Skincare?
A nice change of pace from my recent entries is my skincare routine. I do put a decent amount of effort into taking care of my skin. I believe that is the key to looking youthful and healthy. Of course, I'm still pretty young, but I know a few people who seem to have aged prematurely because they don't take care of their skin, lead unhealthy/stressful lifestyles, and use a lot of cosmetics that don't allow their skin to breathe. So to start off, this is what I do mornings and nights.
My morning routine:
1) Normally when I shower in the morning, I don't use any type of facial cleanser before applying toner and moisturizer. For those days where I do use a cleanser, I use Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Foaming Scrub. It's a gel formula scrub that foams when I lather. I find that with my skin, gel cleansers are better for morning, as they help cut down on oil and shine.
2) I apply Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner. You can apply it with a cotton ball, but I have this super nifty small spray bottle--it used to be a small sample bottle of Clinique's Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief, but that stuff made me break out something fierce, so I dumped it and refilled the bottle with this toner. I spray generously all over my face and allow the toner to dry and be absorbed. The toner does have a light rose scent. Some reviewers say that the fragrance is a little strong for them. If you are sensitive to flowery smells, you might want to steer clear from this and go for the unscented version. Other alternatives are the Cucumber Aloe or the Lavender variations.
3) I take a small amount of Neutrogena's Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 and apply it all over my face. I dot it over my cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead before blending it in. This leaves my skin feeling soft and ready for makeup application. NOTE: I don't know if this product is still available. I still have half of a tube left, but the last time I went to Ulta, I didn't see it. I opted for the SPF 50 Daily Moisturizer with Helioplex. It actually feels nicer, but the consistency is a bit thicker than their old formula and it has more of a sunblock smell.
My night-time routine:
1) At night I prefer to use an acne-fighting scrub with a cream formula. It's more moisturizing than a foaming gel cleanser, but it still contains salicylic acid to help treat and prevent acne. Right now I alternate between Biore's Pore Unclogging Scrub and Neutrogena's Black Head Eliminating Daily Scrub. The Biore scrub has "softer" beads to give a gentler scrub, leaves my skin feeling softer, and does had salicylic acid for my acne. The Neutrogena scrub is slightly more abrasive, but leaves your face feeling refreshed and clean with a cooling effect.
2) Once my face is clean, I use Neutrogena's Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent. You can use a cotton ball, but I use my fingers. I feel like a cotton ball absorbs a lot of the product, whereas with my fingers, I don't need as much. Instead of putting this all over my face, I use it to spot treat any outbreaks. I also like to put a very thin layer over areas where I tend to break out... even if my skin is clear at the time. You can feel it kinda stinging with some pimples. When I have a really bad outbreak, or maybe just a large pimple, I use this during the day as well. You can apply a few times a day.
3) I think that I'm in love with Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner, because I like to apply it at night as well. Once again, I spray generously all over my face and let it absorb.
Other things I like to use:
- Johnson's Baby Oil Gel. I use this to remove my eye makeup, and also on my cuticles and to moisturize/soothe my skin after waxing. It removes makeup very well but is still gentle and moisturizes my eye area, which can get kinda dry from washing my face with all those crazy acne-fighting scrubs.
- C. Booth's Deep Cleansing Volcanic Mud Mask. I use this only once in a while, when my skin starts acting up, or when I really need to detox. It really sucks all the oil and impurities out of my pores. It's definitely for people with oily/acne-prone skin, and you should avoid this if your skin is dry. I've taken pictures of myself with this mask and sent it to my boyfriend--out of love, of course. It's a mud mask, so it goes on really dark and thick. It dries to a light moss green color, and you can see your pores through the texture of the mask. It's really intense and fun to look at! Only thing I don't like about this product is the smell. It has a very strong perfume-y fragrance that can be irritating.
- Biore's Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. Duh! I have blackheads. A lot of them. I actually don't use these strips very often, but every now and then I like to really give my pores a good detox. Stuff like these pore strips or the mud mask, I like to use them before an event. If I know I'll be wearing makeup and I want to make sure that it applies well and my skin looks nice, I go all out.
- Water. Drink it. I try to drink as much water as possible every day. This is partially because I sweat a lot from exercising, but also because I want to stay hydrated! I never realized this, but on days where I don't drink enough water, my skin looks terrible.
I have been trying to use less makeup lately. I think that my mom looks much younger than she really is (she's 62!), and she always says it's because she took care of her skin when she was younger. Supposedly she had embarrassingly bad acne as a teenager, and she didn't start wearing face makeup (foundation, concealer) until she was 40. Even though she does use concealer, she still hardly ever wears foundation. She was also very good about protecting her skin from the harsh sun when she was still living in Vietnam. Even now, she wears sunscreen religiously, and avoids standing in direct sunlight for too long.
I'm not sure if these things helped to keep her from aging too quickly, but I do believe that skin should be allowed to breathe... most of the time, at least. Anyways, that was my long poorly-written rant about my skincare regimin. It's pretty straightforward. There's nothing too crazy. I don't have any special secret products that I use. The one thing that I might say has helped me a lot is the toner. I didn't use it that much until recently, but I've noticed that my pores are not as noticeable, my acne is more under control, and the moisture on my skin is more even.
