Now that I use tretinoin and am aging I need to adjust my skincare each season. My skin is normal with some dry, flaky patches, especially in the colder weather. I have fine lines and hyperpigmentation. I switch to richer moisturizers and go back to mild cleansers once fall arrives. This year my skin is having more issues as I have made the transition to the highest strength of tretinoin.
I made changes to both my day and night routines to address flakiness on my chin and around my mouth and nose. My makeup was also looking a little dry and cakey. Check out Summer Skincare Routine to see what I was using before I made my fall adjustments.
We will start with my morning routine where I made some changes to address the flakiness. It makes my makeup go on badly so I needed extra moisture and hydration.
I wash my face in the shower each morning. My Holy Grail morning cleanser is CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser and I have been using it almost exclusively for over a year now. I did try to use Clinique Mild Facial Cleanser this summer but once I started increasing the strength of tretinoin to the highest strength I had flaking on my chin and nose. I knew it was time to switch back to the Cerave. I use a Konjac Sponge along with the Cerave. This is a super mild and gentle cleanser with ceramides and hyaluronic acid in it. It gets my face clean without leaving it feeling dry or tight.
Two to three times a week I use Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator in place of the Cerave. This is to get a little extra exfoliation. This is a good physical exfoliant with very fine exfoliators. Once I am finished with this one I will use something else. I got this in Boxycharm February 2017 because I would never pay $70 for an exfoliator.
The next step is Dickinson’s Enhanced Witch Hazel Hydrating Toner. This is another switch I made from my summer routine. I have been using this for over a year except for a couple of months in the summer. It is a wonderful toner that doesn’t leave my skin dry or tight while removing any traces of makeup and grime.
I follow the toner with my 2 morning serums. First I use a DIY Vitamin C serum. There is any number of basic recipes online but I use this one. I give it a minute to dry some and then apply The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA. I put in my contacts while the serums are absorbed.
I put on my eye cream right after I put my contacts in. I am using elf Illuminating Eye Cream. I think I probably need something more moisturizing but I have almost finished this. I will go to something richer once I am done.
Moisturizer is my next step and I use different ones for my face and neck. I spritz Sacred Rose Water on my face before applying moisturizer. Acure Organics Day Cream is my fall moisturizer. My HG Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel just isn’t enough for my fall and winter skin. I have to switch to something richer and the Acure Day Cream is perfect. It is rich enough without being heavy or making my face greasy by midday.
For my neck and chest, I discovered St. Ives Collagen Elastin Moisturizer recently and love it so much it was one of my 5 Faves September 2017. My neck and chest have not done well with tretinoin and I needed a rich moisturizer. This is less than $6 at Walmart and it has made my neck and chest feel so soft and smooth.
I give my face time to dry down and absorb all those products. Once it has I apply sunscreen. Never, ever skip this step! My current sunscreen is Tommy Bahama Natural Vanilla SPF 30 Mineral Face Tinted Sunscreen Lotion By Coola. I have really liked this sunscreen. It works well with all my other products and makeup.
My nighttime routine has even more in it. I start by removing my eye makeup with Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover. I then remove the rest of my makeup with some type of oil based cleanser, The 1 I am currently using is Manyo Factory Herb Green Oil Cleanser. This has a fresh green scent and removes my makeup almost totally along with my Wonder Cloth.
I follow this with Purity Made Simple by Philosophy. This is my HG nighttime cleanser and I have been using it for a couple of years. It gets my face clean without being harsh. I love it. Every other night I use my Clarisonic Mia 2 with the cleanser. Either way, my face is left clean and soft.
I use the Dickinson’s Toner at night too. I follow it with Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drops. I got this for $3.99 from #08L to try for an honest review. It is still too early to have formed much of an opinion. I will probably post a full review when I have used it long enough to see if there are any benefits.
Then comes my most important skincare step. This is where I apply my tretinoin / Retin A. I have worked myself up to the highest strength, .1%, 6 nights a week. On the other night, I use some type of AHA product. I like to wait around 2 hours for the tretinoin to fully absorb before I apply anything else.
I have 2 serums I use at night. The first is the Alpha Arbutin I use in the morning. I then use Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum. This came in Birchbox June 2017 so that is why I am using it. I don’t really see any effect from it. I do think that the Alpha Arbutin is helping with my hyperpigmentation.
I apply eye cream before moisturizer. My nighttime eye cream is Derma e CoQ10 Super Repair Eye Creme. This is just an ok eye cream that is almost empty. I will go to something richer once I finish this.
After spritzing my face with Sacred Rose Water I use my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with 3 drops of Eden’s Semila Rosehip Oil on my face. This moisturizer used to be way too much for my oily skin but now it is perfect. This is a new product in my nighttime routine and I am liking it a lot. For my neck and chest, it is still St. Ives Collagen Elastin Moisturizer. I do add 2 drops of the Rosehip Oil at night.
I also use a mask at least 3 times per week. In the summer I was using my clay based masks more. Now that it is fall it will be sheet masks that I reach for the most. I have been masking more than 3 times a week to try to deal with the flaking.
So that is my current fall skincare routine. The major changes from my summer routine were to go to richer moisturizers in the morning and at night. I also went back to my beloved Cerave Cleanser in the morning. I am using more sheet masks and fewer clay or mud-based masks.
Do you make changes in your skincare routine when the seasons change? What is your current routine? Are you using any of the same products that I am?
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Makeup and Skin Care for Mature Skin 