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Our editors, clockwise: Christine Pride, Alison Piepmeyer, Kaitlyn Teer, Joanna Goddard, Jannelle Sanchez, and Kelsey Miller<\/em><\/p>\n Are you a skincare fan? I absolutely love it \u2014 and I love<\/em> hearing the little details of people\u2019s routines. It\u2019s such a fun peek into someone\u2019s daily life. Our team of editors has a varied mix of skin types and challenges. Today, we figured we\u2019d share our daily skincare rituals (and we\u2019d love to hear yours)\u2026<\/p>\n How would you describe your skin type?<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> Acne-prone. From age 12 to 34, I dealt with painful breakouts and tried almost every treatment. I felt so insecure when it flared up, especially because it was hard to hide. I had a few clear stretches over the years (like during pregnancy or after Accutane), but it was only a few years ago that I finally figured out my acne triggers and a routine that works for me. (Basically, cut out dairy; more on that below.)<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> In magazine parlance, \u201cnormal-to-dry.\u201d In the parlance of my girlfriends and me: \u201cBlack don\u2019t crack.\u201d Melanin does as much work as any expensive serum to keep my skin fairly wrinkle-free.<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> Combination. I always have some shine on my forehead and nose by the afternoon. I don\u2019t really mind, but if I\u2019m going out for a special occasion, I\u2019ll bring setting powder<\/a> in my purse.<\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> Very fair and ruddy. I\u2019m always blotchy when I wake up in the morning. Also, with perimenopause, my skin is shifting a lot right now, so my skincare routine has been shifting, too.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> Dry, especially in the colder months.<\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> Reactive. She reddens, she clogs, she scars if you even look at her funny. Frankly, my skin is a total diva.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your morning skincare routine?<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> I have a special skincare plan that my esthetician from\u00a0Acne Clinic NYC<\/a>\u00a0created for me six years ago! In the morning, it\u2019s simple:\u00a0exfoliating serum<\/a> and\u00a0hydrating gel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> Nothing, really \u2014 it\u2019s a miracle if I remember to wash my face.\u00a0That\u2019s a hazard of working from home; there\u2019s so little motivation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> I have three kids<\/a> under five, so personal time is limited. On busy mornings, all I do is rinse my face with cold water and dab on CeraVe cream<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019s my go-to moisturizer because it\u2019s hydrating, fragrance-free, and cheap!<\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> This winter, my skin got dry and blotchy, so much so that I\u2019d wake up with little red bumps, almost like a rash. My dermatologist\u2019s theory was that my cleanser was stripping my face, so she suggested switching to the very simple Vanicream<\/a>. It cleared up my skin right away, and my boys now use it, too. After cleansing, I use INNBeauty Extreme Cream<\/a>, which is super creamy and hydrating. I started using it a few months ago, and it\u2019s working really well for me. My skin finally feels glowy again!<\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> I typically cleanse<\/a> during my morning shower. A couple times a week, I also apply a clay mask<\/a> to my T-zone and let it do its thing while I get dressed and make coffee. After rinsing it off, my skin feels extra fresh and clean.<\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> Every night, I rinse my face and dry with a clean towel. If my skin feels cranky, I\u2019ll soothe it with Summer Friday\u2019s Jet Lag mask\/moisturizer<\/a>. That stuff zaps redness like nobody\u2019s business. I finish with a thin layer of polyglutamic acid serum<\/a>. It\u2019s incredible and has an instant smoothing effect on skin texture (see: scars). It\u2019s a million times better than any primer I\u2019ve tried, and I use it even on no-makeup days because it also keeps me hydrated, with zero stickiness or shine.<\/p>\n What do you use for sun protection?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> On my face, I use this\u00a0tinted mineral sunscreen<\/a>. For my body, I like\u00a0this sport one<\/a>. Both are acne-safe!