3 Drugstore Skincare Products to Use in Your Morning Routine Featuring Vichy
We’ve seen a big shift in skincare this year! Yes, more people than ever before have leveled up their skincare game, but many have learned to streamline their routines too. You don’t need a ton of products to see real change in your skin (though we don’t judge if you want to get elaborate with it either). I love a straightforward, three-step routine in the morning, especially when I’m in a hurry. My focus is to brighten, hydrate, and protect my skin and it’s pretty easy to accomplish. Here is a good example of a simple morning skincare routine featuring products I love from our partner Vichy.
CLEANSE
The choice to wash your face in the morning is very personal. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It really depends on the morning and which skincare products I used the night before. On an average morning, I’ll splash my face with some water, pat it slightly dry, then go in with my first serum.
Brighten
Almost every skincare routine can benefit from a Vitamin C serum because it brightens your skin, potentially boosts collagen production, and in the morning specifically, it teams up with your sunscreen to protect your skin from free radical damage. There are lots of Vitamin C serums on the market these days, even some at affordable prices, but they’re not all created equal. In fact, most of them are garbage.
Vichy liftActiv Peptide-C Anti Aging Ampoule Serum ($29.50)
You want your Vitamin C (ascorbic acid specifically) to remain stable in a formula. If it doesn’t, then it won’t give your skin any benefits. A tell-tale sign your product oxidized is when it gets a dark brown tone to it. Luckily, I’ve done the legwork for you and found a few Vitamin C Serums I love at a decent price point. One of them is the Vichy LiftActiv Peptide-C Anti Aging Ampoule Serum. It comes in small vials that keep the formula stable due to the vacuum-sealed amber-colored glass. You snap open the top, cap it with the included applicator, then use it 2 - 3 times while it’s still fresh over the next 48 hours.
The product only has 10 ingredients that pack a big punch including 10% Pure Ascorbic Acid, Phtyo Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, and the Vichy Volcanic Water. It feels light and hydrating on the skin, and absorbs quickly!
HYDRATE
Now, on to the hydration portion of the routine. The ampoules I mentioned definitely hydrate your skin, but you want to really cap it with a hydrating serum that will plump your skin and give you a glow, especially when it’s cold outside.
Vichy Mineral 89 ($29.50)
Vichy Mineral 89 ($29.50)
This is one of my favorite hydrating serums because it’s made with 89 percent Vichy Volcanic Water, which is soothing and packed with 15 minerals that strengthen and protect your skin barrier against environmental factors. A lot of people think genetics greatly affects how our skin ages, but it’s only about 20 percent of the equation. The other 80 percent is due to internal factors like diet, health, vitamins and external factors like UV rays and pollution. This is referred to as the Exposome and this product helps to protect against these types of aggressors. I also love that it’s ultra-hydrating!
PROTECT
If there can only be one product you take from these suggestions, I want it to be sunscreen. Like I said above, the Exposome greatly affects your skin aging, but the factor that affects it the most is UV damage from the sun. It’s so bad, it can cause skin cancer. Even if you’re not concerned about that, the vanity reasons alone should inspire you to slather on protection. UV rays cause fine lines and wrinkles, destroy collagen and elastin in your skin, can cause hyperpigmentation and melasma (or make it worse), and can burn you. There’s no point in having a skincare routine if you don’t wear the sunscreen to protect all of that work. It’s like wearing a topcoat after you paint your nails! No chipping here!
Vichy LiftActiv Peptide-C Sunscreen SPF 30 ($39)
Here’s the great news if you want a simple routine – your moisturizer can be your sunscreen. People constantly ask me which type of sunscreen – mineral or chemical – is better for the skin and my answer is always, “The one you like enough to use every day.” If you choose a mineral sunscreen that feels like chalky paste on your skin, you’ll never apply it, so make sure to pick a formula you like. This one from Vichy feels like a perfect lotion for the day, so you can apply enough to cover all exposed skin. It won’t feel heavy on your skin. It’s also broad-spectrum SPF 30, the lowest level recommended for true protection, and has a Vitamin C derivative to boost protection.
I have a full video on a simple morning drugstore skincare routine featuring Vichy in case you want to see how these products look on my skin. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions! Use my promo code SUSAN2020 for 15% off and free shipping on any order on www.VichyUSA.com.
