My Skincare Routine

All of the women in my family have a vertical line to the right of their left eyebrow.  It's the line that shows up every time someone says something or does something stupid.  It comes from the look we give people when we're thinking, "you're so dumb.  Why are you so dumb?  I didn't realize they made people as stupid as you."  At the age of 23, I looked into the mirror and realized that the line was still there even though I wasn't making that face.  At this point I had worked in retail for 7 years and the line was already visible.  I couldn't imagine how much deeper this line would get.  I couldn't stop looking at people like they were idiots so I had to up my skincare game.

I was already using a face scrub and a moisturizer with SPF 15 because I had dry flaky skin.  I was very broke at the time so I used whatever anti-aging product I could find.  I also used a cheap eye cream because for some reason my eyelids were dry and flaky too. *weird*  In addition I have dark circles under my eyes so eye creams were a must.

Just over a year ago I realized that all of the cheap, on sale, store brand were keeping my skin moisturized and keeping new wrinkles at bay, but they weren't doing everything I wanted them too.  I do have a bit of rosacea on one of my cheeks and what I was using wasn't helping at all.  It was then that I decided that I have the means and the need to get a decent quality skin care products for myself.  It's best to use one brand or one line of products so that they don't counteract each other so I set out looking for the perfect brand for me.

What I was looking for

• In a face wash:
• Exfoliate
• Prevent Acne
• Prevent Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• In a day moisturizer:
• SPF 20 or higher
• Prevent Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• Even Skin Tone
• In an eye cream:
• Prevent Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• Get Rid of Dark Circles
• Evens Skin Tone
• Moisturize
• In a makeup remover:
• Exfoliates
• Evens Skin Tone
• In a night cream:
• Prevent Fine Lines and Wrinkles

I compared four brands by price and my needs: L'Oreal Youth Code, Ulta, Olay and Neutrogena.  What I found was that although Neutrogena had everything I wanted and was the cheapest, Olay was only slightly more expensive but had everything I wanted and more.

This is my routine.  During my morning shower, I use Olay Total Effects Refreshing Citrus Fave Scrub

Benefits:

• Thoroughly cleansing skin
• Cleansing without over-drying
• Refining to minimize the appearance of pores
• Brightening the appearance of skin
• Gently exfoliating
• Smoothing skin’s texture
• Minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

When I get out of my shower and dry my face, I put on Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Eye Treatment

Benefits:

•  Fine lines and crows feet: reduces the appearance of wrinkles
•  Reduces appearance of dark circles
•  Dullness: brightens the eye area
•  Massage to reduce the look of puffiness
•  Uneven Tone: balances and helps even skin tone
•  Smooths and evens skin texture
•  Dryness: provides nourishing moisturization

Then I put on my day cream: Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Daily Moisturizer.

Benefits:

•  Visibly smoothes fine lines and wrinkles
•  Evens skin tone appearance
•  Enhances brightness
•  Minimizes the look of pores
•  Visibly reduces age spots
•  Restores firmness
•  Replenishes moisture

At the end of the day, I use Olay Regenerist Micro-Exfoliating Wet Cleansing Cloths

Benefits:

• Gently detoxify by removing dirt, Oil and make-up—even Waterproof mascara
• Exfoliate and diminish dullness and uneven tone

Then I apply my overnight cream: Olay Age Defying Classic Night Cream

Benefits:

• Replenish Skin's hydration
• Renew skin’s surface to minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
• Non-Comedogenic (Won’t Clog Pores)

I'm proud to say that since I've started this routine the deep wrinkle by my eyebrow is almost non-existent.  I even try to make the "What, are you an idiot?" face in the mirror and the wrinkle is barely there.  My dark circles are lighter and my skin tone is much more even than it previously was.

I'm getting married in a few months so I looked up pre-wedding skin care routines and I decided to start adding a weekly facial into my routine.  Once a week I use this facial with all natural ingredients: http://beautybanter.com/diy-coffee-face-mask

I prefer a more paste like mask so next time I make it, I would use equal parts coffee, cocoa powder and milk.  Also, this recipe makes A LOT of face mask and it's only good for 3 days so unless you're having some kind of girls' night in party where you all get facials, I'd divide it into the smallest possible batch.  I used FairLife whole milk when I did this and it doesn't expire for a couple of months so I figured it would last longer.  What I did was put the remainder of the face mask in a  Tupperware container and freeze it.  The cold does break down the enzymes of the lemon, but it's better than wasting all of that face mask for a one time use.

Since I started doing this face mask every week, I've only gotten one pimple and it went away very quickly.

Well, that's my skin care routine and it probably doesn't work for everyone's skin type but if you have needs similar to mine, it will probably work for you.

PS -- although the face mask is edible, it doesn't taste good -- avoid your mouth.  :)