Skincare Routine : PM
All of us want radiant and flawless skin. But more often than not, we forget to do what is required to keep our skin healthy. Conscious efforts do translate into noticeable results. I hope that you have had a chance to look at my Morning Skincare routine that I had posted last month. For those of you who wrote in eagerly asking for the night skincare routine, here it is :-)
When we sleep, our body goes into recovery and recharge mode. From our heart to blood vessels to our immune system, each and every component of our body is in repair mode.As for our biggest organ skin, there is a lot of cell regeneration that happens. Damaged and dead cells are replaced with new ones.
Research suggests that following a regular sleeping pattern is the best way to get noticeable and positive difference to our skin. It is also recommended to be in bed by 11 PM which would allow the skin optimum time to repair overnight, with the majority of repair functions taking place between midnight and 4 AM. Interesting, isn’t it? A good night’s sleep reduces the stress hormone, cortisol which is responsible for thinning skin, discoloration etc. and increases the sleep hormone, melatonin which has high anti-oxidant properties.
When it comes to using skincare products, night is the perfect time to use intensive and targeted skincare treatments. During the day, external factors like the sun light and pollution may affect the efficacy of some of these products. So, as we sleep peacefully at night, away from these skin aggressors would be the right time for these products to sink into our skin and do their job. Having said that, I do not believe in layering creams over serums over oils at night. Since our skin is hard at work regenerating itself, it’s best to just prep the skin to do its job and support it by using good products that aid the regeneration process.
Cleanse
If there is just one thing that we can do and should do before we sack out, is removing all makeup and cleansing the skin. Once I get back home, the first thing I do is get the makeup off. I do this however late it is. If I’m wearing heavy eye makeup or a bold lip color, I take these out first using a makeup remover. I use the Waterproof eye makeup remover from Sephora , it removes makeup completely without drying out the area around the eyes.
After removing my makeup, I complete my cleansing routine with Soothing Cleansing Oil from Bobbi Brown. It removes makeup from rest of the face and the blend of organic oils from Kukui Nut, Sunflower, Olive and Jojoba leaves the skin moisturised. I do not use a face wash as a few that I have tried left make my skin dry.
Other Recommended products:
Makeup Remover: Neutrogena Oil free Eye Makeup Remover, The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, Kiehl’s Supremely Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, Bobbi Brown Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover.
Cleansers: Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (Oil free), Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water, L’Oréal Cleansing Milk.
Treatment
There are just two products that are part of my night skincare routine. One is a targeted treatment for area around the eyes and the other is a face serum.
Eye Cream
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye cream is a restorative concentrate of essential oils and botanicals specifically formulated for the delicate area around the eyes. Ingredients like Evening Primrose Oil and Butchers Broom is intended to aid skin repair and reduce puffiness and dark circles. The right way to apply the product is to pat it gently under the eye area along the orbital bone.
Other Recommended Products: Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, La Mer Eye Concentrate, Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.
Serum
As mentioned earlier, when we sleep, our skin is at work, fighting free radicals and rebuilding lost collagen. And what a product like Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate does is aid in the repair process with the help of a blend of natural yet powerful oils. The active ingredients in this serum such as Primrose oil, Lavender oil and Squalene easily penetrate the skin surface and strengthen skin’s protective barrier to give you refreshed and healthier skin by morning. Just 2 drops are enough for each application and for me, a bottle lasts easily for over 6 months.
Other Recommended products: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Supplement, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Forest Essentials Advanced Soundarya Age Defying Facial Serum with 24K Gold.
Just like any other skincare products, I'd always recommend you to try out samples first before buying full size products to check suitability on your skin. Also, remember that nothing can benefit your skin and beauty routine than 8 hours of good sleep. We live in an age where there are dozens of apps to choose from to improve the quality of sleep, but perhaps ditching these smartphones and other gadgets prior to sleep time may help better. Light emitted from the screens can affect the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone and hence affect your sleep cycles. So, let your gadgets snooze too as you prepare for your beauty sleep.
Set a good tight time skin care routine and wake upto radiant and youthful skin. xx
