The Essentials

If you only make time for one thing, wash your face every night before bed to remove dirt and makeup. Use a gentle cleanser that takes away dirt, germs and excess oil, but doesn't strip your skin of its natural moisture and healthy cells. If your face wash leaves your skin red or with rashes, it's too harsh. Hot water may soothe you, but it also dries out your skin. Be sure to wash with lukewarm water and a clean washcloth. If you use a light-colored washcloth, you can visibly see when you've removed all traces of makeup. If your skin runs on the dry side, use a soap-free cleanser that cleans and moisturizes at the same time, and gently wipe off with a clean tissue rather than rinse, leaving you with extra moisture.

A Basic Routine

Take your nighttime beauty routine to the next level and add an exfoliant and a moisturizer to your repertoire. Exfoliants remove dead skin, making your skin look brighter, and help make wrinkles less obvious. There are granular scrubs as well as alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) products for exfoliating normal to dry skin, and beta hydroxy acid (BHA) products for oily skin. This is a helpful anti-aging step in an evening beauty routine. If you have sensitive skin, try exfoliating every other day. Add a moisturizer to your nightly skin care protocol to protect and soften your skin. Use the lightest one possible for your skin type to add moisture without weighing your skin down.

A Specialized Routine

Washing, exfoliating and moisturizing your face at night is a perfect night routine to help maintain a healthy complexion. Add a retinoid to your nighttime beauty routine to stimulate new collagen, purge your pores, encourage cell turnover, even skin tone and reduce fine lines. Retinoids are a vitamin A derivative most commonly found in prescription topical creams prescribed by a dermatologist -- as well as in over-the-counter (OTC) versions -- meant to give you a prettier complexion while you sleep.

Moisturizer vs. Night Cream

Facial moisturizers are one of the most purchased skin care products on the market; and while it's recommended you use a moisturizer that contains an SPF ingredient for daytime use, at nighttime you have different needs from your moisturizer. There are moisturizers created specifically for bedtime and are labeled as "night cream or "overnight cream." They are a better choice for people with sensitive skin.