For the past two months my skin decided to join the rebellion and go nutso without my consent. Between breakouts galore, dull skin, and an overall blegh look I was not in my element at all since I typically pride myself on the care I take of my skin. Alas I allowed myself to sleep in makeup and stay up way to late coupled by the fact that I practically ran out of all of my holy grail skincare products and relied on testing new products (not ideal). After noticing that my makeup just wasn’t doing it for me anymore, I knew I had to whip it back into shape. I’m a firm believer that your makeup can only do so much and if your skin isn’t on point, your makeup won’t be either.
And so began the updated skincare routine you see below.
Morning:
Dermalogica breakout clearing foaming wash ($19): yes, the Clear Start line by Dermalogica is geared towards teens and no, I don’t care. Since its main role is to wash away dead skin cells, dirt and excess oils that clog pores and cause breakouts I figured why not give it a go. It contains salicylic acid (known to clear skin), 8 botanicals including Tea Tree and Lavender (soothes skin), and Orange Peel extract (revives skin) this is gentle enough to use every morning.
Olay Fresh Effect {Bright On Schedule!} Eye Awakening Cream ($13) this isn’t pictured as it’ll be available in January 2014 but I just received a sample of this and I fell for the tri-rollerball applicator that cools and massages my gentle under eye area.
Kiehl’s Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream ($60): this is nothing new but after trying other moisturizers for day I had to go back. Lately moisturizers have been leaving my skin feeling tight and dry but not this. With ingredients like vitamin E and squalane, my skin is left feeling hydrated and supple. It’s honestly a great moisturizer to use underneath makeup because it’s not greasy so nothing is sliding off.
Hampton Sun Continuous Mist Sunscreen SPF 55 ($32): I received samples of Hampton Sun products over the summer but was too stubborn to let go of my Kiehl’s Activator Sun Protector Sunscreen to try anything new. Well, after finding sample packets of a few of the brand’s items I decided to go ahead and order a full sized product to layer over my Rosa Arctica cream. What I love most is that it offers oil-free broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and doesn’t make my skin feel heavy or greasy. I simply spray it over my face and rub it in to make sure the product is evenly distributed. Sounds like a lot, but I swear it isn’t. This stuff is gold.
Evening
As part of the whole time-to-show-my-skin-who’s-boss project I went out and bought the Murad Acne Complex® Kit ($60) after having a TERRIBLE reaction to the Clinique Acne set (it literally burned me and I had scabs around my eye area…never again!). The Murad kit is pricey but worth it in my opinion because I’ve already fallen for the Clarifying Cleanser ($26 if purchased outside of the set) and Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel ($54). You can already see the value as the treatment gel alone costs nearly as much as the entire set. Though the cleanser left my skin a little bit dry, my skin simply looked better after one use. The breakouts were calmed and I’m now in week two of use. The Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel is good for controlling and preventing breakouts so I’ve been applying right before bed only. I do use the Skin Perfecting Lotion (not pictured) but only every other night as it doesn’t really moisturize as much as I’d like.
Moroccanoil Pure Argan Oil ($50; launching on moroccanoil.com soon!): absolutely no secret that I’m obsessed with argan oil so when we came out with this product I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s non-greasy, contains vitamin E and essential fatty acids, and absorbs pretty quickly into skin. I use it prior to bed because I wake up with soft as a baby’s butt skin.
Disclosure: samples were provided for editorial consideration. Also, I work in digital for Moroccanoil.
I’ve been loving the Josie Maran pure argan oil. So surprising at how well it mosturizers the skin, while not causing breakouts!