HOW I'M CARING FOR MY SKIN THIS WINTER
Considering I'm a Cali girl and it's still hovering around 50-degrees over here, it's safe to say that I've been completely UNPREPARED.
I don't know how to wear layers, my hair is freaking the __ out, and my skin lately was starting to feel like it was trapped in saran wrap or something. Just dry and all around ew.
I'm always trying different little products while I stick with my main dish aka my Thayer's Rose Water with Aloe that I've raved about like a million times + exfoliating every night.
These little side products tend to come and go because they end up being too much for my skin causing me to get little bumps on my face that are like almost pimples but not? You know what I'm talking about?
Or the product is too oily or sticky or watery, or it's like 872 steps and I just don't even want to take the time.
SO. I recently got some product sent to me from a skin care line called Tula and I feel like I wasn't even expecting it.
This is not a paid post or promotion of any kind by the way. They won't even know I'm doing this until the same moment that you do.
I've just been loving it so much and use it twice a day that I finally felt like I found something I trusted and wanted to share with you guys.
First of all, the color is so on point.
Second...the first thing that I read when I opened up my little package was a quote from the creator of Tula that reads:
We have taken the same good-for-you ingredients that keep your insides healthy and applied them to a product line that nourishes your skin.
Ummmm YES PLEASE. I've been dying for some skin products that work and are made from natural ingredients. So I checked those out and found that Tula is made from the following:
- Patented Probiotic Complex
- Yogurt Extract
- Turmeric
- Blueberry Extract
- Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids
- Vitamins A, C and E
- Chicory Root Extract
- Rice Nutripeptides
Seriosullllly in love.
It's skin benefits are:
- Increased Hydration
- Reduced Redness and Inflammation
- Improved Tone and Texture
- Restored Natural Balance
- Reduced Fine Lines and Wrinkles
- Increased Suppleness
I've been using the Exfoliating Treatment Mask every other night (which is a beautiful teal color by the way - obsessed) and the Hydrating Day and Night cream twice a day.
My skin seriously is so soft after using it and feels WAY more hydrated. I pair this with my ice rolling for plump, glowing skin.
Check them out!
Thank you Tula!
BEFORE, DURING, & AFTER YOUR SHOWER DEAL BREAKERS.
It's been a minute since I've done a beauty blog...mainly because it's been cold and all things beauty related have been pushed to the side. I also left my ENTIRE make up bag in San Diego last time I went home so that also hasn't been very inspiring.
BUT I realized the other day (while I was in the shower) that there's actually a lot of things that we should be doing before, during and after a shower that we might me missing.
I think I brought all of this up again when I was talking to my boyfriend about how annoying it is for a girl to shower. He'll literally shower before the gym like he's just brushing his teeth or something. I put it off for as long as possible and praise Jesus for dry shampoo.
When you really think about, it's like a chunk of time that we have to put aside so let's go over it.
PS: This is the ideal, Sunday morning, nothing to do, relaxing, 1 hour shower process. Not the, " I have 20 minutes to get ready for work" shower. Got it?
Okay. Let's talk
PRE SHOWER.
1. DRY BRUSH
I've talked about this in it's own blog before, which you can find here, but ideally before you jump in the shower you want to take advantage of a dry brush. It helps reduce the appearance of cellulite, drains your lymphatic system, removes dead skin and really helps to smooth and exfoliate the skin. AMAZING.
2. LEAVE IN CONDITIONER TREATMENT
I think once a week for something like this would be ideal. (You can check out this article to find good drugstore treatments). Throw something like the Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque into your hair before stepping int the shower and let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing it out. This will help with breaking, dryness and split ends.
DURING YOUR SHOWER.
1. USE THE RIGHT SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER.
You want to make sure that you are not using a brand of shampoo and conditioner that has sulfates, parabens, or sodium chloride in them. These are the secret ingredients that make our hair dry and fall out, nooo thank you.
Honestly, I've been finding really good products at good prices at Marshall's. You want to look for products that say SULFATE FREE. PARABEN FREE. And look for stuff that has natural oils in it like coconut oil, avocado oil. argan oil and almond oil.
