Let’s face it, this year has been a dumpster fire to say the least. So full of uncertainty, fear, and having to adapt to “the new normal”. Despite the insanity of 2020, I got a beautiful baby girl out of it (now 7mos old), and she is the light of our lives. The days seem to just blur together, and though the days feel slow, the time continues to fly. I blinked and 7 months has flown by. So what am I doing with my free time? Plenty of Dungeons & Dragons sessions, and experimenting with skin & hair care of course! So without further ado, here is my 2020 skin & haircare routine.
Let’s begin with cleanser. I recently switched cleansers, thanks to a trip to Costco. I’d been wanting to try Belif’s Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser and the Aqua Bomb Moisturizer, so when I saw Costco had both products priced at $29.50 USD, you bet I grabbed it! My Matcha Hemp Cleanser almost gone, it was perfect timing. I’ve been using the jelly cleanser for almost a month now, and I’m quite confident I will repurchase! I love the fresh slightly herbal scent of this cleanser, the way it lathers up, and the way it cleans without stripping my skin of moisture. It hasn’t left my skin irritated, or made me break out. This cleanser is glycerin-based cleansing agents and formulated with amino acids to help remove the nasties from your skin. As always, don’t forget to double cleanse! Belif products are always free of petrolatum, mineral oils, fragrance, synthetic dyes, animal based ingredients, parabens, sulfates, and Phthalates.
I decided to make a switch in toners; call it nostalgia, but the scent of Kose Sekkisei Enriched Lotion takes me back to watching our Japanese exchange student pat it into her skin, she was always so relaxed while doing so. I bought the medium size to give it a try—and while it isn’t a game changer, I don’t exactly dislike it either! The scent sort of reminds of something medicinal, but I really like it. It’s lightly hydrating and feels cooling on my skin. Since I tend to be more combination/oily, I like the way it doesn’t seem to weigh down my skin or make it feel greasier. This lotion is said to be medicated, with ophiopogon tuber extract, rose myrtle extract, and more. I’m not sure I will repurchase it, as there is alcohol in it. It’s not so bad in that I’ll quit using it, but it isn’t so great that I’d repurchase. So I guess I’d say for the price and ingredients; I personally found this toner a miss. It was $45.00 USD at my the local Asian supermarket.
Next I follow up with CosRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid. This is a new addition to my routine! I was on the hunt for a gentle BHA serum to refine my skin texture, shrink pore size, and dissolve excess sebum and impurities. This essence is exactly what was looking for! I use it in the AM and PM, smoothing it on with a cotton pad, then patting the rest in and following up with my serum. I’ve been using this product for a little over a month now, and I’ve noticed my skin is much smoother, my pores are smaller, and less congested. Will definitely repurchase and continue to use for maintenance. And the best part, is the affordable price point. A reminder if you’re using BHA/AHA or retinoids to always use sunscreen!
Next up is my daily serum, Glow Recipe’s Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum! I love this stuff, it has the lightest scent (barely there), sinks in like a dream, and super hydrating without feeling tacky or heavy. It’s the perfect serum for layering products, and I definitely intend to repurchase! Paired with the rest of my products, Plum Plump gives me a naturally dewy complexion and I absolutely love it. In addition to Hyaluronic acid, this serum is rich in vegan collagen and vegan silk protein. It’s lightweight, oil-free, and leaves your skin feeling hydrated and glowy. The formula is so silky, and I’m in love! The packaging is recyclable, and I love the weight of the glass jar. As always with glow recipe, this serum is cruelty free and vegan. In my opinion, totally worth every penny!
During the AM, I follow up with Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It has a light herbal scent, and feels soothing on application. It’s consistency is between a gel and a cream, but it isn’t oily or heavy. Weightless hydration, with ingredients like Ladies mantle and more. My skin always feels smooth and hydrated after applying, it never breaks me out, and I never feel oily or greasy. The perfect daytime moisturizer! The only downside is the price point, but I would shell out the cash for a repurchase. You get a good amount of product for the price, and need barely more than a pea size per use, so it lasts a while.
