Skincare tricks to wake up with glowing skin

We all have those days where we don't have time to do proper skincare. I too am guilty of not putting anything on my skin at night because I'm too tired from work or when it's been a long day of taking care of my baby girl.

After a few years of experimenting with skincare, especially this year being a student parent with lots of late nights, I've figured out what works for me to wake up with glowing skin in the morning with my night time skincare routine. I usually include exfoliation with AHA and BHA once a week at night, especially in dire times when my skin desperately needs revival. Now, I'm no skincare expert so I won't cover much on the ingredients, but this post will focus more on my step-by-step guide to that dewy, glowing, facial-fresh skin. Importantly, most of the products I use are affordable and friendly to the pocket as well.

Step 1. Cleanse: The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser

After a long day, I remove all makeup using this super affordable cleanser by The Ordinary. I like the fact that it is very gentle but still removes everything from my face without drying my skin.

Step 2. Exfoliation: The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

This product is totally magic. I did not have any facials at all in 2021 but this has helped me tremendously in improving radiance and removing congestion on my skin.

It is literally a 10‑minute exfoliating facial. After cleansing, I smear this on my face and leave it on for 8 to 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly with water. If you've never used this before, I suggest leaving it on for 5-7 minutes first as it can be harsh on your skin if you've never used AHA + BHA before. I use this once a week.

Step 3. Toner: PIXI Glow Tonic This one I have been using every day to remove dead skin cells and get radiant skin for the past 3 years. A staple in my routine!

Step 4. Serums:

• Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum

• The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%

• The INKEY List Retinol Serum

I layer these 3 different serums at night and so far the combination has worked well for glowing skin. I started using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair and The Inkey List Retinol to reduce signs of aging when I turned 28.

Estee Lauder ANR is a bit of a splurge but it works wonders so I've been using it consistently for the past 2 years. It helps get you that amazing healthy-glowing skin in the morning. This is the only pricey item in my night-time routine, but even without this, you can still get great results with the following two products.

I started using The Ordinary Lactic Acid to replace my old serum, Sunday Riley's Good Genes (which is almost 8 times the price). Good Genes was good but I think The Ordinary's Lactic Acid does the job for mild exfoliation to help even the appearance of skin tone and texture.

Everyone has been buzzing about the importance of retinol these past few years for anti-aging so I use The Inkey List Retinol Serum mainly for prevention. I've tried retinol from other brands but this is the only brand that doesn't cause irritation on my skin.

Step 5. Moisturise: Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion

My skin tolerates better to gel or water-based moisturisers vs. cream ones hence the reason why I've been using this Japanese hydrating lotion for the past 2 years. I'm not fussy about moisturisers but this one is so affordable in Asia, which is a plus. I'm always trying to find more affordable alternatives that do the job as good as premium ones.

In the past, I've used gel-based moisturisers from Clinique and Laneige and they work well for hydration.

Summary

You can definitely get amazing results using affordable brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List, but make sure the ingredients are suitable for your skin. It's also crucially important that you wear sunscreen in the morning to protect your skin from sun damage.

A tip that I got from a dermatologist a few years back is to only change things one by one (and not change your skincare in total at the same time) to check whether it can irritate or break out your skin. Every skin is different after all. Leaving the post with a few videos that I find useful for skincare steps below:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnFjRGcntvw

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSY0pYcy8KY

I usually get The Ordinary, Pixi and The Inkey List products here: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/referrals.list?applyCode=SHARIFAH-RE

Love,

Sharifah Hazirah