\u00a0I\u2019m really careful about the ingredients in my beauty products and run everything through\u00a0a pore-clogging checker<\/a>\u00a0before buying.<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> I\u2019m very bad at sunscreen. Very bad. As in\u2026I never use it, ever.\u00a0(The shame!)<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> I used to be a SuperGoop gal, but it made my skin feel oily. I switched to Beauty Pie<\/a> two years ago, and I really like its matte finish. Also: hats!<\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> I like lots of different sunscreens, but one I always go back to is Vacation<\/a> because I LOVE the scent. Another favorite is EltaMD<\/a>, which never irritates my sensitive skin. <\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> I spend a ton of time outdoors and reach for Trader Joe\u2019s daily facial sunscreen<\/a> every day. It\u2019s clear, unbelievably lightweight, absorbs easily, and has a subtle-but-nice scent. Skin cancer runs in my family, and I\u2019ve had a few scares myself, so I keep this sunscreen in our bathroom, in my purse, and<\/em> in the car. <\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> Most sunscreens make me break out horribly. In the winter, I use Ilia\u2019s Skin Tint with SPF 40<\/a>. But summer is coming, and I need the hardcore stuff that\u2019ll stay put through sweaty commutes and beach days. Any recs?<\/p>\n What\u2019s your personal hero\u00a0product?<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> I don\u2019t really believe in hero products! I\u2019ve seen the best results from sticking to a consistent, boring routine. I\u2019m not very fun to talk beauty with; if someone recommends something new, I\u2019m like, \u2018No, I already know what works for me.\u2019 I\u2019ve got my system.<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> I\u2019ve recommended these exfoliating pads so many times, I deserve a spokeswoman gig: M-61 PowerGlow Peel<\/a>. Years ago, when I first tried them, my skin got a noticeable glow. Instant results? Sold!\u00a0<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> Mario Badescu Drying Lotion<\/a>. I get blemishes during my period, but I can\u2019t use most acne products because I\u2019m allergic to some of the common ingredients. This stuff always takes care of stubborn pimples without causing a reaction. <\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> I know I\u2019m a broken record<\/a>, but Vacation sunscreen<\/a> doubles as a fragrance, and I get so many compliments<\/a> on it. My whole family is obsessed with the scent. We even bought the Vacation air freshener<\/a> for our car because we love it so much.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> My friend gave me a jar of calendula salve<\/a> after my daughter was born, saying it was good for diaper rash. My kids are now (thankfully) out of diapers, but that salve is so great that I still keep it on hand for kitchen burns, dry skin, etc. My whole family has a cold right now, and it\u2019s healing all our red, tissue-chapped noses.<\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser<\/a>. It\u2019s an excellent exfoliator, and the longer you leave it on, the more it works (in the shower, I\u2019ll let it sit on my face for a couple minutes while washing the rest of my body). I use it a couple times a week, because as with most \u201cbrightening\u201d products (and it is genuinely brightening), it can make me a little pink if I overdo it.<\/p>\n What does your evening routine look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> I usually shower before bed and use this body wash<\/a>. Then I\u2019ll wash my face with an oil-free cleanser<\/a>, do a quick second cleanse with micellar water<\/a>, use a\u00a0hydrating gel<\/a>, and finish with Vaseline<\/a> on my lips. I also wash my pillowcases every two or three days so I\u2019m not sleeping on anything dirty (especially since I only wash my hair once or twice a week!).<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> I try not to overthink skincare, so I stick to a three-step routine: wash (Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser<\/a>), tone (Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Lotion<\/a>), and moisturize (Sunday Riley Vitamin C Cream<\/a>). This combo (plus the PowerGlow pads<\/a> a couple times a week) keeps my skin in balance \u2014 and I like that it\u2019s a mix of high and low. Aveeno is a solid drugstore brand, while Sunday Riley is a splurge for me \u2014\u00a0but that\u2019s kind of the point. It\u2019s a treat for my skin, and I love the luxurious texture and scent.