ExclusiveSkin Check-In With Dr. Will: Does Ashley Graham’s Go-To Nighttime Skincare Routine Actually Work?

Welcome to your skin check-in with Life & Style’s resident health and beauty expert, Dr. Will Kirby, a celebrity dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of LaserAway. Every week, he’ll be spilling his candid thoughts and professional advice on all things skin, beauty and wellness as it relates to you — and your favorite stars.

In 2019, Ashley Graham shared her go-to nighttime skincare routine with Harper’s Bazaar on YouTube. Now, I’m providing my expert analysis to see if it’s worth adopting into your own routine!

The longtime model starts off by discussing the type of skin she has and removes her makeup with a cotton swab and Bioderma, which I actually really like! it’s refreshing to see a celebrity using an inexpensive and readily available product. Next, Ashley says that you need to take your makeup off at night — and she’s right.

If your goal is to have healthy, glowing skin then you do need to remove your makeup. To clarify, it doesn’t matter how you remove makeup your — wash, wipes, etc. — but it an imperative part of solid skincare routine. Now, Ashley moves on to a face wash. I’m not a huge proponent of expensive washes with exotic ingredients. So, I do like Ashley’s choice here of a SkinMedica wash. 

Unfortunately, Ashley is entirely too rough with her facial drying! Her clean towel is fine, but I recommend a gentle pat technique to dry or even just let your face air dry. In a rush? You can try drying your face on the lowest setting of your hairdryer with the cold setting on. 

Her next step is a facial wipe from her dermatologist. I’m of the opinion that this is an unnecessary step. After all, she has already removed her makeup and she’s cleansed her skin. So, why does she need an additional wipe pad? This is something I see all too often; patients are using a lot of products and they aren’t sure exactly why. Everything we use needs a mechanism of action to justify it and there just isn’t one here. 

Ashley then uses a serum before emphasizing daily sunblock use, which I’m all for! Every dermatologist in the world will agree that sun protection is an essential part of healthy skin. Afterward, she applies Aquaphor to her lips! I fully endorse this concept. Keeps them hydrated and moisturized.

Her next step is the use of an eye cream called Retrouve. They have a gorgeous formulation, but it’s surely one of the most expensive brands available. I recommend making the choice of a product that gives similar results, but at a much lower price — i.e. Line Blur Eye Cream  or even Eye Opener. She also uses the Retrouve facial moisturizer.

Ashley eventually transitions to a body moisturizer by Kiehl’s. No complaints here. It’s a reasonable moisturizer at a reasonable price. One of her biggest “aha!” moments occurred when she learned about vitamin C serums and she uses one by SkinCeuticals. I also like the vitamin C Serums by NeoCutis and SkinMedica.

Ashely is meticulous and has a lot of steps in her skincare routine, so we transition over to moisturizing eyelashes. There is no harm in this, but you can definitely save money by skipping a branded product and instead just use any regular coconut oil. 

Her last step is a night vitamin routine via Olly. I’m personally not a champion of oral supplements. A healthy, balanced diet is unarguably the best way to get proper nutrition, but I also try not to be judgmental and there is probably no real harm in eating these gummies before bed.

Ashley Graham just won over a new fan! She is funny, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about her skin — something I can relate to! She makes some very sensible, value-oriented choices, as well as some more luxurious product selections.

I would be doing you readers a disservice if I didn’t mention that Ashley is missing an essential product category: Retinol. See, nearly every single person can benefit from retinol and I’d recommend she consider incorporating one with a thin nightly application to the entire face. In closing, I was thoroughly entertained by this tutorial!