I’m not a morning person, at all, so I need all the help I can get to start my day right (you know, after I hit the snooze button 20 times). So today, I’m sharing 5 amazing products that are the stars of my morning routine!
My customized planner
I try to write down my to-do’s the night before so that there are no surprises the next morning, and I can start tackling my tasks after breakfast. I’m currently using the monthly and weekly inserts from Sessa Vee and I love their minimal + elegant design.
Definitely check them out for planner inserts and accessories! Kikki-K (where my planner is from) is another great place to shop for planners accessories, especially if you prefer a cuter and more whimsical style.
Bioderma H2O Micellar Water
I mentioned this in my Bioderma review, but I love using micellar water as my AM cleanser. It’s gentle, effective, and super fast – perfect for mornings when I’m running late (which really is every morning, I’m sorry). I’m sold on the Bioderma micellar waters, but if you have another brand you love, try using it as a morning cleanser and see how you like it!
A broad-spectrum sunscreen
No morning routine is complete without sunscreen, and you need one with UVA and UVB protection. If I know I’ll be outdoor later in the day, I apply my favorite La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid SPF50+, and if I’m staying in, I’ll select a slightly lighter Japanese sunscreen (currently it’s the Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel SPF50+ PA++++). I prefer Japanese sunscreens because they typically have higher UVA protection compared to other Asian brands, and UVA is the main cause of aging, so…yeah.
Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant
I don’t think beauty bloggers give enough love to deodorants and antiperspirants for keeping our armpits dry and odor-free, but the truth is, we’d be a bit of a wreck without them. Like all beauty products, deodorants aren’t created equal either – some leave stains on your shirts, some irritate your underarms, and some just straight up stink (how ironic is that?).
Enter the Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant, which offers 48 hours of odor and wetness protection plus added skincare benefits with its NutriumMoisture formula and Dove ¼ moisturizers for softer, smoother underarms. Or as this reviewer put it:
“It glides on so soft and silky you don’t even know you’re wearing it. This deodorant keeps me smelling so good from the time I put it on to the time I go to bed.” – beaglebullet7669
After making the switch and testing it out for the past few weeks, I can confirm that it really does an excellent job of keeping my underarms dry, soft, and fragrant! It’s like skincare for my underarms, because they need love too.
Dove Advanced Care comes in a variety of different scents, and I opted for “Rebalance”, which is a sweet blend of plum + cherry blossoms and smells incredible. So when I apply it, I smell incredible, all day long. #WIN! Needless to say, this antiperspirant quickly became a star product in my morning routine, and much like sunscreen, I’ll never leave home (or my bedroom, since I work from home now) without it.
Amazing Grass Green Super Food Energy
Other bloggers make morning smoothies with real fruit and veggies, but I’m lazy so I make mine with soy milk + a scoop of the Amazing Grass Green Super Food Energy powder. I love that it’s super easy to mix and it contains organic vegetables, fruits, and even probiotics. It’s no substitute for real fruits and veggies, but getting a bit extra never hurts! Yummy lemon flavor aside, I find I no longer need coffee or even tea to keep me energized when I drink this!
Hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know what your must-have products are for your morning routines! I’m terribly slow at replying to comments (it’s something I’m working on), but I do appreciate and read each one. Thank you for reading and have a great rest of the week!
Great picks, love them! Especially your amazing planner. Mine looks nothing like yours, I kind of feel like running to the stationery store and buying lots of cure sticky notes ahah
Thank you Naya! Stationary stores are my weaknesses, I want to buy all the cute stickers and pens whenever I’m there! (≧▽≦)
I’m a very morning person, much more productive during mornings. But I also need a routine to get out of bed, if I don’t have to do anything I’m like “nah…” lol
Ever since I was in high school I can’t live without a planner! I also use it like you say, write everything I need to do the following day at nights and start checking it out after breakfast.
Dove makes amazing deodorants and most of them (I think all?) are aluminium free, which is also very nice. They also have some of the best scent for them, I loovee how they smell jaja
I totally agree, if there’s nothing to motivate me that day it’s hard to leave my warm bed, haha. Having a planner with all my tasks of the day ready definitely helps!
The Dove deodorant scents are lovely, though I think the one I have has aluminum. I’ll have to check out their other ranges to see if some of them are aluminum free!
Ah, Dove. I love their deodorants. I use their dry sprays, though I might have to give this one a try!
So glad to hear that! I do like the refreshing feel of dry sprays, though sometimes I’m never sure if I’ve sprayed enough!
I’ve never tried Micellar Water, but I do wonder if Son & Park Beauty Water — which I am currently using — is the same as that . . . I may have to give that one a shot one day ^^
I saw that deodorant in the the store the other day. Was going to consider it :D Do you know if it leaves stain on the clothing? I am debating on this on and Lavanila because theirs is aluminum-free. I feel that aluminum-free deo doesn’t irritate my skin as much!
