I did an Instagram poll and the vast majority of people were looking for demonstration videos and educational posts. I hope you find the skincare application demonstration helpful to better understand your skin’s needs.
One of the most common questions I receive is, “In what order should my skincare products be applied?” So I recorded a video of how I apply some of my favorite products with my tips that I have learned over the years. Hopefully you find it useful. If you have more questions please comment below. I would be happy to help you!
Skincare Routine Steps
1. Cleanse
To cleanse or not to cleanse in the morning is the question. If my face is feeling dry when I wake up I do not cleanser my face. I do not want to strip any necessary oils if I do not have to. I run hot so I usually wash my sweaty face every morning. The days my face feels bone dry I skip a cleanse. In this video I had just cleansed my face with Indie Lee’s Brightening Cleanser, probably my all time favorite cleanser. If you want a more in-depth review of this gentle chemical cleaner that doubles as a flash mask read here.
2. Essence
People often use the terms essence/mist or toners interchangeably though they’re opposites. Essences hydrate your face and toners improve texture, skin-tone evenness and balance the pH level of your skin.
I prefer essences. I have been using Laurel’s Hydrating Elixir II Support + Recover for the past couple of weeks and been enjoying it. The scent is complex and hard to pin point. There are 26 plant-based organic ingredients and one essential oil is not more prominent scent pallet-wise than another. Is it my favorite scented essence, no – (if you ask me I’ll tell you my favorite essence scent.) Here is why I would still recommend it.
It is very hydrating, especially if your skin is feeling dehydrated it will be absorbed almost immediately. Sourcing and transparency is huge for Laurel! They source the vast majority of their plant based ingredients from local farms around their Northern California headquarters. Made with 99% Whole Plant Organic, it is one of my favorite parts of Laurel’s skincare brand. Laurel is the founder and formulator of her products. Their mission is: 100% WHOLE PLANT ORGANIC SKINCARE, FROM THE PIONEER OF SLOW FARMED BEAUTY. They create products in small batches to not mass produce products that do not meet demand.
I asked Laurel if this product would be good for my skin type: sensitive, acne prone and combination. She confirmed it was made for combination/oil-prone skin type or if you have reactive or sensitive skin. This is what they recommend for my skin type so I was pumped as they have a couple essence options!
Tip: I recommend misting until your face feels damp, I usually use 3-7 pumps worth on my face and neck. You can certainly use 1-2 pumps worth. It just depends on the intensity of the mist and how important prepping your skin for the next steps is to you.
Once natural products are open the PAO (period after opening) date lists how many months a product is good for. Typically 6-12 months. The self life is typically 6-12 months longer than the PAO, though I recommend checking for the manufacturing date. Some brands call them their “birthdates”.
3. Eye Cream
I am a huge fan of Tata Harper’s Restorative Eye Cream. When I first started using this last September, within 3 days the wrinkles around my eyes softened. Depending on my stress level and how hydrated I am, I notice a big difference in my eye wrinkles and lines around my mouth. Yes, I know it may sound funny, but I love and recommend using eye cream on your smile lines and above your top lip especially if you smoke or use straws.
Tata Harper is a local skincare company for me. Based in Vermont where she grows many of the ingredients on her 1,200 acre farm. Also, a Latina women owned company. She has been in the clean beauty sphere for 10+ years. I have learned two of my two favorite clean beauty saying from her IGTVs. “Eye cream is your #1 anti-aging product and serums are #2.” Secondly, “Oil penetrates everything, not everything penetrates oil.” Keep this in mind if you’re using an oil based serum like Osmia’s Balance Serum. If you do, swap the order of your eye cream and oil serum.
The Restorative Eye Cream is great for all skin types. It reduces visible wrinkles, puffiness, dark circles, elasticity and hydrating to help prevent more wrinkles forming. I tested to see if my wrinkles reappeared when I did not use this consistently for three weeks. You bet your bottom they came back, so wear your eye cream!
It’s packaged in a green 0.5 oz or 15 ml glass bottle, with a plastic gold lid and costs $105. I know, it’s not inexpensive though it last me 10 months using it twice a day around my eyes and on my smile lines. Tata and other clean beauty retailers like Aillea have great sales. It’s worth buying this or repurchasing this like I recently did in March during a sale.
Tip: Use your ring finger as it is the thickest for the most delicate part of your body. Your eye socket is within your orbital bone. Trace your orbital bone from your inner eye (near your nose) to your temple. Tata and I recommend taking eye cream out to your temple and above your eye on your orbital bone to prevent visible signs of aging. My demonstration video above shows how to apply eye cream.
4. Osmia Organics Balance Serum
When in Colorado I always bring my Osmia Balance Serum as they are a Colorado based company! The Balance Serum is great for people with combination or oily prone skin. It also helps combat acne if you have a flare up and balance sebum (oil) production levels. Also the scent is incredible! Made with over 30% organic plant-based ingredients, I really enjoy the essential oil forward natural scent.
When applying this, I use half to a full pump, depending on my skin’s needs that day. I use the “pat and press method” which I show in my demonstration video. This prevents you from pulling on your skin which reduces the elasticity in your skin, what makes your skin sag a bit as you get older and gravity has had a longer effect on you. The Balance Serum is also cruelty-free and made right in Colorado, a few hours west of Denver.
Tip: If you use enough essence then your serum will spread very easily and you will use less of your expensive* serum. *Typically serums and eye creams are your most expensive products because the ingredients are very high quality and do the heavy lifting for protecting your skin from showing signs of aging. My demonstration video shows how much essence and serum to use and how to apply them. Tata Harper said they are the #1 and #2 anti-aging steps you can do. Others have said it’s sunscreen so I encourage you to do all three.
Osmia’s Balance Serum is $50 for 0.5 of an ounce in a glass bottle showing the gorgeous yellow serum color. If you’re looking for more of a hydrating serum I cannot recommend Josh Rosebrook’s Hydration Boost Concentrate, $35 for 0.5 ounces or $65 for a full ounce.
5. Weleda Skin Food Original
Since 1921, the Weleda Skin Food Original formula has remained unchanged. It is incredibly hydrating for your hands, legs and face! I tested it in Colorado which is drier than in Massachusetts where I live and was shocked hours after I put on the product, I could still feel the moisturizer. It did dry the fastest on my hands, probably 45 minutes after applying, which I think is not too surprising given how much we use our hands and normal hand cream seems to only last 10-15 minutes for me. Also, I was afraid that the moisturizer was going to break me out given the richness of the formula, though it did not! That night and the next morning I still experienced no new acne which is truly shocking given how sensitive and reactive my skin can be to new products.
Offering in two sizes under $20, I opted for the larger size plastic package. Weleda has a partnership with Terracycle so any one of their products can be mailed back to Terracycle or be dropped off at Aillea, Credo or Follain to list a few of my favorite retailers that have free recycling programs in their stores.
Tip: When applying moisturizer or any product to your neck brush upwards not down. My demonstration video above shows show how much I apply. I know it seems counterintuitive, though gravity is always going to try to bring you down, so I encourage you to gently brush the product upwards. Give yourself a message, you deserve it!
