Morning vs. Night Skincare Routines

Bookending your day with a soothing skincare is not only good for looking after your skin – it’s the perfect way to take a couple of minutes to yourself to exist and process the day. But, to really feel your best, you might want to mix it up between AM and PM.

In this handy guide, you’ll learn all about the best ways to care for your skin from morning til night; from pro tips to simple science, we’ve got you covered.

AM vs PM: the differences between morning and evening skincare

Whether you’re tumbling out of bed and stumbling to the kitchen (to pour yourself a cup of ambition), or winding down for a snoozy good time, you should always take the time to look after your skin. Morning or night, a simple skincare routine can help you feel fresh, relaxed, and supercharge your natural radiance.

And, since diving under the covers is a very different vibe to slaying your way through the day, it just makes sense that your skincare routines should follow suit.

Why should your skincare routines be different?

Morning skincare routines are all about preparation and protection. Your skin has to deal with a lot every day – hot or cold weather, air-con or heating, sweating after a workout, and just living your best life all has an impact. After a full night’s sleep then, your morning skincare routine should help you to get ready for the day ahead, whatever that may bring.

Once the day is done however, it’s time for bed – which means your priorities are completely different. That’s why a night skincare routine is centred around repair and restoration. Evening is the perfect time to wash away the grime of the day and treat your skin to some well-deserved TLC. 

Does the order matter?

As we’ve said before, many times in fact, Yes. The order you use your skincare products matters. You want to go from lightest to heaviest to allow each product to fully soak in and get that glorious radiance.

The same is true for your morning vs night skincare routine. Getting the right products at each time of day maximises the benefits for your skin.

Basic morning skincare routine

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together some of the key steps and products for a simple morning skincare routine that can boost your glow and leave you feeling your best.

Pro tip: remember this is our basic morning skincare routine – for even more tips and tricks, check out our Ultimate Guide to Glowing Skin…

Step 1: Cleanse

Starting with a cleanse is a must. Preparing your skin for the day ahead helps you to feel fresh and give you a blank canvas to build on. 

Cleansers are exactly what they sound like – a cleanser helps to clear away dirt, oil, and other impurities from your skin. For your morning skincare routine, you want to choose something gentle. There probably isn’t much more than some oils left on your skin after sleeping, so you can just use a simple cleanser to feel refreshed and set your skin up for the rest of your routine.

Pro tip: if you have dry skin, you might want to skip cleansing in the morning and simply wash your skin with some water.

Step 2: Treat

Preparation complete, you’ll want to take a little bit of time for a skin treatment. We’re talking serums, brightening creams, and products for more specific skin concerns like dryness, acne, or hyperpigmentation – all the goodies that give your skin a lovely little boost before your day.

For a morning skincare routine, look out for Vitamin C as it’s amazing at brightening your skin and providing antioxidants to help protect from free radicals. Our HydraBright Illuminating Serum is jam-packed with Vitamin C to help even your skin tone and bring out your skin’s natural radiance.

Step 3: Protect

Next step, protecting and locking in all your hard work. Moisturisers are probably the thickest products you’ll use on your skin, with either a creamy or gel-based formula. This is because they’re designed to seal in the moisture you’ve already added. 

In a morning skincare routine, moisturising is even more essential to give your skin a clear barrier between it and life. Think of it as your skincare bodyguard, keeping the skin barrier safe from external factors and protecting your moisture levels. 

For added protection, choose a moisturiser with added SPF. We bang on about SPF a lot, but it really is that important to protect you from UV damage. You should wear some form of SPF every day, no exceptions. As part of a simple morning routine, a moisturiser with SPF is doing double protection duty – smart, right?

Check out our Sun Protection Collection to find the perfect product to protect your skin while still looking your best.

Basic night skincare routine

Winding down for the evening? We’ve got a brilliant simple night skincare routine to help you get started. While some of the steps will be familiar, they have their own level of importance now that the sun has set.

Step 1: Cleanse

As with any skincare routine, you should always start with a cleanse – it’s non-negotiable (no matter your skin type). It’s even more important in the evening when you think of the dirt, make-up, sweat, suncream, and oils that have built up on your skin over the day. 

But, deviating from your morning set-up, your night skincare routine is the perfect time to break out the trusty double cleanse. This two-step process is designed to get your skin feeling proper clean and refreshed before bedtime, remove any stubborn hangers on, and introduce some valuable active ingredients that can support your skin (with the right cleanser of course).

At Sculpted by Aimee, we’ve made the double cleanse even simpler with our DuoCleanse Cleanser collection. Instead of scrabbling around your dresser to find everything you need, our DuoCleanse is a combo pack to keep it all in one place, with:

• A gentle cleanser for AM and PM use. 

• Your choice of brightening, clarifying, or exfoliating cleanser for nighttime skincare.

Pro tip: pat your skin dry after cleansing – rubbing too much can irritate your skin.

Step 2: Prepare

After a thorough cleansing, you want to prepare your skin to maximise the rest of your night skincare routine. The best option here? Essences.

Incredibly popular in the world of K-beauty, essences are super-lightweight and built to help the rest of your products absorb better, so that you can get maximum benefit from the rest of your evening routine. They also help to deliver deep hydration, reduce inflammation from the day, and lock in moisture before bed.

