Good afternoon!
It's such a lovely fall day and I've been thinking on writing on my personal skin care products I use for a couple days now. I have a fairly simple routine for day and night as this pregnancy has me feeling "lazy" even though I've been far from lazy. I've just cut back and yet still kept up with caring for skin.
I've been seeing results!
(I wish I had a before and after picture but alas I was too frustrated at the time to consider this.)
If you've read my pregnancy blog you've heard me mention how these hormones have effected my skin. Even before that you've read about my bad experience in using birth control. Both caused unwanted blemishes and bumps and for somebody who never had skin issues before... eugh!
As an Aesthetician this bugged the daylights out of me. As it would anybody.
I was pushed to do more research and see if I could help my poor skin relax!
I found some amazing discoveries that reinforced why I've heard things repeated again and again.
I've always been a stickler for a clean face before bed and in the morning before you start your day.
I cleanse day and night with a cleanser and the cleansers always say, "Removes makeup"
But how much do they truly remove?
Even an awesome cleanser (And I've found a couple that really make me happy!) doesn't truly remove all of your makeup like the bottle says it does. This in the long run will cause issues with skin that's dealing with hormonal breakouts or in general when skin starts to dull out over time.
Answer?
A makeup remover prior to cleansing!
A remover that will provide antioxidants and the power to breakdown the gunk and makeup that's been on and around your skin all day. If you're not doing this step it may be a reason you're seeing your issues get worse or not improve. Thus a key puzzle pc with my skin issues!
Here's the link to my nightly routine.
For the cleansing portion obviously you need a cleanser for your particular skin type. My current cleanser is new from Burt's Bees and so far so good.
It's gentle and very hydrating! It works very well with my combo skin seeing as it's not super oily I believe that's why this is a good fit so far. **This may not work for somebody who's skin is insanely oily.
For toner/astringent I use 2 different types.
Both help calm and heal hormonally reactive skin, I'm very pleased with both!
**The Sea Breeze is best used at night or for a pre-cleanse wipe down in the morning but I wouldn't say dry skin types should use it on a daily basis, if at all. Use with cotton ball.
**The witch hazel toner is wonderful for sensitive skin that may be a little dry as well as combo and oily. It works to calm various types of irritation, not just clear pores. Great for day and night use. Can be used in a spray bottle or cotton ball depending on how dry your skin type is.
These also catch ANYTHING you might have missed in the cleansing process.
I love how clean I feel after using these!
I use a blemish clearing serum as well for added control which is needed for my chin area seeing as that's a key place hormones show their ugly little faces first. My issues are cut in half, maybe more than that with this serum! It is so good I'm afraid to try another :)
Probably one of the most expensive items I'm currently purchasing and this will last me several months so I find it worth the extra pennies. I use this day and night.
My moisturizer is the same for day and night use right now.
If you're breaking out while pregnant an oil free base is the best! Now since my skin does get dry now and then it took a couple week for it to adjust and when it did I was VERY pleased. This just means I need a couple more pumps of product vs somebody who has really oily skin. This is my other "expensive" product I use, I keep all my costs (if possible) $30.00 an under. Talk about doing your research for good product on a budget and still getting good results!
Blurry (ugh) yes, but I'm only able to use my camera phone for the time being and it's not a smart phone. Please forgive :) and yes, the bottle is bigger than it looks.
Lastly I'm using one of 2 things on my eyes (Seeing as I spilled my sweet almond oil.. oops.)
I'm using a serum and a salve currently and the salve is great for my lashes as well as my skin!
At the start of my pregnancy I couldn't STAND the smell of this coffee cherry eye salve but I love how it hydrates and yes, you can wear it under makeup! A terrific price for how much you get, I will have this for a year or longer.
(My serum is nearly gone so this provided a fast pic as I also don't feel like waddling downstairs to my bedroom to take a picture. ;) This is over $30.00 but I found this well worth the cost esp since I've had my bottle for over a year! Great for all over the face as well as under eyes.
**I'm also using a clay mask that you mix with Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar for added potency. It says you can mix it with water too but I find my face itches and doesn't get as clean when I do it that way. I will post a DIY blog on this process soon!
I plan on investigating some scrubs from Burt's Bees as I do like and advise the use of such things on a weekly basis...But if your skin is overly broken out a scrub won't be for you, it would be more along the lines of an enzyme or chemical base. However ANY skin type can use those options as well.
i.e. The peels offer by the Juice Beauty line, they are fantastic and I can't wait to repurchase!!
That's about it for now, I'll try to keep you updated as much as possible.
I do have my own computer now but since it was given to me I've found some bugs that need worked out so it'll still be a bit before I can really take off on things like I'd love to... Thanks for understanding!
Blessings,
Shannon
