Isa Shares her Morning Minimalist Skincare Routine for Fall

Lifestyle Prism’s creator shares her morning minimalist skincare routine for Fall.

Today I'm going to share with you my current minimalist skincare routine AM suitable for all skin types skin this Fall. But also, it’s specific to dry and acne prone skin. This is my skin type, so everything I curate on skincare centers on that. The skincare products I used are from August and September, one month of hot and humid, followed by Fall. In this post, I'd be focusing not on detailed reviews, but my routine. My AM minimal skincare routine that also supports skinimalism includes three steps, a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. In other words, you do not need more.

The products I'm featuring today are all from COSRX, one of the top K-Beauty brands of South Korea. COSRX uses skin friendly ingredients that don't irritate skin. Their products are also cruelty free. They offer reasonably priced product range and are proud to have a few cult favorites.

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, 5.07 fl.oz / 150ml

The first product I use in the morning is "COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser". It is packaged in a tube. It is a cult favorite gel cleanser suitable for all skin types and weather conditions. There are two highlights to this product. It has a slightly acidic low pH that is close to our skin's natural pH, making it gentle on your skin. It has betaine salicylate that improves your skin texture and makes it healthy. It is a mild and better alternative to beta hydroxy acid (BHA) salicylic acid. BHA goes deep to epidermis to cleanse your skin. BHA and tea tree oil have anti-inflammatory properties, making it suitable for acne prone skin too. I love how delicately it smells. I take out only a pea sized amount on my hand and foam it up. I cleanse my face with the velvety foam, and then rinse with water.

Don't forget to foam it up first because you want to use that foam for cleansing. It is very gentle on the skin and leaves my skin feeling soft and calm. After this I follow up with the moisturizer.

COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap, 3.38 fl.oz / 100mL

The moisturizer I'm using is "COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap" (left). It is water based, vegan product. The highlight is the nature's replacement for water, birch sap from the birch trees. This birch juice is high in antioxidants and minerals, making it super hydrating and nourishing. It also has tea tree leaf oil to sooth irritated skin, redness, and acne. I love its bottled packaging. It has a pump so it stays hygienic. COSRX has designed the pump and the bottle so well that it oozes out every ml of the lotion when you are near finishing it. It is suitable for all skin types. But unfortunately it is not for all seasons as the brand claims. It is perfect for dry weather, summer and winter. But it is not for hot/humid. A heads up, I used this product during the hot and humid, and it broke water around the nose and mouth.

Before I talk about the sunscreen I wanted to give you my thoughts on this lotion and the snail cream I previously used. Should I say COSRX birch sap lotion VS COSRX snail cream? If I compare the two, it would be center on two defined attributes. 1) Hydration, and 2) Regeneration. If you're looking for cellular regeneration i.e. anti aging, definitely go for COSRX snail cream. But if you need hydration for very dry skin, go for COSRX birch sap lotion. Birch Sap is a replacement for water that is quite hydrating. I have used both on my very dry skin, and found out the COSRX birch sap lotion to be more hydrating than COSRX snail cream. 

And now comes the best part, the texture and fragrance. I have not used this texture before, I love it every time I use it. It is very lightweight and penetrates in seconds. But the water like yet sticky texture of birch juice stays for another minute or so. The natural ingredients in it carry their own scent. The zesty and plant like fragrance is beyond refreshing that I smell it every time I apply on my face. I apply three pumps all over my face and neck. But if I have to use sunscreen, I use two pumps. You can easily wear makeup on it too.

COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++, 

Last step to my morning routine is a sunscreen, because it goes on after the moisturizer. After the moisturizer, I use "COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++" (right). This daily sunscreen has been in the market for quite some time now. But the reason I'm using this instead of any other product is because it is also "the" product for beginners. I finally initiated my sunscreen journey with this product. I never personally liked sunscreens so I didn't use them. It is so gentle that I doubt if you'd have any problems with this. It is a physical sunscreen having titanium dioxide. It has SPF 50+ which means it's sun protection factor from ultraviolet rays (UVB) is even higher than 50.

PA+++ means it gives very good protection from UVA rays. Had it been a review post I'd have explained more on the science behind the terms for your knowledge. I'll cover this sometime in future. So one of its main ingredients is aloe vera gel that gives the skin a soothing effect. It has a light creamy mousse like texture that doesn't leave a white cast. And is suitable for all skin types and weather. It is also suitable for acne prone skin. I apply it all over my face and neck, only avoiding the eye area. The second you apply it you'd feel a calming sensation on your skin. You can easily follow up with makeup and go out, do your day.

I confess, and this has nothing to do with above products. I am not a sunscreen person and never liked the product, and here is why. My skin type is dry and acne prone, but with sunscreen, it aggravates, becomes sensitive, and breaks out. So I'll keep exploring for more sunscreens that get gentler than this, and will keep you posted.

And that’s it. I hope you enjoyed reading my fall skincare routine 2021. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any topic suggestions for me, comment down below. I would highly appreciate if you subscribed to my blog. Also, don’t forget to connect with me on my socials Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Disclosure: I am not paid to promote the brand. It is my personal choice.

Related Reads:

COSRX Advanced Snail line Reviews

MIZON Collagen Lip essence and Hand cream Reviews

Definition of a Healthy Skin Analysis