How many skincare products do you use? What is your routine & products?

tammysc

hey everyone 
I got interested in skin care after watching YouTube videos of people’s 10 step Korean skincare routine. I didn’t do all 10 steps but close to it. But now I’m wondering how much is really necessary? I got some new products today which add even more to my list, actually making 10 steps. What do you think I can use up and then not need to buy again? What benefits your skin and what are just marketing tools?
all of my skincare is natural, almost all products I use are sukin.. really love sukin

my routine (and when I use them/plan to use them):
1. Sukin oil balancing charcoal gel cleanser (night)
2. Swisse almond cream cleanser (morning and night) 
3. Homemade exfoliator [olive oil/coconut oil and brown sugar] OR organik botanik sea salt and coconut oil scrub (once a week)
4. Sukin oil balancing charcoal masque and sukin hydrating masque [charcoal on nose and chin, hydrating everywhere else] (once a week)
5. Sukin rose hydrating mist (morning and night)
6. Sukin supergreens facial recovery serum (morning and night) 
7. Sukin antioxidant eye serum (morning and night)
8.  Sukin organic rosehip oil (morning? and night)
9. Sukin oil balancing facial moisturiser (if my face needs more moisture, mostly in winter)
10. Sunscreen [no specific one yet.. need to find a good natural one] (use when I’ll be in the sun)

Which do you honestly think I can do without? 

I love the way the two cleansers really clean my skin, I would like to keep both of those. The exfoliator and masks I will keep. I think the toner I could probably do without but lots of people say how important a toner is, but I think with the other stuff it’s not really needed. I love the supergreens serum, it is so nice and refreshing and nice and light in summer so that I can skip moisturiser... but maybe it still isn’t needed? I use the eye cream for fine lines under my eyes and on my forehead, but I can maybe give it up because I think the rosehip oil will do that job. The rosehip oil I’ll be keeping because it has so many benefits. I only got it today but so many people swear by it and my mum has gotten good results with it too. The moisturiser I could keep if I need extra hydration especially in winter but do you think I could just use my sukin body lotion instead? It has all natural ingredients so I don’t see why you would be able to use it on body but not face. If I can then the moisturiser can probably go too. Sunscreen I would keep. 

Do you agree/disagree? Is there anything else you would get rid of/Keep honestly. I know this is kinda weird to ask since it’s my skin but I don’t want to be wasting money if I don’t need to be. 

My main issue with my skin is probably oily nose, large pores, some red/brown spots from stupidly picking my face over the years and fine lines under eyes and on forehead. Also sometimes small little bumps like I don’t know if it’s sweat bumps or congested pores or same thing?
 
And what about you? What are your skincare products? Routine? How often you use them?

thanks in advance

tammysc

Also I just want to add that I don’t wear makeup and thankfully my skin issues are only pretty mild and I’m pretty happy with my skin, but it’s more the fine lines that worry me because I’m only 20 and I want to prevent even more (and get rid of what’s there now)

Also I have dark under eye circles which bother me probably the most. I’m not sure but they could be medical related, but does anyone know any natural products or even homemade things that actually work that can help? 

jeepcurlygurl

My skincare routine is very simple. I'm 61 and I don't mind looking my age. I would rather be happy and healthy than spend my days worrying about wrinkles or age spots.

Moisturizer - argan or jojoba oil

Make up remover - argan or jojoba oil

Cleanser - argan or jojoba oil

Exfoliator - baking soda mixed with a little water

Guide 65

I have discovered through the years that the simpler my routine, the more likely I'll actually use it.  At night I remove my makeup and cleanse with Bioderma Micellar water, then use a La Roche Posay serum that has some kind of acid (BHA?  I can't remember) as a mild chemical exfoliant, and follow with Clinique moisturizer.  In the morning I use a creamy cleanser, also from Bioderma, and again the clinique moisturizer.  If I'm going to be in the sun in summer, I'll add some sunscreen too, although I really hate wearing it.

Normally I just lightly dab my moisturizer around the eye area, but I've been feeling a lot of dryness there, so I got some The Ordinary hylaronic acid and some squalene oil to try.  I'm not sure it's going to work for me, but they suggested the oil could be used in your hair too, so I might try that.   

tinksaysboo

I personally think all of that is unnecessary.   I think you should tackle skin care like hair care, start with your basics (cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize, SPF) and then add from there based on specific problems you are trying to correct.  

