Travel Skin Care Regimen
Generally I pride myself in being a pretty low maintenance gal, but the one exception is my skincare regimen. In my opinion, healthy, luminous skin is the foundation of any beauty routine, so even when I'm away, I make sure to take excellent care of my skin. Here's my process:
I start the morning by just splashing a bit of cool water on my face. I've found that my skin breaks out less when I only wash my face at night. I go to bed with a clean face anyway, so washing again in the morning just strips away the moisture and natural oils my skin needs.
Next, I apply Willa's tinted natural sunscreen all over my face. This product is actually designed for teenage girls, but it's amazing. The sunscreen contains natural, good for you ingredients and the product is light as air. It goes on smooth and doesn't looked caked on in natural light the way a lot of foundations (even high quality liquid ones) look on my skin. I would seriously recommend this product. It's the best I've ever used.
I also spread Josie Maran natural sunscreen on my neck. I put on sunscreen every day at home, but I'm extra rigorous about it when I'm travelling, since I'm generally spending a lot of time outdoors. Originally, I applied this product to my face every morning, but for whatever reason I found it really irritating to my eyes. I still love this sunscreen, but I can't really use it on my face anymore.
Last, I treat my lips to a coat of Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm. Mint and rose? Yes please! Plus, I love the subtle pink tint and the packaging is too cute.
At the end of the day, I wash my face using Burt's Bees Purifying Daily Cleanser with Willow Bark. I spread the gel cleanser over my face and then wash and exfoliate with my Clarisonic Mia. There's been a lot of buzz around the blogosphere about the Clarisonic, and with good reason. This tool is seriously incredible. My skin is smoother, more luminous, and nearly blemish free since I started using it. The Mia even helps make up to go on smoother! It's a splurge, but so worth it. And this smaller version of the Clarisonic is compact enough to easily pop into your suitcase.
Next, I apply Nuxe SérumCrème Fraîche. I decided to try this serum out recently when I was at Shoppers Drugmart and had some points to spend. It's highly moisturizing and a nice little treat for my skin.
After that I use a benzoyl peroxide-based prescription gel (not pictured). I've had oily, acne prone skin since puberty, and this helps keep it under control.
Finally, I rub in Keihl's Skin Rescuer Stress-Minimizing Daly Hydrator. I switched this out a few months ago for their Ultra Facial Cream, which is a bit heavier and perfect for winter. I like this moisturizer too, although I may try their Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion next.
Are there a lot of steps to this routine? Sure, but it's actually not particularly time consuming and the results are well worth it. It's also not cheap, but I think quality and (mostly) natural products are worth it. My skin is important to me, and I don't mind putting my money into it. I also wear very little to no make up at home and particularly on my travels, so I save money in that area.
What about you? Thoughts on my routine? What are your favourite skin care products?