Fall Skincare
New season, time to reset the skincare routine.
For those of you who are new to the blog, I am lazy when it comes to skincare. I know it’s important, and there are some days where I love taking time to do a full spa-like routine, but if I’m honest I want it to be quick and easy, my days are long and the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is pro-long my bedtime.
Here are the steps I use on a daily basis: Cleanse, Tone, Serum, Moisturize.
These four steps can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make them. Ideally, you want to double cleanse and add an exfoliator into the routine, but sometimes it’s not realistic.
On an M-Thr schedule in the evenings I’ll use my Liz Earle Cleanser, and my ZO Growth Serum and call it a night. If I need an extra boost, I’ll use BeautyCounter’s resurfacing serum.
On Fridays I do my best to level up my skincare, I’ll use Zo’s Gentle Cleanser, and depending on my mood I’ll either add in Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant or ZO’s Exfoliating Polish as an additional step or I’ll mix it into the cleanser. As for Toner, I have been using ZO’s Complexion Pads, the jar has 60 pads which you can easily cut in half and use half for your AM routine and the other half for the PM routine. I’ll still use the Growth Serum in the evenings, but I do remember to use my moisturizer!
I know I’ve briefly named dropped products I have used but here’s what they do and why I love them.
Cleanser 1: Liz Earle, Hot Cloth Cleanser
Cleanser 2: ZO Gentle Cleanser
Exfoliator 1: Dermalogica Microfoliant
Exfoliator 2: ZO Exfoliating Polish
Toner: ZO Complexion Pads
Serum: ZO Growth Serum
Moisturizer: Overnight Watermelon Mask
Liz Earle has been a vanity must-have since 2017 (at least). I love to use it to remove eye makeup in particular because it’s so gentle. It has cocoa butter to help soften and moisturize and has eucalyptus and chamomile to soothe and purify. This is by far one of the more affordable face washes I use retailing for $30 CAN, but you can occasionally get it on sale or save when you bundle.
ZO is a medical-grade skincare line, so it tends to come with a slightly higher price tag. However, the Gentle Cleanser is competitively priced at $61 CAN. This cleanser has Oat Amino Acids to help support the skin’s barrier function and prevent post-cleansing dryness. It also has a Botanical extract blend to provide an anti-irritant and gives antioxidant benefits.
When it comes to exfoliators it can be easy to exfoliate. Don’t get me wrong I love a good buff and that feeling of clear gunk-free skin, but I also don’t want to overdo it to the point my skin is raw.
If you are like me where you like a routine and don’t want another thing to keep track of, I would suggest the Daily Microfoliant from Dermalogica. It retails for $83 CAN for 75g and is gentle enough to use daily. It is a rice-based powder that activates upon contact with water…and be careful not to get any up your nose…I may or may not be speaking from experience.
Once activated by water it releases Papain, Salicylic Acid, and Rice Enzymes to polish the skin. The Phytic Acid from Rice Bran, White Tea, and Licorice helps balance uneven skin tone and the Oatmeal and Allantoin help calm skin.
Dermalogica has also recently come out with refills for their bottles, so you can save money and package with the refills retailing for $74 CAN, while it can be tempting to want to skip over the initial cost, I would recommend buying the bottle, to protect the product from any sort of water damage.
The ZO Exfoliating Polish has ultra-dine crystals to help with cellular renewal and removal of dead skin. ZOX12® is an exclusive antioxidant blend, helping to protect the skin from free radical damage.
What is free radical damage? Some include:
Tobacco smoke.
Environmental and occupational substances and chemicals such as asbestos and vinyl chloride.
Some viruses.
Air pollution.
While I find the ZO polish does a great job at what it claims, I do find it quite fragerant and grainy, so due to my laziness I only use the polish about 1-2 times a week.
Once my face is clean and clear I reach for my ZO Complexion Pads, as my skin is on the normal/dry side I like the complexion pads for their Acid complexion of Glycolic and Salicylic to help smooth, brighten and decongest my skin. For those of you with more acne-prone skin I would recommend the Acne Treatment Pads.
Closing my routine, I use a Growth Factor. There are different derivatives available but I’ve been using ZO’s. I enjoy the gel-type formula and if you have no idea what a growth factor it is Disodium acetyl glucosamine phosphate and helps to restore hydration, elasticity and firmness.
As for Moisturizer, I’ve been using the one from the Summer Jilly box, it smells delicious and has a rich luxurious texture, while I am enjoying using it, I will be using something a bit sturdier come the winter.
