I Woke Up Like This

Skin care is one of those beauty regimens that, for me at least, I didn’t care about until my late twenties. Skin care can be a ‘don’t know what you got till it’s gone’ kind of mentality when you are in your youthful prime. Wrinkles? Bah! Large pores? Gross. Adult acne? No way. Until it happens. Until you wake up one day, 25 and there is a fine line casually appearing across your forehead that you swear was not there before. Then there is a surprisingly consistent zit that comes around monthly, as if it’s a friend visiting for the weekend who you’re afraid has become a roommate instead of a guest. When this began to happen, I realized my mother was right — take care of your skin when you are younger and your skin will take care of you when you are older. 
Since my late twenties, I’ve tried many different skin care methods from complicated to going to sleep at night with my makeup still on. And I realized — I need my beauty rest. I need to take care of my skin while I’m asleep, even if it’s just for a few hours. So I’ve narrowed down my skin care routine to two steps and 3-4 products, as needed.  This is a process I’ve adapted that I can easily take anywhere I go. For me, easy is key or I won’t do it. This I’ve learned. 
First step: Take it off.  A few months ago, I started washing my face with the Vichy NormaDerm Deep Cleanser every night. I upgraded from my typical cleanser I’ve used for years. This cleanser actually feels like it’s getting all of my makeup off and it never dries out my face. I also like that it defends my skin against acne. I don’t deal with too many blemishes these days, but every once in a while a sneaky pore likes to act up, so this is a gentle cleanser that keeps the acne at bay.
(If I still have eye makeup left, I’ll use the Vichy Purete Thermale Calming Cleansing Solution. It is one of the best eye makeup removers I’ve used. It also doesn’t need water to rinse, so it’s nice to have when you travel since it’s always ready to go!)
Second step: Put it on. I start with a toner to clear my pores and balance my skin. I’ve forever used witch hazel as a toner, it’s natural and has always worked like a charm. But I recently picked up this new brand at Target, SW Basics which is an organic toner with witch hazel and apple cider vinegar. (So just as a fair warning, because apple cider vinegar is a main ingredient it smells like vinegar. The scent goes away pretty quickly, especially when you put your moisturizer on. But again, fair warning. If you can get over the vinegar smell, it’s a great product!) 
The last step in my nightly routine is to moisturize. This was always the step I missed in my 20s. It was hard enough to get me to take my makeup off at night, so adding another step was out of the question. Night creams were also very intimidating to me and in my naivety I never thought I’d needed a night cream or moisturizer in general. But as I’ve gotten older and wiser…and older, I’ve realized that the best thing I can do for my face during the day is moisturize at night. 
It makes sense: my skin has all night to renew and get it’s own ‘beauty sleep’, if you will. And that’s exactly what Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep does. I wake up feeling refreshed and my skin looks and feels renewed. Coming from a girl who didn’t wash her makeup off for years, waking up with fresh, soft skin is a huge improvement. I’d wake up with blemishes before and now I wake up with a balanced face, ready for the day ahead. I can’t always guarantee a good night’s sleep but if I take care of my skin, I can always appear like I got my full 8 hours.

So if you’re 24 or 44, my sage advice on my last day of being 30 is to take care of your skin and use your time well. Beauty sleep is a real thing — even if you can’t always get a full night’s sleep, your skin can. 
What’s your favorite night time beauty routine? Are you a two-step or a many steps kind of girl? I’m always curious as to others routines, so feel free to share yours 🙂 

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*This post is brought to you by Target Style. Shop the new Beauty collection in stores and online.

36 Responses

  6. Skin care is my absolute favorite part of beauty & I always love reading about other people’s routine! I’ve heard about that toner before, but now I really want to try it!

    Kristin
    The Blush Blonde

    Reply

  12. I’ve done theatre, cheer, and gymnastics my whole life…3 things that cause you to wear LOADS of makeup. So I started a skincare routine around 13-14…of course back then it wasn’t as elaborate as it is now and the products weren’t as great in quality, but it was a routine that worked for my 13/14 year old skin. But….I never had a breakout growing up. okay maybe like 1 small under the skin sit here and there but other than that I’ve had no skin problems.

