A Pro's Guide to the Perfect AM & PM Skincare Routine!
Having a consistent AM & PM skincare routine is essential to maintaining healthy and radiant-looking skin. Our skin faces different challenges throughout the day, so it's crucial to have two different routines for the morning and night. I’m sharing my professional (and personal) guide for the ideal AM and PM skincare routine that will keep your skin glowing and healthy.
AM ROUTINE: AM skin care should be focused on protecting your skin throughout the day.
No.01 - STOP Cleansing Your Face In The Morning
Cleansing your face in the morning strips your skin of natural oils, which can lead to irritation. All you need is a splash of water or wet a cotton square to wipe down your face and neck.
Here are the cotton squares I use and recommend:
No.02 - Protect Against Free Radicals
It’s important to use protective skincare during the day to combat free radical damage caused by factors like pollution, UV rays, and blue light emitted from digital devices. Antioxidants fight these factors and help to maintain healthy skin throughout the day.
My recommended daytime serums:
No.03 - Always Moisturize
This will help lock in the serum and keep your skin hydrated and balanced. Lack of hydration can lead to an overproduction of oil, resulting in an oily T-zone area. It's important to note that skin type, weather, and lifestyle can affect the type of moisturizer you should use.
My recommended daytime moisturizer:
No.05 - SPF
SPF protects your skin from harmful sun rays that can cause skin damage, hyperpigmentation, and premature aging. When using sunscreen, always apply it last so that the product sits on top of your skin and does not clog your pores.
My recommended SPF:
PM ROUTINE: The PM skincare routine is to restore your skin overnight.
No.01 - Double Cleanse
The nighttime is when your skin gets the chance to repair itself after a long day of external stressors. The first step to the PM skincare routine is to double cleanse. This means removing all traces of makeup and impurities from your face. Make sure to include your neck in this process as well.
My recommended cleanser:
No.02 - Repairing Serums
Apply a repairing and restoring serum to your face and let it do its magic. Overnight treatments can penetrate more deeply into the skin, so it's the perfect time to apply rich serums. Repair and restore serums can help renew your skin and address various issues like fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and dullness.
My recommended PM serums:
STEMFACTOR GROWTH FACTOR SERUM
No. 03 - Deep Hydration
Hydration is key. Always moisturize, but in the evening you want to do a deeper hydrating treatment that will soak in overnight and leave your skin EXTRA moisturized in the morning.
My recommended PM moisturizers:
ENRICH RESTORATIVE FACE AND NECK CREAM
IMMERSE RESTORATIVE FACIAL OIL
No.04 - Eye Serum
Lastly, always incorporate an eye serum. The skin surrounding the eyes is thin, fragile, and prone to dryness. The treatment for the eyes is targeted to boost the moisture level, eliminate puffiness, and reduce dark circles.
My recommended PM eye treatment:
HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF AN AT-HOME FACIAL
Unpopular opinion: You don’t need to pay for monthly facials. What you do at home is more important. Don’t get me wrong, facials are amazing. But they are something that should be looked at as a treat or a luxury. This is coming from a skincare specialist whose business was built on facials. But overtime I realized that there is only so much a facial can do. It’s what we do on a daily basis that is going to make the biggest impact on our skin’s health. A consistent skincare routine, clean diet, good sleep, and managing stress will do more for our skin than a facial every 4-6 weeks. Sure it feels great to have your pores cleaned out & get a nice lymphatic massage. But this isn’t something you should have to do to have healthy, glowing skin.
I work with clients from all over the world who are unable to come in for facial treatments. Together, we strive for optimal skin health through custom at-home skincare routines and dietary adjustments and have found this approach to be more effective than in-office treatments.
HERE ARE A FEW OF MY TIPS FOR AT-HOME FACIALS:
Step No. 01
+ Give yourself a once a month treatment. I recommend starting with a gentle enzyme exfoliant (I am not a fan of chemical or scrub exfoliants).
Step No.02
+ Use a hot towel or even take a bath so that the steam opens up your pores and gently breaks up any congestion. This will leave your skin so glowy and give that extra clean feeling you get from an in-office facial treatment. My favorite gentle enzyme exfoliant is POLISH.
Step No.03
+ After you have gently exfoliated, my favorite treatment to do once a month is my Non-Chemcial Peel kit! This is an at-home facial treatment you can do yourself! This non-chemical peel delivers a high dose of natural liposomal retinaldehyde, aka Vitamin A. The Non-Chemcial Peel works by generating a 30-day collagen production increase and is unique because it avoids damaging the epidermis by penetrating several active ingredients into the dermis through liposomal delivery. It is safe for all skin types and enhances results for acne, aging, rosacea, and hyperpigmentation.
Step No.04
+ Next I apply all of my serums and moisturizers and I like to do a deep tissue style massage where I really dig deep into my facial muscles with my knuckles. This helps to activate my serums and it gets the blood flowing while removing any facial tension. It also helps to stimulate collagen production by bringing blood flow to the area which can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and gives a little mini facelift.
Step No.05
+ Lymphatic drainage is also one of my personal favorites. I like to end my deep tissue facial massage with a lymph draining method that encourages the delivery of oxygen around the face as well as improved hydration to the skin cells leading to a much healthier and glowing complexion.
LYMPHATIC TECHNIQUE:
1. Begin at the center of your forehead, using gentle, sweeping motions with your fingertips to move the lymphatic fluid towards your temples. Repeat this motion several times.
2. Next, move to your eye area. Using your ring fingers, gently press and hold on the inner corners of your eyes for a few seconds. Then move along your brow bone towards your temples. Continue this motion, focusing on the area under your eyes to help reduce puffiness.
3. Move to your cheeks, using upward and outward motions towards your ears. Remember to be gentle and avoid pulling or tugging on the skin.
4. Continue down to your jawline, using small circular motions to move the lymphatic fluid towards your ears.
5. Finish with your neck, using upward motions towards your chin to help drain any fluid buildup.
I’m not saying to never get facials, just that you shouldn’t have to rely on them. Creating healthy habits that you do daily will have a bigger impact on your skin and can give you that same healthy glow you get from in-office facials. Plus, it’s more budget friendly.
*You can learn more on how to achieve healthy skin on your own with at-home routines, effective skincare products & more in my 90-Day Healthy Skin Program.
xo,
Jamie