A Simple, Foolproof Skincare Routine Backbone

Not everyone needs 8-12 steps in their skincare routines. In fact, just thinking about using that many products might intimidate you or may just sound too much of a hassle. I'm writing this blog post because I know there are so, so many different elaborate and extravagant skincare routines out there (including mine many times), but I figured most people just need a skincare routine that will do your skin a favor without breaking the bank. Of course, a skincare routine should be personalized to your specific skin type and needs, but for those who have no idea where to start, here's a good backbone of what I'd recommend. If you have other skin issues you want to target, that's where picking a specific serum would come into play. A couple notes:

1. All of these products are natural and great for sensitive skin types.

2. Hydration should be key for any skin type, even oily!

3. If you don't really have any skin issues besides dryness, you don't necessarily need a serum or toner. (You can always layer essences to get the hydration you need). Some of these steps are marked as optional (*) and nice to have.

4. I'm not going to mention actives such as Vitamin C/acids/retinols...etc even though I regularly use them (and I think most people should). Perhaps that will be for a separate blog post in addendum to this one.

5. Many of these are my personal favorites and do a great job while not being crazy, crazy expensive. I won't go super, super in depth through each one, that'll take too long! And I might have some reviews up of these already.

Double Cleanse (1st cleanses are oil-based to take off sunscreen+makeup, 2nd regular face washes to get rid of excess gunk):

1st: Manyofactory Pure Cleansing Oil ($18 right now on their website)
1st: Heimish All Clean Balm ($17)
1st: Muji Cleansing Oil ($15.50)
2nd: Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Cleanser ($11) Gone through so many bottles of this but I have heard extremely dry skin types agree that it's still good, but still a tad bit stripping to their skin.

So here's an alternative:

2nd: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser ($18) A good, solid, gentle cleanser that very dry skin types might like more than the Cosrx.

Exfoliants (2 types-Chemical vs Physical):

Everyone needs to incorporate exfoliants into their weekly (not daily!) routine to get rid of unnecessary surface level dead skin cells. Exfoliants gets rid of dullness to reveal brighter skin that can allow the incoming layers of skincare to penetrate much better. Physical exfoliators physically scrub the skin (Think of St.Ives Apricot scrub, but I def don't recommend it LOL). And chemical exfoliants tend to be gentler and prevent any irritation that could happen from potentially vigorously scrubbing your skin. I like using both since both have their own benefits.

Neogen Gauze Peeling Pads ($27): These are chemical AND physical exfoliants in one product, and one jar of this lasts so long! You could even cut the pads in half to extend the life even further because honestly, one pad is more than enough for my one face per use.

I personally love the Wine ones, but all of them are good!

Toner (*Optional, nice to have. Designed to balance pH of the skin after cleansing. If you use a low pH cleanser you don't really need this):

Klairs Unscented Supple Preparation Facial Toner ($18): I have the original, and has never heard of it irritating the skin. But why not be extra careful since there's an unscented version right?

Essence (Designed to hydrate & improve general skin barrier health/brightness)

Innisfree Fermented Soybean Essence (~$30 I feel like the price increased since I last bought it! Seems more expensive now but one bottle of this has lasted me about a year!) It hydrates and brightens the skin and glides onto the skin sooo nicely.

Huxley Oil Essence ($45 but this goes on sale quite often on Stylekorean-I got mine for $20!) This one doubles as a serum in my opinion also because it's also full of antioxidants.

Serum (*Optional, designed to target specific skin issues and probably will be talked about more in dept in another blog post)

Moisturizer (Seal all that good stuff in with another moisture/hydration boost!):

Enature Birch Juice Hydro Cream ($32, Available on Target's website. Be sure to wait for those personal care/beauty deals!)

Oils (*Optional, nice to have. I normally use this more during fall/winter.)

Huxley Light and More Oil ($43, also often goes on sale on Stylekorean): Never too heavy or greasy on the skin, feels like a drier oil unlike richer oils such as Marula oil.

Eye Cream: (Some think this is optional, but since the skin around the eyes are thin and don't have pores, they do deserve their own category of skincare.)

To be honest, I haven't tried that many eye creams. Since I'm almost 25, my focus is on prevention of wrinkles and hydration. Right now, I use the Innisfree Orchid Eye Cream. It's solid, but I don't have much to say on the subject of eye creams.

SPF:

So far my number one favorite is the Farmacy Green Screen SPF 30 Physical Sunscreen ($36), but this is on the pricier side.
If you're looking for the most lightweight sunscreen you can possibly find on the market, the Missha Mild Essence Sun Milk SPF 50 PA+++ ($18) is an extremely comfortable chemical sunscreen. For the longest time, this was the only one I would actually use on a daily basis because of how lightweight it was.

I don't have the Missha with me anymore, so it's not shown.

I'm not trying to make you buy every product mentioned on here. My hope is that you'll have some ideas and a place to start if you don't already have a routine down or are looking for alternatives to what you already have. Hope this was helpful! Please feel free to comment down below to other must-haves in your routine!