The Observation
Like many people my age have, the imperfections in my skin cause me a great deal of sadness. Though acne is such a common symptom of adolescence, it has not yet become normalized in society’s beauty standards, but rather shamed and told to cover up. People are accused of being lazy, dirty, or gross when it is solely a matter of the hormones they produce.
I feel this pressure. I used to look at my acne-prone skin and groan about the bumps on my face. I'm really fascinated by the effect of using a few products every night, and the reason that people take time out of their day to continue this routine. How some products will cause adverse effects due to elements like fragrance and chemical composition. Why moisturizing skin is important even for oil-prone skin. Different people’s routines must vary so differently in the way their skin responds.
This nightly routine is done right before I go to bed. Even if I have not been out that day, it allows me to feel refreshed and stripped of all the dirt and grime that has built up on my skin. It allows me to wind down and remove me from screens as I get ready to sleep. I think I have perfected my routine over this quarantine, and I’m excited to dive deeper into it.
The Crew
These are the products that I use every night. My nights in shining armor
- Headband
- Reusable Cotton Rounds
- Hand Soap
- Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water
- Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
- Chapstick
The Filming
My trusty sidekick, my phone, is propped up against my sink and ready for action.
The Process
After a long day of different tasks, whether it be working, napping, cooking, or catching up with friends, I make my way into my bathroom where the magic happens. All of my supplies are neatly tucked into a basket at the corner of my sink, so I can promptly start working.
The Entertainment
I put on one of my playlists to play on my phone, whatever mood I'm feeling. I place it to the side of the sink to keep me company as I proceed with my routine.
The Before Picture
Here I am, with all the beauty products smothered across my face. All my beautiful artwork about to be taken off.
Safety Precautions
I put my hair behind my loving headband to protect it from the splash zone.
Cotton Rounds
My rounds are safely stored away in the mesh bag(in which I store them to throw into the washing machine every week). I pick my victim for the day.
Micellar Water
I splash some of the water onto the pad to prep it to clean my face. This just clears off all of the excess product, not too much of a deep clean.
Washing My Hands
I always make sure to wash my hands here because the remainder of the products are applied directly to my hands. I don't want to get any excess oil onto my face.
Foaming Cleanser
The next step is a deeper cleaning into my pores. I obtain about 1.5 pumps of wash and massage my face with it until the foam is not as white and distributed into my face
Washing it off
I then wash this cleaner off my face with my water and pat it dry.
The Ordinary
This product is just a serum treatment for a chemical exfoliant. I put two drops of it onto my hands and pat it evenly on my face.
Lotion
In the last real step of my routine, I use about half a pump of lotion and dot it onto my face and rub it in until it is totally absorbed.
Relief
I release my hair from its animal-like jail. my face is finally clean~
Chapstick
I apply a hefty layer of chapstick before I go to sleep, as I get super dehydrated throughout the night.
The Conclusion
My face is far from perfect. Far from the East Asian standard of glass-like skin in which my mom pressured me to have from a young age. That said, my skin is a lot cleaner than it was for many years, and going through this routine makes me feel productive and refreshed, no matter how little I did throughout the day. There is no instant gratification to doing this every day, and the progress is minuscule, but I trust that I can continue to keep this one thing up despite anything coming my way.
In recording this process, I finally have a timestamp for how long this takes me every day, just over 7 minutes. That’s 42.5 hours a year, but it all happens so quickly every day. It is a very step-by-step routine, though it has become a habit for me, to the point that I can’t go to sleep without performing it.
The Journey Map
Flow and feelings~
The Nudges
After critique, I have compiled a shortlist of things to further advance my relationship with my nighttime skincare routine. Of those, I would like to share the impact and interest.
Unfavorable zone: Highlighted in yellow I have highlighted topics in which I believe would have a negative impact on my skincare. As a result of how meticulously I have crafted my routine, changing it, or even ceasing it would result in huge breakouts.
Interest Zone: In red, I have shown some activities in which I would be interested in further explaining or testing out. Of these, explanatory elements would be more interesting, because I felt that the time constraints of the first presentation made a further desire in me to give more in-depth explanations.
