Your Step-By-Step Guide to the Perfect Morning Skincare
The nighttime routine has become the star of the skincare regimen, but your morning skincare routine is just as important to the overall look and health of your skin. While your evening regimen might focus on active ingredients and skin repair, your morning routine should aim to protect your skin barrier for the day ahead.
Morning is also prime time to focus on feeling refreshed, reducing puffiness, and prepping your skin for makeup (should you choose to wear it). Esthetician Cecily Brayden says the biggest mistake she sees in her clients is “concentrating on covering up their flaws and not focusing on the inner function of their skin.” So before you reach for your favorite foundation, give your skin what it needs to glow sans makeup.
Whether you’re a skincare veteran or new to the world of skincare, we have expert tips to help you build your morning skincare routine. We also have the answers to all of your questions, like: Do I really need to wash my face in the morning? What daytime serum should I use? Is a morning eye cream really necessary? Keep reading to discover the perfect skincare routine for a morning glow.
Meet the Expert
Cecily Braden is an esthetician and the owner of Cecily Braden Spa & Wellness
Jocelyn Biga is a New York-based makeup artist and the Global Director of Pro Artistry at ESTÉE LAUDER.
How to Build the Perfect Morning Skincare Routine
Step 1: Cleanse How You Choose
The skincare community is torn: Should you wash your face in the morning? The short answer: maybe. If you used active ingredients the night before, like retinol or alpha or beta hydroxy acids (AHAs or BHAs), it’s important to wash your face, as these ingredients can sensitize your skin to the sun. You will also want to wash your face if you use an overnight treatment, sweat at night, have oily skin, or if you simply enjoy a morning cleanse. One of our go-tos: ONEKIND Clean Slate Gentle Cleansing Cream.
However, if your nighttime routine is void of actives and you skipped your morning workout, you can opt for a simple refresh with micellar water or just begin at step two of our recommendation. Whether you cleanse or not, the first step in your morning routine should always involve refreshing and rehydrating the skin. “Our skin loses moisture during the night through respiration and trans-dermal water loss (TEWL), which leads to the skin feeling dry and dehydrated,” says Braden. By replenishing moisture back into your skin, it will be prepped to receive the next steps of your routine.
Step 2: Tone Your Skin
Toners have come a long way since the highly astringent formulas of the early 2000s. Today, you can find a toner catered to your specific needs, whether you are looking to balance oil, add a burst of moisture, or treat texture and discoloration. We love the AVANT SKINCARE Proactive Mandelic Acid Restoring Anti-Pollution Toner for its multitasking benefits. The morning is the perfect time to protect your skin with antioxidants, and this toner is full of them. It also gently exfoliates congested skin while reducing the appearance of pores. The GLOWOASIS SKINCARE Milkdew Ph Balancing Moisture Milk Toner is another useful option for plumping skin with moisture and strengthening the skin barrier.
Step 3: Slather on a Serum
Serums have entered the group chat. These lightweight targeted treatments penetrate your skin deeper than a moisturizer, making them an effective solution to common skin concerns. Vitamin C is a prime ingredient to incorporate into your morning routine due to its brightening qualities and antioxidant properties. We can’t get enough of the BEAUTYSTAT Universal C Skin Refiner (and Ipsters agree!). It features 20% stabilized L-ascorbic acid (the purest form of vitamin C) to help bring brightness, clarity, and an overall more even tone to your complexion.
Step 4: Don’t Forget Eye Cream
Do you really need eye cream during the day? It’s totally up to you, but makeup artist Jocelyn Biga says yes. “Applying a nice lightweight eye cream during the day can reduce the severity of creasing in your concealer. Your eye cream will reduce the amount of dry lines, helping you to have a smoother makeup application. Choose an eye cream that offers anti-aging benefits plus protection from blue light and the environment.” DR. BRANDT SKINCARE Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel instantly tightens and smooths the skin, depuffs the look of under-eye bags, and brightens dark circles. Plus, it layers like a dream under makeup (no pilling here!).
Step 5: Get to Moisturizing
Whether your skin is oily or dry, we can all benefit from a quality moisturizer. You might want to alternate the thickness of your moisturizer based on the seasons, but in the morning, you’ll want to prioritize a lightweight face cream that layers well, says Braden. TATCHA The Water Cream has long been a cult fave moisturizer, and for good reason. It doubles skin’s moisture without feeling greasy, making it perfect for all skin types.
Step 6: Always End With Sunscreen
Finally, don’t skip your SPF. Ever. No matter the time of year, dermatologists recommend using sunscreen to reduce the harmful effects of UV rays and prevent premature signs of aging. You can opt to shorten your routine by using a moisturizer that already has SPF or by applying tinted sunscreen in place of your SPF and makeup base steps. As long as you're using a product with at least SPF 30, consider yourself covered (until your next application). SUPERGOOP Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 is a great invisible sunscreen for all skin types and skin tones. We stan that it’s water and sweat-resistant, plus it gets bonus points for blue light protection.
Interested in more skincare tips? Check out our guide to red light therapy and skincare-makeup hybrids that actually make your skin better. Then take our Beauty Quiz now to get started with your own IPSY beauty subscription. Already an IPSY member? Refer your friends to earn points, which you can use toward products. Either way, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and TikTok @IPSY.
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