Confusion about your skin routine? Here is some help & clarification

The world of cosmetics gets more and more confusing the older we get. Once upon a time, all we did was wash and moisturize. Then someone tells you that you need a toner....then suddenly you need a make-up remover. Then one day you discover night creams, then the sales person tells you that you need a serum...sunscreen, eye treatments, peels, etc.

I have been requested to help you clear through the clutter of the skincare world... So here is to hoping I don't confuse you any more! Thanks MEC for the special blog request!

THE ORDER:
1) Cleansing
2) Exfoliating (whenever necessary)
3) Toning
4) Serums (follow instructions re: daytime and/or nighttime usage)
5) Eye Serums (if using)
6) Facial Moisturizer
7) Eye Cream
8) Sunscreen...daytime (can I get a resounding "DUUUUH!!!")

THE DETAILS:
Cleansing: Not all cleansers are created equal. Not all remove eye make-up, and not all of them are even comfortable in the eye area. Read the instructions, or if you are like me, experiment! Haha.
 
Exfoliating: Always exfoliate clean skin ONLY! Exfoliating dirty skin can push dirt further into your pores. Yikes!

Toning: Avoid the alcohol-laden ones. Especially you acne-prone folks...alcohol dehydrates your skin, causing more oil production, which just exasperates your acne problem!

Serums: Some that are meant to be used just at night (those with retinol should be used only at night, as UV rays breaks retinol down), some are best used during the day (those with high concentrations of Vitamin C offer amazing free-radical protection, so you get maximum benefit using them during the day when you are out and about, exposed to the elements) and many serums are great day AND night (such as serums that help detoxify, protect, or hydrate).

Eye Serums: Not many brands make Eye Serums, and with good reason. Many people just want to use ONE eye product, and you MUST layer a cream over your serum. Because of the intensity of many of these Eye Serums, you may find that it irritates your eye lid...if this is the case, discontinue their use on the lid or try using it every other day for a couple weeks to build up your skin's tolerance. Otherwise, feel free to apply it all over, inside the orbital bone, taking care to not get it in the eye (can I get another "Duuuuh!"). As a wise friend of mine once said "Where else would Eye Cream go?!? It's not called CHEEKBONE CREAM!"

Moisturizer: Find one you love! Feel free to experiment. And, for God's sake, don't use the same one for 10 years!!! Your skin changes, so should your moisturizer. Feel free to use a different one for night and day, if you like.
 
Eye Cream: I have a theory about eye cream. "The thicker, the better". But not everyone prescribes to that notion. Again, find one you love. Eye cream samples are hard to find. Go to your favorite beauty shop and play around with them on the back of your hand until you find one you like. Buy your products at a retailer with a fair (or even a generous) return policy. *Sephora, I love you*

Sunscreen: A recent study published in the American Journal of Science listed two common ingredients/formulations of chemical sunscreen to, of all things, MELANOMA! Yes, skin cancer. SMARTEN UP PEOPLE!!! Get a Physical Sunscreen! The ONLY active ingredients in Physical Sunscreen are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. READ YOUR LABELS!

Do you have to use the same brand for all of your products? Of course not! You will get maximum benefit if you are mixing and matching your products to find individual products that address your individual concerns. 

Well what about masks or steaming, you say?

Whenever you steam, you should do it after cleansing or before masking.

If you are putting on a mask, you will get maximum benefit after cleansing, and you should skip the toning as to leave some of the penetrated active ingredients on your skin.

Have I helped you clear up any of the skincare routine confusion? Or did I just add to it? 

Talk to me! Leave a comment below...

REVIEW: Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Do you ever read the instructions on any personal or hygiene product and it always states the oh-so-obvious "Keep away from Eyes" warning? And you think to yourself "Well, duuuuhhhh". The folks at Burt's Bees weren't joking! This cleanser has a minty-tingle-factor, which is irritating to the eye area. I'm talking tears-running-down-your-face-oh-my-god-why-do-my-eyeballs-feel-like-they're-freezing kind of irritation. So if you are looking for a cleanser that also takes off your makeup, then keep on looking!

If you are okay with (or prefer) using an eye-make up remover before you wash your face, and want something more natural in your skin care routine, then you are going to LOVE this cleanser.

Minty-warning aside...this cleanser is AMAZING!!!!

It is a non-foaming cream cleanser that deep cleans without stripping your skin, but never feels heavy, greasy or filmy. I have always preferred foaming cleansers because I had such a hard time finding a milky or creamy cleanser that didn't leave an oil slick behind!

All of my make-up (except my eye make-up) dissolved beautifully, and the cleanser felt so refreshing! It rinsed off beautifully, and sometimes I even use a washcloth to massage and exfoliate. Once its all rinsed off, and you've patted your skin dry you will not feel that tight and dry oh-gawd-where's-my-moisturizer feeling.

