Skin Regimen and a Deal
As I have become more of a grown up, I have made it my mission to abandon the “being good/being bad” cycle when it comes to caring for myself. Who among us hasn’t enjoyed a Nacho Bell Grande with a cool-down burrito on Sunday followed by a guilty bag of broccoli and the treadmill on Monday? Luckily, somewhere along the line my body cried out for mercy and I decided to listen. It took awhile, but I now can say that I value consistency more than the binge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not afraid to eat a cool down burrito, but now it’s made with grass-fed beef, organic lettuce, black beans and I probably worked out beforehand. Or I crowded it out with some leafy greens and a kale smoothie. Because I am human and often driven by my id, I am still capable of I having several brownies in a sitting. I’m not proud, but I don’t totally freak out, either. I trust in the consistency of my daily program to get me through Sundae Sunday.
I have long believed that what I do each day trumps what I decide to do on a manic two-week stint before vacation. The biggest benefit of this theory shows up in the form of mental free time. For example, instead of enduring an entire day obsessing over how I should have worked out, I just spend an hour working out. That’s a good trade. What I learned in the process is I love a regimen. I have a workout regimen. I have a sleep regimen. I have a nutrition regimen. And, my most favorite of all, a skin regimen. I employ the same theory as workouts when it comes to my skin. I do it everyday, even when I don’t want to, with the vague faith that there will be a payoff down the road. With exercising, the pay-off may be that I don’t panic if someone invites me to a mid-winter pool party. When it comes to my skin, the pay-off may be that I have one less wrinkle or basal cell when I’m a grandma.
Below you will find my skin-care regimen. It’s a lot, but it calms me. It’s obvious I am not an expert, just an enthusiast, so this is just a peek into things I like. It’s fun to hear what other people use on their skin, so let me know what you like, too. For the record, I could also be dazzled by a conversation based on what you like to buy at Costco, Target and Trader Joes. So much to be learned from one another.
WAKE UP:
-Rinse with water. My Derm said that you don’t need to wash your face in the morning, provided you washed it the night before, which I’m sure you did because it’s super gross not to. So, no cleanser for me until after my workout, just H2O.
-Sunscreen. I don’t set foot out of the bathroom unless I have sunscreen on, rain or shine. First thing. I use Skinceuticals. I just like it. Sunscreens are very personal because we each have different goals and needs-some folks need moisture, some need oil control. I need both, and this one seems to do the trick. See my sunscreen post for more recommendations.
POST WORKOUT:
-Proactiv in my t-zone. I keep trying to stop this step because it feels a bit juvenile to need proactive as a grown woman. However, currently I am fresh off of a 6 week no-Proactiv stint and my chin looks like it is going to set fire and free itself from my face. The pain. The swelling. I wish my chin would jump off my face and run screaming into the night once and for all. At any rate, for me, I’ll be using Proactiv in my t-zone until I’m 97 or something.
-Arbonne Calm Cleanser. My face feels clean, calm, treated gently. You can purchase it on my friend Gabe’s website.
-Oz Naturals Vitamin C Serum. I have a very smart friend who knows things about science and skin. Unfortunately for her, she was trapped in a group setting with me for several days, where I pumped her for information like a sergeant on a cop show. I would just pop out of bushes with a quick question about radiance or whatever occurred to me. It was great. For me. She recommended this serum because Vitamin C has been proven to do the best tricks when it comes to skin radiance and evenness. You may be familiar with the Skiceuticals C E Ferulic serum. It’s 160 bucks. This one has the same concentration of Vitamin C and is only 23 dollars on Amazon. Thank you Jodi.
Note on Serums: They are a concentrated bit of love for your skin, they are not the same as moisturizers if you’re looking for moisture. You take a couple of drops and push the liquid into your skin, gently. Serums go before anything else (unless you use toner. Then it would go after toner).
