The best foundation you can wear is glowing, healthy skin!
If there is one thing I look forward to at the end of the day (other then sleep), it's my nighttime skincare routine! It's a time where you can relax, decompress, and wash the day away. Nothing feels better then a clean, healthy, glowing complexion. Continue reading to check out some of my favorite Dermalogica products that will make anybody envious of your night time skin regimen.
Step 1 - Cleanse
Cleansing is one of the most important steps in your routine. It removes all unwanted dirt, oil, and debris. Your skin is continually hit with bacteria, pollutants, and dirt throughout the day. Not to mention it is also covered with dead skin cells if you don't consistently wash and exfoliate. This is why it is so important to wash your face daily to remove these impurities and give your skin a fresh, clean look. One of my favorite cleansers is Dermalogica's Special Cleansing Gel. It is perfect for all skin types as its refreshing lather removes all impurities without disturbing your skin's natural moisture balance. If your skin is more on the dry side, Double cleansing with Dermlogica's Precleanse Balm is the perfect solution. This water-activated balm-to-oil deconstructs layers of excess oil, waterproof makeup, and environmental pollutants on our skin. The natural bio-lipid complex locks in hydration and reinforces the skin barrier while apricot kernel oil help nourish your skin. Even if your skin isn't dry, the Precleanse Balm will make your skin feel so luxurious, you won't be able to live without it.
Step 2 - Exfoliate
EVERYBODY should be using some sort of exfoliator in their night time routine (at some point during the week). Depending on your skin type and sensitivity, this could range anywhere from twice a week to everyday. When old skin cells start to pile up on the surface of your skin, it can leave your skin looking dull, rough, and dry. Furthermore, the build-up of dead skin cells can result in excess oil and clogged pores, leading to blemishes and acne. Our favorite exfoliator? Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant. It's gentle enough to use everyday and is the perfect exfoliator for all skin types. Unique rice-based powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing papain, salicylic acid and rice enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter. Another favorite that won't disappoint is Dermalogica's Daily Superfoliant. This 2018 Glamour Beauty Award Winner is a highly-active resurfacer that will deliver your smoothest skin ever, and helps fight the biochemical and environmental triggers known to cause aging in your skin. It will absorb environmental pollutants and detoxify your pores. For more sensitive skin, apply on alternate days until your skin acclimates. You won't believe how glowing your skin looks after you use it until you try it for yourself!
Step 3 - Masque
Use a masque 2-3 times a week. They are the perfect product to focus on specific skin concerns and help detoxify, exfoliate, hydrate, nourish, calm, etc. Take the feeling of a spa treatment right to your house. Slap on a mask, pour yourself a glass of wine, and just sit back and relax. Dermalogica has 2 of my favorite masques - their Charcoal Rescue Masque and Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque. The Charcoal Rescue Masque is an all-in-one treatment masque that detoxifies, brightens and invigorates normal to oily skin. this masque provides both physical and chemical exfoliation for visibly revitalized skin so it is best not to use an exfoliator on a day where you plan on using this masque. It addresses signs of aging, breakouts, and dullness all at once! The Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque is the ultimate remedy for dulling, dry, dehydrated, lackluster, photo-damaged skin and aging skin. Increase your skins elasticity and boost your collagen synthesis all at once; plus it repairs daily damage triggered by free radicals!
Step 4 - Tone
There are many perceptions around toner and whether you should use one or not. In my opinion, a toner is a definite yes in my AM & PM skincare routine. Toner is a fast-penetrating liquid that delivers skin a quick hit of hydration and helps remove some dead skin cells off the surface of the skin resulting in plump, glowy skin! Toner is like a primer for the rest of your skincare routine. Think of it as a prep for your pores. It brings your skin back to its natural acidic state, sweeping impurities away and helping your skin absorb any skincare products you put on afterwards. Toner allows your skin to soak up all the benefits of the rest of your products, essentially giving you the most bang for your buck! My favorite is Dermalogica's Multi-Active Toner. This light facial toner spray hydrates and refreshes. It helps condition the skin and prepare it for proper moisture absorption when you spritz over your skin before moisturizing. The Multi-Active Toner is also the perfect travel companion to keep your skin hydrated during long flights! Dermalogica's Antioxidant Hydramist is also an honorable mention. It's a refreshing peptide toner that creates a hydrating, antioxidant shield over skin to help reduce fine dryness lines and and prevent the signs of aging. Mist over your skin after cleansing and throughout the day to help firm, rehydrate, and minimize skin-aging triggers.
