My Skincare Routine
First off, none of this is sponsored. I just wanted to share my skincare routine because I feel like I'm finally at a good point with it and maybe it will help someone else find just the right combo of products to get to a good place with theirs.
First, here is my skin background:
Just as a reference (because everyone's skin differs), I thought I'd give you the background and general texture and traits of my skin. I have always leaned toward the oily side of the spectrum. As I'm getting older, it's falling more between oily and normal, but I'm still on the oily spectrum for sure.
Teens:
Throughout puberty, I'd get an occasional zit or small breakout, but it was always manageable. When I hit seventeen, though, acne hit me. It was bad, but not what I'd call cystic so much as just blotchy. T-zone, cheeks, typical breakouts, all over my face. This is when Proactiv became a big seller, and their system kept my bad breakouts mostly at bay until I was about twenty-one or twenty-two.
Just some under-eye concealer and eye make-up. Those were the days!
Adulthood:
As I entered my early twenties, I really struggled to find the right method for keeping my acne under control, and nothing I used during that time seemed to help much at all. You know how you sometimes switch face washes and your skin clears up for maybe a week, and then goes back to being zitty? That's what my early twenties entailed. It was extremely annoying and embarrassing, and I was also just learning how to use foundation (up until then I got away with nothing but concealer - I wish I had appreciated that more haha!). During our engagement, my skin was at an all time low. It was absolutely covered in zits and small bumps and I was incredibly self conscious.
I went to a dermatologist, and whatever he prescribed did not sit well with me. I got terrible flu-like symptoms and had trouble breathing. Living on my own, I couldn't get to an ER, and sometimes I still wonder how I managed during those horrible 24 hours. I did, however, continue using the prescription strength benzoyl peroxide cream and would slather it on twice a day. This dried my skin out to a crisp and I'll never forget the day Tom noticed how flaky and disgusting my skin had gotten while we walked around a Target one evening (haha so funny).
I didn't catch a break until Tom and I were married and I was on the pill for a while. Not to be TMI or get into that topic, I just want to express how grateful I am for what it did for my skin. It was during this time I really learned the value of moisturizing, because for once I didn't have to tend to my breakouts with drying agents. From that time forward, I've been slathering on moisturizer like there's no tomorrow, and I realize now, how incredibly important and revitalizing it is.
Those stupid zits creams made my oily skin, dry at the same time which gave me combo skin. I realize now the serious mistake I was making, and even though EVERYTHING I read told me to moisturize to even out my skin, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought it would make my skin MORE oily, when in fact that dang BP was making my oily skin oilier and dryer and in turn caused me to break out to a terrible extreme. Moisture (and even oily skin) is so beneficial (I think) to your skin's elasticity and longevity and will keep your skin youthful and supple, while drying it out and using something as harsh as benzoyl peroxide will only age you faster. I'm so glad I've realized this.
Now, to get into my current skincare routine. Everyone's routine changes a little here and there, and so now and again I may use a different night time face wash, but I always do these same steps.
Morning/Shower
In the shower, I wash my face with Cetaphil (daily facial cleanser) and every other day I use the the Target or name brand Apricot scrub for acne prone skin.
As soon as I dry off, I use three pumps of CeraVe PM (the AM has SPF and though that's great, it makes my skin extremely oily). A friend showed me this lotion in college and even though I didn't use it then like I should have, it came in very handy when I did start using moisturizer. It's very light and once it soaks in, you hardly know you put lotion on at all - but I always notice when I don't!
The last two photos in this set I'm wearing a thin layer of foundation and some concealer.
Night Time
You should know that I'm insane about washing my face before bed. I don't know why it's always been this way, but it has. Even on my wildest nights out on the town in college, I NEVER went to bed without washing my face! It's just a habitual thing for me - I can't sleep in make-up.
Lately I've been switching between Pond's Cold Cream (the original) and normal face wash every few days.
When using Pond's (which is what my grandmother swore by and she had beautiful skin) I simply take a generous amount to my finger tips and massage it all throughout my face - makeup and all. When I've loosened my makeup (mascara too), I wet a washcloth with hot water, wring it out, and gently wipe it over my face making sure to remove all the most heavily made-up areas until my face looks and feels clean. Then I take another small dab of Pond's and use it as moisturizer.
When using face wash (pictured is Burt's Bees Skin Brightening - which I love right now!) I just wash my face like normal, dab dry with a clean hand towel, and use four pumps of CeraVe PM.
The last two photos in this set I'm wearing a thin layer of foundation and some concealer (and Hondo is photo-bombing which is what made me laugh).
Here are the products I use:
Don't forget to follow me on social media to stay up to date and connected. Feel free to message or email me with any content requests, ideas, or collaborations!
Hair Tutorial : Messy Waves
In case you didn't hear, I got my hair cut.
As in, ten inches *snip snipped* and I am absolutely loving it. Check out this post to see the before and after photo.
With all that length and no layers (which is what happens when you don't get your hair cut regularly over the course of SEVEN years) my hair had absolutely no body and eventually gave up trying whenever I went to curl it. Like I swear I would put some effort into making my hair look nice and it replied with a completely lachrymose, "nahhh... I'm good. I'mma just lay here and be flat."
So imagine my happiness after my haircut, when I curled it with a flatiron and it held up all day and freely bounced along on my shoulders. It was literally like weight-loss for hair.
It's crazy to think that among my friends in college I was the hairstylist for everyone. I had been the go-to for weddings, nights out, bachelorette parties, date nights, etc... and now only four years out, I feel like I can hardly handle a hair dryer! Over the last couple years I have become extremely lazy in terms of hairstyles, so I'm easing myself back into the habit of primping it more and more. Anyway, I'm now thrilled with the fact that it takes me about fifteen minutes (or less) to put a little texture into my hair via some messy curls. All without the help of a curling iron. My hair is rarely straight anymore! So I thought I'd share with you how I do this easy look.
1. Add some dry shampoo to dry hair.
2. Situate your hair so it's laying naturally. Take various pieces of your hair and begin to curl them with your flatiron so that the curls turn away from your face. Turn the flatiron 90 degrees while letting your hair pass through. As you near the ends of your hair, let your hair out of the iron before the ends pass through. This leaves your ends straight and gives your waves a more "messy" texture.
For this hairstyle, don't worry about curling every single hair. I didn't divide my hair on purpose because I wanted some straight pieces mixed with wavy pieces. You can do this however you want, but this is just how I did it this time!
Continue this throughout each side and don't forget the back.
3. Once you've curled everything you wanted to curl, spritz a little hairspray on everything, tousling a little as you go.
4. Then, run your fingers through your hair, separating curls and bringing the body of your hair together.
5. If you want to / need to, give it a little tease wherever you might need it. My hair is fine and thin, so it can always use a little 'oomph' here and there.
...but teasing can sometimes turn out a little crazy!
6. Gently comb away the mess and fly-aways, and give it a finishing spritz of hairspray throughout. Voila! So easy.
Not only is it cute when it's down and styled this way, but even when I pull it up a little, it still looks textured and fun.