5 Minute Summer Skincare Routine- And How to Stick to It!

As busy mothers we all know how easy it is to just skip washing our face “just this one time” like twice a week. I get it. Sometimes I am just so exhausted from a long day, I just want to pass out watching Netflix and not think about anything else. Or I am running around in the mornings and I honestly just forget to wash my face! But my skin was looking rough, you guys. I realized that my complexion was so uneven and my skin was dry and dull. I promised myself that every morning and every night I was going to finally stick with a skincare routine. My routine is a bit different now that it is summer, and I wanted to share with you busy bees how to achieve your own 5 minute summer skincare routine.

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Let’s first talk skin type.  

My skin is naturally pretty dry and being in Colorado, the high elevation and dryness is not kind to my face. So naturally, I am drawn to any product that is moisturizing. But if you have super oily skin and you are thinking, welp, this post is not for me… hold on. When I worked for a short time at the Clinique counter at Macy’s, I learned more about skincare in just a few months than I ever had my entire adult life. One thing that seems to be a common misconception is that you don’t need to moisturize if you have oily skin. WRONG! So wrong. If  you wash your face and you get that tight “squeaky clean” feeling, that is not good people. You are stripping the natural and necessary oils and skin barrier.

“MYTH: Oil can be controlled by stripping skin with harsh, drying ingredients such as alcohol.
FALSE. Stripping the skin of oil can actually cause an overproduction of oil. Why? Because skin’s trying to make up for and replace what’s lost! Those who self-treat oily skin with alcohol-based products often end up with dehydrated, irritated, sensitized skin.” –  Dermalogica 

NOTE: I am no dermatologist, this is just what I have learned over the years and I am sharing my wisdom. 

Choosing the right products 

Face wash: So if you have oily, dry, sensitive or combination skin… it really does matter what type of product you use. I was taught that oily skin typically does well with a gel wash. Dry skin works well with creamy cleansers, and normal/combination can work with foaming cleansers. If your skin is sensitive and tends to get some redness, I like to go for cleansers that are fragrance free.

Toner: I personally think that any toner that has alcohol in it is a no-go. Some may be ready to put up an argument about this one. But hear me out. Alcohol is harsh. It can cause serious dryness, irritation, and even break-outs. There are “good” alcohols such as fatty alcohol’s,but in general I just try to stay away.

Moisturizer: I use a lighter moisturizer in the mornings and very thick moisturizer in the evening for my dry skin. If you have oily skin, don’t skip this step!

How to Stick With it 

If you are like me and have a hard time sticking with a skincare routine, try these tips:

1. Put makeup remover wipes on your night stand! If you are already in bed, it’s late, and you are NOT getting up any time soon… all you have to do is reach over to your nightstand and wipe down your face. This is not really ideal, but it is still better than going to bed with makeup on!
2. Instead of putting your skincare products in a cupboard or drawer, put them right on your sink! It doesn’t look the best to have a cluttered sink, but decide if you want your face or your sink to look good! If your face wash and moisturizer and everything else is sitting there staring at you every day, you are way more likely to remember to do it!
3. Put a reminder on your phone or a write on post-it and stick it to your bathroom mirror! I have an Alexa and sometimes I will even set a reminder on that to wash my face!

Ok, now that you have an idea of what products you should look for to fit your skin type, let’s jump in to my 5 Minute Summer Skincare Routine.

1. Use lukewarm water (NOT hot!) to splash on your face. Then I  take my cleanser and apply a thin layer over my face.
2. I use my Foreo which is an awesome, compact tool. It came in my FabFitFun box (my favorite subscription box)  It’s powered by Bluetooth technology and advanced skin sensors to create a totally personalized profile, which is sent straight to the FOREO LUNA™ app. If you don’t have this, just use your fingers to gently cleanse your face using small circular motions.
3. I rinse my face with lukewarm water and pat my face dry only half way.
4. Next is my spritz of toner. I really love the Botanics brand, which you can find at Target and Walgreens. I do this when my face is still damp to help lock in moisture.

   5. Vitamin C, or L-ascorbic acid, comes next. This serum-consistancy product will boost production of collagen(keeps your skin supple and soft), reduces premature aging, improves overall skin texture and tone AND provides all-day protection from damaging free radicals and UV exposure. I have been using this product for just a couple of weeks now and have seen a huge improvement in my over-all skin tone.

   Apply a thin even layer over your skin with a gentle pressing motion.

6.  I love the Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate to gently pat under my eye area. This formula won’t make your under-eye concealer cake or flake at all while providing moisture.

7. Moisturizer! I like to use different moisturizers depending on what my skin needs each day. If I have some blemishes , my go-to is the Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion. If my skin is parched from spending too much time in the sun or pool, I use Vitamin E Intense Moisturizer. If my skin is feeling pretty normal I reach for my Aloe Soothing Day Cream. 

8.  Sunscreen is my last step. I have been love loving this tinted sunscreen from a new brand called Amavara. I often just use this in place of a BB cream or foundation. It helps even out my skin tone while providing that needed SPF.

I let this all sink in while I am styling my hair, getting dressed, or drinking my coffee. Then I can apply my primer and start putting on my makeup!

Now, it seems like there are a lot of steps here. But I can do this all in 5 minutes or less, I promise! And so can you!

A quick re-cap:

1. Cleanse
2. Toner
3. Serum
4. Eye Cream
5. Moisturizer
6. Sunscreen

I do have a once or twice a week skincare routine that takes a little longer where I exfoliate and use a face mask, but I’ll save that for another post ! My nighttime routine looks a little different from this, so keep a look out for my evening skincare routine post coming soon!

Shop some of my favorite skincare products:

What does  your skincare routine look like? What do you do to stick with it?