Prefer to Keep Your Skincare Routine Simple? Don’t Skip These…

Photo of a woman looking at her skin through the mirror.

Some of us are big fans of a skincare routine—the incredible feel of high quality products, the relaxing process of getting out of your makeup and applying ingredients that are good for you, and the comfort of knowing you’re taking care of your skin. But what about those of us who are…not quite there yet? Those of us with a morning routine that must fit into the 5 minutes before we fly out the door (or settle into our home offices), and an evening routine that is second to chores, children, or any number of other priorities?

Trust us, our team knows what that’s like, too!

Since you’re probably reading this on the fly, we’ll keep this short: Here are the 4 must-have products to have in your skincare routine no matter what. (And, as a bonus, we’re listing them in the order you’ll want to use them!)

Cleanser
Every day, our skin is exposed to bacteria and free radicals just by living our lives. These can not only clog skin, but they also cause your skin to look older over time. (We know, it’s unfair!)

Check out our Gentle Cleanser for sensitive skin, Glycolic Cleanser for dry skin, Clarifying Cleanser for acne-prone skin, and our Age Defense Cleanser for any skin type that needs some extra brightening and smoothing.

Serum
This may be the one thing on this list that you’re not as familiar with. Serums are essential for giving your skin a chance to absorb helpful ingredients like Vitamin C, which is proven to brighten and even skin tone. For more on why serums are amazing, check out this blog.

Serums are where you can really customize your skincare routine to your own goals: what do you wish you would see more of? Is it a more even complexion, fewer wrinkles, clearer skin, or something else? Whatever your goal, there’s a serum for it.

Here at Mint & Needle, we offer 11 different serums, so we’ll just feature a few: our Youth Serum is super popular for de-aging all skin types; the Vitamin CE Serum is great for complexion; those with oily skin love our Acne Control Serum; and we have several Advanced Retinol Serums for those who want the bouquet of benefits from retinol.

Moisturizer
Keeping your skin moisturized has so many benefits, but a major one is that it literally staves off the appearance of aging. Dry skin leads to increased wrinkles over time, and any blemish on your skin is much more likely to leave a scar or dark spot if your skin is dehydrated.

Our HA Hydrator is great for dry, normal, and combination skin types, whereas our B3 Hydrator is perfect for oily or acne-prone skin. If you notice severe dryness that needs an extra boost, our Intense Hydrating Cream has got your back.

But wait—there’s great news ahead! Since you’re reading this because you’re always on the go, wait until you hear about our sunscreens… which are also moisturizers. (Two steps in one for the win!)

Sunscreen
Sunscreen is non-negotiable for daytime wear. Exposure to UV rays—and even some office lighting—not only causes skin cancer, but it also creates wrinkles and aging spots. Almost all of the appearance you associate with aged skin comes from sun exposure. (That movie about the beach wasn’t entirely kidding!)

As mentioned, our Hydrating UV Defense is SPF 44 to protect you against all those harmful rays—and it’s even tinted so that it can act as a sheer foundation for the day. For those with more acne-prone skin, you’ll want to try our Oil-Free UV Defense: the same amount of protection, but there’s no moisturizer. 

So your daytime routine would look something like this:
1) cleanser, 2) serum, 3) moisturizer/sunscreen

And your nighttime routine would be:
1) cleanser, 2) serum, 3) moisturizer

Easy as 1, 2, 3! By our estimate, that should fit right into those 5 minutes before you grab your keys or pass out for the night. Though we know it can be hard to fit self-care into a busy day, we promise that your future self—and your future skin—will thank you.