For many, the “I woke up like this” glow happens a few steps after actually waking up. Let’s be honest; the morning can come with puffiness and dark circles — and that’s okay. Life’s like that sometimes, but that doesn’t mean your skin needs to suffer. Everyone wants that flawless glow to look and feel refreshed in the morning, and that's where the right skincare routine comes in.

As we get older our, morning skincare routine becomes that much more important. Cautiously selecting the products we use can help preserve and protect our skin— and more often than not—it’s these products that have us looking refreshed in the morning and ready to take on the day. 

While there is no one-size-fits all morning routine, we think that influencer Sade Mowatt has nailed a pretty universal morning beauty routine we can all benefit from. She is all about that glowy, dewy look, so she's shared with us her secrets to how she achieves that morning glow—all with skincare products that are cruelty-free and vegan so you can take care of the earth while taking care of your skin.

5-Step Morning Skincare Routine

Step 1: Gentle Cleanser

Cleansing is a great way to get rid of any oil-based products you used the night before. Oil based products often bring bacteria to the surface of your skin, and a cleanser will help to get rid of this so you can have a clean canvas for your new day. 

Cleansers remove dead skin cells, skin pollutants, oil and dirt to revive your skin, clear your pores, and prevent skin irritations like dryness, itchiness and acne breakouts. 

Sade uses the Bia Exfoliating Wash from Codex Beauty, which is a gentle everyday cleanser. It has jojoba grains that are used to exfoliate and castor oil which helps with any impurities and evening skin tone. 

She shares, “I will start by wetting my face then applying a decent amount on my fingertips and massage it in. I will let it sit for a couple of minutes then rinse off with cold water. Once I am done I go ahead and pat my face dry.”

If you have sensitive skin, look for a low-PH water cleanser that will help deep clean your skin without causing any redness or irritation before you apply your makeup.

Gentle cleansers are great for your morning and night-time routine if you have sensitive skin to remove make-up and dirt build up. Contrary to what you may think, aggressive cleaners can do more harm than good, as they can be abrasive and actually irritate your skin more.

Step 2: Facial Oil

After the cleanser, Sade goes in with a facial oil. “I go in with 2-3 drops of my Bia Facial Oil that I will gently massage into my face,” she says.

“This is a light and dry oil that is infused with rosehip, bog myrtle, sea buckthorn and rosemary, all of which helps with hydration and skin elasticity. It also helps refine your pores and protects against environmental stressors. I feel like this oil is what really gives me that glowy, dewy look!” 

Facial oils (which can actually be used on any part of your body) are often composed of synthetic oils, fragrant plant oils, or non-fragrant plant oils. The latter is the best for your skin and will leave you with the best results.

Using facial oils comes with a whole slew of benefits not limited to reducing wrinkles, priming your skin, shrinking pores, calming rashes, getting rid of zits, and more.

As we move into colder weather, the unfortunate reality is that, just like how winter can wreak havoc on our hair, it can also wreak havoc on our skin. Facial oils are particularly great for the wintertime as they help to protect your skin from dryness, irritation, flakiness and dehydration.

Step 3: Serum

Applying an antioxidant rich serum is a great way to hydrate your skin first thing in the morning. It creates a moisturized canvas to apply any additional products and helps to keep your skin hydrated to prevent it from becoming dry or irritated.

The nice thing is that serum is that, although it is pricey, a little bit goes a long way. You only need a few drops each use to do the trick. 

After applying her cleanser, Sade will go ahead and add only a couple of drops of the Facial Advanced Serum from BotaskinBeauty, a local Montreal-based seller who hand makes organic facial serums. “It contains jojoba oil, apricot oil, vitamin C, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, black seed oil—all the good stuff for glowy and healthy skin!”

Step 4: Eye Cream

We can't forget to brighten up those eyes! After all, the skin around our eyes is the most sensitive skin on our body and is the skin that ends up getting the most wear. 

Because the skin around our eyes is thin with a lot of tiny muscles, it is far more prone to wrinkles, fine line, dark bags, puffiness, and all those other great things we often wake up with after a busy week.

This is why eye care products like eye cream are so important. Eye cream can also act as a great makeup primer—but more on that step later.

To combat this, Sade applies a Bia Eye Gel Cream as part of her eye care routine. “It is lightweight and has a cooling effect while also brightening under the eyes and helping to get rid of any puffiness or dark circles.”

When she switches things up, she uses the Versed Vacation Eyes Brightening Eye Gel. This product has Vitamin C and ginseng root extract, which are all great for helping with those dark circles. It is a lightweight gel and also gives a tightening effect. She shares, “This one is great to put under makeup especially if you are applying any oil-based eye shadows!”

A secret eye cream tip is to keep it in your refrigerator so that it is cooler when you apply it in the morning. The coolness will be that much more soothing to help with puffiness.

Step 5: Moisturizer

Especially as the temperatures drop and your skin is exposed to cooler air, it is essential to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated to prevent it from dryness and irritation.

Sade will go in and apply her favourite moisturizer from Kopari, which is the Coconut Water Moisture Cream. “It is super hydrating, light-weight and vegan! It is packed with peptides, rose extract, hyaluronic acid, coconut water. I will massage this into my face while bringing it down to my neck as well.” 

All this considered, moisturizing is good for so much more than just nourishing your skin. It protects your skin from fine lines, dullness and flakiness. If you are acne prone, moisturizing can also help to reduce flare ups. According to Good Housekeeping, not moisturizing your skin can actually result in worse breakouts and cause itchiness and irritation.

Bonus Morning Skincare Routine Steps

Take your morning skincare routine to a new level with Sade’s additional bonus steps. While her 5-step routine makes a great basis for any skincare routine, these bonus steps are a great way to elevate and protect your skin.

Step 6: Protection

“The one thing I feel we all tend to neglect, sunscreen!” Sade says. “Whether it's Summer, Fall, or Winter, it is so important to use sun protection.”

 This is why she has been using the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face Sunscreen. “It's light-weight and non-greasy which is amazing. I go ahead and apply a decent amount (about a quarter size) and I will gently massage it onto my face and neck.”

 We know we sound like your mother telling you to put on sunscreen before you head to camp but the reality is that, as much as natural sunlight comes with some great health benefits, the sun’s UV rays can also wreak havoc on your skin, complexion, and your hair!

With sunscreen, you can soak up the sun’s natural benefits while also protecting yourself from its rays. The good news is that there are tons of great beauty products (skincare and makeup products alike) that both incorporate SPF for daily protection all year round.

Step 7: Makeup

We love a fresh faced look, but some of you may want to bust out your artistic chops and go the whole mile. Honestly, you do you, because both are great choices.

If you do choose to apply your makeup, however, be sure to apply a primer to even out your skin tone and protect it from the additional products you are planning to apply. Primer plays an essential role in every makeup and skin care routine.

“During the summer because it is so hot, I don't really wear any makeup unless I have an event, dinner or specific content to shoot.” Sade says. “On a regular basis, I will put on some mascara and lip gloss and call it a day.” 

This is a step that everyone can have fun with and integrate at a level they are comfortable with. Everyone’s beauty routine looks different, but these 5 steps are universal and offer ample room for experimentation, and personalization.

Written by: Brittany Rodriguez