Due to busy schedules, financial constraints, or simply location, many people don’t get regular, professional facial treatments for their skin. While I highly suggest getting a professional facial at least every change of season, there are certainly ways that you can mimic some of the results at home. Here’s my four-step treatment for complexion perfection. (Don’t know your skin type? Take our Skin Type Quiz.)
Step 1: Cleanse the skin with a mild, sulfate-free cleansing gel like Purifying Face Wash or a lightweight cleansing lotion or Better Than Balm to remove makeup, oil, and bacteria.
Step 2: Use either a mild facial scrub with round grains like Mint Buffing Beads or Dual Enzyme Softening Peel massaging over the skin in circular motions for 60 seconds and rinsing off well, or use an acid-based exfoliation (such as Triple Berry Smoothing Peel) left on the skin for 7-10 minutes and rinse off well. Both of these are designed to remove surface dry skin cells so that a mask can work deeper within the skin…
Sometimes if I feel as though my skin can use an extra boost of exfoliation and can handle it without getting too sensitive, I will use my use my Mint Buffing Beads first followed by a 5-minute application of Triple Berry Smoothing Peel to give twice the exfoliating results.
Step 3: After rinsing off your exfoliator, apply 4-5 drops of a skin serum suited for your skin type. The benefit of using a skin serum is that it will enhance the results by delivering potent, active ingredients into the skin. Be sure to apply around the eyes, but not too close to the lashes to avoid irritation. See the collection of Renée Rouleau serums.
Step 4: Apply a thin coat of a mask suited for your skin type. Dry skin? Use a cream-based mask like Pure Radiance Creme Mask. Dehydrated, sensitive, and combination skin? Use Bio Calm Repair Masque. Normal, combination skin in need of brightening? Try a non-drying clay mask like Energizing Cleansing Masque. Oily, problem skin? Try using an antibacterial clay mask like Rapid Response Detox Masque. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, rinse well, and follow with moisturizer.
Voilà! A facial at home, guaranteed to get your skin glowing in no time.
How often should you give your skin an at-home facial? Once a week is ideal.
Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”
