I think 90% of my results are retin-a and sunblock. But here’s my routine, or as my kids say, the 40 potions a woman over 40 uses.

Morning: rinse with water. A light toner mist called Haruharu Black Bamboo; DMAE serum from DermaE, copper peptide cream. Wait then mineral sunblock from Prequel.

Evening: Heimish Mandarin cleansing balm, then the CeraVe not-soap bar cleanser. Same toner and serum as morning, then I have been alternating RetinA and estrogen cream.

Random body lotion, I don’t love the one I’m using right now except for the smell, which is lovely.

Monthly - ish esthetician facial too.

ETA I have also been Rogaine ing my eyebrows to fill sparse areas with pretty good results, as my sister says, the 1990s were not kind to eyebrows.

I know most people don’t like tiktok, or insta, but there’s an amazingly awesome ghoul, on there called Nina Pool. She is autistic and her special interest is researching ingredients in products. She has a dupe for every expensive product available on the market. But also, along side she explains what they do, which is hugely informative. Highly recommend.

So, this is more than just skincare, but I have this comment already written for when someone asks about any of it! Here it is below:

Body:

• Nécessaire The Body Exfoliant Bar (on any areas I’m planning to shave)
• I shave in the shower, splitting my body into 4 quadrants: Chest and back; legs, glutes, and in between; arms (that’s my break day bc I don’t like having to shave a ton every day); pits and…parts. I rotate in threes for the first 3, doing one per day, and I do pits and parts every other day. I use Billie whipped shaving cream ingrown protection (Eucalyptus) with the Billie razor, and I use 2 different razors (one for most of my body, the other for pits, parts, and between the glutes) so there’s no cross contamination.
• Nécessaire The Body Wash Multi Enzyme (Olibanum)
• Nécessaire The Body Lotion Multi-Peptide (Olibanum)
• Nécessaire The Deodorant Mandelic Acid (Olibanum)
• If I’m going out in the day, I’ll cover up with Blue Lizard SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen

Face

Wake-up

• Wash my face at the sink (not in the shower) with La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Wash (it’s a gel cleanser)
• Shave face with Cremo unscented shaving cream, and a Leaf Twig safety razor with Leaf single edge razor blades (they came with the razor, and I haven’t run out yet)
• Rinse and dry
• Use Poppy & Pout Coconut Lip Exfoliant every 2-3 days
• The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner
• The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum
• The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with ceramides) Serum
• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
• RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
• If it’s daytime (I work night shift, so I’m rarely out while the sun is shining), then I apply Colorescience Total Protection No-Show Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 (base sunscreen), with a touch up of Colorescience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder SPF 50 every 2 hours as needed (bc it can go over my makeup)
• Nyx The Marshmallow Smoothing Primer (I plan on switching this up sometime, so it’s not one of my essentials)
• Makeup (I use so many products, but I don’t think that’s what ur looking for lol)
• Summer Fridays Pink Sugar Lip Balm if I’m not wearing gloss, lipstick, or a stain (Mac Liquid Glass Air over lipstick or stain for hydration as needed)

Bedtime

(yes, this has differences)

• Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil (just MELTS away all makeup)
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Wash (highly recommend double cleansing if u use makeup, it’s so much better than scrubbing at ur face with makeup wipes or micellar water)
• Rinse and dry
• The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner
• The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum
• The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with ceramides) Serum
• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
• RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask Berry Complex (worn overnight)

Self love days

(days I have off and want to do a little extra)

• After washing face, use Glamglow Supermud Face Mask (I go 20 minutes before I rinse off)
• Grace & Stella Energizing Eye Mask
• Continue routine from toner

Hair (bonus!!!)

I wash my hair once every 3-4 days (so twice a week). At night, I put my hair in a bun to preserve it, and since I shower in the “morning” (for me), I’ll leave it in the bun and put a shower cap on. I have somewhere between 1B and 1C hair (medium-high density) with a wolf cut, for reference

Wash days

• Ouai Fine Hair Volumizing Shampoo (use at roots, let the rest be washed by rinsing)
• Ouai Fine Hair Volumizing Conditioner (use at mids to ends)
• Once every 2 weeks I use K18 Peptide Prep Detox Clarifying Shampoo and Ouai Fine to Medium Hair Treatment Mask in place of my normal shampoo and conditioner
• Towel dry hair
• DAE Mirage Mist Leave-In Conditioner (also serves as a heat protectant; apply from roots to ends)
• Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Sculpting Foam Mousse (focus on roots, lightly drag to ends)
• Blow dry with concentrator attachment (Infiniti Pro by Conair Hair Dryer 1875W; it’s a relatively cheap dryer, may invest in a better one sometime), head inverted (scalp facing the ground)
• If I have a special occasion, I’ll use a flat iron (Ion Magnesium Flat Iron 1 Inch) to wave my hair
• Kenra Platinum Dry Texture Spray 6 (work in with hands in scrunching motion to give hair volume, texture, and waviness)
• Set curtain bangs with round boar bristle brush (1" or 1 1/4" both work for my bangs) and hair dryer with concentrator

Non wash days

• Most of the time I’ll just pull my hair out of the bun, and the bun gave it all the volume and waviness I need, then I just wet my bangs, use leave-in conditioner, dry them, then set them with a round brush (some days I won’t even bother with setting my bangs)
• I use Batiste Light Dry Shampoo (Zen Matcha) usually at the start of day 3
• If I need a refresh, I’ll wet all my hair, brush it thoroughly, towel dry, then I’ll put in leave-in conditioner, and a small amount of my mousse, focusing mostly on the roots, then drag to ends. Then I’ll blow dry, hairspray, and set my bangs as usual. I won’t do this until day 3 or 4 since my wash, as I don’t want to overload my hair with product (I have very fine hair that is weighed down easily)

And that’s my routine! It looks very complicated, I’m sure, but I have it all down to a science at this point. Everything is routine, and I organize my products so I know which one to do next without having to think abt it. Everything has its place! My skin loves me for how I treat it, so I’m happy to go through every step in my routine. It feels so good to do skincare, bc it really is “me time”. I’m doing so much just to treat myself well, and it works! I’ve had problems with cystic acne for years (especially on my body and neck), but at least since starting my face routine, my face doesn’t really get breakouts anymore (unless I miss some makeup lol)! I may add a body serum to my repertoire at some point soon and see if that helps.