I feel like the Son & Park Beauty Water is a fancier version of micellar water, since you can use it as a treatment essence and toner too! I do want to try that one day, I feel like it would make a fantastic AM cleanser :D
So far I haven’t experienced any issues with staining, but I think they have an invisible variation in case you’re worried. I’m always curious about how well aluminum-free antiperspirants work, especially since my sweat glands are quite active!
is it weird that i’m happy this post is sponsored by dove just because i use dove deodorant myself? Lol. we don’t have the dove deodorant in stick form here though; there’s only the roll-on version and i’m currently loving the original scent. dove’s deodorant is probably the only one that works for me and my sensitive skin (i tried rexona and it sucks. i tried nivea’s spray deodorant and it sucks too. plus, it makes my whole room smells like chemicals and just blergh no)
okay, double happiness because i spotted skinaqua right there and it’s such an affordable, decent SPF! urgh, love that thing.
my must have morning products, huh… the only constant ones are my skincare regime LOL i switch between two cleansers though; either a hada labo foaming cleanser or the garnier pure active matcha face wash which is really good when i have acne (since it contains salicylic acid).
Haha, that’s a good thing, it’d be awkward if you were anti-Dove :P It’s weird because I don’t see stick deodorants much in Asia, it’s usually spray or roll-on types – I guess they’re more refreshing for the warmer weather?
The garner matcha face wash sounds lovely! I do love all things green tea :D
Your pictures in this post are incredible! I love Dove’s shower products – I’m using their shampoo / conditioner right now and my hair just drinks them all up!
I love using my Bioderma as an AM toner – sometimes I feel like I don’t even need a proper cleanse in the AM so I’ll just use a toner and/or Bioderma in place of soapy cleanser (which can be pretty harsk on the skin!)
Thank you so much Stephanie! I need to revisit Dove’s body/hair products, the quality seems excellent for a drug store brand!
Micellar water is definitely a more gentle alternative to cleansers, especially since our skin isn’t that dirty in the morning anyways!
Thank you so much Stephanie! It’s been a while since I’ve used Dove shower products but I do want to revisit them soon – the quality seems great for a drugstore brand!
Beautiful post Jenny and stunning photography! I’ve become more of a morning person since becoming a mom a little over two years ago. I find that I can balance my day a lot better if I’m up before my son and can squeeze some Me time. Love your morning recommendations and I need to try that energy powder! Great post, Jenny!
~ Cat L.
http://www.CatsDailyLiving.com
Thank you so much Cat! I’ve heard a lot of moms saying the same thing, I guess being a mother really changes your habits and entire lifestyle! They have so many different flavors of the powder, but so far the lime is my favorite, followed by orange creamsicle!
These are great! I actually use Dove every single night. It’s my go-to body wash and I love it! I also love the idea of a customized planner. I didn’t know you could just get inserts. Typically I find planners so restricting, but I may start to bullet journal which is all the rage now! I am so glad you use sunscreen every day. Not enough women do, and I was totally guilty of this in to my mid twenties, siiiigh. At least I know better now.
-Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com
Thanks Emily! It’s been a while since I used Dove products, there are just so many choices available I tend to overlook the common brands, forgetting that they have great products too. I tried bullet journalling and I love how flexible the system is, but mine always ends up looking super messy :P That’s why I need structured inserts to keep my tasks organized!
I actually use this deodorant and I love it, I am sure it about £5 in boots. But I tend to get it when they have offers. But it’s a good one that’s for sure. Loved your morning routine very inspiring. X
Thank you Esnath! I do love that it’s widely available and affordable too! :)
Lately my morning routine is me rolling out of bed, into some clothes and pretty much out the door. That’s a bad routine to be honest, I’ve been meaning to spend a bit of time at home in the morning to make myself a cup of tea and have a light breakfast. Getting out of bed is just too difficult lately.
I like to write down a to-do for the next day as well, then I feel very very organised especially as I always think “I’m going to do X tomorrow” but if I don’t write it down, it’ll definitely forget and it’ll never get done.
I know how you feel, the dark + cold winter mornings makes me want to stay in bed all day. Perhaps you can bring a cup of tea in a thermos for your commute? Plus it’ll keep your hands warm!
I have never tried Dove deodorant and have always bought Nivea so this was an good read and I’ll try Dove next time. I am a very morning person, the kind that automatically wakes up at 6.15 or latest 7.00am every morning. Yes, weekend included. LOL! My morning must haves are a cup of coffee and a good breakfast. Must say that I am now Westernized or so to speak as I eat two slices of toasts in the morning but back in Malaysia I used to eat a bowl of wonton noodles or a plate of fried rice for breakfast. Malaysians eat a lot! Sigh…I miss those days…
Wow, I’d love to wake up early every day! The few times I did that my day felt more productive and I slept better at night too…sadly I can never keep it up for more than a week. Have you always been a morning person? I could always use more tips on how to become one! :D
Good breakfast is super important and something I need to do better at. Usually I’ll have fruit or oatmeal, but nothing beats Asian style breakfast that’s for sure! I could use a bowl of wonton noodles right now, haha!
Haha! Yes, I have always been a morning person which was super helpful back in the days when I was working as a Montessori teacher. I don’t know if you can train your brain and body to be a morning person though, I’m lucky that my husband is also a very morning person or we probably wouldn’t get married. LOL!