Skincare is something I’ve really only gotten serious about in the last couple of years. Before it was hit or miss as far as washing my face, never mind what I was actually putting on it. But as time has passed and I’ve spent more time reading and researching what goes into products and how many random chemicals are in the everyday things that we use that are actually damaging to our skin, I’ve been trying to make better choices.

I’m still a little hit or miss on the whole washing the face each night thing, but I have made a much better effort to wash my make up off before going to bed at night if I happen to have put any on for the day. I’ve also nailed out a pretty decent skincare routine that works when I put in the effort.

A little back story on my skin. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is a form of auto-immune hypothyroidism. One of the symptoms/side effects of having this is getting super dry skin. And when your face is already dry, and you wash it with something that dries it out even more, it can go crazy with the oil production and cause acne. So I would either have an oil slick going on or flaky, dry patches across my nose and forehead. I also have that super fun, cystic type of acne around my chin, and let’s not forget hormonal acne because, why the fuck not? Oh yeah, and to ice that cake? Occasional redness. So, yeah, the point is, my skin can be a hot mess some days.

So I need something gentle, yet effective. Without a shit-load of chemicals. And won’t worsen my skin issues. And I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for a tube of face wash that lasts me all of 3 days. Got it!

Luckily, through a little trial and error and a great return policy, I’ve managed to find what I need and products that have been working for me via Sephora. Yes, folks, it’s actually possible to find affordable, budget-friendly products at the beauty mecca! I’ll post links to the products below, and just a note, I don’t get any kind of kickback from these links, so feel free to click away!

1. Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel $39-I know this might seem pricey for a face wash, but this bottle is huge! I use a Clarisonic brush with this product and I only need a tiny bit. I bought this last March (2019) and still have easily over half a bottle left. With everyday use, I could see this bottle last six months or longer. I only use this wash at night, as well.
2. Sephora Collection Coconut Water Facial Wipes $8- I love these face wipes. Love them! They don’t have an overly aggressive fragrance, the cloth is super soft, and they are so affordable. I use these in the morning to cleanse my face off before applying moisturizer and sunscreen and occasionally to take off my make or give my skin a quick pre-cleanse before washing. *I typically use 100% grapeseed oil to pre-cleanse or remove my makeup. This step helps my cleanser perform better than it would if I didn’t pre-cleanse.*
3. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads $34- I only use these at night and only about four times a week. They work as a mini-peel almost, helping to exfoliate the skin without being too abrasive. They’ve really been working to unclog my pores and get the gunk out.
4. Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Cream $39- I’ve been using this eye cream based on recommendations from an online beauty forum. I am starting to get fine lines at the corners of my eyes and I do have dark circles and a bit of luggage hanging out under them. I’ll be perfectly honest and say that I haven’t been using this as consistently as I should, so I haven’t been seeing too much in the way of results. So I am still undecided, but it is very moisturizing around my eyes. Once I have used it more consistently, I’ll be able to give a better review. I do like that it is a clean beauty product!
5. The Ordinary Moroccan Oil & Squalane Oil/First Aid Beauty Oat & Hemp Seed Oil $6.80 & $7.90/$30- I’ve recently discovered the world of beauty oils. It’s been eye-opening. It seems weird to add oil to oily skin, but by doing so, you’re actually helping your skin to produce less oil AND the oils help penetrate the skin deeper than a lotion would. I use the Moroccan and Squalane oils at night and the First Aid Beauty oil during the day, as it is a dry oil and absorbs quickly for when I want to do my makeup.
6. Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve $7- My lips are a part of my face, and I use this product every night. It has been one of the few products I’ve found that doesn’t dry my lips out worse than they already were, or cause me to lick it all off without smelling or tasting funny or gross. I usually have two or three tubes on hand at all times.
7. Peter Thomas Roth Mix, Mask, & Hydrate $60 (on sale, holiday item)- Matt got me this for Christmas, and so far I’ve been loving it! I try to do a face mask at least once a week, and this little box of goodness hits all the right notes. It has a mask for everything and includes a small tub of the brands Water Drench moisturizer, which I’ve been using in the morning in place of my usual facial oil.
8. Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-tox HydraGel Patches $52- Next to the mask set, this is the most expensive item on my list. I was hesitant to purchase these at first because $52 is a lot of money to me and I almost couldn’t justify it on something that I was going to throw away after each use. But, the associate at the store told me that she felt the same way, and she actually gets a couple of uses out of each eye patch by putting them back in the tub and not using them when she is applying her eye makeup. So instead of $52 for only 30 uses, which works out to about $1.73 a use, you can get 60 uses which works out to $.87 a use.

As I mentioned, I only use a bulk of the products once a day. I do that because 1) if you’re washing your face at night and sleeping on a clean pillowcase (I wash at least once a week), your face shouldn’t be dirty in the morning and 2) it’s much healthier for your skin! Less pulling, tugging and drying which means fewer wrinkles over time.

So that’s that! My whole skincare routine boiled down for you. Morning is a simple wipe down with a cleansing cloth, followed up with moisturizer and sunscreen (I love SunBum products!) and the evening is the whole kit and caboodle, with weekly face and eye masks. I haven’t really found anything for blemishes that crop up from time to time (it happens), though I’ve been trying a few products out. I’ll let you know when I find one that works!