My Current Skin Care Routine

First of all, the key to a successful skin care routine is to… listen to your skin! If, for example, you feel that your skin changed according to weather and seasons, then you will have to accommodate to that. I always seemed to develop a more oily skin when I was home in Europe, but when I was in America I had a more dry and mat skin texture, so I had to switch my skin care routine a little bit. However, there are some basic steps that I swear by and I want to share them with you J

1.     Cleanse: Cleaning your skin after a long day is very important so as to prevent break outs and not allow all the dirt from outside to stay on your face and/or transfer on your pillow (to later end up on your face)! Because I’m a lazy girl and don’t have the patience to cleanse my face with multiple products, I opt for cleansing wipes instead! Olay’s 7 in 1 wipes also contain nourishing elements that moisturize my skin, so I don’t have to put additional products on later. Oh, and they are gentle enough that I can use them to remove eye makeup as well!

2.    Eye Cream: Invest in a good eye cream, it’s worth it. The area around the eyes needs special treatment because it’s very sensitive and susceptible to irritation. You don’t need to spend a lot of money for an effective eye cream, just find the one that works for you. I have been using Olay’s 7 in 1 Eye Transformation Cream for the past couple of weeks and before that I used Roc’s Retinol Eye Treatment and they are very different but both work great for me. Neither where recommended to me, but a good way to test different creams without spending money on something that might not work for you is to get samples of all the creams you’re interested in and test them out! See if your skin feels nourished after using an eye cream and it doesn’t feel like it’s “tugging" or "pulling".

Olay's 7 in 1 Eye Transformation Cream



sample of a Lancome product - lasts for three/four days

3.  Cream/Serum: You can use both or one. A good example of how my skin changes from time to time is this: I had to use both a serum and a hydrating cream in New York, but the cream is useless when I’m home in Europe. I am a huge fan of most Olay products because they are inexpensive and they feel great on my skin.  However, for the longest time I have been using Lancôme’s Genifique Youth activating serum, which is actually very hydrating and doubles up as a cream as well, without being heavy. I have a mixed skin type (oily T-zone and chin, mat cheeks) so I always look for something that can balance my skin and in my experience, a serum has more chances of doing that than a cream.

4.  Facials: Once a weak, I give myself a facial with a clay mask or when my skin is feeling really dry, I use a sheet mask (again from Olay). Clay masks are a life savior because they control break outs, matify the skin, control oiliness and overall make the skin youthful and glowing.

5.  Scrubs: I know that people say that scrubbing your face on a daily basis is bad, but I haven’t seen it affecting my skin. If anything, ever since I started using scrubs with salicylic acid in them, I have seen a great improvement in my mild acne. I used to get small pimples from time to time, but I have gone through entire months without seeing anything after I started using scrubs with salicylic acid! The one I’ve been using (it’s a drugstore product) is Neutrogena’s All-in-1 Acne control. Gentle exfoliation leaves the skin soothe and this allows it to absorb skin products better.

6.  Strips: it’s these strips made out of fabric and infused with nourishing solutions that work great for your skin. They are fantastic little boosters for your skin that can also have anti-aging features! They won’t substitute eye creams or serums but I am absolutely amazed by the results. The ones I bought are from an Asian company so you might be able to find them in Asian markets (if you live near one), or online. But other western companies also make them and they usually aren’t that expensive. I use them once every two weeks or when my skin looks tired.

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