-Sometimes moisturizer on my cheeks, usually on cold, winter days. I have used a bunch of different kinds, usually whatever sample Sephora gave me. I only use it on my cheeks and my cheeks are not a break out zone for me, so I’ve had good luck using whatever happens to be on hand. You don’t need your daytime moisturizer to do a bunch of extra tricks-that’s for nighttime. Any salve will usually do the trick. I like the Bobbi Brown hydrating cream. For drugstore, CeraVe, Neutrogena. Avoid retinols until nighttime because they make you more sun sensitive.
-Sunscreen again. See above.
-Shiseido Bio-Performance Eyecream. I love this eye-cream. When you are a product-phile, it’s easy to get roped into believing there is a better one out there. I have been lured by pricey eye creams, natural eye creams, drug store eye creams. I ALWAYS go back to this one. I don’t know if it’s doing anything long-term, I just know my eye skin looks plumper and fuller and happier when I use this. And I don’t get those little white bumps around my eyes. A little goes a long way. Use your ring finger to gently tap it in. I also use it on my upper lip line because I am really interested in never having lip injections. Nothing wrong with injections, I am just a wimp and a) think it might hurt and b) have seen it go really wrong. I have also seen it go really right, but my fear of pain keeps me using eye cream on my lip line.
-NuFace while watching a quick show after the kids are in bed. Notes on NuFace: As I stated above, I love a regimen. I don’t even mind if it’s long. If I commit to doing it, then I do it. If you’re not familiar, the NuFace is a device that does two things, depending on the attachment you use. The first is a “wrinkle reducer” that has LED lights. You hold this on various parts of your bare, lotion-free face and the light penetrates your skin and helps build collagen and elastin. Here’s the official info.https://www.mynuface.com/pages/light-therapy
The other attachment is the micro-current. For this you need a gel-based conductor fluid so you don’t feel little electric shocks. The gel is not that pricey. The device is painless if you have the gel on. With this attachment, you glide it over parts of your face in an effort to stimulate the muscles and give more of an energized, lifted appearance. Here’s the official info on that: https://www.mynuface.com/pages/microcurrent
I like that you can customize the program based on how much time you have. If my family hasn’t had a million practices and meetings, I can chill and do the full program: the wrinkle reducer and both the large and small micro current attachments. If I’m in a hurry, I can just do a quick big attachment.
Results: I have been using it every day (except for 2) for 60 days. I feel like it has made a difference, but because I was too lazy to take a before picture, I can’t prove it!! What I know to be true-I hold all my stress in my face. I’m pretty sure I sleep with my face squished in an “I taste lots of lemon” expression. Before the NuFace, I would always wake up with the muscles in my face a little sore. Now I don’t! That alone is worth it. I also feel like my skin (other than chin skin) is smoother. My jawline also looks a little more defined. I really like it!
Give it a try!!
**DEAL ALERT** If you are interested, I have a friend who can get you some money off of your NuFace. She got me a GREAT deal. If you’re interested, message me on Facebook and I’ll give you her information!
Tatcha Classic Rice Powder Exfoliator. About 3 times a week, now that I’m using the NuFace. I love this stuff for removing dead skin and I think it preps the skin well to absorb all the nighttime cream-goodness.
-Vitamin C Serum again.
-Retinol cream prescribed by my Derm. Retinol or Retin-A is vitamin A. Some folks are afraid of this product because it can cause some redness when you first use it. I never had any side effects. If my magazine, internet and grilling-my-Derm-type research are accurate, Vitamin A is one of the only proven ingredients to help fine lines. The one I get from my Derm is $50, but lasts about 7 months. You can get drugstore retinols at lesser concentrations, but it might be worth it to get a prescription.
No matter what you choose, before bed is the time to use your most hopeful creams. The magic happens while you sleep.
In winter: Egyptian Magic over everything to lock in the goodness. Also as an eye cream! See my previous post for more details.
Happy skin!!
Keely
