It has been a MINUTE since I’ve written a blog post.
I’ve truly missed the ability to be able to JUST SIT down and type out a post. But life has been insanely busy and blogging obviously was the part of my life that had to take a backseat!
Between beginning to wrap up the school year for my 3 kids, juggling their after-school sports + activities, and maintaining my freelance makeup business that has come back twofold this spring since last years pandemic shut down…I’ve had very little free time!
But honestly, I’m not complaining as I know what a blessing it is to have kids back in-person learning right now AND that my makeup business inquiries have been coming in hot! Which is slightly overwhelming when you are a one-person show trying to respond, book, and schedule clients all by yourself!!
That being said though, I’m truly grateful for it all.
A common theme that has been a big focus in the past year, is women really paying close attention to their skincare routines while they were stuck at home.
I definitely fell into a pattern (and it is continuing into 2021!) of going all out and testing new products and ingredients just to see what could make a noticeable difference in my 43 year old skin. I mean, I was at home not seeing anyone, so if a skincare or makeup look went awry, who would really care or notice??? My credit card definitely took notice of the experimental skincare spending however 😉
We all know that our makeup will only look as good as our SKIN does. So a consistent skincare routine is a MUST in my book. I take my over 40 skincare routine verrrry seriously (especially as each birthday passes by).
And now with spring here and summer fast approaching, I find that we women prefer to lighten up our actual face makeup regimens (like concealers, powder, and heavy foundations) and let our skin take center stage.
With that thought in mind, I have found a few MEGA EFFECTIVE skincare products that are helping me live my best skin life right now. So naturally I feel the need to share when I come across products that deserve recognition.
Though these are certainly not the only products I’ve been using lately, these 3 I did a YouTube video on have really been true standouts in my routine over the past few months. Take a look at the video below then keep scrolling to check out each product separately to see if they’d be a good fit for you.
(1) Paula’s Choice Skin Perfective 25% AHA + 5% BHA Exfoliant Peel, $39. Exfoliating is KEY to a less textured, smoother, and brighter skin surface. Y’all know my love runs deep for the Paula’s Choice brand anyway, and this new peel they came out with has stolen my heart and perfected my skin surface!! It’s good for all skin types so everyone can benefit from it.
What it does : it’s a multi-acid, rinse-off, exfoliating facial peel that dramatically brightens, refines texture, visibly smoothes wrinkles and unclogs pores. I use it only twice a week, but it’s a game-changer. But don’t just take my word for it. Allure magazine published an article about this product having an 11,000 person wait list until they made it a permanent fixture in the Paula’s choice line!
(2) SOL by Jergens Deeper By The Drop Tanning Serum, $18. I don’t enjoy my pale unhealthy looking skin. Especially when it gets to be spring and into summer – I want bronze skin – the kind I wasn’t born with! But I know it’s NOT healthy to sit out in the sun or lay in a tanning bed, so girls gotta find a great bronzing product. I adore these tanning drops by Jergens and they’re the answer to my sickly white winter face…
What it is : They are customizable tanning drops that let you control the color of your tan. Add drops for deeper, darker color to achieve the perfect color for your unique skin tone. Depth of color increases with the number of drops applied. (I apply about 4-5 drops now and it gives me just the right amount of realistic color)
They mix with your favorite moisturizer and are oil-free and lightweight. The scent is barely noticeable and doesn’t fight with whatever moisturizer I use. I find I’m using them about every 3-4 days to keep up my warm bronzey face glow!
Speaking of moisturizers to mix these drops with…
(3) No7 Lift + Luminate Triple Action Day Cream w SPF 30, $22. SPF in our moisturizers is so necessary at ANY age. And especially at over 40, gotta keep that skin protected so those dreaded age spots don’t pop up or get larger and darker. I stumbled upon a mini travel size of this moisturizer (along with it’s serum + night cream in this travel set) and it immediately got me hooked. There was a positive difference in my skin tone after only a week of use!!
What it does : Delivers 3 age-defying results of visibly reducing wrinkles (slightly, I think it creates an illusion of them being softer looking bc of the illuminating qualities of the cream), makes skin tone look more even (yep), and it appears lifted and noticeably firmer (for sure). It was a Good Housekeeping Seal Winner also! I mix this magical cream with my tanning serum and it gives me the BEST GLOW UP!
Honorable mentions in my skincare routine worth noting…
- makeup removing balm,
- my nighttime Hyaluronic Acid serum,
- and lip balm.
Remember if you haven’t already checked out my Youtube channel, please do (and subscribe while you’re there, it’s FREE!) for other short but helpful makeup + beauty related videos!!
*If you’re curious about my fun eyeliner shade in the above pics, it is the L’Oreal Matte Signature Liquid liner in “Burgundy.”
