Multi-Tasking Beauty
There's something that's intrinsically calming about a pampering multi-step skin-care routine. Taking your time to meticulously apply layer after layer of product, each with its own specialized benefit, can be a peaceful moment of zen in an otherwise hectic day. Unfortunately, not everyone has that kind of time or patience with a heavily involved skin-care routine, preferring instead to streamline their regimen into only the essentials.
But, just because you prefer a skinimalist approach to a maximalist indulgence doesn't mean you have to skimp on the skin-loving benefits. In fact, there are a bevy of products out there that provide a multitude of perks in one hardworking formula. It is possible to pare down your routine to a few basics and still get the same benefits as a 10-step expert regimen.
Here's our Shen-tested, Shen-approved multitasking routine that features three a.m. products, two p.m. products, and one weekly treatment.
Morning:
Water Rinse
Unless you applied a nighttime peel or treatment, you can usually get away with just splashing your face with some lukewarm water in the morning. This will help wash away the excess oil and any eye sleepies, get your circulation going, and prep your skin for the rest of your routine without stripping away your skin's natural moisture.
Made with a proprietary blend of probiotics and prebiotics, this refreshing spray balances your skin's microbiome to nourish and revitalize your natural barrier. It's also packed with protective antioxidants to fight damaging free radicals, plus hydrating extracts and anti-wrinkle ingredients. We like spritzing it on throughout the day whenever our skin is looking dull or feeling dry.
Youth To The People 15% Vitamin C + Clean Caffeine Eye Serum
The ultimate morning perk up, this lightweight eye serum has a whopping 15 percent vitamin C, which has been proven to brighten dark circles, firm lax skin, and even out tone. The addition of plant-derived caffeine helps reduce puffiness and accelerate the benefits of the vitamin C. A few dabs of this will energize your eyes and erase any sign of sleepiness, no matter how few ZZZs you got the night before.
Infused with soothing niacinamide, this SPF has been shown to help soothe acne blemishes and minimize dark spots, while lactic acid provides gentle surface exfoliation. It also has hydrating sodium hyaluronate and antioxidant vitamin E, making it a complete skin treatment for oily and acne-prone skin types — if functions as your SPF, treatment, and moisturizer in one. For those of you on the normal to dry side, try the EltaMD UV Daily, which is infused with hyaluronic acid for a side of hydration with your sun protection.
Evening:
MBR Continueline Three in One Cleanser
When you need to wash away the day, you can't go wrong with this does-it-all cleanser. The ultra-gentle wash cleanses, nourishes, and soothes with a blend of apricot kernel oil, amino acid-based cleanser, panthenol, and allantoin. It leaves skin feeling hydrated, smooth, and revitalized as it helps activate its natural regeneration process and prepares it for the products to follow.
Nature of Things Balancing Facial Essence
You can follow your cleanser with the Venn mist first, or go directly into this genius serum. If you can think of a skin function it does it — hydrates, balances, tones, refines pores, evens tone, protects against free radical damage, and promotes new skin cell growth. Its bioactive botanical ingredients are scientifically advanced but totally natural, so you get all the goodness of nature with the best that science has to offer.
Once A Week:
It's important to spoil your skin once a week with a top-notch treatment, like this two-step system (a Shen exclusive!) from Decree. The clinical grade program features a resurfacing peel that uses alpha-hydroxy acids and fruit enzymes to dissolve away dead and dull skin to reveal smooth, radiant skin below. Follow this with the ultra-nourishing moisture mask to restore essential lipids and hydration and give your complexion a plump and dewy appearance.