2. FINISH WITH A COLD RINSE
I know this isn't ideal now that it's winter time but if you can man up and do it really quick then you'll be golden. I obviously found that it was not only easier but kind of ideal to do this during the summer.
Finishing your hot shower with a cold rinse closes up the pores in your skin as well as the pores in your hair.
AFTER YOUR SHOWER:
1. PAT (YOUR FACE) DRY
Unless you want to give yourself some wrinkles pretty soon then you're going to want to make sure that you neverrrr dry your face by taking your towel and pulllling it down your face. You want to be extra gentle with your face so just pat dry.
2. LOTION UP
ESPECIALLY since it's winter time, you want to keep you skin as hydrated as possible. Lather up from your neck to your ankles with a moisturizing lotion.
TIP: I like to add a gradual tanning lotion to my moisturizing lotion so that I can also get a little base tan. I start to glow whiteness during the winter which is no bueno so I try to avoid that for the sake of others.
3. TONER
I've talked about this toner like 8 million times but it's because I'm actually in love with it. And it works. And it's cheap. I put it on after a shower and it's SO helpful as a skin toner.
ALSO it's an amazing aftershave.
So if your guy is confused on why it takes 32 hours to take a shower and why we need ALL the hot water, give him this breakdown.
XOXO
DRY BRUSHING: IS IT WORTH IT?
"Brusha, brusha, brushhaaaaaa."
So something you might not know about me is that I used to have some SERIOUS cellulite. BUMMMMMMER. Basically I used to work out a bunch and then dropped sports and got lazy. Because of that, YOU GUESSED IT, cellulite starting building up on the backs of my thighs. THEN I started a bad habit, lost a lot of weight and quickly gained it all back and became lazier than ever.
(Don't worry - I have a BIG surprise coming in January 2017 that will fill you guys in on this bad habit + how I overcame it and much more!! EEEKKK stay tuned!)
Fortunately as you'll come to find out, I got my shit together and started hitting the gym again with a healthy diet and sure enough, my cellulite totally vanished. #GOALS.
But of course in the process I was Googling anything and everything that would help me reduce cellulite.
I learned that cellulite is basically our fat pockets pushing up against the connective tissue under our skin. Lack of diet and lack of exercise are two HUGE contributors to cellulite so I knew I had to really start to kick my ass in the gym.
I also read that OF COURSE, our skin tissue is thinner than men's, which is why us ladies are usually the ones to be rocking it.
SO ANNOYING.
Anyways - in the process, I learned about this whole "dry brush topic".
If you've never heard of it, dry brushing is basically an at home remedy to reduce the appearance of cellulite, and I think it actually works. It involves purchasing a dry brush (you want to make sure you buy one with a long handle so you can reach the backs of your legs and your back, and you want to make sure it's made with tough bristles - typically bristles from cactus or vegetables).
& WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO EXACTLY?
So what you want to do is start at your feet and use LONG, UPWARD strokes along your leg. Once you've done that on one leg all the way to your hip, start at your other foot and do that leg.
Then you want to complete your midsection and your back, again making sure that you're using LONG strokes, pushing all the blood towards your heart.
Lastly, start at your hands and push UP towards your heart.
BENEFITS AND HOW IT WORKS:
So obviously, you're taking a dry brush and rubbing it against your bare skin which is definitely exfoliating your body, everywhere. It's getting rid of dead skin cells which then makes any moisturizer that you put on right afterwards EXTREMELY useful because your skin will have an easier time absorbing it.
It also improves circulation which is why some say (and i've experienced) increased energy levels after dry brushing.
It also helps move lymph fluid into your lymph nodes which allows the waste can be eliminated therefore causing those "cottage cheese bumps" to go away. Our body naturally does this but dry brushing helps to speed up the process.
Here is a natural hard bristle dry brush that you can order if you want to try dry brushing! I actually am in love with it. I feel like a lot of girls, myself included, we pay so much attention to the skin on our face but kind of ignore that the rest of the body is made of skin! We need to remember that the entire body needs to be exfoliated in order to obtain fresh, glowing skin!
Let me know what you think! I love hearing your guys' feedback!