Olivia MacMillan

Before getting into my morning and evening skin care routines, which are a little bit different, let's talk about skin type.

Everyone's skin changes over time, but for as long as I can remember, mine has been combination skin. If my skin has changed at all since high school, thankfully it's gotten less oily, with less frequent breakouts.

I always start every morning by washing my face with with warm water and a gentle gel cleanser that bubbles up as you work it into your skin. It leaves your skin feeling clean, but not dry.

I always finish up with a light moisturizing. We all know how important it is to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, even if it's cloudy out. I wear it every day, and always make sure to extend it down my neck to my collar — anywhere that's exposed to the sun all the time!

At night, I always use an alcohol-free makeup removing wipe to make sure my face is squeaky-clean before bed. I found that this step became crucial when I started wearing sunscreen every day, to avoid breakouts. 

I follow up with a night moisturizer that contains retinol. It's important to use retinol at night because it's less effective when exposed to light. It's also a bit heavier than my daily moisturizer, and takes longer to absorb into my skin.