You only have one face.....Take care of it!!

       Hello my little makeup love-bunnies. ♥ I like to think of  the face as a canvas. If you don't prep that canvas properly, or if that canvas is of a poor quality to begin with, the work of art will turn out poorly no matter how much effort is put into it. That's why I preach skin care first and foremost, and from the earliest age possible. This is also why I'm not going to break this down into categories for younger ages, as opposed to older for the most part. Hear me on this if nothing else. If you wait for your first wrinkle to appear to start your skin care regime,  IT'S ALL READY TOO LATE!  You need to begin in your 20's to protect and care for your skin at the very least if you want to continue to look good for the rest of your life. I recently went to a doctor who told me that my skin looked at least decade younger than most of my peers! That's only because I've been consistently taking care of it since I was in my 20's, wearing sunscreen EVERY DAY, and doing the things I'm about to tell you about right here.  I think the things I'm going to tell you are going to surprise you, but I've done my research carefully for you and its all backed by the latest skincare science. I think its important to say upfront that I am not being endorsed by any company, nor do I receive any products or kickbacks for my reviews. They are just what I use at home, and what I have done my homework about. I am so tired of how many bloggers and beauty gurus sound like infomercials for products now! And then come to find out later they are getting paid to review them or are receiving products for their reviews. I pay for these products with my own hard earned, makeup lovin, dollars and cents! 

A.M. Routine
     
Cleansing-. Most people assume the stronger the better. Right? Squeaky clean is the best kind of clean right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Harsh cleansers alter the fragile  pH balance in our skin, leaving it prone to damage and outbreaks. So regardless of skin type you should be using a milky type of cleanser or a balm cleanser. If you're not used to using one of these, they can be strange at first. It might feel like you're putting Vaseline of your face at first, but trust me it, it gets all your makeup off when used properly, and it forces you to wash with the right temperature of water and as long as you ought to to get your face cleaned properly. It comes with a linen type of cloth that has a kind of rough-ish texture that will also help exfoliate the skin. You can also use your own washcloths in between washings. It will feel clean, but soft. As far as brands I like, I use REN's Rosa Centifolia, NO.1 Purity Cleansing Balm. It smells divine, like roses, and none of REN products are made with parabens, sulfates, petroleum, or mineral oils. 

 

I bought mine at Sephora, but there are lots of other retailers that carry REN too. So I encourage you to try it even if you are acnegenic, and reluctant to try something like this. It retails for $48, and is worth every last penny as it will last you forever.Oh, and those skin wipes? No. Just no.

  Toning- OK, so here's the step I think that people used to do like 20 years ago religiously, but somewhere along the line we've cut out of the process. But really it is necessary folks. Sorry. I will tell you why. If you don't exfoliate with some kind of an acidic based toner, it makes the skin much less conducive to accepting the rest of the ingredients you try to put on your skin afterwards. It will exfoliate the upper layer of your skin, allowing the other ingredients to penetrate more fully.But those harsh kinds of exfoliaters that contain beads or rough particles can actually damage the skin, especially as we age, causing broken capillaries, or if you have acne it will actually spread the infection. That's why I recommend an acidic type of toner instead.  It will completely smooth and prep the skin. I like  P50, Pixi, Clarins Exfoliating, and REN Resurfacing AHA concentrate is great. These will LOWER you skin pH...a very good thing gals.

Serums/Oils-  There are a lot of different ones out there to choose from. And they vary depending on skin type, needs, and what you are looking for in your skin. There are lot of them I like. Look for ones that contain active ingredients in strengths that are potent enough to get you results. Antioxidants A, C, and E, hyaluronic acid for moisture is a skin identical ingredient, and anything with cell communicating ingredients. The key players in this group are niacinamide, retinol, synthetic peptides, lecithin, and adenosine triphosphate. If you lack moisture, Hydraluron is a great and relatively inexpensive product made of pure hyaluronic acid. Its a gel like consistency, and holds up to 1000 times its weight in water. It also contains red marine algae, and the product claims that it  increases cell turnover, firmness, elasticity and smoothness and brings about fine line reduction. You can actually pick this one up at your local Walgreens, yeah!!  

