Top 5: Morning Skincare Routine

For those of you who have been pestering me about what my morning routine is, here I am, with zero gatekeeping – just don’t sell out my favorite products please! 🙏🏽

For those of you who are new here my name is Laura and I’m on a mission to keep my 37 year old face as wrinkle free as possible, without injections. To do that requires spending a little (ok, a lot) of cash upfront in the skincare department, well before applying makeup. 

Let me just start out by saying that I stan all things iS Clinical, an award winning line of hypoallergenic products. My motto is use what the estheticians use and who better to follow than the queen of skin, Shani Darden. She turned me on to their whole slew of products and I am obsessed. As someone with serious hormonal cystic acne, they’ve changed my skin; their formulas use only the highest quality and purity (we’re talking pharmaceutical grade) in their ingredients with no fillers or junk to clog your pores.. Read: pretty much a dream for someone with acne-prone skin. 

1. iS Clinical Cleansing Complex – face wash

$48 / https://isclinical.com/cleansing-complex.html

Let’s start at the most basic product of the iS Clinical bunch, a hydrating and gentle yet seriously effective cleansing face wash. I’m a sucker for anything low maintenance, and I love this cleanser because it’s paraben free, has salicylic acid and acts as a cleanser, toner and makeup remover in one. It leaves your skin feeling exfoliated but doesn’t strip the skin and gives you just the right amount of lit from within vibes.

2. iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance+ – vitamin c

$158 / https://isclinical.com/pro-heal-serum-advance.html

If you don’t have a Vitamin C serum you love in your life yet, stop and reassess immediately. Seriously, make finding one a priority. You’ll know if you haven’t found it if it’s the least appreciated (or non-existent part) of your morning routine. Once you find “the one” it’ll make your sunscreen more effective (hello antioxidants!), your skin less wrinkly, your face more glowy – on top of removing scars, inflammation and pigmentation. Seriously, what’s not to love?! iS Clinical makes two formulations, but I’m obsessed with the Pro-Heal which comes packed with lots of other good stuff like olive extract, Vitamin E and A.

3. iS Clinical Hydracool Serum – hyaluronic acid

$64 / https://isclinical.com/catalog/product/view/id/3/s/hydra-cool-serum/

You know how when you’re younger your skin just bounces back like a trampoline? This is that, in a bottle, providing soothing moisture without any oils that can cause acne. It’s gentle enough for all skin, has anti-inflammatory properties which help clear any acne and provides the perfect canvas for your makeup by filling in all those little lines that can start to creep in. I’ve also started subbing this for the Shani Darden Moisture Boost Plumping Serum when I’m in need of some extra moisture and overall glow. It’s a silky, non-sticky serum powered by snow mushroom and glycerin to effectively attract, retain & replenish moisture for instant, continuous plumping and long-lasting hydration.

4. Shani Darden Intensive Eye Renewal Cream with Firming Peptides – eye cream

$69 / https://www.shanidarden.com/collections/shani-darden/products/intensive-eye-renewal-cream

As someone who never cared about preserving my skin until I turned 30, I never appreciated the value of a good eye cream. Maybe it’s that I never found one that quite worked for my puffy undereye bags, or the blueish tint left underneath them. That was, until Shani Darden released her luxurious eye cream with firming peptides to tighten and 9 age-defying actives to tighten, lighten and brighten which works for both morning and night. Now, as The Monkees claimed, “I’m a Believer.”

5. EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 Tinted – sunscreen (uva/uvb 30+ spf)

$45 / https://eltamd.com/collections/tinted-sunscreen/products/eltamd-uv-clear-tinted-broad-spectrum-spf-46

Sunscreen is literally the most effective anti-aging product and should be put on every day, whether or not you go outside. UV rays still come in through the windows and there are also damaging rays in blue light (think: your TV, computer, phone) as well as other indoor lighting.

When it comes to picking a favorite sunscreen it helps to think of them like handbags, different formulas apply for different outfits, climates and situations. Sometimes you want to slap on a tinted moisturizing version and nothing else, so you still look presentable without trying; other days it’s more of a we’re doing sports, not going to see anybody, working on resetting our skin kind of days, or a perfect under your makeup glow, where you want a more gentle hydrating formula. Whichever it is, both the tinted EltaMD and the Control Corrective Sunscreen SPF 30 are two of my tried and true sunscreens. The key for me is 30+ SPF for both UVA and UVB rays, and something that’s non-comedogenic.

Let me reiterate, I am in no means telling you to spend your savings on skincare. What I am saying is these are the core products and ingredients that you should get for a killer morning routine, regardless of your price point. If you’re insane enough like me to commit but want to save some money, go with the Costco philosophy and buy them in bulk or sign up for a subscription. You don’t have to use much for them to be effective, but it can cost you significantly less if you invest in the professional sizes or buy consistently.