dewy skin

I've always loved the look of bright dewy skin. The tutorials online go way to overboard, so I'm sharing a dewy skin idea that can be worn every day. This is the makeup I wear every day and I love it because 1) it's fast and easy and 2) it looks exactly like skin (but better!) instead of cake textured make up that clumps in areas by the end of the day. Dewy skin is something I've been trying to achieve for over a year. Whenever I wear makeup or viewed makeup on others I often wished it wouldn't look so flat and matte. I realize oily skin types need areas such as the T zone to be less greasy-looking but glowing in the right places adds a lot of life to your face.

The biggest tips I have found the past year for bright dewy skin: 

Get rid of foundation 

and use concealer to cover your skin imperfections and/or a color correcting formula such as this or this. Show your skin!

A Sephora employee convinced me to use my Sephora coupon on this color correcting cream that goes from green (cancels redness) to your flesh tone. This is truly your skin but better! It has SPF and nutrients for keeping skin plump and keeping it moisturized. The flesh color it fades too really does last all day. I've never seen anything like it, it's really amazing. It doesn't work well on extremely dark skin, I noticed this when the sales rep put it on her hand. I then put some concealer under my eyes and over any acne if I have some that day.

Use cream products: Highlighter, Blush, and Bronzer

(If you are oily you might need to use a powder over your T zone) 

The RMS highlighter is a beauty cult favorite because it has zero glitter in it and simply just looks dewy. It will last you all day as well. I often find the powder highlighters are too much for me on a day to day basis because they contain glitter and in clinic I don't want to be wearing glitter. They work well in different environments, but this zero glitter formulation is my favorite! 

(the brown pot is not bronzer in my picture, it is eyebrow pomade)

In case you want to LOL at me, I included some pictures. This is so embarrassing, by no means am I a makeup model! 

Whoops somebody send me a beauty blender. That blush spot on the cheek needs some help.

 

gift guide: the beauty addict

1. Beauty Blender

I don't own this, but everyone seems to love these online. I'm sure it'd make a perfect gift.

2. Fresh Glow Base

I love this base! It is subtle but makes you look refreshed. 

3. Blending Brush

The perfect brush to blend anything at a great price. I have had mine for a long time and use it every day.

4. Tweezerman Tweezers

The best tweezers, and they stay sharp for years.

5. Essie Gel Nail Duo

I have not tried these, but they look like a fun gift and have been getting great reviews online.

6. Anastasia Brow Kit.

I use all of these in this set every day. This is a great deal if you want to try a no-fail brow kit. The dip brow pomade has been the best selling and easiest to use brow product for years. Buy this for yourself! 

7. RMS Lip2Cheek in the shade "Modest"

I added this because I have fallen in love with the RMS products and I'd love to try a blush, so I thought it'd be a cute gift idea. The other products blend seamlessly, last a long time, and are all natural.

8. RMS Magic Luminizer

This product just came out but the internet has been buzzing about it. It could be a fun gift for yourself if you've been wanting to try out a new luminizer. I have their Living luminizer and it works extremely well to make your skin dewy!!

9. "Pale Barley" Eyeshadow

This is my favorite eyeshadow color. It's lasted me months and isn't even half gone. It's an every day shade and looks good on all skin tones. I couldn't list one of those Christmas eyeshadow kits because I just don't think they would be used as often as this universal shade. This eyeshadow can go on wet or dry and it stays a long time. (Some people do need a primer with it though as with other shadows to prevent creasing)

dukan diet: Attack Phase

Jake and I are both at our heaviest weights. We both have been unhappy with ourselves for a while now. One random day after a mitral valve replacement, the cardiothoracic surgeon I was working with discussed with me  this diet he and his wife had been on and had found success with. I was intrigued with the idea of not having to count carbs or calories, so after reading more about it for a few days, and talking to Jake, we thought we'd give it a try.    Buy the book by clicking here.

There are four phases to the Dukan diet, the first phase lasts 3-7 days (depending on how much weight you'd like to lose). This "attack phase" is basically only protein, fat free dairy, 1.5 liters of water/day, and 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran/day. The main rules are you must eat your oat bran and water, and you must only eat when you are hungry. Coffee and one calorie drinks are allowed, as well as sugar free jello. 

