AM & PM Products: Unlocking Your Skin’s Full Potential

In this fast-paced world it can be difficult to stick to a consistent skincare regimen. Some days, you might be lucky if you even remember to cleanse and moisturise each morning and evening.  

However, taking the time to plan and stick to a comprehensive AM and PM skincare regimen can make an enormous difference, not only to your skin’s health and appearance, but also to your general sense of wellbeing. 

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a few precious moments for yourself at the start and end of the day to give your skin the love and care it deserves. 

AM vs PM – what’s the difference? 

You may have noticed that many skincare products – including our own – indicate whether a product is suitable for AM use, PM use, or both. 

If you’ve found yourself wondering what the difference is, it basically boils down to the needs of your skin during the day vs at night. 

During the day, your skin is exposed to damaging environmental pollutants and UV radiation. It will also be more susceptible to drying out as you travel in and out of doors and expose it to variations in temperature and humidity.  

AM products typically work to provide antioxidant and sun protection to keep your skin safe. Ideally, they will also be lightweight, smoothing, and hydrating so they can act as a suitable base for make-up.  

In the evening, when the make-up comes off and you’re no longer exposing your skin to sunlight or significant variations in temperature, the needs of your skin change. When you go to sleep, your skin will be working hard to restore itself, repair damage, and build more collagen and elastin.  

PM products typically aim to enhance the restorative hours of the night by supporting collagen, restoring lost hydration, and improving skin barrier function. More intense exfoliating products and masks are also better used at night so they can go to work without interference from UV damage or make-up.

PM products work to enhance your skin’s repair and renewal systems, while AM products focus on protection and hydration.  

Many products are suitable for use twice a day. However, the differences between AM-only and PM-only products are pronounced enough that you should always check the application instructions to ensure you are using a product at the right time. 

It can also be helpful to use your regular products in rotation, alternating between using some only in the morning and some only in the evening, allowing you to get the full benefits of a complete regimen while not using too many products in a single application.  

AM-only products 

Products that are designed exclusively for daytime use typically contain SPF or potent antioxidants to protect against free radicals and UV radiation. Examples of AM products include sunscreens, antioxidant serums, and lightweight moisturisers and primers that prep the skin for make-up. 

At Liberty Belle Rx, our AM-only products are Next Level and Superstar. 

Next Level is our lightweight antioxidant serum that uses three types of Vitamin C and a Brightening Peptide to boost radiance while providing advanced pollution protection.  

Vitamin C has also been shown to enhance the efficacy of sun protection, making Next Level the perfect complement to Superstar, our broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen.  

Wearing sunscreen is one of the most important things you can do to protect your skin’s health and appearance. As an ultra-sheer physical sunscreen, Superstar is ideal for daily use, providing UVA, UVB and blue light protection while also being lightweight and clear enough to form a base for make-up. Simply warm the product by rubbing between your fingertips. It will turn clear and you can pat it onto the face, neck, and décolletage.  

This combination of Next Level and Superstar is perfect to defend your skin against UV damage and environmental pollutants during the day. 

 

PM-only products  

Skincare products that are meant exclusively for night-time use typically contain ingredients that focus on skin repair, rejuvenation, or exfoliation. They work in tandem with the skin’s natural overnight repair processes, and may potentially make the skin more sensitive or vulnerable to sunlight, hence why it is best to avoid UV exposure or smothering them with make-up. Products intended for PM-only use include chemical exfoliants, sleeping masks, and retinol serums. 

Basically, you want to let those powerful actives go to work without interference. 

At Liberty Belle, our hero PM-only products are Dream Team Regular 0.625, Dream Team Advanced 1.25, and Eye Dream. These products contain encapsulated retinol to promote deep rejuvenation and improvement in the overall health and appearance of your skin. 

Retinol stimulates collagen to help renew the skin, so it is ideal to let it go to work during the restorative hours of the night. Retinol also makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight, so should never be worn during the day.  

Dream Team 0.625 and Dream Team Advanced 1.25 are suitable for a wide range of skin types and conditions, but are particularly recommended for those with anti-ageing skincare goals. As a powerful active, your skin will need to build up tolerance to retinol, so Dream Team Regular 0.625 is recommended for those new to retinol, or who have not used retinol for a long time. Dream Team Advanced 1.25 is suitable for experienced retinol users, or those with advanced skincare goals. Begin by applying every other night, building up to nightly use over the course of months. 

Eye Dream is our powerful retinol eye cream. A few drops smoothed onto the delicate skin around the eyes will help to address the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet, courtesy of retinol’s rejuvenating properties and a powerful Red Algae Complex.  

