Morning Skincare Routine!

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First, Happy New Year!! This is my first post of the new year! I know, I know it January 8! What can I say, I've been partying hard (not at all!!) sleeping in (totally a lie as well! I have four kids!!) and taking it easy for the first week and half! But now back to business!

On the norm I get ask what is my daily skincare routine! Because everyone has different needs for their skin and its always important that you tailor one to your needs and not try copying what your friends do, due to the different issues, skin textures and need we each have. I have two skincare routines, morning and night. While they are similar in one way, they differ in another. So for my very first blog post of 2016, I'm going to discuss my morning skincare routine that I do every day without fail! Now keep in mind, every product that I use has a function for the skincare problem that I need help with.  No ONE product will ever hit everything across the board.  Just like no one piece of vegetable will give you everything you need in your diet; as we all know different vegetables offer different nutritional values, same can be said for skincare.   

I mostly use Paula's Choice Skincare Line because Paula uses REAL medical literature journal articles in order to back up her claims on the ingredients she uses in her skincare line. Due to this, I have stopped using anything with witch hazel, alcohol, fragrances, dyes, perfumes and so on that would be constituted as an irritating ingredient based on these articles.  Trust me when I tell you, I literally saw my skin change overnight!   

Finally, if you are interested in trying any of her products which I literally swear by, click HERE which will give you $10 dollars off your FIRST order with the company on any order over $15.00!  I would stalk the site, as many times they have amazing discount deals and free shipping throughout the months!  So literally that one bottle of BHA with taxes can come out to less then $10 with free shipping!  The $10 will be applied automatically at checkout when you click on the link above!

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser - $17/8oz - $25/16oz

I literally swear by this cleanser.  I use this product every morning when washing my face.  I have the 8oz bottle in my shower and the 17oz bottle on my sink vanity.  I wash my face every morning in the shower and at night at my sink vanity.  A little really does go a long way.  I use about a pea size amount and use either my hands or my clarisonic to cleanse my face with.  I wash my face in circular motion for about 5-7 seconds and then rinse off with luke-warm water.  Not only does it help reducing oil when cleansing my skin, but there is NO tight feeling left when you rinse the product off.  It lather well, no scent, no dyes or irritating ingredients will you find in this bottle!  It just leave your face feel clean and smooth after every use.  I haven't used a different face cleanser in the last two years that hasn't been this one.  Like the old saying goes "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it".

 Clarisonic Brush

I use a Clarisonic Aria just about everyday to cleanse my face along with my PC Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser.  What I love about this brush is that it has different settings you can use depending on your face tolerance.  However I would recommend to be gentle, as your face is not asphalt and scrubbing it like sandpaper will cause damage to the skin with small micro-tears and irritation.  This device is so smart, that if you keep it too long on a certain part of your face without moving it for 10 seconds, it will turn off on its own to protect your face.  I use this brush all over my face and neck for 5-10 seconds in small circular motions without applying much pressure.  Again, I want to clean my face, not rip it off right! So the key is to be gentle at all times!

Paula's Choice Resist Weightless Advance Repairing Toner - $23 USD        

 After washing my face, I follow up with a toner to restore the natural PH balance to my skin.  Toners can also be used to help remove any makeup, residue and dirty left behind that your cleanser might have not caught.  However if you have a good cleanser, then seldom will this be a problem for you.

A good formulated toner will do wonders for your skin!  A bad formulated toner will rob your skin of its natural oils and damage the skin barrier with harsh ingredients like alcohol and witch hazel which are commonly found in toners! Choose a toner that is free of harsh ingredients, restores the PH balance to your face after cleansing and helps to get rid of any residual dirty.  Also, the most important thing is to use a toner that is right for your skin type.  Don't use over emollient toners if you have oily skin as this might make your face feel more greasy and lead to breakouts.  Or acne toners if you have normal skin with no acne issues as this might dry your face out.  Always work with the skin you have and not with what you wish you had.  Working with the skin type and texture you have can potentially get you the skin you want to have when you use right products which are formulated with good ingredients!

Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2% BHA - $30 USD

After toning, comes my favorite part!! My BHA! I have always said, if I was stuck on a desert island I would bring three things with me.  Sunscreen, chapstick and BHA!  I literally apply this on hands about two drops and rub it on my face without a cotton round. Reason for this, is because BHA is not used to clean residual dirty of your face per se.  Its meant to stay on your face and exfoliate your skin chemically throughout the day.  So using a cotton round to apply this treatment, will make you waste this precious product for no reason.

BHA is literally a miracle cure over night for many skincare issues.  BHA is basically Beta Hydroxy Acid (or salicylic acid) that not only cleans the top layer of your skin, but also goes deep down into the pore to clear it out, causes cell turnover by actually exfoliating the under layer of the skin thus push through new skin and skin cells to the top layer of the face.  I swear by this product morning and night!  BHA is literally on my list of best of the best and I recommend it to everyone!! 

 

Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA  

While I use daily (morning and night) my BHA, I also changing it up a few times a week with AHA (Alpha Hydorxy Acid) to chemically exfoliate the surface of my skin from any sun damage, dark spots and wrinkles that occur over time. This AHA comes in a light weight lotion form, and I apply it directly after applying my toner.  If I use AHA that morning I wouldn't use my BHA till night time.  Using both at the same time, can cause a serious irritation. Trust me, I should know, I did it once by accident for a month not realizing that AHA and BHA shouldn't be mixed that way! Talk about a burn if I ever did see one!! 

