Disclaimer: I have not been paid to advertise any of the below. I am not making money if you click a link. Nothing below has been gifted. This is because I have found things that work.
I have combo skin, with a dry T-zone, I get hormonal cystic acne now on my period along my jawline, and I do not wear makeup on a daily basis (its a special occasion thing for me). Also, I only use cruelty-free products, so the good news is that a lot of what I buy is also vegan.
I wrote one of these blog posts in 2018 but GUESS WHAT I’m in my 30s now and things have changed. I have mild rosacea and redness that keeps getting worse. I now have hormonal cystic acne on my jawline that came out of nowhere. My T-zone is still dry (especially around my smile lines/mouth???). Now I’m getting more pimples between my eyes than ever before. It’s weird, yo.
Here is what I do morning and night, and the links to the products I use. I have used all the brand websites as product links, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find them at your fav skincare/cosmetics/multi-brand retailer, as well.
Morning
Cleanser
Deadwood Whipped Cleansing Cream (with Activated Charcoal)
I found this Etsy shop while looking for black woman-owned skincare lines. This cleanser is fantastic! I absolutely love it for daily use (typically in the shower). Take the back of your fingernail and scoop out a thumb-nail sized dollop and work into a light foam using circles on your face. I like to make sure I get my hairline really well and under my jaw/neck.
Toner
I don’t use one in the morning. Shhh.
Hydration
You can use a serum, or a face mist at this step. Depending on how my skin feels I will use different things.
Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum
I don’t give two fucks about “anti-aging” anything. But, I do like the way this feels and wears. It is super lightweight and gives you the sunscreen you NEED in the morning. It is a good way to get yummy vitamins to your skin and SPF.
Derma E Skin De-Stress Calming CBD Serum
Y’all know I’m a pot head/stoner/weed baby. CBD is great and it really does help calm the skin. I also use this sister CBD cleanser at night. See below.
Any of these facial sprays give you a boost of moisture and are affordable. If you don’t like to put a serum on, this is a good option to hydrate without another cream.
Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist
The spray top on these bottles is magic and I don’t know how else to explain it. This is a great option if you want to spend a little more money than on MB.
Eye Cream
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream
Just use eye cream. Just do it. Pick one you like and that you can afford. The skin around your eyes is different than the skin otherwise on your face. I like this one because it isn’t sticky or gloopy. It goes on nice and doesn’t take a lot.
Special Treatments
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
If you have acne issues - especially hormonal - buy this. It is awesome. That’s all.
Hydrate
Supergoop Superscreen Daily Moisturizer
A little goes a long way. This is great stuff. I hit the dry parts of my face first, and then sweep out with my fingers.
If you really feel like a moisturizer here is TOO MUCH (hey, it happens and that’s ok), try another layer of your facial hydration mists.
Any of these facial sprays give you a boost of moisture and are affordable. If you don’t like to put a serum on, this is a good option to hydrate without another cream.
Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist
The spray top on these bottles is magic and I don’t know how else to explain it. This is a great option if you want to spend a little more money than on MB.
Oil
(My Beauty Spot) Help Plus Hemp Seed & Rose Hip Facial Oil
It smells good and my face really likes hemp seed oil. I think you will like it too, but it definitely smells like roses. Use just a few drops to start. Use more if you feel like you need more. I screwed up when I first started using oil; I thought it was an alternative to moisturizer, but I learned it is not. Think of your face oil as your setting spray after you finish your makeup. It holds everything in place.
Sunscreen
This is the topper step if your other products didn’t have SPF, or if you have a sunscreen that you want to use separately.
Supergoop Defense Refresh (Re)setting Mist
I use this over my makeup AND just to top off my skincare if I am not wearing makeup that day. They also just reworked this product that made it go from SPF 50 to SPF 40 but everyone really loves it still.
Night
Cleanser
Derma E Skin De-Stress Calming CBD Cleanser
I think this is a great price for a CBD product, and I really like that it does what it is supposed to do. I feel clean after without anything extra added.
Toner
I have started using a toner now that it is getting warmer and we are wearing masks all day. I find my smile lines are breaking out more than normal, so I am using this toner on a cotton pad to wipe off things the cleanser may have missed. I promise this is not the lotion you think it is.
Mask
I rotate these because I don’t want to use a resurfacing mask (AKA chemical peel) every day. Also, blue tansy is supposed to be a miracle ingredient in reducing redness.
Herbivore Blue Tansy Resurfacing Mask
I love a good mask that dries and makes you feel like your whole face is stone. You think I am joking, but I am not. It dries and it is all tight and then, add water and BOOM, new face. Ok, not entirely new but your skin is poppin. It kind of looks like movie prop snot, and smells like Outside.
Sunday Riley Blue Moon Clean Rinse Cleansing Balm
This stuff is AWESOME! Like, not even joking, every person should own this and use this multiple times a week. Here is why: it’s like a spa in a jar. The balm is grainy when you first put it on but as you massage and work down those beads, they melt. THEY. MELT. So you end up with this beautiful creamy balm all over your face. It is luscious.
Hydration
You can use a serum, or a face mist at this step. Depending on how my skin feels I will use different things.
Derma E Skin De-Stress Calming CBD Serum
If I want a little extra ~calm~ then I will use this, but if not, I will just use a facial mist.
Any of these facial sprays give you a boost of moisture and are affordable. If you don’t like to put a serum on, this is a good option to hydrate without another cream. Note: don’t use vitamin C and retinol at the same time. If you do, you need to wait like 20 mins between applying he vitamin C and retinol so that they can actually work the way they are supposed to. The Lavender face mist by MB has vitamin C and I use that in the morning, but the below mist at night.
Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist
The spray top on these bottles is magic and I don’t know how else to explain it. This is a great option if you want to spend a little more money than on MB.
Eye Cream
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream
This is the same cream that I use in the morning. Same process.
Special Treatments
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
Same stuff as in the morning. I use it in the evenings when I feel like I need some extra boost in the acne prevention department.
Hydrate
I really prefer to use a facial mist in the evening before I put on my sleeping oil. That’s just me and some skincare gurus are probably going to be big mad I said this, but I don’t care. Note: don’t use vitamin C and retinol at the same time. If you do, you need to wait like 20 mins between applying he vitamin C and retinol so that they can actually work the way they are supposed to. The Lavender face mist by MB has vitamin C and I use that in the morning, but the below mist at night.
Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist
The spray top on these bottles is magic and I don’t know how else to explain it. This is a great option if you want to spend a little more money than on MB.
Retinol —> Oil
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil
My night oil has retinol in it, so my Retinol and Oil steps are one and the same. I love this oil, but it is heavy. It is the star of the show in the evenings. It is a beautiful dark blue/green because of the Blue Tansy in it. It is kind of on the expensive side of things, but I love it and I feel like it is worth the splurge.
Ok, y’all. That’s what I use on my face. Some things to remember are I don’t have oily skin or dry skin, but I do have combo skin; I try to use ingredients that help decrease redness; I only buy cruelty-free; I am in my 30s so I have 30-year-old skin; I do not wear makeup every day so I don’t have any recommendations for makeup remover other than a microfiber towel; I live alone and my entire bathroom is for me and my shit. Have fun, be safe, wear sunscreen, fuck the patriarchy.