An Affordable (But Fancy!) Bedtime Skincare Routine.

affordable Bedtime Skincare Routine

The other day I was thinking about it and I realized – I finally had figured out a (somewhat!) affordable but fancy bedtime skincare routine.

It’s mostly clean, too. Retinol is not clean and I don’t think the Pixi Glow Tonic is clean either, but everything else is! I always say that I try to be 80/20 in my own skincare routine with a focus on clean ingredients BUT I also want high-tech and need my retinol! (If you want a clean alternative I would definitely recommend trying Bakuchiol, which I wrote about in this post!)

I have more affordable skincare recs here in this post… but I’ve never outlined a full skincare routine at solely affordable/drugstore prices. If you buy everything (8 products) featured, that’s $153. Not cheap (the two retinol products drive up the cost!) BUT you’re getting a full routine that is in my opinion, pretty comparable to a MUCH more expensive skincare routine.

ALSO: be sure to check out Sephora’s newly launched “clean beauty under $20” page!

Affordable Skincare Routine

Before we dive in, a few quick things!

  • THIS is my current skincare routine. I’ve updated a few things and will do a winter skincare post but that will give you the general idea.
  • THIS is the correct order to apply your skincare products! (I’ve listed out this routine in proper order but I always get asked questions about product order so I wanted to link to that post again.
  • This post is a bedtime routine! I find that if you are diligent at night you don’t have to do a ton in the morning. I usually splash my face with water (or use this toner/cleanser), and pat on a light moisturizer, my fav daytime eye cream and tinted moisturizer w/ SPF.  Don’t ever skip SPF… I usually try to wear at least SPF 30 every day. I haven’t found an affordable/drugstore one I truly LOVE yet but this is my fav from Supergoop. You want to fight against those free radicals!

Lastly, these are just the skincare products I love and what works for me! Everything mentioned in this post has been tested, vetted, and is fully Grace-approved! BUT if we have different skin types, this might not work for you. I’m 38 with dry skin. My biggest concerns are dehydration, fine lines, and texture. I will occasionally get a little bit oily (especially on my t-zone and get so annoyed by the larger pores on my nose!)

Double Cleanse

I love love love a good double cleanse. It’s such a nice way to kick off your skin care routine! A balm to remove all my makeup, dirt and grime… and then a gel cleanser to get my skin really clean and prepped for skincare. Besides being super effective, it’s also just a really nice, luxurious ritual. I don’t double cleanse every night but I do it if I wore makeup, my skin feels dirty, I’ve been traveling, or I just want the ritual. If not, I’ll just pick one!

Start by using the Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser ($18). Massage this on dry skin and then add a little bit of water to emulsify. Overall, I’m pretty medium on Cocokind but I really love this cleanser and it’s a great price. You could also do a micellar water as your first step (so many of my girlfriends are OBSESSED!) and I get it, it’s satisfying and they really do get all of your makeup off but I personally prefer an oil cleanser or cleansing balm!

THEN, use this Weleda Clarifying Gel Cleanser ($20). I love this cleanser – it’s my favorite face wash at this price point. It smells amazing and really deep cleans. Even though I have dry skin I really like this cleanser as it deep cleans, prepping my skin for moisture!

Exfoliate (2-3x a week)

For a manual exfoliation, I love the Seaweed Bath Company’s face scrub. It looks like it has been discontinued, but not to fear: I’ve been testing out this one from Versed and it’s just as good… maybe even better? Budgets aside, it is my favorite face scrub but I do really love that it is $17. I got a tip to (gently) exfoliate for two full minutes in the shower and this has been a game changer… your skin will be buttery soft and SO SMOOTH afterward!

Retinol / Acid / Serum

A few times a week (I do it every other night, recommend starting with 1-2x a week) use the Olay Retinol Serum. At $29 this is the most expensive of the products, but it’s also really effective and most retinol serums cost $100+. Definitely read my full review of the Olay retinol products. I find them to be very good and comparable to the more expensive retinol products I’ve tried.

Pixi Glow Tonic ($14)  is the real deal and my favorite affordable glycolic acid/toner. It’s similar to P50 in that it exfoliates and makes you GLOW!

On non retinol nights I would do a gentle serum like the Olay Wrinkle Correction Serum, or acid. (This is also when you’d do your salicylic acid to treat acne if you have oily skin.) Or if your skin is feeling tight or irritated, skip this step and just go straight to moisturizer. If you have sensitive skin, acids can often do more harm than good.

Everything really depends on YOUR skin (test things out! Pay attention to how your skin feels) but I would recommend doing each of these things SEPARATELY a few times a week. Don’t do them both, I think retinol + glow tonic would probably be a little too much. I’d probably start with retinol 1-2x a week and Glow Tonic 3x a week with a couple off nights where you do a hydrating serum (don’t have a drugstore/affordable rec for that yet) or just go straight to moisturizer after you cleanse).

