Aspen: I have normal skin with dry patches and an oily T-zone. My main skin problems are mild rosacea (redness), hormonal acne and sensitivities/allergies. Payton: My skin tends to be more oily to combination with frequent breakouts 🙁 .

Cleansers: Cetaphil is an oldie but a goodie. Simple, fragrance and soap-free, and an overall great cleanser. My favorite cleanser by far is called Fresh Farmacy from LUSH Cosmetics which soaks up excess oil, reduces redness, and clears skin.

Moisturizers: Celestial by – yep you guessed it- LUSH Cosmetics. It’s ideal for a light, buildable moisturizer that you can wear under makeup. It’s great for evening skin tone as well as being good to sensitive skin.  I really like Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar, Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea gel moisturizer, and Cetaphil moisturizing cream. Cetaphil is extremely hydrating and makes a good night cream if you struggle with dry skin. It’s also fragrance-free, and the jar will last you forever. (It also works great on tattoos, btw.)

Toners: Eau Roma Water, this is a really great toner because it helps balance skin as well as reduce redness. It opens the pores before a face mask and cleanser and makes it easier for them to do their jobs right.

Masks: First off, there’s a lot of different kinds of masks and they all do different things. Sheet, clay, sleeping, peel-off, and the list goes on and on.  Before using a mask I suggest that you put a towel on your head and turn on the sink to the hottest it can go and just steam your face. It really makes a difference in the effectiveness of the product. Face masks like Don’t Look At Me (LUSH) are great for exfoliating and brightening skin especially when you need a little skin pick me up. I find that it tightens and soaks up oil without being over drying which makes this a perfect mask to use in the mornings when you want a no makeup kind of day.

Spot treatment: Target’s Up & Up brand acne spot treatment with salicylic acid clears my breakouts overnight, is cheap, and helps the pain/inflammation go down immediately. Grease Lightenin’ is a good spot treatment that works without salicylic acid and focuses more on natural ingredients like tea tree oil and aloe. It isn’t too drying which is also great.

Makeup remover: Garnier Micellar Water, or really any kind. Gentle, gets rid of all your makeup, non-greasy, and relatively cheap. $8.99 for a 13.5oz bottle that will last you for months. I just pour it out on a cotton pad and it only takes me two to get all my makeup off at the end of the day. Seriously, take all your makeup off every night, it’ll change your skin dramatically.

Sunscreen: Biore Watery Essence SPF 50- Amazon for like $8 with shipping. This stuff is amazing. It has really high sun protection, isn’t greasy at all, pairs well under makeup, and stays on forever. My holy grail for sunscreen, totally worth the wait for it to ship here from Japan. Also, guys– sunscreen is important, protect your skin and life!!!

Good Skincare Brands in General: Biore is a great brand, especially on the cheaper end of skin care. They offer a variety of cleansers and masks, my favorite product by them is the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. They clean out dirt and blackheads like none other for a relatively cheap price.

Freemans is a great, inexpensive drugstore brand that makes amazing, huge bottles of masks for like $4!

I also really enjoy skin care by LUSH Cosmetics. They have a wide range of cleansers, toners, and moisturizers that help with a variety of conditions. They also have cleansers that are priced to the amount that you want which is great if you’re cleansing on a budget.

Now while these cleansers, moisturizers, masks, etc. are great for us, it may not be the best routine for you. The best way to identify what routine is right for you and what products to use is to do your research and give it time.

Identify whether or not your skin tends to be more oily or more dry or even combination and go from there! Do you have redness? Acne? Is your acne hormonal or cystic? Is your skin different in the winter from what is in the summer? Do you have sensitive skin? Asking yourself these questions are the best way to figure out what will work for you, and when trying out a routine is ideal that you try it out for at least two weeks before you decide that it doesn’t work for you. Also beware, if you notice your skin starts breaking out, becomes red, irritated, or anything that seems off after you try a new product, stop using it and see if the problems clear up. That means your skin doesn’t like that product, and it’s probably not for you. It’s a routine for a reason, and won’t work magically overnight. Unless it does. Then DM us @thsledger and drop the details, because we’d love it.