An Actor's Skincare Routine
I don't love to have a lot of free time. It makes me feel inefficient and, to put it simply, I just get frikin' bored. I saw a hilarious meme the other day which basically said how in high school we would wake up at 6:30AM, spend 7 hours in classes, go to practice and run 8 miles, come home and finish our day with 5 hours of homework, WITHOUT TAKING A NAP. This just blows my mind! Imagine the energy we needed to have to go through this every single day. These days, I can't even go to a kickboxing class without taking a nap afterwards.
During my last booking, I made the decision to become a full-time actor. I was getting really overwhelmed working at a restaurant, and I was also getting physically ill, which made me nervous for my performance on set.
It was a tough decision because I didn't feel like I was ready yet. In fact, I most likely wasn't, but the universe never gives you something that you can't handle, right?
Since transitioning into creating my own schedule, I've had the luxury of a lot of free time! As mentioned before, though, this free time drives me pretty nuts. So, I've been exploring the other things in my life that bring me joy, that I had neglected when I was too busy at work.
Over the last year or so, I've really gotten into skincare. As an actor, you always want to be looking young and fresh for auditions, and you especially want to be looking your best for the jobs that you book! What they say is pretty darn true - the camera can literally see everything.
Aside from that, taking care of your skin is just a necessity in general, and the younger you start, the better. I was incredibly lucky to have a mom who told me to wear sunscreen every single day, starting in elementary school. I also have pretty awesome epidermal genetics thanks to my parents, which basically means I never really had an extraordinarily tough time with acne. Occasionally, as I expressed in my skincare routine video above, I would get one gigantic zit in the middle of my forehead on the day of prom, or two big symmetrical ones on my upper lip on the day of graduation! It was super cool. But, really I was pretty fortunate to grow up having the skin that I had, but I'm finding now that I really have to put in an effort to upkeep my skincare. However, it's actually become really fun for me!
I have a lot of friends ask me about my skincare routine, so I thought I would make a little tutorial video with all of my favorite products! I've never done this before, but I have to say it was actually really fun!
Below, you will find my list of what I consider to be the best products for actors or chicks in general that are wanting to establish a simple, yet effective skincare routine for their daily lives.
Let me know what you think!
1. Staying Hydrated & Using Sunscreen daily!!
I rarely go in the sun. I know that sounds so crazy, but most of my days are spent inside my photography studio, editing at home, or in acting class. I spent a lot of time in the sun in college, because I was in beautiful, sunny San Diego! I sincerely was offered paddle boarding and surfing for course credit. Any time that you are going outside, especially when it's overcast (I know, it seems like overcasts skies would shield you from sun damage, right!?) you need to have some form of sunscreen on. I like a mineral sunscreen stick - I bought mine at Trader Joe's! You can put this under makeup, too - or even get makeup with SPF in it!
Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. I can be really bad at this sometimes, and I can always be better. Any celebrity or skin guru will tell you how important it is to keep hydrating yourself everyday. It's the easiest way to get that healthy and natural glow!
2. Daily Cleansing
$1.99 baby wipes for the win, y'all! The way I see it, if it's meant to be the gentlest thing for a baby's booty, then it will be perfectly gentle for my face! They're super soft, and very cheap!
Of course the below two facial wipes are also inexpensive and great for gently cleaning the makeup off my face. I really don't like to use intense foaming cleansers, because I feel like it's just stripping down my skin.
3. Acne Treatment
I love this little guy when it comes to handling acne breakouts. It's the Kate Somerville Eradikate Foaming Cleanser. Now, this stuff doesn't smell as wonderful as her products usually do, and my guess is because of the sulfuric content (3%). I just hate the smell of sulfur! But, this products just FEELS wonderful, and makes your skin SO soft.
4. Exfoliating
The ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment is a skincare fanatic favorite! It's valued at $85, which is pretty pricey for me, but I believe it is well worth it! It instantly begins to exfoliate and strip down those external layers of dead skin. You'll feel a slight tingly burn, and should only keep it on your skin for about 2 minutes. Only use twice a week at most! If you're like me, and getting multiple facials each month isn't exactly in the budget, then this is awesome for an easy at-home exfoliation.
5. Moisturize
I use a multitude of moisturizers, because I like to change it up with my skin! When I'm not wearing makeup for the day, I like to use Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer. Smells clean, and it's super thin on your skin. Also, it comes in a huge container that I will surely be able to use for over a year!
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion has been a staple in my home since before I can remember! My mom has used it my entire life, and I've inherited the love for it! It's great for wearing under makeup, because it's a little thicker and mixes well with other products. Also it's great to just wear to bed - let that shit soak in!
This puppy is the holy grail of moisturizers, in my humble opinion! It's the Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer. It's silky, yet it's barely there! You can use twice a day, and it's the easiest and best option for a moisturizer that does the job, but is essentially invisible!
6. Overnight Care
I use the Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior literally every single night. I feel like its thickness and silky smoothness just seeps into my little, baby wrinkles and replenishes the necessary collagen. It is by far the best smelling product too - my boyfriend loves how my face smells after I use it!
I rub this into my neck as well, to start preventative wrinkle control.
7. Under-Eye Control
I wake up almost every single morning with bags under my eyes or fairly dark circles. This is obviously no good for my self-tape or in-person auditions! So, the first thing I do when I'm getting ready for an audition is put some form of Stem Cellular Instant Eye Lift Pads under my eyes. I believe they make a world of a difference, in that they tighten the areas under your eyes and replenish/moisturize the areas that need it most!
8. Clean Pores, Please!
People have been using these for decades! I'll never forget seeing Anne Hathaway ripping one off her nose in "The Princess Diaries". Don't lie to yourself, you KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
Now, these strips won't get rid of all of your white heads/ blackheads on your nose, but it sure does help! It always seems so gratifying to watch what comes out of your skin. Just me? Cool.
9. Collagen Therapy
Collagen tablets are new to my vitamin intake, but I've heard so many people rave about them, that I had to try it myself. Shout out to my girl, Kiley! I won't lie, it's hard to tell exactly what the impact of taking these is, but the idea of stimulating collagen growth in any capacity is enough of a reason for me to take two of these little pills every morning.
So, there you have it! I hope my pretty simple skincare routine has inspired you in some way to take great care of your skin. It has become a healthy obsession of mine, and has made me really happy over the last year. There's still so much for me to learn, and I'm open to hearing what you love to use as well!
