For a long time, I didn’t know much about skincare. Until recently, all I did was cleanse my face to remove my make up. Michelle from Just a lil Glow Facebook group, Brown Girl Skincare Collective is a great resource that got me into experimenting with skincare.

SKINCARE TIPS

Susan Yara from Mixed Makeup shares some great skincare tips and advice. Here is her YouTube channel and blog

OILY SKIN MISCONCEPTIONS

• You need a heavy duty cleanser. This is very untrue. If you use a harsh cleanser, your skin will produce more oil to compensate.
• Skip moisturizer. I thought that since I am oily, I should sprint when I see moisturizers or creams. Your skin NEEDS moisture and hydration, regardless of your skin type. Here is a tip for people with oily skin-use a gel/water based moisturizer. Your skin will absorb it quickly and it won’t feel heavy.
• Coconut oil is a miracle in a jar. Coconut oil is comedogenic. Comedogenic substances will clog your pores and as a result, can cause breakouts and irritation. Please don’t use it to remove your make up, or as a facial oil/ moisturizer.

• Double Cleanse– Start with an oil base cleanser or balm to break down your make up and follow it up with a gel cleanser.
• Stop using make-up wipes. Make up wipes have surfactants which keeps makeup wipes from stinking and rotting. They don’t actually clean off your make up, it mostly smears it around. Try micellar water instead to remove stubborn eye make up that was missed in your oil cleanse.
• Use an SPF. Admittedly do not follow this tip because all of the ones I have tried feel greasy or make me look like Casper. Please share your recommendations for an SPF!!!!

MY SKINCARE ROUTINE

I’m still a novice, but, here is my routine. I use the same products in the morning and at night, however, I will follow up with another blog post once I explore and develop a new routine.

For my oily skin, I look for products with niacinamide, rose oil, tea tree oil or squalane.

CLEANSE

I wear make-up daily so I need to break it all down. The Ordinary Squalane cleanser is inexpensive and effective. If you don’t already use an oil cleanser, the first time you do, it is quite strange. It melts the make up but your face isn’t clean until you use a gel cleanser afterwards. It is like sweeping; once all the mess is gathered together in one spot, you still need to pick up the dirt with a dust pan and throw it away. Make sure your hands are dry when applying this and wash it off before you move onto you gel cleanser. I use Garnier Micellar Water Oil Infused Facial Cleanser to further remove any make up. I like this specfic one because the oil really gets all the traces of make up off.

I follow up with my gel cleanser CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser . The product name is misleading because it is actually a gel. I enjoy this cleanser because it has Niacinamide. Niacinamide is good for clogged pores but more importantly this cleanser doesn’t dry out my skin.

TONE & TREAT

I stan for Pixi Beauty Vitamin C Serum and Pixi Beauty Vitamin C Tonic My skin feels and smells so juicy afterwards. I start with the toner and then follow up with the serum. For added support I use The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum.

HYDRATE & MOISTURIZE

I like gel moisturizers because my skin absorbs it quickly. I use the NEUTROGENA Hydro Boost Gel Cream . I use a hydrator and a oil-The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane and The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

MASKS

I didn’t want to invest in a full size products so I am playing with Peter Thomas Roth Mask-Erade

You don’t know what you don’t know and I’m steadily researching skincare products. Please share your recommendations, thoughts and experiences with your skin.

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