I did just buy some more things that I will talk about soon. And I still have more wedding pictures to put up! Sorry that I have been lagging it. Even my entries aren't written so well these days. School has been crazy lately. I have 2 papers due next week as well as a presentation. Busy busy busy!
Love,
CupcakeGlitter
My morning routine:
1) Normally when I shower in the morning, I don't use any type of facial cleanser before applying toner and moisturizer. For those days where I do use a cleanser, I use Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Foaming Scrub. It's a gel formula scrub that foams when I lather. I find that with my skin, gel cleansers are better for morning, as they help cut down on oil and shine.
2) I apply Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner. You can apply it with a cotton ball, but I have this super nifty small spray bottle--it used to be a small sample bottle of Clinique's Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief, but that stuff made me break out something fierce, so I dumped it and refilled the bottle with this toner. I spray generously all over my face and allow the toner to dry and be absorbed. The toner does have a light rose scent. Some reviewers say that the fragrance is a little strong for them. If you are sensitive to flowery smells, you might want to steer clear from this and go for the unscented version. Other alternatives are the Cucumber Aloe or the Lavender variations.
3) I take a small amount of Neutrogena's Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 and apply it all over my face. I dot it over my cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead before blending it in. This leaves my skin feeling soft and ready for makeup application. NOTE: I don't know if this product is still available. I still have half of a tube left, but the last time I went to Ulta, I didn't see it. I opted for the SPF 50 Daily Moisturizer with Helioplex. It actually feels nicer, but the consistency is a bit thicker than their old formula and it has more of a sunblock smell.
My night-time routine:
1) At night I prefer to use an acne-fighting scrub with a cream formula. It's more moisturizing than a foaming gel cleanser, but it still contains salicylic acid to help treat and prevent acne. Right now I alternate between Biore's Pore Unclogging Scrub and Neutrogena's Black Head Eliminating Daily Scrub. The Biore scrub has "softer" beads to give a gentler scrub, leaves my skin feeling softer, and does had salicylic acid for my acne. The Neutrogena scrub is slightly more abrasive, but leaves your face feeling refreshed and clean with a cooling effect.
2) Once my face is clean, I use Neutrogena's Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent. You can use a cotton ball, but I use my fingers. I feel like a cotton ball absorbs a lot of the product, whereas with my fingers, I don't need as much. Instead of putting this all over my face, I use it to spot treat any outbreaks. I also like to put a very thin layer over areas where I tend to break out... even if my skin is clear at the time. You can feel it kinda stinging with some pimples. When I have a really bad outbreak, or maybe just a large pimple, I use this during the day as well. You can apply a few times a day.
3) I think that I'm in love with Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner, because I like to apply it at night as well. Once again, I spray generously all over my face and let it absorb.
Other things I like to use:
- Johnson's Baby Oil Gel. I use this to remove my eye makeup, and also on my cuticles and to moisturize/soothe my skin after waxing. It removes makeup very well but is still gentle and moisturizes my eye area, which can get kinda dry from washing my face with all those crazy acne-fighting scrubs.
- C. Booth's Deep Cleansing Volcanic Mud Mask. I use this only once in a while, when my skin starts acting up, or when I really need to detox. It really sucks all the oil and impurities out of my pores. It's definitely for people with oily/acne-prone skin, and you should avoid this if your skin is dry. I've taken pictures of myself with this mask and sent it to my boyfriend--out of love, of course. It's a mud mask, so it goes on really dark and thick. It dries to a light moss green color, and you can see your pores through the texture of the mask. It's really intense and fun to look at! Only thing I don't like about this product is the smell. It has a very strong perfume-y fragrance that can be irritating.
- Biore's Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. Duh! I have blackheads. A lot of them. I actually don't use these strips very often, but every now and then I like to really give my pores a good detox. Stuff like these pore strips or the mud mask, I like to use them before an event. If I know I'll be wearing makeup and I want to make sure that it applies well and my skin looks nice, I go all out.
- Water. Drink it. I try to drink as much water as possible every day. This is partially because I sweat a lot from exercising, but also because I want to stay hydrated! I never realized this, but on days where I don't drink enough water, my skin looks terrible.
I have been trying to use less makeup lately. I think that my mom looks much younger than she really is (she's 62!), and she always says it's because she took care of her skin when she was younger. Supposedly she had embarrassingly bad acne as a teenager, and she didn't start wearing face makeup (foundation, concealer) until she was 40. Even though she does use concealer, she still hardly ever wears foundation. She was also very good about protecting her skin from the harsh sun when she was still living in Vietnam. Even now, she wears sunscreen religiously, and avoids standing in direct sunlight for too long.
I'm not sure if these things helped to keep her from aging too quickly, but I do believe that skin should be allowed to breathe... most of the time, at least. Anyways, that was my long poorly-written rant about my skincare regimin. It's pretty straightforward. There's nothing too crazy. I don't have any special secret products that I use. The one thing that I might say has helped me a lot is the toner. I didn't use it that much until recently, but I've noticed that my pores are not as noticeable, my acne is more under control, and the moisture on my skin is more even.
I did just buy some more things that I will talk about soon. And I still have more wedding pictures to put up! Sorry that I have been lagging it. Even my entries aren't written so well these days. School has been crazy lately. I have 2 papers due next week as well as a presentation. Busy busy busy!
Love,
CupcakeGlitter