Of all the routines I follow, the nighttime skincare routine comes very close to being the biggest pain. And the reason why is not even a reason but utter laziness. Imagine you are lying on the couch with a blanket, catching up on a TV series or a movie, and then you start drifting in and out of sleep. At this point, the last thing on my mind is having a wet face. All I want to do is just jump into bed and disappear to wonderland. After all, sleep is good for your skin’s beauty; or so I heard.

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Well, regardless of what you have planned ahead in your dreams, having a nighttime skincare routine is good for your skin and it will thank you later. All you have to do is find a skincare routine that will not seem like an impossible feat. And this means one that will not take up the next hour of your night. My nighttime skincare routine is quite simple. I wash my face with a mild soap, and then apply a moisturizer, a bit of essential oil/petroleum jelly on my lips, and I am ready for my dream date. It takes me less than 4 minutes, and for the most part, my skin is happy with me.

Tips to Make your Nighttime Skincare Routine a Breeze

Wash off Your Makeup

This one goes without saying; never sleep with your makeup on. Always wash/cleanse your face with moisturizing soap and water then towel off. Taking off all those cosmetics, dust, oil, etc will allow your skin to breathe. This is normally what I do when I have my eyes half-closed with my mind already on the other side. It’s a simple nighttime skincare routine that leaves your skin radiant if only for a while.

Exfoliate your Skin

Exfoliating your skin is important because it gets rid of any dead skin and build-up of residue, and ends up brightening the skin. It’s recommended that you exfoliate at least once or twice a week (not every day) so as to avoid any skin dryness. I use exfoliating gloves, which are not too rough or too soft – just somewhere in the middle. Although you can exfoliate your skin at any time of day, doing it just before bedtime is best because while you are in la-la land, your skin will be rejuvenation itself.

Moisturize

If you just hop onto the bed without applying any form of moisturizer, then you are inviting dryness to embrace your lovely face. And we all know what that leads to; a scaly look and feel of your face! A moisturizer seals in moisture and everything else you have applied (like an anti-aging serum or toner). This makes your skin supple, smooth, and youthful.

Apply Eye Cream

If you are one of those people who always look like they are tired of being tired, and it reflects in the form of dark circles under their eyes, then an eye cream will do you good. Using an eye cream on your nighttime skincare routine will get rid of those panda eyes, liven up your eyes and make you look youthful. The cream simply protects the delicate skin we all have under our eyes.

Get Some Real Sleep

I know it seems like I might be preaching to the choir, but going to bed and tossing and turning does not count as sleep. You need real sleep, which should be part of your nighttime skincare routine and lasts until you wake up. Real sleep is important for your beauty and allows collagen regeneration for your skin, which plays a big part in giving you a youthful look. They didn’t call her sleeping beauty for nothing.

I know different folks have a different nighttime skincare routine, so feel free to share yours in the comments section below.