I’m always touting the importance of sticking to a skincare regime, and I maintain that consistency is the best way to see results. But what about those days when we get home late, or realize after a marathon Netflix or video game sesh that it’s the middle of the night and we really just need to go to bed?
Fear not, Fledglings, for I’ve been there. Sometimes you’re just tired. I have a kid on the way, so I’m even more tired at the moment, and going to be so-much-even-more-tired in the months to come. So what should I do? Should I let my skincare go? I don’t want to do that, it’s my favorite act of self-care! I always feel better prepared for the day and more relaxed if I’ve taken care of my skin. No, what I did was to find a few time-savers, and to pare down my nighttime routine to something simple and effective, for those nights when falling asleep needs to happen sooner rather than later, but I still want to look refreshed in the morning.
- Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansing Cloths – I found these at the Base Exchange the other day, having run out of my go-to Burt’s Bees cloths that I’d brought from the States. There’s something about using water to wash my face that seems to take forever-and-a-half. I can’t figure it out, but taking out one of these cloths and wiping my face and neck down really well seems so much quicker and easier. They cleanse well, and the cloth is just textured enough to exfoliate a little, but my skin doesn’t feel stripped or tight afterward. If I was really out of it, I could use one of these and fall into bed.
- Eye Cream or Stick – While we can skip a lot of the serums and masks and things for a night or two and be fine, cleansing and moisturizing pretty much need to happen daily, and especially at night. Under-eye moisturizer can help you look better-rested the next day, and since your skin does most of its self-repair each night, it’s good to treat it a little before you crash out. To that end, I like an under-eye stick for easy application. A couple of swipes to each eye, and I’m done! A good eye cream can help reduce puffiness, something I’m very prone to if I didn’t sleep well (or enough) the night before.
- May Coop Raw Moisturizer – Whether or not I apply a good coat of moisturizer at night can make or break my morning skin, I’ve found. So before I head off to bed, I always make sure to swipe on a good amount of seasonally-appropriate moisturizer. I use Raw Moisturizer in fall and winter, because my skin gets drier, and we’ll have to see how German spring and summer do for my skin as far as my moisture needs. Back in Texas, I was enamored with Tatcha’s Water Cream. It was a deep moisturizer that didn’t ‘cling’ to my skin so much that it caused breakouts or a greasy feeling. If you’re prone to oily skin or breakouts, this is a good overnight moisturizer. If your skin leans more toward the combination side, Raw Moisturizer is a lovely middle ground.
- Dry Shampoo – Oh yeah, some nights I’m too tired to even shower. But my roots will tell on me the next day if I don’t do something about it. I have dark hair, and I’ve found that the trick to using dry shampoo effectively is to put it on at night, and then by morning the white, chalky residue it leaves behind has gone away, due to it having longer to absorb the oils in my hair. If I put it on in the morning, I look like I’ve aged twenty years, because I’m suddenly gray at the temples – not a bad look, but also not what I’m going for. This loose powder is my current fave, because it leaves much less white residue than the spray-on variety in the first place. While I don’t normally brush my hair in the morning, because frizz, I will do so when I’ve got dry shampoo in, to redistribute it and the oils in my hair. If I do get frizzy, I use a little bit of Lush’s Sunny Day anti-frizz spray to calm it down and make my hair smell nice.
For my face and my hair, those four steps take maybe 5 minutes, tops, and I can brush my teeth, then scamper off and get some much-needed sleep, secure in the knowledge that I won’t have much damage control to do in the mornings. Obviously, if you wear makeup, you’ll need to take care to remove your makeup and cleanse properly before heading to bed – nothing wrecks your skin faster than sleeping with makeup on. But if you’re like me and only do that once in a while, this routine is good for those nights when you just can’t be bothered, so that you can get to bed sooner, but still feel good about caring for your skin properly.
See you in a couple weeks with some more product reviews and skincare tips. Sleep well, Fledglings! Leave a comment to tell me your favorite lazy-day skincare product.