How to Build a Skincare Routine for Beginners
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
November 4th, 2022
Hello my darlings,
I am back with part two! For those of you who just got here, definitely recommend going back to read part one when you are ready BUT it is not necessary to understand the information I am about to give you. Part one is all about the what and the why of each step in your skincare routine. Here, we are going to break down different skincare routines, give you the order of the steps you’ll wanna be doing at home!
Skincare Routine Broken Down Into Steps and Levels
Ok. So. Let’s just take this one step at a time yeah? We shall start with the most basic level skincare routine. We’ll call it the Base Level since this is the minimum you should AT LEAST be doing once a day. Please. Then I’ll give you a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced for a Day Time routine and for a Night Time routine. If you feel overwhelmed, do not hesitate to reach out for a consultation or choose Curate My Ritual if you would like to come in for a one on one session to create a custom skin care routine together.
Base Level (2 minutes)
Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Moisturize
Seriously. Just the basics. You’re a full time student with a full time job and you play pickle ball four days a week – wash and hydrate. That’s it. If you do this twice a day, you’re crushing it.
Daytime Beginner (5 minutes)
Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 3: Moisturize + SPF
Even as a beginner, you should be using SPF in your skincare routine, even if you are using the Tropical Vaniall Day Cream SPF as your only moisturizer.
Night Time Beginner (5 Minutes)
Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 3: Moisturize (Masque?)
I put Masque in parenthesis for a reason. It can be a substitute for a moisturizer conditionally. I call it a Two-In-One product. Continue reading to the section called Tips to Simplify Your Routine
Day Intermediate (10 minutes)
Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 3: Toner
Step 4: Serum or Concentrate
Step 5: Moisturize
Step 6: SPF
Night Time Intermediate (10 Minutes)
Step 1: Precleanse
Step 2: Cleanse
Step 3: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 4: Toner
Step 5: Serum or Concentrate
Step 6: Moisturize (Masque?)
Day Advanced (10-15 mintues)
Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 3: Toner
Step 4: Serum or Concentrate
Step 5: Use guasha stone or facial sculpting techniques for better product penetration as well as a defined jawline and reduced puffiness for the day.
Step 6: Eye Cream
Step 7: Moisturize
Step 8: SPF
Night Time Advanced (10-15 Minutes)
Step 1: Precleanse
Step 2: Cleanse
Step 3: Exfoliate (2-3 times a week only)
Step 4: Toner
Step 5: Serum or Concentrate
Step 6: Use guasha stone or facial sculpting techniques for better product penetration as well as a defined jawline and reduced puffiness.
Step 7: Eye Cream
Step 8: Night Cream
And There You Have it
Oh boy, doesn’t it look beautiful, all laid out like that? Now you can come back and reference this anytime or better yet, write down each step of the skincare routine you want to make your goal. Start small please. Setting unrealistic expectations often times results in us disappointing ourselves, making it harder to try again. Start with the Base Level skincare routine, there is literally no shame in that. I started there many years ago. I tell my clients to start there, and add a product/step in when they are ready for it.
Tips to Simplify Your Skincare Routine
#1. Use an exfoliating cleanser. This isn’t an ideal solution, I would honestly prefer that all my clients had these steps seperate in their life however, I completely understand we don’t always have time for both or we just don’t remember to do both. The Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser is perfect for someone who desires a physical exfoliant, the Mangosteen Daily Resurfacing Cleanser is ideal for those who prefer more of a chemical exfoliant since it contains the Lactic Acid Complex & a gentle AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). Two-In-One Products and a Step Eliminator.
#2. Use a masque for your night time moisturizer. I know I mentioned it before but let’s be specific. This is a step for those who want to take advantage of a Two-In-One Product. By using your masque as your night time hydration/treatment, you are on an excellerated targeted plan for prevention/reversal, extend the life of your daily moisturizer, and have something to indulge with during your selfcare ritual. For example, if we are really trying to target hydration, I recommend the Strawberry Rhubarb Masque. It’s full of hyaluronic acid and smells fabulous, decadently creamy, perfect to sleep in and perfect to wear in a steamy bath with a glass of wine.
#3. Use your SPF as your Daily Moisturizer. If you are at Base Level or even Beginner Level and are absolutely terrible at remembering to apply your SPF, eliminate the issue by making your SPF your daily moisturizer. I was there once, don’t feel bad. Baby steps! Whatever helps you remember this important product. Two in One Product and a Step Eliminator.
Self Care Ritual
This is a step that I wouldn’t qualify as a routine, this is taking care of yourself when you can and however you can.
Masques and treatments are perfect for this. Slap one on in a hot bath or in a long shower, even while you’re watching a movie!
Eye Pads/patches are another method.
For an easy DIY method, soak a couple cotton rounds in green tea & refrigerate. Apply the Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream and place the damp cotton rounds over your eyes for at least five minutes. The cold will reduce puffiness and inflammation, the caffeine and antioxidants from the green tea will diminish dark circles and fine lines and the Snow Mushroom Eye Cream will intensely hydrate, reduce redness and puffiness.
Facial Sculpting massage and the guasha stone are excellent for toning the face and reducing overall puffiness in the face.
*If you want to learn more about these techniques, please let me know in the comments or send me a DM.
Final Remarks
Woah. I’ve done it again, I have given you loads of information. Please, read through this once or twice, really soak it up. I love sharing tips like this and I have so many clients asking me to share my advice on building a routine. Here I’ve tried to break the levels down into time for you but honestly, I feel like I exaggerated the time. It takes me FIVE MINUTES to do my advanced skincare routine at home. Now I don’t have kids and I have my skincare routine memorized, so this is why I wanted to pad the timing a bit. But if I could give you one last piece of advice before I go, let it be this: MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF.
My goodness, you deserve five minutes to put on your nice skincare products. Do everything with intention. Magic is made through our intention. And if you dedicate an uninterrupted five minutes to this, you have the rest of the day to fight fires, change diapers, finish essays, etc. You got this boo.
PS.
Remember to check Part One to this article, the explanation of each step in your routine, the what and the why.
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
