Once puberty hit…

It was all downhill for my skin. When I was younger, my melanin glowed, girl. It was one of my favorite features. But until I saw the constellation of bumps on my face that were pimples, I realized very quickly that I’d taken my skin for granted. As school continued to stress me out, the more zits that would take hold of my once-smooth skin. Wiping off makeup every day obviously wouldn’t cure my acne, and that’s when it dawned on me a skincare routine became necessary.

My skincare routine is…extensive & expensive…

Depending on your idea of the meaning of the words, of course. When I first began giving a damn about my skin again, I didn’t take it all that seriously and used one. single. product. To be honest, I blame my mother for hyping me up because she’d always told me I had skin “like butter”. I was gassed. I thought “Well, my skin doesn’t need that much work”, but the consistent breakouts said otherwise.

However, since becoming a fashion & beauty writer at Bustle, delving into the world of skincare was pretty much inevitable after getting all that makeup (which I soon shall share hehe).

For now, this skincare routine has gotten my skin under control and looking like its old butter-like (pre-pubescent) texture, so if you do spend your funds on my routine, test it out & let me know what you think

Glossier Gang

Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser is always my starting point. It’s also one of the few products I’ve found that you can apply to your face either wet or dry (and with a full face still on). If you want to cut the routine off there, I don’t blame you. It can literally end with applying Glossier’s Super Pack of serums to hydrate (Super Bounce), revitalize dull skin (Super Glow), and ease breakouts (Super Pure)

RK by Kiss Charcoal Cleansing Foam

I know what you’re thinking, KISS? Really, girl? Yes. The brand that dominates your local beauty supply store in the hood has a charcoal cleansing foam. It’s not as foamy as you think to the point where you’re spitting out suds, but just enough to get deep in those pores.

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

Anyone who knows the Mario Badescu brand is always telling me to buy this enzyme cleansing gel. It’s a non-foaming gel that cleans and clears off that last bit of makeup you may have missed.

Zit Stick

When Glossier first released the zit stick, the showroom in NYC was a madhouse. And now I know why. It literally came home with me after I had a clear face save for one huge zit. There is, however, one thing I suggest when using this product (especially for POC). If you use too much around the affected area, you could find yourself with leftover dark spots.

Skin & Tonic London’s Gentle Scrub

This Brit-based scrub can be used as both a scrub and a mask. If you shoot to mask it up, I highly recommend you mix it in with Greek Yogurt for maximum coverage.

Glossier Solution

Clearly, by now, you can tell I’m a huge Glossier fan. But when a brand claims “skin first, makeup second”, there’s a reason it’s favored amongst the skincare-obsessed. This solution replaces toner to clean up bits of makeup and perfect the skin.

Hydrating Serum

After using a toner of any kind, always follow up with a serum, so I use Stacked Skincare’s Hydrating Serum. While this serum plumps and hydrates your face to death, spending 130 Zzzzollas is pretty steep. So you can also swap this out serum for Glossier’s Super Bounce.

Moira Atomic Water Bomb

For a little added moisture (winter is comin, ya’ll), getchu a water-based hydrating gel, like this one from Moira cosmetics. It’s super concentrated, so when they say a little goes a long way, they mean it.

Mario Badescu Cucumber Facial Spray

This last step is just me doing the most like I always do. But as a refresher to that long facial routine, spritz either a rosewater or cucumber spray give your face a final oomph! This facial spray is packed with Aloe, cucumber and green tea.

Hopefully you didnt’ exert yourself too much getting through my heft routine, but once you’re skin is glowing, I think you’ll forgive me ;-P