Kate's Skincare Routine and Beauty Staples
With what seems like 8 billion skincare products to choose from on the shelves these days, it can be overwhelming to say the least trying to find what works for your skin and lifestyle. Kate here, and after several requests for this post I thought it would be fun to share my personal skincare routine today!
You might think that with all this time at home lately I’d have hours upon hours to devote to some sort of rigid, time-consuming skincare routine, but the truth is that’s never worked for me. I’ve definitely had my share of 12-step K Beauty skincare phases over the years, and while it was fun to try something so elaborate, it really just wasn’t realistic for me.
As someone who has made their living traveling on tour for most of my adult life, I’ve always had to be mindful about what I can fit in a carry-on (those 3oz bottle plastic bag laws be damned), and after attempting to play Tetris with a pile of tiny little travel bottles containing all the specific serums and creams to my 12-step skincare routine, one day I decided I just simply could no longer hang.
Aside from the super annoying process of unpacking all of that stuff in a different hotel each night just to re-shove it back in the plastic bag the next morning, I also realized that a lot of skincare products are supposed to be in air-tight containers, so if you transfer them out of those to a tiny travel bottle you risk messing up the whole expensive formula and completely defeating the purpose.
So I decided to strip it back to just the essentials and see how my skin fared with a more minimalist approach. Crazy enough, I think my skin is better than it’s ever been with this simple and straightforward routine!
Here’s a step-by-step look at my current skincare routine:
AM:
1. Cleanse with Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
I love this pH balancing cleanser because it doesn’t dry out my skin in the morning, but it gives me a refreshed feeling and takes off anything leftover from the previous night’s face mask or excess product.
2. Apply Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Water Cream moisturizer
I have tried many times to find a good dupe for this, and I just can’t. I LOVE the refreshing cucumber smell, and the hyaluronic acid gives my skin a super dewy, moisturized feeling without any of the greasiness that so many moisturizers have.
3. Finish with Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel SPF 50 Sunscreen
This sunscreen is everything. It is one of the ONLY sunscreens I can wear under my foundation (I wear Tarte SEA water foundation) without it pilling. So many sunscreens I tried were way too greasy under makeup and made me break out a ton, and other gel sunscreens dried out my face really bad. This one is a perfect texture, super affordable, and I’ve been using it forever.
Shop AM:
PM:
1. Cleanse with Aromatica Natural Coconut Cleansing Oil
At night, I always double cleanse and start with an oil-based cleanser. I’ve been using this coconut cleansing oil for a few years now, and it’s perfect for taking off every ounce of makeup. I used to be totally addicted to those makeup remover wipes and once I started using this I never had to buy them again!
2. Cleanse with Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
I use the same gel cleanser that I rinse with in the AM after the oil cleanser to get a super clean canvas and balance my skin’s pH.
3. Option A: Apply Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 with a cotton ball
I thought about trying this stuff for AGES before I finally decided to do it, and so far I’m loving it. It’s the most recent addition to my routine and while it has a really weird, bordering on terrible smell that is kind of off-putting, it WORKS. Just google this product and read all of the insanely glowing reviews. It’s allegedly been deemed “Jesus in a bottle,” which to me sounded equally absurd and enticing. Containing both lactic acid and salicylic acid, it’s a great exfoliator for me because it also contains hydrating ingredients and isn’t drying. It’s worth mentioning that the original formula (called P50 1970) contains an ingredient called phenol that sounded a little harsh to me, so I use this milder version and really love it so far.
Option B: Apply Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
I never use the Biologique P50 on the same night as a retinol to avoid irritation, so if I’m skipping P50 I apply this retinoid to exfoliate instead. After loving Drunk Elephant’s cleanser so much I decided to try this, and really happy with it so far!
4. Option A: Apply Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Water Cream
My go-to night cream when I’m not feeing something richer is the same as my daytime moisturizer, and it always leaves me feeling glowy when I wake up.
Option B: Apply Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask
I’ve talked about this face mask before and I gotta say, it’s still my ALL TIME favorite. I usually use this as a night cream vs. washing it off like a face mask, and it feels SO luxurious. I was worried at first that it would be too rich or thick, but it’s the perfect consistency and my face feels so soft in the morning. I usually alternate between using this and Tidal as my night cream.
5. Finish with Essential Rose Rose Gold Face Oil
this stuff smells SO good. I don’t always use a face oil, but sometimes it’s a nice final step to seal in moisture and deliver antioxidants. It’s also worth noting that this company makes a roll-on oil that I’m obsessed with for a perfume alternative.
Shop PM:
What are some of your favorite skincare products right now?? Do you have a super elaborate routine or like to keep it simple?