As far as retinol goes, it's the wonder ingredient. Wherever it goes it fixes. Have a large pore? It will shrink it. Have acne? It will clear it.  Have a wrinkle? It will diminish it. See what I mean? Its kind of amazing. But it can be irritating to some people initially. But retinol preparations have come a long way. They contain formulations that are encapsulated in such a way that instead of giving you one walloping dose at once, it gives you incremented doses through out the day. I personally really like Algenist's Retinol Firming and Lifting Serum. It also contains Alguronic Acid, which supports natural cell regeneration, peptides that rebuild skin density, and whey protein that increases skin elasticity, decreases wrinkles, and improves skin smoothness. It retails for $98 at Sephora. Also, not cheap, but worth every penny. 

Moisturizer/Sunscreen- Here is the one category where skin type really does matter. Oily, combination, dry, mature, etc. You do need to pick a moisturizer that suits your skin type. I will tell you this though. I have noticed that people prone to acne mistakenly think they do not need moisturizer, when in fact their skin is in dire need of a drink. Just because your skin gets oily doesn't mean it doesn't need the proper kind of moisturizer. Look for gel consistencies, or ones that say oil-free on the labels. This goes for everyone, mineral oil is a RED FLAG! It is bad for your skin, but cheap for the companies and often used. It's molecules are too big to be absorbed by your skin though and will just serve to clog those pores. So be a label reader, and don't waste your hard earned money on a product that has mineral oil in it. Make sure there is an SPF of at least a 15 in it for day if not higher for daytime wear.  If your skin is dry and mature, look for words like moisturizing, enriching, drenching, nourishing etc. These will be good for your skin type. Because of an early hysterectomy I have very parched skin, and I have to use the most serious of  drenching creams. I have finally, after a very long search, found my Nirvana. There is also a cheaper alternative that is quite good that I will give you as well, but this one is my favorite splurge product. Its by Shisedo, and its the Bio Performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream, Creme Super Regenerative Intensive. What a mouthful! Its kind of important though, because there is one kind of like it though, that is not quite as good or thick. So I thought I'd better spell the whole thing out to avoid confusion. Its craze amaze. The less expensive, but also fabulous one come from Origins. Its the High Potency Night-a-Mins Mineral Enriched Renewal Cream. It smells like an orange cream-sickle first of all gals, seriously it does!! I'm a sucker for something that smells great when I put it on. The experience counts for me when I'm doing my skin care routine. Its a nice texture, not too thin or thick, and absorbs beautifully. Even when you wake up in the morning you can still feel how soft your skin feels, and that's my test of a great moisturizer. The issue with both of these is that you need to use an additional SPF on top. Which for me is no problem as I have one I like and use regularly. Most of us use makeup that has SPF in it as well, just make sure you check the label for adequate coverage. I like CLARINS UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection SPF 40 for that.

P.M. Routine- It's bedtime Y'all. Don't worry this will be quick!

Ever heard that your skin repairs itself at night? Bah humbug. It doesn't. Your skin has no IDEA what time it is. It's an old wives tell if there ever was one. The reasons we do extra treatments at night is that our skin is not being bombarded with extra damage of pollution, light, makeup, and other stressors of our day. So this is a good time for us to do a little extra for our skin to care for it properly. Some of these things will be repeats, so it will be quick in parts, but there are changes for the evening routine.