You’ll be glad to know our LiquidGlo Brightening Essence is ready to join your evening rotation. Gentle and fast-absorbing, it’s packed full of incredible actives – including a unique Fermented Ingredient Blend for deep hydration and nourishment, and Niacinamide for bright, refined skin.

Pro tip: our essences are suitable for AM and PM use to help you make the most of each step.

Step 3: Treat

Unlike in the morning, your night skincare routine is all about the treatments. Spending a cosy night in bed is the perfect time for your skin to repair and restore after a long day – with a long uninterrupted stretch where active ingredients can get to work boosting your glow and treating your skin needs.

For this step of your evening skincare routine, there are a few actives you’ll want to keep an eye out for – like:

• Retinol: loved for its anti-ageing skills, Retinol helps to boost elastin and collagen (the bits that make your skin stretchy and bouncy) – reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

• You’re better off using this in a night skincare routine as it can become less efficient under UV light, and may increase your sensitivity to the sun.

• Salicylic Acid: if you’re prone to spots or clogged pores, Salicylic Acid gently exfoliates by dissolving dead skin cells and removing excess oils.

• Glycolic Acid: Glycolic Acid is another exfoliant that can help to reduce acne, keep skin moisturised, and give you fresh, glowing skin.

• Exfoliants unveil the fresh, new skin below, which is more vulnerable to sunshine and UV. Using these in an evening skincare routine helps to protect your new skin – which is doubled up when you use SPF in the morning. 

Pro tip: if you’re using exfoliants, skip using a retinoid. Together they can cause skin irritation and dryness. 

Step 4: Restore

Once your chosen treatment has had a chance to sink in, it’s once again time to lock it down with moisturiser. This is your chance to restore and nourish your skin and rehydrate for the night. 

Unlike during the day, where you want something fairly light to feel fresh-faced, a night skincare routine is the time to moisturise to the max. Thicker, richer moisturisers are ideal, because you have time to allow them to fully absorb while you relax. You could even treat yourself to a moisturising mask once a week – total spa vibes.

Our CloudCream is enriched with ceramides to soothe, strengthen, and lock in moisture day and night. 

Morning vs night skincare: our top tips

Skincare is always a personal choice – so always go with what works for you. But, we do have some all-rounder tips to help you make the best of your morning vs evening routine.

1. Split certain products across the day

As we’ve mentioned, your morning and night skincare routine should be different for loads of reasons. Another one is that it allows you to split up products that might otherwise irritate your skin when used together. 

For example, Vitamin C is an amazing antioxidant, but it can cause irritation if used in the same sitting as Retinol. The same can be said for using multiple exfoliants in one sitting, as it can cause over-exfoliation. Choosing one for the morning and the other for the evening means you get the benefits of both in a way that is gentler on your skin.

2. Tailor to your skin type

Your skin type should always take the lead when it comes to choosing products for morning and night. Some key differences are:

• Dry skin: if you’ve got dry skin, you need to be all about hydration! Skipping your morning cleanse may help you to avoid losing precious oils and moisture, and always be on the look out for humectants – the fancy term for those precious moisture-attracting ingredients. 

• Oily skin: while you need some oils to keep your skin healthy, too much can lead to clogged pores and potential breakouts. Keep the cleanse for both your morning and night skincare routine, and look for gentle exfoliants to help refresh your face.

• Sensitive/sensitised skin: for sensitive skin, avoid anything too potent – instead you want ingredients that will hydrate and moisturise your skin gently to prevent irritation.

3. Don’t be afraid to change it up

As we said, your skin type is essential when you’re setting up a skincare routine. But, the skin type you had when you were younger might not be the same as the one you have now. Hormonal changes, environmental changes, and simply getting older will all impact what the best products for you to use are – so don’t be afraid to mix it up when needed.

Pro tip: save any products containing retinol ‘til you’re in your early 30s. Trust us, you don’t need it before then.

4. Be patient

Proper skincare is a marathon – not a sprint. Whether you’re a skincare newbie, switching up your routine, or getting back into the swing of things, you need to be patient. It takes time for you to see the benefits of a morning or night routine; but that doesn’t mean they’re not happening.

You also need to be patient if you’re introducing new products into the line-up. Your skin needs time to get used to exfoliants like Retinol and Glycolic Acid, so use them once or twice a week until you build up to every day.

Overall, the best thing to do is to be consistent. Whatever morning or night routines and products you decide to go with, make sure you stick to them.

5. SPF forever

SPF is an absolute hero when it comes to radiant, glowing skin. Designed to protect your skin from harmful UV rays and free radical damage, you should be including an SPF into your morning skincare routine every day.

6. The glow doesn’t end with skincare

Following a morning and evening skincare routine is one of the best ways to look after your skin and keep it healthy and glowing. But it can’t do all the work.

Getting a full night’s sleep, drinking plenty of water, and eating a balanced diet will all contribute to giving you a radiant glow. 

From AM to PM with Sculpted by Aimee

Loving your skin, and sticking to a skincare routine, doesn’t have to be difficult. At Sculpted by Aimee, we’ve made the science simple, so you can concentrate on getting your glow on. Explore our amazing Skincare collection today – like our Travel Heroes for super-sized benefits in pint-sized packaging.

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