Until recently, I thought I had cornered the market on what a skincare routine should be.

Every night, without fail, I went through an extensive routine reinforced by eye creams, lotions, and serums. The morning after required a thorough check to ensure the routine’s effectiveness before dotting on eye cream and adding brow filler and foundation to the mix.

When working from home became the new normal, I opted for a permanent make-up free state (save for the brow filler and eye creams), thus freeing myself from the shackles of a time-consuming routine that, until then, I performed out of a sense of duty to my aging skin.

As weeks wore on, my life shrunk to little more than Zoom meetings and the occasional Bridgerton fix.

As weeks wore on, my life shrunk to little more than Zoom meetings and the occasional Bridgerton fix. Eventually, the results of staring at a screen all day, hidden from direct sunlight and isolated from fresh air took hold and I, like so many others, realized that I had neglected to adapt my skincare routine to my new reality.

Soon, my skin was screaming for attention, and I decided that the many minutes I had saved by no longer slathering on cream every night would, moving forward, be best spent researching a new and improved skincare routine.

My routine hadn’t changed too much over the years, even as I crossed the bridge from my 30s to my 40s. My quest for an upgraded beauty routine had me scrolling through magazines, beauty blogs, and the feeds of influencers whose skin was so flawless, it begged me to further click through to sites that sold their promises.

I filled my online shopping carts with next-gen products that included ingredients like niacinamide and arbutin.

I filled my online shopping carts with next-gen products that included ingredients like niacinamide and arbutin. In the months that followed, I rotated products in and out of a new routine meant to nourish my skin while it sat lifeless in front a screen all day.

And it worked. After several months of trials and skincare tribulations, I managed to settle on a routine that featured a balanced, well-thought-out mix of high-low products. The key was to look at skincare in a manner that that went beyond simply scouring store shelves for rich creams, face oils, and serums that promised glassy-like but never delivered.

To build a routine that would weather the storm of rotating lockdowns and mask-ne, I had to focus on newly acquired lifestyle habits, the long-term risks of those changes, and what my skin needed to progress, healthily.

When re-examining your skincare routine, monitor your skin for signs of changes. These changes could be the result of, for example, blue light emanating from screens and changes to your diet. Be thoughtful when deciding what you need to support those changes and, when in doubt, consult a skincare professional.

Let every hair flip be fabulous.

XOXO,

Le Snobbery

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original photo by Nika_Akin/Pixabay || Manipulation by Le Snobbery