I think the first face wash I ever bought was Clean & Clear. You know that purple bottle? The cleanser with those little blue micro-beads in it? Clean & Clear, circa 2002, was all the rage.
I guess that purple bottle kickstarted my obsession for all things face wash/scrubs/serums/moisturizers.
Guys, I’m a face wash fanatic. I love trying out new products and I totally take 10 minutes every night before I go to bed, and every morning when I wake up to give my skin some love. Ask my roommates from back in the day at uni, sister or my husband and they’ll tell you I have my face wash routine down to a science. I don’t do the same thing every night, I like to switch it up…but I will never go to bed with makeup on or without washing my face…even when I’ve had a very late night out (I’m talking 3am…I’m in the bathroom washing my face).
A few weeks ago I talked about THE TEN SPOT’s dermalogica facial and how important I think getting facials is. I also mentioned that as lovely as they are, they’re also pricey and can be time consuming…so without further ado…here are some of my favourite products to use at home, to give you that post-facial feel when you’re in between facials at the spa.
First up: Masques + Scrubs
I love a good face masque. Slap it on and sit down with a magazine or scroll through your Instagram feed and just chill. When using a masque, make sure your skin is fully cleansed before you apply it. A few of my favourites (as of late):
(Left to right)
Beaute Nouveau Milk Blossom Masque
Herbivore Blue Clay
Herbivore Brighten
YLLO Turmeric Scrub – which I also use as a masque
JOE Scrub Charcoal
Beaute Nouveau Face Polish
Next, wash the scrub or masque off and cleanse:
Lately I’ve been trying out the whole oil cleansing method. It works on the basis of oil attracts oil, so washing your face with oil pulls out dirt, debris and unwanted oil/sebum from your skin. So far I’m loving it and have ben using Province Apothecary’s Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover. I massage it onto dry skin and then dampen a face cloth in warm water and wipe if off gently. It feels so good!
Once a week I will use dermalogica’s daily superfoliant – it’s gentle on the skin, yet effective in removing excess skin, debris and pollutants from the skin. It also makes my skin feel so clean.
Pixi Beauty Glow Mud Cleanser is another go to. It smells amazing and I love the fact that it’s literally like mud. Try it out – Shoppers Drug Mart carries it. I usually apply it and let it sit on my skin for about a minute before washing it off. It’s like a mask/cleanser in one.
I tried First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser for the first time back in December and used it for a few months…this too is nice and a similar consistency to Pixi’s. My sister and I tend to use the similar face wash at the same time, as our skin types are very alike…we both liked First Aid and Pixi Beauty for the same reasons. They cleansed, didn’t dry out our skin and kept hormonal breakouts at bay.
After you cleanse, tone:
For the past few months I’ve been all about exfoliating toners, which are made up of acids (good acids…like lactic acid) that wipe away dead skin and impurities to create an even, brighter skin tone. They can be harsh on your skin if you have super sensitive skin, but you can water down a cotton pad or spritz your face with water before applying the toner. I did this when I first introduced exfoliating toner into my regime, which was Lotion P50. Okay…if you want the best acid toner on the market, P50 is where it’s at. Oh. My. Goodness. I honestly saw a change in my skin after a few days. I LOVED this beautiful potion…but the downside is the price tag. For the 50ml bottle…which is 1/2 the size of those small 100ml bottles that you can bring on the plane…costs $30….eeks. But if there is one pricey beauty product you want to incorporate, go for this bad boy. It’s just so good.
For the more wallet-friendly toners, Pixi Glow Tonic and First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads are just a s good. I don’t find them as gentle as Lotion P50, but I find they still brighten the skin and keep it toned and fresh. With the First Aid Beauty pads, a little trick is to cut them in half…you really don’t need a full pad per application – they’re pretty drenched!
Once the toner is dry, moisturize:
I’m always switching my creams up, as I feel like my skin’s moisture level changes on the daily. There are days where I feel like my skin could drink up a whole bottle of lotion and days when I feel like I’m super hydrated (I think this all depends on my cycle). When it comes to heavy creams, I love, love, love First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream and Pixi’s Beauty Sleep Cream. They don’t feel like they’re clogging my pores and they don’t leave my skin greasy…they’re just the perfect weight to allow my skin to soak up the moisture. For a more lightweight cream I like Nip + Fab No Needle Fix Moisturiser and Pixi Glowtion Day Dew is a great day time moisturizer, as it has a touch of shimmer to it…perfect as a makeup base.
On days where your skin is feeling extra dry, add a layer of serum. They say to apply serum to your face after your moisturizer, to lock everything in…but you can also add a couple drops to your moisturizer and apply it all together.
I haven’t found the perfect serum yet, but I do like Pixi’s Rose Oil Blend.
Don’t forget your delicate eyes. A richer eye cream is key to keeping the skin around the eyes healthy.
Burt’s Bees Eye Cream with Royal Jelly is super delicate, it’s also 99% natural!
Lately I’ve been loving JOE Organic Under Eye Nectar. It’s infused with coffee to give your under eyes a little wake up and I honestly feel like my eyes feel more awake once I apply this in the morning – thank you caffeine. The smell isn’t awesome, but it’s all natural and reduces bags and dark circles. I love this stuff!
Nip + Fab No Needle Fix Eye is also a great go-to and you can find it at Shoppers!
To give your face a refresh, spritz with a mist…also great as a mid-day pick-me-up. I’ve been loving Beaute Nouveau’s Flower Water and Herbivore’s Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist (smells SO good). They’re lightweight, delicate on the skin and super hydrating.
Do you have a favourite cleanser, scrub, serum, moisturizer, mist, etc? Let me know in the comments below!
