My Skincare Routine & Secrets

Skincare is – whether you believe it or not – a much needed step in everyone’s routine, no matter your pronouns or gender. I was always under the impression that skincare was not needed at a young age, and therefore went on till about sophomore year in high school only washing my face with water. Now, this can be enough for some people, and I guess it was fine for me too. My mom was always telling me I needed to use a moisturizer otherwise my skin will dry up, but my stubborn self would say, “I have oily skin, what do I care”. Well, not having a proper skin care routine WILL show consequences in the long run. I also do have to add that I’ve been pretty lucky with my skin. I’ve never had bad acne or anything of that kind and I am aware of how fortunate I am.

Skin Type

Everyone has different skin types, and what works for one person may not work for another. This is why I’m simply here to tell you about MY skincare secrets for my very mixed skin. Please please please, do not take my word and do some research for your skin type. Even if you have the same skin, it does not mean my products will work. Also, I am no skincare expert so I’m not even sure if I’m doing it right.

The reason why I say I have mixed skin is because it all depends on where I am, when, and the humidity. For the most part I’ve got oily skin, typically because I lived in hot and humid countries. However, while living in Amsterdam now, my skin in fairly normal.

I have experimented with a lot of different products, and I found a short and sweet skincare routine that I’ve stuck with for a couple years now. It’s really nothing special, and the best part… affordable.

The 2-Step Routine

Here is my 2-step routine. That’s right, 2 steps.

I hopped on the CeraVe trend during the pandemic when it literally took over all of TikTok. I tried it, I loved it, and here we are. It is also the best for price, and since it does tend to run out quickly, it’s great.

Cleanser: CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (~$15.99)

This specific one is the foaming face cleanser, for normal or oily skin. I found this working great for me and it is my go to. There is also a great alternative for dry skin – Hydrating cleanser. This product is very light and smooth to apply.

Moisturizer: CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion (~$13.20)

This moisturizer is for dry and very dry skin. However, despite this, I find it to work great on my skin. It is very hydrating but dries up quickly, leaving your skin smooth all day. It does contain lots of oils so you might find yourself to be a bit shiny throughout the day, but nothing that can’t be fixed.

Having a short skincare routine, I found it to be better as my skin is not being layered with large amount of products, and there is also no risk of a bad reaction. I also had a conversation about these products with my dermatologist and she highly recommends these products.

Step 1.5

As everyone does, sometimes my skin days are better than others. That’s why I have a backup product. You might be thinking, what in the world is step 1.5. Well, it’s basically an extra product that is used between steps 1 & 2 on those worst days.

Vitamin Formula: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (~$11.70)

My bad days are centered around blemishing and textures. This product is designed to hit those issues with their zinc salt and Niacinamide. And of course, you can never go wrong with The Ordinary, and once again, not breaking the bank.

The Secret

We have finally made it to my skincare secret, which is actually not so secret if you’re on TikTok. Which btw – @iwanteditfirst – check it out.

Frozen Cucumber.

C’est tout. Let me know if you have any products you would recommend or what your routine is. See you next time xx