Eye Cream

I am still loving the Olay Retinol Eye Cream ($29) and use it every night. It’s gentle, it doesn’t irritate, and I have definitely noticed a big improvement in the texture around my under eye area. I get asked if it helps with dark circles and I don’t think it does but honestly, no topical cream is going to fix your dark circles.

Hydrate

There are so many great night creams out there but personally, Skin Food and Skin Food Light ($12 each) are my two favs here. Both are so hydrating. I would liken the Skin Food to La Mer’s original cream (it’s extremely rich – a little goes a long way and you have to warm it up between your fingers first) and the Skin Food Light to the Dr. Bader Rich Cream (in consistency, not active ingredients, obviously). I use both creams a lot… usually Skin Food at night or when my face is just extra dry, and Skin Food Light for day. I have a post about Skin Food, with all of its many uses… it’s one of my favorite parts of my skin care routine.

Lock it all in with Oil

We’ve talked about this before but oil is the last step, and it locks in all of those good actives!!!

Everyday Oil ($14 for one ounce) is one of my favorite oils, and it’s an amazing price! I like to tap on oil over my moisturizer as a final step before bed to lock everything in. It smells amazing, it feels amazing, and it leaves my skin so glowy. The Everyday Oil Mainstay Blend smells like Palo Santo which I love but they also make an unscented formula for my sensitive skin friends!

PS – I’m still on the hunt for a good affordable hyaluronic acid! If you have recs, leave them in the comments and I will give them a try.

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69 Comments

  1. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog:

    I need me some retinol products! I’ve tried to find them but I don’t think they’re available in Hong Kong, ugh… ❤️✨

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Aw, hopefully they will launch internationally!

      12.3.19 Reply
    • Meg:

      I believe Drunk Elephant is now being sold in Hong Kong and they have a Retinol product.

      12.6.19 Reply
  2. Lauren:

    Not a budget skin care question, but do you have thoughts on true botanicals products?

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hey Lauren, I think they are a great brand! I have tried a few things (not all) and loved them. Their body oil is heaven!

      12.3.19 Reply
  3. Jessica:

    Concerning the olay products- are you concerned about the fact that they are no clean? I used to use the serum and loved it but trying to go as clean as possible in my routine.

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hey Jessica,

      I think it’s really a decision you have to make for yourself, with what you’re comfortable with.

      I always strive to be at least 80/20 and to be upfront about that. While I am always trying to find clean products, I care most about effective products.

      I only use clean body care products (since the surface area + amount of products you are using is so much bigger) but will make allowances for high tech products that make such a visible difference in my skin. That’s just MY decision and what works for ME, as I am not a scientist, etc. So of course I am concerned, but I also use such a tiny amount of the products that I don’t feel awful about it. It’s really up to you. If you are fully clean in your routine I would highly recommend the Herbivore Bakuchiol Serum which is great (though I don’t think it works QUITE as well as retinol). I guess you just have to sort of weigh which thing is most important.

      best,
      Grace

      12.3.19 Reply
    • Brandi:

      Always love skin care posts! I am the exact opposite skin type of you (combo, sensitive and acne prone and don’t tolerate oils well) but I am 39 and need products with age prevention but that are also geared toward acne prevention for combination and sensitive skin. Not an easy task. To make it even more difficult I have recently gone 100% clean in all personal care products and have had a really hard time finding a substitute for my “Clear skin, holy grails”. Beauty Counter and Tatcha broke me out terribly. All of this to say that I think I have hit on a winner in Ghost Democracy. I haven’t seen you mention it yet so I wanted to mention it to you. It is clean and affordable and for all skin types. I have been using the wash, vitamin c, hyaluronic acid and moisturizer and so far so good!

      12.3.19 Reply
      • grace at the stripe:

        I’m so glad you’ve found something you love!!!

        12.3.19 Reply
  4. Rhiannon:

    This is a fantastic post! I have a follow up question — I have been using the Herbivore Bakuchiol serum (at your recommendation!) and love it but would like to try the Olay Retinol Night Serum…any suggestions on how to use both? Like count them both as a retinol and rotate which one you use? I know this is a very specific question, but I feel like if anyone knows how to incorporate various similar purpose products it would be you!

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hey Rhiannon,

      Thanks for the kind words!

      So the Olay Retinol and the Herbivore Bakuchiol Serum essentially do the same thing/are the same step – one is retinol and the other is a retinol alternative! I personally wouldn’t bother… I’d use the Bakuchiol and then try the Olay afterward when you finish the bottle. I think the Olay is slightly more effective than the Bakuchiol, but the Bakuchiol is clean of course, whereas Olay is not. I just don’t really see the point in using them both! You could always rotate between them if you really want/are curious, but since they are the same step, it feels excessive (and I say this as someone who has several different retinol/retinol alternative serums, but testing products is my job… for a non-blogger, you prob only need one!)