I was on this attack phase last week, and Jake is on it this week. His meals are certainly more .... creative... than mine. If someone was more motivated and had time to cook during this phase then the menu doesn't have to look as boring as ours!

Jake :

Breakfast is two eggs and a greek yogurt.

Lunch and Dinner recipes :

Turkey rolled up with hot sauce and ricotta cheese OR

Tuna can mixed with ricotta cheese and cottage cheese with hot sauce OR

Cod OR

Chicken breast OR

Jello mixed with cottage cheese

Snacks : crab meat

Me:

Breakfast is oat bran mixed with skim milk, cinnamon, artificial sweetener and then one egg white and one full egg. 

Lunch is a lunch meat variety (a lot of this), fat free naturally flavored greek yogurt, and a little piece of the cheesecake recipe allowed (not real cheesecake haha). 

My dinners were chicken breasts, jello, and fat free cottage cheese (I'm fine eating the same things every day). 

My snacks have been hard boiled eggs, beef jerky (not sure if this is allowed technically), and cottage cheese.

I lost seven pounds during my seven days, and now I've switched to phase two. I've been on that for a few days now, and I'm doing fine keeping the weight off. I don't look different but I feel really good about myself! I'll have to stay on phase two until I reach my goal weight. The weight loss was dramatic at first, I'm guessing this was a lot of water weight too, but the weight loss slows down significantly when you go to phase two and add vegetables back into the diet. Jake hasn't finished phase one yet so I can't post his results until then. Phase two incorporates vegetables, so we have some better recipes! 

The diet boils down to a high protein, low/no carb diet. Eventually in stages 3 and 4 you add cheat days in and add carbs back into your diet. By eating proteins only for a few days, you control your hunger with an unlimited amount of food to eat, but trigger hormones that signal to your brain that you are starving and that you must break down fat for energy....even though you aren't starving. Proteins also take a lot more energy to absorb and incorporate them into your body compared to fats and carbohydrates. The diet isn't a new concept but it certainly caught my attention as something I could manage and stick too. This diet has been a favorite of celebrities for years, we bought a book for a penny on amazon and we'll see where this takes us.

PS I scheduled multiple posts for the next two weeks, so check back!

FALL DRY SKIN BE GONE

Early January this year, I started a new facial routine that completely eliminated my dry patches. That post is here  , but I found a cheaper and equally luxurious way to get completely moisturized.

 I'm late on this bandwagon I know, but I'm happy I hopped on anyway. 

I've been using this for the last six weeks and I have not broken out in acne, I have no more redness in the mornings or afternoons, I have brightness in my face, no clogged pores, and the best part - I need less makeup during the day. I've eliminated foundation and now just stick to a little concealer and I'm good to go. I don't need to cover anything up besides some dark circles from not getting enough sleep at night! I have put foundation on to test this too and it goes on smoother and uses less product. 

Benefits of coconut oil on your skin:

1) Moisturizer : 'like mixes with like' and your skin is mostly oil and this is an oil so the beneficial properties of the oil penetrate skin better than lotion

2) Antibacterial: helps fight acne thanks to the lauric acid in it

3) Keep you "wrinkle free" : this is a big claim,  and I doubt it's that magical, but it has been shown to help repair and restore the production of collagen in your skin and plus, softer skin wrinkles less than dry skin

4) Antioxidant: due to the ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid the oil can help fight off free radical damage which are what cause wrinkles and other skin damage

Some claim it's a good cleanser - I still use soap first for cleaning.

Some claim it's a sunscreen - please put regular sunscreen on.

Some claim it's a great hair conditioner or hairmask because it penetrates the layers of the hair.

I wouldn't recommend this to extremely oily skin, but if you are "normal", T Zone oily, or dry then I would try it out! It's probably wise to use an anti-aging cream in addition to this if you have some wrinkles.

When you shop make sure it's organic extra virgin, not refined, not hydrogenated and naturally harvested, otherwise you will lose your antibacterial and antioxidant properties and are just likely paying for the moisturizing capabilities. 

Lip Fillers without the needle

I hate hate hate posting selfies on here, because I don't like knowing you all are looking at it me judging, but I really wanted to share about this lip pencil. 

