My Morning + Evening Skincare Routine Explained

You guys, I’m really excited to dive into the exact steps I do on a daily basis to care for my skin and share some behind-the-scenes skincare tips straight from my bathroom.

But I do need to lay a blanket statement before we begin.

This is my personal skincare routine for my unique skin + self-care needs and may not suit every skin state. It can (and should!) vary from person to person, but I hope that as I explain the exact steps I incorporate into my am/pm skincare routine it will spark some fresh perspectives for how you can incorporate your personal PP products + facial tools each day to enhance the health of your skin and your overall well-being.

Here we go! My morning and evening skincare routine explained.

After getting out of bed in the morning (which, let’s be real, can be really hard to do sometimes), the aromas, the touch, and my favorite facial tool wake up my skin + my senses and help to ground me before beginning my day.

I’m still becoming more of a morning person, so I keep this routine simple. Even just taking a few minutes to commit to a morning skincare routine helps to replenish my skin after a solid night’s sleep (or not-so-solid night’s sleep – in which case, my skin craves nourishment even more) and protect my skin as I face pollution, environmental stressors and other factors that can negatively impact the state of my skin.

For me, these steps are crucial for keeping skin (and let’s be honest: my self) strong and resilient – no matter what the day ahead may hold.

Step 1: Water. I always skip my morning cleanse and just splash my skin with cool water (the cooler temp wakes up my skin and my lymphatic system).

Step 2: Facial Dry Brushing. After patting my skin dry with a clean towel, I love on my lymphatic system a little bit more. I wrote all about facial dry brushing in this post and I try to incorporate it into my routine most mornings. This step powerfully supports healthy lymphatic flow and I’ve seen such a shift in the texture and clarity of my skin since using this facial tool for over a year. (And shoutout to my sweet friend Allison at Branch Basics for introducing me to this technique!).

Step 3: Everything Spray. This magical mist is my heal-all, cure-all – and it’s technically the first product I apply in the morning. I pour a bit onto an organic cotton round and sweep it across my face, neck and decollete. This is foundational for me first thing in the morning and takes the place of a cleanser – helping to refresh and reset my skin before applying the rest of my skincare.

Check out our Everything Spray here.

Step 4: Complexion Mist. Sure, you can just use one or the other (Everything Spray or Complexion Mist) but I always layer the two together! Lately, I’ve been loving Lavender. Maybe it’s because life has been so full and my mind craves the calm that this little herb brings, but a few spritzes of this mist really does replenish and balance my skin and my mood. Depending on the time of day, season or state of my skin, I’ll rotate between the 3 Complexion Mists we make (Lavender, Geranium and Neroli) – but no matter what scent I’m spritzing, this is a staple for me am/pm.

Take a look at all 3 Complexion Mist scents here.

Step 5: Skin-Specific Serum. Highlight, underline or star this step! This part of my skincare routine is where transformation truly happens and, because I’m completely obsessed, I highly encourage everyone (no matter your skin state) to make this step a priority.

While my skin is still damp from my Complexion Mist, I massage about 5-8 drops of Plumping Serum from my face down to my decollete. I love this serum in the morning because it literally makes my skin glow and deeply absorbs leaving my face feeling so hydrated – plus the uplifting, floral aroma is exactly what my soul needs to start my day. While our skin-specific serums are a must for nourishing my skin morning and night, I’ll sometimes switch up my serum depending on my mood and how my skin is feeling!

Clarifying Serum is my go-to when I want to focus on brightening my skin tone or when I notice breakouts start to surface (this serum seriously works wonders for calming acne – almost overnight!). And Soothing Serum is one of my favorites for its aromatherapy benefits (the soft, woodsy scent is so grounding for me) and it powerfully supports my skin when it’s feeling stressed or dehydrated and needs a little TLC.

Obsess over our Plumping Serum, Clarifying Serum and Soothing Serum here!

Step 6: Complexion Mist. Yup, my Complexion Mist is making another appearance. 🙂 This is a step I’ve been incorporating for a while and can’t wait to spill this skincare secret with you. In my opinion, toner is the glue that holds your skincare routine together: cleanse, tone, hydrate.

BUT I take toning one step further and sandwich my skin-specific serum with my Complexion Mist! A spritz before, a spritz after. I’ll mist my skin after cleansing, of course, to prep my skin before applying my Plumping Serum – and then I’ll mist a few more times as the final step of my skincare routine! This last spritz adds another layer of replenishment and gives my serum another little nudge to do its reparative work. Try it! I’m pretty sure your skin will fall in love with this little toner tip.

Step 7: Ridged Facial Roller. My skin is now refreshed, nourished and ready to face the day ahead. Well, almost. My final, final step is one of my most favorite facial tools: our Ridged Facial Roller. After applying my topical products, I grab my Rose Quartz Ridged Roller from the freezer. I LOVE keeping my roller the freezer – it feels SO refreshing, wakes up my tired skin and seriously minimizes any puffiness from the night before. Using a facial roller first thing infuses the nutrient-dense ingredients even deeper into my skin and continues to support healthy lymphatic flow for glowing skin from within. I won’t start my day without my ridged roller. 🙂

Check out our Rose Quartz, Yellow Nephrite and Green Jade Ridged Facial Rollers here and our brand new serum/roller combos here! They’re the perfect pair to care for your skin.

