Current Skincare

After spending years buying into loads of serums, creams, peels, and products, I have really leaned out my skincare routine. I have realized that I prefer to save money on products and instead invest in treatments and tools (I will elaborate below). Here I will lay out my current skincare routine- from what I do daily to less frequent treatments that have seriously saved my skin. For context, my skin has never been the baby-bottom, poreless, porcelain skin type; I also do not struggle with severe dryness, oiliness, or acne. My skin is somewhere in the middle: clear and soft for the most part, but sometimes I encounter gnarly breakouts (typically on my chin or cheekbone region) and unwanted blemishes. I am very conscious of the products that I use on my skin as I lean on the sensitive side; I avoid any fragrances or products with too many ingredients that I don’t understand. EWG is a great tool for tracking the cleanliness of most products you might be curious about. I also take loads of supplements, eat a very clean, gut-focused diet, exercise, sleep well, and avoid stress where I can. Your skin is often an external manifestation of what is going on inside- so consider your lifestyle in terms of food, water, movement, sleep, and stress before completely overhauling your products. 

Yet another sentiment that my mom has been right about is that less is more; she would always tell me when I was growing up scrubbing my skin off (usually with the Neutrogena grapefruit scrub or Panoxyl) that I should just use a warm washcloth and leave it alone. Right she was! I have found that the more I simplify the products that I am using on my face, the better my skin looks. The beautiful thing about my routine is that the majority of the skin products themselves are not costly- at all. As I mentioned before, I choose to invest more in treatments and tools. Finally, consistency is essential; you will not notice substantial changes from one day to the next, but it is the compounded effort that future you will appreciate. 

A Few of my Favorites:

• Primally Pure Oil-Based Cleanser

• Fannie and Flo Leaf Lard (also love their beef tallow)

• Dr. Dennis Gross Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum

• OSEA Advanced Repair Eye Cream

• My GuaShas!!

• Morning Routine:

  • After brushing my teeth, I splash water on my eyes and mouth. 

    • You do not need to fully wash your face in the morning. Natural oils are produced overnight- if you are fully washing your face in the morning, you are stripping these natural oils which will dry out your skin. 

  • Apply my Dr. Dennis Grossman LED light mask on face (3 mins) then neck (3 mins). 

  • NuFACE 5 Minute Lift routine. 

  • Dr. Dennis Grossman Vitamin C serum (my fav because it includes lactic acid which activates the vitamin-c) on the face, neck, and chest. 

  • Beef-Tallow or Leaf-Lard on face, neck, and chest. 

    • I supplemented so many moisturizers and serums with this one product that I absolutely adore (ridiculously cheap). 

  • Gua-Sha for lymphatic drainage. 

    • Been doing this for five years now and it has fully changed my face shape by lifting and sculpting. 

• Nighttime Routine:

  • Wash my face using this oil-based cleanser from Primally Pure.

    • I am obsessed with this cleanser; while I used to look for that squeaky clean, almost tight feeling to my skin as a sign of cleanliness, I now realize that it was stripping and drying my skin out.

    • This cleanser feels luxurious on my skin leaving it clean and smooth while deeply nourished.  

    • Little tip here is to apply on dry skin, massage for about a minute, and lay a warm washcloth on your face for a minute before wiping away all the excess oil & gunk.

      • For 10% off on this cleanser use code (BITSIEKNIGHT)- I do not use this because of my relationship with the brand but sought out a relationship with the brand because I use this so much!!

  • Pat dry and apply tretinoin. 

    • You need to go to a dermatologist and get prescribed tretinoin; it is the most potent form of retinal available.

    • Tretinoin heals/prevents acne, reduces fine lines/wrinkles, corrects discoloration, etc.- it is a miracle worker!!

    • If you are a new user, be very careful about how much and how frequently you are applying (it can seriously dry you out when you get started if you overdo it)

  • More beef tallow/leaf lard!

  • On nights when I’m feeling the need for some extra moisture, I’ll apply this nipple cream (yes, I know). 

    • So deeply moisturizing, this is my version of slugging. 

• Extracurriculars:

  • Once a month I’ll go in for a facial. 

    • If this sounds like something you’d like to get into, I’d recommend a HydraFacial. 

  • Once every ~4 months I get a picosure laser treatment. 

    • This treatment is insane, and it is shocking more people are not talking about it. 

    • Some of the benefits include:

      • Improved skin texture due to the stimulation of collagen production which reduces fine lines while encouraging the elasticity of the skin- highly effective on acne scars!!!

      • Reduction of pigmentation issues (this was the biggest impact I noticed) such as sun and age spots, freckles, and other manifestations of hyperpigmentation.

      • The treatment is non-invasive and uses picoseconds (ultra-short pulses), which minimize skin damage and promotes faster healing compared to typical lasers.

      • A quick and comfortable treatment!