My Current Evening Skincare Routine

Compared to my morning skincare routine, evenings are always a bit more complex, mostly because I like switching products around and I also aim for a face mask about 2 times a week. Originally, I intended to include the three different face masks I rotate through in this post, but now I'm thinking I may discuss them separately, mostly because they're all new products that I haven't reviewed on the blog before - so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Again, my skin type profile: I'm combination, sensitive as well as acne and dehydration-prone. I'm also currently 21 weeks pregnant.

I wear make-up and sunscreen most days, so I always do a first cleanse to get the bulk of those products off with an oil cleanser. I'm still using the Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil (mentioned here) - I think I've been using it for about a year and a half now and I'm only now coming to the end of this giant bottle. It's a decent product, but I definitely wouldn't pay the full price now that there are so many cleansing oils to choose from even at the drugstore.

I then second cleanse my face using the same cleanser as in the morning, the NUDE Omega Cleansing Jelly (reviewed here). About 3 times a week, I also like to manually exfoliate my face using the TATCHA Classic Rice Enzyme Powder* (click!); before getting pregnant, I found my stronger salicylic acid-based toners to be sufficiently exfoliating on their own, but now that I'm using gentler AHAs, I like the added boost from a physical scrub like the TATCHA. Also, to be perfectly honest, I sometimes skip the NUDE cleansing balm and go straight to the TATCHA powder after using my cleansing oil - I find that the TATCHA has some impressive cleansing properties as well.

Now that my face is all clean and fresh, I like spritzing it with my rock rose (Cistus) hydrosol again, either before or after applying the Nuxe Nuxuriance Ultra Eye & Lip Contour* (recently reviewed here) to my eye and lip areas. I then proceed by smoothing two pumps of Paula's Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA* (featured here) over my face and a little bit on the neck and chest. I've been using this product every night for about 6 months now and I've come to really appreciate it for how gentle (non-drying) but effective it is - also, I'm still on my first bottle, so even though the price seems a bit higher compared to Paula's other exfoliants, it lasts significantly longer than her liquids for example. I found that the AHA treatment helps to keep my skin clearer and smoother, on top of the more long-term anti-aging and hyperpigmentation-fighting benefits.

I do all of these steps in my bathroom, and then I give my skin at least a 20-minute break before completing my routine with the products I keep at my bedside in a little basket. I go one of two ways here: I either apply a thin layer of my favorite Laneige Water Sleeping Mask* (reviewed here) if I feel like my skin just needs some lightweight hydration, or I layer a serum first - I've just started using the new TATCHA Luminous Overnight Memory Serum Concentrate*, so no thoughts on it quite yet - and then press in about 3 drops of TATCHA Gold Camellia Beauty Oil* (reviewed here) over the top. This is my second bottle of the TATCHA oil and it remains one of my favorite facial oils I've tried to date. The very last step of my evening routine is to apply a generous amount of Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm to my lips and a nice blob of hand cream - my favorite is the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fragrance-Free (I'm maybe on my third tube now...? Seriously, every time I try a new hand cream now, I just end up going straight back to the Neutrogena).

As you can see, my routine is a bit heavy on the TATCHA at the moment, and my sensitive and somewhat drier than usual skin is loving it - but man, it's going to be painful to repurchase these beautiful but pricey products. Stay on the lookout for my mask wardrobe post and the review of the TATCHA Overnight serum. What are your tried and true evening skincare routine workhorses?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased all the other products myself. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured were purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!