I love taking great care of my skin! But I also can’t wait to get in bed after a long and exhausting day. Which is why I try to make my night time skincare routine as fast as possible – usually around 10 minutes.

This is by no means an unusual night time beauty routine, the basic steps are the same. My skin looks pretty damn good (food and water also play an important role here), so I thought I’d share with you the (great) products that I have discovered and that work for me.

Step 1: cleansing the skin (2-3 min)

The BIODERMA cleanser that I use is so AMAZING!!! And I’ll tell you why: it completely wipes off all the makeup. Yes, it is especially designed for eye makeup too. If you go on with a cotton pad and micellar water after using this product, the pad will be 98% clean. That is how great this product is. And it is also super inexpensive (49 lei for 500 ml) as compared with the Kiehl’s Cucumber Herbal Conditioning Cleanser, which sells for 95 lei / 150 ml. The BIODERMA cleanser is more expensive than the CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, which is also great, around 58 lei / 1 liter of product. I have chosen the BIODERMA cleanser instead of the cheaper CeraVe option because the former was specifically advertised as suitable to be used for removing eye makeup. Jackpot!

I feel like removing your makeup with cotton pads and makeup remover / micellar water is way too harsh on my skin and especially around the eye area. I have tried this method in the past and it really irritates my skin. That is why I choose to remove my makeup in the shower, using a cleanser which is especially designed for this job. I also recommend the BIODERMA micellar water (54 lei / 500 ml).

Step 2: serum (2 – 3 min)

I have been using the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate for about 2 years, but I’ve recently heard some nasty stuff about it, so I will stop repurchasing it after I finish it.

I am now using the Retinol 0,2% serum by The Ordinary (around 35 lei / 30 ml) – be careful to use sunscreen the next day, that’s what most of the experts recommend. Also, make sure to gradually introduce it into your night time routine (start with once per week) in order to avoid any type of skin irritation. I recommend you Google some information about retinol before buying any product.

Another product that I use mostly at night and sometimes in the morning is the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG by The Ordinary (32,5 lei / 30 ml). This has been recommended by @maddifymakeup, and it works really well on reducing the under eye bags. It is not suitable for dark circles (it does not have the ability to change the color of your under eye area), but it does reduce eye puffiness.

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Step 3: moisturize (1-2 min)

I love CeraVe as a brand, and I am using their Moisturizing Cream after the serums. It is not especially designed for a night time skincare routine, but I really like it and it does a great job. It gets absorbed into the skin really quickly, it is not greasy and it leaves the skin soft and hydrated. And it is also super cheap (around 50 lei / 340 g).

And that’s it! My skin looks really good overall, I have no acne, spotting or scaring issues, only genetic dark circles around my eyes. I declare myself satisfied with my current routine and I hope you will find some useful information in this article. If you have some tips for me or for the other readers of this blog, leave them below! If there will be sufficient comments in the comment section, I will make another article with all your suggestions, so that everybody can benefit from your knowledge. Thanks! 🙂

XO, A