# Daily Skincare — Master Notes

The full version of the routine I link out to in pieces. Everything here is something I've actually used for a year+, with the order they go on, why each one earns the slot, and the swap if you're sensitive.

## Morning

1. **Splash of cool water.** No cleanser. Anything you put on at night is still working — don't strip it.
2. **Vitamin C serum** on damp skin.
   - *Why:* fades the brown spots my last summer left behind. Visible after two weeks.
   - *Sensitive swap:* magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (gentler) instead of L-ascorbic.
3. **Niacinamide 10%** on the redness around my nose.
   - *Why:* calms it within minutes; long-term it's flattened the texture.
   - *Sensitive swap:* drop to 5% if you flush.
4. **Ceramide moisturizer.**
   - *Why:* the pH-friendly base everything else sits on.
5. **SPF 50 (invisible).**
   - *Non-negotiable.* No cast, doesn't pill, doesn't break me out.

## Evening

1. **Oil cleanse first** if I've worn makeup or SPF.
2. **Gentle gel cleanser** to lift everything off.
3. **Niacinamide** again.
4. **Retinol** (3 nights/week — Mon/Wed/Fri).
   - Build up slowly. Started 0.025% twice a week, took a year to land at 0.05% three times a week.
5. **Heavier moisturizer** — same brand, "rich" version of the morning one.
6. **Tinted lip balm** as a sleep treatment, weirdly works.

## Weekly

- Sundays: chemical exfoliation (10% AHA toner, neck included).
- Once a month: a clay mask if my skin feels congested.

## Things I don't bother with anymore

- Fancy 12-step routines. Five things in the right order beat twelve things in the wrong one.
- Toners that aren't actively doing something (acid, niacinamide, calming).
- Snail mucin. Your mileage may vary, mine didn't move.

## Order matters

Thinnest → thickest. Water-based → oil-based. SPF always last in the morning.

— Luna