top of page

Skincare Secrets

  • Maya Laviolette
  • Nov 28, 2016
  • 4 min read

Hey everyone, I’m Maya. I’m so excited to be guest blogging for Align about one of my favorite things. Other than my addiction to WingStop and online shopping deals, I really have discovered a love for skincare in the last year and a half. It has been a great source of self care for me and finding a routine that works is part of the fun. I really don’t like wearing a full face of makeup (concealer, foundation, etc.) unless I absolutely have to. Which is why I’m so adamant about keeping my skin looking healthy and glowing. So today we’ll go through the basic tenants of routine. Just as a disclaimer: I have normal/dry skin so I’ve tried to pick affordable products that work for most skin types.

Cleansing

I’m a big fan of double cleansing at night, because waking up in the morning and being expected to wash my face again… I never remember. A lot of Korean beauty enthusiasts recommend this method as well. First you go in with a micellar water or cream/oil based cleanser and finish with a foaming one.

I use Garner’s SkinActive Micellar Water to get off makeup or griminess before going in with my foaming cleanser. For a cream based cleanser if you’d like to start there, I’d go with Pond's which is tried and true or Banila’s Clean it Zero. For foaming I use CeraVe’s which I’m still trying to get through or Nip + Fab’s Glycolic Fix Cleanser for my girls who are a little oily.

After cleansing you have a few options. Do you want to exfoliate, do a mask or head straight to a moisturizer? You should exfoliate 1-2 times a week depending on your skin sensitivity and mask about 2-3 times. Moisturize your face daily to your preference. If it’s an exfoliation day, I’ll do my skincare in this order: cleanse, exfoliate, mask, then moisturize.

Exfoliation

This might be one of the most important steps in my opinion and the most satisfying. You’ve got to slough off that dead skin and it really helps to keep your complexion even. Please don’t use anything with microbeads for the love of your face (I’m looking at my St. Ives scrubs people). The point is to gently do it in a way that won’t irritate the surface. My favorites are:

-Dr. G’s Brightening Peel where you can see and feel it coming off.

Nip + Fab’s Glycolic Fix Pads: I use the extreme version but the milder one can be found here. It’s so easy to do because it comes in a pre-soaked pad.

Masks

I love masking, I really do. It’s the greatest way to feel self indulgent and treat your skin. (and scare your friends and family) If you follow me on any of my social media handles, you know I’m the biggest guinea pig when it comes to masks. Clay masks are great for oily/combo skin to draw dirt out of pores and refresh. Peel off masks can make clean up easier and leave you feeling hydrated. Sheet masks are concentrated serums/essences in a nifty vessel (don’t forget to get the extra out of the package for later) Clay masks you never really want to leave on past the allotted time since they could dry your skin out, same for peel offs to have an easier removal. Full disclosure: sheet masks are great for late night binge watching because if you forget, the more seeps into your skin.

Clay Masks: The best bang for your buck is Formula 10.0.6 found at Ulta. Origins makes a great charcoal mask that’s a little pricier but well worth it.

Peel off masks: My favorite is a $3 refresher I found at Dollar General and Boscia’s Luminizing Black Mask

Sheet Masks: Any of the TonyMoly line is well worth it: the I’m Real Red Wine, Snail Hydrogel, and Pureness 100 are the ones I reach for the most. You can also get a pack of the I’m Real Set for about $10 on Amazon which averages out to about 90 cents per mask. Soo Ae has some great masks that now can be found at Walmart, in Forever 21 or online. If you really want to treat yourself try the Dr. Jart masks (tip: I’ve found some on sale at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx before)

Moisturizing + Serums

Growing up, my mom always used Olay as her last step before getting into bed, I can always smell it when I go back home. Right now I use Hydro Boost and I’ve been seeing great results for the past 2 months. There’s also a SPF version for daily daytime use. From time to time if I feel like my skin needs rehabbing I’ll use Raw Sauce by May Coop. In the morning before leaving or putting on makeup, I use Deciem’s Low Molecular HA which I found at CVS on sale.

A quick note: if you’re ever wary about what may or may not work for your skin, head to Sephora and take advantage of their samples. You could be going there for anything, but strike up a friendly conversation with a beauty advisor and note that you wanted to try something to see how it works for you. I’ve survived off of Sephora samples before making a full size purchase.

Stock up for yourself or family and friends this holiday season! If you ever have any questions or want to tell me if anything recommended here worked out for you: I’m slicklittlegal on Twitter/Snap/Insta!

You can find all of the above products with these links:

found here too:

Comments

RECENT POSTS
SEARCH BY TAGS
ARCHIVE
bottom of page