Naomi T. Grant Naomi T. Grant

The Perfect Day Time Skincare Routine



Welcome back to my site! The last time we talked, we discussed our skin type. Now that you have figured out your skin type, let’s get started on creating the perfect skin care routine to get your skin looking it’s best. During my days working at Sephora, it used to be a struggle to get clients to buy a skin care product along with their makeup products. As frustrating as it may have been to get people to understand the importance of skincare; I totally understood why people would often avoid the skincare section unless they were coming to buy a specific product. Skin care can be extremely intimidating. There are tons of different products that promise to do a lot of the same things and let's be honest... skin care can be very expensive. Most people are not willing to invest the money into their skincare if they don’t exactly what their skin type is and what their skin needs.

In this post I will give you a daytime skincare routine for each skin type. Below I will list all the steps and the order for a perfect skin care routine. I will also describe what each step will do for your skin and what skin types will benefit from each step.

The order that you should apply your daytime skincare routine is:

  1. Cleanser  : Oily Skin/Combination Skin - Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Foaming Cleanser  Dry Skin - Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, Sensitive Skin -  Caudalie’s Instant Cleansing Foam

  2. Toner : read below on my thoughts and recommendations on toner.

  3. Serums : read below on my thoughts and recommendations on serums.

  4. Eye Cream : read below on my thoughts and recommendations on eye creams

  5. Moisturizer : Oily Skin/Combination Skin - Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb , Dry Skin/Sensitive Skin - First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

  6. Sunscreen -  read below on my thoughts and recommendations on sunscreens

If you have Normal Skin, you can use whatever products you want. Lucky you! Prevention is key, use ingredients that help keep your skin healthy.

Now I know what you’re thinking, this may seem like a long list BUT trust me, there are some steps that can be skipped, combined together or even not necessary based on our skin type. So don’t get scared now, listen up! I got you.

It is extremely important that you cleanse your skin every morning and night. You have to use cleansers that will deep cleanse your pores. You have to de-clog your pores of dirt and oils. Foam and gel cleansers are great for oily skin. It will remove dirt and oils without stripping your natural oils. Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Foaming Cleanser is one of my personal favorites for BOTH oily & combination skin for that reason. If you have dry skin or sensitive, I recommend using Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, it is a cream texture and it leaves the skin filled with moisture. We all know that if you have sensitive skin I would recommend using a cleanser with more natural clean ingredients. I love using Caudalie’s Instant Cleansing Foam on all my clients because it works great on all skin types. It’s a natural, soap free cleanser that makes it harsh free. Your skin is left completely cleansed and your skin still feels very moisturizing

Toners WOULD be the next step and are used to help balance out the pH level of the skin. Toners basically refine your pores. When your skin is balanced, it is less likely to produce extra oils or too little oil. This can lead to oily or dry skin. However most cleansers specifically a gentle cleansers will help balance out your pH balance anyway. If you enjoy toners and/or have toners in your daily skincare routine, that’s okay! It’s not bad for your skin. However there are different toners for different skin types and skin concerns. Witch hazel is a very commonly used toner, however it does contain astringent and alcohol which can be very drying on the skin so be very mindful of that. Below are great toners for all skin types if toners are something you enjoy.

Serums are not very common with people under the age of 40. Serums are often marketed to treat issues like fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots, however if you know that these issues run in your family; I recommend using a serum as young as 20. For the daytime, I like using a Vitamin C serum during the day. Vitamin C is the BLT. Its the BRIGHTEN, LIGHTEN, TIGHTEN ingredient that makes all the difference in your skin care regime. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum is one of my personal favorites. A cheaper alternative would be L’oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives. These two products can be used on ALL skin types. Also don’t be afraid with using more than one serum. You may have multiple skin concerns, so pack it on. For example, there are serums that specifically created to target the eye area. If you have concerns specifically in this area and you want to see fast results; packing on serums is a great idea. Just don’t use more than 3 because it’s not only costly and time consuming but it will also hinder the chances of the ingredients actually penetrating into the skin.

I didn’t start using an eye cream until I worked in beauty. I didn’t think I needed it because I thought I was too young to use it. To be truly real with you, if you’re eye cream doesn’t have ingredients retinol to treat wrinkles, fine lines or hydroquinone to treat dark circles; you really don’t need to use it. An eye cream is basically a moisturizer and if you use the skincare tips that I’m giving you; you will be moisturized enough. Don’t fall into the hype of marketing. Myself being the product junkie and beauty lover that I am does enjoy using an eye cream but I have honestly seen no difference in using it than on the days when I skip that step.

Moisturizers are so important and body lotions are not equivalent to a face moisturizer. Face moisturizers often have ingredients that help your natural skin look more radiant and more hydrating throughout the day. Hydrating moisturizers are great for people with dry and oily skin. Most hydrating moisturizers have a gel like consistency and aren’t heavy on the skin. Belief ‘s the True Cream Aqua Bomb is a great moisturizer for oily, dry and even sensitive skin. People who have sensitive skin or reactive skin may have a hard time finding products that don’t cause them irritation. First Aid Beauty’s whole skin care line is great for sensitive skin. Even if you have normal skin and you happen to use a product that causes your skin to break out, use First Aid Beauty product line and your skin will go back to normal in no time! 

