If you’re looking for an affordable skincare routine for beginners, this post is for you.
I’ve always enjoyed skincare products, but it wasn’t until quarantine in March 2020 that I started to REALLY enjoy skincare. I spent a lot of money trying out different products and a lot of time researching ingredients and routines.
Having tried both affordable and high end products, I wanted to share an easy & affordable skincare routine for beginners for both morning and night. If you’re looking to step foot into the skin care obsessed world- read on!
Affordable Skincare Routine For Beginners
Obviously not everyone is going to have the same skincare routine- you may have oily, dry or combination skin. For the sake of not having to create individual posts for each skin type, I’m sharing product that can work on any skin type. The one thing that doesn’t really change between the different skin types is the order in which you apply your product in.
For your morning routine, the order in which you should apply your skincare products is: Micellar Water, Serums, Eye Creams, Moisturizer & SPF.
For your nighttime routine, the order in which you should apply your skincare products is: Cleanser, Toner, Serums/Treatments, Eye Creams, Moisturizer & Sleep Masks.
Morning Skincare Routine
Micellar Water
I’ve been told you can over cleanse your face causing you to break out more. So since you’re washing your face with a cleanser at night before bed, your morning cleanser should be replaced with a micellar water. Micellar helps cleanse & tone the skin, promotes skin hydration, helps keep skin clear and is perfect for all skin types. This Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water is not only great for taking off makeup, but also for cleansing your face when you first wake up in the morning. If you’re able to spend a little more, I love the micellar water by Drunk Elephant!
Serums
I personally use a collagen serum and vitamin c serum. Commonly used serums that are great for the skin are Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol, Squalane, Vitamin C and Lactic Acid are just a few. The collagen serum I use is by Inkey List and love it! It’s a lightweight firming serum that visibly reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles for plumper, healthier-looking skin. Vitamin C serum helps brighten dull, stressed-out skin and is great for all skin types. Inkey List also has a great vitamin c serum that I often use.
Eye Cream
CeraVe’s Eye Repair Cream is great for dark circles and puffiness. It has hyaluronic acid that retains skin’s moisture, won’t clog pores and is suitable for all skin types. The two eye creams I use are from Inkey List; their caffeine eye cream and their brightening eye cream. The caffeine eye cream hydrates and helps reduce the appearance of puffiness while the brightening cream brightens and reduces the look of dark circles. I usually rotate between the two.
Moisturizer
Ok side note- did you know lack of moisturizing can lead to so many body changed even dandruff?? If there’s one thing you absolutely cannot miss in your skincare routine, it’s moisturizing. There are so many great moisturizes both affordable and high end- just make sure there’s no fragrance in it! Some of my favorite affordable moisturizers are Cerave unscented daily moisturizer (good for all skin types) and E.L.F holy hydration moisturizer (great for dry skin).
SPF
Last step in your morning routine should always be SPF, no matter what season or if it’s sunny or not! I have a post on reasons why you shouldn’t skip SPF if you need a little more convincing. Normally at least 30 SPF is recommended but I use 50 and sometimes even 100 (depends on the kind of day I’m having). Some of my favorite SPF’s are Sun Bum Sunscreen Face Stick, Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen Lotion, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen Stick and Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen.
Night Skincare Routine
Cleanser
Cleansing is one of the most important steps of your night skincare routine and if you’re feeling too lazy to do the rest of your routine, you AT LEAST need to clean your face before sleeping. The one cleanser that I absolutely love (and is affordable too) is the Creave Hydrating Facial Cleanser. The brand also has a Foaming Cleanser for oily skin and one with Salicylic Acid. Cerave is such a great and affordable brand that I always recommend their products to anyone just starting to get into skincare.
Toner
Toner removes any dirt, grime and impurities left on your skin after cleansing it. It restores your skin’s pH level, smooths skin by refining rough patches and improves your overall skin tone. Elf has a great toner called Keep Your Balance Toner and the brand Pixi has many great toners. My favorite is their Collagen Toner and their Clarity Tonic with Salicylic Acid.
Serums
Your night serums should be your treatment serums like hyaluronic serum, niacinamide serum, hydrating serums or any other anti-aging/acne fighting serums. For affordable serums the only brands I really recommend are The Inkey List and The Ordinary. I’ve tried other serums from the drugstore and they just don’t compare to the formulas of both these brands. Some of my favorite affordable serums are The Ordinary Niacinamide, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Serum, The Inkey List Salicylic Acid, The Inkey List Vitamin C serum,
Under Eye Cream
Normally you can get away with just using eye cream at night, but I use it both day and night. The eye creams I mentioned earlier in the morning skin care routine are the ones I use at night as well, whichever one I used in the morning I’ll use the other at night. I also use The Ordinary Caffeine Solution serum as an “eye cream”- works great!
Moisturizer
Again, moisturizer is so important in your skin care routine. I usually use whichever moisturizer I used in the morning for my night time skin care routine.
Sleep Masks
I love sleeping with face masks for days I’m feeling extra dry or if I have any active breakouts. Most of my sleep masks are on the higher end but ELF has a great hydrating sleep mask that’s affordable.
Like I’ve previously said, I’ve been on a skincare kick for over the past year and have tried sooooo many products- both affordable and high end. Let me know if you’re interested in a high end skin care routine with products that are actually worth the money!
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