A Pamper Day Skincare Routine — LOGAN ELLIOTT HUGHES

On a normal night, my skincare routine is pretty lengthy. I usually have to set aside 40 minutes to an hour, and sometimes an hour and a half depending on how slow I'm going through the process, to get through my full routine. It seems extreme, but it's what's helping my skin clear up and get to the place I want it to be.

But once a week, it gets even more intense. I take however long I want or need to get through every step of this pamper-night routine--which is perfect for those of us who want to treat ourselves since we're alone on Valentine's Day. I'm going to walk you through each step, explain why I use the products and how I use them.

*A Note: For products that come in pots or tubs, I use these plastic cosmetic spatulas to retrieve the products. Using your fingers can contaminate the product and leave dirt of finger-oils that will disrupt the quality of the products. Some people use small popsicle sticks, but these plastic ones help to cut down on waste (I use cotton pads for my toners, so I'm already creating a lot of waste) because they can be sanitized in rubbing alcohol and reused.

1.

Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm - In Korean skincare, a first-step oil cleanser is vital. Oil cleansers get all of the surface dirt and debris from the day (and makeup if you wear it) and leave your skin ready for the second-step cleanser. This is an important process, because if you jump right into your favorite gel cleanser then you'll be wasting all of the befits you skin gets from it because it will just be, basically, wiping off the dirt from your skin. Using one of the plastic paddles, I scoop a dime-sized glob of the balm into my palm and massage it all over my face and neck for a good five minutes before wiping off with a warm washcloth. I'm not married to this cleansing balm, and I used to use pure jojoba oil as my first-step cleanser before I found this. It's the first balm cleanser I've used, and I like it well enough. However, when I finish I'll probably venture out and try a different balm.

2.

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water - I then go in with a micellar water. This step is mostly so I can make sure I've properly gotten rid of the dirt and grime and prepped it for deeper cleaning. By using these massive cotton pads from Target, I can swipe it over my face and then look at the pad. If it's white, I'm good; if it's brown/dirty, I do it again until it's clean.

3.

Aveda [Botanical Kinetics] Radiant Skin Refiner - This is painful. It's full of bio-degradable micro-beads that physically exfoliate the skin by getting deep into the pores and scrubbing off the dead skin cells to leave skin glowing and ready to receive all the goodness we're about to put on. I got a facial once, and the esthetician used this on me to help with the enlarged pores on my nose and it's really helped. I squeeze just a little bit out, plop it on my face, and GENTLY massage into the skin until the beads are mostly gone. The bottle recommends to use twice a week, but I'm not a fan of being that harsh on your skin so I only do this once a week.

4.

Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser - My tried and true, my ride or die, the best gel cleanser I have used. This gives such a gentle clean and helps to maintain your skins natural pH levels--this is important to your skin retains its ability to turnover cells and repair itself. Maintain pH also helps fight acne, because your skin is able to clear the bacteria on its own. Squeeze a little bit out, lather in your hands, and massage into the skin until the foam is gone.

5.

A mask - I'll then do a mask, whatever I'm feeling my skin needs. Right now I'm sticking strictly to the honey mask I posted about earlier this week from Anya Law's blog, but I switch it up.

6.

This one if two products, one step: Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner and Pixi Glowtonic - these are both gentle, everyday chemical exfoliators. They do the same thing as the Aveda scrub, but without the physical abrasiveness. Honestly, they work better and do way more than a physical scrub could even imagine. These both work really well to make your skin soft and bright, without burning. (But sometimes they burn a little; more like a tingle. I like it.) For these, I'll put a few drops in my hand and gently press onto my face and neck. The reason I like to press instead of swipe with these. Because if you swipe product onto your skin with a cotton pad, it just runs over the wrinkles and pores. By pressing, I'm forcing the products into the wrinkles and this helps to get rid of the dead skin cells buried in there and to eject the dirt and bacteria from inside pores. Wait five minutes before moving on.

7.

