general Product usage guide
Healthy skin, happy you...
Because your skincare routine should help your skin, not confuse it.
MORNING ROUTINE
- Cleanser: Use a gentle cleanser or simply rinse with water if your skin feels dry or sensitive.
- Serum: Apply your morning serum, if recommended. This may be hydrating, calming, brightening, or antioxidant-focused.
- Moisturizer: Apply a moisturizer to support hydration and protect your skin barrier.
- SPF: Apply sunscreen every morning as the last step. Reapply throughout the day if you are outside, sweating, or near windows for long periods of time.
NIGHT ROUTINE
- Cleanser: Cleanse to remove makeup, SPF, oil, and buildup from the day.
- Treatment Product: Apply treatment products as directed. This may include retinol, exfoliating acids, acne treatments, pigment products, or corrective serums.
- Hydrating Serum: Apply a hydrating or calming serum if recommended.
- Moisturizer: Finish with moisturizer to lock in hydration and support barrier repair overnight.
PRODUCT TIPS
• Start new products slowly
• Do not start multiple active products at the same time
• Use a pea-sized amount for strong treatment products like retinol or exfoliating acids
• More product does not mean better results
• Avoid applying active products too close to the eyes, corners of the nose, or corners of the mouth
• Pause active products if your skin feels irritated, raw, itchy, or overly dry
• SPF is non-negotiable when using corrective skincare, protect your investment.
• Consistency matters more than perfection
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I USE ACTIVES?
Retinol: Start 1–2 nights per week, then increase slowly as tolerated.
Exfoliating acids: Use 1–3 times per week depending on your skin and your provider’s recommendation.
Hydrating products: Usually safe to use daily, morning and night.
Acne or pigment treatments: Use only as directed. These can be powerful, so do not freestyle.
WHEN IN DOUBT:
Cleanse, moisturize, SPF. Your skin does not need chaos. It needs consistency, patience, and a minimized routine.
SPF usage guide
SPF protects the investment you put into your skin...
Your glow’s bodyguard.
WHY SPF MATTERS:
SPF helps protect your skin from UV damage, premature aging, dark spots, redness, irritation, and post-treatment sensitivity. It is especially important if you are using corrective skincare, retinol, exfoliants, acne treatments, pigment products, or receiving facials, peels, dermaplaning, waxing, or microneedling.
WHEN TO APPLY:
• Every morning as the last step in your skincare routine
• Even on cloudy days
• Even in the winter
• Even if you are mostly indoors near windows
• After treatments, unless you were given different instructions
HOW MUCH TO USE:
• Use about two finger lengths for the face and neck
• Do not forget your ears, hairline, neck, chest, and the tops of your hands
• Apply generously and evenly
• Let it settle before applying makeup
WHEN TO REAPPLY:
• Every 2 hours when outdoors
• After sweating
• After swimming
• After wiping your face
• Before long drives or extended time near windows
• More often during outdoor activities
MINERAL SPF OPTION:
Mineral SPF is a great option, especially for sensitive, reactive, acne-prone, post-treatment, or pigmentation-prone skin. Mineral sunscreens use ingredients like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide to help protect the skin from UV rays. They are often well tolerated and can be a beautiful choice after professional treatments.
SPF TIPS:
• Choose broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher
• Use it every day, not just when it is sunny
• Makeup with SPF usually is not enough by itself
• Tinted SPF can be helpful for visible light protection and discoloration support
• If your SPF feels greasy, heavy, or uncomfortable, you may just need a different formula
• The best sunscreen is the one you will actually wear
REMEMBER:
Corrective skincare without SPF is like cleaning your house with the windows open during a dust storm. Protect the progress. Wear the SPF.
retinols + actives usage guide
A strong skin barrier is the foundation for extensive treatments...
Powerful skincare works best when your skin barrier is calm, protected, and not being bullied.
WHAT ARE ACTIVE PRODUCTS?
Active products are ingredients designed to create a specific change in the skin. They may help with acne, texture, fine lines, pigment, dullness, clogged pores, or uneven tone.
Common active products include:
• Retinol or retinoids
• Exfoliating acids such as glycolic, lactic, mandelic, or salicylic acid
• Benzoyl peroxide
• Acne treatments
• Brightening or pigment products
• Vitamin C
• Enzymes
• Strong corrective serums
These products can be amazing, but more is not always better.
RETINOL BASICS
Retinol helps support skin renewal, texture, breakouts, clogged pores, fine lines, and overall skin tone. It should usually be used at night and introduced slowly.