We also highly recommend the use of Date Night, our leave-on exfoliating mask, in the evening. Though this product is also suitable for daytime use, leaving it on overnight will provide best results and leave you feeling richly hydrated when you wake up. 

 

Sample AM/PM regimen 

See below for an example of how to incorporate our AM-only and PM-only products in a daily routine. In this sample regimen, we also mix and match some of our products, alternating what time of the day they are used in order to demonstrate how you can tailor your regimen to meet the needs of the day or night. 

 

Morning: 

1. Heartfelt – let the soothing scent of roses wake you from your slumber by cleansing with Heartfelt. As the gentlest cleanser in our range, Heartfelt is perfect for prepping your skin for skincare and make-up after a good night’s rest. 
2. Glam Squad – keep your skin hydrated throughout the day with a dose of Glam Squad, our water-based Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B serum. This will help prevent trans-epidermal water loss caused by fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and also keep your skin hydrated beneath make-up. 
3. Next Level – a dose of our AM-only Vitamin C serum will provide the powerful antioxidant protection you need while out and about, and can even enhance the effectiveness of SPF. To top it off, it also has a brightening effect to help mitigate the appearance of photo damage. 
4. Eye Do – containing powerful copper peptides and caffeine, a dose of Eye Do in the morning will help perk up the skin around your eyes and address the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and crow’s feet.  
5. Quiet Achiever – this gentle, leave-on AHA exfoliating gel can help to refine the texture and appearance of your skin. A morning application of Quiet Achiever is the perfect complement to enhance the nightly use of our retinol Dream Team serums for ultimate at-home anti-ageing benefits. 
6. Superhero – seal in those rich serums with our lightweight yet deeply hydrating moisturiser, Superhero. Featuring Vitamin C and other potent antioxidants, Superhero is perfect for providing additional protection from environmental pollutants while keeping your skin hydrated. 
7. Superstar – wearing sunscreen is the most important step in any skincare regimen, so finish your morning routine with a layer of our AM-only broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen. Dispense a generous pump and warm the product by rubbing it between your fingertips. The product will turn clear and you can smooth it onto your skin to provide the perfect invisible base for make-up.  

 

Evening 

1. Braveheart - while all the cleansers in our range can be used to remove make-up, as our ‘deep clean’ cleanser, Braveheart is highly recommended for use in the evening to remove stubborn grime and thick make-up after a hard day’s work. Simply double cleanse with this foaming gel cleanser and the make-up melts right off. No need to tug and pull at your skin with make-up wipes or cotton pads – let Braveheart do the work for you. 
2. Glam Squad – a second dose of our hydrating serum Glam Squad will help address any dryness, and also work in tandem with our retinol serum Dream Team to mitigate any possible drying effects. 
3. Dream Team – depending on your tolerance, Dream Team Regular 0.625 or Dream Team Advanced 1.25 should be your next step. This PM-only retinol serum is highly recommended for anyone with anti-ageing skincare goals, but also suits those looking to improve the overall appearance and health of their skin.  
4. Eye Dream - for the ultimate eye care routine, we recommend alternating between using Eye Do in the morning and Eye Dream in the evening. Eye Do will keep the delicate skin around your eyes protected and hydrated, while our PM-only Eye Dream works to rejuvenate the eye area at night using a combination of gentle yet powerful encapsulated retinol and Red Algae Complex. 
5. Bright Star – our answer to the needs of pigmented skin, Bright Star can be applied as a spot treatment to address the appearance of photo damage. 
6. Star Quality – the richest moisturiser in our range, Star Quality contains an unparalleled range of actives to provide deep hydration, boost radiance, and address the needs of mature, dry, or ageing skin. Nourishing butters and oils seal in moisture and help enhance the skin’s overnight repair mechanisms, making it ideal as a PM moisturiser.  
7. Date Night  - 2-3 times a week, skip your moisturiser and finish with a generous application of Date Night instead, our leave-on deep hydration mask. Specially designed not to stick to your pillow, this mask will soak in overnight, leaving your skin feeling dewy and luxuriously hydrated when you wake up. 

The above regimen should be taken as a guide only that illustrates how to alternate the use of our products for maximum benefits. Be sure to assess your skin type and skincare aims when putting together a regimen of your own. 

For any assistance in creating the perfect AM or PM regimen, please visit our Skin Quiz at libertybellerx.com.au. Or, for one-on-one advice, and the opportunity to speak to one of the Liberty Belle Skin Centre Dermal Clinicians, please visit here.