2020 was definitely the year when I started to pay special attention to skin care, especially because I also started to use better products and I could actually see some results. I’m in my 30s now so I think good skin care is much more important for the long term than expensive makeup products, so I’m willing to invest more in that.

Now, because I have so many products that I received in subscription boxes and even now in the advent calendar, I think it might be fun to see how I incorporated all of those products in my current skin care routine, what I will keep using and what else I want to try.

Please remember that I’m not some skin care expert and what works for me may not work for you, so it’s up to you to try out and see what’s the most suitable for your skin care regime. For now, I have 9 products that I use on daily basis and I think they work best for me.

I have combination skin, which turns more one the oily side during summer and more on the dry side during winter, which means I have to change it up and use mattifying products during summer and more nourishing products during winter. My main concerns are anti-aging for those fine lines I start to get and using products that are suitable even for sensitive skin because otherwise I tend to break out.

AM skin care routine

I start my days early because I wake up at 6 AM and doing my skin care routine is the first thing I do in the morning. I then proceed to do my makeup (which takes longer), fix my hair and dress up for work. So my morning skin care routine is rather simple.

The first step is to wash my face with lukewarm water. I hate cold water, especially during winter, so I don’t do the whole using cold water to depuff my face. If I’m well rested and I do my evening skin care routine I don’t have any issues in the morning.

The second step is to apply my Dr. Dennis Gross vitamin C serum. This is a habit that I will maintain as I have the Ecooking serum up next and I like the way vitamin C makes my skin look radiant like I’m well rested. Plus, it’s a great antioxidant, so I think it’s good to use in the morning.

The third step is to apply a moisturizer. I’m currently using the Naobay Detox Oxygen Light Cream, but any lightweight moisturizer will do.

The final step is to apply my eye cream. I think eye cream is really important because I need something more nourishing for the under eye area, so the AHC Essential eye cream does a great job at hydrating and brightening the under eye are and I also see some improvement when it comes to the fine lines I have in the under eye area.

That’s all I do in the morning, so everything can be reduced to vitamin C serum, a moisturizer and an eye cream.

PM skin care routine

In the evening is when I have more time to apply more products and I tend to use products that have a rich texture. I don’t care if I’m shiny when I go to bed, all that matter is that my skin looks great in the morning.

First, I start with takin off my eye makeup using a micellar water or an eye makeup remover. The one I have now is the Nivea Rose Touch Micellar Water. I had it before and I like it because it doesn’t irritate my eyes, it removes mascara easily and I like everything that has roses in it because roses have a calming effect on the skin.

The next step is to cleanse my skin. I don’t wear heavy makeup, so I don’t think I need to double cleanse. Usually I go for some type of cleanser like a gel, a foam or in this case, the Eve Lom cleansing balm. It’s not my favorite, so I will have to get a gel or something similar when I’m done with it. I just don’t feel clean if I don’t wash my face thoroughly. To be honest, I even use Dove soap sometimes and believe it or not, it doesn’t dry up my skin and I have no issues with it. It’s simple and delicate enough, although I know many skin care enthusiasts say that soap is a big no-no for the face.

After cleansing, I use the Ren Ready Steady Glow AHA Tonic. I don’t use it in the morning because it contains lactic acid and lactic acid makes the skin sensitive to UVs, so applying an SPF is very important (at least that’s what it says on the bottle). I like how it makes the skin look radiant, but I don’t know yet if it’s safe to use it in the morning as well.

Next, this is a step that I do just for now, because I have a mini size of the Douglas Nutri Focus Nourishing Serum-Oil with shea butter and apricot oil. It says it’s suitable for dry skin, but I like how it feels on the skin and the fact that it doesn’t leave any sticky residues. I think face oils are great, as long as they absorb into the skin and they don’t make me break out.

After I let the oil to sink in, I apply the Tan-Luxe Super Glow serum because it contains hyaluronic acid and this is an ingredient that I love and I think it’s great in the evening because it has time to hydrate the skin during the night. I don’t see any gradual tanning happening, but I don’t care, to be honest. I think I will continue to use a hyaluronic acid serum because serums are just awesome!

After the oil and the serum, I still apply a moisturizer, to lock in all that moisture. Now it’s the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and then I will start using the Elemis night cream. I think day creams and night creams should be different, because I want something lighter for the day (even just a gel-cream during summer) and something more nourishing in the evening. I won’t apply any makeup or anything else, so I don’t care if my skin looks a little shiny.

And the last step is the same a in the morning, I apply the same eye cream.

This is what I do on a daily basis now and I know it may seem like a lot for some people, but I’m happy with how my skin looks and feels and I don’t want to change anything. I will keep using different morning and night creams, an eye cream, vitamin C and hyaluronic serums as well as both a makeup remover and a cleanser.

And now that you know everything that I use on my face, it’s time to see what’s in the drawer number 16 from the advent calendar, the third and the last bigger drawer.

this works Deep Sleep Body Cocoon Body Lotion

Like I guessed it, this is a full size body lotion (100 ml) that is supposed to nourish the skin and help you relax at the same time. It contains shea butter, crambe and camelia oil, but also lavender oil that is very potent in terms of fragrance. I would have preferred to receive a body lotion from a different brand, because I don’t like how this works product smell and this lotion makes no exception. I like lavender, but in combination with other scents because when it’s too strong, I think that lavender stinks, to be honest. Other that that, what can I say, it’s just a body lotion like any other one and I don’t see anything special in it. This lotion retails for 31 euros on the official website, so that would be 150.92 lei (much more than what I would spend for a body lotion and way too much for this one because I don’t like it).

Well, that’s it from me for today, I’m curious to see what tomorrow brings. I hope you all have a wonderful advent time!