SIENA 






Siena


24 years old
Ridgewood, Queens

Head of artists and repertoire
at Danger Collective Records
+ visual multimedia artist




I’m a bit of a skincare nerd, but I really just buy the same basic few products over and over again and use them religiously. Once in a while I experiment with new products but only after careful research and reading many reviews about them. I’m actually quite picky when it comes to skincare products and find that for my everyday routine I prefer really simple, somewhat bland products that you can usually buy at the drugstore on the cheap. Skincare should be a part of your everyday hygiene, not a rare luxury!

MORNING



STEP ONE


I get in the shower and wash my face with La Roche-Posay Toleraine Gentle Hydrating Cleanser. It’s a creamy consistency that is soothing and hydrating and gently preps my skin for the moisturizer, sunscreen, and makeup that I’ll later be applying. My skin typically gets red from cleansing but the niacinamide in this formula balances that out and also visibly reduces inflammation I have from acne, irritation or scarring. I love French skincare products by the way, and this is perhaps my favorite one of all time.


STEP TWO


Then after I wash my face and get out of the shower, I immediately spray my face with Avéne Thermal Water (I know it seems crazy to spray some different water on your face after you just washed your face with water but hear me out). I find that most tap water is hard on my skin especially in New York, and using this crazy pH-balanced, thermal French spring water to calm the irritation I get from it has completely changed my life. I don’t know how, but it just works.

STEP THREE


I grab a cotton pad or a clean washcloth and gently rub it around my face to remove any flaky or dead skin that might be hanging on from the night before. I give my face another quick spritz of thermal water to get it moist again and prepped for moisturizers.

STEP FOUR


Hyaluronic acid eye serum! I use one from Swisse. It reduces puffiness and bags and keeps my eye skin plump and moisturized. The serum shouldn’t be used alone though, because hyaluronic acid needs to be used alongside an actual moisturizer in order to work properly. I then layer Belif 360 Eye Care Mask on top, which is basically just a really thick, nourishing eye cream that brightens up my under eyes so I don’t look tired throughout the day. I use it morning and night.

STEP FIVE



For my face I just use a generous amount of CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and let it dry and soak into my skin before layering a small amount of Weleda Skin Food Light or La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 depending on how dry my skin still feels after my first layer of moisturizer. I have naturally pretty dry skin and need to layer products for them to really work.

STEP SIX


After everything dries, I apply sunscreen (though I haven’t been wearing it much since the beginning of quarantine). Asian sunscreens have the most advanced and effective UVA filters that aren’t actually approved yet in the USA because the FDA is slacking. UVA rays are the ones that cause cancer and aging, so I’m looking for high levels of UVA protection in my sunscreens. I just order Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence online from Japan in bulk. The formula is a gel-like consistency and is very cosmetically elegant and unlike any sunscreen I’ve ever bought in America.

EVENING



STEP 1

At night I want to wash off all my makeup, sunscreen, sweat, oil, and all the grime from the day off so I use CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser which gives a deeper clean than the cream one I use in the morning but is still super gentle.

STEP 2

Depending on what night it is I either tone my skin with Pixi Glow Tonic, a gentle glycolic acid toner which helps with texture, dryness, and overall skin tone, or I just use a clean cotton pad or wash cloth to gently wipe my skin clean.

STEP 3

I use my fancy French water to moisten my skin again and then apply CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion. I do the same eye routine as the morning. Then I layer a healthy serving of Weleda Skin Food Light or Original on top.



STEP FOUR


If it’s a night where I don’t use the Pixi Glow Tonic, I use Differin, which is just a generic adapalene gel. Don’t use glycolic acid or any AHA acid on the same day as a retinoid treatment like Differin!

Differin has essentially eradicated the acne I’ve had since I was a teen and also helps with so many other skin concerns: oil control, anti aging, blackheads...this stuff is truly the powerhouse of my entire skin routine. I’d be nothing without it.

STEP FIVE


If I want to deeply moisturize my skin overnight I’ll seal everything in with a layer of Aquaphor. Then I just apply lip balm and I’m done!

When I go through all of these steps at night I wake up with plump, hydrated, really healthy looking skin. When I get lazy and skip it for a night and just slap on a little bit of moisturizer, I wake up and my skin is irritated, dry, and flakey. So I’m pretty faithful to this routine and it works for me!


I also just want to say a quick disclaimer that everyone’s skin is very different and what works for me may not work for you. There are a million ways to care for your skin and what steps you choose should be based on your own experiences and some extent of research about the products you use.

I’m also not a dermatologist or an expert by any means! However what I do know from lots of research and experience is that your basic go-to routine should include the following:

  1. Sunscreen
  2. Cleanser (at least one foaming one, and a cream cleanser if you like to use both)
  3. Moisturizer
  4. Retinoids if you are concerned
    about acne and anti-aging


Everything else like toner, acids, spot treatments, essences, and serums are things you can add in to enhance your basic routine and address more specific concerns but it’s truly better to just have a simple routine you can stick to every single day rather than a lavish routine you only do once in a while.


Stay safe guys, love you.

xoxo



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