TTB Faves: Maree Shares her Skincare Non-Negotiables

If you follow me on Instagram,  you know that I am a skincare junkie…..ahem lover. Below  is a picture of an average night of my skincare routine. Seems elaborate but it truly is what helps me maintain my great skin. However,  I get asked all the time about that one magical product that will give someone perfect skin. To which I respond – “that is impossible”. There is no one cleanser, mask, cream or serum that will give you picture perfect, gorgeous skin. However, that being said,  read on to see 3 skincare non-negotiables for  my skin.

Cleansing Oils/Cleansing Balms

Removing all of my makeup thoroughly is the first step for me in getting and keep clear skin. Typically my nightly cleansing involves two cleansers, but always, and I mean ALWAYS starts with either a cleansing oil or cleansing balm. I find they cut through makeup, grime and oil (ewwww, gross) like no other. And mascara, waterproof or not, is a breeze to remove with either types of these cleansers.   Since I have oily skin, it may not seem like  oil based anything should be the first thing I should be drawn to but they truly are remarkable.   Oil binds to oil, so often the best thing to help manage oily skin and keep it balanced without overdrying it, is in fact cleansing oils or cleansing balms. I always use dry hands and a dry face to apply the cleanser (it takes some getting used to at first), and then add water to emulsify and remove.

Some of my top favorite cleansing oils and cleansing balms are:

• Shu Uemura cleansing oil (holy grail)
• Shiseido Cleansing Oil
• Boscia Cleansing Oil  
• Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm  
• REN Purity Cleansing Balm.

Exfoliators

After cleansing, there is nothing I love more than a good ol’ exfoliation. It is vital in helping to reduce hyperpigmentation, minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, slough off any dead skin to help reveal more radiant and glowing skin – the latter of the three being my favorite reason of all for exfoliating. Over the years, there has been a drastic improvement in the types of exfoliants available. Gone are the days of those rough and abrasive scrubs that leave your face scratched up and in most cases worse off.   Now there are chemical exfoliators that use different acids and enzymes to help gently slough away dead skin cells, refine the skin’s texture and even help to reduce hyperpigmentation. Manual scrubs have also been reformulated to be gentle, yet effective, with enzyme powders being one of my favorite types.   I find that the gentle nature of the powder mixed with the enzyme properties of the ingredients help to give a thorough exfoliation minus the redness, flakiness or irritation. I usually exfoliate 2-3/times a week, sometimes more if needed but try never to overdo it which can throw my skin out of balance.

Here are a few of my favorite chemical exfoliators and/or peels:

• Perricone MD Blue Plasma
• Arcona Raspberry Resurfacing Peel,  
• Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask.

For manual exfoliators and/or enzyme powders, I recommend:

• Tatcha Deep Rice Enzyme Powder
• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant    
• Kate Somerville Exfolikate

Sunscreen/SPF

I know beauty bloggers, beauty editors, dermatologists tell you to wear sunscreen ad nauseum, but to tell you the truth it really does make a difference. Now don’t get me wrong, your body and skin needs some sun exposure – it’s healthy. Frying yourself at the beach all day without protection – no good. Walking to work every single day without any SPF on – I wouldn’t recommend it. Unhealthy sun exposure can lead to premature aging, sun spots, hyperpigmentation and gasp…wrinkles! Now with all the great formulations out there, you can find sun protection that works for your skin type. With my oily skin, I have found a couple that really wear well throughout the day and even under makeup.

My favorites are:

• Mario Badescu Oil Free SPF 30
• Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF 30
• Shiseido Urban Environment SPF 42

What are some of your skincare non-negotiables?

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