The Charlotte Tilbury 'Lip Cheat' in "Pillow Talk" is exactly what it sounds like.

It's a lip filler without the needle. I've been wearing this every single day so I really wanted to do an entire post on how great it is.  

The product won't last all day long, but it lasts me until lunch time.

I'm a small lip person, like really really small . Keep scrolling and you'll see the change!

The pencil is the color of natural lips and it doesn't dry your lips out! 

Line the lips with this pencil following the border of where your lip meets your normal skin and fill in the entire lip area with the pencil. 

(Yes I know Kylie Jenner has been telling us to over line our lips for a while now, I'm late on this ... whatever) 

Then you're done just like magic! 

+ some lipgloss and head out the door

Click to shop:

eyelash growth serums

A few months ago I started a new product that multiple bloggers had been recommending and swearing by. I love learning about the science of beauty products and I thought this product would be a fun science experiment for me too.  

Jake thought it was dumb when I ordered a eyelash growth serum, even though I was so excited and lighting up about it while telling him.  He may still think it's dumb, however, Neulash definitely does work. I waited for 20% off to spring up on the site and free shipping and saved lots of money. This product is expensive, and even though it lasts a very long time you could probably go get eyelash extensions (which are more expensive your first appointment I think)  or spend money on the serum to grow them yourself but keep in mind the serum lasts a long time. Dermstore.com has 15% off and free shipping when you sign up for their e-mail list, but other retailers carry it too (dillards, nordstrom) I ordered the 0.11 oz not the 0.2 oz. and it's lasted two months so far and not running out anytime soon. Other eyelash serum brands that would probably work just as well because they contain the same active ingredients include Latisse and Revitalash. (Keep in mind not all of the serums on the market contain the prostaglandins and other ingredients needed to make the product actually work)

This product would be really great for people with really short eyelashes looking for some extra oomph. One tube of this stuff will last at least 2-3 months. You need the teeniest amount, no double dipping after applying on one eyelash line and then after the first 6 weeks you don't need to use it everyday. The prostaglandins have been deemed safe by the FDA, just don't get them in your eyes, that's another reason to only use a small amount.

It takes the full 4-6 weeks of once a day application to actually see any results at all. Try hard not to miss an application, and once you stop using the serum the eyelashes will slowly return to the old normal. So to maintain you'd have to get another tube of this.

My eyelashes are now long enough that they dirty my glasses when I blink! They kind of look    spider-y, and the lower lashes have gotten pretty long too. The lashes have also gotten thicker.

 I do occasionally now find random stray eyelash/eyebrow hairs growing in odd places around my eyes, but I just pluck them. I have had to start really paying attention because even though I don't apply it on my brows, I'm getting stray hairs I never had before growing that show up anywhere in the eye area .

The before pictures are on the left and four weeks later on the right.

 (click the picture to enlarge)

Click here for other peoples Neulash results. It definitely works differently on different people. I don't think I had as good as results as some of the people but I'll definitely keep using my bottle until it's finished. I'm not sure if I'll repurchase another bottle, it will depend on how long this one ends up lasting me. I would probably miss my lashes though if they got shorter and went back to normal.

Shop the product here

P.S. 

They have a NeuBrow too, which I think is cool for those of us with crooked eyebrows (one higher than the other)  or if you have patchy spots within your brow. I'm very impressed with the results of that product that I've seen online (it's basically the same stuff as the NeuLash except they add almond oil so I won't use the NeuBrow). Click here for some of those results

hair coloring at home - gasp!

I don't know if you've ever had the urge or guts to try your hand at coloring your hair at home, but every so often I dabble with it. Don't get me wrong, I think professionals do a much better job and I prefer to visit them, but every so often I just want a "quick fix" of color and this comes in a box at the drugstore. 

I've tried a few methods over the years. I've made mistakes, I've made messes, and I've learned some tricks for getting the best result with these at-home hair color kits. From not knowing what I was doing and just flopping it on to having my friend  (daughter of a hairstylist) comb the color through the hair each tiny section by section in college one night (this method worked well but took the longest) I've come a long way. 

