I LOVE skincare. I could go on and on and ON about it. I love it so much! In today’s post, I am sharing the best (and my favorite) skincare products with clean ingredients.
These are items I use daily and religiously. I am dividing them up by morning and night routine. The night routine is, of course, much more important! I hope you enjoy a peek into my medicine cabinet.
Related: Emma’s Skincare Routine
When recently asked to describe my skin type, my reply was “old.” Haha. I was joking, of course! I know that I’m still young(ISH). But being 40 years old means taking great care of my skin morning, noon, and night.
If you’re reading this and you’re 22, trust me when I say—the earlier you start, the better. Just simply removing ALL your makeup every night and keeping your skin toned and hydrated can make a huge difference.
And you don’t need a bunch of expensive products. Toner and coconut oil could get you pretty far if you’re on a small budget and don’t know where to begin.
In my opinion, the most important element of a skincare routine is consistency.
Morning Routine:
Toner
Each morning I wake up, splash some water on my face (and towel dry), brush my teeth, and then immediately reach for my Thayer’s Toner. It’s one item in my routine that I never leave without. I prefer the unscented version.
You can swipe toner on your face using a cotton pad or your hands to press it into your face. During the winter, I tend to have more dry skin—I use toner often to keep my dry skin at bay.
Face Mist
Next, I spritz my face with a mist. I am currently using and loving the Sea Vitamin Boost by Osea. Mists make my skin feel fresh and it’s a part of my morning routine that actually helps me wake up. I wake up very early currently with two kids, so it’s not always pretty.
Moisturizer
When I’m not wearing makeup, I will put on some Summer Fridays Cloud Dew. It’s a great texture and a nice, natural scent. When I’m not wearing makeup (which is often), I still try to keep my skin highly moisturized.
Love a good toner? Check out 3 Easy Hydrating Toners You Can Make At Home!
Night Routine:
Cleanser
I use Leahlani Bless Balm as my oil cleanser pretty often. Oil cleansing is my favorite. All you have to do is rub the product into your skin (you can use pretty much any kind of face oil for this).
Then, run hot water onto a fresh washcloth and press it into your skin for 5-10 seconds. Repeat this a few times if you’re wearing a lot of makeup. It melts right off.
When I’m not oil cleansing, I use Honest Gentle Gel Cleanser. It’s great for all skin types.
Exfoliant
I am LOVING Moon Juice Acid Potion as my exfoliant. A few months back, I was experiencing a lot of breakouts around my mouth area. It was getting worse and worse.
After not having any facials or skin treatments for a year, my skin was generally just not at its best. I read a review for Acid Potion on another blog and ordered it right away. It has done wonders for me.
At first, I used it every day. Then when my skin cleared up, I started using it every other night or a few times a week. I will definitely keep it in my routine as it’s one of the first times a product has created an immediate result for my skin.
Night Cream
I absolutely love Osea’s Atmosphere Protection Cream. I was looking for a night cream with great ingredients, and this one smells and feels amazing.
I’m also obsessed with their Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist. It has so many incredible five-star reviews. I have found that sticking to a night routine has greatly improved my sleep quality!
One last thing that I forgot to include in a photo (but use every single night) is a lip sleeping mask. It’s super thick and the ultimate remedy for dry lips, which I often have. I love it and use it every single night right as I hop into bed.
Links: Thayer’s Toner / Sea Vitamin Boost / Acid Potion / Bless Balm / Cloud Dew / Atmosphere Protection Cream / Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist / Lip Sleeping Mask / Honest Gel Cleanser
I’d love to hear if there are any skincare products that you use and love, especially in the clean skincare category! xx- Elsie
Thanks for the blog loaded with so much information. It’s really informative.
Oo I’m going to try your toner rec. If you like clean products- my magician facialist in NYC got me hooked on Eminence Organics products..everything I have tried of theirs I love, but this exfoliant is EVERYTHING- Eminence Stone Crop Oxygenating Fizzofoliant. My skin somehow feels moisturized after, which is a miracle. 10/10 recommend.
I’ve been an esthetician for years, and also in my early 40’s. I used Epicuren as my main squeeze for years, but once it was purchased by a large company, changes were also made to the actual formulas. I was so frustrated. What next? I was on the hunt to find new products that actually worked and it took me YEARS. My main staple is always May Lindstrom. It’s definitely a splurge but SO worth it. I also combine other additional exfoliants, and I HIGHLY recommend keeping a clean vitamin C in your regimen at all times if you are 30+. I love Biossance a ton (they have great sales) and Drunk Elephant. I’m not sure if Sunday Riley is 100% clean but love their C too.
Epicuren is still family owned 🙂
Do you use an spf? If so which one? I’m looking for a new one. 🙂
Hi! I love supergooop SPF.
Thank you for sharing this! I’m just looking for new products to try at this moment.
Great recommendations and comments on the products! I will be trying the Moon Juice Acid Potion and the Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist for sure. I have to also recommend Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil. I’m 47 and my skin was looking dull and blah (lots of stress and drinking a couple of cocktails a night). I started using the Luna Night Oil and it looks amazing now! My husband keeps telling me how good my skin looks 🙂
If you have dry skin, using witch hazel that has a large amount of denatured alcohol can be really stripping for you skin’s moisture barrier–it does initially give the appearance of shrunken pores and a smooth even skin tone, but you may have luck trying out some toners with more soothing properties!!! The Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner ($18) is a great one or Youth to the People’s Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner ($38) which acts as a gentle chemical exfoliating treatment as well as a toner OR even getting into essences in lieu of a toner which is popular in a lot of Korean skincare because it works to maintain maximum hydration — the Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence ($38) is LOVED. Anyway, not trying to tell you how to treat your skin this is just some of what I’ve learned and had great results with as a former daily Thayer’s Witch Hazel user <3
I just looked over my own bottle of Thayers witch hazel after seeing your comment. You mentioned they had denatured alcohol but I don’t see any ingredients saying as such. It also says right on the front of the bottle, Alcohol free.
LOVE THIS! Thank you so much! I feel a lot of blogs who talk about skincare have skincare that’s on the high end of expense. This is perfect! Thanks so much!
Thank you for the recommendations! Surprisingly, I haven’t heard of most of these on the list. Looks like I’ve got some shopping to do!
Hannah | The Outfit Repeater
I absolutely love Leahlani — thank you so much for introducing me to them! Happy Hour and Mahina have been life changing for me, worth the splurge!
I discovered Glossier a few months ago and use the cleanser. Then, my daughter came wafting into the car with their perfume on. Um…every single time she wears it, I think: I must buy some of that. It’s wonderful. I’m anxious now to try Osea.
But sunscreen! You need sunscreen!
There is some in her makeup routine:
https://abeautifulmess.com/elsies-clean-makeup-routine/
But if you want more clean sunscreen recommendations we love, here:
https://abeautifulmess.com/the-best-clean-summer-beauty-products/
I purchased the Moon Juice Acid Potion after I heard you mention it on the podcast! It has worked well for me over the past month or so!
I’m so happy to hear that Emily! It’s a great product!!!
Thanks so much for the recommendations—the Moon Juice Acid Potion looks intriguing! And I also love the Bite Agave Lip Mask. My favorite clean skincare product is my DIY face oil—just grapeseed oil and some drops of my favorite essential oils!
I love these posts and often return later when I’m shopping! I have to recommend my favorite moisturizer. I discovered Epicuren Colostrum Luminous Glow Cream from my esthetician. My skin borders on dry but this clean moisturizer makes my skin eternally soft and hydrated. I recently splurged on the 8oz bottle which I expect to last a long long time!
Hello! I, too, am intrigued by the Moon Juice. Sister, I here ya about the break outs around the mouth. That’s my problem area, too. Did you get any red marks/scaring from the blenishes? I, sadly, did. If so, did the moon Juice help with the redress? A $40 beauty product is a treat for me, so I want to gather as much info as I can. Thanks!
Hi! I did not have any red marks or scars, but I did have a flare up of acne that was pretty big (for me). It made a big difference for me. I used it every night for a week or two and now I use it about 3x a week. 🙂 I hope that’s helpful!
I started using the Moon Juice about 3 weeks ago, after reading about it on a blog. I am in LOVE with it. My skin looks and feels amazing. This is the only change I have made to my routine I do not have redness, so I cannot answer your question.. But I have noticed a huge reduction in my maskne since starting to use. I feel like my face has a “glow” it hasn’ t had in years. I’m 47 for reference. Was a huge sun worshipper until my mid 20’s. My mom even commented on my glow after only using not even 2 weeks. I swear my face looks more even and definitely seems to have taken away some of the Flakiness I was apparently experiencing.