Even though the words "Deep Cleansing" are on the label, the product is completely non-drying! Most people associate "Deep Cleansing" with drying and stripping, but that is definitely not the case with this cleanser!

I originally bought this cleanser because I have been experiencing record dryness on my face this winter! The ingredient list starts off with water and is followed by a variety of oils, such as Sunflower Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, and Soybean Oil. Glycerin is in there, along with loads of plant extracts, like soap bark extract, chamomile, witch hazel, aloe; and essential oils like Rosemary, Lavender, Lemon, etc.

The high oil concentration and lack of chemical surfactants have made an amazing difference to my skin. I don't feel as dry as I did before I started using this cleanser, and my skin looks more supple and bright!

I have read other reviews about folks with acne or very oily skin who also loved this product! Sounds like a winner for most skin types!

For someone looking for a gentler and more natural cleanser for your skin, I would highly recommend this cleanser! It's about $15 for a 6 ounce tube (170g) and it should last forever because you need so little!

Have you ever used this cleanser? What did you think of it?

REVIEW: La Roche Posay Toleriane Creams

La Roche Posay is the #1 recommended brand by Dermatologists in Canada. And with good reason! They have a complete line of skincare that addresses every skin concern need for men, women, teenagers and children of all ages. They are famous for their body creams for extremely irritated and sensitive skins. Their products are soothing and loads of parents buy them for their small ones.

Today I'm talking about their TOLERIANE line of moisturizers. Their TOLERIANE line is meant for sensitive skins that are more on the oily side. There is a TOLERIANE FLUIDE, which is the lightest of all their moisturizers. Then there is the TOLERIANE, which is a bit richer. Then there's the TOLERIANE RICHE, which, as the name implies, is...well...rich! Despite the "RICHE" name, the lotion is still OIL-FREE! Actually all three are oil-free!

Feeling the three different textures is something you must do to really appreciate this line of moisturizers. The FLUIDE comes out like a cream, but as soon as you touch it, it feels like water on your skin! The regular TOLERIANE comes out like a light cream, and the RICHE comes out like a thick anti-aging cream. Such a range of textures!

The most amazing thing is that they're all oil-free! Glycerin is the active moisturizer in these 3 moisturizers. These creams are wonderful for increasing the water levels in your skin. Someone with acne is most likely using products like Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid which are meant to sop up the oil from your skin, with an unfortunate side-effect being that they also DEHYDRATE the skin.

Dehydrating the skin causes your brain to send more oil (it can't send more water)... so you create this vicious cycle of using harsh products to eliminate the oil, which causes your body to only make more oil! This moisturizer helps to break that cycle because it not only increases your skin's water levels, but because Glycerin is a HUMECTANT, so it continues to pull water out of the air all day long and into your skin.

Everyone, not just those with acne-prone skins can benefit from increasing the water levels in their skin!

The BEST BEST BEST part is the sheer lack of ingredients. The FLUIDE only has 14 ingredients, and the regular TOLERIANE cream only has TEN INGREDIENTS!

For someone with very sensitive skin, someone who's allergic, someone with redness and rosacea, this is a dream-come-true. It is almost impossible to have an allergic reaction to a product that has SO FEW INGREDIENTS! There are no fragrance, no colour, no parabens, no fillers. Every single ingredient in these creams plays an important role in it's moisturizing abilities.

The next time you're in a drug store, pick up any moisturizer from a brand who's commercials you see on TV. Just look at the sheer size of the ingredient list. It's not unusual to see that there are 40-50 ingredients. If you consider yourself sensitive, you might as well save yourself the trouble and go straight for the La Roche Posay TOLERIANE creams.

Even the "cheapy" drugstore brand creams are now selling for $25 and up. La Roche Posay's TOLERIANE CREAMS are $31 for 40mL(1.4oz) and are definitely worth it!

I don't know where you can get La Roche Posay in the United States, but in Canada it's available at every Shoppers Drug Mart. And you should definitely check it out soon!

Goddess Jewelry

All Natural Skincare SALE!

If you're a lover of all things natural, or are looking for some alternatives in fun and flirty fragrances to chemical-laden store-bought goodies, head on over to ETSY to participate in an awesome, never been done before, BUY TWO GET ONE FREE SALE!

You can find MadeYouLook Natural Skincare at http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/

For every 2 items you purchase, you may pick one (of an equal or lesser value) FOR FREE! Just include a note in the check-out process indicating which item you want for free. Do not "buy" the free item.

MadeYouLook Natural Skincare

Treat yourself, or start stocking up for Christmas (yes, I said it... CHRISTMAS)!!!

My Obsession: NeoStrata Toner

This toner is my obsession. I use it once a day to remove any left-over dirt/debris/oil/dead skin cells.

This is part of NeoStrata's "Acne" line-up, but I gotta tell you that anyone can use it. It's very low in alcohol content, somewhere around the 10% mark (unlike other cheap drugstore toners that can be as much as 90% alcohol!) so it's gentle even on dryer and more dehydrated skin types.

