Skincare 101: The Face

Hi Friends. 

So I’ve been trial and erroring skincare for over 4 years now and with the validation of three friends (lol), I’ve achieved the master level: Glowed tf up. My glow almost competes with Fenty’s Trophywife highlight. Big almost. However, if I do my routine and THEN apply Trophywife on my face, hell I shine even BRIGHTER than a diamond —someone tell Rihanna to write a new song. 

I hope you can take my knowledge and my routine and then PERSONALIZE to your needs because glowing skin is all trial and error baby.

So, without further ado, let’s glow like the motherfucking sun!!!

What is Glow? 

Glow

/ɡlō/

• Glow is the result of healthy, hydrated, skin.

• The skin can hold its water and has the right nutrients circulating in and on your face

• When your skin is in direct competition with a lightbulb 

Skincare 101 - MUST KNOW:

1. What is skin? -Your skin is your largest organ. It lives and it breathes. It grows new cells and discards old cells every minute.

2. Know your skin type - Is it oily? Dry? Sensitive? Combination? (The middle of your forehead and nose are oily but your face is dry everywhere else)
   Fun Fact: Your skin type fluctuates with the seasons

3. Glow will take months - Finding the right recipe of products and routine that works for you is lots of trial and error, anywhere from 1-3 months.

4. Go with your skin’s flow - Your skin’s needs will change as your skin becomes used to your routine and as you age.

5. DON’T FORGET YOUR NECK - And the top of your hands! the skin there are both super thin, they need just as much love.

6. Put healthy things in your mouth - Drinking enough water and clean diet is essential for glowing skin! 

7. You need to drink water - Remember to drink water the first thing you do when you wake up! Drink water period! (In the morning, I add lemon juice in my water)

8. Question the ingredients - ALWAYS look at the ingredients of your products, there are many ingredients you actually want to avoid (they do more harm than good) google them to find out which ones to avoid, if you’re lazy this blog post will give you a good idea of what to avoid!

9. Don’t cheap out - Because drugstore brands have a lot of harmful ingredients, I do spend more on skincare

10. Get that good good - Korean companies and Sephora have fantastic products. If you have no idea where to go, go to Sephora. They have skincare experts to help you and explain everything.

Okay! Now to the fun stuff.

My Nighttime Routine:

1. I wash my face with a face cleanser for my combo skin

2. With a towel, PAT dry. For the love of god please do not ruin your delicate face by rubbing with a towel.

3. After, I wipe my face AND neck (see Skincare 101: #5) with toner on a cotton pad —toner balances your skin’s PH levels and distributes nutrients, making it the perfect canvas for serums + moisturizers 

4. I apply a serum with lots of nutrients on my face AND my neck AND the top of my hands. 

   • Your face, neck, and top of hands is where your skin is the thinnest and the first places that show signs of aging

   • Apply serum only at night, so your skin can soak up the nutrients while you sleep  (obviously nutrients suited for your skin goals) 

   • Different skin types need different serums

5. After serum, eye cream.

6. Top with a quality moisturizer and go to sleep!

**Moisturizer tips: Gel moisturizers are better for the summer, cream moisturizers are best for winter 

The Face Shop Chia Seed Cleanser

The Face Shop Toner

The Face Shop Serum

Sephora Eye Cream

Youth To The People Gel Moisturizer

My Exfoliators and Face Masks:

These babies deserve their own section. 

1. On top of my nighttime and daytime routine, I exfoliate my face 2-3 times a week

2. Exfoliating is crucial for your skin’s glow. Your skin can’t discard all of the dead, polluted skin cells on its own, so it just sits on your face. Therefore, you need an exfoliator to scrub it off. 

3. I only use gentle exfoliators

4. My exfoliator stays in my shower. This helps remind me to exfoliate 3x a week.

5. Don’t sleep on face masks!!

6. Currently, for summer, with all that grime and oil building on my face, I use a charcoal face mask to absorb and wash away all my sins.

The Face Shop White Seed Exfoliator

GLAMGLOW Supermud Face Mask

My Morning Routine: 

1. Gently splash water on my face 

2. I then wipe my face with a cleansing water (only if I feel like my skin needs a light cleansing, very important to listen to your skin)

3. Wipe face with a toner 

4. Apply moisturizer 

I don’t use my cleanser in the morning because it’s too harsh and strips away all my hard work the night before, so cleansing water is the best solution.

The Face Shop Cleansing Water

Final Notes to Skincare 101: 

1. Check your pillowcase - Your cotton pillowcase can be very abrasive to your skin and hair. I sleep on a satin pillowcase to benefit my hair and skin.

2. Winters and humidifiers - In the winter I always have a humidifier in my room so my skin doesn’t dry out when I sleep

3. The sun’s your enemy - In summer I never leave the house without sunscreen. The sun’s rays are the #1 cause of premature aging, it’s poison for your skin! 

   • Technically you should be wearing sunscreen year round, but I don’t, not in a winter city like Ottawa.

4. Consistency and patience is a major key - After a few months, your skincare routine will be second nature to you, just stay patient! Good skin is all habit building. 

One final, final note! 

Overcleansing also causes acne - If you feel like you’re doing the most in your skincare routine and it’s still not working out, it’s because you’re doing the most. Over cleansing your skin will strip your skin of its natural oils, so your skin will try to compensate by creating more oil, therefore creating a confused oil and sebum soup on your face, which is the opposite of glow.

So listen to your skin, don’t overdo it, and love yourself while doing it.

Love, 

Liya