My Skincare Routine! (Or Lack Thereof)

Hey Fabbies! So as many of you know, I live in Arizona. I am now going on month six of living here, and let me tell you something, the air is DRY. That’s probably pretty obvious huh? I mean, it’s the desert for goodness sake! Anyway, what I have noticed since living here, is that my skin is not huge fan of the climate lol. Since we’ve moved here, I have gotten random breakouts on my face. (like, I feel like a kid going through puberty! Sheesh!) I have not done anything different to my skin at all. But then I realized something: I don’t ever do anything to my face beside wash off my eye makeup before bed.   I’ve never worn foundation or concealer, so I figured I don’t really have to do much rigorous cleaning. I wash my face in the shower. Kinda. Well, if you consider putting water and maybe some soap on there sometimes. But until recently, I didn’t really have a skincare routine. (I know I know, shame on me!)

Well guess what, these random pimples are now letting me know that I need to get my life together in the skincare department lol. No, I don’t have cystic or bad acne all of a sudden, but because I’m used to having virtually clear skin, these breakouts gotta go! So, I’ve begun to do a little research, and have been trying to see what I could do to help eliminate these breakouts. Well first of all, I now know that I have to properly wash my face! Ha! Go figure, a 33 year old woman is just now learning that they sell face washes for a reason. Smh! I remember after giving birth to both Vito and Zé, my skin felt dryer than usual. During those times, I bought some moisturizer for my face. Ummm…you’re supposed to moisturize your face everyday. EVERY. DAY. But have I been doing that? Noooooo. I actually have some Aveeno moisturizer that I bought after Vito was born, and have used it whenever I came back from a jog outside when it was hot, when I felt my skin needed hydration. Ya’ll. Vito was born 3 years ago, and I still have some left in the bottle.

So anyway, I said all of that to say, that after doing a little research on what skincare products I could use, I did a little shopping and bought a few things that will hopefully get me on back on track to clearer, and hydrated skin:

 

Now let’s break down what I got and why:

 

Coconut oil. I use this from head to toe, and have been for over a year now. I try not to go crazy with it on my face, but I know that while it’s a great moisturizing agent, I still need to properly wash my face FIRST, before applying it, just as I apply after I take a bath or shower. (Duh right?)

I recently got this face wash while I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. I didn’t even plan on getting face wash, but I know that tea tree oil is a great healing oil, and because the face wash contained this oil, I went ahead and got it. It has an intense smell, and leaves my face feeling dry and sticky. I typically apply a little coconut oil on my face after I use this, but I’m not sure if I really like this yet.

This face wash I bought came up a lot in my research for the best face washes. A lot of customers have sworn by Cetaphil, so I figured I’d give it a try as well. This is supposedly also great for your whole body:

 

The next products are exfoliator wipes that I got from Walgreens. I typically buy makeup remover wipes to remove my eye makeup at night (I’m not loyal to any brand either. I just get what’s on sale.) These are great for when you don’t have time to do a thorough washing of your face, but you still need to remove the dirt and debris off your face, all while exfoliating at the same time:

 

The next product is a facial moisturizer with a little SPF. This is the Target brand (again, it was on sale, and cheaper than the brand it was it sitting next to on the shelf lol!), I’ve been using this everyday for the last 2 weeks, and I’m happy with it so far. It’s not sticky or heavy feeling, and my face feels hydrated after I use it. I apply it after I have washed my face with the Cetaphil.

 

Since posting this, I have to say, the Cetaphil seems to be doing the job the best far. I’ve had the product for a solid week, and I’ve already seen that my skin has begun to clear up already. Again, it’s not like I had a face covered in acne. I am in no way saying that. I just would have random breakouts of pimples along my jaw line or cheeks. Because of this though, I am grateful, because it has taught me that I really needed to develop a skincare routine so that I can eliminate breakouts, keep my pores clean, and more importantly, keep my skin hydrated in this dry desert that I’ve come to love so much!