love your face

Let me preface this by saying this is what works for me and if you have any concerns then you should schedule an appointment with a dermatologist or esthetician to get their expert opinion. 

Let's talk skin. I'm going to break down the different products that I use and then I'll tell you how I apply them. Fun fact: they're not all pictured ;) All of the products in this blog I use personally - if there is more than one in the same category I either alternate between the two or switch depending on what my skin needs. I have combination skin - meaning that I'm oily in my T zone, but dry on my cheeks. My skin varies depending on the weather, hormones, stress, etc so these products are versatile for many different skin types. A lot of them are expensive, but if you read till the end you're going to get my hacks on how I save money ;)

Cleansers:
Always the first step. Get rid of makeup, oils, and buildup. 

• Drunk Elephant Beste Jelly Cleanser - this is great for all different skin types and helps with oil control and rids of makeup really well. It's free of essential oils, silicones, and fragrance and it gets rid of all the nastiness that builds up on our faces throughout the day. This one doesn't get real sudsy when you're washing but leaves your skin feeling amaaaazing after. 
• Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser - this one helps big time with pore size, oil control, and ridding skin of acne and blemishes. It's formulation includes: blueberry extract which is anti-oxidant rich and provides protection against environmental stressors, hyaluronic acid which provides intense hydration, and AHA which is a blend of lactic and glycolic acid that provides gentle exfoliation and hydration to provide smoother and brighter skin - it gets rid of all the dead skin cells. This one is made for all skin types too. This one lathers really well and gets super bubbly and leaves your skin feeling hydrated and smooth. 

Toners: 
After cleansing, a toner is a fast and easy way to remove excess dirt, oil, makeup, correct and balance pH, and help fight acne.

• Tatcha The Essence Plumping Skin Softener - great for all skin types! It is 98.7% hadasei-3, a Japanese superfood (made of green tea, rice, and algae) that helps with dullness, uneven texture, fine lines, wrinkles, and dryness. It smooths, resurfaces, plumps, and gives long lasting hydration to the skin. 
• Laneige Essential Power Skin Toner for Combination to Oily Skin - this is made for combination or oily skin to help with purification, pore size, uneven skin tone, texture, and dullness. It is paraben and phthalate free and formulated with hydro ionized mineral water that contains zinc, manganese, sodium, calcium, and potassium to replenish moisture levels while the Vitamin B3 refines skin leaving it brighter and more supple. NOTE: I use this when I'm breaking out or I've had a day where my face has been particularly dirty - side by side rides/horses/etc. They do have a different toner for normal to dry skin types. 

Serums: 
Penetrate deeper in to the skin to deliver active ingredients for a variety of benefits. 

• Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum - good for all skin types! Vitamin C is super important to fight the aging process from free radical damage - you're never too young to start preventing the aging process! This serum helps to soften, smooth, brighten, and provides treatment for dullness, uneven texture, fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots. Tatcha has a unique Vitamin C blend that is super fast acting and provides a ton of moisture. It also has a mild fruit (apple, grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, hawthorn, and jujube) AHA, a gentle acid that removes debris and build up by gently exfoliating to leave the skin smoother and more radiant. Last but not least it has Japanese Angelica Root Extract, which aids in the reduction of dark spots, discoloration, and acne scaring by diffusing accumulated melanin. 
• Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum - good for all skin types! This serum also doubles as a makeup primer on my dryer days ;) It's made of red algae and hyaluronic acid which soothes, firms the skin, and provides deep hydration. It also has "royal jelly" which contains vitamin B, biotin, and folic acid, which all replenish moisture. It's antiaging complex of green tea, rice bran oil, and red algae are all antioxidants that fight free radical damage. It is also enriched with 23-karat gold to deliver the most beautiful glow without adding shimmer or an oily look to the skin - this is a must for me when I go without makeup. It literally gives you the most beautiful healthy glow and is not heavy at all! 
• Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum - good for all skin types! This exfoliating serum rids of dead skin cells to decongest and improve skin tone, texture, fine lines, wrinkles, and decrease pore size. It is formulated with AHA and BHA; AHA is a mixture of glycolic, tartaric, lactic, and citric acid which exfoliates and resurfaces the skin to leave it looking smoother, brighter, and more even. BHA, or salicylic acid, loosens sebum to unclog pores and provide smoother skin. Ya'll, this stuff is a GAME CHANGER. This has provided oil control, luminosity, smoothness, and helped with pore size all without making me dry. You need something with AHA/BHA to get rid of all that nasty dead skin to clear the path for other products to be better absorbed. 
• Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration - good for all skin types! This is what I use when my skin is THIRSTY, or in combination with Retinol - we'll get to that shortly ;) This serum replenishes moisture to improve skin tone and texture. It helps with fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, uneven skin tone, uneven texture, and dryness. Made with several awesome ingredients: pro-vitamin B5 - a humectant that attracts and locks in hydration to improve the skin's barrier function, pineapple ceramide - supports the skin's natural luminosity and improve skin texture and tone, sodium hyaluronate - delivers intense hydration and promotes firmness while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Fun fact: hyaluronic acid (HA) retains over 1,000 times its weight in water within skin cells, but sodium hyaluronate has an even smaller molecular weight than HA!
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 - good for all skin types! This formulation combines low, medium, and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid with a HA crosspolymer and B5 for INTENSE hydration. This is what I use if I've been sunburned, or if I've used a really intense chemical exfoliate. FUN FACT: The Ordinary is an amazing brand with SUPER affordable prices. 

