aging routine. I will definitely use some of them in my skincare routine. Thanks for sharing.
happilyeveradventures says
I’m so glad this was helpful for you! Thank you for letting me know!