I love all things skincare, and I am very conscious of my skin’s needs. I utilize several products and prescribe various treatments and routines that I can’t possibly keep track of with everything else going on. As someone who is very “Type A,” I am my nature planner. I plan everything from family events to Influencer collaborations and everything in between. For the last few years, I’ve started keeping a calendar on our bathroom mirror to plan my skincare routines and treatments. Keeping track of your beauty routine costs virtually nothing, but it can lead to big insights.

Since tracking my skincare process, I am more mindful and accountable to my skin. My Skincare Calendar keeps me from using a product too frequently or infrequently. From my entries, I was able to see that there isn’t any “one thing” that makes or breaks your skin. The success of your skin is going to depend on a combination and number of factors like stress, alcohol, sugar, etc.

I invest a lot of money, time, and energy into skincare research. I’m constantly looking at different products, treatments, and routines to stay informed about the skincare market. We invest so much money and energy in our beauty routine; shouldn’t we take the time to reflect on what is and isn’t working?

Fun tip: I take a weekly “progress photo” of my face. This way, I can monitor changes. For example, have my hyperpigmentation spots faded more than the week before? Any blackheads? Is my skin dry? Over moisturized? I have found this helps me to determine my skin’s various needs better.

Not a fan of the paper method and prefer a digital option? There are a number of apps out there to help you monitor your skin’s progress! These days I’m a huge fan of:

1. Skincare Routine
2. Neutrogena Skin 360
3. Cloe
4. Charm

Let’s dig deeper:

Skincare Routine:

• Create your routine – The app has tons of products preloaded so you can just select the ones you use!
• Re-order your routine – I love that you have the option to re-order the products you use in your normal routine!
• Keep track of usage to avoid conflicting products
• You can set up notifications to remind you about your daily skin regimen. You can also set timers for products which require a specific wait time.

Neutrogena Skin 360

• The app now offers the ability to consult with a skin coach!
• When you take a photo, the app will evaluate your skin’s condition and assess a score in five various areas (wrinkles, dark circles, fine lines, smoothness, and dark spots).
• Bonus – The app can give you a personalized routine with products that are focused on improving your score in the five categories mentioned above.

Cloe

• Chloe helps you analyze what skin care routine works for you by tracking your skin care related activities
• The app also enables you to take progress pictures
• You can input relevant data like skincare products, makeup products, food intake, supplements, water intake, stress levels, sleep, etc.
• Very organized calendar view of your entries
• Get daily notifications so you’re always on top of your routine.

Charm

• This app is literally a community!
• Using AI, your personal skincare assistant will create recommendations suited just for you and your skincare needs!
• Bonus: They have DIY treatments too!

Whether you choose the paper option (printing a calendar) or opt for the digital option (see apps above), the important thing is to select a method that works best for you.