Recently, I’ve been trying to take better care of my skin. Even since high school I’ve had a routine for daily cleaning, but since I’m now in my mid-30s, I’ve realized how important it is to take care of your skin at night as well as early on in our lives. I was so excited when Influenster confirmed that I’d be receiving a Voxbox with fresh brand beauty products! If you’re not sure what Influenster or a Voxbox is, I explained it all in this post.
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This complimentary box was amazing to receive. I looked up the products, and the total for everything ended up being around $140 – if you love reviewing products, I highly recommend signing up for Influenster!
Like I said before, I’ve started focusing a bit more on my skincare routine because I’m not getting any younger, and in all honesty, I don’t want to end up being the person that everyone assumes is older than she really is. My uncle has also had several surgeries for sun spots on his face; he was a baseball player and has coached his whole life, so I’m guessing there was probably a period of time when sunscreen wasn’t a priority for him.
Even up until this point, I haven’t had a night skincare routine. I just used Neutrogena wipes to take off my makeup and jumped in bed, so I was excited to receive these products that would force me to do a bit more at night. One ingredient that they’re emphasizing in these products is the “super lotus” (commonly called the water lily) which, according to the description on the product, “Prevents and addresses first signs of aging by creating a more radiant appearance, supporting the skin’s natural barrier, and protecting from free radicals.”
To give a better review than just one use, I’m using the products for seven days and giving an overview for each day. Sometimes using new products results in breakouts a few days after I use them, so my fingers are crossed that I don’t experience that.
Day 1 (Thursday): The night before, I started by taking off my makeup with my go-to makeup wipes and then used my CeraVe day cleanser to wash my face. I then applied the Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream. It didn’t feel heavy or greasy and absorbed pretty quickly. I then used the Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Face Cream all over my face. When I woke up, things looked pretty good. I went to bed with quite a few red spots on my chin (hopefully just a reaction from all the garbage food that I’ve been eating during the holidays) but they looked a little calmer in the morning. I can’t tell anything about my eyes (except for noticing a lot more wrinkles than I thought I had, yikes), but that might also be due to staring at a screen all morning. Hopefully by the end of the seven days I’ll see an improvement!
During the day, I used my Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream followed by the CeraVe cleanser. I usually use the CeraVe Eye Repair Cream and follow that with the CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF, a primer, and then my makeup. I replaced the last two CeraVe products with the Lotus Eye Cream (linked in the above paragraph) and then the Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer. The one thing I noticed when I got home that night was that my face looked greasier than normal (see below for some shiny cheeks).
Day 2 (Friday): I was a bit disappointed today. The left side of my face looked a little red, kind of like I had a small sunburn, but it didn’t hurt and wasn’t dry. It eased up by the time I had breakfast, but still, redness isn’t something I want to be dealing with. I also had four small whiteheads on my chin (I’m 34…when does that madness ever end?!). My eyes also felt a bit puffy (I spent the day before cleaning and putting away Christmas items, so maybe it was a reaction from stirring up dust?). However, I didn’t think my face was as oily when I analyzed it that night, so that’s an improvement.
Day 3 (Saturday): My cousin was getting married on this day, so I went back to my regular routine just because I didn’t want to look like a grease pit in pictures. I was also tired after the wedding, so I went back to my bad habit and just used the makeup wipes before bed.
Day 4 (Sunday): Since we were trying to pack and check out of our hotel room, I just went with my normal routine again since all those products were already out (I have a hard time establishing new good habits and then being consistent with them). I was also lazy again and used the makeup wipes that night before bed. Lazy habits are hard to break, friends.
Day 5 (Monday): Nothing significant to report. School is still out for break, so I spent the day running errands and didn’t even put makeup on today, which might be why I didn’t see a lot of grease.
This might sound gross to people with good skincare routines, but simply using makeup wipes is so much easier than going through a whole cleansing routine. It’s hard to get motivated to go through all that when you’re sleepy and aren’t really seeing anything different.
Day 6 (Tuesday): Nothing interesting today, either. Even though I was really tired by the end of the day, I forced myself to go through the nightly routine. I totally hate doing all that when I’m sleepy and ready to just dive into bed, but in all honesty, it is kind of refreshing to have a clean, moisturized face at night.
Day 7 (Wednesday): I didn’t really pay attention to my face this morning, but nothing looked horrible, and luckily, I haven’t seen anymore annoying whiteheads. I spent the whole morning on my phone and/or on the laptop, so my eyes felt really strained by the time I showered, and putting on the eye cream felt really good and soothing. I also noticed that the smell of the moisturizer didn’t seem as bad and actually smelled kind of peachy.
My face looked greasy when I came home, though. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa until 1:45 (I’m full of terrible habits) which made it incredibly difficult to go through with the nightly routine BUT I DID (please be proud of me!). I’m still not crazy about the smell of the night cream, but it’s not noticeable after it’s rubbed in.
Day 8 (Thursday): Since I haven’t been very consistent with this routine, I’m extending it for a few days. I guess I jinxed myself with yesterday’s commentary because I had a lovely whitehead on my chin this morning. Other than those little annoying things, my skin looks pretty clear.
Again, by the time I was ready to get to bed, my face, especially my cheek area around my nose looked really shiny and greasy.
Day 9 (Friday): I thought my eyes looked a bit better and less puffy this morning. Since I know it’s going to take longer than a week to see any improvement with eye wrinkles, it’s hard to be critical of the eye cream at this point. I’m willing to keep trying!
Cons: I’m not wild about how the products smell. After it’s rubbed in, you don’t smell it, but the initial whiff isn’t super pleasant. I got used to the eye cream and daily moisturizer, but the night cream is still a bit stinky (but again, not overwhelmingly so). I also don’t see any SPF mentioned in the daily moisturizer, which is a big turnoff for me. The price might also be a negative for some people, but it looks like I haven’t used any of it, so I imagine each tub will last for quite a while.
Final Thoughts: Even though I’ve been whiney about the nighttime routine, I think it’s something I need to stick with – future me will probably be happier. I’m going to keep using the eye cream twice a day, too. I’m going back to my regular CeraVe daily moisturizer because it contains SPF and doesn’t make my face look and feel as greasy. My dermatologist back in grad school recommended the CeraVe products because I was having some breakouts, and so far that brand has been good to me.
So overall, a pretty good experience! Do you have a day and night skincare routine? If so, what products do you recommend from your own skincare routine? Have you ever used any products from the fresh beauty line? Let me know in the comments!
Biscotti and a Ph.D. 