My every day AM + PM skincare routine

Something I think everyone by their mid 20’s should have is a set skincare routine. I really got into a skincare routine around 21 and since then my obsession for skincare has grown. Of course there are many reasons I’m into skincare, but preventative is the biggest one and I’ll do just about anything (within reason) to maintain a youthful look.

I have done many skincare posts in the past. I’ve also tried many products over the years. I have religiously stuck to these products for my AM and PM routine and I am beyond thrilled to share everything with you all. This is a longgg post and I’m going into detail over everything. I’m even sharing all the tools and devices that I use and love, along with items that I have previously used, and as many dupes I can possibly find for the pricey items.

Something you might notice is that I don’t use skincare that can be found at the drugstore or can be claimed as a natural product. This isn’t me being snobby, nor do I have nothing against either of those categories, but I personally choose to not use them because those products can’t promise me results like medical grade ingredients can. Buying products through a medical provider (dermatologist or medical spa), or a beauty salon will most likely allow the products to contain a higher % of an active ingredient while drugstore products will have a very small fraction of it. For me personally, skincare is a huge investment and not something that should be found in the same store as liquor and groceries. You know?

Just in case you are interested in any of these products, my skin is very normal. I get a lot of texture (built up dead skin) on my jaw line and do a lot that helps with exfoliating those areas. I also do not have sensitive skin.

AM skincare routine

cleanser – I use the Skin Better Science Oxygen Infusion wash and it’s one of the newer items in my routine. I love the price point ($38) and the cleanse. There is no better feeling than feeling like every single one of your pores are open haha. I purchased this cleanser through AesthetiCare (where I get all my facials) and new the second I heard it was an oxygen infused I know I would love it. For the last 5 years I’ve used the Murad Clarifying Cleanser($30) due to the deep cleanse it gave and didn’t have any luck when trying new cleansers so I stuck to it. Between the two I gave the Tula Daily Cleanser($28) a try (sooo many bloggers rave about this line) and wasn’t impressed. There was nothing in the cleanser that made it stand out to me. It’s a great basic cleanser and would be wonderful for someone just starting out in the skincare world..just not for me.

serum– Going on two years with the Dr. Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum and I will continue to purchase it. It’s a little on the pricer side at $78 but it contains a lot and I see a big difference in the brightness of my skin and the evenness of my skin-tone. I’ve used this serum in both am and pm and prefer am because it gives my skin a more energized feel. It’s a lightweight gel that’s cool to the touch and I know that has a lot to do with it. I highly recommend added something into your routine that contains vitamin C and if you don’t know where to start Murad has a whole line dedicated to it. They have try-me kits as well that can be found here and the Murad Vitamin C serum can be found here.

moisturizer– I switched to a lightweight moisturizer in the mornings and that is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice oil-free moisturizer. The price point is wonderful at $39 and it smells sooo yummy. The reason I wanted a lighter weight moisturizer in the mornings was because I use it as the base before I put my foundation on. I don’t like primers on my skin and my previous moisturizer was too thick for that. This moisturizer completely soaks into my skin. I don’t have a dupe for this one but here is a mini size at $20.

spf – I picked up the Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer spf 30 last year and actually want to replace it soon with EltaMD UV Clear spf 46. They are both $35 in price and I have loved the Drunk Elephant spf dearly, but I love it more on my body (neck/shoulders) than on my face. I don’t have a dupe for this one either because spf for the face is not something to mess with. Splurging on a good facial spf is a must.

PM skincare routine

cleanser – I use the same Skin Better Science Oxygen Infusion cleanser as I do in my am routine and I have everything shared up there!

daily exfoliant – If I was stranded on an island and could only bring one skincare item with me it would the these Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads. I am OBSESSSED with them! Like so obsessed I could probably give a 10min speech on them. For my skin they are an every day must. I have really bad texture through my jawline and a little on my cheeks. (fun fact: Our skin cell turnover rate is about 28 days unlike a baby that is every 3 days so have to remove that dead skin fairly often to keep the brightness!) I have used these daily peel pads every single day for at least three years and I can’t go a day without. These peel pads are a gentle exfoliant that helps to remove and loosen up dead skin. Whenever I share them on my Instagram Stories I get so many replies from you guys saying you love them just as much and that’s when you know they’re good! A 30 day supply is $88 but I have a wonderful dupe that is 60 days for $34! Before I got into skincare I used the First Aid Beauty Radiance Pads. I used these all throughout high school and up until a few years ago when I wanted something stronger. If I wasn’t able to purchase the Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads I would go back to the First Aid Beauty ones. Both are wonderful and my skin has never felt better.