Cleansing- I know we all get tired sometimes and get tempted to fall asleep in our makeup. DON'T. Not even once. Want incentive? Scientific studies were recently conducted that showed sleeping in your makeup for even one night ages your skin prematurely. Watch this video if you want to know more about the study. http://on.aol.com/video/how-makeup-can-cause-premature-aging-517934571 Its scared me enough to make sure I didn't have a lazy night again. So like I said. Balm, or milky cleansers rule. Squeaky clean skin is skin that is stripped of its natural oils, and has no natural barrier left. You have to rethink things. The balm cleansers are especially wonderful for taking off makeup. You'll never go back I promise. I also like using a Clarisonic at night for extra exfoliation and cleansing. If you don't have one, they are a great investment in your skin, no matter what type. 

Toning- Again, for exoliation, use your acid based toner to prep your skin for the rest of your skin care products and lower the pH levels in your skin. A good one for evening is Alpha H Liquid Gold. It is made with  silk proteins, licorice extract and Glycolic Acid. It retails for around $43. And is wonderful for the skin in every way. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  

Retinol- I'm putting this in here as separate category because I think its that important. And it does need to go on before all other skin care products that you layer on FYI. I've all ready listed my favorite product, so I won't go on anymore. If you get any irritation with the product at first, use every other day. Also there is a new retinol product made exclusively for the eye area, 180 degrees around, by Philosophy that I use and highly recommend that is wonderful and gentle. Its called Miracle Worker Retinoid Eye Repair Cream, and it retails for $65.

Treaments/Serums-  Again there are many on the market to choose from, and you just have to find the right ones that suit you for your needs. There are ones that target fine lines and wrinkles, or are more for brightening, or might help with acne prone skin, or help to plump up the skin's moisture levels. All are useful, you just have to decide what you need the most, and layer it up. Just know that certain ingredients, like C for instance tend to degrade quickly. If it is in a container that is opened to the air, it will most likely be instantly degraded and useless to you. That's why you need to look for something in a pump that is sealed. I like Philosophy's Time in a Bottle for that reason. Its revolutionary packaging has you add the vial of C when it arrives to you fresh into the pump with the other ingredients. It has a high concentration of C in it making it highly effective. If you have age spots, or hormonal patches, C is great for attacking those areas of hyper pigmentation. 

Moisturizer/Sealer- This is a really important step in the evening. Imagine your face as a piece of bread on your counter left out overnight. What does it look like in morning? Crusty and icky right? If you slather that piece of bread in butter though what happens? It remains nice and soft. So that's what we want. We want to seal in all that goodness we have put into our skin. I use my Shiseido both morning and night myself. But I add one more thing on top to really seal everything in. This only for the super dry skin folks to use both. But anyone can use this one alone. Its a super wonderful moisturizer for any skin type that I keep in my kit and use on clients all the time. I can't do without it honestly in my work as a makeup artist. Its JOSIE MARAN Argan Infinity Cream Intensive Creamy Oil, and it retails for $28. Its a single ingredient moisturizer, and for those of you who have used the oil, this is even better. Its been made into a lovely creamy texture that blends perfectly into the face. FYI they also make a lush whipped body cream that's to die for, but that's a whole other blog. Anywho...this stuff is a great topper or on its own. I promise if you get this one you won't be sorry. 

Another super fantastic nighttime splurge I recently fell for is  La Prairie Anti-Aging Night Cream. I found that you can buy it for significantly cheaper than at the usually places like Nordstrom etc.($215) at Fragrance.net for only $145. Plus for the first time they give you 15% off your first order, so its a great way to go for this lux brand that is for once really worth the hard earned cash. It will make your skin feel like a baby's...well you know. 

       So that's the story morning glory! And for those of you who are thinking, I don't think I have time for all that. YES YOU DO! It takes me less than 7 minutes to do all of this every morning and then again every evening. You owe it your future face to do this. You only have one face, treat it kindly. Aging is a privilege not everyone gets, I'm not against aging. Not at all. I just want to do it with grace and care for myself and those around me. If you have any questions or comments go ahead and leave them and I'll answer them as they come in!! Thanks so much for following the blog, if you have any ideas or questions about makeup for future blogs ask away!! ♥