Quick Morning Skincare Routine

This moisturizer is bomb 💣. I used it for 2 days now and I am obsessed. I’ve never seen a moisturizer just glide onto my skin and instantly I feel plump, smooth and recharged. It also calmed down any irritation and made my skin so calm. It’s a CBD infused moisturizer which helps maintain the acid mantle. What is the Acid Mantle? The acid mantle is a protective barrier produced by healthy skin that serves as a defense to block bacteria and other contaminants. Your acid mantle can be damaged by over cleansing, over exfoliation and the use of harsh acids (via Lord Jones website). What’s in it: ceramides cbd oil sunflower seed oil hyaluronic acid squalane LORD JONES - Acid Mantle Repair CBD Moisturizer So far my skin has been so calm and soft. It looks so dewy and refreshed. I will keep using this just because I love the way it feels! Have you tried CBD products for your skin?

Some trendy ingredients launch into understandable “cult” status thanks to their grounding in research. Some are known for their benefits in other medical fields but are still substantiating their clinical efficacy in topical dermatology. But these three are my favourite “trendy” ingredients, with some example products included! My Skin: Combo, Sensitive; Acne, Eczema. Niacinamide is so popular now that you can’t scroll without seeing mention of vitamin B3! At lower %, it’s an effective humectant and antioxidant that offers anti-inflammatory benefits for sensitive and/or irritated skin. At 4-5%+, niacinamide controls sebum (oil) production, minimizes pores, and has been (clinically) found to reduce acne. If the common 10% is too strong for you, dilute it 1:1 in another serum! THE inkey LIST - Niacinamide Oil Control Serum $6.99 per 30mL, $0.23 per 1mL. The Inkey List produces my favourite budget niacinamide, beating fellow budget brands the Ordinary and Naturium. It forgoes potentially-irritating zinc pca to opt for a cocktail of humectants and allantoin to create a hydrating, soothing serum that fits into almost any routine. CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It relies heavily on trend and assumptions, as transdermal benefit doesn’t necessarily translate to topical. But CBD has promise in its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant potential, an appealing premise for use with sensitive skin and/or skin conditions like eczema and rosacea. LORD JONES - Acid Mantle Repair CBD Moisturizer $75 per 50mL, $1.50 per 1mL. Each jar contains 250mg of CBD, so each mL should contain about 5mg of CBD. Is that enough to do much? Not sure, but as a sufferer of eczema, I opted to try this moisturizer on the cusp of a flare-up and was happy to see that it delivered on its claims of soothing! That may be simply because it’s a hardcore moisturizer, offering a heavy texture that’s lusciously rich and almost balm-like. Mixing five ceramides, sunflower oil, squalane, cholesterol, and humectants make this a delightful moisturizer for those with dry or normal skin! Retinol is a retinoid and is probably second only to Differin in clinically-backed OTC anti-aging treatments... it’s more of a re-emerging favourite than a trend! Retinoids help to increase cellular turnover and modulate keratinization, offering longer-term anti-aging results with some folks experiencing reduced acne breakouts! DRUNK ELEPHANT - A-Passioni Retinol Cream $74 per 30mL, $2.47 per 1mL. This silky yellow cream has a medicinal smell and is known for packing a punch. 1% Retinol pairs with carotenoids, peptides, antioxidants, fatty acids, and moisturizing oils to create a thin cream that soaks in quickly. I experienced dryness and some irritation, but can’t lie that I did also find my skin a bit smoother and tone more even. It stands on equal footing to the Ordinary’s Retinol 1% but is more cosmetically elegant. #CheriePartner

Ok guys if you been following me my bumps are starting to dry up and now I have dark spots. My right side is completely healed and the left is my trouble side. After seeing my dermatologist for my follow up appointment she went up on the dose of the retinoid I use at night. If you are wondering my routine this is what I'm using. Also go look at my old pics to see where I started from. Neutrogena - Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask I love this as it dries out my bumps LA ROCHE-POSAY - Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser I use this at night and love how it's super light CeraVe - PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion light way and keeps face moisturizer at night elta md SKINCARE - UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 I use the tinted version now great for black girls only in the morning and I do two fingers when I apply it The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% I just started using it super light weight. I started as a suggestion to help purging. Haven't told my dermatologist I'm using it but it has made the bumps on the right side calm down so so far so good. I'll update this to five stars after I have enough data to support if it really works.CeraVe - Healing Ointment I use when I experience dryness from the winter. A lot goes a long way .

