What does your everyday skincare routine consist of and what are a few of your go to products that are reasonably priced for a student on a budget? – Marissa A
Let’s face it – that thing you have to look at everyday in the mirror matters. That thing between your hairline and the top of your neck. You know, your face.
Skin is the biggest organ, arguably one of the most important, and hands down my favourite. The stuff is living and breathing and doing all types of crazy biological processes beneath the surface to keep us healthy and safe. It holds all of the other organs together, protects us from rain, sleet and snow, stretches, shrinks, flexes, grows, expands, and is so, so nice to touch. We should treat it like we love it. We should love it.
But just like everything else you love – your pet fish, your Sims family, your hot next door neighbour – you have to take care of it or else it will die. Well, the neighbour might survive. The neighbour might not even know you exist. (You should go introduce yourself to the neighbour).
I’ve never written a post like this before, discussing products and what not. But I’ve gotten this question enough times that I’m ready to divulge. So get ready… we’re going skin deep.
Cleanser
Feeling indulgent? Want to treat your face to the equivalent of a four course steak dinner? Then meet Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser. So fancy you can’t even buy it from the Eminence website. I first encountered this brand at a five star resort in Northern California. That you could only get to by Mercedes convertible. I’ll say no more.
Since that’s certainly not always practical, and because blackheads are most certainly a thing, meet your old friend St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. You know, the stuff you started using in high school when acne attacks threatened to ruin your social life? Well, that stuff is still as reliable as it was back then. And exactly the same price.
My truly favourite facial cleanser, and the one I can attribute my clear complexion to almost entirely, was made in my sister’s mum’s kitchen. My sister’s mum was a masterful, organic-before-it-was-cool, kitchen-beautician extraordinaire. She had a soap for every skin condition under the sun: Men’s Beer and Barely, Farmer’s Hand Soap, Calming Oatmeal, and my favourite, Chocolate Soap. I can count on three fingers the number of breakouts or pimples I’ve had since starting to use that Chocolate Soap my freshmen year of college. (That was ‘09, people). That soap is no longer made – but I have a few bars stashed away that I’ll ration out to last literally the rest of my life.
Toner
Toner is like the floss of your skincare routine. Arguably more important than cleanser, rarely used, and almost always forgotten. If you’re not using a toner after you wash your face then you’re taking a shortcut through life that’s going to lead to, you guessed, zits and wrinkles. The newest addition to my toner line-up is Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Facial Toner. This guy is a little on the pricier side, but you probably have a Sephora gift card lying around somewhere, right?
A more standard and economical option is Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2. You know this old faithful from seeing it in your mum’s medicine cabinet for years. And it’s probably been the same exact bottle for years. Lasts forever. You can use it forever. It’s been on the market forever. The packaging has literally never changed. It will survive the zombie apocalypse. The living dead will have the tiniest pores.
Now – let’s say you want to be crafty because, well, rent is due, and Uber surge fare is at like x 2.5, and you’re saving every penny for your Beyonce Formation World Tour ticket. Well, in this scenario there’s nothing better than Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar might just be the elixir of life (right up there with coconut oil, of course). Here’s how you get jiggy with this: Take two cotton balls, put the apple cider vinegar on one, and some cool water on the other. Rub the one with apple cider vinegar over a small area of your face. Feel the burn. Swipe the cool cotton ball over the same area to remove the vinegar. Repeat.
Moisturizer
The cherry on top. I’m currently all about the face oils. Really on a strict Facial-Oils-Only streak. Josie Maran 100 Perfect Argan Oil is like, literally, my best friend. I like the light version, the standard version, the SPF infused version. Just… gimme, gimme, gimme. Slather, slather, slather.
Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion is a good backup BFF though. Always down for whatever. Really low maintenance. Will laugh at all your jokes. You get it.
And when all else fails, coconut oil.