So here are my tips for coloring your hair at home :

1. Don't buy permanent color .  

"28 washes" is plenty. When you buy permanent color your hair grows out and the color stays on the dyed part of your hair leaving you with two distinct colors separated by a line where the old dye ended. As this gets longer a line has formed in your hair. When you dye over it the next time, the top half (your real color) will dye one color and the bottom half (the leftover permanent color from last time) will dye another color and the line will still be there. 

If you use the "28 shampoos" hair color it will begin to slowly fade by 30 washes and by 6-8 weeks it will be your normal hair color and no one will notice. This is much more natural.  Lengthen the color by using a shampoo for color treated hair and don't wash your hair every day (hello dry shampoo) and it will last longer then that - trust me.  Clairol Natural Instincts is the only brand I've found at my local drug stores that is not permanent.  (The shade I used today is 31 Darkest Brown)

2. Be aware of what "W" means on the box if you get a W color
"W" after the number means it will tint it red -warm. (it's a box dye, this will get brassy eventually). I used to like the warm (W) tones but only when a hairstylist does this, my hair turns red tinted quick whenever I get a box with a W on it.

3. Section your hair off
Section your hair into pieces, twist the section around your finger, and stick a bobby pin in it to hold it.

4. Follow a process

Go around the entire hairline first

Next cover the roots so the color is even and you don't forget any pieces-  this step is easy because you sectioned your hair off so you can just flip through the sections and massage some color around each part you made.

Now go section by section and cover the length of the hair with color on both sides of your section (front and back), and don't forget the ends - Get the ends full of color! 

(side note: you can see some of the "brassy" leftovers from an old box dye - from months ago in the first image below)

Ta da! 

Yes, it still looks like a box dye, but that's what I expected and overall this went on easy and evenly! 

(BTW I'm moving in a couple weeks and studying for a huge exam - ignore my messy office)

quick makeup routine

I have been using these four makeup products in my daily routine since January. They make for a very quick morning makeup routine and I wanted to share. I don't spend a lot of time getting ready in the morning and I don't spend more than a few minutes on makeup. I believe if you have some products that apply smoothly, reflect light, and go well with your skin tone then that's all you need for a quick look.

Here's my "every day" makeup products:

This is the makeup I also used in my blog profile pic -->>

1. Burberry Luminous Fluid Base

I love love love this and when it runs out (which it won't for a long time, I've been using since January and it's still half full) I'll be ordering another. You can wear it alone without foundation for those days you have perfect skin and don't want another layer of makeup on. It's exactly what it says, it catches light and illuminates my dull face, or can help with a dewy look for the days you want that. I pump 1-2 pumps of this on the top of my hand and mix it with one pump of foundation and then apply them both at the same time mixed together with this brush. If you use this as a base and put foundation over it, you can't see it through your foundation well. 

(the top is the Luminous Base, the bottom is a streak from another product)

2. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Foundation

That is a long name for a foundation, but this is my favorite foundation that I've ever tried. It's like those "HD" foundations where it sinks in to the crevices really nice without showing any extra wrinkles. It lets your skin breathe. My #1 favorite thing about this is that it doesn't stick to my dry spots (crusted over hormonal acne spot). That being said, if I haven't been taking care of my skin well (like after Orlando) it will still stick to the flaky skin on my face that I didn't exfoliate off, but I don't know a foundation that won't do that.  I searched every department store counter for a foundation that was perfect skin color match (my skin was brighter after my skincare routine took off) and I found nothing - I'm serious. So in the search for a moisturizing lightweight foundation, I finally found this at Sephora. It's not that lightweight, it's medium but if you thin it down with the primer in #1 it's lighterweight. 

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer

I bought this before the foundation (that's how I knew the foundation would probably be good). Mom and I were at Sephora looking around and when we put this on both of our hands, we noticed it didn't sink into any crevices like some of the other foundations. It applied like a smooth velvet and lightened the area well. It's a good thick concealer and because it's liquid it can be used to "bake" the concealer like Kim Kardashian does (see here if you don't know what I'm talking about). I don't apply powder over it, I just put it on and let it sit while I move on to eyes. Drug store favorite concealer is this Maybelline Fit Me liquid concealer, I use this sometimes too. 

