By Sheila Arkee
To be honest I don’t really give much thought to my night beauty routine. I usually slap some stuff on, then stumble off to bed. I happened to pay a little more attention last week and realized that I have quite a few items in this supposedly nonchalant routine. About 7 products, to be exact, not as low-maintenance as I had thought!
Going from left to right in the photo, my must-have products include:
- Neck cream.
- A retinol, alternated with a basic skin cream, AND a non-pictured essential oil on top of both. I’m in the middle of using up scores of facial cream samples, so I haven’t really committed to a particular one yet.
- Foot cream. This Yu-Be cream is making my feet sooooo happy these days.
- Hydroquinone-based gel to fade dark marks on my body. Embarrassing but true, I’ve had a hormonal, dark band across my waist for YEARS and this is actually helping.
- Lash enhancer I’ve already decided doesn’t do much, but can’t bring myself to throw out until it’s done.
- Eye cream. I have three on rotation but am putting the Lavera cream on heavy use because it’s aaaaaaalmost done.
- Lip balm. Yu-be is my balm of choice at the moment.
What’s your current routine? Do you find yourself using more products than you’d think?
What retinol product do you use?
Retin A
My skin is very angry at me right now because I was just in Vegas, so currently my routine is…
To Cleanse:
Wash with CeraVe foaming wash (with my Clarisonic)
To Exfoliate:
Paula’s Choice 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant
To Moisturize:
Paula’s Choice Moisture gel
To treat wrinkles and dark spots:
Paula’s Choice Antioxidant Concentrate Serum w/Retinol
No, I dont’ work for Paula’s Choice, I just adore her products
I love hearing about others’ nighttime routines. Up until a year ago, mine was absolutely zilch. Now I’m trying to take better care.
Retin A, 0.025% formula on my face, neck, and chest(every other night)
Eucerin slathered on my lips and under my eyes (helps with the Retin drying and doesn’t irritate like most eye creams)
Super-sexy invisilign trays (me-ow!)
I’m not counting the Lashem, since it doesn’t work and won’t be in your rotation once it’s used up. So that makes 6 pre-bed products. That’s how many I have too! Wash, tone, treat/moisturize (1 product), lip treatment, eye cream, body lotion.
…7, if (like Elizabeth) we’re including my bite guard. Just like the Invisalign trays, it’s CRAZY sexy! LOL!
I have absolutely no nighttime routine. If I’m lucky, I have enough energy to brush my teeth. Somehow it hasn’t been a problem, as I’m now in my 40s and have really good skin, even after failing to remove my makeup or use any kind of treatment at night. Sometimes, if I’m feeling icky, I’ll use one of those premoistened makeup remover towelettes and then use a little Cerave cream to moisturize. And occasionally my lips feel dry, so I’ll use some lip balm. My current favorite is Jack Black, either the lemon or the lavender.
The one thing I do without fail is apply some of my sleep perfume, which is TKO from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which is heavily lavender and vanilla (plus some other stuff, I think including dragon’s blood). I sleep like a rock with that on.
I love reading everyone’s tips, too! Jessica, a night perfume is a great idea.