      Hope that makes sense!

      12.3.19 Reply
  5. Leeza:

    I haven’t tried all of these but FWIW I can co-sign Weleda, Pixi Glow Tonic, and Everyday Oil! This seems like an excellent place to begin for anyone unsure about what a comprehensive routine looks like. Thank you!

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Thank you so much for the co-sign!!! 🙂

      12.3.19 Reply
  6. Megan Moore:

    This is my favorite post on the Stripe of all time! Fab work, Grace! I love to mix prestige brand and drugstore brand products and this helps me so this so well! Love it!!

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Oh good I am so happy to hear that!!!

      12.3.19 Reply
  7. Grace:

    Where would you do a spot treatment? I know you probably don’t get much acne, but I didn’t see it in the skincare order post.

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Great question! Yeah my skin is so dry so I rarely do one but if I do I do it as a last step BUT I also try not to get any moisturizer on the affected area as I use such rich, oil-based moisturizers!

      12.3.19 Reply
  8. Rachel:

    Love this 🙂

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I’m so glad!

      12.3.19 Reply
  9. Lindsay:

    I love this post. And this reminded me that I need to buy more Skin Food as I just ran out. Thank you, Grace!

    12.3.19 Reply
  10. KLeigh:

    Thank you so much for posting this! I didn’t notice a vitamin C in the routine – any affordable recommendation? Thanks! 🙂

    12.3.19 Reply
  11. Lisa Autumn:

    I just looove Pixi products!

    Lisa | Lisa Autumn

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Agree! They have some really fantastic, affordable products!

      12.3.19 Reply
  12. Elizabeth:

    The REN Ready Steady Glow toner is a good clean alternative to the Pixi Glow tonic and costs about the same per ounce.

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Thank you so much for the rec, that’s a great idea! I never think of Ren as affordable but you’re totally right.

      12.3.19 Reply
  13. Kayla:

    love this! Do you find that the eye cream helps with dark circles? I’ve been looking for an affordable eye cream that really helps with this.

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hey Kayla!

      I’m copying what I wrote to another commenter on the actual Olay post (sorry to be lazy it’s just a longer response re: dark circles!!!)

      It doesn’t help w/dark circles. Retinol will brighten up your face as a whole (it renews cell turnover resulting in more radiant skin) but dark circles are their own sad issue. It’s great with fine lines and texture, though!

      Unfortunately as much as marketers would like us to believe there is no topical treatment for dark circles that will have lasting results (plenty have light reflecting particles in them like the Ole Henriksen one, which definitely brightens things up, but once you wash them off you wash off the brightening effect).

      I have dark circles and my formula is… this eye cream at night to help with lines and texture and then in the morning I use the Ole Henriksen eye cream and then the Ilia concealer. I find that the combination of a retinol eye cream (which helps with texture!) at night, and then a brightening eye cream in the morning with a good concealer is the holy trifecta. The retinol is a key part of this as it keeps the area smoother, so concealer goes on better!

      12.3.19 Reply
      • Kayla:

        Thanks for the info!!

        12.4.19 Reply
        • grace at the stripe:

          you’re welcome!

          12.4.19 Reply
  14. Ashley B:

    Excellent blog post! This is something I’ve been wondering about! love to get your stamp of approval. What do you suggest for a body lotion that is clean? Thanks! ~Ashley B.~

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I personally really love the REN body serum, Weleda Skin Food Body Butter, or my new obsession -the body stone!

      12.3.19 Reply
  15. Samantha:

    This post is amazing. I want to up my skincare game, but I’m pretty low maintenance (as is my skin, fortunately) and have a hard time justifying the cost of pricier items!

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I am so happy you enjoyed the post – thank you!

      12.3.19 Reply
  16. Catherine:

    Hey Grace! When should you start using retinol? I’m almost 27, considering pulling the trigger…

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I would talk to your dermatologist! I didn’t start til I was 37 but that was probably a little late!

      12.3.19 Reply
  17. Caitlin Maxwell:

    How does the night pillow hold up with face oil? I just got one and I’m worried because my cotton pillowcase always looked so gross 2-3 days after washing it thanks to face oil.

    12.3.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Oh no! I might have really dry skin because I never have this problem! I also tend to read for 45 minutes before going to bed, so there’s not really any oil on my face left to rub onto a pillow.

      12.3.19 Reply
  18. Elizabeth:

    Thank you for this post, Grace! I value your knowledge on skin care, and I appreciate you taking the time to list affordable options (and the order to apply them in).

