Beauty Editor Sarah Kinonen Shares Her Complete Skin-Care Routine

I'm Sarah Kinonen, Allure's digital skin-care editor. As a beauty editor whose primary focus is skin care (a rarity in the industry and a role I am extremely grateful to have), I find the topic to be, well, important. (Even if I weren't a beauty editor, I will tell you: Skin! Care! Is! Important!) Ask any dermatologist and they'll agree — albeit in a more eloquent manner.

Which is probably why during my two-plus years at Allure, my own skin-care routine has become a bit...extensive. Like 27-products-and-counting extensive. Don't get me wrong, I'm still trying to figure out what works (and what doesn't) for my combination and sensitive skin type, which might explain the 4,584,675-product-long list.

And that brings me to why we're here: my list of products, aka my routine. In case you were ever wondering what a beauty editor, specifically one focused on skin care, actually uses on a daily basis, you've come to the right place. Here's my extremely long, over-the-top, skin-care routine for your viewing pleasure.

Daytime Regimen

The first thing I do in the morning after guzzling down a big ol' cup of water is hop in the shower. That's when I wash away my skin care from the night before with the Shani Darden Daily Cleansing Serum. I like it because it gently cleanses and it's made with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, so it doesn't strip the skin of natural oils.

Once I'm done showering, I literally run (fun vision, no?) to my bedroom and pat on the soothing NYDG Skincare Luminizing Skin Essence to my still-wet face. I also glob on a hefty helping, about three pumps, of the Best of Beauty Award-winning Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion on my body. Then I head back to my bathroom to wash my hands, which isn't as weird as it sounds: I wash my hands after applying body lotion so when I do jump back into my facial skin-care routine, the goopy moisturizer from my hands doesn't clog my pores. (It's a little tip my dermatologist shared with me. I swear I'm not making this up.)

I apply a pump of the Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum, made with 15 percent vitamin C, all over my face but paying close attention to areas like my forehead, where I have melasma. I switch out my vitamin C serums every now and then to keep my skin guessing, so sometimes I use the PCA Skin C&E Strength, which is a waterless vitamin C serum. (Think silkier and more paste-like than your traditional hotdog-water-scented serum.) I lock that in with the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Serum, which is made with hyaluronic acid and watermelon rind.

While the serums dry down, I tap on the brightening Trilogy Age-Proof CoQ10 Eye Recovery Concentrate, which is actually quite nice applied directly to the undereye area with its cooling metal-tip applicator. It's especially nice in the morning. Next comes moisturizer. Right now I'm loving the Pestle & Mortar Hydrate Lightweight Moisturizer. The lightweight cream is made with a ton of nourishing ingredients, like green tea leaf extract, jojoba seed oil, and vitamin E, and seeps into the skin almost immediately. Even though it's featherlight, I find it keeps me hydrated during the majority of the year.

After moisturizer, I really lock everything in with a facial oil. I tap on a drop of the Pai Skincare's Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil, which is packed with antioxidants and made of just four ingredients: rosehip seed extract, rosehip fruit extract, vitamin E, and rosemary leaf extract.

As far as sunscreen goes, I'm obsessed with NYDG Skincare Chem-Free Active Defense SPF 30. I wear it everywhere — including the gym — every day of the year. For added protection, I swipe on the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35 under my eyes. It's tinted, so it also helps conceal the telltale signs of lack of zs.

My morning skin-care routine takes about 10 minutes, but that's because I wait a minute or two in between each step (as long as I'm not in a major rush) to let it all soak in.

Nighttime Routine

At night, my first line of defense when it comes to removing the day's makeup is cleansing cloths. I know wipes are often a topic of controversy around these parts, but I'm sorry — I love them. I work out a lot, so for me they're the easiest way to wipe away BB cream, two layers of mascara, and bronzer before hopping on the treadmill. Right now, I've got a pack of the Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes in my backpack for pre- and post-cleanup after a sweaty Barry's Bootcamp class.

Once I'm home, I double cleanse with the Savor Beauty Coconut Jasmine Pre-Cleanse Oil and the Savor Beauty Pearl Cleansing Cream. And just like my morning shower rule, I give myself literally 60 seconds or less to splash the NYDG Skincare Luminizing Skin Essence onto my dripping face.

This creates a hydrated base for the powerhouse treatment I apply next, which is usually a retinol like the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream or some sort of alpha hydroxy acid treatment like the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum with Hydrating Honey + Gentle Flower Acids. I use these interchangeably every other night. Sometimes I sub in the Allies of Skin Mandelic Serum, which is made with lactic and mandelic acids to fade dark spots and smooth acne scars, both of which I have.

After waiting a few minutes (I usually brush my teeth during this time), I press the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Serum over the retinol (or serum). If I have a breakout, here's when I dab on the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment, which has 2 percent salicylic acid.

Then comes the eye cream. I'm really into Trilogy right now, so every night I gently tap the Trilogy Very Gentle Cream, made with aloe and glycerin, on, under, and around my lids because it's so soothing. For my moisturizer, recently I've been using the super creamy Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer — the sequel to the fan-favorite serum with the same name.

I'd never really considered neck cream until discovering the Sisley Paris Neck Cream. It's so light and absorbent and doesn't smell like all those other Fancy Creams. It's nice, but you know, in a $180 kind of way. After all the creams, I top everything with a face oil. Depending on the state of my skin, I switch between the Pai Skincare's Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil (the same one I use in the morning) and the Shiffa Emerald Clarifying Facial Oil. I gravitate toward the Shiffa oil when I feel a breakout coming on because it's made with tea tree and clary sage oils.

As a final step, I massage a big glob of Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve into my hands and cuticles before slathering on the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm. I discovered this goopy lip balm while in Paris and now I'm obsessed. So much so that I once asked a family friend to pick up a jar of the stuff while she was on vacation. But after writing this story, I found out this fancy French lip balm is actually sold at...Walmart! Who knew? Clearly, not me.

In total, my nighttime routine takes probably twice as long as my morning routine because I have a little more free time to let the products settle into my skin before moving on to the next one. I'd say I dedicate 15 to 20 minutes every evening. Surprisingly, I've never skipped a night — ever. Even after drinking. And that, my friends, is some serious dedication.

More skin-care products worth splurging on:

• In Defense of Skin Care, Because Apparently I Have to Defend It
• The Best New Skin-Care Launches Hitting Shelves This Month
• The 20 Best Neck Creams on the Market

Now, see how skin care has evolved within the last 100 years:

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