I Have A Skincare Schedule (Yes, Seriously)

I'm 5'1" and 100 pounds, so I only have so much skin available at a time to afford to test new products. I love the access I have to the newest and most hyped products on the market, but every other day there's a new launch or an emerging brand I should know…but in order to give every product a fair chance, I have to stick to a testing schedule.

I can't just slather something on once and give it a seal of approval. That's not fair, nor are the results accurate. Skincare needs time to take effect. I like to test things for at least three weeks. By then, I can tell if it's irritating my skin or is well on its way to fulfilling its promises.

In a perfect world, I'd have about two months with a product, but that's absolutely not the case with many items. Even if I have early access to something launching soon, it's usually just a week or two in advance… that's not enough time to let the skincare do its job.

I follow a pretty standard routine daily: cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, oil, and facial sprays. Whenever I've finished testing something, I'll add another product into my routine to take its place—something that needs testing and I'm considering for a review.

I keep a detailed tracker of all of the samples that come my way, as well as the things I'm purchasing myself that I think would make good content. This is also where I keep track of important dates like upcoming sales or product launches. I use this almost daily!

My testing schedule also depends on how the testing process is going. I've had plenty of moments when my skin was not having whatever a serum or eye shadow was giving. I've definitely needed to pop an allergy pill once or twice. When that happens, I pare down and return to a very basic and gentle routine that I know works for me so my skin recovers. Once I figure out what gave me the reaction, I return to testing mode.

It's a process. I understand people make informed decisions daily based on my recommendations, so, of course, I want to be responsible and do the work. And I only write reviews about the things I love.