Prep your face for the day with this a.m. skin care routine
Having a solid a.m. skin care routine starts your day off on the right foot. It's so much more than simply washing your face and moisturizing. According to Christopher, the purpose of morning skin care is to "reduce puffiness and smooth the skin to make the perfect canvas for a flawless makeup application." The following four steps ensure you'll leave the house with a radiant, even complexion.
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Step 1: Wake up and cleanse
This first step is pretty straightforward — we want to cleanse the skin to remove the oil and heavier skin care products from the night before. Christopher recommends massaging the cleanser over your face with quick circular movements for at least a minute, starting in the middle of the face and working outwards towards the neck to reduce puffiness. If you use a cleanser with exfoliating ingredients like AHAs, try applying the cleanser like a mask on dry skin for one minute before adding water to let the "ingredients penetrate deeper and work better."
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Step 2: Tone
This is an important skin care step as using a toner will balance skin's pH and help to "open the skin" so that active ingredients in your serums and moisturizer can penetrate deeper and be more effective. Apply on a cotton pad and sweep over the face.
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Step 3: Apply your serum
Once the skin has been cleansed and toned, it's time to apply your serum of choice. This can range from anti-aging, brightening, hydrating or blemish-fighting. According to Christopher, it's important to "massage serums in to the skin until it feels like they're fully absorbed" before moving on to the next step.
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Step 4: Choose a lightweight moisturizer with SPF
It's easiest to choose a moisturizer that already contains SPF — this even includes your eye cream. Christopher likes to keep it light and simple during the day as layering too many products in the morning can "get sticky and, even worse, roll up on your skin and mess up your makeup application." sun protection helps prevent premature aging and helps protect the skin from any photo-sensitivity that results from your skin care products.
