If you're like me, you've already heard from friends and your Facialist (or dermatologist) how good oils and serums are for your skin. 

It seems all the rage these days with promises to "take years off" and repair sun discoloration and damage from everyday toxins. Sounds like a dream right? But do those promises come true?

To be honest... I wasn't so quick to believe.  

It took me over a year of trial and error until I got on the oils & serums band wagon and truly became a believer in the miracles of a proper skincare routine and investing in some great products.

Before I dive into my daily routine, I will say that no product can deliver an overnight cure-all-fix. Skincare is a process and one that you need to commit to before you ultimately judge whether or not a product does or does not perform how it's promised to. One last side note: I received three professional grade Laser Facials that helped target some stubborn discoloration on my forehead and upper cheek bone area before doing a deep dive into skincare. You can read about my experience and see before and after pictures about that in my blog -- Beauty post: Skincare aka Laser Facials. After that experience it really rang true to me that if I wanted to continue to have glowing, clear skin that I needed to invest in proper skincare and focus more on preventative measures vs waiting until I saw something I didn't like and needed a procedure to fix. 

NOW ONTO MY DAILY MORNING & EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE

FYI: I used each of the products below for 3 - 6 months before making them a staple in my daily skincare routine or nixing them. You can shop all the products at the very end of this blogpost or by clicking on the text links throughout the article. 

1. CLEANSE

I start with cleansing my face with Cleansing Balm. I like this product because it's gentle on my skin as it washes off my make up for the day but it's also moisturizing at the same time because of the Shea Butter and other active ingredients in it.

2. APPLY OIL

Next, I drop about 10 drops of my favorite Orchid Oil into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and gently rub into my face. Some brands recommend that you use a pushing method when applying your oils as they say it penetrates deeper into the skin and actives the oils into your skin and is better than just rubbing it in. I try to do the 'push' method after I lightly rub the oil onto my entire face. 

I love this product because it smells divine and it absorbs nicely. It's also high in various minerals that work to moisturize deep into your skin and protect against signs of hyperpigmentation which is something I am prone to and want to prevent. 

*Hyperpigmentation is defined as excessive pigmentation of the skin. Basically getting dark patches of skin that differ from your normal tone. 

3. APPLY VITAMIN C SERUM

After a minute or two of letting the orchid oil settle in to my skin, I apply a Vitamin C Serum. This step is crucial for me. When I use this product regularly, I clearly see a brightening of my skin tone and a decrease in darker pigmentation spots on my skin. It's wild! 

4. MOISTURIZE

Lastly, I moisturize one last time with a lightweight Rose Cream. For some people doing the oil step takes the need away from using an additional moisturizer and in all honestly, occasionally I will end off at my third step above. But in dry seasons such as Fall and Winter especially, I keep in this additional moisturizing step. Another plus point to this step is that the Rose Cream smells amazing!

In the morning...

I'll add a sunscreen on top of these products to help protect against harmful rays. I like this daily lightweight suncreen the best because it doesn't leave a white film over the top of my skin. 

And occasionally (every 3 - 4 weeks)... 

I'll do a moisturizing face mask for an extra boost. This is especially helpful when I'm traveling a lot or have a lot of events which call for longer days and less sleep each night. The one I linked to above is my favorite at the moment. It's easy to put on my face and I can move around and continue to do things as I wear it, or sit in the bath with a book and it doesn't slide off. 

And that's it!

I've tried various other products that I like but right now these are my favorites. If you're hesitant to commit and don't want to purchase a full size bottle of these products, the good news is that most of these are offered in a travel size (or as a sample occasionally) so you can spend a fraction of the cost while trying it out and deciding whether or not you want to continue to invest in it. All the products I mentioned in this blog are listed below if you'd like to try them out yourself.

Lastly, say hello in the comments below and feel free to let me know if you have any questions or want to chat more about skincare! 

Thanks for the reading. :)

XOXO, Katie