SPF is essential no matter what season. Most people don’t care about SPF until it’s the summer time; however as long as the sun is out… you need to protect your skin from uv rays. One great way to incorporate SPF into your skincare/makeup regime is to use moisturizers, tinted moisturizers, CC creams that include an SPF over 30. It suggested that using SPF on its own will help it perform better however if you have to add in your SPF with your moisturizer, or foundation; its better to do that than to not use it at all. Supergoop! has AMAZING products with SPF that are Black Girl Friendly! You will not look like a grey ghost after using their products. Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 is one of the best on the market. If you are spending more than 2 hours out in the direct sun, make sure you reapply.

That is it for my daytime skin care routine. next post will be all about what products you can change for your night time routine. Stay tuned and make sure to comment, share and subscribe.

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Naomi T. Grant Naomi T. Grant

What Is Your Skin Type?

I thought it was important to start off with skincare because it is almost impossible to create a beautifully natural makeup look without understanding and taking the best care of your skin. Knowing as much as you can about your skin and your skin type will also help you when you purchase skin care products like facial cleanser, face moisturizer, etc. All skin care products aren’t created equally and don’t be fooled by price tags! Just because a product is expensive; that doesn’t mean that it works better. I’ve tried some amazing drug store/lower priced skincare products that worked amazing on my skin. Some worked just as good as luxury items or even better! So don’t be intimidated by skincare if you feel like it’s out of your price range. There is great skincare for every price bracket.

Most skincare products are created for people with these 5 different skin types, oily, dry, normal, combination, sensitive. People with oily skin usually are more prone to getting pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. They may have large pores and find their foundation not lasting throughout the day. They may notice their face being very oily in their T-Zone area. People with dry skin may often feel like their skin gets itchy and tight especially after cleansing. Their skin may get rough, flaky, or red patches sometimes. People with combination skin may be dry in the cheeks and oily in the T-zone. They may also find that some products work well in one area on their face but may irritate another area on the face. People with sensitive skin may get irritated easily. They may have allergic reactions to some beauty products, sunburn easily. People with normal skin often find that their skin is just feels balanced and looks supple without using a moisturizer. They almost never get breakouts, they aren’t easily irritated by products, and they have a very even skin tone. 

Many people of color have hyperpigmentation as well as having any of these 5 skin types. Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of the skin in patches or all over. Hyperpigmentation is commonly found around the eyes and the mouth. Hyperpigmentation can just be hereditary or be caused by some type of trauma on the skin such as sun exposure, acne, burns, etc. 

When going off to buy skincare products; it's important to use products on your skin that will help it thrive and be the best it can be. Buying products that cater to your skin's needs are extremely important because it is easy to do harm to your skin by using the wrong products and it’s even more common to use products on your skin that do nothing at all for your skin. 

There are some key words to be mindful of when buying skincare products. If a product is hydrating; this is usually a great product for someone with dry and oily skin. Both dry and oily skin is a sign of lack of hydrating, therefore one skin type is overcompensating and producing too much oil (sebum) while the other isn’t producing enough. Oil free products, especially oil free cleansers and gel or foaming cleansers are great for someone with oily skin and combination skin. Cream, oil cleansers will be great for someone with dry skin because it will give the skin some moisture without stripping it of its natural oils. Exfoliators are great for people with hyperpigmentation so that they can remove the layers of the dark marks on their skin. Be mindful on what kinds of exfoliators that you do use because MOST exfoliators on the market are extremely harsh on facial skin and can cause a lot of irreparable damage. Stay away from nut exfoliators, or very rough beeding exfoliators because they create micro tearing on the face causing us to have premature fine lines, wrinkles, even scarring which leads to MORE HYPERPIGMENTATION and trust me, no one wants that. People with sensitive skin should stick to more natural or “clean” beauty products. Products that are vegan friendly and even cruelty free often are great for people with sensitive skin. These products are often created for people who like to look at the ingredient list of products and know exactly what is in their products. This is no shade to the people who aren’t as picky when it comes down to buying skin care, but people who have sensitive skin have had to learn the hard way over the years about what ingredients to avoid; therefore they happen to be more cautious when picking up beauty products. Skincare products often are labeled that they are great for people with sensitive skin but if they are not; try to stick to products that have more natural ingredients like natural oils, shea butter, honey, milk, aloe vera, etc. People with combination skin need to stick to gentle products that help balance out skin. 

I hope all this information is helpful and makes it easier to figure out what exactly your skin is telling you by how it behaves. In my next post we will talk about what a basic skin care regime for all skin types consist of. I will even recommend products for your specific skin types needs. Make sure you’re subscribed, comment, like & share! I’ll see you in my next post! Thank you all so much for reading!

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