Hello my little beauties! I hope everyone is having a lovely long weekend. I’m SO excited to be writing this post today, mostly because you guys picked it! I swear, I’m going to start crowdsourcing all my questions via Insta Stories because I was blown away by how many of you provided your input on what topic you wanted to see here next. To everyone that provided a response, THANK YOU, it means the world to me to see you guys so engaged in the blog and letting me know what content you want to be seeing.

I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING, OKAY?!

Moving on from that little heart to heart, if you follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t you should…..@loansandlouboutins) you’ll know that the overwhelming winner of the poll for next topic was skincare! Not going to lie, I was secretly hoping this would win and I’m so happy that you guys provided your input, putting this topic at an overwhelming 90% YES. As a quick preface, I’ve set this post up to go from morning to-night routine, and thus divided this into two sections: Morning Products and Evening Products. So now without further ado, let’s get into skincare baby.

Morning Products:

Cleanser: 

Let me start out by saying that I have very dry, sensitive skin so all of my products are carefully chosen to help combat the dryness without irritating my skin. After many years of trial and error with cleaner’s the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser is definitely the winner for me when it comes to washing my face. This formula was co-created with dermatologists in order to cleanse and remove excess oil, dirt, makeup without over-drying or irritating skin. I start my day with a little bit of this cleanser which I gently work into a lather, and then rinse with cool water and a washcloth. The best part? Well there’s a few: this costs less than $10, is available at almost all drugstores (as well as Ulta), and the standard size will last you a good long while.

Moisturizer

Okay, now this is probably one of the most important parts of my skincare routine. I tend to get dry flaky patches near my nose and chin no matter what time of year it is, so if I don’t use an super hydrating moisturizer before my makeup, I’m done from the jump. That being said I having been LIVING for this brand called “First Aid Beauty”. I use quite a few of their products in my skincare routine (more on that later), but for my morning moisturizer I use their Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer. Not only is this a super hydrating moisturizer but it also serves as a primer for my makeup, which let me tell you, in a New York summer is an absolute necessity. Oh, and did I mention that it has an amazing coconut scent? Yep, this product is the whole package and is suitable for all skin-types. What’s that sound? You furiously clicking your way over to Sephora’s site to add this to your cart? I approve.

Sunscreen

I know you didn’t think I was going to publish a skincare routine without mentioning sunscreen, right? I mean guys, seriously this is so important and I’m not going to get all Mom on you but it takes like 30 extra seconds and can help prevent skin cancer for goodness sake. Okay, so I guess I went a little Mom there but if it isn’t already in your routine, no judgement, because I know you’ll be adding it after this post with something like the SUPERGOOP! Everyday Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50. I love this brand which was first introduced to me in my Birchbox, and I’ve been using it for a while now. Again, this product is great for my dry skin, but is suitable for all skin types.

Also, I’ve done the research so you don’t have to about whether to apply this before or after moisturizer. It seems that this is a topic of much debate in the skincare community BUT it also seems that the consensus is to apply sunscreen after your moisturizer, before makeup. You are welcome my friends.

Evening Products:

Fast forwarding through my makeup routine and a full work-day, it’s time to start the removal of all the dirt, sweat and makeup that’s accumulated throughout the day. Lovely imagery there, right? As I mentioned, it get hot AF in NY in the summer, meaning all of my makeup products need to water-resistant, which is makes for a great stay-put look, but also makes for difficult removal. I’ve found that it’s best to use two different products when it comes to removing make-up; one for eyes/lips and another for my full face.

Eye/Lip Makeup Remover

When it comes to eyes/lips, I’ve found that an oil based product is best for me and completely eliminates that eye-burning feeling that some other removers create. I’ve been using SHISEIDO Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover  I absolutely love it. Apply a small amount of this product onto a cotton pad, and in a few gentle easy swipes all traces of eye and lip products are gone. I love that this seemingly just dissolves the makeup without any rough tugging or pulling that is sometimes needed with other products.

Full-Face Makeup Remover

After removing all eye and lip products, I move onto removing my face makeup. Personally, I’ve found that a cleansing brush works best, specifically, the Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush. Honestly, there’s nothing worse to me than going through the whole makeup removal routine and feeling like there’s still product on your face. With this handy little tool, I never feel that way. I use a little bit of the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser mentioned above with this brush and within one minute all the days makeup is gone and leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. As I mentioned, I have dry skin, so I use this specific brush head, however, if your skin is acne-prone you can simply swap in this brush head designed for blemish-prone skin.    P.S. This product is currently half-off at Lord & Taylor (linked above). Grab it while it’s on sale!

Moisturizer

The best time to use a heavy-duty moisturizer is at night when the product has hours and hours to soak into your skin. Personally, my dry flaky skin improved ten-fold when I started using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream every night. This product has been an absolute game-changer for me and I truly cannot recommend it enough for anyone dealing with dry, irritated skin. A little of this goes a long way and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth and hydrated. I also use this on my hands and elbows in the winter when the cold air leaves my skin parched. A++++ product in my book.