Step 5 - Targeted Treatment (Optional)
Now is the time to use any targeted treatment (other then your typical serum) you may want to use. In my case, this is where I add a retinol product into my regimen. You could also use this step for a targeted concentrate so it can penetrate deep into your skin. My go-to is Dermalogica's Overnight Retinol Repair 1%. This active 1% microencapsulated pure retinol formula helps accelerate skin renewal. A Powerful bioactive peptide and antioxidant vitamin c help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and discoloration. It also restores skin moisture and suppleness while hydrating and preventing water loss to help soften fine lines. Overnight Retinol Repair 1% is great for prevention or aging skin! Another great product to use on this step is Dermalogica's C-12 Pure Bright Serum. This lightweight, highly-active topical treatment combats hyper-pigmentation day and night. Its advanced formula absorbs quickly to optimize efficacy while helping to increase skin luminosity. Perfect for anybody who needs help brightening their skin, minimizing discoloration, and improve their skin clarity.
Step 6 - Serum
Face serums are a great way to target specific skincare concerns, like wrinkles. They are typically made up of smaller molecules that can penetrate deeply into the skin and deliver a very high concentration of active ingredients. Using a serum regularly can help with a multitude of concerns: firmness, smoothness, smaller pores, and an increase in hydration (depending on the serum you are using). One of my favorite products is a serum: Dermalogica's Multivitamin Power Serum. Its micro encapsulated vitamin complex dramatically repairs your skin. For increased recovery and defence against skin aging, its best to smooth over clean skin before moisturizing. Decrease fine lines and hyper pigmentation while stimulating collagen formation. This is a product I cannot live without.
Step 7 - Eye Cream
The skin around the eyes is the more fragile, more prone to dryness, and quicker to show age and fatigue. Squinting and constant movement of the eyes also hasten the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Fluids also collect under the eyes and cause puffiness and dark circles. Eye creams can address some of these issues. Say hello to bright eyes with Dermalogica's Stress Positive Eye Lift. Do you have undereye bags, puffiness, and dark circles? Not anymore. The active, cooling cream-gel masque energizes your skin to recuse visible signs of stress (puffiness, dark circles). It also firms the skin to generate a lifting effect. Coming in a close second is Dermalogica's Total Eye Care. With an SPF15, Total Eye Care conceals dark circles. It also retextures to help reduces the appearance of puffiness and fine lines with skin-smoothing alpha hydroxy acids and plant extracts. What more can you ask for?
Step 8 - Facial Oil (Optional)
Facial oils are underrated. For those of you who are dry, a facial oil will change your skincare game forever. Not only do they give you instant softness and smoothness that can be kind of addictive, but they are packed with essential nutrients, fatty acids, and antioxidants. Plus, they form a protective layer over your skin cells. Dermalogica's Phyto Replenish Oil is award winning and addictive (that's right, you will become ADDICTED to it). It's featherweight and rapidly absorbs into the skin to reinforce its protective barrier. Not only does it hydrate to help smooth the appearance of fine lines but it also shields your skin against free radical damage! The perfect addition to your night time routine when your skin is feeling extra tight or dry! Plus, it's also great to use in the morning layered under foundation or an all-day glow.
Step 9 - Night Cream
Finally, your regimen isn't complete without the perfect night cream. Personally, I love the feeling of a thicker, creamier cream at night as I feel I wake up with more hydrated, glowing skin! One of my favourites is Dermalogica's Intensive Moisture Balance. It smoothes away the appearance of dry skin and skin damage with stabilized vitamin c (I seriously cannot get enough vitamin c) as extracts help reduce the signs of prematurely-aging skin. Intensive Moisture Balance also helps strengthen your skin's lipid barrier to prevent moisture loss. I cannot talk about night creams without mentioning Dermalogica's NEWEST creation: Sound Sleep Cocoon. Honestly, this product is a GAME CHANGER! I have been using it ever since it was launched and I cannot say enough great things about it. This revitalizing gel-cream transforms your skin overnight by optimizing nighttime skin recovery. It creates a nourishing cocoon of comfort for softer, more hydrated skin while French lavender essential oil work all night to promote a deep, restful sleep for healthier looking skin by the morning. Reduce the sign of skin fatigue and wake up with glowing, more radiant skin. I was reluctant before trying it, but I must say - you have to try it to believe it!
Whether your a 8 step night time routine like me, or a little bit more low maintenance - above is a guideline for when you should use what so your products are working as effective as possible! Nothing feels better then going to bed with clean, fresh skin and waking up to that glow that anybody would envy.
Again, the best foundation you can wear is glowing healthy skin! Which starts with the correct skincare routine.
Visit any of our Eccotique Locations to get your personalized face mapping session. Our Skin Therapists would love to customize your own skincare routine to give you the skin you've always wanted!
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