The 3 Skincare Staples I'll Never Stop Using
After years of trial and error, these are the keepers.
I didn’t have terrible skin as a teenager, which honestly felt a little like a cruel setup. Because once I hit adulthood, my skin fully revolted.
It started when I got pregnant with my oldest, and it was all downhill from there. For close to a decade, my face looked like it was going through puberty on a loop. I had angry breakouts, spots that never healed, and I couldn’t get a handle on it no matter what I tried. It decimated my confidence and left me feeling frustrated every day.
I tried prescription treatments. I tried approximately one million serums, scrubs, and cleansers. None of them really helped, and many only made it worse.
Then in 2022, just to really seal the deal, my skin decided to add “mystery allergic reaction” to the mix. I spent an entire summer rotating through various states of facial inflammation and regularly waking up with my eyes swollen shut. What a joy.
Eventually, I caved and saw a dermatologist (something a less stubborn and cheap version of myself might’ve done much earlier). She advised me to stop using everything. Go back to zero and rebuild from scratch. So I did. Slowly and surely over the course of an entire year.
And now? I have great skin. Like… confidently-leave-my-house-without-makeup good. That may sound minor, but for me, it kind of feels like nothing short of a miracle.
So, what changed the game? Well, I give 90% of the credit for my great skin to three specific products.
My Ride or Die Skincare Products
Vanicream Facial Cleanser: If I could only use one product on my face for the rest of my life, it would be this. It was the one specific product my dermatologist told me I needed to use, and it doesn’t feel like an exaggeration to say it changed my life. I saw an immediate and drastic difference in my breakouts when I switched to Vanicream. And, the fact that it’s about $10 per bottle makes me love it even more.
The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid: I love The Ordinary’s products in general, but this serum is my personal favorite. My skin has been noticeably smoother and clearer since I started using it, and my skin is picky. I also particularly love their Niacinamide, and I’ve been using it for a couple of years now, so let’s call it an honorary mention.
Clean Skin Club Face Towels: Hear me out on this one. This is the most expensive product on my list and the one the most people see as unnecessary. But I will never go back to drying my face with anything else. I started using these because I was suspicious that the bacteria and detergent build-up in my regular towels was causing some lingering breakouts, and I was right. Because, the moment I swapped to using these to dry my face I noticed a significant difference. Yes, there are ways to regularly strip your towels to keep them squeaky clean, but between regular deep cleans and needing to use a brand new towel to dry my face twice a day, the amount of effort it would require is way too much for me. These are an absolute must in my routine, and I give them a lot of credit for how happy my skin is.
These aren’t the only products in my daily skincare routine, but if I could only choose three things to keep using, these are the ones that would make the cut!
What are your skincare ride-or-die products?!
What I’m Reading / Wearing / Loving
This long-sleeved ribbed tee is perfect for the last lingering chilly days. I have it in four colors and it’s on constant rotation!
I also feel like the makeup remover pads from Clean Skin Club deserve a shout out. They’re so soft and don’t irritate my super sensitive skin, which is always a win.
Ordered my second pair of these sunglasses this week because I want a pair to have in the car and one to keep my purse.
Just finished reading this book and I couldn’t put it down. Such a unique and captivating story.
What You May Have Missed This Week
I shared all of my best tips for staging your house, including a few surprising things you can totally skip.
Here’s my 30-minute routine to get your house clean and guest-ready in a hurry. It’s broken down minute-by-minute, and I even made a video of myself going through the process!
Learn how to deep clean your dishwasher - it’ll take less than 3 minutes of your time to learn.
I’m off to pretend I enjoy folding laundry! Until next time 🫶🏼