une femme d'idées

Me & my skincare routine <3

I frequently get asked about my skincare routine so I finally took the time out to write up a (lengthy) post. Brace yourself and please forgive me. It’s a lot of information but I wouldn’t shorthand you. <3

 My skin went from being disgusting - breakouts, blackheads, hyperpigmentation, oily nightmare to even, controlled, clear and smooth, healthy skin. Before you keep reading let me advise you that I am not a professional & I am not a dermatologist – I learned everything I’m sharing through trial and error. It took me years to perfect my routine and it will probably take you some time as well – be patient and do your research! I hope this helps & if you have any questions feel free to ask! <3 

Regardless of what type of skin you have, with a skincare routine it’s a daily four step process; Cleanse, Tone, Treat & Moisturize to get the best possible results and see the prettiest version of your face. In addition to that you should be exfoliating and giving yourself a facial/mask treatment at least once a week. And NO you don’t have to go to a spa for a facial; you just have to buy a quality product and religiously stick to the routine. Remember; CONSISTENCY IS KEY!

I have combination skin with an oily t zone so I tend to breakout along my chin, nose and forehead area while my cheeks usually remain clear and smooth – in the winter months I tend to get dry patches on my cheeks since its super cold in NY. Most people have this type of skin so I figure my routine might help some you out. <3

The products I’m recommending are all high end quality products that I’ve done my research on and I can confidently say they are amazing. They are also expensive (you get what you pay for). You can start off by purchasing the sample sizes to try it out and then slowly purchase the full size products one by one. Also, be patient - you won’t see changes overnight. These products are mostly natural with no chemicals or harsh ingredients (with the exception of the toner – it has a little bit of salicylic acid but it’s safe to use daily so no worries). If you prefer to use a natural toner, pick up some Witch Hazel at Whole Foods! It works as well. Products like these DEFINETLY work but it takes time so stick to your routine day in and day out and I guarantee you will see results. They’re fool proof!

I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a face brush to wash your face with, I went all out and purchased a Clarisonic Mia (http://www.sephora.com/mia2-sonic-skin-cleansing-holiday-pore-fection-collection-P376429?skuId=1473305) but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can buy one of these; ( http://www.sephora.com/the-skincare-cleansing-massage-brush-P173625?skuId=523704 ). There are cheaper versions but I tend to stray away from that because the bristles can harm your skin. Facial brushes combined with a good cleanser provide sterile, thorough cleansing so that your skin is actually cleaner and the products you’re using absorb better. A lot of the time people think their face is clean because they are using a cleanser but your fingers will NEVER do the work that a brush can. It’s a worldddd of a difference!

Sharing is caring so here are some tips that I wish I knew a LONG time ago:

·         Fingers on your face are a NO NO – use a face brush to wash your face and make up brushes to apply makeup. Fingers have germs and oil and bacteria – lets keep these awayyyyy from your lovely face. Including people that love touching our faces – NO, tell them to stay away! lol

·         Never put a towel to your face, they carry tons of germs and rubbing a towel on your face further worsens any inflammation. By the way never rub anything on your face. PAT DON’T RUB! I prefer to air dry but if I’m in a rush I gently pat my face dry with a bounty paper towel and then dispose of it.

·         ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYSSSSS take your makeup off thoroughly before bed, I’m sure you already know how icky it is not too – gets stuck in your pores and makes you break out and then it transfers to your pillow case and when you do wash your face the next day – you’re transferring those germs right back onto your face anyway. (Gross) The best way is to use makeup removing wipes (oil free) AND then cleanser as well.

·         Change your pillow case every other day, the oils from your hair transfer to your face along with dead skin and other icky stuff that isn’t visible to the naked eye.

·         Wash your makeup brushes! Deep clean once a week (with makeup brush shampoo) and spray (makeup brush spray) or wipe daily! You don’t want bacteria on your face, trust! Let me know if you need recommendations on this. It can get tricky.

·         Speaking of makeup; MAKE SURE YOUR MAKEUP IS OIL FREE. ESPECIALLY your foundation! My skin improved tremendously just by switching to an oil free foundation. Most foundations are not oil free so you have to be careful with this one. Liquid or powder – always go oil free!

·         The oldest trick in the book; drink 3 liters of water a day! It does countless wonders for your skin!

·         You’ll notice I recommended a day moisturizer with SPF, SPF is pivotal because while your fighting to get rid of the blemishes and scars on your face – if you don’t wear SPF they’ll just continue to get darker with every passing day that you walk outside, even if its not sunny so NEVER walk out of the house without at least some SPF moisturizer on that face!

·         Don’t use hot water on your face, it dries out your skin. Don’t use cold water either – it’ll do the same thing. Stick to lukewarm!

