Morning routine —

On mornings that I exercise, I wash my face with Gentle Soothing Cleanser and apply Youth Serum before my favorite Yoga Sculpt class at CorePower Yoga. After class, I start my usual morning skin care routine.

First, I cleanse with Papaya Enzyme Cleanser or Gentle Soothing Cleanser. I switch between these because I have combination skin — the Papaya is great for all skin types (including oily) and the Gentle is best for dry, sensitive to normal skin — so I alternate between both depending on my skin’s mood.

After patting my face dry, I swipe a Crystal Clear clarifying pad over my face, making sure to give an extra swipe in the T-zone, where my skin tends to be more oily. Next, I gently pat our Eye Sculpt around the eye area. Like our Youth Serum, the Eye Sculpt absorbs quickly (which is ideal for layering products).

Once I’ve allowed the combination of salicylic acid, glycolic acid and lactic acid from the pad to fully absorb into my skin, I dispense one dropper of Youth Serum into my hands and then massage onto my face, neck and décolletage with upward strokes to hydrate and plump skin. You’ll notice that I always use Youth Serum in the AM and PM immediately after cleansing and toning — this is why we call Youth Serum one of Skin Pharm’s hero products!

As soon as my Youth Serum has absorbed, I put one dropper of Glow Factor Vitamin C Serum into my hand and smooth onto my face with upward strokes to brighten skin tone and replenish my complexion. During times when I need more brightening (especially during summer months when UV radiation and heat flare my melasma), I apply High Beam brightening lotion, our lightweight moisturizer, aka "a green juice for your skin." We get a lot of questions about what order to apply products, so remember that lotions like High Beam always come after serums.

If you know me, you know that the last — and, arguably, most important — step is SPF. In warmer, humid summer months I prefer Sheer Defense SPF. In colder, drier winter months, I swap for 100% Mineral Tinted SPF due to the slightly heavier formula. Both offer hydration with hyaluronic acid, have a tint to camouflage imperfections and protect from sun exposure (which can lead to lines, wrinkles, pigment and general skin aging).

Evening routine —

If I exercise in the evening, I gently cleanse before class with Gentle Soothing Cleanser and hydrate with Youth Serum. When prepping for bed, I cleanse with the Papaya Cleanser or Gentle Soothing Cleanser to remove any skin care and debris from the day before my face hits the pillow.

Next, I apply Eye Sculpt — I love the double dose of AM and PM for this eye treatment! Following this, I apply either my retinoid or azelaic acid product (both of these are chemical exfoliants). For my retinoid, I use Night Watch retinol drops — I only use 4-6 drops at a time and always apply a moisturizer afterward to calm the anticipated reaction that comes with retinoid use. For azelaic acid, I apply our in-house azelaic acid prescription (check out Epionce Lytic Tx if you’re not local to our clinics and cannot receive our prescription products). I only apply my retinoid two to three times a week and alternate it with azelaic acid. There’s no need to over-exfoliate with these products!

Following with a moisturizer helps decrease redness, sensitivity or peeling. I love our Face Whip for a ceramide rich, fluffy moisturizer. Be sure to bring it down to your neck!

Two or three times weekly, I use our Clay Time polishing charcoal mask to exfoliate. I leave it in the shower or by the bath, put it on a few minutes before I step in and gently polish it off.

You’ll notice that the general rule is to let each product fully absorb into your skin before you apply the next one — it’s really that simple!