This extra skincare step has made a MAJOR difference

You’ve probably realized by now that I use a lot of products, and trust me, it takes a bit of planning and effort to squeeze everything in. My mid-day, post-workout mini-regimen has opened up a few more “slots” for products I may not use in the morning and evening, but I still have a queue of lotions and potions patiently waiting to get worked into the rotation.

In a nutshell, my basic morning routine goes a bit like this:

• Cleanse with my FOREO Luna

• Vitamin C

• Treatment Serum

• Moisturizer

• Sunscreen

At night, my skincare sequence always includes these steps:

• Cleanse with a balm or oil

• Cleanse with a foamier wash and my FOREO Luna

• Micellar water

• Prescriptions (clindamycin and a retinoid)

• Treatment serum

• Facial oil and/or moisturizer

Keep in mind these are just the essentials, and I’m always working in a few extra steps here and there. But as of last month, a new product wormed its way into my routine, and I now use it religiously morning and night immediately after cleansing: An essence. Essentially a toner with a thicker consistency (but definitely more of a fluid than a serum), you gently pat it into clean skin and move on to your other products. There are many essences out there to choose from, but I have fallen head-over-heels in love with La Prairie’s Platinum Rare Cellular-Life Lotion.

As luxurious as it is effective, this simple extra step has really made a huge difference in my skin. Maybe it’s the detoxification that promotes skin renewal… Maybe it’s extra energy this essence delivers to the skin… Maybe it’s the helping hand my skin gets for fighting environmental damage… Or maybe it’s all of the above. The one thing I know for sure is that this is what my skin looked like last night after completing my routine—with no makeup whatsoever.

And believe me, this is a world of improvement from when I started the La Prairie lotion (which happened to be immediately after the flu completely annihilated my skin). As with many other things, you do get what you pay for—and this product is certainly an investment. But to quote Ferris Bueller, “It’s so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”