My morning skincare routine

A few years ago I read an article on allure.com about creams that contain retinol and a dermatologist recommended the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair range saying it was the best drugstore buy and even better than some high end creams.  Naturally my interest was sparked, especially since you can’t find the Neutrogena skincare range in Europe (well, you’ll find some product lines in Boots in the UK but not all of them).  I only knew Neutrogean from their very moisturizing, very effective but also very no-nonsense hand creams so learning about their skincare range made me very very curious.

Back to spring 2014 when we went road tripping in the USA.  First stop as usual: Walmart, first beauty product I bought: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle repair night cream and eye cream.  I remember putting on the eye cream and the wrinkles around my eyes actually started to tingle. Tingle is good I thought, that means that it works.  And so it did.  After using the products for a few weeks I saw myself in an elevator and thought ‚where are my wrinkles, my skin looks good’.  Of course the lighting had a lot to do with that but nevertheless, my skin looked good.  Ever since then , Neutrogena has become a regular in my skincare routine and every time I visit the USA I bring home a new supply.

So, my morning skincare you wonder?  Well, I start by cleansing my face with the Neutrogena Pore Refining daily cleanser.  Aside from wrinkles, I don’t like big pores and for that I love to incorporate my Alpha and Beta hydroxy acids.  

This cleanser is a gentle one though, it doesn’t make my skin feel dry in any way and I feel really fresh and clean after using it.  

Next up: toner.  In the morning I try to use more gentle products than at night just in case my skin turns a little red.  I do not want to go through the day with a red face, if it turns red at night at least there are 8 hours left for it to calm down before anyone sees me.  This Alcohol free toner is very gentle, it’s a very watery solution, not at all creamy like some toners are.

Step 3: serum.  To stay true to my Neutrogena love I put on the Rapid Wrinkle Repair serum.  I put my contacts in while this sinks into my skin.  It doesn’t take long before it’s almost completely gone.

Serum is on, contacts are in, time for some eye cream.  As I mentioned before I love the Rapid Wrinkle Repair eye cream, I still have a new tube in my closet yet I’m currently using something else.  Simply because I had it, it was open and it would be a waste to not use it before it turns bad.  So I put on the Kiehl’s Eye Alert eye-cream.  Made to combat puffiness and dark circles, now dark circles I have not but puffiness is a bit of an issue.  So does this one work, not as much as a gallon of coffee does but it does freshen up the under eye area.  

I finish with my Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair moisturizer with sunscreen (spf 30).  After that I start my daily makeup routine.

I’m very strict about the steps of my morning skin care routine, the products may vary over time but the ‚system’ stays the same.  I never skip this, if I ever skip something it’s usually my evening routine.  I know, I know but hey, sometimes I feel like I’m sleepwalking to my bedroom and taking care of my face is the last thing on my mind when I’m in such a state.

So there you have it, my morning skincare routine.  Later this week you can expect my nighttime skincare routine to pop up on the blog.