The reason why I using AHA and BHA (on separate days) is because; while I am diligent to wear SPF 60 if I go out during the day ALWAYS, however sun damage occurs from the moment a ray from the sun hits your face. Even with SPF 30 and up on your face, a small portion of the rays still do penetrate the skin.  So I make sure to keep my skin looking fresh, young and exfoliated with my AHA throughout the week.  While SPF will block the UVA/UVB rays from the sun (as long as its a board spectrum) AHA will help get rid of the damage left behind from the sun, aging and pollution we all deal with on a daily basis.

Paula's Choice Resist C15 Super Booster - $48 USD

After toning my skin and applying either my AHA or BHA for the day, I follow up with my Vitamin C serum.  Vitamin C is an antioxidant that works beautifully when applied to the skin.  It clears up uneven skin tone, helps with hyperpigmentation, brightens skin (not whitens) and gives your complexion a health radiant glow all around.  Next to my BHA, vitamin c is my next best skincare product that I swear by.  I have been using this product for over two years now at the 25% mark and have truly seen a difference in my skin.  

Since vitamin c is an antioxidant, it is very sensitive to light and air.  So make sure to ALWAYS get vitamin c in a liquid serum form that dispenses from either a pump or a droplet bottle.  Make sure the bottle is dark or not see-through and that the vitamin c formula is at least 10% in order to see a difference in your face.  Stay away from any vitamin c that say it contains witch hazel or alcohol.  This will not only dry out your skin and damage the protective barrier, but will basically negate the usefulness of vitamin c.  A well formulated vitamin c will greatly improve your complexion.  For more information on vitamin c, click HERE on my blog post about vitamin c.

Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster - $45 USD

After I apply my vitamin c, I follow up with my Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster. This has got to be literally magic in a bottle with the amazing affects you are left with after a couple of uses. 

Now what is Hyaluronic Acid you ask? Good question! Let me tell you!! Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is found naturally in the human body and seen in high dosages in babies. Have you ever wondered why babies and small children always look like they have beautiful supple plumpy skin? Well its because of the hyaluronic acid in their system. Its a major component of skin tissue that give babies this beautiful plushy effect. Skin in general holds about fifty percent of your body’s hyaluronic acid in it. However as we get older we lose a lot of it and thus aging takes it toll. Hyaluronic Acid plumps and moisturizes skin and helps to heal and comfort it when its suffered damage. Hyaluronic Acid also prevent fine lines and wrinkles from forming and helps by retaining moisture in the skin and creating a cushion like effect to help plump out the lines as we age. Needless to say, this is some good stuff! However with all being said, HA only works when it formulated properly and is not diluted or adulterated with alcohol, dyes or fragrances.   

This product is truly worth investing in if you have fine lines and wrinkles and need a serum to serious help plump up your skin!

Paula's Choice Resist Ultra Light Super Antioxidant Serum - $36 USD   

After I apply my hyaluronic acid, I always follow up with an antioxidant serum that is super charged and packed with ingredients to help flourish my skin to its best state possible.  Serum are amazing, because a well formulate serum will (just like vegetables) bring to the table a great array of other ingredients and antioxidants that help and protect skin in many different ways.  A good serum will promote good cell turnover, leave your face feeling well attended to and will not dry, damage or destroy your skin in any manner.   

The resist ultra light super antioxidant serum contains vitamin C, vitamin E, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, sea whip extract to name a few.  These ingredients are great to help skin look and feels its best while promoting anti-aging in order to help fight signs of fine lines and wrinkle that form on our face due to aging or sun damage.

 
Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator - $32 USD

After I am done applying my resist ultra light antioxidant serum, I follow up with my light weight moisturizer. This moisturizer is so light weight, that it literally feels like you have nothing on, but leaves your skin feeling moisturized, non-greasy and well hydrated.  This lotion is a gel like texture with a silky feeling that leaves your face feeling smooth, bright and health.    

Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator has a proven anti-wrinkle and skin-clearing ingredients that shows results when used daily.  I apply this lotion morning and night after my skincare routine.  This lotion helps with collagen production, sun damage, uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation.  Lactoperoxidase is an ingredient found in this lotion that helps to eliminate breakouts while helping the skin to naturally repair itself from damage.   I love this lotion due to all its healthy properties and affects!

EltaMD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF 47

Finally and mostly the MOST important part of my skincare routine is SUNSCREEN!  And here's why.  If you don't wear sunscreen after using AHA, BHA and vitamin c, not only are damaging your skin further (from the sun rays) and un-doing all the hard work these products are made to do, but you are also exposing yourself to harmful rays throughout the day.  My sunscreen is my friend and I wear sunscreen EVERYDAY if I go out throughout the day regardless of the weather condition. Unless its night time, sunscreen is always applied to my face.  In order to be protected from both the UVA/UVB rays, you need to use a broad-spectrum SPF that is at least 30 and up.  Anything less then SPF 30 and not board-spectrum will do little to nothing in order to protect your skin.  Click HERE to read my blog post on why sunscreen is so important to your daily skincare routine. 

Lastly, never dilute your sunscreen with makeup or your face cream as it will lower the effectiveness of the SPF.  Moreover, never rely solely on your makeup that claims to have SPF in order to protect your skin. Research has shown that unless you apply your makeup six times over and extremely heavily, then the SPF is rendered useless.  Click HERE for that blog post on those facts.  

So there you have it! My morning skincare routine!  Tell me what's yours!!

Keep Smiling!

Dayana 

FTC: All opinions are my own.  No one paid me to write this and yeah I bought EVERYTHING with my own money!! :)