Its crowning glory isn't the low alcohol content, it's the 8% Glycolic Acid! So when I say it removes dead skin cells I really mean it!

The beauty of Glycolic Acid is that it makes all your other skincare work better! Your serums and moisturizers absorb better because they aren't fighting to get through layers of dead skin cells. Your skin glows instantly because it's brighter, more even toned, and smoother.

Also, pimples and zits don't just happen because you're oily. Oil alone doesn't cause pimples... but Oil holding onto dead skin cells are what clog pores and cause breakouts. So eliminate the dead skin cells, and therefore the breakouts, by using this toner!

Also, glycolic acid is a wonderful anti-aging product because as it thins your upper layers of skin, it thickens the deeper layers of skin because new cells are being pushed out faster - therefore flattening wrinkles, fine lines and...ACNE SCARS!

I recommend using it at night-time. It does thin your skin a bit, so any redness or irritation that may come along with it will be gone in a couple hours (at most). You can use it every day... I have been using this product as a replacement to the more expensive Peel Solution for a few weeks now and I LOVE IT! I'm totally hooked!

At $26 for a bottle of it (and you only use a slightly damp cotton pad) it's an amazing and effective all-around treatment for all skin types...

Thinking of going All Natural?

So I've been thinking... I love my skincare routine. I use a gazillion different products every day, I vary the routine from day-to-day (partly because I have so much crap and partly because...I am Aries? - IDK...but somethings gotta get the blame) and I obviously vary it from night to day.

But sometimes when I over-do it, I get these thumb sized patches of dry spots just outside of my nose between my mouth and my nose - for those in the know it's called the Nasolabial fold. Dry skin = aging. And the lines in my nasolabial fold have been really starting to show up. I blame the dry skin. which comes from abusing my skincare...

Anyway... I've been thinking. I make natural skin-care. (http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/) I also buy natural skincare. I'm obsessed with skincare and I'm a junkie for trying new stuff out all the time! Thankfully I have an amazing manager at my pt job who loves to play the role of my crack-dealer and she sends me home with new stuff to try all the time.

I'm not talking about drugs people... SKINCARE! Stay with me...

Anyway, I'm wondering how I can incorporate completely natural skincare into my day-to-day (and day-to-night) routine. I'm talking COMPLETELY natural. Hand-made. No chemicals...

This can be difficult to do where moisturizers are concerned. After all, a heavier oily based product wouldn't work very well under make-up.

So I started last night... I came up with the idea AFTER I had washed my face with my NeoStrata face wash (which has 4% glycolic acid AND SLS - sigh). See ya in a little while NeoStrata!

I moisturized my eye area with a Shea Butter/Argan Oil cream by Druide that is rich, and thick, and creamy...and to DIE FOR. Those are literally the only two ingredients. You can buy a tiny 5mL size for $5, or a huge container of it for not much more.

You can find the product here: http://www.druide.ca/Product.aspx?ProductID=49008&Langue=En

To tone my skin I used my own "Oily Skin Toner" that's all natural. It has witch hazel, aloe vera gel, sage, lavender, and Calendule. You can find the product here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55464096/oily-skin-toner-sage-aloe-witch-hazel

For my face I used a tiny bit of coconut oil and just massaged it in very well. At first it didn't have that "plumping" effect that you get with products that have water in them. You know that "aaaahhhh" cold-water-feeling of moisture being pushed into your skin? But after an hour or so, my skin felt rehydrated again, even though I hadn't actually added any more water...

I woke up with morning with beautiful skin! The lines around my eyes have disappeared (the Druide cream is THICK - and soooo refreshing, despite it's shocking lack of water) and my skin doesn't look congested after only using oil to moisturize.

I washed my face this morning with an amazing Honey & Glycerin cleanser I bought from another seller on Etsy. Her name is Gwendolyn and this cleanser and mask are AMAZING!!! The link for it is here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/34338193/honey-glycerin-cleanser-and-mask-4-oz?ref=v1_other_2

The small 4oz size lasts forever! You can use it as a cleanser or as a mask. Both the honey and the glycerin are natural humectants so you're increasing your skin's ability to hold water everytime you wash with it. It's also been infused with a bunch of wonderful organic herbs that she grows herself on her gazillion-acre-farm. It doesn't lather, but it's amazing. Honey is also a natural anti-bacterial (nurses used it in WW2 to clean out and heal wounds of all types). You'll have soft, glowing skin from the very very first time you use it! At $12 for the small bottle, it's WELL worth the investment!

Again, I moisturized with the Druide Shea & Argan Cream (I'll report back on how my mascara holds up, later) and I used a dab of coconut oil to moisturize. Except this time I sprayed my face with Avene's Thermal Water (just like the Evian stuff) before I put on the oil... my skin DID feel more "hydrated" because the oil sealed in the water.

Have any of you ever used an all-natural-routine? How did it work out for you?