I’ve mentioned in a few blog articles that I have two skincare routines. I have a very light and minimal skincare routine for when I have pimples and breakouts, and, I have a natural anti-aging skincare routine that is richer, more restorative when my skin is clear and I can work on deeper nourishment, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles, and fading any hyperpigmentation or scarring.
These two skincare routines are polar opposites because I find when my skin is in distress and needs to heal (like when I’m having breakouts), the less I put on my skin, the faster it heals. When my skin is balanced, clear, and good; then I can work on improving my skin with richer treatment products with active ingredients.
Not long ago I wrote a blog article, My Skincare Routine For Acne & Breakouts, and after posting it, I received quite a few requests to also put together an article about my regular skincare routine when I don’t have breakouts.
This is always a little tough because my regular skincare routine is constantly changing depending on the climate or time of year, if I’m travelling, and if I’m trying out new products at the time.
Recently, I’ve been in a really good rhythm with all the products I’m using. Everything is working so well with my skin and I haven’t had any skin issue or blemishes in ages. So I thought this is a perfect time to share what I’m currently using, and perhaps in a few months from now I’ll revisit this topic with updates.
I also want to mention that I’m just about to start trying out a few products and DIY remedies for acne scars and hyperpigmentation (I’ve received A LOT of requests for this), so before I move on to the experiments, I want to share what’s been working great for me so far.
Context
To understand my skincare routine, I think it’s important to know a little about me.
My Skin Type
At this point in my life, I feel like my skin is a combination of everything – my skin in maturing (I’m in my 40s), I’m prone to cystic and hormonal breakouts, my skin is on the oily side, but simultaneously gets dehydrated easily. I also have very sensitive skin (and as I’m getting older, my skin has becoming increasingly sensitive).
My Natural Anti-Aging Skincare Routine (Organic & Non-Toxic)
Morning Skincare Routine:
STEP 1: Wash my face with Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever
Living Libations Best Skin Ever is one of my favourite oil blends to use as a facial cleanser. I’ve been using it for years now, it’s a permanent staple in my skincare routine because it’s so gentle and moisturizes as it cleanses. In the dry season, I wash my face with Best Skin Ever twice a day for extra moisture, but in the wet season, when it’s really hot and humid and my skin tends to get more oily, I only wash my face with it at night, and use a gel cleanser or honey cleanser in the morning.
STEP 2: Moisturize with Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer
This has been a new addition to my skincare routine for a few weeks now. I LOVE this moisturizer. I’ve been searching for years for a good lightweight, daytime moisturizer that doesn’t congest or weigh down my skin, and so far Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer is the best moisturizer for oily/combination skin I have found. It’s formulated for blemish-prone skin, so it’s nice and light weight, has a matte finish, and keeps your skin soft and smooth. It’s also formulated with probiotic extracts that are suppose to keep your pores from getting clogged, which is a plus for preventing breakouts. Love it!
STEP 3: If I go out during the day, I wear Annmarie Skin Care Sun Love sun protection
I personally believe the best protection from the sun is abstaining from the sun, especially the strong sun between 9am-3pm.
I actually try not to go outside much during the strong sunlight hours. I work at home, so I organize my errands and routine to do things outside the home in the early morning or late afternoon/evening when the sun isn’t harsh. When I’m inside, I don’t needlessly wear sunscreen. But when I do go outdoors during the day, especially during those strong sun hours, I always apply Annmarie Skin Care Sun Love sun protection right before leaving my home (and I also wear protective clothing too). I’ve been using this sunscreen for many years, it’s made with non-nano zinc, doesn’t give me breakouts, doesn’t leave a white caste, and is great for all skin types including sensitive skin.
In general, during the day I don’t like to wear much products or makeup (especially if I’m at home all day). I much prefer to let my skin settle and breath during the day. I find this really helps to prevent breakouts and skin congestion, and supports overall skin health.
Evening Skincare Routine
STEP 1: Double Cleanse with Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever
In the evening I like to do a double cleanse with Living Libations Best Skin Ever. As I’m getting older, I find my skin gets more and more sensitive to exfoliation, and I find double cleansing to be the perfect solution because it’s a gentle form of exfoliation without being rough or abrasive, and it thoroughly loosens and removes dead skin cells building up on the surface of your skin.
