A Few Skin Tips
- When layering serums, oils, and moisturizers, you want to go lightest to heaviest.
- AM is usually when you want to keep things more simple. I typically use my thicker moisturizers at night only.
- Toner’s are great for balancing PH on your skin which helps to fight off bacteria and blemishes. It also serves as the catalyst to help your serums and oils skin into the lower skin levels.
- I usually exfoliate 3x a week and use a mask 2-3x a week. My go-to’s are listed at the bottom of this post.
You can see how I apply a few of these products via my Instagram Highlights “Nighttime Skincare Routine” and “Pregnancy Skincare Routine.” You can find me on Instagram @mada_leigh
Morning Skincare Routine
I like to keep my morning routine simple! After talking with one of the skin specialists at Follain, she agreed that rewashing your face in the morning isn’t necessary and can even strip the skin of natural oils if you are over washing. If I did a morning workout, then I would wash my face. But, on a typical day, I do the following:
- Wake up and splash my face with water, tone with Indie Lee COQ-10 Toner, apply Naturopathica Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum, Press a few drops of Vitners Daughter Active Botanical Serum into my toned and lightly damp skin. I finish it out with my Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream with SPF30. I always try to apply facial sunscreen daily- my husband even uses this SPF every morning!
- Those are the only four products I typically use. If my skin needs a refresh in the morning, then I would wash with Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser as my first step. If I need more moisture, I apply the Rare Indigo Balm after the Vitner’s Daugther Serum and before the SPF Nutrient Day Cream!
Nighttime Skincare Routine
- I usually have makeup on, so I always start with my absolute favorite oil cleanser. If I haven’t worn any makeup that day, then I would skip this cleanser. So, let’s say I have makeup on, I barely wet my hands and massage 1-2 pumps of the Vitamin B Oil Cleanser to dry face to remove my makeup. I rinse with a washcloth and warm water. (Again, if you go to my Instagram and watch my story highlight “Nighttime Skincare Routine” you can see how I do this step.) Sometimes, I rinse and rewet my washcloth and give my face one more going wipe through.
- Second, I cleanse with my Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. I love how this kind of suds up, and it smells heavenly! You can even leave it on for a few minutes while brushing your teeth before rinsing off for an extra deep clean. This cleanser is super brightening, hydrating, and tightens my skin. Some toxic cleanser strips my skin of those good oils, but this one does not do that! Note: I usually use that cleanser daily, but when my skin is broken out I sometimes use this Fit Glow Detox cleanser instead. It has activated charcoal, so it’s nice for a super deep clean but not ideal for daily. It tends to dry me out if I use it too often. I get a deeper clean by using my Holistic Beauties BFF Silicone Scrubber. This thing is freaking amazing! Use this link to save 40% off!!!
- 3x a week I exfoliate after my cleanser with Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme exfoliator. Caleb loves this and tries to use it a few days a week too. It smells like chocolate and helps remove the dead skin. Also makes a great mask to leave on for 10 minutes.
- Tone with COQ-10 toner. I also use Indie Lee Exfoliate and Clarifie Pads a few days a week in place of the COQ-10 toner. These are like toner pads but a little more detoxifying- hence why I only use them a few nights a week. I also rub them all over my back when I have breakouts.
- Apply Naturopathica Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum
- Press 2 drops of Vitner’s Daughter serum into toned skin.
- Apply Mahalo Rare Indigo Balm. A little goes a long way and the product will melt in your hands like an oil once pressed into skin. This is super acne-clearing and calming for inflamed skin.
- Apply two drops Indie Lee Squalane Oil. This is what I call my “botox in a bottle.” Our body naturally produces Squalane, but as we get older, we produce less and less. This oil anti-aging and helps with age spots.
The face washes below are all the ones I use depending on my skin needs. I explained a bit above but here is when I use each:
- One Love Vitamin B Cleansing Oil: I use this as my first step in skincare routine at night if I’ve worn makeup that day.
- Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser: My everyday face wash that I typically use. Great for sensitive skin and love how it suds up.
- FitGlow Detox Cleanser: I only use this cleanser when I am having an active breakout. It contains charcoal, so it’s a bit more intense than the Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. I don’t like using this every day cause it will dry me out, but it’s great for those with problem skin or to use when you have a breakout.
- Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme Exfoliator: this is the exfoliating cleanser that I use about 3x a week after I cleanse with my brightening cleanser.
What I Use For Back Breakouts
During this pregnancy, I’ve struggled with breakouts on my back. It’s so bizarre, but those pregnancy hormones are no joke. I feel like there is only so much you can do with hormonal pregnancy breakouts but below is what I’ve been incorporating to help in any small way!
- Dry brushing about 3x a week before I shower. Here is my blog post all about dry brushing. I pay special attention to my back and try to brush it thoroughly to remove any dead skin, bacteria, and get my circulation moving. I even have my husband brush it when I can so that he can get the whole back.
- I always wash my body with Aleavia body wash, but I’ve also been incorporating the French Girl Sea Polish a few days a week all over my body to exfoliate my back deeply. It smells minty and delicious!
- This is the silicone scrubber I use when I wash my body. I love that it doesn’t trap bacteria since it’s silicone. You can occasionally clean it with Branch basics foaming hand soap to deep clean your brush and remove all bacteria or body wash build-up every once in a while.
- You can also alternate between showering with cold/hot water (30 seconds each) a few times to help detox and clear your skin.
- After I shower, I towel dry and apply Mountain Rose Sesame Oil all over.
- I also apply this oil all over my growing belly each night.
Favorite Face Masks That I Use 2-3x a Week
- Tammy Fender Epi Peel: I was paired with this when I took the Follain Skin Quiz, and I’m obsessed. Great for exfoliating and detoxing your skin. I scrub this in since it has a gritty texture and then let it sit for 10-20 minutes. My skin has seen amazing results in texture from this mask.
- May Lindstrom “The Problem Solver”: probably the best mask you can purchase in-my-opinion. I know it’s pricey, but it seriously lasts forever! It’s a powder, so you mix a little with water. This mask is ideal when I’m having a breakout- it’s detoxifying and acne-clearing. It contains activated charcoal to draw out impurities. It also works great as a spot treatment for breakouts.
This blog was original adapted from Mada Leigh’s blog post on Pregnancy Safe Skincare. If you want more from Mada Leigh, you can follow her on Instagram @mada_leigh or check out her blog at www.madaleigh.com.
