My morning skincare routine

The other night, my parents and I decided we wanted to watch a movie after dinner- a comedy. Given that nothing in the new releases ever even remotely interests me, I decided to go with a classic that I only recently discovered (I know, I know, shame on me), When Harry Met Sally. There’s a scene in the movie where Billy Crystal says to Meg Ryan, “You’re the worst kind of girl. You’re a high maintenance girl who thinks you’re low maintenance.” This line always gets me, because, I think that’s me too.

I will be the first person to admit that I take a pretty long time getting ready in the morning. But because my morning skincare routine has become a religious ritual of sorts, I don’t think of it as high maintenance, until I travel, and pack up my whole regiment. So maybe I am a high maintenance king of girl, but honestly, my skin thanks me for it.

I personally cannot imagine getting up in the morning and not taking time to make sure my skin was ready for the day, or worse, put makeup on over skin that wasn’t set up and ready for it. Maybe that sounds trivial, but consider that when you don’t prepare your skin for the day, you’re allowing the damage from sun, makeup, and other pollutants to make their mark on your skin. Which most of us then try to treat with boatloads of products at night, only creating a tireless cycle that doesn’t have even half of the impact it could if you upped your morning skincare routine.

I’ve posted about how to start a skincare routine, and included a breakdown of AM and PM routines, which should vary, as they serve very different purposes. In the morning, your goal should be to remove any oils that build up over night, and create a clean canvas for the day. You also want to prepare your skin so that makeup sits well on the skin, and you are preventing damage from the sun. If you do skincare right, you may find yourself wearing less and less makeup, especially as we are wearing masks now.

So I wanted to share my own morning routine, which has stayed the same for quite some time. While I might switch products in and out, the steps always remain the same. And many of these are tried and true products that I couldn’t live without. Here is a breakdown of my current morning skincare routine. You can watch me run through the whole routine on my Instagram reels.

• Step 01 ⅠCleanse: Truthfully, this is the step I need to be better about. It takes just a few minutes, but take a pea-sized amount of cleansing balm or another cleanser (I love this one), and make sure that any sweat or oils that build up overnight are removed from the face, so you are starting fresh.
• Step 02 ⅠExfoliate: Another way to build that blank canvas- you want to exfoliate any of the dead skin cells that accumulate as your skin regenerates constantly. I love these pads with glycolic acid, because they also build an acid into my morning routine, which helps with discoloration and hyperpigmentation. They really remove dull skin so your skincare penetrates, and makeup sets better.
• Step 03 ⅠTone: So many people want to skip this step, but please don’t! Not only is it the most refreshing, but it also restores the pH balance to your skin, keeping it stable throughout the day. Which toner you use might depend on your skin type, but right now, I am using this toner by Pixi, and I really love how it’s hydrating, giving a nice glow, and smells delicious (a lovely perk).
• Step 04 ⅠEyes: I have to be honest, I was not doing this step in this order for a very long time. It wasn’t until the queen of skincare, Caroline Hirons, said that putting on your eye cream after your serums is like wearing a bra on the outside of your clothing. Funny, but makes sense. You want your eye cream to really penetrate and target the under eyes, which might be blocked by moisturizers or serums if you use it at the very end of your routine. This is one of my favorite morning eye creams- you can check out my breakdown of the two I love here.
• Step 05 ⅠSerum: This is the step where you might have more fluctuation of products; you should use whichever serums you need for your skin. But personally, my favorite serum to use in the morning is a Vitamin C serum that will work to help brighten skin. I love this serum, and have repurchased it multiple times. It’s an affordable serum that gives you Vitamins C and E, combined with ferulic acid, which fights signs of aging.
• Step 06 ⅠMoisturize: Finding a morning moisturizer is going to be very much dependent on your skin type. And you might already have one. Personally, I like something lighter for the morning than what I would use at night. I want hydration, but not oil buildup throughout the day. I love this one, which comes in a set with the eye cream. It is a gel cream, so it really preps skin for makeup. I love to mix mine with these bronzing drops– they are totally optional, but protect the skin from pollutants, while giving you a gorgeous, glowing, bronzed sheen.
• Step 07 ⅠSPF: Last but not least, you want to protect your skin from the sun, even if you aren’t going to the beach. There is no excuse to not wear SPF, and personally, I love this one because it doesn’t break me out (like most do on my face), and because it doesn’t have the sunscreen smell or feel that might prevent you from using one on a daily basis. It’s almost like a moisturizer, and just sits so beautifully on the skin. I cannot recommend it enough, as my dermatologist recommended it to me, and I have never looked back.

If this intimidates you, it shouldn’t. It takes less than five minutes, and leaves you with such a fresh glow, and ready to take on the day. It’s also a great ritual to start your day peacefully, doing something for you, and only you. If you want to start small, use these four simple steps: cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize.