A morning skincare routine is important, well, it’s only important as you want it to be, and with so many types of products available, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to do and what to buy. It is no longer about applying just a face moisturiser as you now have face oils, serums, toners, face wash, etc. To make it even more complicated, what you might use in the morning, will be totally different from your evening skincare routine. Yes, I know. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not.

The Morning Skincare Routine Steps

There are 8 steps to a basic morning skincare routine, which come before your makeup.

1 – Wash your face

2 – Apply toner

3 – Apply serum on damp skin.

4 – Apply eye cream

5 – Treatment is optional (dark spots, pimples, scars, acne, etc.)

6 – Moisturiser

7 – Face oil

8 – Sunscreen

Then you should start your makeup routine if you have one.

If not, and you’re on your way out, or have lots of windows inside your home (I’m a bit on the fence for that one), apply sunscreen.

When I was doing research, I also found some debates as to when to apply a face oil. Some people don’t believe it should be applied last, but since I found more arguments about it being last, I chose to do that.

My thoughts on skincare routine

I’ve always had to take care of my skin, and to be mindful of the products I use because I’ve had extremely bad eczema since childhood which settled in my early twenties, although I can have occasional breakouts. Eczema is believed to be genetic and definitely  runs in my family on my mother’s side, combined with asthma. Now I mostly get eczema on my fingers when I’m under extreme stress, so not often now that I am divorced, single and the kids out of the nest 🙂 … kidding… almost… 😉

Both my kids got eczema and dry skin, but grew out of it in their teen years, although my daughter has acne.

Back in those days (born in 1973), there were not as many options for skincare. I remember using prescribed cortisone creams until they didn’t do anything, as if my skin was immune to them. My eczema was still bad that it forced my mother to look for alternative medicine, which I imagine was a hard thing to find in those days, and living in a small countryside town in France, but she did find some sort of naturopath (I can’t recall as it was so long ago, and I was too young to care about the type of therapist).

On top of having to use some strange coloured and hard to spread cream, I had to drink a herbal concoction which was the most disgusting think I ever had – still can remember the bad taste, and I got a herbal mix to wash myself with.

They say that ‘you are what you eat‘, and good eating habits are an important factor for a healthy skin, and a healthy you I suppose.

My mother grew up in a family of farmers, so everything we eat was fresh from the garden. Eggs, milk, and meat came from my grandmother’s farm. Snacks, junk food and soft drinks were non-existent in my family (I discovered all of that when I moved to London at 17). My parents were heavily into sport (tennis, football, cycling, running, to name a few), so as children we had to follow in their footsteps, therefore we were an active family whether we – my sister and I – liked it or not – though my sister had no acne, no eczema, no asthma and could run like a gazelle without training.

No matter what, I do believe how your skin feels and looks, reflects on healthy eating habits, regular exercise, good mental state and high quality products. And then there are genes which can mess up things a bit…

Here is what I am using for my morning skincare routine as of October 2020..

I keep track of Australian products I want to try, so as soon as I finish one, I will switch to a new skincare brand, or another type of products as there are so many to choose from. Although it’s okay to stick with the same products of course, I like trying different things, especially since you’re using so little at a time, everything usually last for a few months before it runs out, and by then I feel like something new and shiny.

You’re not alone

Truthfully, in the beginning, I had the steps written down, and I had a laugh when my daughter admitted she did the same. It’s not like it’s an extensive list, but for some reasons, I kept mixing up the order.

Looking at the steps, you might think you don’t have time, but it really doesn’t take that long, unless you want it to.

Taking care of your skin should be an enjoyable time, a “me-time” type of things.  I find there is something therapeutic in applying skincare on your face, especially more so in the evening.

At the end of the day, it all depends on you and what makes you happy. If you’d rather use just the one moisturiser you’ve used forever, then do that. If you want to be a bit more adventurous, then go for a skincare routine and trial different products.

Have fun with your morning skincare routine, and please let me know what are your favourite products and why.