HOW TO START RETINOL:
• Start 1–2 nights per week
• Use a pea-sized amount for the entire face
• Apply to clean, dry skin
• Avoid the eyelids, corners of the nose, and corners of the mouth
• Follow with moisturizer
• Increase slowly only if your skin is tolerating it well
THE MOISTURIZER SANDWICH METHOD:
If your skin is sensitive, apply moisturizer first, then retinol, then another light layer of moisturizer. This can help reduce dryness, peeling, and irritation.
WHAT IS NORMAL WHEN STARTING RETINOL?
• Mild dryness
• Light flaking
• Slight tightness
• Mild purging in areas where you normally break out
• Skin needing time to adjust
WHAT IS NOT THE GOAL?
• Burning
• Rawness
• Intense stinging
• Cracking
• Severe peeling
• Swelling
• Itching that does not calm down
• Feeling like every product hurts
**If this happens, pause actives and focus on barrier repair.**
EXFOLIATING ACIDS
Exfoliating acids help smooth texture, brighten dull skin, clear congestion, and support cell turnover.
Common exfoliating acids include:
• Glycolic acid
• Lactic acid
• Mandelic acid
• Salicylic acid
• PHA acids
HOW OFTEN TO USE EXFOLIANTS:
Most skin types do best with exfoliating products 1–3 times per week, depending on the product, skin type, and professional recommendation.
You do not need to exfoliate every day to get results.
RETINOL + EXFOLIANTS
Retinol and exfoliating acids can both be helpful, but using them together too quickly can irritate the skin. For most clients, avoid using retinol and exfoliating acids on the same night unless specifically instructed.
A simple weekly routine may look like:
• Retinol: 1–3 nights per week
• Exfoliant: 1–2 nights per week
• Barrier support: the other nights
Do not make every night a “treatment night.” Your skin needs recovery nights too.
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C is often used to support brightness, antioxidant protection, and uneven tone.
It is commonly used in the morning under SPF, but some formulas may be better tolerated at night. If vitamin C stings, burns, or causes irritation, pause and ask for guidance.
BENZOYL PEROXIDE + ACNE ACTIVES
Benzoyl peroxide and acne treatments can help with breakouts, but they can also be drying.
Use only as directed and avoid layering too many acne products at once.
If your skin becomes tight, flaky, irritated, or shiny-dry, your barrier may need support.
PRODUCTS TO BE CAREFUL MIXING:
Be cautious when combining:
• Retinol + exfoliating acids
• Retinol + benzoyl peroxide
• Multiple exfoliants
• Vitamin C + strong exfoliants
• Acne treatments + retinol
• Prescription products + professional treatments
This does not mean these ingredients can never be used in the same routine. It means they need to be introduced carefully and intentionally.
WHEN TO PAUSE RETINOL + ACTIVES:
Pause retinol, exfoliants, and strong active products before and after certain services, especially:
• Chemical peels
• Microneedling
• Waxing
• Dermaplaning
• Strong corrective facials
• Laser treatments
• If your skin is sunburned, irritated, raw, or compromised
A common rule is to stop actives 3–5 days before and after professional treatments, but follow your provider’s specific instructions.
SPF IS NON-NEGOTIABLE
Active products can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every morning. If you are using retinol, exfoliants, acne products, pigment products, or corrective skincare, SPF is part of the treatment plan. Without SPF, you may increase your risk of irritation, dark spots, redness, and delayed progress.
SIGNS YOU MAY BE OVERDOING IT:
• Burning or stinging with basic products
• Tight, shiny, or waxy-looking skin
• Increased redness
• Flaking that feels excessive
• Itching or rawness
• Breakouts that feel inflamed and irritated
• Skin suddenly reacting to products it normally tolerates
If this happens, simplify your routine.
BARRIER RESET ROUTINE:
Morning: Gentle cleanse or rinse, moisturizer, SPF.
Night: Gentle cleanse, hydrating serum if recommended, moisturizer.
Pause retinol, exfoliants, vitamin C, acne treatments, and strong actives until your skin feels calm again.
RETINOL REMINDERS:
• Start low and slow
• A pea-sized amount is enough
• More product does not mean faster results
• Dryness is common, but pain is not the goal
• Do not use on freshly waxed or compromised skin
• Avoid if pregnant or nursing unless cleared by your provider
• Consistency matters more than intensity
REMEMBER:
Actives are like seasoning. The right amount can make everything better. Too much can ruin the whole dish. Your skin does not need to be punished into progress.