I worked for Clinique as a teenager and in my early 20s which gave me an opportunity to learn about skin care (I can  geek out on the science of skin care for hours)  and experiment with all the different types of skincare lines.  I'm in my early 30s now and the only thing that has changed about my skin care routine is I now use anti aging moisturizers and eye cream and no longer use a pore serum.  I can honestly say I've been so happy with skin for over a decade I've never seeked out change to my routine. 

Morning:
1. Daily Exfoliate: Clinique's 7 Day Scrub
2. Cleanse: Shisedo's White Lucent  Cleansing Foam
3. Toner: Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3
4. Face moisturizer: Fresh's Black Tea Firming Corset Cream
5. SPF: Clinqiue's Super City Block (If I plan on being outside more than walking to and from the train)
6. Eye cream: Fresh's Black Tea Eye Cream

Night:
1. Makeup Removal: Clinque's Take the Day off Balm (I've recently been using almond oil and that seems to be working just as well!)
2. Cleanse 
3. Tone
4. Night moisturizer: Fresh's Black Tea  Over Night Mask
5. Eye Cream

I use a charcoal mask (BOSCIA's Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask) and a more abrasive exfoliate (Origins' Modern Friction) once a week.    When I have episodes of bad breakouts I switch completely to Clinque's Acne Line, which usually clears me up within a month. 

tinksaysboo

tammysc said:

The exfoliator and masks I will keep think the toner I could probably do without but lots of people say how important a toner is, but I think with the other stuff it’s not really needed.

Our skin "turnsover" every ~30 days (skin shedding). That dead skin can clog pores.  When you wash your face, it loosens up some of that dead skin.  Toners help lift off that very top layer of dead skin.  So the exfoliate is like a "deep clean" that you do occasionally, where your  toner is your daily maintenance to make sure things are too bad on deep clean day.

I love the supergreens serum, it is so nice and refreshing and nice and light in summer so that I can skip moisturiser... but maybe it still isn’t needed?

Do you notice a positive difference when you use it?  If so keep using it.  If not, then it's probably not needed.  

The moisturiser I could keep if I need extra hydration especially in winter but do you think I could just use my sukin body lotion instead?

The skin on your body is very different than the skin on your face.  Products made for your body tend to be too heavy for the face.  Since you have issues with pores and red bumps, I would strongly advice against using something made for your body on your face.  

My main issue with my skin is probably oily nose, large pores, some red/brown spots from stupidly picking my face over the years and fine lines under eyes and on forehead. Also sometimes small little bumps like I don’t know if it’s sweat bumps or congested pores or same thing?

Since you are only in your 20s, the fine lines under your eyes and face are probably due to dehydration.  # 1 tip -- drink enough water!  Water makes a HUGE difference.  This also means you want to look for more hydrating creams opposed to more moisturizing creams.  

Also I have dark under eye circles which bother me probably the most. I’m not sure but they could be medical related, but does anyone know any natural products or even homemade things that actually work that can help? 

Dark circles due to genetics are unfortunately incurable.  Do others in your family have dark circles?    That's a good indicator.    If it is environmental causes then making sure you are getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and eating healthy is most important.  If you are not doing those nothing else can help.  That being said, I found caffeinated tea bags helped reduce my dark circles (I now use an eye cream with tea in it)

A couple questions for you:

1. Were you experiencing these small bumps before you switched to the above routine or after?
2. Are you oily anywhere else besides your nose?
3. Does your skin ever feel tight or itchy after washing?  If so where?

Therese1

I really enjoy my skin care routine. Taking time with my facial products helps me gently get ready to face the day ahead. If you feel overwhelmed by your routine, then I would make some changes. But if you enjoy all of your products and feel that they are benefiting your face, then I would continue to use them.

My routine:

Morning
1. Cleanse: Naturopathica Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream.
2. Treat: Image MD Vitamin ACE Serum.
3. Moisturize, layer 1: Mix a few drops of a homemade oil blend with several sprays of a homemade herbal water.
4. Moisturize, layer 2: Either Evan Healy Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf or Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream.
5. Eye Cream: Dr. Hauschka Daily Hydrating Eye Balm.
6. Sunscreen: Either SkinCeuticals tinted SPF 50 (summer) or MyChelle SPF 28 (winter).

Evening
1. Makeup removal: Naturopathica Sweet Lupine or Caudalie Micellar Water (sometimes my eyes get sensitive to makeup remover, so I have to switch it up).
2. Cleanse: Either Naturopathica Sweet Lupine or Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream.
3. Tone: COSRX Power Blackhead Liquid (BHA).
4. Moisturize: A few drops of a homemade oil blend with several sprays of Caudalie Grape Water, mixed together and patted into my face.
5. Treat: Image MD Youth Repair Cream.
6. Eye Cream: Spray face with Caudalie Grape Water and then top with Evan Healy Eye Balm (trying to use this up).

