Expert Reacts To 7 Step Skincare Routine From Christen Dominique
and apply it here and here and a little bit right there so much to unpack right here kristen dominique’s seven step nighttime skincare routine she’s a youtuber a cat mom a beauty business owner and an amazing human in person but is her skincare routine on par with everything else and for those who don’t know or are new here hello my name is cassandra benson i’m an expert and have been in the industry for over 10 years and i’ve personally suffered with acne for over 15.
i’m a medical esthetician who’s worked alongside and with doctors and dermatologists to understand skin and help other people solve their skin problems however i am not a physician myself that being said i love analyzing scrutinizing and learning from other people’s skin care routines so that is what we are going to do today and for those who don’t know i had meningitis earlier in the year so i’ve got my contacts on so that i can see i’ve also got my raycon earbuds on so that i can hear and they’ve been kind enough to sponsor this video but of course that does not change my opinion on their product any of these skincare products or on her routine so let’s press play hi guys i’m kristen dominique and this is my little fur baby my heart see that’s the key to great content just adorable fluffy animals that’s all my nighttime skincare routine is so important to me i want to stay young forever i wear makeup every single day and i need to wash it off my skin naturally is very dry i have dry to combination because i’m more of an oily situation in the center of my face and everything else on my body and the rest of my face is very dry combination skin can be really difficult to pinpoint and to treat because again it’s kind of like having two different skin types in one you can zone them off you could use different products here than here but really having a nice basic skincare routine that puts your skin back in balance is going to be the best thing for you the most important part of a skincare routine is sunscreen in the day and like she said removing your makeup and moisturizing properly at night and then i will go into a cleansing makeup remover and this is the one that i have been using this is from origins it’s the original skin cleansing makeup removing jelly with willow herb and i do like oh my god my phone’s about to die she’s recording this on her phone and looks this good iphone you have betrayed me as soon as you apply it it starts to melt everything off we are about to get to know each other on a different level today because i’m taking off my brows and you’re gonna see that i have no brows at all look how easy this is whoa i’m actually surprised this is removing her makeup so well i’ve tried this product years ago back before i was cruelty free and it didn’t work that well for me it’s supposed to be a jelly like makeup remover that does cleanse the skin i’ve seen a lot of different youtubers promote it and again maybe if you have light makeup or if you do want something that has a fun texture but overall it didn’t work for me and the cake face that i would use to you know cover up my acne and wasn’t impressed with it when we look at the ingredients it’s a base of caprylic triglyceride which comes from coconut we also have sunflower oil and isopropyl palmitate and obviously there are other things in here that you know contribute to the texture and feel of the product but i would argue that just using sunflower oil straight up that you could buy from trader joe’s for much cheaper would be a better option to remove your makeup with and if you’re confused about makeup removal we’ve done a video talking about some controversial oils that you can use as makeup removers right here so next i’m going to be using the essence by tatcha and this is something that i absolutely love this is also hydrating it’s a plumping skin softener and what it does is it allows your serums or moisturizers to really get deep into the skin and i kind of like to just spread it on my hand please stop we have to take a minute and make sure that like button matches the tatcha bottle go ahead and turn it blue and i just press it into my face you can also use something like this um but i’m just using my hands and it feels so good it makes my skin feel like a little bouncy her application is phenomenal whether it’s the hands or you know i’m peeking those eco-friendly cotton pads however this product i find to be overpriced she’s completely correct on her definition of a toner however this essence really isn’t that much of a toner this isn’t going to help your other products penetrate deeper as she mentioned this is going to give the skin some bounce and basically be like a thinner moisturizer to give you that glass skin look or just to add an extra layer of hydration the ingredients are camilla census leaf which is green tea really high in antioxidants and fantastic for the skin we also have a rice ferment filtrate this is what’s used in a lot of those sk2 or japanese products that claim amazing anti-aging benefits we also have some propane dial for penetration and some soy amino acids and yeast extract both of these are fantastic for the skin and they’re probably helping to give her that bounce although these ingredients are great are they really worth 95 that is one of my biggest issues with tatcha is that even if they have some decent products or formulas i don’t know if they are worth that price especially