Healthy Skin Care Regimen

I've learned over the years, including through trial and error, that a good skin care routine is key to healthy skin, delay the process of aging, and help makeup look much more beautiful and long lasting.  Some basics to think about regardless of your skin type are:

1. Always use a sunscreen on your face including on cloudy days.  Experts say that the sun is strongest between 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., therefore, if sun exposure is unavoidable between these times make sure you have a sunscreen on.  Also, some say that an SFP15 will suffice.  I personally use a use an SPF50 during the Summer months.

2.  Use gentle cleansers.  Read the ingredients carefully and avoid products that contain alcohol.  Harsh cleansers will strip your skin of essential oils your skin needs, even if you have oily skin.

3.  Adapt a consistent skin care routine.  A healthy skin care routine often includes cleansing (pat your skin dry, do not scrub your skin dry), apply a serum that has antioxidants and/ or Vitamin C, and a moisturizer (again, even if you have oily skin).

4.  About 1 to 2 times per week, use a motorized brush to cleanse your skin.  Motorized brushes are much more effective than your fingertips at removing dead skin cells and removing makeup thoroughly.

My personal skin care routine for my combination type skin is:

1.  Morning - I begin with the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, which contains the salicylic acid I need to address my acne prone skin.  Then, I use the Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner, which is gentle unlike other toners I've tried.  I follow with the Garnier Skin Renew Clinical Dark Spot Corrector.  Under my eyes I use the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream, followed by Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF15.

2.  Night - I wash my face with the Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser.  This particular cleanser does such an amazing job at removing even the most stubborn makeup.  I follow with the same eye cream I use mornings and then use my Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer, which contains Retinol.  Retinol has been known even skin tone and provide a more radiant complexion.  As evidenced, I'm very fond of Neutrogena products.  I love them because they are relatively inexpensive and work well.  Also, they have a great variety of products to address every skin types' needs; they are amazing products.

3.  About 1 to 2 times per week, I use my Clarisonic for deep cleaning and follow with an at-home facial (blog about this to follow).

I hope this was helpful in establishing a skin care routine that suits your needs.  I have been following this routine for so many years and I promise, I have no large pores, my skin is smooth, healthy, and youthful.

Blogs to follow:

At Home Facial

Home-made Lip Scrubs

I am not sponsored by the product companies mentioned.

(Originally posted on my second page magsparkle.blogspot.com)

Chanel Seduisante and Burberry Nude Rose Lipsticks

So this is my very first blog post, yikes!  Like anyone else, I have high hopes that this will go well.

I purchased a few of the lipsticks, from different brands, that are part the newest season collections and I thought I would share a couple of them with you.

The first is Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Color #91 Seduisante.

And here it is swatched on my hand:

This is a very pretty bright pink lipstick with a satin finish.  Word has it that this is a full coverage lipstick.  This lipstick does live up to that claim.  If you are in need of full coverage lipsticks, definitely try these lipsticks out.  I do find that they last long on my lips.  However, I've noticed it does not last as long with a gloss on top.  I especially really love the packaging of these lipsticks.  It is very sophisticated.

Another lipstick I picked up a few weeks ago is the Burberry Soft Satin Lipstick #25 Nude Rose.

This one, in my opinion, is a bit more hydrating than the Chanel one.  It is my understanding that this particular shade is or has been part of the permanent collection despite it being advertised as part of the Autumn/ Winter collection.

Here it is swatched with the Chanel Seduisante:

As you can see, the Nude Rose is more of a nude pink color.

Overall, the quality of these lipsticks is outstanding.  They have good color payoff and tend to last long on the lips.  They are definitely worth the price.

I am hoping to post some makeup looks and more swatches soon.