4. Burberry Wet and Dry Silk Eyeshadow in "Pale Barley"

This eyeshadow is raved and raved about online as a universal shade for many skin types and the perfect everyday color. It really is a great color. It can go on thick or thin, wet or dry and you don't need any other colors. It kind of melts in the crease as a darker shade on it's own. Of course you could spruce it up with a highlighting shade on the brow bone and a darker shade in the corner, but this is a "quick and simple" makeup routine so we are just using one shade. I love this, I've had it since January and I'm almost half gone with it and haven't used another color since I bought it. I can't say that about any other eyeshadow that I've purchased. 

The packaging is also really snazzy, it has the Burberry stripes on it and a heavy metal case with a magnetic close. 

There you have it, a quick makeup routine. Add a lip color or blush if you want, and some mascara and you're done.

(p.s. I'm in the process of making a drug store favorites makeup post, but it's taking a long time.)

april favorites

1. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I'm pretty sure this hilarious Netflix show by Tina Fey has already been written about as one of my favorites but season 2 came out in April and Jake and I watched them all in two days. I had been waiting what seemed like forever for this and it did not disappoint! I watched season 1 twice, and I may rewatch season 2! There's so many subtle jokes that go on in almost every line, you don't realize how much you miss until you watch it again - I'm serious! 

2. Vacation Planning

I'm listing this as a favorite because it's been the main motivation to work hard this month and finish my second year of med school strong. My free time this month has been spent daydreaming and planning and I just can't wait to spend a few days not thinking about all of the things I have to memorize. 

Follow Jake and I on snapchat and we will take you along with us - 

we will be leaving here real soon!

 It's always my favorite to see when other people snapchat when they visit new places! 

@ajskid @bakejell33

(for once we'll have something interesting instead of the inside of my messy office or what Jake's food and drink of the day is ;) )

3. Citrus Scents (Lofco "Cabana")

I've finally transitioned out of our winter scents, and I picked this scent up at Spruce near 50th and Leavenworth. Jake lights this candle all of the time. It's a nice citrus scent. 

(tbh - I wouldn't repurchase this brand over the NEST candles which are at the same price point because Lofco candles are just not as strongly scented)

4. Sephora's Birthday Gift

Sign up to be in the Sephora club (or whatever it's called) and get your birthday gift! I loved last year's urban decay gift and I love this year's Marc Jacob's gift. The eyeliner is so soft it melts on your skin and the lipstick is a pretty pink! It may just be me but the sample lipsticks are always my favorite because they are just so much easier to apply on my tiny lips! My lips with out anything on them are basically invisible so it's nice to have some pretty options for lip color. (I had to throw out all my old favorite "Bite" lip pens because they had nut oils in them)

(yeah....post self tan on the left - link for that post here)

5. Friends

Last weekend was my birthday and over the four days around that weekend I was able to catch up with many different friends for dinners and coffee and it just made my month! 

Bonus Jake's April Favorite :

New season of Game of Thrones

sunless tanner reviews

With shorts season around the corner, I'm sometimes self conscious to let my pasty white legs out to breathe. A tan makes you look 10 pounds lighter, so that's another plus. I won't be purposefully aging and damaging my skin with the sun, so I'm left with the sunless tan. Over the years (since high school) I've tried multiple brands, salon spray tans, and have had failures and successes. Here are some old and new favorites.

  My favorite is at the end.

1. Jergens Natural Glow 

I've used these products the longest (the one in the pic is old!). They are not that dramatic in color change and they for the most part they apply evenly- you still need to add extra lotion to ankles, knees, and elbows. I probably won't use them this year because I've found products that I like better, but these two options (the Natural Glow and the 3 Days to Glow) are decent options. The smell is the strongest in these compared to the other products I'm reviewing. The color is the most orange (it's not THAT orange, but compared to the others it is the most orange tinted). I typically mix 2/3 part Jergens Natural Glow with 1/3 part regular lotion in my hands before applying to keep it toned down on the orange color and for even application. (You can always add more color later, that method cuts the streaks down)

My bottle also claims to reduce cellulite in 7 days - which makes me roll my eyes but whatever I didn't buy it for that reason. 

