It is important to make sure you wash your face daily and never sleep with make up on. The best place to start your skincare routine is in the shower, using a great facial cleanser. I have a drugstore favorites and a high-end favorites for all of the skincare products I use. My favorite drugstore cleanser is Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming cleanser ($6.99). It is amazing at taking off makeup and it really leaves my skin super clean. A high end pick would be Philosophy's Purity cleanser ($20.00). It is thinner and foams less than Neutrogena's but it does the job just as well.
After using a cleanser, I love to exfoliate my skin. Exfoliation scrubs away dead skin cells which help generate new cell growth. Being extra careful when choosing your exfoliator is essential since many are rough and irritate sensitive skin. My drugstore picks for great exfoliators are St. Ives Apricot scrub ($3.00) and Biore's Even Smoother Microderm exfoliator ($13.99). I find that St. Ives cannot be used daily (at least not on my sensitive skin), however it does a great job on my face and body. Biore's exfoliator is more gentle and can be used daily. My high end pick would be Philosophy's Microderm Exfoliating wash ($25.00). It is amazing! It's gentle enough to use everyday and I promise you will see results just after a few uses. My skin is always brighter after using ANY exfoliator.
After cleansing and exfoliating you want to tone and moisturize. Toning helps shrink pores and moisturizers help thirsty skin become hydrated. Moisturizers also help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, frown lines and problem areas around the eyes. Toners are based on personal skin needs. Drugstore toners can vary widely. If you have dry skin, you want to avoid using a toner with alcohol since alcohol can be very drying. Neutrogena makes an alcohol free toner for $7.99. Also a lot of women love Seabreeze. I'll be honest, I haven't used Seabreeze in many years but it's affordable and does the job well-especially if you have oily, acne prone skin. You can find the original Seabreeze toner for $4.99. A high end toner that I have found recently is Elemis' Soothing Apricot toner. Not only does this toner clean and tighten my skin, it smells great and is very gentle. You can find the Elemis' Apricot toner for $33.00.
Moisturized skin always keeps a face looking fresh and young. The older we get, the less oil our skin produces, which helps to age, wrinkle and dry out our face. Moisture is essential to great skin. A good moisturizer goes a long way and it can be overwhelming to pick one since the skincare market is saturated with so many choices. If you have oily skin a good drugstore choice is Olay Complete All Day (Spf 15) moisturizer ($4.00). A high end choice would be Clinique's Dramatically Different gel ($25.00). If you have normal to dry skin try Olay Regenerist's UV Defense lotion with spf15 for $20.00. There is one moisturizer that I love above all others. I highly recommend Ahava's Smoothing Moisturizer ($34.00). It is labeled for normal-dry skin but I find that it works wonders on my sensitive, oily t-zone. It absorbs quickly and has no overwhelming smell!
Of course skincare doesn't stop with these steps. You also may find that you need area specific products (examples-eye creams or lip scrubs). I find though that a good cleanser, exfoliator, toner and moisturizer are the basic steps needed for a fresh face.
Below you will find some pictures of me without makeup. I suffer from dark circles, bags under my eyes and the occasional acne bump which usually shows up on my forehead or chin.
*As you can see above there is occasional blotchiness and dark circles. Fighting discoloration with exfoliation is good however sometimes it can be because of hormones or genetics. Dark circles are also more common with people who have brown eyes.
~Quick Everyday Look~
Since you want to work hard at cleaning your skin, why turn around and layer a lot of makeup on that great skin that will age you? Using light colors and oil-free products can help reduce acne breakouts and leave you looking younger.
I start by using a primer on my skin (to help matify my t-zone). Afterwards I applied Rimmel's Lasting Finish foundation and I set it with NARS loose powder in "Flesh". After powdering I used Laura Geller's Bronze-n-Brighten bronzer all over my face and neck. Next I applied NYX's "Peach" blush to my cheeks for a little color. On my lips I chose L'oreal's Colour Riche lipstick in "Candle Light". On my eyes I chose to use Wet N Wild's "Walking on Eggshells" palette. For the eye look, begin by using the lightest shade all over your eye. Next, take the bottom shade and pat it on your lid. Lastly, take the darkest shade and focus it on your outside corner of the eye. This is a great palette to use everyday.
Lastly I finished my look with a quick swipe of Wet N Wild's Coloricon eyeliner in the gray shade (it only costs .69!) and Clinique's High Impact mascara.