if you’re on a budget again she can have money she can do what she wants to obviously her skin looks gorgeous she enjoys using it so keep doing so but if you’re someone who’s thinking about what should i shop for what should i look for you don’t have to pay 95 for these ingredients for my under eyes i’m going to take this vitamin c dark circle corrector this is not makeup this is a moisturizer um looks like so it’s orange and what it does is it just over time it brightens the eyes i really feel like my under eyes have gotten a lot brighter but what i do is just take that under the eye and press it in you definitely feel like it’s helped she said it’s a moisturizer and yes it is exactly a moisturizer i roll my eyes at eye creams because they are gigantic wastes of money that companies charge you so much extra for even the eye creams that aren’t complete crap that have some good ingredients such as the vitamin c in this one they’re sold in such a tiny bottle and you’re being told just put these right around the eyes this is a moisturizer use this all over your face or find a facial moisturizer with vitamin c and e and use this just in the under eye areas you’ll do the exact same thing the main ingredients here are water glycerin which is a humectant dimethicone which is occlusive hydroxyethyl acrylate and some copolymers all of these are found inside of moisturizers if we look a little bit further we have titanium dioxide this is a mineral that kind of gives you a little bit of shimmer or shine this is basically like applying a moisturizer that has slight light reflecting properties it’s not that it’s actually making your under eye color disappear it’s just putting on a little bit of a layer to make them like makeup to make them look less apparent which i think is a little bit shady does it work yes but like just apply makeup then you don’t need to spend so much money on this turn and learn your ingredients lists save you money and thank me later i take that on my eyes before the serum just because i have learned if you go in with serum all over your face and say it’s like you know it has some type of vitamin c and then you go in with a moisturizer and then you go in with the under eye that’s a lot of products on your under eyes so what i do is just apply this to my under eyes right in this whole area that kind of protects it and that’s all that i do on my under eyes i love that she’s mentioning this a lot of people put their eye creams or moisturizers in a tiny tube at a higher price on last the way i like to break down a skincare routine is cleanse consistency complete so you do your cleansing and makeup removal first then you go by consistency meaning a toner has the lightest texture then serums then moisturizers and then completing would be a night mask if you’re going to sleep at night or a sunscreen and makeup if you’re going out during the day if your eye cream has a really thin consistency it should go after that toner and before that serum so if you are applying something to this area do like kristin dominique and don’t apply it last apply it in order of consistency so next i’m going to take these rhodial serum collagen drops i as you can tell i’m almost done i’m almost completely out of it it really really hydrates the skin and i definitely need another one so i’m going to take some of this and apply it here and here and a little bit right there so much to unpack right here first off what the internet is going to scream about is this application where she literally touched the dropper to her skin and drug it across her forehead and i have to stop people right there because even though that is technically not what you should do it is not detrimental you see yes this could take bacteria or oil that is on your face and put it back into the product but overall this is why products have preservatives in them if we look at the ingredients this one specifically has benzyl alcohol as well as disodium edta those are both going to protect this formula so that even if there is something here it’s probably not going to grow inside of that product if we look further let’s unpack collagen serums we’ve done videos on this before but just applying collagen to the top of your skin doesn’t mean that it’s going to penetrate into the skin and get permeated and actually create more collagen overall that is a huge myth but i like what she said about this serum being moisturizing collagen specifically soluble collagen which is in this product is very hydrating to the skin it can really smooth over the skin if it’s broken down small enough and if it can get inside could it stimulate maybe but overall the science does not yet say that so for 95 bucks i wouldn’t spend my money on this especially because when we look down a little bit it’s a blend of oils there is some fragrance there is some gingerol and linalool again i don’t hate fragrance i don’t think it should be demonized but i don’t see anything penetrative about these fragrance ingredients or any purpose other than the smell this definitely looks like a luxury product and again she looks amazing so if she’s enjoying it go for it but overall this is not something i would waste my money on and i would rather go for peptides over collagen because collagen is such a large protein peptides and amino acids are the small little pearls or pieces of that that actually have a chance to penetrate deeper and actually get in between those cells and down where they should be so