When I shared my natural skincare routine a year ago, I felt like I had finally landed on a consistent beauty routine I could stick with. And in many ways, I did. I still use the majority of the products I featured in that post, but there was also room for improvement (there always is!). I continued to swap and test more products over the course of the year and was surprised to discover many products I actually preferred, and have since worked into my regular routine. I’ll be sharing my full makeup and skincare routines in the coming weeks (I’m wearing less makeup and using more multitasking products!), but for now I wanted to share some of the products I’ve been loving lately, and how I’m working them into my routine:
When I shared my beauty routine last year, I was still double-cleansing. I would rub a makeup-removing oil over my face, wipe it off with a clean, damp towel, then use face wash (at the time I used Tata Harper’s cleanser). But I wasn’t seeing an enormous difference, and the extra step took time I didn’t want to spend when I’m tired in the evenings. Now, I just use a cleanser to remove my makeup (often in the shower, post-workout), then follow it up with a toner, either True Botanicals or Sanitas. Dr. Loretta’s Gentle Hydrating Cleanser is paraben-free, and one of my recent favorites. It’s gentle and doesn’t foam, so it doesn’t disturb the protective acid mantle on your face (more on that here), while still effectively cleaning off all of my makeup—and it’s half the price of my last cleanser.
I began using SEEN Shampoo when I started breaking out on my back from working out regularly. It was created by a dermatologist as a non-comedogenic (fancy way of saying “non pore-blocking”) alternative to traditional shampoos that can cause breakouts. I love it—the only caveat is that I’ve started taking breaks from it and washing my hair with just water once every three days because it can be a bit drying.
I wrote about NeuBrow briefly at the end of last year, but it’s worth repeating because this stuff works. I’ve been using it twice a day for the past two or three months and started seeing a noticeable difference after just one month. Now, I don’t even use a brow pencil on my brows (and you know what a ride my brows have been for me). I just add this, followed by a swipe of ILIA’s tinted brow gel (the same brand as my beloved mascara), and off I go!
Hi, hello! Still talking about back breakouts here. Googling “How to combat back breakouts” is not fun, but that’s exactly what I did to discover Paul’s Choice CLEAR Acne Body Spray, which has glowing online reviews. I simply spray it on my clean, dry back every evening as soon as I’m out of the shower so that the 2% salicylic acid can combat acne and I’ve had significantly fewer problems since using it. I will say: I don’t use it during the day because it has a weird smell to it! But it works great!
A reader also DMed me recently to tell me that she started using the Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel on her back leading up to her wedding, and it completely cleared her skin. All skin is different, so including it here in case you need another option (though I personally haven’t tried it)!
I have a feeling you’re going to be hearing a whole lot more about this Love 31 Face Oil from MAELOVE, which smells like an oil that costs 5x as much, and leaves your cheeks feeling like a baby’s bottom and glowing like an Instagram filter. Our entire editorial team has started using it. I use it as soon as I wash my face or hop out of the shower, in both the morning and the evening, the let it absorb fully before applying moisturizer.
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