Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Current Skincare

When it comes to skincare, I like to try a lot of different things and rarely does a product find a permanent home in my routine. For a while I had been sticking to a regular regimen of products, but they were coming to an end and I got a bit bored of it. After my skin started to change in the colder weather, I knew it was time to try something new. Since switching it up, my skin has gotten so much better and I've become obsessed with maintaining it. Here are the products I've been using. 
At night, I will take my makeup off with good old Johnson's baby oil. This gets everything off in seconds, doesn't irritate, and is incredibly cheap, but be prepared for an oil-face afterwards. 

Next I will wash my face with Cetaphil for normal to oily skin. After hearing all the rave reviews about this, I had to try it out, despite my hesitations because it just looks so boring. But, it's amazing. It makes the skin feel really clean, refreshed, and healthy. The only down side is that it contains a few ingredients that might raise a few eyebrows and although a more natural alternative would be nice, for now, this is incredibly addicting. 

Because my skin has gotten a lot drier, I started using Bio-Oil as an overnight moisturizing treatment. Now, I used to be one of those people that cringed at the thought of putting oil on my face, but I took a leap of faith in trying this and it has worked amazingly for me. You don't need a lot at all (I made that mistake the first time I used it) and it feels really nice to massage into the skin. It never completely sinks into my skin, but I don't mind because it really locks in moisture and leaves me with soft, smooth skin when I wake up. To my disbelief, this hasn't broken me out. 

Then I put some of the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo on my t-zone, which I have already raved about here
I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to try some products from the Mario Badescu skincare range, so I got the enzyme revitalizing mask and the hyaluronic eye cream. The eye cream is very rich and moisturizing, so it is more appropriate for night time use, although I sometimes use a little in the day time. As with many eye creams, its effects are not immediately apparent, but one thing that is obvious - it's extremely moisturizing, which hopefully means it is great for preventing fine lines and wrinkles. 

The mask I use every 3 days, although it is so good that I am tempted to use it everyday. It has papaya and grapefruit extracts which act as gentle, natural exfoliators and is also surprisingly moisturizing. After using this my face is brighter, softer, and more balanced looking. I absolutely love this and would recommend it to anyone, really, because it is so gentle. 

After my experience with these products and looking at the other products that Mario Badescu offers on their website, I have to say I am a little bit obsessed. There is something for every single skin type and the products just seem to cater to my every need. It shocks me how affordable they are for their quality and I am dying to get more. I have already ordered another product from them, a body wash =x. 

In the daytime, I keep it really simple and just use Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing gel and some sunscreen (I haven't found one I like yet). I got this at Sephora while looking for a daytime moisturizer. I was pleasantly surprised when I swatched it and felt that it's not really a gel as you would expect, but more like a cream-gel. Because of this it is perfect for a non-greasy but hydrated feel on your skin. 

I'm always in search for the next best lip balm, and the two that I am using now are the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip moisturizing stick and the Dr. Hauschka lip balm. The Nuxe one is nice, but I like my lip balms to have a little more slip to them than this one provides. 
The Dr. Hauschka one is the real winner here. It is pricey for a lip balm, but I think it's well worth it. Housed in a little glass pot, this product is fantastic for dry, flaky lips. Once it is warmed up with your fingers, it glides on like a creamy, luxurious oil. I use this at night and it really feels like my lips are repaired in the morning. The product states that its natural ingredients don't encourage dependency but, I'm addicted. 

Finally, I wanted to include my favorite hand cream, Eucerin intensive repair hand creme. I've been using this for over a year now, and I keep repurchasing it. It's definitely not something luxurious that you can be proud to pull out of your bag, but it works way better than some of the fancier hand creams out there in my opinion, kind of like "the Cetaphil" of hand creams. 

Wow, that seems really long. Thank you to those who are reading this, I hope you enjoyed it and will share some of your skincare tips! =)

~Vida

20 comments:

  1. Baby oil is a wonderful idea. I also like olive oil.

    Love cetaphil. SO gentle on the skin.

    www.thegirlieblog.com

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    1. Never thought of using olive oil! Yes, Cetaphil is a great product, I'm glad I finally caught on.