Anyways, hope u found this helpful! It’s a lot, but I love my routine!

My skin is very sensitive and dry and I probably have rosacea.

I use Cerave products and keep it simple:

-Hydrating cleanser for normal to dry skin using warm, not hot, water and cleansing with my hands for at least 1 whole minute

-Moisturizing Cream (the one in the tub!) right after I wash and dry off

-Retinol Serum I use once a week at night

I also use sunscreen every day.

Sometimes I use a BB cream when I wear makeup, I like the one from Erborian. It’s very gentle and blends well AND covers the red in my face.

I’ve tried a bunch of different products and landed on this routine like ten years ago. I could probably improve it, but overall I’m happy with my skin now.

I love doing vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night. I am not too picky about the brands for my serum, but I usually choose a good kbeauty one. I usually swap my retonol for an AHA BHA toner once a week to exfoliate. For cleanser and moisturizer I love vanicream and cera ve. They are great for sensitive skin.

Water.

I really like The Ordinary products. Their eye serum works well for me and I love their squalane cleanser.

My skin (and hair!) “care” is purely Aleppo soap, proper hydration, and enough protein in my diet to keep my skin from going papery.

No preference on face wash. I like aestura atobarrier under light sunscreen for my skin barrier. At night it’s cerave moisturizer. Some of my skincare routine (in my personal consideration) is also my dietary choice rather than topical stuff. Anyways I kinda keep it simple.

Always wear a moisturizer or bb cream with sunblock every day. My dermatologist swears by it and she has the skin of someone twenty years younger.

I used to use expensive acne face wash until I discovered bioderma shower oil, I first got it because the winters leave me dry and itchy but it’s been amazing on my face, too. It’s expensive for a body wash but incredible for a face wash, plus I don’t get dry and itchy anymore. After that I use a light combination skin toner, spf 30 moisturizer with retinol, then a light foundation plus mineral powder if I’m going out.

I only use aloe moisturizer everywhere else. People say I look young for my age, so it must be working.

My skin is very sensitive to anything on it, so my routine is incredibly simple:

1. Wash face

That’s it. I sometimes use a very light moisturizer on my t-zone, but only if my skin is noticeably dry. I don’t use sunblock very often, especially on my face, but I frequently wear hats and lightweight jackets if I’m going to be outside. I do use sunscreen if I’m intentionally going to be doing an activity in the sun like sea kayaking.

My skin is so sensitive that I can feel everything on it all the time. I’ve tried the lightest moisturizers I can find and I feel greasy all day long. The only body lotion I use is Vaseline Intensive Care in the green bottle and I only use it in winter when my skin is dry and itchy. Anything else on my skin makes me feel like I’m oozing grease all day.

I also can’t use hand lotion on my palms or inside of my fingers. I only put it on the backs of my hands and rub them together. Otherwise, the sensation of lotion on the inside of my hands gives me the big ick.

Usually I just use the most sensitive face cleanse the local drug store has (Rossmann, for the german girlies here, cause fuck DM!) together with a day/night face lotion from the same store.

I also eat pretty clean and fully plant blased and I swear that has a positive effect on my skin.

Have some dry skin around my nose but haven’t really yet found something that takes care of that permanently.

I only do two things :

1. NO SUN ! The sun is an orb of raging fire and it knows nothing but hatred. The plants can turn its hatred into food ; your skin cannot ! Avoid the light of the sun whenever possible, cover your skin, stay in the shade, wear a hat, stay indoors, use sunscreen, don’t even think about tanning. The sun’s hatred will in time turn your very own skin against you, if you let it.
2. Moisturise. Brand is (semi) irrelevant.

I love threads like these! My routine is pretty basic these days but I love looking up the products people use.

Cetaphil non-foaming face wash is the gentlest I’ve found so far that is both affordable and comes in massive bottles, and I use it for any shaving I do too.

Vegtable glycerin for toner is unbeatable imo. It’s cheap and super hydrating and helps actives penatrate. I buy it in bulk as I make my own eliquid with it too.

Retinol, vitamin c, salycillic acid, and niacinamide are my actives of choice and the only things I splurge on. I’m not picky about what brand and I rotate between them.

Blue tub Nivia is my moisturiser. It shamefully isn’t vegan (I am otherwise) but for decades now it’s been the only moisturiser that my skin really likes and is also cheap and easy to find.

(I tried so many vegan creams looking for my grail and it gave me so much anxiety at one point that I gave up and just made my peace with blue tub Nivia.)

I very rarely go outside during the day, and wear wide brimmed hats and long sleeves when I do anyway, so I don’t tend to need suncream often. I don’t think I even own one right now tbh.

I got some Nivea sun protection moisturising cream a while back, if I use it in my face I get spots … so on my face I usually use cheap supermarket brand stuff that’s marked as “10% Urea”

That’s about as special as it gets, however I’ve moisturised every day since I turned about 20 or so, and I apparently look good for my age, so it’s been worth it :-)

I always moisturise my tattoos a bit extra … now I have a lot of them it’s quite time consuming, lol