yeah there’s that i’ll just work it in and i’m 33 already so i want all the youthful collagen i can get on my skin you can already tell how much brighter and glowy my skin looks if she’s looking for anti-aging benefits i would actually recommend products such as these these are going to work a lot better and again instead of going for collagen i would go for amino acid or peptide infused products those are going to have a chance to penetrate deeper and actually help her out more also the biggest thing for anti-aging is sun protection sun is the number one cause of photo aging or basically light damage sun damage it degrades the collagen and elastin that’s already in your skin it makes it weaker she’s doing a really good job with that vitamin c that can definitely help if she’s interested in anti-aging she could also look at things such as chemical peels for her fitzpatrick type i would probably recommend either salicylic lactic or glycolic acids these can all penetrate really deep they can kind of slough off the skin but they can help with some stimulation of that collagen in the dermis and the bottom part of the skin and they could also help with a little bit of these breakouts again i see that she has acne which automatically makes me so happy because that means we are sisters as an acne sisters and again just because you have acne doesn’t mean you need to treat it or need to be bothered by it i don’t know if she is but for someone who is concerned about acne chemical peels specifically salicylic acid peels or a jessner peel which is a combination of acids including salicylic could be really really beneficial then i’ll go in with my favorite oh my goodness i love this so much this is from it cosmetics it’s confidence in your beauty sleep it truly it smells like lavender the look is just so calming just looking at the jar just makes you want to go to sleep and i apply that on my skin and you are just going to go to sleep with the most baby soft skin it’s interesting that she mentions this product and this baby soft skin because when we look at the ingredients we see that the second one is dimethicone and the third is glycerin dimethicone is a silicone-based product that is super occlusive and it gives you that makeup primary feel kristen dominique is a makeup expert she has a makeup line herself so she probably loves that feel and the fact that this product is giving her that is probably why she likes it so much we do see perfume and fragrance in here but we do not see lavender extract so that lavender scent is probably coming from a synthetic fragrance what i do like in here is seeing ceramide np ceramides are made naturally by our skin but when adding them to the skin we can help with that skin barrier and they are supremely moisturizing and healing to the skin so it is great to see that in here we do have lactic acid not a lot of it but that could give some slight exfoliation and some brightening to the skin so i’m happy to see that in there and overall this product isn’t fabulous but it’s not the worst thing in the world it is important to you know feel good about your skincare routine and before you go to bed i often watch youtube videos such as hers actually before i go to bed i find her voice to be so soothing and calming and i’ve actually been using these these are recon earbuds because like i told you i dropped my other ones in the toilet so um yeah that didn’t work out too well i wasn’t expecting to love these as much as i do but they actually have this little adjustment ear thing that actually meshes to your ear and in the box they come with different sizes so that this actually fits your ear when i would work out and be running with my mouth open or on zoom meetings where i’m talking or like smiling a lot i would actually get headaches from different earbuds because they didn’t fit properly or they would just fall out these actually stick inside of my ear also this is something very personal that i haven’t totally shared but as i mentioned i had meningitis earlier this year and because of that i had some vision damage and some hearing damage especially in my right ear and so that’s been kind of hard for me to emotionally unpack you know just because i want to live life optimally and i feel that because of what happened maybe that’s been taken away a little bit overall i’m still doing well i can still hear but it’s really helpful to have these because of the sound quality especially their rayjay’s brand so they’re built to have a little bit of extra bass and superior sound quality i didn’t expect that but i did notice it and again after i had dropped my old ones in the toilet i was frustrated because i didn’t want to spend 200 on a new pair these are about half the price they also come with a little charging pod they last about six hours they do automatically pair to your phone with bluetooth these are the everyday e25s and i was actually not expecting to love them as much as i do this also kind of creates a seal on your ear so i find that they’re almost external noise cancelling which is again very appreciated if i’m listening to podcasts or trying to study and focus on something and they also stay in my freaking ear canal and don’t cost an arm and a leg if you’re interested in a pair of earbuds and you want 15 off there is a link you can use i want to make it clear that i do not earn any money from that link it does not raise the price for you and i don’t get any kickbacks it’s at byraycon.