<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> If I\u2019m wearing makeup, I\u2019ll remove it with micellar water<\/a>. (I started using it after reading Chloe Hall\u2019s beauty uniform<\/a>, and I now I can\u2019t NOT use it.) I feel a difference when I skip this step, and the difference is not good! Then I use my ride-or-die Cetaphil cleanser<\/a>, which I\u2019ve been devoted to since I was a teenager. It makes my skin feel squeaky clean but never dried out. After that, I\u2019ll put on a nice layer of\u00a0CeraVe moisturizer<\/a>, drink a glass of water, and call it a night.<\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> I wash with Vanicream cleanser<\/a> again (I keep one bottle in the shower and one by the sink). Once a week I\u2019ll use a Korean exfoliator<\/a>, which I love because I can actually feel the dead skin sloughing off. My skin is SO smooth after. Then I finish with the same INNBeauty moisturizer<\/a>, and that\u2019s that.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> Every night, I like to press a warm, wet washcloth to my face for a few seconds. Holding the heat over my closed eyes is such a comfort, especially if I\u2019ve had a long day. If I\u2019m feeling responsible, I\u2019ll follow it up with a night cream<\/a>, which is formulated for mature skin, as they say.<\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> I wash my face in the shower, alternating my beloved Indie Lee<\/a> with La Roche-Posay\u2019s Foaming Cleansing Oil<\/a> (I know foaming \u2260 cleansing, but I need the foam). I use a glycolic acid toner<\/a> a few times a week. SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic serum<\/a> is my favorite treatment product (it does everything<\/em> \u2014 fades sun damage, evens tone, makes me look more awake), but it\u2019s pricey, so I don\u2019t always have it. Moisturizers are my splurge. I love Caudalie\u2019s Premier Cru Cream<\/a> and Summer Fridays Rich Cushion Cream<\/a>, which are both super hydrating but never clog or irritate my skin. <\/p>\n What\u2019s the biggest skincare lesson you\u2019ve learned?<\/strong><\/p>\n Alison:<\/strong> What I eat really affects my skin. Years ago, I spent four months working with an esthetician to figure out my personal acne triggers. For me, dairy products cause breakouts, and I can almost always tell within a few days if I\u2019ve accidentally eaten some.<\/p>\n Christine:<\/strong> I hate facials! It took two of them before I realized that, for me, they aren\u2019t relaxing at all, and I don\u2019t enjoy people touching my face. I\u2019ve also learned to accept that I\u2019m just not a product fiend. I like the stuff I like, and I\u2019ll probably be using it until I die \u2014\u00a0the same way my mom\u2019s been using her Noxema for 65+ years.<\/p>\n Jannelle:<\/strong> Sleep makes a HUGE difference. If I haven\u2019t had a good night\u2019s rest, my skin feels so dry and flaky. Of course, we can\u2019t always control how much sleep we get (I\u2019m currently waking up to breastfeed three times a night), but if I have an event where I want to feel my best, I try to go to bed early for a few nights leading up to it. I swear, getting those extra hours makes my skin brighter.<\/p>\n Joanna:<\/strong> As a teenager, I\u2019d sunbathe on my dad\u2019s back deck in Michigan (it was the \u201990s!), and I\u2019d sometimes get sunburned. My twin sister was the opposite: she\u2019d douse herself in sunscreen and wear long sleeves to the beach! Decades later, you can see the difference. Her skin is like cream. Now I tell every teenager I know to wear sunscreen.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn:<\/strong> Not to sound like a habit-stacking bro, but what works for me is keeping my cleanser<\/a> and face scrub<\/a> in the shower. Seeing the scrub in the shower helps me remember to use it once a week.<\/p>\n Kelsey:<\/strong> Dehydrated is not the same as dry. You can pile on the moisturizer, but if you don\u2019t exfoliate and get the dead skin and makeup residue off your face, it\u2019s not going to do anything but sit there and build up. That is the recipe for upset skin. Oh, and everything they told us about drinking water is true.<\/p>\n What does your own routine look like these days? Any hero-products we should check out? <\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. 8 readers share photos of when they felt beautiful<\/a>, and one beauty product we always finish<\/a>.<\/p>\n Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission or have a sponsored relationship with the brand, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/creams.jpg\")
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