Skin Care ~

One of my most asked questions on a number of my accounts is how i get my skin so "clear".

luckily i grew up with a mom who always told me skin care first. shockingly enough - i wasn't even allowed to wear makeup until i was getting into highschool ~ it was all about skin. (and all about my mom telling me that we are beautiful and do not NEED makeup. which is true, i just reallllllly love makeup and how it makes me feel.) of course i still wore some, .. and got in trouble for it being too dark, but come on, a lot of us did that.

i had a whole video of my skincare for you all... but since technology hates me and i lost almost everything today.. i'll just have to give a post and the rundown on my routine as well as some tips & tricks i use that sometimes people don't think about!

My Routine:

1. wash hands:

yes. wash your hands first.

2. use makeup remover:

(even if all you wear is mascara. its better to get as much of it off as possible.)

3. wash face:

i use Neutrogena Pink grapefruit oil free acne wash with the exfoliant. (for more sensitive skin/ are sensitive to scents, i do not recommend using this face wash. but some of my other favorites are: clean & clear day&night face wash, oil free & hypoallergenic)

4. toner:

my favorite toner is up & up brand deep cleaning pore treatment. (for more sensitive skin i would use Thayers witch hazel, i like the rose petal one - they also have cucumber, lavender and unscented! + pro tip... i use this for shaving as well to help smooth my skin, + don't buy the spray bottle its more expensive and you get less. instead, buy a small spray bottle in the travel section.. then you get the best of both worlds.)

5. moisturizer.

i use the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit moisturizer. (for more sensitive skin i would recommend clean & clear dual action moisturizer) both of these are oil free and help prevent acne as well.

6. acne spot treatment:

don't pop!! (trust me i know its hard.. sometimes i get in the zone, as gross as that sounds). but it's really not good to do, especially if the pimple is very far under your skin, it WILL make it worse. i use max. strength acne medication. (10% benzoyl peroxide gel)

now all those steps seem pretty basic, but i would say its the tips and tricks i have that make all of those the most effective.

My Favorite Tips/Tricks

1. WATER. WATER. WATER. AND MORE WATER. i'm not first person to say it and i won't be the last. drink more of it. it helps a lot more than you realize. and it makes you feel better when you have more of it.

2. always wash your hands before you wash your face. ... seriously, do you know how much nastiness you touch throughout the day? LIKE YOUR PHONE, yeah. think about it. how many things do you put your phone on or touch and then touch your face... GROSS.

3. honestly it's not bad to avoid using washcloths (yes i use them, but i also wash them often.) the amount of bacteria on a washcloth from sitting on the counter, or being left out to dry is slightly nauseating to think about.

4. more pressure/more exfoliant does not mean more clean ... your skin, especially the skin on your face is sensitive. (and i don't mean sensitive to smells or reacts easy. it is a tender area). i often forget this especially when wearing makeup i just want to scrub it all off, well don't.

5. find products that work best for you. .. not all products will work for everyone. that's one of the reasons there are so many! figure out what type of skin you have; oily, dry, normal, mixed.. any of the number of types.. not everything works.

6. give new products time. ... nothing works literally over night, even if it says it does. it takes time for your skin to adjust. ALSO some products WILL make your skin worse at first.. think of it like this- the product pulling everything out. (weird. exactly what it is made to do). give it time.

7. clean your sheets. sounds weird when i'm talking about skincare, right? wrong. your hair holds a lot of oils that you don't necessarily want rubbing against your face for a whole 8 hours (or however many hours you sleep). it's best to wash them more often. (especially if you almost never wash your hair like me).

8. get a face mask that you love. if you love it, it helps you want to use it more often.. plus, who doesn't love a good face mask and glass of wine after a long day at work? (or vodka on the rocks if it was a day like that.. not judgement here).

9. use both morning AND night. it seems like it takes soooooo much of your time when you think about it. ..... really it does not. at all. i'm sure you can give yourself 3 minutes to wash your face in the morning. *yes life happens and you cant do it every day, but you can try.*

10. stick to a routine and keep it up. one of the main things with skincare is that you have to keep consistent.

thanks for reading! and as always, leave comments about the post (or anything you're thinking or feeling honestly). let me know something else you want to hear about!

~ the savage