You Glow Girl: Your Best Skin Yet!

Ok, so the title is kind of cheesy, but just go with it for entertainment’s sake.  This week’s post is a little different from my standard session blog posts. Every once in a while I like blog about things I’m into, vacations I take, etc. Well one thing I’m very passionate about is healthy, glowing skin. I often get told that I have nice skin and people wondering what my regimen is. I never thought I did anything particularly interesting enough to share with others, but the more I was asked the more I felt like it couldn’t hurt to let people in on my secret. Of course what works for me may not work for you, but it’s always worth a try.  And since we’re officially into the summer season it’s important for my clients to have healthy skin so that they can look their best during their sessions.

I will say that even though I love trying out new products for my skin I’m not big on spending a lot of money for those products. You won’t find me in a high end department store spending $60 for a facial moisturizer. And while I do have brand loyalty to some things, I’m always up for trying out something new.

1. My Facial Routine

I don’t wash my face with soap. I’m sure some of you shrieked at just the thought of that. But I don’t. There’s just my washcloth, water and me. I used to use different facial washes and while they didn’t harm my skin I didn’t feel like they necessarily helped it either. If anything it may have dried my combination skin out a little more than I liked. So about 6 years ago I made the decision to no longer use any sort of soap on my face. I do, however, use a homemade facial scrub. One part brown sugar, one part honey. I keep it in a small container in my shower and the steam from the water helps to liquefy it a bit so that it’s not as rough on my skin as a traditional scrub might be. I used to this scrub daily, but am down to just 2-3 days per week now.

After drying off my next step is a facial moisturizer. I’m not brand loyal so I typically buy what’s cheap or on sale. Often times that’s the store brand and my skin loves it so why purchase another moisturizer with a higher dollar amount? After making sure to have enough for an even layer over my face and neck (don’t leave that out!) I finish up with an eye cream. Ladies of a certain age (30 and up) need to be proactive when it comes to things like bags under our eyes and wrinkles so to stop it before it even begins I started adding eye cream to my regimen after turning 36.

2. My Body Routine

Let me preface this by saying that I know I use a lot of products in the shower. I am fully aware of that fact. But I can’t stand dry, ashy skin. It’s my kryptonite.   Once or twice a week or for a special occasion I like to use a body scrub like the one shown below found at Walmart.  I’m partial to Bath + Body Works Aromatherapy Sugar Scrubs, but when I’m not in the mood to dish out $16 I opt for something a little more inexpensive.  So after scrubbing myself down and lathering up with body wash (I’m in love with Olay 2-in-1 Essential Oil Ribbons) I move on to an in shower lotion from Nivea. On days where I don’t have a lot of time to put on lotion this is a perfect quick fix. I get the dry skin version because like I said, I hate dry skin. After rinsing off the in shower lotion I finish up with body oil gel. This keeps my skin supple and smooth. And it also adds an extra layer of moisture. Monday through Friday this is where my regimen stops, but on special occasions I will add extra lotion (any variety of cocoa butter will do) just because it makes me feel better about my life.

If any of you decide to try any of these products for the first time I’d love for you to reply to this post and let me know your thoughts. And if you have a product you love and think I need to try please share!