2. Lancome Flash Bronzer

This is not a sunless tanner really, it's a bronzer (washes off) but it works well for one time events! It dries nicely, it's a gel, and it has no orange colors in it at all. Because it's a bronzer it also doesn't have DHA (the color factor of sunless tans) so there's no scent. The size I have is a sample, I probably won't purchase the full size because I'd rather use a sunless tanner vs a bronzer but this product worked really well. I'd like to try the new Benefit Hula Body bronzer that comes with a sponge but since it's also a bronzer so I probably won't test it out.

3. St. Tropez Everyday Body Lotion - Gradual Tan

This lotion is similar to the Jergens daily glow, use it daily and gradually build up a tan. This is my second favorite product. This product is a really great value because it's a lot of product for the price and I only need one day (not multiple days like it suggests) of application to have a nice color. The last couple weeks I used it every three days and I was happy with the amount of color because I think it's very noticeably different after one use. So to me this isn't a daily product it's more of a regular self tanner. The moisture factor in this product is the best of all of the ones I'm reviewing, and the scent is the best of all of them as well. It has an island scent - the DHA scent does break through about 12 hrs later but it's a very light odor. The color of the product once it dried was not really orange either, but I did have to use some lotion around my wrist and ankles to blend it so it didn't streak.

4. Rodan + Fields Essentials Foaming Sunless Tan

This sunless tanner is my top choice because it's the easiest to apply (foam), no streaks, no lotion needed around my ankles or knees or elbows, and it had the best "brown" color (no orange at all). I didn't think I would love it as much as my #3, but the color hues were the best and that reason alone put it at the top of my list. 

This just looks the most like a real tan but that self-tanner smell definitely comes through 12 hours later.  Unlike the St. Tropez, you'll have to use moisturizer the next day but like I said this product is the easiest to apply without worry of streaks, and has the best tint of color. If you are going to buy any self tanner and are worried about it looking fake then just get this product because it's the least risky. 

The before and after pictures you see of this product on the internet were not as dramatic on me, so I'm guessing they put it on one day, and then again the next day to get results like this.  Or their skin is just WAY different than mine. 

This product you need to get from a Rodan+Fields consultant, my friend Ali can hook you up. Tell her you read about it on my blog and send her an e-mail to higgins.alaina@gmail.com to get yourself one! 

Don't forget to exfoliate before you apply any of these for smoother application and to lengthen your tan!

evening skincare routine for your 20s

I needed a skincare routine. My skin was dull, and dry. My foundation crumpled off in tiny flakes on my dry skin every afternoon. I went to the makeup counter to find a foundation that didn't sit on my dry spots and instead one of the ladies was like "why don't you just fix your dry spots?" Although I don't recommend listening to everything makeup counter ladies have to say about skincare (they all believe their products are the best) - she had a great point .

I did a lot (A LOT) of research on choosing the right products for my age and choosing products that aren't full of chemicals that are expensive and do nothing. (Don't waste money on stuff that won't work or that you don't need yet in your 20s- also I hate being tricked) The products I chose have ingredients that have been tested multiple times in double or triple blind randomized controlled trials in the literature that was not payed for by the companies making the products (if that means anything to you, you biostatistics nerds). I think it's fun doing this type of consumer research - that's why I spent so much time doing it.  It's also tricky because some companies don't have "enough" of these active ingredients to actually be beneficial, like if they put .000001% in it or something.

I never believe claims I see on fancy expensive beauty products without reading the ingredient list and dissecting each individual ingredient. For example, if I see a silicone chemical as one of the top five ingredients on the label then no thanks. It's a cheap easy way to fill in fine lines but I don't think it's so that great for your overall health of your skin (I can write a different post about that) and companies can overprice it if you don't know what you're doing as a consumer.

<<if you click on the pictures they are less blurry - idk why it's like this>>

Wash 

Every night I wash my face with this soap found at Target, Walmart, or drugstore. Every 2-3 nights I'll use the Clarisonic (Got it last year, used it wrong so I hated it, now I love it) with this head (nonirritating and soft). The Vanicream soap is a very gentle cleanser with great make-up removing power. 

You will need some sort of moisturizer after cleansing to replenish that oil you scrubbed off (if you don't your body will over produce oil and you could get pimples) - I use a moisturizer with antioxidants described below. 

