My mid-day skincare routine

My new schedule—i.e. Pilates just about every morning—has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on my life, and I’ve been generally OK with the fine-tuning required in other areas to accommodate it. One place I didn’t expect to see an impact was my skincare routine, but this has proven to be a great opportunity to incorporate additional active ingredients that don’t necessarily play nicely together in the morning and/or at night.

So, yes, I now have a mid-day skincare routine in addition to my well-established morning and evening regimens. I’ll admit I don’t get all that sweaty at Pilates (even in a Cardio 2.0 class) but I still like to focus on cleansing when I get home and (ultimately) shower. About seven years ago, well-known dermatologist told me that the key to clear skin is a salicylic acid cleanser (I go for the generic) once a day, and I my post-workout wash is the perfect place for it. Afterwards, I use a glycolic-based cleanser like Pixi Beauty’s Glow Tonic, which I love but haven’t squeezed into my AM/PM regimen because I vaguely recall reading or writing something about the potential for this ingredient to interfere with vitamin C (a morning staple) and/or retinol (an evening must). Note to self: Ask a derm during next interview.

Of course, there’s moisturizing involved, and I like to take this usually quiet/non-rushed time of day to add Miriam Quevedo’s amazing boosters to one of my all-time favorites, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, for extra anti-aging, antioxidant and tone-evening. At the moment, I’m wrapping this all up with Miriam Quevedo’s Softening Veil SPF 30, because that afternoon sun at pick-up is a crusher.

Last but certainly not least, I always moisturize my body during this extra skincare opportunity, so now my arms, legs and beyond get a double-dose of hydration each day since I also slather on some lotion or another at bedtime.

So do you think I’m crazy yet? I suppose we’ll see if this additional effort is worth it in five or so years…