Treatments:

• Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream - good for all skin types! Retinol is a tried and true ingredient in the fight against fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage - it truly brings balance just about any issue you may have with your skin. This formula includes 1% retinol which can improve the look and feel of the skins tone and texture. It also works to repair damage from the sun, pollution, or other free radical damage. This cream also has a triple peptide blend to strengthen and firm. It also includes vitamin F, which is linolenic and linoleic (soothing fatty acids) that help improve texture, suppleness, and calm sensitivities. I used a prescription retinol before this - this cream is very thin and lightweight. NOTE: If you are super dry, mix a pea size of this with your moisturizer and only use every other day or so - it can be drying! I use this every other night and I ALWAYS pair it with the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration that I mentioned earlier. 
• Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum - if you suffer from under eye dryness, fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness - this is your savior. Made of red algae for intense hydration and reduction of fine lines/wrinkles, green tea caffeine to reduce puffiness and firm the skin, hadasei-3 (green tea, rice bran, and red algae) to restore and protect. NOTE: I don't use this every day. I use this when I'm dry or stressed (hello puffiness), I put a thicker layer on before bed and pat it in gently to provide intense moisture overnight. If you have more dry or mature skin, this is something that you could use a thin layer of every day!
• Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - the ultimate zit zapper. When I've got a pimple, a little dab of this before bed has it basically gone by morning. Formulated with salicyclic acid to help exfoliate, sulfur to purify and rid of excess oil, and calamine to cool and soothe. Fun fact: you do NOT shake the bottle, simply dip a q-tip in to the pink sediment at the bottom and dab it on ;)

Moisturizers:
Should always be the LAST step in your skin care routine because it is what locks in all the goodness you applied previously. If you are oily, you still need moisture! Oil and moisture and two different things, you can actually get acne from being too dry. Find a moisturizer that works well for your skin type. 

• Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer - good for all skin types! This moisturizer combats dryness, dullness, uneven texture, loss of firmness and elasticity. Made with a nine signal peptide complex to bind moisture to skin to plump, firm, restore bounce, and support the skin's natural self-renewal process. Also includes a pygmy waterlily stem cell extract to provide a source of antioxidants and nutrients to moisturize, soothe, calm, and support a healthy, youthful appearance. This moisturizer also has a soybean folic acid ferment extract, a vitamin B that provides youthfulness and elasticity. Skin is super thirsty for folic acid after sun exposure - something we all get plenty of! Leaves my skin feeling super smooth and hydrated but does not feel heavy or sticky. 
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturizer - good for all skin types! I really like the formulation of this moisturizer, it's a light weight gel so it is super hydrating but is VERY light - I tend to use this when I'm more oily and/or dealing with acne. The watermelon extract hydrates, delivers essential vitamins, and contains anti-inflammatory properties to soothe irritation and decrease redness. It has hyaluronic acid to hydrate, and antioxidants to protect against environmental stressors. This stuff smells amaaaazing. NOTE: they also have a Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist that is AMAZING and super hydrating! 

Favorite Face Masks:

• Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial 25% AHA +2% BHA - a lightweight mask that improves texture, tone, decreases park spots, improves the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles, and reveals greater clarity. Made with AHA (glycolic, tartaric, lactic, and citric acid) to exfoliate and support natural surface turnover, gram/chickpea flour to balance and brighten and combat dullness, and pumpkin ferment extract to provide antioxidant components, carotene, lutein, and cartenoids, that aid in gentle exfoliation. This mask leaves you feeling SMOOOOOOTH - make sure to put moisture back into your skin because this mask can leave you dry. 
• The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution - this is a peeling solution, meaning it is liquid in form, and it WORKS. This stuff fights blemishes/breakouts, improves texture, improves radiance, fine lines/wrinkless, dullness, you name it. It is made with glycolic and lactic acid to exfoliate the outer layers of the skin and salicylic acid to exfoliate inside the pores to rid of congestion. I put this on and immediately feel the exfoliation starting - it is a slight tingling sensation (that I love) and leaves my skin feeling fabulous. When I first started using this I peeled like crazy, but now that I use it regularly and in combination with several other exfoliants I do not have visible peeling. 
• Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Sleeping Mask - gentle and strong all at the same time, an awesome player against dryness! Made with encapsulated retinol to help with uneven skin tone, and repair damage from pollutants and free radicals. Also includes avocado which is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin E and Vitamin C to fight fine lines, wrinkles, and environmental aggressors. Avocado oil and avocado extract are also huge players when it comes to soothing and nourishing the skin. Also includes PHA (polyhydroxy acid) to provide gentle exfoliation. NOTE: You can use this mask one of two ways; wash off - spread a thick layer all over and wash off. OR, as a sleep mask - my preferred way ;) As the last step in my night time routine, I'll take a small amount and put it all over and pat in to my skin. When I wake up my skin feels smooth, plump, and nourished! 

