Here’s a confession: up until about a year ago, I had no idea what to do with my skin, or makeup, or appearance generally. I was raised by a mom whose idea of dressing up was wearing the fancy Tevas. I was also blessed with clear, smooth skin, so I never had a compelling reason to figure that stuff out on my own.

From middle school until last year, here was my skincare routine:

Wash my face with body wash on one of those mesh shower poufs every other day or so.

…That’s it.

In high school, probably due to a Hans Christian Andersen-style deal with a witch, my skin was absolutely flawless. I actually recommended the above routine to my friends. I was a monster.

Over the years, my skin became less tolerant of my abuse. My face was dry, flaky, red, and unhappy. I started using the St. Ives Apricot Scrub to get rid of the flakes and whatever body moisturizer was on hand. Like I said: I was a monster.

Then, last year, I got the Mirena. The Mirena is a hormonal IUD that continually releases a small amount of progesterone for years. While it’s extremely effective at what it promises to do (exactly zero babies so far!), at the age of 27, my face cratered.

I suddenly had awful, awful hormonal cystic acne; because my body had a steady stream of progesterone (the hormone that’s released right before your period and is responsible for PMS face), my particular brand of hormonal acne was 24/7.

So, I figured my shit out.

I started slow, with new cleansers and moisturizers, but the full Asian skincare routine grabbed me and grabbed me hard. I also dove deep into the science and medicine of skincare – I have a minor in Chemistry and when I had the chicken pox in fifth grade, I chose to spend my time memorizing a textbook about dinosaurs, so the science angle is what’s cemented my love for (obsession with?) skincare. Asian beauty products and routines in particular lend themselves easily to science, with a focus on ingredients, formulation, and efficacy.

So, without further ado, my current skincare routine for my dry, aging, prone-to-redness skin:

I know. I know. I’m bonkers. It’s fine.

Morning routine:

Rinse with water, with or without a konjac sponge: although the physical exfoliation offered by konjac sponges is super gentle, I do so much chemical exfoliation that I try to only use the sponge once a day. I use this one from Amazon and I like it a lot, but there are a million konjacs around the web. Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner: I use this with a cotton pad to remove residue from my crazy-hard water and lower my skin’s pH to make my pH-dependent actives (vitamin C, AHA, and BHA) more effective. Vitamin C (homemade): Since Skinceuticals has a patent on Vitamin C serums formulated with L-Ascorbic Acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid (aka the dream team) at a pH of 2.5-3.0, I go all Rage Against The Machine FUCK YOU, I WON’T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME and make my own. (I wait 15-20 minutes after applying this to move onto my next step.) Goodal Waterest First Essence: I love the idea of first essences, which are watery essences that utilize fermented ingredients to brighten and provide light moisture, but this one is really underwhelming. I’ve used it for about a month with no discernible effect. (Spoiler alert: my first review will be another first essence, Lirikos Marine Triple Treatment, which I’m starting tomorrow.) Scinic Honey All-In-One Ampoule: Honey is my current ingredient obsession. It’s moisturizing, it reduces redness, and it’s crazy soothing. This is one of my all-time favorite honey products that packs a serious moisture punch. Comfort Food (homemade): I’ve been getting really into DIY. Like, Amazon-keeps-recommending-industrial-centrifuges-to-me into DIY. This is a serum starring raw honey, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide. It’s soothing, moisturizing, and has made some serious inroads in evening my skin tone. Either Skin Ceramic Donkey Milk Yogurt All-In-One Gel Cream or Cerave PM: For my cream step, I’ll go Skin Ceramic if my skin’s a little drier, because it’s a better occlusive and will seal everything in. It’s pretty sticky, though, so if the rest of my routine provided enough moisture (or if the Comfort Food isn’t soaking in well), I’ll go with my soulmate Cerave PM. Banila Co Miss Flower and Mr. Honey Oil: God damn I love this stuff. It’s pretty heavy so I’ll skip it if it’s humid, but 1 drop in the morning gives me that glow. You know? And I chase that glow. Shiseido Senka Mineral Water UV Essence SPF50+ PA++++: This sunscreen is completely non-greasy and leaves a gorgeous, slightly dewy, almost powdery finish, but doesn’t dry me out like a lot of Japanese sunscreens do. Evening Primrose Oil supplements: I take a 1300mg pill in the morning, and another at night. These stopped my awful hormonal cystic acne in its tracks. I will preach these supplements to anyone who mistakenly makes eye contact with me.

Evening routine:

And here’s what my skin looks like today, with zero makeup:

I love everything about my skincare routine, including (especially?) how crazy it makes me look when I type it all out. I’m so excited to finally unleash my crazy on the internet. Welcome to my blog, y’all.

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