Because I'm All About That Face: What I Do For My Skin

Get on a cleansing routine: On a typical day, I take my makeup off with whatever brand of cleansing wipes I have on hand. I’m not particular, and I don’t have very sensitive skin, so I usually buy whatever’s on sale. Then I’ll usually use an oil cleanser to wash my face. I’ve gotten into using oil for cleansing and moisturizing. The more I read about it, the more I believe in it. If you think about it, oil is used for cleaning a lot of things…like paint brushes. Whatever. It’s really gentle, gets the job done, and you really can’t get more natural than just plain oil, can you? After that, I’ll get a cotton ball and use Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner, which I’ve been on for about 2 years now, and it’s awesome. 

Moisturize with real ingredients: After washing my face at night, I’ve been using a retinol serum (Azure Naturals Ultimate Retinol, to be exact) underneath my moisturizer. As I’ve mentioned before, any anti-aging lotion that doesn’t have retinol in it is lying to you. I’m 25 and don’t really have wrinkles yet…but I think about them often and am pulling out all the stops to prevent them. Then I use a few drops of rose hip seed oil to as a moisturizer. I don’t need 20 ingredients and I don’t need SPF to go to bed, so this is perfect for me. Plus, it absorbs super quick…the pillow doesn’t get oily, if that’s what you’re wondering. 

Wear SPF every damn day: I can’t lie…I sort of just got on the sunscreen train as of recent, so I don’t have a lot of room to talk. I used to go to tanning beds…a lot. Yikes! I hate admitting that, but I was super into being tan. Oh well. I’m better now and nobody’s perfect. But now I get down with SPF even for a 20 minute walk outside. It’s like a new hobby/obsession for me. What kind of sunscreen can I find that smells like cookies and feels awesome to put on? Lots, believe it or not. Plus, my skin still tans really easily and I think I look great with a pale complexion. It’s Oregon, anyway. 

Eat real food: I’ve tried vegetarianism, veganism, cutting out dairy, cutting out sugar, blah blah blah. But what works the best for me is allowing myself to eat anything I want, but choosing to eat MOSTLY whole, real, nourishing foods. Foods that my body knows exactly how to process. I mean, people put premium gasoline in their cars because they believe it will run better, right? The same goes for our bodies. I cannot begin to pretend that having a good complexion isn’t directly correlated to eating the right foods. *Most of my groceries do end up being vegan, though. I’ll order meat at a restaurant, but vegan food is just simple to prepare and lasts way longer in the fridge (see: almond milk vs. cow’s milk.)

Have a green smoothie ‘errr day: On that note, I genuinely believe in getting green vegetables into my body every single day, and the quickest, easiest way to consume like, 3 handfuls of raw spinach is blended up with some other fruit and coconut milk. Bada bing, bada boom. I was actually inspired by this gal’s Youtube videos where she raves about the skin benefits of drinking green smoothie’s regularly. Plus, retinol is technically Vitamin A, right? And spinach is all Vitamin A…so logically, this must be what’s giving me baby butter skin. 

Take some vitamins: I take a handful of vitamins every day. Depending on the day, how busy I am, and/or if I remember. I’ll usually take some combination of: a multi-vitamin, fish oil, borage seed oil, a calcium/magnesium combo, MSM, a B Vitamin complex, and a couple gummy vitamins for good measure. See more detail about why I take each of these in my post here. Some people believe in taking a daily vitamin, some don’t. I’m not entirely sure what I believe, but it I know that I can’t always count on eating 100% healthy so I figure I’ll supplement, just in case. 

Chill, man: It may seem obvious…or it may seem impossible. But I genuinely think that finding ways to relax and reduce stress has an immense impact on your health which, of course, impacts your skin. Relaxing means something different to everyone, but my favorite ways to chill out and reduce stress include: exercising daily, stretching, Netflix binges, journaling, writing things down in my planner & crossing them out, taking the time to paint my nails, going out on the weekends, having at least one hour of alone time every single day (introvert), and laughing until I cry with my best friends. 

Invest in / research good makeup: This is not necessarily something that helps me have good skin, but it certainly makes me look like I have good skin. I check out a lot of makeup blogs and usually read a dozen or so Amazon reviews on makeup products before making a new purchase.