serum – I use a separate serum for my pm routine because I like having the luxury of customizing my routine. I use the Dr. Dennis Gross Pore Perfecting + Refining Serum to help reduce the size of my pores and for a better makeup application. This serum also helps to prevent new blackheads from forming. This Serum retails for $65. Unfortunately I don’t have a dupe to share for this one.

eye cream – I honestly just realized that I’ve been out of an eye cream so I have nothing to share……and nothing to recommend l. I can’t believe this never crossed my mind! I guess I typically bring up all my products to right under my eyes. I’m officially on the lookout for an eye cream so if you have one you like leave a comment recommending one!

moisturizer a – Yes, I am that psycho with two pm moisturizers I use the Skin Better Science AlpaRet Overnight Cream on Mondays, Wednesday, and Friday and use moisturizer b every other day. I got this moisturizer from AesthetiCare and my esthetician recommended I use it every other day. I completely ignored her because I don’t have sensitive skin and figured I could handle it and this moisturizer was too much for me to be used every day. Listen to your estheticians friends! The only thing that happened was my skin was a little more dry than usual but it was fixed quickly by going back to every other day. It’s a good one and a strong one. It retails for $120, so a little on the pricer side but I do plan on repurchasing it! I don’t have a dupe for this one because nothing compares to medical grade creams containing retinol, but I do have a dupe for moisturizer b below.

moisturizer b – I have now gone through so many jars of the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic + Retinol Anti-Aging Moisturizer and will continue to purchase it! I incorporated an anti-aging moisturizer into my routine for prevention and it’s been wonderful. This moisturizer is incredibly thick and I love locking in all my yummy products with it. This moisturizer retails for $75 and lasts me about 4-5 months. Before I used this moisturizer I used the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair that retails for $42. Again, if you’re starting out on skincare this would be an awesome starter. The thickness is very similar but there aren’t as many benefits in it like the Dr. Dennis Gross one.

face masks and treatments

pore cleansing mask – Of all the face masks I own I gravitate towards the OleHenriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask the most. It’s $38 and it feels exactly like it says – cold.

oxygen face mask – I loooooove anything oxygen infusing!! These Dr. Jart+ Bubbling Charcoal Sheet Masks are those masks that get all foamy and bubbly! They’re amazing and feel so good! That fizzy feeling is actually the oxygen being pushed into your skin. You will instantly see a difference in your skin and these are awesome to throw in a bag if you are a traveler for the price. They’re $9 and so worth it!

acne face mask – I just recently had to toss this mask out because it got dried out and started separating. I was devastated but if you’re looking for a good acne mask check out the Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfer Mask Acne Treatment. It’s $52, making it a little on the pricey side but it lasts and can also be used as an overnight spot treatment. I

acne spot treatment – For any bad breakout that I get or feel coming on I’ll put the Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment on it. It’s $26 and lasts forever! I’ve used this treatment for a few years and feel like I get results pretty quickly. The treatment is separated into two parts and to get the active ingredient you’ll dip a q-tip into the bottle through the clear and into the pink. It’s pretty cool.

tools

facial roller– I have a facial roller I paid way to much for but it was worth every penny so I’m sharing a much cheaper version! This Facial Roller from Amazon is $15.99 and helps to push all extra fluid out of your face and to also push the yummy products used during either am or pm skincare routine into your skin! I like to use mine right after my pm routine and I keep mine in my skincare fridge to keep it cool.

facial steamer– I don’t use my Facial steamer often but when I do use it I can always tell I should use it more. It’s $27.95 on Amazon and has helped tremendously when I’m wanting to soften up the blackheads on my nose for extraction.

red light mask – This is totally not a necessity to have in a skincare collection but I love it. I’ve been into red light therapy for the skin for a while and this is a red light LED masks or the eyes that helps to prevent loss of collagen. This mask is the Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite Pro LED Device and retails for $159. I know Neutrogena has a full face LED mask but I’m not comfortable with linking it only because it’s pretty darn cheap and the price point doesn’t feel right for this type of treatment. Not saying that this treatment is big deal but certain types of light can be harmful to your skin over time.

facial razors – I love my Tinkle Eyebrow Razor and the best part is that they are only $3.27!! I use these about every three weeks to shave all the peach fuzz off my face and to remove any on surface dead skin to help with makeup application, and for a deeper penetration with my skincare! Taking a razor to the face and removing the little hairs + dead skin acts as a surface exfoliant and if you are not comfortable with doing this/ don’t know anything about this I don’t recommend going for it.

This post does contain affiliate links.

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xx-Kendra