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Skin Care – again….
I know, I know. I seem to change skin care routines all the time. It’s nice now that my skin isn’t so super sensitive, I can change things up for time to time and not worry.
This new routine is a mix of several previous skin care routines. So here’s what I’m currently using:
- Cold pressed, unrefined Coconut Oil (I get mine from Costco for around $15.00)
- Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser
- Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System
- VoilaVe Rose Hip Oil
I start with Coconut Oil. I scoop out a little bit with my fingers and massage the oil into my skin. I find this is a good way to breakdown your makeup. Once I’ve massaged my skin I will use a cotton round with a little Coconut Oil to remove my eye make up. I would suggest lightly wetting the cotton round, otherwise you’ll get cotton fibers stuck in your eye lashes. Once I get the majority of my eye makeup off, I flip the cotton round over and wipe off the rest of my face. You will still have a decent amount of oil on your skin. And most times I will actually use whatever oil is left on my hands to massage my skin a bit more. I basically just use the cotton round to remove the makeup before massaging more oil in. You can do this as long as you want. Some nights I take my time and others I just do a quick once over before moving on to the next step. This is the facial massage I kind of follow, but not really. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h022_ZDnv0&app=desktop
Once I done massaging the Coconut Oil into my skin, I get about a quarter to half a pump of my Cereva Cleanser. I add a little water and rub it on my skin but just enough to get the product on my skin. Then I use my Olay Pro-X to cleanse the rest of my skin. This doesn’t actually remove all the oil but I feel like it does a good job of removing any remaining dirt.
After I rinse my face off, I pat it dry and apply 3 drops of the Rosehip Oil. True Rosehip Oil does NOT smell like roses. It has a very earthy smell. Matt says my face smells like grass after I apply it. The Rosehip Oil absorbs pretty quickly into the skin (like 5-10 mins). I then apply my Mary Kay eye cream and moisturizer.
As you can see, this is kind of a process but it seems to be working pretty well for me. My skin has gotten drier as I’ve gotten older and I really like using oils. I feel like my overall complexion has evened out some since I’ve started this routine. I also feel like my blackheads getting better. I haven’t had any crazy breakouts either. I would recommend this routine for all skin types. Dry skin needs the moisture and oils actually help oily skin not over produce oil.
You can also search the blog for OCM and that will pull up a post or two regarding the Oil Cleansing Method. You could do this with Coconut Oil instead of the process I am currently using.
~k
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Oh hey Spring! Come back!
Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in North Carolina. Mid 60’s and gorgeous. Today, temps are falling and they are predicting freezing rain and sleet! Umm, gross! After the last snow, I was officially OVER Winter! Bring on sunshine and shorts!
Matt and I took full advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday and headed downtown for lunch. We ended up at Trophy Brewing Co. for pizza and beer. The food and drinks were really good. The only downside was, they were pretty busy so we ended up sitting at the bar and not outside. After lunch, we drove around downtown for a few minutes before heading out to find some ice cream. I’d been craving ice cream all weekend and nothing says Spring like ice cream.
There is a really good local ice cream place called Fresh on Glenwood, near our house. Matt suggested we stop there before heading over to Walmart. We both got cookies and cream ice cream. It was pretty busy when we first arrived but once we got our cones the place had cleared out. We found a nice picnic table to sit and eat and enjoy the day.
After ice cream we headed out to Briar Creek to run to Walmart. Mom told me about some face cream that was a must but said the Walmart brand was better than the name brand. I was looking for the Equate Face & Neck Cream Advanced Firming but I ended up with the Equate Beauty Age Control Day Cream for Mature Skin. Of course Walmart was a disaster and I couldn’t find the Face & Neck Cream. I used the Beauty Age Control last night and this morning and it feels and smells wonderful. It is also pretty thick and hydrating. I used it under my foundation this morning and my skin had a nice dewy glow. Score! I’m going to try it out for a few more days and see how it does but based on first impressions, I like it!
~k
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Oh Mary Kay
Two weeks ago I went on a little MK shopping spree. I bought eye cream, moisturizer, and a microderm kit. My old skin care routine just wasn’t cutting it so when someone on IG mentioned they were using MK products I decided to give them another try. A long time ago, when I was still living in AL, my mom and I started using MK products. We both really liked them, but at the time, it was a little difficult to find local MK dealers. Eventually we stopped and switched to who knows what.
