This is a handy skin care cheat sheet for your daily beauty routine. You can print it out and keep it in your bathroom to refer to it whenever you add something new to your beauty routine. It’ll keep you on the path to good skin. I’m splitting it into two parts, so you can have a quick cheat sheet and a longer one when time isn’t a factor.

Quick Skin Care Cheat Sheet

This quick skin care cheat sheet is identical for morning or night usage, just be sure to skip the SPF at bedtime.

1. Wash your face twice with a cleanser. You can use an oil or cream-based cleanser as the first cleanse. Then switch to a sudsy, soapy cleanser for the second or use the soapy cleanser twice.
2. Apply the appropriate toner. Spritz, pour into your palm or use a cotton pad.
3. While your skin is still wet, apply any serum(s) you may have. You can layer them on top of each other or mix them all together.
4. Moisturizer should go onto your skin while it is still damp. If your skin is dry, you can pat extra toner or water to re-moisten. Moisturizer penetrates better on wet skin.
5. Use SPF 30 or higher on dry skin for daytime use. This step is important and you can refer to my sunscreen post for a detailed explanation. 

Optional: I typically steer clients away from BB creams, however, if you want to use a CC cream you can do that 10 minutes after you’ve applied SPF.

Detailed Skin Care Routine

1. Wash your face twice with cleanser. You can choose to use an oil or cream-based cleanser as the first cleanse and switch to a sudsy, soapy cleanser for the second to remove any leftover excess oils. An alternative is to use the soapy-sudsy for both steps. 
2. Exfoliate 2-3 times per week using a manual scrub or a product containing lactic/glycolic/salicylic acid to remove surface dirt and dead skin. Cleanse before you exfoliate so that you have a clean base to work with.
3. Apply a sheet or clay-based mask 1-2 times per week to absorb oils and deposit nourishing minerals into your skin. Typically, I don’t use a cleanser after rinsing off masks. However, it is important to follow the directions from the manufacturer.* With some clay-based masks, like the Hello and Goodbye, it’s fine if there’s a little clay residue on the skin.
4. Apply an hydrating or oil-reducing or toner depending on your desired result. Spritz, pour into your palm or use a cotton pad if desired. Toner helps refine pores and adjust the skin’s pH. 
5. Use any photosensitive products at this time. This would mean retinol, skin brighteners, lighteners, and antioxidants (Vitamin C, E).
6. Apply spot treatment, if needed, such as a concentrated salicylic acid that would soak in quickly, killing bacteria and oil.
7. If you need a hydrating boost, you could use a serum containing hyaluronic acid, at this time.
8. Moisturizer should go onto your skin while it is still damp. If your skin is dry, you can pat extra toner or water to re-moisten. Moisturizer penetrates best on wet skin which allows you to stay hydrated overnight.
9. Eye and lip treatments are the grand finale. There’s nothing like sealing in all of the goodness with Cherry-O on your lips. Gently tap in an eye treatment to reduce eye circles or puffiness.
10. If you’re dealing with blemishes, now would be the time to apply pimple pads, such as the Mighty Patch or Nexcare Acne Absorbing Cover.  

*It’s always important to read usage directions from the manufacturer. The chemists behind the scenes know which ingredients can be useful or harmful when exposed to sunlight. Sometimes these products contain ingredients that slow or stop the production of melanin, so you would only want to use them at night. If you use them during the day you may experience even more sun damage since your skin isn’t naturally defending itself. 

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