PRODUCTS WORTH INVESTING IN

Hello Hello Hello!

Alrighty - you guys have been asking me a lot lately for my LATEST skin care routine and I just wanted to start off by saying that I'm really excited to share this with you because these products have been THE MOST effective ones in clearing up my skin!

So I would say my skin has always been "clear" for the most part. I didn't have like chronic acne or anything like that but I would get like 3 bad zits a month and then I kind of always had those little pearl like white bumps...?

You guys know what I'm talking about? I think the technical term is "milia" but either way, I used to always have some of that on my cheek bones.

From my understanding, they're basically the result of the protein Keratin getting trapped beneath the surface of the skin MEANING that you can easily get rid of them with the right kind of exfoliator. 

Now - before I became a littttle more educated on skin care, my go to exfoliator was that super grainy apricot scrub - you know the one that you get from the grocery store? I thought it was THE BEST! Little did I know, it's WAY too rough for our skin, ESPECIALLY our face.

I should know that you get what you pay for hahah. 

ANYWAYS 

So I went and saw Dr Kay and she immediately told me that I needed to use a glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is able to deeply penetrate the skin, not just the surface, which makes it the most effective thing when it comes to treating acne, blackheads, fine lines and dull looking skin. 

I used this cleanser immediately and after 3 weeks, my face was 100% cleared up!! 

So we love that, obviously. Then I was just so excited that I was using a product that actually worked that I started talking to Dr Kay about other skin products that I thought I could use. 

One thing I was looking for was an eye cream just because I know that the skin around our eyes is very delicate and is supposed to have it's own TLC. I also told her that I wanted to avoid fine lines as much as possible and that my skin was often dry SO - she came through with allll the solutions.

Dry skin = wrinkles. SO in order to avoid that we need to keep oils on our face as often as possible. (if you're someone that has naturally oily skin - I'm super jealous haha)

To keep my skin hydrated she suggested that I get her Hyaluronic Water Gel ASAP. 

Hyaluronic acid keeps collagen synthesis up, as well as retaining skin moisture, which contributes to theanti-aging benefits of the skin. 

She also suggested that I get her Brighten and Tighten Vitamin C serum because Vitamin C is not only necessary for collagen production and maintenance, but it is also a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals in the skin. 

Then for under-eyes, I purchased her REVITAL EYES, which I use every other night. According to Dr Kay, "this formulation combines All-trans-Retinol, green tea, arnica, and vitamin K along with a system of chelators and peptides to deliver maximum results".

So, to break everything down so far, when I wake up and before I go to bed I TAKE OFF MY MAKE UP WITH CLINIQUE "TAKE THE DAY OFF" MAKE UP REMOVER, then I exfoliate with Dr Kay Glycolic Acid cleanser AND THEN I put the Hyaluronic Gel on and wait for my skin to absorb it, then apply the Vitamin C serum.

You guys still with me? 

I know it might sound like a lot, but believe me, once you find products that you like and see results in your skin, you totally look forward to grabbing a tea, going in your bathroom, and winding down OR waking up for like 10 minutes. 

IT'S AMAZING. 

Okay - moving on. 

So if I am getting ready for my day then I go through everything I just listed above and THEN finish things off with THIS SUNSCREEN.

I got this from the Murad skin care line and absolutely LOVE IT. It goes on smooth, I don't need to try to rub it in for forever, it's actually orange so there's no white residue, and it has SO MUCH PROTECTION. 

If I am about to go to sleep, then I will follow all of the steps from above but instead of applying sunscreen, I will apply the eye cream then this Dr Kay night time moisturizer. SO when I go to bed, my skin is OILED THE FUCK UP. I feel SO clean and I wake up to hydrated, glowing , acne free skin.

I learned that when it comes to applying products on your face, you want to put the THINNEST one on first that way the skin can absorb them. 

I would suggest starting with 1-2 products from this list and seeing how you like the way your skin feels, and then get more. Like I said, I used to use drug store face wash and for some people that's enough but unfortunately that just wasn't the case for me so finding these products and deciding to invest in them instead of dinner, was a good call, if I do say so myself. 

You can find all of Dr Kay's products here

You can find the Clinique make up remover here

You can find the Murad sunscreen here

Invest in your face! 

X

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!

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!