    I giggled when you said “one day when you’re 25 you wake up and there is a small fine line”….I’m now 25 and i think I look at my face a lot in fear of getting those fine line and wrinkles. LOL But, I also take care of my skin because I know it’s needed. I was totally at Target yesterday and I saw these products, I guess I will need to go back and make a purchase to try these out!

    Thank You for Sharing!

    -Ashlee Michelle
    http://www.makeupandmodifieds.blogspot.com

    Reply

  13. Kendi, can I make a suggestion about these sponsored posts? I’m totally fine with you writing posts about how you use specific branded products, but it feels a little… sneaky? when the only disclaimer is in fine print at the very end of the post. If someone was reading quickly, they might think that you’ve used Vichy skincare products for the past 3-4 years, not just recently when asked to write a post about them. (I’m making the opposite assumption here, of course, but I assume that you’re like most women who change their product regimen a lot.) You don’t specifically call out these products as longstanding mainstays of your routine, but you also don’t say how long you’ve been using them (ETA: for a few months, as I discovered upon reread) or whether you’ll repurchase these specific products in the future.

    I absolutely don’t think that you would write anything less than 100% honest, but the way this post (and earlier posts about Laura Mercier) is structured, it can make your blog seem shady/over-monetized which is not a reputation it deserves.

    Reply

    1. Yes, this is my nightly skin routine. I’ve used these products for a while now as I noticed my skin became more acne prone / less wrinkle resistant. 😉 I found this brand a few months ago at Target and when approached to take on this sponsored post, I was excited to share my experience with them! As far as Laura Mercier goes, I’ve mentioned a few times that I’ve used LM since my early 20s, having long been a fan of her tinted moisturizer which tied me into the brand. Most of my makeup bag is now LM, bare Minerals and Nars and I’d be very happy to work with any of them. I only promote the items I truly love on KE!

      Reply

  14. I’m a 3 stepper if I’m lucky. I use Burts Bees Facial cloths, Clinique toner (a little spotty with that step), and Clinique moisterizer.

    Reply

  15. I love that these products are super affordable! I’m definitely going to give them a try.

    lipstickandlove.com

    Reply

  16. Can you possibly give us links to the bed linens (orange blanket, polka dot pillow cases) and your pajama outfit? Thank you!!

    Reply

  19. I’ve heard great things about Vichy and will have to try it. Where did you get your pretty coral sweater?

    Reply

  23. The Salicylic acid in the cleanser is great for acne prone skin, Garnier do a cheats version of this which has 2% Salicylic acid (the most you’d want to use) for only a few £’s! Have you tried using any zinc based products? Zinc is awesome for healing skin, Sudocrem and Roche-posay Serozinc are great for problem skin types. Sometimes skin is just lacking in vitamin A and Zinc, it just needs topping up 😉
    http://www.honestyforyourskin.co.uk

    Reply

    1. Hmmm…. I think I take Zinc in my multi-vitamin!? But i’ve never thought about vitamins helping skin! That’s such a great point / advice!

      Reply

  24. My skincare routine at night is intense, but it’s more because it helps transition me into a restful state of mind. It’s almost a way to tell my brain “now that your makeup is off, you can relax!” I double cleanse, remove any traces of makeup left, spritz on rosewater, use a serum, eye cream and face oil. I’ll spot treat as needed or include more moisture if that’s needed as well. And I try to do a mask or two and exfoliate at least two nights a week as well. Most of this routine was put into place once I started breaking out around 23-24 (I’m 25 now, nearing 26), which had NEVER happened to my usually dry, flakey skin (even during my teenage years). I freaked out and perhaps go a little overboard at times, but I would rather be in tune with what my skin needs by assessing it often than to wait until it’s too late to reverse anything 🙂

    Reply

    1. No I get that! I want so badly to get that way — my brain is still like ‘but Kendi you are already in bed…so like just forget about it…it’s fine…’

      I love the rosewater suggestion! I’ve never tried that — I love your routine. Face goals 😉

      Reply

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