People ask me all the time what I actually do for my skin. Not the version I’d post for a brand deal. The real one, the one I do half asleep at 6am and again at 11pm when I’d rather just collapse into bed.
So here it is, start to finish.
Morning
I splash my face with water first. No cleanser yet. I’ve learned my skin doesn’t need a full wash in the morning, it just needs to wake up.
Then a gentle cleanser, the kind that doesn’t leave my face feeling stripped. Thirty seconds, lukewarm water, done.
Next is vitamin C. I’ve used the same kind for years because it’s the one product I actually notice a difference from when I skip it. My skin looks flatter and grayer within a couple of days if I forget it.
After that, hyaluronic acid while my skin is still damp. This step took me years to get right. I used to apply it on dry skin and wonder why it wasn’t doing anything. Turns out it needs moisture nearby to pull from, not dry skin to work on.
Last step, always: SPF 50. Even on gray days. Even when I’m not leaving the house. I learned this one the hard way, with sun spots I’m still trying to fade.
Midday
Honestly, most days, nothing. Maybe a blotting sheet if I’m oily by lunch. I stopped believing I needed a ten-step routine to keep my skin in check during the day. I don’t.
If I’m going to be outside for a while, I’ll reapply SPF with a setting spray over makeup. That’s the one non-negotiable.
Evening
Makeup off first, always, no matter how tired I am. I use a gentle oil-based cleanser to break it down, then a second cleanse with the same gentle cleanser I use in the morning.
Then a heavier moisturizer at night than I use during the day. My skin can handle something richer when it’s not layering under SPF and makeup.
That’s it for the skin itself. But a few years ago I started paying attention to something most routines don’t mention, what’s happening inside, not just on the surface. I started taking an NMN supplement with resveratrol and antioxidants, mostly because I got curious about NAD+ and how it drops as we age. It’s not a magic fix and I’m not going to pretend it replaces sunscreen or a good cleanser. But it’s part of what I do now, and I’ve stuck with it longer than most things I’ve tried.
What I Skip
I don’t do a ten-step routine. I tried it for a while in my late 40s and honestly, my skin looked the same, my bathroom counter was just more crowded.
I don’t chase every new ingredient trend. If something’s been around and studied for years, like vitamin C or hyaluronic acid, I trust it more than whatever’s trending this month.
The Honest Truth
None of this is glamorous. It’s four products in the morning, a wipe-down at night, and a supplement I take with my coffee. That’s the whole thing.
Fifty-six isn’t 26, and my routine doesn’t pretend otherwise. It’s not about chasing what I used to look like. It’s about taking care of what I have now, consistently, without making it complicated.