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  2. I have extremely acne-prone skin and I always use Bio Oil at night to help get rid of some of the scars left behind by the acne, its such a miracle product! Its amazing how your skin feels so gross before you go to bed because like you said it never fully sinks in, but when you wake up in the morning your skin is baby soft and so moisturized! And you would think it makes you brake out, but no it has never given me a problem!

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    1. Yea, I do feel like it has helped with my scarring too which is amazing!

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  3. I'm always on the hunt for the next best lipbalm too, thanks for the recommendations - I might have to try them if the next one I have my eye on, the cult offering from Kiehls turns out to be a disappointment.

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    1. Ohh you should definitely try the Dr. Hauschka one, it's amazing! They make one in a stick form too.

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  4. just found your blog through a walk in the closet! love the Dr. Hauschka lipbalm and Eucerin hand cream. Another great deal for a really good face lotion for nighttime (it's available at any drugstore) is CeraVe PM. My derm recommended it to me a year ago and I love it. On the more expensive end, I love Dr. Dennis Gross's products. Especially the tinted moisturizer (spf 15), all-in-one facial cleanser (it is a toner, makeup remover and cleanser in one), the hydrapure oil free moisturizer, the hydrapure eye cream for night time and I use Murad Essential-C eyecream during the day (it has SPF 15) or on the cheaper on Neutrogena 3-1 eye concealer (spf, concealer and eye cream). love the post-will be following you

    stop by if you have a chance!
    http://champagnecocktailscashmeredreams.blogspot.com/

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    1. Wow thanks for all the suggestions! I will def check those products out once I am on the lookout for new skincare!

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  5. I actually use Jojoba oil on my face because apparently it's the one that's closest to the natural oil that we produce. I have an oily face so when I put this one, it "tricks" the skin into thinking there's already oil on the face, so it doesn't over produce. It's especially good to use during drier months when your regular face washes can be drying.

    My Mom actually keeps telling me to just switch over to Cetaphil to wash my face because it works for her. But I have this huge block of African Black Soap I'm still going through and it works just as well and doesn't have all those "questionable ingredients" that Cetaphil does.

    I love reading your blog by the way. :)

    Patricia Ann
    www.theshapesofthings.com

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    1. Aw thank you! I'd love to try the african black soap, especially if it's as good as cetaphil.

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  6. Just found your blog browsing on google for skincare. I think I may try the cetaphil cleanser. Thanks

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    1. Yes! It's inexpensive and works great - def worth a shot.

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  7. I would like to try the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo! But at first I've heard it was really harsh on your skin if you have sensitive skin?..

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    1. Yea, I can see how that could be true because it is a pretty strong formula. I would say if you have sensitive skin and want to try this out, you should introduce it to your routine very gradually at first, maybe just once every other day. I use this only once a day because if I use it twice a day (as it suggests) my skin would probably start peeling like crazy. Also, if your skin does peel, don't freak out too much because it may just be your skin adapting to the product and it will probably go away after a few more days of use.

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  8. Great post....I really want to try Mario Badescu products...

    http://www.shellzdoll.com/

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  9. Cetaphil is such a great product! But you're right, it's soooo boring so I always look for other ones but i always go back to it. It's just a great non drying cleanser!

    -imee-

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  10. - Yes, I heard the peeling could hurt but in the end is effective, like you said. thanks so much for the help! def. will be trying it now. Feel like there are SO many more benefits from the product than cons :)

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  11. I love trying new skincare (which is probably doing more harm than good for my skin) and I rarely repurchase things either. I think I'll need to check out some of those Mario Badescu products in the future since you love them so much!

    I tagged you for the Cute Blog Award tag here: http://angelicbb.blogspot.com/2012/01/cute-blog-award.html. If you have time, it'd be great if you could do it too! :D

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  12. Thanks for sharing your routine! This is totally the new "what's in your bag" and I'm loving it. I've found so many great products reading these types of posts.

    On another note, hello! I started following your blog not so long ago and it's become a favourite. So I've tagged you for a blog award:

    http://awalkinthecloset.blogspot.com/2012/01/versatile-or-rambling-blogger-award.html

    No pressure to participate but wanted to let you know about it. :)

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  13. BIO OIL!!!!!!! amazing! ;p

    http://lifewidmorbid.blogspot.com/

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