Glossier Solution - Ah, another exfoliator. I've talked about this a lot, so I won't go on. But it's a game changer and I will not ever stop using it. For this, I pump the product onto a cotton pad and then press the cotton pad in upward motions. Get all of the face and neck (I pay special attention to my chin, forehead, and around my nose because those are the places I break out/have enlarged pores). Again, wait five minutes, just to let the exfoliation happen. Once you begin the next step, it seriously dilutes this product and stops halts the extraction.

8.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Essence Lotion - The first step to hydration which is so key to skincare. Vitamin E does a whole bunch of good things for the skin, but I use to lock in a lot of hydration immediately after all the exfoliating and extraction. It also is vitamin C's best friend, so it helps along the next step. Few drops into the palm, press into face and neck. Wait five minutes

This waiting thing is so important. A lot of people just jump through the products as fast as possible, thinking they're reaping all of the benefits when in reality they're wasting the product and not getting much out of it. Let the products sink in before moving on and layering* something else on top of it.

9.

Vitamin C Serum - I'm not even going t bother listing or linking the one I'm using because it's shit and I want a different one. It works well enough, but I hate it so I'm trying to use it up and move on. Vitamin C is going to be covered in its own post because it's so amazing, but this guy will firm and lift while tackling dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C needs a long time to breathe because once you put something else on top, it stops doing anything. 15 minutes, take out the trash, do some homework. Come back, and move on to:

10.

Ole Henriksen Nurture Me - I'm not filled with love for any nighttime moisturizer (I use the Neutrogena Hydra Boost during the day because it's light), but I love this. It could be more moisturizing, but it hits all the basic notes I need from a nighttime moisturizer. It's got a strong fragrance that smells like icing, so it is hard not to eat it. Again, use the spatula and spread it on my hand. I like to warm my moisturizer up in the palm of my hand, this helps to skin into the skin and really get in there to hydrate. Let it set--like 30 seconds.

11.

Ole Henriksen Truth Facial Water - I'm not particular when it comes to facial mists because I'm using this guy just to lock everything in and act as a barrier from the world to keep all the products I've justs spent way too much time massaging into my skin where I want them. This one is good, and I'll probably be switching to the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum for my vitamin c. I've heard good things. You can spray this one right onto the face, or mist into your hand and press.

Moving Away From Face Skincare

12.

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm - The only lip balm I will ever use. If they discontinue, I'll discontinue myself. It's non-waxy and actually hydrates my lips. This balm is so thick, and if I do this late enough at night my lips will not get the least bit dry the following day. Magic.

13.

Nivea Cocoa Butter Body Lotion - Moving away from the face, this is the most basic and effective body lotion I've used. It smells like lotion, it's super hydrating. Plain, simple, easy--love it.

14.

Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil - Brush this onto the nail and cuticle. Let it sit for a few minutes then rub some of that Nivea lotion onto your hands and boom--Instagram worthy nails. I've been using this since I was 14 and it's magic. They have more expensive ones, but this is five bucks and it works, so pass on the Clinique oil.

15.

Savannah Bee Beeswax Heel Balm - I plaster my feet in this, top to bottom and slip into some thick socks. It is so luxurious and creamy and moisturizing and makes my nasty feet all soft and nice.

Lastly, I wanna mention my secret. It's a trick I learned for opening up all of the pores on your face but it is the least glamorous thing I do. This step comes right after the Simple Micellar Water, and before the Aveda scrub. After locking myself in the bathroom, I plug in the steamer I bought for loosening wrinkles from my shirts and fill it with water. Steam beginnings to pour, and I sit crisscross on the bathroom floor with the steam billowing right onto my face. I sit like this for 20-30 minutes while the steam opens up all the pours and emerge looking like a red, sweaty pig. This is the weirdest part of my routine, and the steamer is so ugly I couldn't include a picture. But know that I swear by this technique. It helps everything to get deep into the skin and make it all nice and shiny.

And that's it. That's my 15 (just kidding, 16) step spa night skincare routine. Try it out and let me know how it goes. You'll feel soft and fresh as a rose, swear.

xLogan

*I'm going to be covering the layering process in a future post, so keep an eye out.