My skin seems a little dry when I wake up, so I'm either going to cut out the BHA or else alternate it with the retinol cream.

I've tried using oil as a makeup remover, but it always gets in my eyes and causes problems. I've also read that oil, if it gets in your eyes, can clog your tear ducts. So I'm sticking to commercial makeup removers at least for the eye area. 

Once a week, I steam my face and do a clay mask with some white clay. I exfoliate with a papaya enzyme mask beforehand.

Regarding your question about using cream meant for the body on the face, I agree with @tinksaysboo: that might not be such a good thing to do. Products meant for the body might clog the pores in the face. Definitely stick to products meant for the face.

BrittanyM

I personally enjoy doing my skin care... I enjoy it a lot more than doing my hair. So if you enjoy skin care, I would just do all 10 steps. If not, simplify.
For the record, I have very dry skin because of a product/skin care I use. I'll elaborate below.
Morning:
Cleanser: Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser (this is the best thing in the world; yes, you can find a forum where I said this was a weird texture and I didn't like it... that opinion has since changed drastically).
Run an icecube over my face to help with any pimples.
Vitamin C serum
Moisturizer: Right now I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Firming Cream.
Eyes: Cerave Eye Repair Cream... not a favorite.
Makeup... occassionally I will use Nivea After Shave Balm as a primer to help further with moisture.

Night:
Oil Cleanser: Palmer's Oil Cleanser
In shower cleanser: Anything that foams really. Right now, it's Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Acne Wash
Run Ice Cube Over Face
Every other day: Differin Gel (this cleared up my acne tremendously... I still get an occassional pimple but no more cystic... however it is a double edge sword as it dries out my skin like crazy. We are talking flaking skin). To mitigate dryness, I will use the Heritage Store Rosewater and Glycerin (great for skin and hair, highly recommend), then Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream (another highly recommend).
OR
Neutrogena Ageless Intensives (retinol night moisturizer)
Follow up with Rosehip Oil (that does contain Almond Oil as second ingredient because I didn't read the ingredients when I bought it).
I'm having success with this routine. My all time holy grails are Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Differin Gel, Heritage Store Rosewater and Glycerin Spray, and Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream.

tinksaysboo

@Therese1 ; - I've been paranoid about using the almond oil to remove make up since you mentioned the tear duct thing!   I've also noticed my skin has been kind of gross.  I am switching back.

My eye area is really sensitive (I can't use wipes or the like).  If you are ever in the market for something new to remove make-up I suggest Clinique's take the day off balm.  I've been using it since it came out and always end up going back to it!   It does emulsify in an oil though so I wonder if there is the same issue.

Therese1

@tinksaysboo, sorry to sound the alarm about clogged tear ducts! If you don't feel that you're getting oil in your eyes, then you're probably OK. Every time I try to use oil on my eye makeup, my vision gets blurry because the oil gets in my eyes. It just doesn't work well for me.

I've tried the Clinique Take the Day Off at my local Ulta. I always use it to take off any testers that I put on. I don't get the same problems as with straight oil, I think because the Clinique product is more watery in consistency. Maybe if I used a lighter oil, like argan oil, on my eyes it wouldn't be as much of a problem. Have to think about that! I do like the Clinique product, though. It does work really well and is gentle. 

Therese1

I should also mention that I cut out my BHA product, as I mused about in my above post. It did indeed result in more moisturized skin the next morning. I don't seem to be having any extra blackheads without using it. It's just too much for the winter. I'm still keeping it on hand as a good spot treatment for the occasional zit.

tinksaysboo

Funny that you mention that blurry eye thing, @Therese1.  I use to get that all the time with the balm, but now that I think about it, I haven't had it in a long time.  I wonder why!  I have used it for so long I can't even say when it stopped!  

Do you have any other favorite gentle make-up removers?  The balm got discontinued shortly a couple years ago (the balm scares people for some reason) , so I am always on a look out for a back up! 

Therese1

@tinksaysboo, I sometimes use the Caudalie micellar water to remove makeup. It seems to be quite gentle. You can get it at Sephora.

CatitudeBoo

I'm a minimalist in most aspects so I only use two products, both Equate (Wal-Mart brand). One is an oil-free acne wash & the other is refreshing scrub. I alternate between those two because the acne cleanser can be quite drying. I'll use the acne wash one day and the other cleanser the next day and so on. 

I haven't worn makeup in 3+ years thus I don't wear moisturizer anymore. Aside from the occasional breakout once a month, my skin stays clear so my routine works.