·         You’ll notice that the last thing I note on the list is to exfoliate. Here’s the thing; granular exfoliants (like scrubs) are way too harsh for the skin and end up drying your out or scratching your face. Always use peels like lactic and glycolic to exfoliate the skin, it gently removes dead cells and brightens your face while reducing redness while scrubs create more redness and inflammation and are just way too harsh.

·         When you’re putting hair products in your hair (especially sprays and sprits), never let it fall on your face it just further clogs your pores and irritates the skin.

·         All the products I’m recommending are oil free. Oil free is the way to be! Alwaysssss go for the oil free version of things.

·         Never exfoliate and mask your face on the same day, it’s TOO much for one day. Exfoliate first then wait a day or two and mask your face.  IE: I exfoliate on Fridays and mask my face on Sundays.

PRODUCTS & ROUTINE (in order):

1.  Cleanser (AM & PM):

• Boscia - Clear Complexion Cleanser – http://www.sephora.com/clear-complexion-cleanser-P199612?skuId=1227909

2.  Toner (AM & PM):

• Clinique - Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion –  http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=clinique%20toner%20acne&skuId=1027473&productId=P188307&_requestid=80520

3.  Serum (AM & PM):

• Ole Henriksen - Truth Serum Collagen Booster (Three Little Wonders) - http://www.sephora.com/truth-serum-collagen-booster-P42343?skuId=965681

4.  Moisturizer :

• AM-

1. Ole Henriksen - Protect The Truth™ SPF 50+ Sunscreen http://www.sephora.com/protect-the-truth-spf-50-sunscreen-P288109?skuId=1342658 
2. WITH Ole Henriksen - Sheer Transformation (Three Little Wonders)  on top- http://www.sephora.com/sheer-transformation-P42342?skuId=958611

·         PM-

1.     Ole Henriksen - Sheer Transformation (Three Little Wonders) - http://www.sephora.com/sheer-transformation-P42342?skuId=958611

2.     Ole Henriksen – Invigorating Night Gel (Three Little Wonders) - http://www.sephora.com/invigorating-night-gel-P42330?skuId=958637

5.     Exfoliate (once a week religiously):

·         Philosophy - The Microdelivery Mini Peel Pads - http://www.sephora.com/the-microdelivery-mini-peel-pads-P95720?om_mmc=Googlepla,_requestid=42976,cm_mmc=us_search-_-GG-_-pla-_-,ci_src=17588969,ci_sku=823278

6.     Mask (once a week religiously):

·         Boscia – Luminizing Black Mask - http://www.sephora.com/luminizing-black-mask-P266800?skuId=1269455

Cutting, pasting & re-arranging.

“If who you are and what you have is what you want, if you’re satisfied with the conditions of your life, congratulations—do more of what you’ve been doing and you’ll get more of what you already have. But if who you are, what you want, what you have, and your current conditions are less than what you want or are different from what you want, you have to make some changes — basic changes, inner changes. Failure to make those changes will find you fruitlessly continuing to seek the things you desire as the years pass by.”

That’s an excerpt from a book I’m currently reading titled “Zen and the Art of Happiness” By Chris Prentiss.

I couldn’t agree more with the above stated. I see so many people living everyday, unhappy and miserable for several reasons but what I see most often is how readily people are to point fingers. “I’m unhappy because of him or because of her or because this doesn’t allow me to be happy” and etc. They don’t change it or shortly do and go back to it and they continue to be unhappy and wonder why and where has all the time gone? If your unhappy NOW, change it NOW. You have nothing to lose but your misery and time.

YOUR HAPPINESS IS NO ONE ELSE’S RESPONSIBILITY.

YOUR HAPPINESS BELONGS TO YOU.

I’ve noted that most of the time being happy is simply that, choosing to just BE happy. As oppose to getting yourself get caught in the ties and tangles of negativity. Don’t get caught up in what works for other people or what other people would be happy with. We as individuals know more than anyone what makes us happy and what does not. Actually no, it takes a lot of time and soul searching to know exactly what makes us happy but most of us have a pretty good idea of what does not and thats a good place to start. So why cage yourself into the vicious cycle of unhappiness? Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate.

Every once in a while you’ll catch me saying “Cutting, pasting and re-arranging.” Its a metaphor of what I constantly do with my life to keep up with myself. Cutting whats unnecessary at the moment, maybe putting it to the side for some time or throwing it in the trash completely. Pasting in what is necessary and perhaps putting things in a different order than it was before to meet my needs and avoid the bore that routine comes along with.

I urge you all to cut, paste and re-arrange, consistently.

-Gina M.

xo