Tretinoin Cream

Thirty minutes after I wash I'll put on Tretinoin Cream (generic for Retin-A) (this is for my acne, I've been using it off and on for a year or two ...but I also use it for slowing my wrinkle fine line progression). I'll put this on now every 2-3 nights. You can read more about the many benefits of this ingredient from a dermatologist here. It's basically magic for the skin but if not used correctly (or wrong concentration doses at prescription strength) it can cause a lot of irritation. So put it on at night and WAIT 30 min after washing to prevent red irritation - you will hate it if you don't wait.

 My Tretinoin Cream is from a prescription, but over the counter retinol options exist at drug stores. It definitely doesn't need to be expensive like so many are. (I like the prescription because it's regulated and I know exactly what's in it -- it was less than $20 with my insurance) I'm sure you could ask your doctor about it at your next annual physical exam to see what she or he thinks if you are interested. 

Serum or Moisturizer with antioxidants - very important!

Antioxidants go around and stop the things causing damage to your body (free radicals) from causing any damage. On your face, the damage will eventually equal wrinkles, sagging skin, brown spots years down the road. They aren't miracle workers, but if you just find a moisturizer that has them in it - you can kill two birds with one stone and delay some of that damage by stopping some of the causes in their tracks. They're proven to work and MANY products contain antioxidants.

Antioxidants you might see on products:  Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Green Tea, beta carotene, CoQ etc.

They are also in vegetables and berries - go make a smoothie.

Don't get tricked: packaging of antioxidants is important for them to remain active. They are inactivated by light and by air. So don't buy them in a "tub" or "jar", buy them in a container with a pump and something that isn't see-through or clear. Numerous studies have proven this as true, don't waste your money buying the "antioxidants" if they won't work!

The serum that's transformed my skin to whiter, brighter, clearer, NO DRY, and glowy-er skin is the Chanel Hydra Beauty MicroSerum loved by me for its hydration + antioxidants + anti inflammatory (for the pink tint I used to always have to cover with makeup).  It will last 5-6 months at 1-2 pumps per day if you are skeptical about the value. (I got it January and it was half gone at the beginning of April) It smells like heaven and Chanel's main claim is that it's immensely hydrating. When you put it on you definitely notice it plumps your fine lines and feels like a baby, especially when you wake up in the morning! I only use it at night, it claims to last 24 hours and I agree it does.  I love it! (No antiaging - I think it's great for your twenties if you have DRY skin - it may make oily skin pimple-y I've read reviews of that.) 

This serum I use is see through (which I said is bad)...I store it in the box and in a drawer in my nightstand and only take it out at night when it's dark. .

Science: The studies I found through Pubmed of the 2-3 main ingredients in that Chanel product show that they bind matrix malleoproteinases, are antioxidants, stimulate collagen production, decrease inflammation by decreasing production of TNF-alpha, inhibit COX1 and 2, inhibit iNOS and NO mediated inflammation response, inhibit excess melanin production, suppress free radical generation, anticarcinogenic (ginger), sodium hyaluronate (for moisture and it has better skin availability than hyaluronic acid).  

(Jake likes this antioxidant/sunscreen/moisturizer every morning )

I have been using this Citrix Vitamin C  antioxidant eye cream nightly for about 5 months. Eye cream in general is controversial amongst the experts (some say use your face cream on your eyes and that it doesn't matter, others disagree).  This one has Vit C and green tea (antioxidants) and then is a nice moisturizer. It doesn't have anti-wrinkle or anything - if you are older then 30 (35?) you may want something with more ingredients. If you're younger this works great.

Extra Moisture

I put some sort of extra moisture around my mouth in the morning and night to keep it moisturized and slow down these from forming. I use regular lotion or that Nivea Cream in the picture.

Bonus - Moisture Mask

I bought that Peter Thomas Roth Blue Marine Algea mask last winter(?) for dryness with some Sephora credit and still use occasionally. It has some good antioxidants and the seaweed is a nice barrier to keep moisture in for a long time. It has ingredients "scavenged from Arctic Glatial Ice" -- whatever that means.  I'm pretty sure all of PTR's masks are great.  I haven't needed to use it much since my new skin care routine fixed all my dry problems though. I like it on Sunday nights the most after a long weekend.  

In summary: wash daily, moisturize daily, antioxidant daily + morning sunscreen daily

*don't forget to subscribe by e-mail on the right to not miss a post*