Nighttime Skincare Routine

Written By Shreya Wadkar

Proper skincare is an absolute must for any girl, but especially for pageant girls whose faces are in the spotlight. And establishing a daily routine helps achieve and maintain beautiful, healthy skin. Without further ado, let's get started!

Removing Your Makeup:

The first step in any skincare routine, before even washing your face, is to remove all of your makeup, so that any traces of various products you use don't seep into your pores overnight and cause breakouts. You can use a makeup-removing cleanser to wash your face while you remove your makeup, makeup wipes for a quick and easy clean, or a makeup-removing solution like Bioderma Crealine H2O which gently removes waterproof makeup or heavy stage makeup for a post-pageant routine. Another makeup removing product that has recently taken over the beauty world is a cleansing balm, which moisturizes the skin as you massage it into your skin to remove makeup.

Cleansing Your Skin:

Next, it's time to use a cleanser. Facial cleansers are meant to remove dirt, grime, sweat, and oil build-up from throughout the day. Even if you use a makeup-removing cleanser, I recommend cleansing once more to ensure your face is absolutely clean. When cleansing, it's always a good idea to use warm water, which opens up the pores and allows the cleanser to penetrate and clear your pores. Cleansers like Cetaphil Daily Cleanser or Simple Foaming Cleanser are great for all skin-types, even sensitive skin. Once you've finished cleansing, gently pat your face with a washcloth or muslin without rubbing it in and irritating the skin.

Face Scrub and Face Masks:

The next step is to exfoliate your skin with a gentle scrub. This helps remove dead skin, reduces dullness, cleans your pores. I recommend exfoliating every other day to avoid irritating your skin and causing redness. Once a week, I also recommend using a face mask after completing the above steps to deeply penetrate pores and draw out impurities. There are a large variety of face masks that target a number of different skin problems, such as acne, dry skin, discoloration, etc., so identify what you'd like to focus on before choosing one. Face masks with fresh ingredients, such as the ones found at Lush, are even more healthy for your skin.

Using A Toner:

Next, you'll want to apply a toner to your face. A lot of people aren't aware of the benefits of using a facial toner, but it is an important step in the skincare routine. Toners help to minimize pores, balance the pH level of your skin after cleansing, remove the last traces of cleanser or grime, and generally refresh the face. Dab some toner onto a cotton pad and sweep it all over your face in an upward motion, then allow the toner to absorb and do its job.

Serums and Spot Treatments:
Once you've applied a toner, it's time for your serums and spot treatments. These can vary greatly depending on your skin-type, and are contrentrated products meant to target specific skin problems. This can range from a spot acne treatment such as Clean and Clear's Advantage Spot Acne Treatment to The Body Shop's Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil for dry skin that needs intense moisture. Go ahead and apply your serums, then wait a couple minutes to allow it to sink it to your skin.

Moisturizing Your Face:

Last but not least, the time has come to moisturize. Night creams generally have a heavier formula than a daytime moisturizer and are meant to be absorbed into the skin throughout the night. A personal favorite of mine is Philosophy's Hope in a Jar Night Cream, which locks in moisture and leaves your skin soft and smooth. If you use an eye cream, now is the time to use that under your eyes as well.

It may sound like a lot at first, but once you've established the routine, it's not very time-consuming. This routine can be entirely customized based on whether you have dry, oily, sensitive, or combination skin. You'll start to see the benefits to regular skincare within days and your skin will be glowing during your pageant!