Let me guess… you read the title and said to yourself, “Skin care? There’s no time for that.” And I get it. Between making dinner, bath time, books, running out that extra energy, and cleaning up after the whole shebang, it’s hard to prioritize yourself. But it really does make a difference!
Just a couple of minutes spent on your skin each night will give you a confidence boost, and we all deserve that.
But where do you start? When I moved back to Los Angeles, I had to completely redo my skin care routine. The air is dry, the pollution is real, and there are some serious allergens. Not to mention the sun exposure! After spending a few months tweaking my system to get the right mix, I finally have something I’m happy with.
Here’s my skin care routine for busy moms, I hope it helps you too!
A word about where to buy skincare products:
Start where you can. If you can only get to the drug store, then buy drug store products. If you have zero free time, order from Amazon. Do what you gotta do! That said, what you put on your skin has much the same effect as what you eat. Your skin is your largest organ, after all. So if you can, buy products with clean ingredients. Brands like Honest and Drunk Elephant are great if you can budget for them, but I also use St. Ives and Almay right from the Target aisles.
Personally, I swear by The Body Shop. The ingredients are all things you’ve heard of. They don’t test on animals and they support women around the world. And my skin feels amazing. It helps that they have tons of sales and often have deals on shipping.
Morning skin care:
I start my morning with a giant glass of water. I keep a glass on our bathroom counter that measures out to four cups of water when full. I try to drink half of it when I first get up, and the other half after I brush my teeth. Did you know dehydration can cause wrinkles and saggy skin? So while it might not reverse aging, drinking water is actually one of the best ways to keep wrinkles away!
In the shower, I use Yes 2 Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub ($10) from Target.
Next, I use Vitamin C Glow-protect Lotion SPF 30 from The Body Shop. It smells like tangerines. The sunscreen is a must, and the Vitamin C is actually an anti-pollution ingredient! It’s normally $23, and as I write this it’s on a buy-two-get-one-free sale.
This isn’t a makeup post, but I should mention that I use Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in Stay Neutral ($28.50). The moisturizer makes me shiny and this is the best pressed powder I’ve found.
During the day:
During the day, again, I try to drink a lot of water. I aim for a total of nine measured cups of water a day. It’s a lot, but throwing some lemon or blueberries into the glass helps me get there!
I try to also think about foods for skin care. You know how your skin can feel gross after you eat too many french fries and fast foods? By the same token, foods can really help your skin. For example, did you know that the active ingredient in retinol is vitamin A? Yep, take a look here. And retinol helps reduce wrinkles and other signs of aging. So I try to eat foods like sweet potato and kale which each have your full daily value of vitamin A in one serving. Salmon and hard boiled eggs also have a good amount of vitamin A.
Evening skin care:
To start, I use Chamomile Fresh Micellar Cleansing Water ($20) from The Body Shop to remove my makeup. It’s much gentler than other makeup removers I’ve tried, and it doesn’t leave that eye-blurring residue you get from traditional eye makeup removers. I put a squirt or two of the water onto a washcloth and start by holding it gently over each eye for about 10 seconds. It takes the mascara right off. Then I wash the rest of my face.
Next I use Vitamin E Eye Cream ($19.50), again from The Body Shop. It’s helped with the dark circles that come from parenting a child with sleep regression.
Depending on the night, I use a combination of:
- Maracuja Oil ($48 from Sephora, $14 on Etsy): I first discovered this via the Tarte product, which I loved. But then I learned that maracuja oil is just grapefruit seed oil with a fancy name! So now I buy organic grapeseed oil. I haven’t use this brand personally, but grapeseed oil is available on Amazon here. The same brand is also on Etsy.
- Drops of Youth Concentrate ($54): This is a beautiful little serum from The Body Shop, meant to help with the first signs of aging. It’s a bit pricy but it lasts forever. I’ve had the same bottle for five months and still going.
- Honestly Pure Retinol Serum ($28): I’m lucky to have an Honest section at my Target, so I buy this during our target runs. The retinol helps with wrinkles. I’m one of those people who gets irritated skin from retinol, so I only use this a couple of times a week.
- St. Ives Facial Moisturizer ($6): You can get this at your local drugstore. This cream feels soft and cooling when it goes on. It’s a giant tub for a great price tag!
For body, I use Shea Body Butter ($6) from The Body Shop. I have a tattoo, so I try to remember to put lotion on every night. I also try to drink a full glass of water before bed.
Budgeting
I didn’t get all these products at once! As much as I would love an unlimited budget, that’s just silly. I bought them when I could, often on sale, as our budget allowed. And there are plenty more products I’d love to add, but just haven’t invested in yet.
The End Result
There is a noticeable difference in my skin after changing up my skin care routine a few months ago. My skin is brighter and softer. But most importantly, I feel good about myself. And that, moms, is worth every moment.