It’s that time of year again where many of us our back sitting in lectures, spending time reading course material, and of course, studying. Meeting assignment deadlines and keeping up to date with all your other courses can be stressful especially when you have other responsibilities to take care of. With less time for ourselves, you can cue the sleep deprivation and the massive amounts of caffeine intake to stay awake and alert. Skipping meals and the constant state of exhaustion can cause breakouts, flakiness, or just dull-looking skin. The stress of finals and meeting deadlines can have a toll on one’s skin, but have no fear, here a couple of skin care tips and product suggestions that can help your skin look healthy again.
Skin care tips for students (1) Clean Your Makeup Off Before Bed
When you’re balancing five classes and a part-time job no one has the time for a 14 step skincare routine. Although most skincare experts are not a fan of makeup wipes they are essential when you’re a busy college student. If you use makeup wipes to remove your makeup, then make sure to cleanse your skin. Some of my favourite makeup wipes are the Simple Water Boost Eye Makeup Remover Pads and the cult favourite, Yes to Cucumbers (sadly only available in the US). These two are amazing and won’t strip your skin from natural oils. We’ve ALL had those days where you just too tired and want to quickly remove your makeup and pass out.
Simple Water Boost Micellar Eye Makeup Remover Pads, $10, shoppersdrugmart.ca
However, using micellar water to clean your makeup off is much better because it’s more effective. All you need is some cotton pads or paper towel to wipe your face clean. Micellar waters are great because not only do they act as makeup removers but they are extremely gentle and hydrating. My favourites include the Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Water, Bioderma (obviously), and Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water.
Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Water, $9, walmart.ca
Skin Care Tips (2) Cleanse Gently
Keeping the face clean is probably one of the most important things you can and should do, to take care of your skin. If you clean your skin well, your skin will take care of itself. In order to clean your skin well you have to be careful not to use cleansers that strip your skin. Your best bet is a cleanser that is effective and gentle on the skin.
The Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser will literally make your skin feel like a baby’s butt. It not only helped my skin texture but also my acne. It’s a great product for all skin types. If you want to take your makeup off with it I recommend double cleasing. It may be pricey for some, so a good dupe is the Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash. It’s just as good, but the rosewater in the Glossier cleanser makes it just a little bit better.
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, $22, glossier.com
The Cetaphil Antibacterial Cleansing Bar is also brilliant for acne-prone skin and it’s formulated for all skin types. This is the black sheep of Cetaphil cleansers, it’s amazing. I was wary of the soap bar formula at first, but after using it religiously for months, I’m in love. If you have dry skin, have no fear the cleanser is formulated for dry skin anyways. For oily skinned folks, the cleanser does not make your skin greasy at all, quite the contrary in fact. This cleanser was recommended to me by my dermatologist and it is fantastic for those pesky breakouts.
Cetaphil Antibacterial Cleansing Bar, $6, walmart.ca
3) Moisturize
Hydrating your skin is just as important as hydrating your body. No matter how oily your skin is or if you have acne-prone skin, moisturizing is crucial. The more dehydrated your skin is, the more excess oil it will produce to accommodate. The excess amount of oil then causes those pesky painful pimples.
Since Glossier has been killing it lately in the skin department, one of my holy grail products is their Priming Moisturizer. You don’t have to use this to specifically prime your skin before applying makeup. I’ve used it both in the morning and at night. It’s a great light primer while also giving your skin the hydration it needs. The Priming Moisturizer is jam-packed with hydrating ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, and more. What I love about this product that it will NOT break you out. It’s formulated for ALL skin types, this stuff is a dream and I’m currently on my second bottle.
Glossier Priming Moisturizer, $27, glossier.com
Another moisturizer I love that may even be better than the Glossier (Yup, I said it) is the Cera Ve Facial Moisturizing Lotion. They have an AM and PM one – the AM one has SPF 30 in which is great bonus. I use the PM one and Oh my god has this cream changed my life. It’s formulated with Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamides which are amazing at minimizing pores. It’s an amazing moisturizer for ALL skin types, packed with hydration, is lightweight, and feels amazing on the skin all year around.
Cera Ve PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, $18, shoppersdrugmart.ca
4) Use SPF
Applying SPF on your skin is extremely important. Let me tell you, if you ever visit a dermatologist, one of the first questions they will ask you is, “Do you wear SPF?” If you want wrinkle-free non-damaged skin, you need to wear SPF every day. If you are acne-prone or have acne scars of any kind, SPF is crucial. The sun will instantly darken scars and if you are using any kind of medication to help you with pigmentation, most creams have ingredients that make your skin extra sensitive to the skin, increasing your risk of skin cancer. An SPF I’ve been using is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF 50. It’s lightweight and won’t give you any flashback when taking photos.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF 50, $34, well.ca
5) Spot Treatments
How to get rid of those annoying zits on your face? Zap and nourish. A lot of spot treatments out there really dry out your skin so be careful. In order to know what kind of spot treatment will work for your skin, you have to know which ingredients work best with your skin.
A popular ingredient in many spot treatments is Benzyl Peroxide. Many people swear by it, but sadly, my skin reacts to it horribly. In the meantime, my skin LOVES Salicylic Acid. I’ve noticed that for many people, it is either/or. Feel free to look into spot treatments and find ones that work best for you. But the most important thing is that the treatment is gentle AND effective.
My holy grail? The Avene Cleanance Expert Emulsion Cream. This stuff is amazing and is gentle enough that you can use on your whole face and will not dry you out. It’s also great as a spot treatment
Avene Cleanance Expert Emulsion Cream, $30, shoppersdrugmart.ca
Another great all over the skin/gentle product you can use is the Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil-Free Lotion. This stuff is so lovely, it won’t dry out your skin and works to purify the skin and balance your skin’s PH levels. However, an ingredient that is amazing and works for almost everyone is Sulfur.
Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil-Free Lotion, $50, sephora.ca
Feature Image: @PiotrMarcinski / Adobe Stock
Hope this was helpful and that you learned a few skin care tips!
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