Our Skincare Journey Thus Far
We started The Top Shelf Edit in December 2018 and weirdly, our skin concerns then compared to now haven’t really changed, but our management styles and the results we’ve yielded certainly have. Let’s talk a walk down memory lane.
Pre-Top Shelf Edit, we kind of knew what we were doing, but we were absolutely overdoing it. We couldn’t use 2% BHA exfoliants as directed, no, we had to use them every single day (sometimes even TWICE a day). RIP to our lipid barriers. Our main skin concerns were acne, congestion, and hyperpigmentation during this time, and we were determined that ripping the surface level gunk off our skin would be the cure. It was not.
During the first two years of running TTSE, we still didn’t really learn our lesson. We were trying every serum that came in PR because everything was so new and exciting, so we ended up cramming every new ingredient that was being introduced to us into just the two routines we do a day. You always hear that less is more, but it took us maximizing our routines to their finite limits before coming to that obvious conclusion.
Sometime in mid-2021, we had an epiphany and began to pair everything back. PR started winding down, so our routines could actually stay consistent for more than two weeks at a time, and Sarah decided it would be the perfect time to try prescription skincare. The extensive, indulgent routines we were once doing during the height of COVID lockdowns were now long gone. Practical, multipurpose, but intentional routines began to dominate. Our a.m. routines would sometimes consist of cleanser and sunscreen only, with p.m. routines dropping from upwards of ten steps to around 3-4 products tops.
So now that we’re happy with our routines and are seeing the improvements we had hoped for, what have we learned?
Our skin is incredibly strong. It defends us from environmental stressors, maintains a diverse microbial ecosystem, repairs itself from burns, acne wounds, scrapes, chemical irritants, etc., and much more. Taking this into account, we realized we needed to give our skin the tools it needed to take care of itself, not strip it down entirely and try to build it back ourselves. Our focus has now shifted to antioxidant, lipid, and intentional active-rich routines. We also see great value in giving our skin time to heal on its own—we take 1-2 nights every week or so to just wash our faces and either use one simple product like a moisturizer or just go straight to bed with clean skin, no skincare.
While the individual products within our routines often change due to the nature of our blogger/influencer hobby, the core structures of the routines have stayed constant. Our morning routines are focused on hyperpigmentation through the use of Vitamin C or Alternative Brightener ingredients (usually the latter), while our evening routines target acne and congestion as well as dryness and sensitivity. Our products tend to serve multiple purposes, so while wrinkle/fine line prevention is not necessarily apparent, the featured ingredients in some of our most consistent products tend to take care of that aspect as well—not to mention sunscreen!
That’s where we’re at now. We’re pretty happy with our skin these days (that’s not something we’ve ever said before 2022), so we have no plans to change our approach, but you never know what we’ll learn in the next two years, or two years after that, and beyond!