Get ready with me
To put on the only 5 skin care items that matter.
That’s kind of a bold statement. And I hope I don’t regret saying it one day. I’ve been on beauty PR lists for more than 15 years. Being a beauty editor was a great experience. I discovered a ton of products that I enjoyed—loved even. I wrote about a lot of them and I’m sure I’ll continue to write about great new finds here.
But a couple years ago when I decided to get hardcore about my skin care from an anti-aging perspective, I didn’t reach for any of them. Instead, I simplified big time and whittled it down to a handful of ingredients that I learned about from dermatologists. They are all cheap, active, and effective. For the past two years, my morning routine’s consisted of two products and my night routine is three. My skin’s never looked better, more even, and less wrinkled. Let’s dive in.
Morning
Dr. Shereene Idriss (and my grandmother) told me that washing my face with plain water is sufficient in the morning and that’s worked for me.
After that, I apply a Vitamin C. I’ve let all the gratis CE Ferulic I’ve gotten in my life go brown (tears) and now I refuse to shell out the $182 to get it. Because here’s the thing about Vitamin C—everyone’s gotta reset their expectations. It’s not gonna delete your brown spots. It’s not gonna make your skin texture poreless like your toddler’s. I don’t think I ever noticed this so-called “brightening” from using it. But here’s what it does do: It protects your skin from environmental damage and juices up your sunscreen so your skin doesn’t get further wrecked. Luckily, the cheaper options do that too.
When it comes to formulation, I go for L-Ascorbic acid since I generally just have a tendency to go big. And my skin tolerates it. If yours doesn’t, try TetraHexyldecyl Ascorbate, but I don’t have a recommendation for that today.
My favorite three Vitamin Cs are: Maelove Vitamin C Glow Serum ($32), Prequel Lucent-C Vitamin C Facial Serum ($27), and BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner ($85, but right now it’s 35% off on their website so going for $55). The first two are considered CE Ferulic dupes in terms of ingredients and product consistency and feel. They are watery and a bit sticky and oxidizes after a couple months if you don’t use it up. The Lucent-C has better packaging so it stays stable for longer. The BeautyStat product is totally different. It has a silicone base so it glides on really nicely and gives a smooth finish. It’s packaged in an airless pump. I’ve had mine for a few months and it hasn’t discolored at all. It is potent (20% L-Ascorbic acid) so it tingles a bit, but I actually love that. Overall: 12/10.
After Vitamin C, I slap on sunscreen, every single day even if I’m sitting at home. I don’t use foundation, I just use tinted sunscreen. Recently I got over some weird, baseless mental block I had against chemical sunscreen and my life’s gotten a lot easier once I expanded the pool of acceptable ingredients (which btw are all FDA regulated, yada yada).
For the mineral purists, Alastin HydraTint ProMineral SPF 36 is top tier. Nothing better. Apply it with a Beautyblender in place of your foundation (unless you need full coverage). But the one shade is an issue. It works perfectly for me, but not sure if it’ll blend seamlessly for Fitzpatrick I or VI.
The other brand I’ve been reaching for lately is Naked Sundays. I think of them as an Australian, all-mineral, more makeup-forward SuperGoop. What I mean by that is the entire brand is dedicated to sun protection but through really innovate product launches. I didn’t think some of their earlier launches were that good, but their new BeautyScreen Peptide Foundation Tint SPF 50 is solid. Gives a really nice makeup-like finish in 13 shades and blends great when applied with their brush. I also like the Mineral Bronze Drops SPF 50 but they are very illuminating. Not for squirting all over the face and definitely don’t use 2 finger length worth. I apply it more as a bronzing makeup product over an already-sunscreened face for extra SPF.
As far as chemical sunscreens go, I’ve been using Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Sheer Tint Moisturizer SPF 45 all summer at the pool. It’s lightweight and easy to apply without being fussy. It blends into skin easily and makes me look more hydrated.
Where chemical sunscreens really shine is when it comes to the non-tinted options because they are more cosmetically elegant and there’s no white cast. Lots of good picks here. The one I’m using right now when I want to go out with a bare face is Kiehl’s Better Screen UV Serum SPF 50+ ($43).
