Have you always had a skin care routine? Well in my case not always. In my teens, I never really had skin concerns. Acne or struggles with breakouts were never issues I needed to address.
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I took that for granted and didn’t bother to have a skin care routine or never looked after my skin as a teenager.
Now that I’m older, I still don’t have acne or difficulty with breakouts besides the occasional zit. If I were to go back, I would definitely tell my teenage self to have a skin care routine because now I discovered skin concerns such as redness and dry patches.
You don’t have to break the bank to purchase good products, the drugstore has amazing skin care ranges that are super affordable.
Sephora and Ulta stock products such as The Ordinary and The Inkey List. They have a wide range of affordable cleansers, treatment options for whatever your needs are and great moisturizers too.
I’ve purchased some of The Inkey List products and have been using it for a couple of months now and thought I’d share my thoughts on it.
I follow a 4 step method which is easy and doesn’t take up a lot of my time. Having only four steps in my skin care routine to follow allows me to actually enjoy doing it both morning / evening and not have it feel like I’m taking up so much time.
In this post I’ll be covering my 4 step skin care routine and the affordable products I use.
STEP 1: CLEANSE | Oat Cleansing Balm
The first thing that caught my eye about this cleanser was the fact that it’s versatile. It claims to be a cleanser, removes makeup and if you leave it on for 10 minutes, it acts as a mask which can be done weekly.
My skin can be sensitive at times so this cleanser works great for me since it targets sensitive skin. Once I applied this product it was so smooth, gentle and definitely didn’t feel like my skin was being stripped.
One of its key ingredients is colloidal oatmeal which helps minimize the appearance of redness. In my case it’s a perfect match since it’s one of my skincare concerns.
The other ingredient is oat kernel oil which gently supports the skin’s moisture barrier making it ideal for sensitive skin.
STEP 2 : TREAT | Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide
Since it’s winter, I like using both of these products together. Some may have some skin sensitivity when using both at the same time. For me it has worked well and has made a huge difference in my skin’s hydration and moisture.
Hyaluronic acid is one of the gentle acids out there and a must have in anyone’s skin care routine. Seeing that it is winter in the states and the air is much drier, this product has been a staple.
Hyaluronic acid is able to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water therefore helps retain moisture that’s already found in the skin.
This is amazing for people like myself that have dry patches, as hyaluronic acid will plump moisture into the skin.
I like that this product is very lightweight compared to The Ordinary, which in my opinion is slightly heavier and sticky to the touch and face. So I prefer the Inkey List Hyaluronic acid.
After I cleanse my face and pat it dry with a clean towel I work in hyaluronic acid all over my face and let that penetrate the skin.
I follow with niacinamide which works well with hyaluronic acid. Niacinamide has so many great benefits such as it helps build keratin in the skin which is great for keeping the skin firm and healthy. As well as help minimize redness, pores and fine lines / wrinkles which works great for my skin concerns.
These are just some of the benefits of niacinamide but there are so many more amazing benefits that this serum gives the skin. I strongly suggest that it be added to your regime. It has helped my skin in a tremendous way and I know it will for you guys.
Everyone wants to have bright eyes and not look tired or exhausted when they’re actually not. RIGHT?
So the next treatment I use is for under the eyes which is a caffeine treatment which is a lightweight formula. I apply this under my eyes to reduce the appearance of puffiness and inflammation. It helps reduce fine lines as well.
I apply this eye cream after the niacinamide, then I follow with a moisturizer which is the next step.
STEP 3 : MOISTURIZE | Vitamin B, C and E Moisturizer
This is a lightweight daily moisturizer which delivers all the essential vitamins for healthy-looking skin, including clarifying and hydrating B3, brightening C, and soothing E vitamins.
The moisturizer applies smoothly over the skin but does leave white streaks. However that fades away as it starts to absorb into the skin.
For this particular product’s packaging, there’s a large hole where the product comes out of. So when you squeeze it a lot of product comes out of the tube. You need to be careful when squeezing the tubeas you don’t want to be wasteful.
I apply this product after all my serums and it has my skin glowing, feeling supple and moisturized.
STEP 4: PROTECT | Sunscreen
Since The Inkey List hasn’t released their sunscreen yet, I was not able to use it. Instead I’ve been using my daily affordable sunscreen which is the Aveeno protect and hydrate sunscreen Broad spectrum SPF 30.
I feel that many people forget about this step in their routine but it’s such an important one. In my opinion there’s no point in using fancy, expensive serums if you fail to use sunscreen.
Sunscreen helps prevent premature skin aging caused by the sun, including wrinkles, sagging and age spots. Most importantly it protects you from developing skin cancer.
You should wear sunscreen everyday, whether it’s rainy or cloudy because the sun’s rays are just as harmful and can cause skin cancer too.
Did you know that the screens you’re in front of daily such as your computer, phone or television affects your skin too?
I love using Aveeno sunscreen because it is super affordable and ideal for sensitive skin. Its formula is fast absorbing, oil free and noncomedogenic which definitely won’t clog your pores.
Conclusion
It’s never too late to start a skincare routine but it has to cater to your specific skin type.
How I do my 4 step skincare routine works really well for me and the products I use. It doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you because your skin is different.
There are many online surveys you can take to find out which products you need to be using for your skin type.
On the Inkey List website they have a recipe builder. You answer questions they have about your skin type or concerns and they build a recipe of products for you based on the answers you provided. Likewise with Vichy, Dermalogica and Cerave to mention a few.
Again you don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money on products to have a good skincare routine.
There are many products in the drugstore such as Cereve, Verse and La Roche Posay that are fantastic and offer amazing ingredients.
Then the Inkey List and the Ordinary which are great too and super affordable and can be found on Amazon, at Sephora and Ulta.
Let me know in the comment section what your AM skin care routine looks like and the products you use. I love to discover new clean and affordable products.
