The Ultimate Skin Care Guide for the Perfectionist

Type A ladies, listen up! When you’re a perfectionist you believe in doing everything by the book and when it comes to your skin care routine that means following the advice of experts. Lucky for you we have some of the best board-certified dermatologists on call and we’ve tapped them all to create the ultimate skin care routine for a perfectionist. Want your skin to look its best—read: young and glowing—for as long as possible? Keep reading!

No skin care routine—whether is belongs to a meticulous perfectionist or a busy gal on-the-go—can begin without a clean canvas. Cleansing your skin from scalp to soles is a necessity if you want to optimize the rest of your routine. What’s more, allowing dirt, oil, and other impurities to sit and linger on the skin’s surface can lead to a host of skin care issues including breakouts! 

If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll want to use a facial cleanser that’s been formulated specifically for your skin type. There is no room for one-sized-fits-all here!

• Dry skin? Seek out hydrating cleansers with creamy textures like La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser.
• When you have oily or combination skin, you’ll want to be sure to find a cleanser that removes that excess oil without stripping your skin of its necessary moisture. We like Vichy Pureté Thermale Foaming Cream.
• Sensitive skin types should look for cleansers with soothing properties that respect the skin’s delicate pH balance. Micellar waters are perfect for that and many are formulated with soothing thermal waters.
• Concerned with the signs of aging? Mature skin types should look for anti-aging cleansers that can help brighten the appearance of your skin and are formulated with ingredients like glycolic acid and antioxidants.
• If you have acne-prone skin and breakouts are your number one skin care concern, look for cleansers that are formulated with known acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
  
  

If our consulting dermatologists are nuts about one skin care ingredient—other than vitamin C of course!—it’s glycolic acid. (This skin care perfectionist will tell you she never goes a day without using it in her routine.) Glycolic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid that helps to chemically exfoliate the surface of your skin and products formulated with it are known to help brighten the appearance of a dull-looking complexion. One such product that we love is from L’Oréal Paris. RevitaLift Bright Reveal Brightening Peel Pads can help to peel away a dull, uneven tone to reveal brighter-looking skin and reduce the visible appearance of wrinkles! Use one of the 30 pre-soaked pads after cleansing your skin each night but be sure to layer on the broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher in the morning since AHAs can make your skin more photosensitive!

In the morning after cleansing, a true perfectionist will reach for an antioxidant serum to layer under their moisturizer and broad-spectrum sunscreen. External aggressors like pollution can take a serious toll on your skin, leading to premature signs of skin aging over time. By applying a serum formulated with potent antioxidants—like SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic—you can help shield your skin from the effects of free radicals.

At nighttime, when those external aggressors are less prominent, reach for a serum that can address your skin care concerns. There are great serums available to help address breakouts—often formulated with salicylic acid like this one from SkinCeuticals—and still others formulated with hyaluronic acid that can help hydrate and nourish a dehydrated complexion!

After applying your layer of serum it’s time to lock in all that goodness with a moisturizer. Just like your cleanser, a perfectionist should reach for a moisturizer that was created for their skin type and not just any old cream. Not sure which moisturizer is best for your skin? We help you find one here! Note, even if you don’t have time for peel pads or serum you should always make time for moisturizer as this is a non-negotiable in skin care… much like our next step! 

Wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, sunburns, and even skin cancer—these are all side effects of NOT applying—and reapplying—daily broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. The sun’s UV rays are not only incredibly harmful they are also a leading cause of premature skin aging and applying broad-spectrum sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin from their negative effects. One sunscreen we love, especially for face, is La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral. The ultra-light sunscreen fluid is formulated with broad-spectrum SPF 50 and an antioxidant blend. It’s paraben-free, fragrance-free, and even suitable for sensitive skin!

While most skin care routines focus on the face, as a perfectionist you know that the skin below your chin needs a little love as well. Give your body a treat each time you shower by using a great-smelling creamy cleanser that can hydrate skin and pair it with a Clarisonic Smart Profile Brush. This head-to-toe cleansing brush can be used on your face with the proper brush head—helping to elevate your cleansing routine instantly—but switch it to the body turbo mode and you can use it to cleanse your bod 11 times better than hands alone!

After hopping out of the shower, pat—never (ever!) rub—yourself dry and while your skin is still just slightly damp apply a moisturizer all over your body. You can opt for a rich body butter if your skin tends to feel dry or a creamy, lightweight lotion if you’re just looking for a little hydration.

Remember, if you’re going to be outdoors you’ll want to make sure you’re applying and re-applying sunscreen with at least broad-spectrum SPF 30. The skin on your neck, chest, and hands is often forgotten when applying sunscreen, making them some of the first places to show the signs of premature skin aging. To make it easy, reach for a moisturizer that’s been formulated with broad-spectrum sunscreen, this way you can hydrate your skin and protect it at the same time!