Btw, lots of sunscreens try to stand out by touting other ingredients—peptides or acids or vitamins. I don’t think any of that matters. Sunscreen isn’t where I’m going to get that stuff. I just need ones that have nice feel and finish so I don’t mind using it every single day of the year.
Night
Ok, by this point you might be like—this b is telling me real basic shit. Good skin care is basic, but I’m still going to give you some interesting tidbits. We’re about to leave Sephora for the European pharmacies and telederms.
But first, you need a good cleanser to wash off all that sunscreen. Colorescience Barrier Pro 1 Step Cleanser ($46) is the best one I’ve found. It removes everything in one go and there’s no residue that comes off on my face towel when I dry. The only gripe I have is that my bottle pump started malfunctioning a month in and I wasted so much product because the pump was pushing cleanser out the sides instead of through the nozzle. The bottle still lasted me almost a year though.
The next step in my night routine is probably the most important product of all and it is tretinoin. I’m not even going to explain it. Just read this vintage New York Times article about how it’s literally the only skin care ingredient proven to work on a molecular level and change how cells behave. It lessens wrinkles, lightens dark spots, makes skin firmer—it does all the things. I used tret as a teenager for acne and had the best skin of my life (after the initial purge/patches of skin flaking off phase). Then I stopped for many years as I started taking that good skin for granted. I got back on it a few years ago and pay $20 for a one year supply. At my local pharmacy, they just fill the brand name (Retin-A) at generic prices. You could go to the Cureology / Musely route but I don’t like that they’re compounded with other ingredients and are more expensive. Just give me the pure stuff dispensed by the pharmacist.
Tret, however, requires a prescription. Here’s how to do it:
Wait until you have a pimple and take selfies of yourself from straight on, left side, and right side, prominent showcasing said pimple.
Go to GoodRx.com
Sign up for the 30 day GoldRx Gold free trial.
Start virtual chat
Complain about pimple and submit selfies. In my case, I told them I wanted a refill because I’d been on the product before to manage acne and ran out.
Pay $19. Voila get 3 refills sent to your pharmacy of choice.
Cancel GoodRx Gold free trial because you’re set for a year and a half.
It you have insurance, copays for tret are around $10. Without insurance, full price is about $40 per tube. GoodRx also gives you coupons you can print out that brings the cost closer to $20. Word of warning tho—this stuff is strong. You can start low and go slow but I feel the need to throw up all the disclaimers. If you’re new to this, get a dermatologist who has looked at your skin in real life to tell you if it’s a good idea or try at your own risk.
The second product I use at night is the actual best European pharmacy hack and that’s Finacea gel 15% azelaic acid which is Rx in the States but OTC in Europe. It’s indicated for acne and rosacea but also really good for keeping hyperpigmentation at bay, which is my #1 skin nuisance. They say Asian don’t raisin, but then why do I get raisin lookin sunspots? I can see that shit forming from a mile away and it drives me insane. Existing spots require lasering (Cutera Enlighten is what gives me the best results) but they used to come back until I started using the tret-azelaic acid combo pack. It’s now been 2 summers of UV beat down while using this regimen and the hyperpigmentations been very much under control. I usually pick up two to four tubes every time I’m in Europe. They’re €20 each. You usually just have to go to the pharmacy a day or two in advance to have them order it.
You may have noticed one thing I didn’t talk about, and that is moisturizer. Honestly, I don’t really think my skin needs it. It is very used to this regimen and doesn’t freak out. My sunscreen usually acts as my morning moisturizer and at night, occasionally if I feel tight I’ll use Skinfix Barrier+ Strengthening and Moisturizing Triple Lipid Cream ($54). Skinfix is a brand I could probably write anther whole post about, but will save that for another day.
Let me know your thoughts and questions! Intrigued? Have your doubts? Hit me up in the comments to discuss.
This was so useful and entertaining that I burned my daughter’s eggs while packing her lunch. Thanks Carolyn 😂