Over time, I have found double cleansing every night with Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever and a soft washcloth (I use Grovia Cloth Wipes) keeps my skin smooth, clear, and bright. I find this especially effective treatment for keeping pores unclogged and even reducing the appearance of blackheads and enlarged pores.
This is a permanent (and beloved) part of my skincare routine!
STEP 2: Annmarie Skin Care Anti Aging Serum
A while back I tried a bunch of Annmarie Skin Care samples and I fell in love with their products (you can read my review of Annmarie Skin Care here). There was at least one product in each of their sample kits that I went ahead and got full size. I’m currently using Annmarie Skin Care Anti-Aging Serum at night for extra hydration and to protect my skin from the drying effects of sleeping with air-conditioning. This serum is fabulous, it’s so lightweight, calming, hydrating and absorbs beautifully. Recently I’ve also been experimenting using Annmarie Skin Care Anti-Aging Serum during the day under the Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer and I’m loving this combo to plump up and hydrate my skin, smooth out fine lines, and get a nice soft natural glow.
STEP 3: Annmarie Skin Care Herbal Facial Oil For Normal/Combination Skin
This is a beautiful oil (the scent is heavenly!). I find Annmarie Skin Care Anti-Aging Serum and their Herbal Facial Oil For Normal/Combination Skin work beautifully together, especially as an over-night moisturizing treatment. I would recommend this combo to anyone who needs extra hydration/moisturizing. I’ve been using these two products together for a while and because both products are so lightweight, I haven’t had a single breakouts or blemish since using them, and when I wake up in the morning, my skin is fully moisturized, soft, and smooth.
In general, if you sleep with air-conditioning or indoor heating, applying a thin layer of facial oil over your skin at night is the best way to seal in moisture and prevent your skin from drying out. Using a serum and an oil together is an even better treat for your skin.
STEP 4: Castor oil eye brow, eye lash, and and wrinkle treatment
At the very end of my skincare routine I like to comb a small amount of castor oil through my eye brows, eye lashes and dab a tiny drop on top of my “crow’s feet” (the deep wrinkles on the outside of your eyes).
To make things easy, I fill a clean empty mascara tube with castor oil, and apply it to my lashes and eyebrows with the wand (you can get castor oil already in a mascara tube if you don’t want to be bothered putting it together yourself!). Castor oil is one of my favourite oils, it’s extremely nourishing and is known to help keep your eyebrows and eyelashes strong, full, and thick.
I find castor oil is a great wrinkle treatment as well. I recommend only putting the castor oil on the “crow’s feet” (the deep wrinkles on the outer eye area), not on the full area under the eye (I find the skin under the eye is so delicate and pores can clog easily, so best to just use castor oil only to treat the deeper “crow’s feet” wrinkles on the outside eye areas).
I normally use Living Libations All Seeing Eye Creme (this is a great eye cream, never clogs your pores, significantly helps reduce puffiness around the eyes, and smoothes out eye wrinkles beautifully). I recently finished my jar, so I’m currently just using the castor oil. If you want to use an eye cream in conjunction with the castor oil as an overnight moisturizing treatment for wrinkles, what I do is apply the eye cream around the eye area, and then afterwards dab a tiny drop of castor oil over the eye cream just where the “crow’s feet” / deep wrinkles are on outer edges of eye area to seal in moisture (together they’ll moisturize and smooth out the deeper wrinkles and creases – my favourite overnight eye treatment).
Weekly Treatment
Fresh Aloe Vera Gel Overnight Mask
Fresh aloe vera gel is one of my favourite overnight masks (this is the ultimate remedy for healing your skin, getting smooth and even skin tone, alleviating redness, and fading marks and acne scars).
I’ve been using fresh aloe vera gel as an overnight mask for almost a decade, and it’s definitely one of the reasons my skin healed so well after having acne (and I believe what has kept my skin young looking over the years). As you see in my photos and videos, my skin is pretty clear and smooth, a lot of this has to do with applying fresh aloe vera gel as an overnight mask for so many years, and using oils for cleansing and moisturizing my skin.