The last step of my AM routine is sunscreen! Lately I’ve been switching between using my holy grail Klairs Midday Blue UV Shield, and Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence. If my skin is irritated or needs a brightening up, I use Midday Blue, and if I want a barely-there feeling I use the Airy UV essence. Both are affordable and I will forever recommend these sunscreens! The UV Essence doesn’t leave a white cast, an added bonus, and Midday Blue has calming blue Guaiazulene which gives a natural tone-up and lends itself to the blue color of the sunscreen. Perfect for sensitive skin, vegan, and cruelty free!
Come evening, I use my Glow Recipe Banana Soufflé Moisture Cream in place of the Belif Moisture Bomb. On days my skin is irritated I use the soufflé, as it has naturally occurring magnesium in it which does wonders for redness! It has a light scent of fresh bananas, and the consistency of a light soufflé. It’s just fresh and wonderful, and worth every penny. I especially love to use it after the Plum Plump serum, as it leaves me with that beautiful glass skin finish! You get a bang for your buck, since the jar comes with a lot of product, and you need so little per use. Lastly, as with everything from Glow Recipe, it’s vegan, cruelty free, noncomedogenic, and easily recyclable packaging.
Now let’s talk about the chemical peel I’ve been using! Chemical peels always intimidated me, which is why I’ve never tried one…until last month! I picked up a The Ordinary’s AHA/BHA Peeling Solution thinking that now that I’m in my late 20s, my skin might appreciate a peel more. Now, the first time round I used it for the recommended 10 minutes. Afterwards I regretted it, as my skin felt very sensitized, and it seemed like overnight it began “purging”. Purging after an AHA/BHA peel is a “good breakout”, or an “initial breakout”. Using AHA/BHA peels, make us shed dead skin cells at a faster rate, which pushes out trapped debris and sebum. This also however accelerates the speed at which pre- existing clogged pores show up on the surface and turn into pimples. Within a month the purging stopped, and I continued to use the CosRX treatment. This week I followed up with another AHA/BHA peel (only leaving it on 5 minutes this time!), and then took a break from using the CosRX Essence for a couple days so as not to overly sensitize my skin. I’m so glad I pushed through that purging and didn’t give up, because my skin is just glowing! My pores are smaller, I have almost no breakouts, and my skin texture is greatly improved. I definitely recommend The Ordinary’s AHA/BHA Peel, it’s super effective and at an awesome price point. If you plan on doing a peel, do a patch test first, and always use sunscreen after any chemical exfoliation or use of Retinoids.
I also wanna touch on another addition Ive made to my PM routine, is adding the Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule to one pump of the Plum Plump serum. This Ampoule helps brighten skin tone Niacinamide, smooths skin with fermented extracts, improves skin texture, and reduces fine lines. After a month of using this ampoule, I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my skin. It’s brighter, smoother, and more plump. What’s more is how great the price point is! Definitely will repurchase in the future.
Last but not least, I’m still loving the Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask by Glow Recipe for use in the PM, and the Klairs Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter in the AM! Both products are vegan, and cruelty free! I love the way the eye butter tightens up my tired mommy eyes with caffeine. It’s light, hydrating, comes with a large amount of product, and at great price point. It’s texture feels so silky and, well, buttery. It doesn’t cause concealer to crease under my eyes. (On the rare occasion I might wear some!) All in all, it’s a great basic to have on hand for daytime and I will probably repurchase.
The retinol eye sleeping mask is pretty pricey, but lasts all year due to how little product you need with each application. It has almost no scent, is deeply hydrating, and has definitely improved the condition of the skin under my eyes!
So there we have it, my updated 2020 routine! This year may be a hot mess, but my skin doesn’t have to be, and I’ve loved trying new products and seeing the difference reflected in my skin. My body has balanced out after having my daughter, and I’m learning to love myself and how I look now. Now it’s your turn, take some time for yourself to do something that is therapeutic for you; even if it’s just 5 minutes. Mach’s gut!
Messy Motherhood 