• Glow Reciple Watermelon + AHA Glow Sleeping Mask - fights against pore size, dryness, and oil. This mask is amazzzzing! It gently exfoliates, reduces pore size, brightens, and soothes. The key ingredients include: watermelon extract - hydrates, delivers essential vitamins, and is an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce irritation and inflammation. Hyaluronic acid - HYDRATION. AHA - lactic and glycolic acid to exfoliate and promote smooth and bright skin by removing those nasty dead skin cells. Peony root - brightening and soothing. NOTE: This mask can also be used one of two ways - wash off or sleep. I prefer to put a generous layer on as the last step in my routine, pat it in, and wash off in the morning! Leaves me hydrated, soft/supple, and bright! 

Favorite Skin Tools/Random Favs: 

• Clarisonic - this little baby gets my skin feeling RIGHT. When I use this I feel like there isn't a single pore that didn't get a good cleansing. 
• Cooluli 15 Liter Fridge - I store all of my skincare products in this thing. I'm telling you, putting on a serum or mask when it's ice cold is WAY better. Plus, the coolness also helps with inflammation/irritation. 
• Nano Ionic Facial Steamer - An at home facial steamer! Steamers unclog pores (one of the biggest contributors to acne/infection/irritation), enhance circulation, remove toxins, promotes relaxation, give a natural glow, add hydration, and prep your skin for other treatments. 
• ​Bow Hair Bands - these cute little headbands are my favorite for when I'm washing my face! Plus they're cute :)
• Grande Lash - my absolute favorite lash serum that I've tried. I've used for about 6 months and my lashes are fuller, longer, and thicker then they have EVER been. I noticed results 3 weeks in. 

• Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask & the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - I have the WORST dry lips and these two keep them nice and luscious. 

 
If you've looked at the prices of some of this stuff you already know that it can be EXPENSIVE. Here's my tips on how to save some money:

• Sephora sales - ALL of these products can be bought at Sephora. Sign up for their beauty insider program! They regularly do 15-25% off for their beauty insiders. You get your choice of free samples with every order and can also use your rewards points towards different items. 
• Pay attention to ingredients - if you notice, there are two masks that I posted that are VERY similar in ingredients (The Drunk Elephant Baby Facial and The Ordinary Peeling Solution) I own and I've used both of these and I get the SAME result from each one. Look at the ingredients and compare to save money! Sometimes the more expensive one has maybe one or two more ingredients than the less expensive one - research those ingredients and see if you can get them in a separate solution from a less expensive (and reliable) brand. 

NOTES:

• Don't change it all at once. Add one or two new things in at once. This way if you have a reaction it's way easier to narrow down what caused it. Not everything is for everyone. 
• Give it TIME. Using these for 2 days is not going to change your skin completely. Consistency over time reaps HUGE benefits. It took me 3 months once I worked every piece of my routine in to see major changes. 
• Educate yourself. Do research. Learn about products from reliable resources. 

• Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It is IMPORTANT. Treat it so :)

DAYTIME ROUTINE: 

1. ​Wash that face. I alternate between the Drunk Elephant Beste and the Glow Recipe Gentle Cleanser. It's usually about what's closest to me at the time, lol. 
2. Toner - I use the Tatcha toner on an average day. If I'm really dirty, sweaty, or breaking out I use the Laneige toner. 
3. Tatcha Violet-C serum. I use a tiny amount and massage it in all over my face. 
4. Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration serum. I use one pump all over my face. Massage in for that beautiful glow! 
5. Moisturizer! I switch between the Glow Recipe Watermelon and the Drunk Elephant Polypeptide Moisturizer. 
6. SUNSCREEN - my favorite is EltaMD UV Elements Tinted. It is made with micro-particle zinc.

NIGHTTIME ROUTINE: 

1. Wash - same as daytime! I usually use my Clarisonic at night. 
2. Toner - same as daytime!
3. Drunk Elephant Glycolic serum. One pump to entire face. ​
4. Drunk Elephant Retinol - every other night only!
5. Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Serum. One pump to entire face.
6. Tatcha Eye Serum - not an every night thing for me, only if I'm dry, inflamed, or puffy! 
7. Moisturizer - same as day time!
8. Sleeping mask :)

OKURRRRTTT, that was PLENTY of information. I love sharing what I've learning about skincare and the huge benefits of an awesome regimen. I hope you learned something :)

xoxo, T♡