Keepin' It Clean: My Skincare Routine.

For all of my years, up until now, I have honestly been really lazy/sporadic with my skincare. Some mornings I would wash, others I wouldn't, and the same went for the nights. Occasionally I'd exfoliate, moisturize, but I was never consistent with any of these things.
I don't have "bad skin", by any means. I don't really get pimples (except, ever since having Tatum, I'm always getting one on my left cheek...what's up with that?), my nose does get lots of blackheads/clogged pores, and I have dry/flakey skin. That's a pretty solid description of how my face was pre-being hygienic. (Classy.)

A couple of weeks ago, after talking with my friend Lindsay about her extensive skincare routine, I was really inspired and wanted to "clean up" my act. (Good one, Lyds.) So, with her product recommendations/reasons for using certain things in mind, I went to the store to find some things that I thought would be similar, but more fitting to what I am currently willing to spend.

Day and night I have been faithfully using these products, and I can honestly say that my skin has never looked better! After just a couple of days, I was actually blown away at the improvement I was seeing. I didn't wear face makeup every single day before, anyways, but after starting to take care of my skin I'm even more comfortable without it.

1. Olay Pro-X Cleansing Brush-$30: I really wanted a Clarisonic. I'd heard good things. Then I read Nat's review of the Olay alternative and was intrigued. $30, or $150? Hmm. Tough call! (Not.) I haven't used the Clarisonic, so hey, maaaaybe it's even more awesome than I could possibly imagine, but I am loving my Olay brush. I'm fairly certain I owe almost all of the change I have seen in my skin, at least the fact that I have almost no blackheads anymore, to this product right here. I love you, Olay brush.

2. Neutrogena Visibly Bright-$7: Liquid gold. No, seriously, it's gold colored soap. Pretty! I'm fairly certain that my cleanser also deserves some major thanks in the improvement I have seen to my skin conditions. I've never been super set on a cleanser before, but I think we're kind of in a long-term relationship now.

3. St. Ives Timeless Skin Moisturizer-$4: I like St. Ives. Cheap and effective. Enough said.

4. Olay, Night of Olay-$8: I just really like this stuff. It probably doesn't even matter to use two different moisturizers (one for day, one for night), but I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing since it's working for me. After I apply this stuff I really feel like, "Oh, hey, it's bedtime!" It leaves my skin feeling super fresh and relaxes me. (Placebo effect? Probably.)
Oh, and for both of my moisturizers, I also apply to my neck. I'm afraid of flap neck.

5. Dr. Lewinn Lip Resculpt 3D-$15: I'm pretty sure I will never not use this stuff. $15 probably seems like a lot to some, and I was kind of torn on buying it, but after just one day of use my lips were noticeably different. They hadn't been chapped prior to use, but they were kind of dry. This stuff completely cleared it up. I love how pretty my lips look now!

6. Multi-vitamin + Aloe Juice-$11: One thing that Lindsay mentioned that was really important, is that good skin starts on the inside. So true. She recommended the aloe juice and to take a 2 oz. shot every night, with my liquid soft gel multi-vitamin. Here are the benefits to aloe juice, in case you're curious:

1. Increase white blood cell count by 16%

2. Improve antioxidant support by 40%

3. Better metabolism by reducing nitrates by 12%

4. Improved absorption of supplements VS. when taken with water

Obviously we all have different skin types. Mine, for example, is what I would call: Normal/Dry/Sensitive. These products are what work for me. So while, sure, I would recommend them...keep in mind that they might not be for you. (Except for the Lip Resculpt and Olay brush. Those are for all of you!)

Do you have a strict skincare regimen?