I’ve been slowly changing my skincare routine since about the end of May 2019. My skin was going through a rough time from some stressful life events and using some products that were too harsh for my skin. I had been using only medical grade skincare for the past five years and I began wondering to myself if I really am using the best skincare money can by, why does my skin look so much worse? I think for me, medical grade skincare had become too much for my skin to process, especially while I was dealing with stress. It contains a lot of active ingredients and in some cases, a lot of silicones that I learned don’t really agree with my skin.
I started trying to calm everything down by cutting back on everything I was using and slowly incorporating products back in to see what reaction my skin had to them. I started out by using a sample of the Creme de La Mer Moisturizing Cream that I had received with an order of some make up items. I had heard many miracle stories about this cream healing peoples’ skin but I didn’t really pay much attention to it because it wasn’t medical grade and I was stuck on believing some beauty youtubers I watched who said that medical grade was best and everything else was not as good for your skin. I decided to give the little jar a La Mer a try anyway to see for myself if it could possibly help my stressed out skin.
I cut out everything I had been using except my DHC cleanser and the Creme de La Mer cream in late May. I wanted to see what was really causing my skin to be so irritated. Within only two days time my skin was already calming down and becoming less red, so I have continued using this cream at night time ever since. This helped me know I was on the right track and that maybe my skin didn’t want all of the active ingredients I had been using. That little sample size jar lasted me at least two months. I was so surprised at how little I needed to use and how my skin was transforming. I’m happy to say that I currently don’t have any eczema flares on my skin, my pores are smaller than they have ever been, my oil production has balanced out, and my skin is no longer red. Small capillaries that had come to the surface of my skin are even starting to fade along with any dark spots that has appeared after trying to use up some Osmosis serums I had.
I can’t remember a time in my life that my pores have been so clear and small, and my skin texture on my upper cheeks, where my eczema would flare the most, is now completely smooth. I’ve finally settled on what my skin seems to love right now and I’ll explain my new approach to my evening skincare routine below.
This first photo shows my base skincare that I have been using every night. I sometimes use my DHC cleansing oil instead of the Tatcha, but I’ve used the Tatcha one the most lately.
Tatcha Cleansing Oil- I use cleansing oil every night that I am wearing makeup. I need an oil cleanser to make sure I properly cleanse all the makeup out of my pores. I apply this to a dry face and massage it around to break up all the makeup and sunscreen that may be on my skin. Then I always double cleanse and follow with a cleanser.
DHC Pure Soap– This is the cleanser I use every night. I always use this after any oil cleanser to make sure all the oil is removed and I will also use this as my only cleanser on evenings that I did not wear makeup or sunscreen that day.
La Mer Tonic- Now that the weather has turned colder and the air in the house is drier, I’ve been using the La Mer Tonic as a toner every night. It helps add more hydration that my skin needs.
La Mer Treatment Lotion– I use this every evening after I cleanse and for a while I used just this as my toner step as well. This really adds a lot of hydration to the skin and also calms redness and keeps my skin clear. This is one of my most favorite skincare products I have ever used and will never be without it.
La Mer Creme de La Mer Moisturizing Cream– This is the best moisturizer I have ever used. I really did experience healing of my skin issues since incorporating this into my routine and will never be without this product. If I can only ever use one skincare product ever again, it will be this cream. I would say, if you have been wanting to try this cream, go to a La Mer counter and as for a sample or start with buying a small jar to try it out for yourself. I had really wanted to try this cream years ago but never did because when I was younger I did not have a lot of money and was scared I would love it and not be able to afford it. I wish I had tried it anyway. I wish I would have not bought some makeup or other stuff that I spent money on and bought this instead. I’m amazed at people’s skin that I’ve met who have used this cream for years.
I even use this on my under eyes some nights with no irritation. I just press it on my under eyes after I’ve pressed it on the rest of my face. Be sure to watch the video of how to apply this on La Mer’s website or Youtube page. How you apply this cream makes a difference. You only need a tiny amount and you warm it between your fingers and press it onto the skin. If you use too much or try and rub it on, it won’t be the same.
