This is the second article about tips for your skin. The first piece was on general tips on how to have a long term young skin and for free. Check that out here.
This one is about skin care products before you actually put make up on. Let me give you the background. I have a mix skin oily but some spots can be dry. Depending where I am geographically I can get really dry skin or really oily. Also consider I have fair skin and delicate. A lot of products will cause acne. Currently I live in Florida, which equals humidity but free moist at the same time.
About 3 years ago I developed some bad acne problems on my face. I never suffered from acne as a teenager. I decided to see a special esthetician and invested in $400 to get a consultation, products, and a very light peeling. The peeling was not a laser aggressive peeling. It does have some type of acid, which I suppose take care of pores, prevent any wrinkles, and give you a glow.
I get a peeling once a year (now I can't because I am pregnant so I am skipping). The results were/are impressive. Over time my skin was balanced. Yes, I did get pimples once in a while, but I did not break as often as before and overall my skin was good. I also stopped using many products so I actually saved money. The $400 I spent initially served me to get annual products which included toners, soap, masks, foundation, SPF lotion and acne/wrinkle serum. So that is like $33 a month. I did not have to buy any other products. I also did not have special wrinkle lotions for eyes or face. The only thing I use is this acne wrinkle serum but I can only use it when a pimple comes and visits. So I use it rarely.
Now, I strongly suggest anybody to find a specialist/dermatologist and do your research on their credibility and understand your type of skin. I will talk about my products but I cannot advice you to buy them for your skin type. That is why I described at the beginning my skin type. Now the products I use don't need a prescription and are sold on line or at special stores.
For special care at night I am not an expert so I would suggest you to check out Carly's post on 4 Overnight Beauty Products You Should be Using.
PRODUCTS I USE
Most of my products are from Skinceuticals and Avene. They are not super expensive like Chanel. They don't have smells and are formulated to help your skin. That's why you would actually go to a pharmacy in Europe to buy these products. I also used La Roche.
Did I also mention that I am lazy and don't like having to spend too much time putting stuff on my face and cleaning my face at night? We will get to that....
TIP: Keep your face scrub in the shower so you can kill two birds with one stone.
SCRUB: MUST HAVE
Micro-Exfoliating Scrub (5fl oz.) $30
This is an effective and delicate face scrub to use in the morning in the shower and/or at night (sink). I should probably use it at night but I have the bad habit of been lazy and skip the steps of face washing. The scrub eliminates dead skins, reduces black heads, and leave a clean face. Suitable for mix skin or oily. I love this stuff.
TONER: OPTIONAL
Equalizing Toner (8fl oz.)
$34
The toner I would suggest only if you have really oily skin and have acne problems you are trying to resolve. I used it for a while when I was trying to equalize my skin. I would use first the scrub, then follow up with the toner. Use cotton balls. You will see the dirt collected on the cotton balls as you use the toner. It's alcohol base so if you use it too much your skin will dry and won't be pretty. You can probably skip it if you don't have very oily skin and acne.
AGE DEFENSE: IF NECESSARY
Blemish and Age Defense (1fl oz.)
$86
This is the best thing ever if you have pimples and just that greasy skin from PMS, stress or humid weather. I cannot tell you how great this product was for me. I used first the scrub then the toner and then added one small, tiny drop of this serum on my palm then with my fingers I put it on key areas of my face that needed attention. You don't need much. Just really a tiny amount. Use it ONLY when necessary. This product is strong and will burn your skin and make you peel if you do not use it properly. You need to use it only when you have to and then stop. I have not use it since I am pregnant because it has salycic acid and I am not sure how I feel about that now that I am pregnant. I also stopped using it when my skin was balanced. I would only use it again when a pimple would pop up. The product also works to decrease wrinkles (fine lines). I think it has done the job for me. This is the only product I use for wrinkles believe it or not.
MOISTURIZER: MUST HAVE
Hydraphase Intense Light Facial Moisturizer (1.69fl oz.)
$36
There are a bunch of products like this one. I needed something light, oil free because Florida is hot and humid and I don't need the extra moist. Anything heavy will cause me to break out and did not work with my make up. The make up would melt and run down. Overall, I am pleased with the product. I only need to buy one bottle per year, because again I don't need that much. Another favorite of mine is Avene Optimal light cream. It's about $30.
SPF LOTION + FOUNDATION:
Tinted Moisturizer SPF
$30
I wrote about this product on another post so you might want to check out the pros and cons. In general, this is great for people who want to get sun protection (SPF 50) and some coverage in the summer or while doing sports.
These are the products I use on a regular basis. I have other sample products that I try so maybe I will talk about those in another post, but generally speaking this is all I need.
I am though curious to learn more about overnight creams and skin care regimes. I feel I can benefit from using something stronger at night. In regards to this topic I just read this blog by Carly Woods that talks about products to use at night. I have not tried the products yet but it made me think about what I might need to add to my must have in skin care.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? DO YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR TIPS? FOLLOW MY BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT.
0 comments:
Post a Comment