Back when I was healing my skin from acne, I was using fresh aloe vera gel (straight from the plant, not the bottle) on my skin every single night (for years). Nowadays I use it only once a week as an overnight mask for maintenance.
After all these years, and trying all sorts of products and DIY natural skincare recipes, I still stand by fresh aloe vera gel as the top skincare treatments for exfoliating, soothing, and renewing your skin.
Oskia Renaissance Mask
I came across Oskia Renaissance Mask a few years ago, and since then it’s always been my absolute favourite moisturizing and skin brightening mask. In fact, I’ll be very honest, I’ve never found a better mask than this one (besides using fresh aloe vera gel as an overnight mask, and even so, the two are completely different, and instead of using one or the other, I keep them both on rotation in my skincare routine).
The big standout with Oskia Renaissance Mask is all the gentle exfoliating and repairing ingredients that not only leaves your skin super soft and smooth, but using it over time can heal hyperpigmentation and scarring. The product contains MSM, Lactic Acid, and Papaya Enzymes – all my favourite skin healing ingredients. If you are sensitive to traditional exfoliating scrubs (like I am), this is a great mask for exfoliating your skin without any rough or abrasive texture (it goes on smooth, and leaves your skin super smooth and hydrated). I use the Renaissance Mask once a week, and I find the longer I leave it on, the smoother my skin gets (I tend to leave it on for 20-30+ minutes).
So this is my current skincare routine. I would love to hear what yours is! If you’ve got a moment, do share it in the comments below!
8 Responses
Hi.I am blown away by the fact that you are in your forties.I thought late twenties early thirties.Whatever you are doing,it’s working.
The minute my skin comes in contact with oils my pores clog up and I get milia around my eyes and cheeks.I have used Emma Hardie,Clinique,jojoba and coconut oils all with the same reaction.Any suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks.
Hi Linda,
What a great compliment, thank you!!!
Since you get a reaction from the oils, I would completely stay away from them (especially anything with coconut oil).
I recommend washing your face with a smooth
honey because the active enzymes in the honey will help with cell turnover and exfoliation. Once or twice a week, add some coffee grounds to the honey for extra exfoliation. If you can, skip any moisturizer after washing your face with honey (at first it can feel a little tight/dry, but after a week or two your skin should normalize). If you do need a moisturizer, instead of using oil, go with an oil-free light moisturizer (Juice Beauty has an oil-free moisturizer).
Let me know if this helps!
Oops!I cannot use honey because I am allergic to bees.Have tried Manuka honey as well as regular honey.Same reaction.My lips and eyes swell up.So back to the drawing board.Maybe I just cannot go green.Well if you can think of anything else I welcome the suggestions.Thanks,Linda
Hi Linda, there’s still a lot of green options, you’ve just got to stay away from the pure oils, honey, and I would also stay away from any cream cleanser. For milia, you want to get a cleanser that is gentle but has active exfoliating ingredients like enzymes, lactic acid, clays, etc. Two cleanser that come to mind are Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (great one for milia because of of the enzymes and MSM, but must get it from Europe. I believe Cult Beauty ships for free world wide). Also Tata Harper Refreshing Cleanser which is gentle and has clay and willow bark which is great for exfoliation as well (can be pricey, but you might be able to get a sample to try out).
May I ask what you’re currently using as a cleanser? Sometimes I can come up with a green alternative!
I recently received a bottle of aloe vera gel from a Korean skincare company. After reading this, I’m tempted to get my own aloe vera plan and try it out!
Yes, definitely try the fresh gel from the plant – I find it work 100 times better than any bottled aloe gel (when it’s fresh straight from the plant, the enzymes are alive and active and great from exfoliating and renewing the skin – the bottled stuff doesn’t have that sort of “enzymatic activity!” Try it, you’ll see the difference 🙂
Hello Natasha,
What you have shared was so inspiring.Anyways, where can I buy those products you’ve have mentioned,i’m currently working in Riyadh but i’m from phils.Thank you for sharing..
Hi Norina,
To purchase the products in the article, just click on the pink coloured text in the article and it will direct you to the websites that sell the products. I believe all the online shops linked to the article ship internationally.