I thought I’d step on here and give my 3 fav products as of right now! First up, elta md SKINCARE - UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 I actually had this product recommended to me from my dermatologist! And... it’s amazing. I got the tinted version but there is a untinted one as well. At first I was nervous about the tint but actually really really like it! It blends well with my skin tone and adds a dewy light weight finish that I also look for in a product. I don’t wear foundation, but this almost feels like one. It adds a nice layer of light coverage! Lastly, it is really really good for your skin! As it says on the container, it has niacinamide and some other great ingredients so “calms and protects acne prone skin” Next we have, MAYBELLINE - Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush This has been a huge mainstay in my makeup routine! I love a good cream blush and this lives up to all my expectations. It’s dewy, bouncy, glowy, and has a beautiful pigment. I have in the shade “coral ember” which is a beachy coral! This product is great over makeup or alone, (I use it alone) I would say that a little goes a long way! And, this is a great dupe for Glossier. - Cloud Paint Seamless Cheek ColorOverall cheek heat is a really great product! Last but certainly not least... ESTĒE LAUDER - Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Now this actually isn’t a very popular product however it works wonders for me!! It is a very gentle but very effective eye makeup remover. (I use on the rest of my face too!) This removes even waterproof mascara which is good for me! Maybe I’ll do a post on my fav mascaras in the future 😉. For me, this is much better than GARNIER - SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Cleanser & Waterproof Makeup Remover which I found leaves my eyes oily and took out some of my lashes 😬. But with estee’s, I never woke up with leftover mascara in the morning so it is very very effective!! Thank you so so much for reading!! Let me know what you think of these product down below! 😁

After many years of using SKINCEUTICALS - C E Ferulic With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C Serum and loving the results but not the price, I decided it was time to try some other Vitamin C products. First I tried MAELOVE - Glow Maker which was priced very well and is commonly known as a dupe, but i found the brightening effect not to be as strong. After reading a lot of articles and seeing several “skinfluencers” rave about it, I have been using BeautyStat COSMETICS - Universal C Skin Refiner for about 6 weeks and I love it! What makes it so special (aside from delivering all the vitamin C benefits I expect) is that the Vitamin C is encapsulated and suspended in the serum so that it stays fresh until it hits your skin. I will note that this serum is silicone based so if that is not something you like in a product you may want to consider something else. For me, this is a great, active, effective vitamin c at half the cost of my original fave.

I love serums and use at least two in my skincare routine every day! I have oily, combo skin that is breakout prone and hyperpigmentation. Serums help with all my concerns and are essential to my healthy skin goals! Hydrating Serum - every skin needs hydration! Since I have oily, combo skin I like using a lightweight, gel based hydrating serum so it isn't too much for my skin to tolerate and doesn't lead to breakouts. Hydration is also key to fighting pigmentation! My favorite hydrating serum is the iS CLINICAL - Hydra-Cool Serum because the lightweight, cooling and adds that extra layer of hydration that I'm looking for. It's packed full of healing antioxidants like centella asiatica, vitamin B5 and kojic acid and safe for all skin types. iS Clinical is clinically proven and the prices reflect that - this serum retails for $94 for 1 oz. of product. I will repurchase this and do recommend it, but there are tons of fantastic hydrating serums that are way more affordable than this! Treatment Serum - my favorite treatment serum is always going to be something to address my hyperpigmentation. It's my number one skin concern and I target it using Vitamin C. The BeautyStat COSMETICS - Universal C Skin Refiner is my go-to Vitamin C because it's backed by science, doesn't lose efficacy, and has lasted me months! It's also a high percentage vitamin C serum so the results happen fast! This product is safe for all skin types but because of the high percentage of vitamin C I would suggest sensitive skin test this product first! Retailing for $80 this Vitamin C is expensive, but in terms of high end Vitamin C serums it's on the lower side. I also always find discount codes for the brand and haven't bought it at full price yet! I'd absolutely recommend this Vitamin C, even over the beloved CE Ferulic by Skinceuticals. CBD Serum - my favorite "oil" serum to use is CBD because it's a lightweight oil that sinks into the skin and doesn't leave an oily finish. CBD has tons of benefits for the skin, but I use it to calm and soothe my skin if it's irritated by breakouts or if I'm having an side effects from using a retinoid. My favorite CBD serum is the FLORA+BAST - Age Adapting CBD Serum that retails for $77 at Sephora. It's made of 100% TCH-free cannabis oil and even smells like that plant which I find extremely calming. I use it mostly in my night routine as my final step after all my other skincare and moisturizer. I would definitely recommend it! I only need a few drops for my face and neck, so haven't had to repurchase yet but will be soon! All-Rounder Serum - this is the multitasking serum that does it all! For me this serum needs to be hydrating and support my moisture barrier, it's less focused on active ingredients. The LANCÔME - Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum does that for me! It's hydrating, anti-aging and supports my skin. #CheriePartner