MINIMALIST SKINCARE: For travel or home

Updated: Feb 25, 2018

A great skincare routine is an underrated part of having a great life. Sound extreme? How happy have you ever really been on a bad skin day? That's what I thought! Although it can be hard to keep up a consistent routine at home, let alone while travelling, these products and tips are super useful and effective to minimize your routine and keep your skin GLOWING.

Foreward: This is what works for my skin, and I hope will help you figure out a routine that works for your specific skin type! I've got normal skin, on the drier side, that is extremely sensitive and sometimes acne prone.

I've been using a variation of these products for the past ~8 months. For my skin type, there are 5 key components to keeping clear and glowy.

CLEANSE

I do this morning and night with my treasured Garnier Micellar Water. This stuff is AWESOME, it removes the heaviest of makeup and toughest of mascara. It just gets your skin so darn clean, which is key to keeping your skin clear, especially when you're travelling and you've got minimal time and resources. When I was travelling and staying in hostels, I found it easiest to use the makeup wipe version of this (same brand and concept) but I definitely prefer to use the bottle when I'm at home- I just feel like the texture of a cotton pad works better than the cloth.

WASH

I have actually been using the brand Juice Beauty on and off since high school. I have struggled with nasty bouts of acne throughout my life, and I always remember this brand doing a good job coddling and healing my skin. I love that their ingredients are extremely pure, natural, and organic, yet still powerful and effective to clean, exfoliate, and treat blemishes. This face wash is great: it keeps blemishes at bay, leaves your skin feeling fresh, and smells really lovely.

EXFOLIATE

As I continued to learn about skincare in my struggling skin days, exfoliation is a concept that kept coming up more and more. This is SO important, not just for those with problem skin, but just to keep skin fresh and glowy looking by getting rid of the old and dull layers of skin. For those with problem skin or wrinkles, light and gentle exfoliation is beneficial for the same reason- it increases cell turnover to reveal bright new skin underneath.

Note: Be careful with manual exfoliation (exfoliating beads etc.) the most effective form of exfoliation is chemical- which isn't as scary as it sounds. Gentle chemicals work to slough off old layers of skin in a safe, effective and non- abrasive way when used carefully.

I've really enjoyed using this drugstore daily exfoliant from Neutrogena. It works in both ways, with gentle manual exfoliating beads and Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids. I love that it's gentle enough to use every morning!

MOISTURIZE

This one's a no brainer- everyone and their G-ma knows that moisturized skin is a one way ticket to healthy glow-ville. I know that people with oily or problem skin tend to shy away from moisturizing products, however moisture can truely be the key to solving these skin woes. Without moisturizing product, the skin will try to compensate by creating more of it's own natural oil, leading to slick skin and breakouts. There are many moisturizers on the market formulated especially for problem skin, my favourite being this one from Juice Beauty. Ok. I have a thing for Juice Beauty. Sue me!

TREAT

This step varies based on your skin type, age, season, and climate. When I'm at home in Canada, my holy-grail-skin-saver treatment is argan oil. That's right. This self professed acne prone skin lady uses straight up oil on her face. A lesson that I learned years ago that has stuck with me and benefitted my skin greatly is that not all oils are created equally. I've tested out a few over the years, but argan oil is what I keep coming back to for my moody skin. It sinks in beautifully- even under makeup! Because I use a moisturizer that is forumlated for those with acne and oily skin, I need to add a product to care for my dry skin. I've had best results slapping on a thin layer before bed (and waking up with plump, beautiful skin!) and adding a couple drops into my moisturizer each morning. I will say, however, that this step was not necessary for me in Bali, as it was so humid there I woke up with naturally plumped skin. Score!

This is the Divine Essence Argan Oil I've been using, but you can also find it easily at Sephora from Josie Maran.

For other skin types, this step could include an acne treatment with tea tree or salicylic acid, or a wrinkle treatment with a retinoid. These are both things that I filter in and out of my routine depending on the state of my skin, lazyness level, and budget.

I hope that this provides you gals a nice template to create your optimal minimalist skincare routine! I love trying to minimize, especially when I travel. Let me know what your key skincare items are if you feel like I'm missing out on something!

Lots and lots of love

*This post contains affiliate links by which I make a small comission if you choose to purchase. All products are personal recommendations that I love!*