Most nights I just stick with the basic routine I just explained above, but on nights I feel like I want to use more, I will choose ONE serum to apply after my treatment Lotion, but before the Creme de La Mer cream. I think part of what has helped my skin heal up is using less products over all and less active ingredients. I will just choose only one Serum and if I choose a vitamin C, or brightening serum, I only use one of those serums once per week. I learned that my skin can not handle much vitamin C in products and since I’ve made an effort to eat more real fruit in smoothies every day, I don’t really need much extra applied topically to my skin. Right now I am not using any retinol or growth factor products at all.
Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum– A gentle vitamin C serum that uses fruits for the vitamin C. My skin really seems to like this and I choose this as my night serum a couple times a month.
Tatcha Radiant Deep Brightening Serum– This serum is also very gentle and seems to be discontinued and replaced by the Violet C serum. I think you can still get this in a set on QVC. I use this as my brightening serum on weeks I haven’t used the Violet C serum. With only needing to use a C serum about once a week these bottles will definitely last me a very long time.
Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum– On nights I need more hydration I like to reach for this serum. It is gentle and hydrating without making my skin greasy. I only use about half pump and pat in into my skin.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Night Concentrate– This is another hydrating concentrate that is actually a serum. It really makes my skin glowy and luminous.
Some nights I may use up some open products I already have or one of the new La Mer products below.
When I feel like using one of these serums that I need to use up, I may choose one of these instead of one of the Tatcha Serums.
Neocutis Micro Serum- This is a firming peptide serum that I have been using off and on since it came out a couple years ago. It is very potent and really helped ease the deeper lines between my brows. Since it is so potent and I’ve been trying to go with a more gentle routing I’m only using this a couple nights per week until it runs out. It does seem to make my pores larger the next day after using it and since I’ve been loving my pores with the La Mer products, I doubt I’ll repurchase this, at least for a while. It is a good concentrated serum that does not have growth factors in it.
Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel– This is one of my favorite hyaluronic acid serums I’ve ever used. I feel like lately my skin is doing better without added hyaluronic acid. Using these type serums in too dry of a climate can actually dry your skin out more since there isn’t enough moisture in the air for it to pull into the skin. It can actually pull the moisture out of your skin, which is not what I want this time of year, so I may not use this up until the spring rolls around.
I really enjoy La Mer skincare so much I want to try more of it, so I’m using one of these on some nights just because it brings me joy. I usually will use one of these instead of another serum. I’m trying to keep to only one serum or treatment product each night. I just purchased the Renewal Oil in a gift set and I’ll be reviewing this in more depth in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned for that.
La Mer The Concentrate– I have been using this daily on a scar on my hand and I also like to use this some nights on any areas of my skin that have irritation. It really seems to calm and sooth skin. I use this somewhat sparingly, but am very glad to have it around. It really seems to heal blemishes faster for me without leaving dark marks behind. I use this as a spot treatment on the annoying monthly breakouts I have sometimes.
La Mer Renewal Oil– this is the newest La Mer product to my collection and I’ve only used it a couple times so far, but I really love it. It is very hydrating, but is a dry oil so it absorbs fully into the skin leaving the skin so soft and more hydrated.
On nights I choose to use an eye cream I have been using ONE of these. They are gentle and hydrating without making my eyes water or causing irritation. I stopped using all medical grade eye creams because I think some of them were actually contributing to the dark circles I had and they were causing milia bumps to form. I also think that most of the eye watering I dealt with frequently was because of the previous eye creams. Since I’ve stopped using too harsh eye creams, my under eye circles are almost gone and all the milia has cleared up and my texture is greatly improved. Even my under eye hollows are less pronounced. I do tend to get dryer under eyes now, but I would rather have a little dryness than all the other issues I was dealing with. Even my upper lids are less puffy in general and I didn’t even put them up there. It’s amazing to me how some products actually cause the issues they claim to help.
Tatcha Silk Peony Melting Eye Cream– This is a gentle and hydrating eye cream that sinks right into the skin. Even though most days now I just don’t even use eye cream, when I do this is the one I reach for the most. This can be used on upper lids, too.
Tatcha Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream– This is a more firming eye cream with more anti-aging ingredients that I can use on upper lids. This one is a little heavier of a cream than the Silk Peony. It also seems to help crepey texture.
La Mer Eye Concentrate– I’ve been using this delux sample some nights and find this eye cream to be very soothing, hydrating, and really helps with dark circles.
I hope I’ve explained my routine in a way that’s easy to understand. If you have any questions, let me know below in the comments. I’m happy to answer any questions.