Lauren’s Top Skincare of 2017/Current Skincare Routine

I was thinking about doing my top skincare of 2017 and then I realized it was essentially my skincare routine so I thought I would share. And I honestly thought I posted this whole blog about two months ago, but as I went to go link to it, I realized it was still in my drafts. Whoops. But hey – at least I didn’t have to write a blog today. Thanks, Past Lauren.

Morning Cleanser
I honestly do not have a consistent morning cleanser. When I’m washing my face at the gym, I tend to rotate subscription box samples. Right now, I’m really liking the Tatcha The Deep Cleanse, which I got from a Sephora gift with purchase. However, I’m not sure if I’m going to buy the full-size. Tatcha is expensive, y’all.

Evening Cleansers
For the majority of 2017 (and I think even part of 2016), I have been ride or die for the Julep Love Your Bare Face Cleansing Oil ($22.40/Maven Price but you can also get it at Ulta for $28). I will use this to sort of melt off my face and some of my eye makeup.

After that, I move into Glossier’s Milky Jelly ($18) to get the rest of my skin clean since the makeup was removed by the oil.

I tend to wear a lot of eye makeup (shocks no one) so I usually have to follow this up with a makeup wipe to take care of the residual mascara and liner. I tend to either get the Neutrogena Makeup Removing Towelettes ($6.99) and the generic Target version of those. I was using the Face Halo like Jill, but I found that it was hard for me to get the Face Halo around the contours of my eye, which is where I have the most trouble removing makeup. So I ended up stopping using them after awhile, and went back to the wipes. I know they are wasteful, but that’s where we are.

Essence
I didn’t start out using an essence. I actually got the Amore Pacific Vintage Single Extract Essence ($145) by accident, because I received it when I was supposed to receive a Tatcha product in a box. Jill has been trying to get me to use essences forever and now of course I like one that is $150. THAT IS TOO MUCH MONEY. So while it is def something I have been using daily for the past several months, I’m not sure if this is something I will purchase a full-size version of. I mean, I am def not going to purchase a full-size version of it. I’m thinking about trying a small size of the Tatcha essence to see if I like that at all. That one is also expensive but still not AS expensive and the small version is BASICALLY free. (Not free at all, but it’s in this set which I am going to get. Again – Not free. Money is hard.)

Morning Serum
This past year, I got back into Vitamin C serums for day-to-day, and I have been super into the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum ($80). I am also now using the Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum that I got in my January Allure Beauty Box, but I have been using the Drunk Elephant version longer. So I’ll be real with you: it smells like hot dogs. It does not have a good scent. But that is OK. I would rather my skin smell like science than flowers, ya know?

Evening Serum
If you’ve been here awhile, you KNOW my fave is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II ($95). Longest. Name. Ever. I will forever be indebted to this serum for really repairing my skin when I was dealing with some really awful cystic acne that was caused by a variety of fun hormonal issues I had a few years ago. Then, I picked at the situation and made it way worse. I tried all sorts of different products and this was sort of a last resort and honestly, OVERNIGHT, I saw a huge difference. I was in shock. I don’t believe in “overnight” fixes. I understand the marketing game of the beauty industry, so I don’t believe in miracles but this was truly a miracle product.

I also started using The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% HA 2% in December. I’m not sure I’m seeing any major differences quite yet but I’m using it a couple times a week instead of the Estee Lauder. I decided to get it because it’s $6.79 (yes, you read that right) whereas a serum by Sunday Riley with similar ingredients is $105. It’s obviously not exactly the same but I thought this would be a good way to start experimenting with lactic acid quite inexpensively.

Eye Cream
2017 was the year I discovered the incredibly bougie La Mer The Eye Balm Intense ($205). It’s esspensive. So expensive, y’all. But it lasted me a really, really long time. I am almost out of the one jar I purchased last year and it pains me to think I need to get another one soon. But it works. It really made my crows feet/ fine lines less apparent (even before I experimented with Botox) and will be a product I will repurchase for sure. I don’t really care for the La Mer face cream at this point in my life, but the eye cream is bomb.

Moisturizers
I honestly rotate through a variety of moisturizers. I think I am going to write a future blog about these, so I can go thru each one and why I like them all! Stay tuned!

So that’s it for now! What are some of your holy grail skincare items that you think I should check out in 2018? Do you have any miracle products that I should know about? Let me know in the comments below!

laurenelectro

A self-proclaimed beauty junkie/hoarder with a serious Sephora problem. This blog is a total rationalization of that problem. Everything is TOTALLY fine. Her free time is a mixed combination of making fun of reality TV with her husband, hanging out with cats and finally trying to figure out how to do her hair.