We made the plunge and challenged ourselves to pare back our skincare routine and follow Monastery’s regimen of using only their Rose Cleansing Oil and Gold Oil Serum for 4-6 weeks to reset the skin’s microbiome. It sounds like a bit of a mouthful, but essentially, this routine keeps the protective acid mantle of your skin in-tact so that it’s able to fight off any microbes your skin comes in contact with. The routine is simple, which is what Monastery founder Athena strives for – and is something we can definitely get on board with. The more products you introduce into your skincare lineup, the more ingredients you’re also introducing that have the potential to undermine some of the components doing the good work on your skin.
We’ve been strictly adhering to the less-is-more approach, and we are absolutely blown away with the results. So blown away, that we wanted to share it with you so that you can also experience the joy of glowy skin. The steps of this routine are really simple (again, something we can definitely get on board with), so we thought we would share why the steps are important too.
Our two-step skincare routine:
Rose Cleansing Oil
This makeup-melting cleansing oil is bursting with rose essence – which nourishes the skin and leaves your skin’s PH levels balanced. This product also features rose and hazelnut oils, which both help repair skin conditions like acne and dermatitis with their anti-inflammatory properties. And as an extra benefit, the antiseptic qualities of the rose and hazelnut oils also help your skin fight against pollutants and impurities.
How to use it: apply to your skin (makeup and all!) and thoroughly massage your face. When you feel like all the gunk your skin has accumulated from living your life is off, gently wash off the oil with a damp cloth.
Gold Oil Serum
There’s a reason they called this their gold oil. This serum calms even the most angry and irritated skin with its innovative blend of vitamin and nutrient rich oils – it’s basically like a multivitamin for your skin, if your multivitamin was also kind of magic. Monastery’s Gold Oil Serum works to repair broken-down skin tissue to calm any damage, including sun exposure, dryness, redness, or puffy skin.
How to use it: apply 2-3 drops and gently massage the serum into your clean skin. Start at your chin and use small circular motions to blend the product up, moving to your cheeks, and then forehead. You can use this product alone (like we do), layer it under a cream, or blend it with a moisturizer (or Monastery's Flora Cream Serum) to suit your skincare needs.
Looking for a little extra hydrating power? The Flora Cream Serum is having a real moment. This powerhouse smells amazing, doubles as a moisturizer (it's really that moisturizing), protects your skin from Ultraviolet light, and prevents visible signs of aging. It has two weights of hyaluronic acid to brighten, hydrate, rejuvenate, and soothe – so really, it does it all. And, because we all have such short attention spans, you'll actually notice a difference in your skin right after applying the Cream Serum.
Photos via Monastery.