CURRENT ROUTINE: PM SKINCARE

CLEANSERS GLOSSIER & TATA HARPER / TONER BIOLOGIQUE RECHERCHE / EYE CREAM SHISEIDO / ESSENCE SK-II / SERUM SUNDAY RILEY / MOISTURE TATCHA

My current favorite nighttime routine, featuring a nice mingle of born and bred American bombshells and culty international products (you'll recognize some pretty faces from my recent Tokyo post). I'll go into more detail than usual since I've gotten some questions recently about the basics of my routines. Probably just people trying to be nice. Let's begin with the double cleanse. Considering my vested interest in being an early adapter in the skincare world, I depended upon my gel based cleansers to remove makeup for far too long. Enter Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser. I'm willing to be a lot of things about my skincare routine, but time-inefficient isn't one of them. As in, I will not devote two minutes to removing a cleansing balm from my face with a tepid cloth lest it's residue break me out. This is absolutely NOT a problem with this cleanser. I apply some on my eyes and then to the rest of my dry face and rinse it off, and all traces of makeup and oil have disappeared (and it smells incredible...I know rose scented and colored and flavored everything is 'yuge right now, but Glossier really gets it right). I then let Tata do her thing as my second cleanse. I can't imagine this cleanser ever leaving my rotation. It is the perfect thing for sensitive, acne prone skin. 

P50 toner. To my knowledge the only places you can realibly purchase this cult product are Peninsula Hotel spas, and the only two in the States are in New York and Chicago (quite distressing to me as I order everything from açaí bowls to toilet paper to Manolos online). Via my first Via I trekked all the way to the Upper East Side, the land of Birkins and tourists, to score this cute little bottle. Believe it or not I have had this on my to do list for nearly six months, but since Barney's is back downtown and I no longer have any wedding related errands it took me forever to successfully execute this voyage. It was about $65 USD for the smallest size. Thus far I am very impressed. I perhaps should have purchased the formula for sensitive skin, but the aesthetician recommended I use it every other night (to avoid daytime redness), adding a little water to dilute. I have been using it for nearly a month now, approximately every other night. It does burn a bit, but I do not experience any significant redness--I could potentially use it during the day, but I like to use my most potent skincare products at night when my skin isn't exposed to as many toxins (cosmetics, sun, pollution). I spray my cotton pad with some rosewater beforehand and add 3-4 drops of P50. Perfect. Definitely a noticeable glow.

Anyone still reading? I now shake out 4 drops of SK-II essence on my (clean!) palm, touch my hands together briefly to warm the product, and gently press my hands onto my face. This is how the product has been applied forever by it's Asian fanbase. I have recently seen bloggers that promote the product and use it with a cotton pad, but this seems like a waste. I wrote in my last post that I haven't seen much of a difference using it, but my skin has been behaving recently and I definitely think this has something to do with it. Essence assists the rest of your products in working more effectively, so it would make sense. I then apply a pat of Shiseido eye cream with my ring finger (this assures the perfect amount of product and that you don't pull at the delicate skin in the area), and apply serum once the essence has dried. I rub Luna in until all the blue has disappeared, and apply a few sprays of this Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist for light summer moisture. This mist is absolutely incredible. I will write more about it in a near-future post dedicated to glowy skincare, but as a teaser: this is like a revolutionary moisturizer that you can just spray right over your makeup. And, spoiler alert: it imparts the most perfect, seductive, on-trend, dewy glow. And it LASTS.

Sweet dreams!