    12.4.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      12.4.19 Reply
  19. Sahra:

    So happy to read this post with items I can afford. Now i just need to see which ones i can buy in Australia

    12.4.19 Reply
  20. alyson seligman:

    Love this post so much, Grace!! And, AMAZING to know about Skin Food Light; I love Skin Food but definitely can’t use it daytime under my makeup…. I’m going to try the light version, and the Olay eye cream.

    Alyson

    12.4.19 Reply
    • alyson seligman:

      PS: for people who prefer ordering on Amazon, just saw that Everday Oil is available there Prime in a few size options! 🙂

      12.4.19 Reply
      • grace at the stripe:

        Oh that’s amazing, thanks for sharing!

        (Just a caveat – I actually knew this… but since Emma is a good friend + small business owner, I always prefer to drive folks to her site as all the money goes to her and not Amazon 🙂

        12.4.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Ah awesome!!! Skin Food Light sounds perfect for you!

      12.4.19 Reply
  21. Sandra:

    This is such a great and helpful post, thank you. Have you tried the versed cleansing balm? I don’t like it as much as farmacy but think it’s a nice and less expensive option.

    12.4.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I haven’t! I loved their body oil and a couple other products but I generally think Versed is a fantastic brand. Try the Cocokind cleanser! It’s really really nice.

      12.4.19 Reply
  22. rachel:

    grace you look so beautiful in this pic!!

    12.5.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      That’s so nice! Thank you!

      12.5.19 Reply
  23. Devin:

    Love all of your recs, thank you so much! Do you put sunscreen on over Skin Food Light in the morning?

    12.5.19 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Yup! Sunscreen is the last step of your skincare routine!

      12.6.19 Reply
  24. Megan:

    Love this! Would also love a morning routine/daytime version of this!

    12.15.19 Reply
  25. JBrown:

    This is close to the Korean skincare routine. Love it!
    https://www.maisonducap.shop/

    1.2.20 Reply
  26. Amelia:

    This is such a great post to get someone started with affortable skincare! I purchased 4 of these products and have been loving them. Thanks for your always amazing reviews Grace!

    1.12.20 Reply
  27. Amy:

    Got the double cleanser duo you recommended here and am LOVING it.

    7.23.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Oh good!!!

      7.24.20 Reply
  28. Gayle:

    I love the Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid.

    8.15.20 Reply
  29. Dee:

    Hi! Would you use the Pixi tonic every night, or only on days you don’t use the retinol? Thanks!

    8.20.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Hi Dee! I would not use it on retinol nights! Too much acid, I think it would be overkill 🙂

      8.20.20 Reply
  30. Emilie:

    Hi Grace! I love this post and refer to/repurchase the products all the time. Could you re-link the Seaweed Bath Co. scrub? The Amazon link is sold out and it doesn’t seem like it’s coming back into stock but I wanted to make sure you get the credit 🙂

    8.25.20 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      Oh man – it looks like it’s been discontinued!!!!

      This one from Versed is SUPER similar (maybe even better?) at the same price point – I just started testing it a couple weeks ago: https://bit.ly/2CWJWwr

      8.25.20 Reply
  31. Ana:

    I’m personally a fan of REN! I used their bio-retinoid anti-wrinkle oil and their aha tonic exfoliator and love them. They claim to be “clean” products but I haven’t researched that to confirm.

    1.17.21 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      LOVE Ren, but this post is meant to be more affordable and I would not classify them there! 🙂

      1.17.21 Reply
  32. Jenna:

    On the nights you use retinol, do you use Skin Food after or just do the retinol only?

    Thanks!

    3.7.21 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I find that I still need to moisturize after retinol especially if I use the Olay serum (if you do the Olay moisturizer you prob don’t need skin food too). So yes… I’d pat on the retinol and let it sink in, and then 15 min or so later moisturize!

      3.8.21 Reply
  33. Jade:

    Do you have a post about your wallpaper? Love!

    8.8.23 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      I don’t! That particular wallpaper was by my sister Rebecca Atwood 🙂

      8.8.23 Reply
  34. maureen mcnally:

    hi Grace! long-time follower! i was browsing your website to recall the artist who created the large pink piece with the birds on it (it’s been on your gallery wall). would you be able to share? also stumbled on this post, and love the bathroom wallpaper – can you share (if you know) what it is?
    thank you so much!

    4.24.24 Reply
    • grace at the stripe:

      The art piece is Paule Marrot! I bought from a shop called Natural Curiosities.

      The bathroom wallpaper is by my sister Rebecca Atwood. She sells this in traditional wallpaper on her website but had made special temporary wallpaper for me as I was renting that apartment.

      4.24.24 Reply