com cassandrabenson raycon is sponsoring this video which i’m very grateful for however that does not change my opinion of the products any of my thoughts on them or any of my experiences they are also fairly discreet i low-key want like a skin tone color ones that they would like completely blend in and maybe just look like a hearing aid at this point i don’t need a hearing aid for this year but um you know we’re gonna keep monitoring my eyes and my ears and see how things progress yay growing up getting sick and being an adult am i right this right here this is from my brand dominique cosmetics this is an ultra hydrating fine mist and i collaborated with my good friend jd waiting 180 to create this beautiful package and scent and it’s clinically proven over time to give you six thousand percent hydration so you will definitely see a difference i use this all over my body and my face because i have dry skin everywhere here we go do you see how fine this mist is i love it it’s like a heavenly spray i love this so this is her brand but the question is are the ingredients any good i personally follow jdwady that’s how i found out about this and i know that kristen dominique her whole thing is makeup this can be used i think as a makeup setting spray as well as a skincare spray obviously she did her due diligence she said that it’s tested she also showed and the mister does look really good it doesn’t look like it leaves those clumps however let’s turn and learn those ingredients and see if they’re actually any good this has water polysorbate 20 and propanodyl for penetration and then we do see a high amount of sodium hyaluronate this is related to the hyaluronic acid it is very hydrating to skin because it is a humectant however hyaluronic acid does greatly depend on your skin and actually the environment that you’re spraying it in some hyaluronic acid does act as a humectant and hydrate the skin and other hyaluronic acid actually dries out the skin and seeing as she says she has dry skin i believe that she has probably looked into that but if you want a full video on how that works we’ve done one with all of the science in it right here we’ve got fettening we’ve got a plant extract which is actually glasswart we’ve also got some willow bark extract and fun fact salicylic acid is actually derived from willow bark or it can be lab created salicylic acid is that bha beta hydroxy acid that is amazing for acne and proven to work and so seeing as she has a couple blemishes here i wonder if she put that in strategically but i like that because for people who do have acne prone skin that might be helpful we do have some of that kaprilic triglyceride again from coconuts we also have citric acid which could give a little bit of a vitamin c boost for brightening which is awesome the ingredients in here that i don’t really like or don’t see a lot of purpose for are the fragrance the cinnamon alcohol as well as the limolene i don’t think these are necessary it doesn’t look like they’re acting as penetration enhancers here so it is probably for that scent and again you want to be able to enjoy your skincare so i understand that but for some people they have allergies to fragrance they have irritation to fragrance and that turns into allergies or it can cause breakouts or skin disruption that doesn’t happen to everyone and i’ve actually done a video on fragrance right here and i’m working on another one with some chemists and some really good science that we’re going to dive into so fragrance shouldn’t be demonized but overall i don’t love it in products yet at the same time you want to be able to use skincare that doesn’t leave your face smelling like a butthole am i right or am i right so this is my final step my lips are hydrated my face is hydrated i am like a little greasy turkey and i’m ready for bed a greasy turkey you know what that is amazing can we use that as a new compliment can that be like the compliment of 2020 like damn girl you are looking like a greasy turkey her skincare routine is actually pretty on point i think it’s probably because she does the work she does the research and she does have friends like jdwadey180 who by the way if you don’t know her videos are so fun to watch again they’re relaxing like asmr literally go to bed listening to them and i could just fall asleep but overall there are a couple changes that i would want to see in her routine specifically if she’s worried about anti-aging i would want her to use more anti-aging ingredients or more anti-aging products in her routine i also noticed that we are sisters she has some blemishes if they don’t bother her wear them proudly be that acne warrior but if it’s something that she is concerned about there really wasn’t much in here that would fight acne retinoic acid was initially developed for the treatment of severe acne and then people who used it saw that their scars looked better their fine lines and wrinkles and crow’s feet started to look better the skin was plumper and she specifically mentioned anti-aging she should definitely be using a retinol at night she could ask her dermatologist about it or get one over the counter and then of course we don’t know her daytime routine but i sincerely hope that she is protecting her skin from future collagen degradation throughout the rest of the day overall i adore her to pieces but i cringe and have hyperhidrosis when i see her using an overpriced eye cream and dragging a skincare dropper across her skin but overall she did mention and use some interesting things from the perspective of skin science and if you want more skin science we’ve got another video right here throw some skincare spray on that like button until it turns blue and if you haven’t already subscribed feel free to join the community where we talk about the science of skincare cosmetic chemistry and biology of your beauty speaking of always remember to be youtube inside and out and i cannot wait to see you in this next video love you guys bye