Okay, you might be moving through these steps thinking: Um, I’m sorry, step 7? Ain’t nobody got time for that. You guys, these steps literally take me a total of 2 (maybe 3) minutes. I’m not a morning person either, remember? 😉 But these are simple, effective steps that I always make time for first thing.

At the end of the day, my evening skincare routine is my reset. Each step – from the OCM (the warm washcloth and facial massage are game-changers) to my Gua Sha practice – reminds me to slow down and signals my body it’s time for sleep.

Even if I feel too tired to even think about washing my face (I see you, mamas), I’ve personally found that my full evening skincare routine supports even better, deeper, dreamier sleep – and glowing skin when I wake up! Incorporating these intentional skincare steps into my bedtime routine helps to engage my parasympathetic nervous system to promote more rested sleep – plus my skin looks more rejuvenated and hydrated in the morning when I make my bedtime products a priority!

These are the steps I follow before bed and when I take a bit more time and intention for myself and my skin.

Step 1: Remove eye makeup. I start with this step and do it separately from my full Oil Cleansing routine. Rather than cleansing my eye makeup along with the rest of my face (and smearing mascara all over my skin), I apply a dropper full of Cleansing Oil (it contains castor oil which helps promote longer, stronger lashes!) to an organic cotton round and gently remove my eye makeup. I’ll also sometimes use our Baby Oil as a gentle eye makeup remover!

Shop our Cleansing Oil here and Baby Oil here!

Step 2: Cleansing Oil (or Baby Bar). Being an esthetician, I’m all about creating a spa-like experience, even at home. Enter: the Oil Cleansing Method. The facial massage, the aroma of essential oils, the warm, steamy washcloth, the fresh, balanced complexion – I’m completely sold on this method of cleansing and incorporate it into my evening skincare routine almost every night. But if I’m feeling like my skin just needs a quick cleanse or light refinement, I’ll suds up with the gentle, foaming Baby Bar instead.

And depending on how my skin is feeling, Double Cleansing is also a technique I’ll incorporate a couple of times a week to help reset my skin – cleansing first with my Cleansing Oil and following up with the Baby Bar.

Check out our Cleansing Oils here and our Baby Bar here.
And here are a couple tutorials to show you how I Oil Cleanse and Double Cleanse!

Step 3: Complexion Mist. With my evening skincare routine, I focus on balancing and rebuilding hydration, so I’ll save my Everything Spray for the morning and just mist my Lavender Complexion Mist. Check out Step 4 (and Step 6!) of my morning routine above for more toner tips!

Step 4: Skin Specific-Serum. As I mentioned in my morning routine, this product makes the magic happen. Morning and night, a serum is a must for me. Before bed, I’ll typically massage in about 5-8 drops of our Soothing Serum for its aromatherapy properties and skin-loving herbs. Gotu Kola and Marshmallow Root are some of my favs for restoring and supporting the skin. Check out Step 5 above in my morning routine for the other skin-specific serums I love starting my day with!

Step 5: Beauty Cream (or Baby Balm). When my skin is feeling extra thirsty, I’ll apply a light layer of Blue Tansy Beauty Cream before bed to my face, neck and decollete. I love layering my serum + cream at night so it can soak in deeply while I sleep – I can tell such a difference in the tone and texture of my skin when I wake up! Baby Balm is my favorite for my delicate eye area or to deeply nourish my skin sans essential oils.

Check out our Beauty Creams here and Baby Balm here.

Step 6: Complexion Mist. By now you might be realizing, I’m serious about my mists! A final spritz to seal in all the healing and hydration – and a final deep breath of the calming Lavender aroma before beginning my Gua Sha routine.

Take a look at all 3 Complexion Mist scents here!

Step 7: Gua Sha. Talk about truly transforming my skin (and supporting my stress levels): this tool does it all. I was introduced to Gua Sha a couple of years ago and I’ve never looked back. It’s the last part of my nighttime skincare routine and is the. perfect. way. to unwind after a long day, to melt away stress + muscle tension (my jaw is always so tight!), and to remind me to not only focus on supporting my skin health, but my mental and emotional well-being too. Plus, I can tell an immediate shift in my skin after a full Gua Sha sequence – it’s a night/day difference. 🙂

Get your hands on a Gua Sha stone here!

Again, a 7-step skincare routine may seem a bit much – but trust me, these steps are super simple. And while they only take a few minutes, they have a serious ripple effect on my skin health and overall well-being.

My morning and evening skincare routines are a part of my day that I genuinely look forward to. More than just the practical steps of what products to apply and when, there really is hidden power that reveals itself when I commit to a regular skincare routine. For me, it’s become a daily reminder to receive care and compassion not only for my skin, but for every area of my life.

And I hope you discover that for yourself as well. 🙂 XO