My favorite night time skincare products for happy & healthy skin

A couple of weeks ago, I told you all about my morning skincare routine, to achieve a healthy, youthful glow (click here to read). But of course, I wouldn’t claim to be a skincare enthusiast, if I didn’t also have a fancy night time routine. While my skincare goal in the mornings is to look fresh faced, glowing and awake, at night it is to restore moisture within my skin and clear up my complexion. As I have said in the previous post, I don’t struggle with horrible skin, but do get the occasional breakout. Especially since Covid hit, because I still have to wear a medical face mask all day at work. And even though I swap them out regularly, my skin suffers. It gets really dry and irritated, which neither looks nor feels very pleasant. So once again, I’ve been searching high and low, to bring you my favorite night time skincare products for happy & healthy skin!

1. Cleansing

At night, I like to double cleanse my face. Especially when I have been wearing make up all day. So I start off with a micellar water and a reusable cotton pad. I generally use the ones by Garnier, as they don’t dry out my skin. They have lots of different ones: I prefer the one for sensitive skin (shop here) or the one with vitamin C added to it (shop here). Afterwards, I go in with the same cleanser I use in the mornings, by FormelSkin (click here). And just like I do in the mornings, I take my time to massage my face while washing it. The salicylic acid within the cleanser takes a little while to penetrate the skin. Plus, after a long day, it’s really relaxing to give your face a little love.

2. The Active Ingredient

Retinol

There are a few active ingredients I have used in the past to help with a hydrated, clear complexion. On of my favorites is retinol (vitamin A). As with all active ingredients, you need to be careful when introducing it into your skincare routine. Start off with 1-2 times per week, and slowly increase the frequency. You might want to start off with a serum, that doesn’t have a high percentage of retinol in it. Then slowly build your way up.

I wouldn’t recommend using it every day though, as it breaks down your skins protective barrier. It is therefore super important to use a sunscreen with high SPF (at least 30), regardless of wether you used retinol the night before or not. Also, if you’re using it every day, your skin might get very dry and irritated. My favorite retinol serums are by Neutrogena (shop here) and the Ordinary (shop here).

Tretinoin

Currently, I am not using a retinol. A few months ago, I got into the personalized skincare by FormelSkin (review coming soon!). The serum I get from them is definitely on of my favorite night time skincare products for happy & healthy skin! It’s got a few different active ingredients in it: 1% Clindamycin, 4% Niacinamide, and 0,006% Tretinoin.

The first is an antibiotic, because of the breakouts I get from wearing my medical face mask. Tretinoin is, just like retinol, a retinoid. And it works in a number of ways: it’s anti-inflammatory, reduces breakouts, reduces dark spots and helps to increase the skins own production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. And all I can say is: it is amazing. Since using this serum, I have seen a huge difference in my skin. You know how sometimes you can feel a pimple, even before you can see it? I have now had that a couple of times since using the serum. I can feel something is coming, but it never actually shows on my skin. Which is a win in my books!

The downside to personalized skincare: you might not be able to get the same serum that I have. Because your skin is different to mine. But if you struggle with the same skin issues as me – dry skin & breakouts – FormelSkin might be worth a try (not sponsored sadly).

3. Hydration

Now that we’re deep into winter, my skin gets really, really dry. And once again, I blame that stupid medical face mask I have to wear all day for it. Because guess what: my skin’s only dry in the areas the mask covers. Lovely. But even in a pre-Covid-world, a lot of people experience tight and dry skin in the winter.

To combat that, I like to use a hyaluronic acid. 2 of them have made it into my favorite night time skincare products for happy & healthy skin. The first one is a bit bougier: it’s the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules with Hyaluronic Acid (shop here). Yes they are expensive. They might even qualify as daylight-robbery. But they are worth it, in my humble opinion. They leave your skin feeling super plump and hydrated. Apparently, their formula helps the hyaluronic acid to travel 4 times deeper into the skin, than others do. And the individual capsules make sure you get exactly the right amount. I don’t use them every day, because sadly, I am not filthy rich (yet). The capsules are for those days where my face needs all of the help it can get. Or for the days I need a little pamper.

The second hyaluronic acid that made it into my favorite night time skincare products for healthy & happy skin is by The Ordinary (shop here). This one is a lot more affordable and the one I use on a daily basis. Because I switch back and forth between the two, I can’t really say which one is better. The only difference I can tell is in the consistency: the Elizabeth Arden one feels a bit chalky, while the one from The Ordinary is really sticky.

4. Moisturizer & Eye Cream

Because I use a hyaluronic acid, I don’t feel the need to use a heavy night cream. Instead, I use the same moisturizers I like to use in the mornings: the Calming Moisturizer by Colibri (shop here) or the one by FormelSkin (click here).

As I said in the intro to this post, this ain’t any old night time skincare routine, this is a fancy one. The use of an eye cream is therefore mandatory. Unfortunately, I haven’t really found one that I absolutely love. Currently, I’m using one by Isana (see below). It’s alright, but not my favorite. If you can recommend something that’s hydrating on the eyes, please let me know!

5. Hydrating Face Masks

Now THESE are the kinds of face masks I enjoy! Unfortunately, they won’t protect you from catching any diseases. Once again, I have two different ones I love: the Lumene Nordic Hydra Gel Mask (shop here) and the Schaebens Hyaluronic Mask (shop here). Neither of them I use every day, but rather as an add-on. For example, if I do my night time skincare routine earlier in the afternoon (early = anytime before 8 pm), I will add the Lumene Gel Mask before I go to bed. The Hyaluronic Mask by Schaebens I use instead of my moisturizer, 1-2 times per week. I also only apply a thin layer, so all of the product gets absorbed into my skin (rather than taking it off).

Of course, this step is optional, but after all, this is supposed to be fancy, remember?

6. Timing

I have already talked about the importance of giving your skincare enough time to sink in in my previous post. I basically do the same thing at night: first, I double cleanse my skin, then apply the active ingredient. To allow it some time to do its thing, I will then brush my teeth. Afterwards, I use the hydrating serum. That sinks in while I floss and use my mouthwash. Last but not least, I apply my eye cream and moisturizer. And, as mentioned above, if it’s early in the evening, I might apply the Lumene Gel Mask a few hours later, before heading off to bed.

I know, it can seem like a lot, but this is what works for me. And it also doesn’t take me very long (around 10 minutes), even if I’m taking my time.

Those are my favorite night time skincare products for happy & healthy skin! While some of them change depending on the season and state of my skin, a lot them have been in my routine for a long time. Let me know your night time skincare staples!

Thanks for reading, I know it was a long one!

Lots of Love,

Lena

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored.