Nighttime Skincare Essentials

My priority at night is completely removing my makeup without over-drying or irritating my skin. This is a simple goal that is sort of complicated to achieve. Luckily, I actually enjoy my nighttime skincare regime and I look at it as removing the day before going to bed and getting ready to do it all over again. My recent vacation was an opportunity to streamline and test out my current products. Here’s my current nighttime routine:1.  MAC Cleansing Oil. I am a huge fan of oils - hair, body, skin…if it comes in oil form, I’ve probably tried it. The concept of using an oil to cleanse skin is nothing new, but it’s still a bit odd to think that something that seems so heavy can actually effectively cleanse the skin. That being said, this is a great product. I bought the travel size a few weeks ago and have been very happy with it. It’s really effective at removing all makeup, especially stubborn eye makeup, and I like that it is gentle and non-drying. Bottom line: this is a great product for removing makeup and is just as good as more expensive cleansing oils.2.  fresh Soy Face Cleanser. Although the MAC oil is great at removing makeup, I’m obsessive about having clean skin, so I use the fresh cleanser (reviewed here) with my Clarisonic to make sure my face is super clean.3.  NARS Skin Multi-Action Hydrating Toner. Although I’m pretty confident that my skin is totally clean after using two cleansers, I use this toner to go around my hairline and neck because I usually miss these areas. This toner also restores some moisture to my skin (also reviewed here).4.  The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisturizing Serum. I used to be a consistent customer of The Body Shop. Their skincare products are solid and they always have some kind of special going on. But, sometime after law school, I started exploring more department store brands and somewhere along the way, I stopped using this brand. I recently decided that I needed some kind of serum to add moisture to my skin but I really didn’t know what to use. So, I picked this up from The Body Shop because it was inexpensive and I felt like such a simple product couldn’t really hurt. This product is lightly moisturizing and adds a nice boost to my standard moisturizer. But, it’s nothing special. I will probably continue using this, but I wish it were more moisturizing and soothing. My skin has been more prone to irritation lately, and this product, while certainly not adding to the irritation, is not helping either. Bottom line: this is a very basic moisturizing serum, so if you only need a little boost for your current moisturizer, it may be worth trying, but it’s not a standout product.5.  The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream. Unlike the serum, this product feels rich and moisturizing. I like that it adds moisture to my eye area without any heaviness or irritation. It absorbs into my skin nicely and it’s quite cost-effective. However, this eye cream doesn’t contain any anti-aging ingredients, so if you're young enough that this isn’t a concern for you, I think this is a great entry level eye cream. If you need or want something to deal with fine lines and/or wrinkles, look elsewhere because this is a basic product. Bottom line: effective, inexpensive and moisturizing eye cream that’s worth a try.6.  Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré. I’ve mentioned this many times before, so I’ll just say that this is a great product that is super moisturizing.Shop the post:[widgets_on_pages id="nighttime skincare"]