With it back in my mind, I decided to search Amazon and ending up finding the products I was looking for for almost half the price of the MK site. I immediately placed my orders and waited. The eye cream was the first thing I purchased and it actually took the longest to receive. It just arrived on Wednesday. I had to email the seller ask where my order was. Turns out they bought the label but didn’t ship my order until I contacted them. Needless to say I will be writing a review and I won’t use that seller again.
I’ve been using both the moisturizer and microderm kit for close to a week now and so far so good. The moisturizer seems to hydrate my skin without feeling too heavy or greasy. It also isn’t so light my skin dries out. When you put it on it actually seems to feel little powdery. It’s odd but nice. The microderm kit I’ve been using on alternating days. I really like this kit so far. It doesn’t seem to dry my skin out and after it feels soft and smooth. With the microderm kit, I wash my face as usual, blot with a towel but not to the point of drying it, and then use Step 1. It’s really gritty but it’s not uncomfortable. Once I’ve given my face a good scrub, I wash off the product, dry, and add Step 2. I have no clue what Step 2 is or does for that matter but it feels nice. I then add my moisturizer and go to bed.
I feel like my skin tone is slowing improving. The dry spot on my cheek is still there. I’m not sure if it’s getting better or what but the skin is starting to flake off. I’m hoping this is a good sign that new skin is being generated.
I know this isn’t a great product review but if you’re looking for a change, check out Mary Kay. You might be surprised with the results. If I have any drastic results from the eye cream I’ll def post another review.
~k
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Daily Routine – Skin Care
Right now my skin is actually looking pretty good. I just switched to a new face wash and I think it is working well. A few weeks ago I was all about Mario Badescu but after a frustrating trip to Ulta I ended up with some Aveeno cleansing pads. After the first use I realized they were much bigger than I needed so I cut them in half. This was a great idea and now I get 2 months worth for the price of 1.
The problem I run into is I find a skin care regime that works and then I start to get adventurous and I change it up. When that doesn’t work, I don’t go back to my old regime, I change it up again and then I spend a few months going “ugh my skin looks gross” until I find something else that works. Hopefully this will help me keep up with what I’m doing currently. 😉
In the mornings I shower and use my Cerave hydrating cleanser. When I get out I apply Finacea which was prescribed by my dermatologist a few years ago. It’s kind of pricey but the tube will last me about a year so even at the top end of my rx copay it’s worth it. (Just a side note but while I don’t feel the Finacea has really “cleared” up my skin. I do feel as though it keeps it under control. With that said I still feel it’s worth the money if you have adult acne.) Then I apply a nice thick coat of Cerave moisturizing lotion along with whatever eye cream I have on hand. I am currently using an Estee Lauder bottle my mom gave me but when this is out I will switch back to Roc. I’m not crazy about the Roc and I think I will switch to Olay when I’m out of the next tube. I let this all sit for 10 mins or so before I apply my makeup. I am still loving the Clinique even better foundation mixed with my Olay total effects 7 signs of aging. This gives me a nice coverage without being too heavy.
In the evenings, I am now using the rest of the oil from my OCM phase (it didn’t last long 😉 to remove my eye makeup. It does a great job while being gentle on my eyes. I just apply some oil to a cotton ball and wet the cotton ball a bit to keep the cotton from getting stuck in my lashes. Then I use the Aveeno cleansing pads to remove my makeup. These have a soft side and rough side. I tend to use both sides even though I probably don’t really need to exfoliate every night. Some nights I will apply Finacea, but this is only if I remember, then I slather, literally slather, my face with St Ives Timeless Skin Collagen lotion. (Had someone told me in my pre-teen and teen years I would apply moisturizer like a crazy person I would have laughed and said, umm No! I’ve had oily skin all my life so I have fought the urge to add moisture and tried to suck as much oil as possible from my skin. Now that I’m older, my face isn’t as oily and I find I need the moisture but I also want to keep the wrinkles away and apparently people with oily skin wrinkle less. Oy!) Anyway, once my face is nice and slathered I add more eye cream and go to bed.
As you can see my skin routine isn’t anything crazy, at least I don’t think so. My skin looks remarkably well since switching to the Aveeno honestly so hopefully I will stick with this for awhile and see even more results.
Happy Friday!
~k
P.S. One week till someone’s (pointing to me) birthday!