I feel like my skincare routine is one of those things that’s always evolving. I’m constantly trying new products and making little (or big) changes to my routine, and lately, I’ve become a tad bit obsessed with all things skincare. At the end of the day, I still have a TON to learn and I’m excited to bring y’all along as I do some deep dives into skincare. Slash what actually works/doesn’t. But for now, I wanted to share a few of the things I’ve been seeing help to get my skin looking pretty radiant. I of course have my skin issues, but overall, these 5 things really, really freaking help.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Seriously y’all, hydration is a major key to radiant skin, no matter how boring it sounds. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so it’s no wonder that it uses most of the water you take in. If you’re not drinking enough water, your skin will show more wrinkles and look duller overall – umm, no thank you! It’s pretty standard knowledge that we should all be drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day. Water – not sodas, tea, etc. Anything with caffeine basically dehydrates you, so shouldn’t be counted in your total count.

To help motivate me, I actually invested in a few fun water bottles that make me happy (ha!). Something about having a cute water bottle makes me actually want to use it. I throw a lemon or cucumber or strawberries in too if I’m sick of plain water! Oh, and I just started ordering Smart Water on Amazon Prime and for some reason, finishing 2 of those each day ALSO motivates me.

Always wash your face

If you’re anything like me, washing your face every night is a goal, not a reality. It’s SO important to wash your face and get all that pore-clogging makeup off before you hit the sack. Your body repairs itself at night, and if you don’t let your skin breathe, there probably won’t be a ton of repair going on. Find a face wash that works well for your skin, and make it a point to wash your face on the regular. Like every. single. night.

SIDENOTE: Personally, I haven’t done much research on what the “best” face washes are but I’ve been using Purity by Philosophy (an #NSALE purchase) and it has worked really well for me. It’s super simple and gets most of my makeup off for me too. I have really enjoyed it, but I’ve recently done some reading and have found out that is not “clean”. I’m VERY new to this world though and am still learning what exactly a “dirty” cleanser means or what risk this is. But as I’m sure you’ve heard of the app by now, “think dirty” rates it as a 10 (not good). I guess I’ve got more research to do. And I’d rather not waste the HUGE container I have in the meantime. Further, I’m even more confused by the fact that this product LITERALLY has RAVING reviews all over the internet: 1,100 5 STAR Reviews on Nordstrom, 10,700 (!) 4.7-ish Reviews on Sephora, and 3,300 Reviews on Ulta. Talk about confusing, right? What’s a girl to do?

Invest in a good moisturizer

I totally get skipping certain things to save time in your routine, but whatever you do, pleaseee don’t skip moisturizing your face! I had a friend that didn’t use moisturizer on her face for the longest time, and she has a few early-onset wrinkles to show for it. That’s motivation for me. I’d recommend getting a lighter daytime facial moisturizer, and a thicker nighttime cream or oil for repair.

I’ve been really into using 100% argan oil as my moisturizer – it absorbs quickly, isn’t greasy, and is chock-full of natural anti-aging properties. I’ve been using this one I picked up at Sephora a few months ago and LOVE it.  And as for a clean moisturizer, I’m still on the fence. I LOVE the products I use and am just not ready yet so I’m resisting for now (ha). BUT I do have a few beautycounter products on the way to give them a shot because I’ve heard so many great things about the brand from people I really trust.

Clean your makeup brushes (often)

I don’t know about y’all, but I definitely need to do this more often. We should really all be cleaning our makeup brushes at least once per week, if not more – don’t cringe, but sometimes I go more than a month (I know, gross!). Cleaning makeup brushes isn’t exactly on the top of anyone’s to-do list, but all kinds of bad bacteria can easily build up on makeup brushes, and I know y’all don’t want any of that. You can find special cleansers at the beauty store, but I always just use Johnson’s baby shampoo and it seems to work fine. To wash, I just swirl the brushes on the palm of my hand to help release any old product – it’s pretty nasty to see how much old makeup comes off those things, lulz. After you’ve washed your brushes and rinsed them under warm water, just lay them out on a towel dry.

We also wrote about everything you need to know about your makeup brushes in this blog post.

Do a facial massage

This is a tip I picked from a makeup artist about a year ago, and for some reason, I forgot about it until recently. This is especially helpful if your skin is feeling blah or just tired overall, and it really helps with a glow. Start with oil or moisturizer in your hands (it’ll make the massage easier), and start gently rubbing in a circular motion starting with your forehead and outlining your face (so down your jawline). Once you get to your chin, start at the forehead again, and do this for about 30 seconds. Then, use strong motions with a couple fingers from the top of your cheekbones down to your mouth. Do this for another 30. Finally, firmly pinch your jawline from your ears to your chin, over and over for 30 seconds. This whole thing helps wake up your skin and drains any puffiness, etc. Plus it just feels gooood.

I’ve also recently started hearing about lymphatic massaging and jade rollers, which I’ve since added to my list of “things I need to research” – a list that is becoming longer than I know what to do with. Again, I’m super new at this whole skin care thing and goodness gracious, it is overwhelming. There is just SO MUCH out there like WOW.

*

OK, so like I said, all pretty basic things – but I think the commitment is the biggest thing you can give your skin. When you’re eating well, drinking water, and going through proper skincare, a glow is much easier to find.

But I really wrote this post because I wanted to DIP MY TOE into all THINGS skincare and start slowly but surely adding this vertical to BTD. I can easily get overwhelmed though, so I wanted to take baby steps.

And plus, I wanted to hear from YOU. Please comment on the above tips or add more. Tell us what works for you? And why? What have you learned? Any websites that have been super insightful? I’ll add all of it to my ever-growing “need-to-research” list lol.

If you liked this post, then you might love this little download PDF that we put together of the 30 beauty secrets! These days, I just can’t get ENOUGH of all things beauty :) I am loving this journey so, so much!