Are You Doing Right By Your Skin?

January! Time for new beginnings. New beginnings for your skin.

This January in particular has thrown me into many a new start– I just moved to Monterey, California (yes, I can basically see the Monterey Bay Aquarium from our new apartment!) which also meant moving into my very first “real” apartment and everything that comes along with that– and as I’m sure you can imagine, it’s been full of both fun and “unexpected” moments along the way ;) That’s part of why my own New Year’s Resolution this year has been so important– it’s helped me put together a routine. You love routines because they give your day rhythm. And that’s just plain good! It helps us feel centered, in control, and collected– even when life is happening all around us in a somewhat less calm/collected way.

Inspired For My Skin

I was totally inspired by a chat I had with Lisa (the literal queen of skincare) to take on something that I’m not so great at this year: keeping a daily skincare routine!

Lisa: Yes! There is nothing that will move your skin closer to your best skin than consistently nurturing it; which means a twice daily skin care routine. 

It is super important to consistently keep a daily skincare routine. I’ve never had very “tricky” skin (especially since I cut out dairy and went fully vegan about 2 years ago after a few months of mystery breakouts– ditching the dairy has been the biggest “skincare hack” ever! My skin loves me for it!) even when I skip a day… or four... of washing my face, moisturizing, or even forgetting to remove my makeup before bed.

Lisa: Don't do it! Just don't skip caring for your skin. Ever. 

But even though my skin might be able to take all of that now, I know it’s not helping me– especially when I think of how important preventative skincare is, I just know that I’ll be kicking myself down the road when I think of all those missed opportunities to care for my skin now– plus, you know how it only takes 21 days to form a habit?

Lisa: So true. What you do now for your skin, will show in your tomorrow's skin. Don't be fooled into thinking it doesn't matter, or it won't show up. It does. And it will.

Well, I figured giving myself a whole month to get into this new routine would be the perfect start to 2017, and many more years of good skincare to come!

Men Need Skin Care Too

Luckily, I had Lisa to help me pick out the best products for my new routine based on my skin needs, and she set me up with the perfect healthy, safe, and natural skincare repertoire to tackle my resolution (and even recommending another new favorite of ours, the Jojoba Creme Scrub for my husband–Jack’s– “beard care resolution”! ). 

Abby and Lisa's Nighttime Routines

So, I thought it would be helpful to give you a peek into both our nightly skincare routine.

Abby: First things first, I remove my makeup.

Lisa: My first step as well. I use either the Green Tea Lotion Cleanser or 3 in One Wash Away to clear off eye makeup and face makeup. I give my neck and chest a swipe as well.

Abby: This is SO important– I can’t tell you how many nights I have fallen asleep with a full face of makeup still on… total skincare and beauty no-no! Apart from waking up looking like an “ eyeliner raccoon” (ha!), it’s so bad for your skin to sleep in your day’s worth of makeup (and dirt, sweat, and oil!).

Lisa: Righto! Your skin renews and rejuvenates while you slumber away. If you still have a days worth of grit, grime and makeup on (even healthy makeup) your skin can't do it's best work. 

Abby: I like to use the Essential Mineral Foaming Gel Cleanser for this. You will adore the light, fresh fragrance, it’s a like a fresh little floral burst on your wash cloth! I usually do this in the shower (I’m a night-shower type of gal), and if not in the shower (or if taking pictures for a blog post ;) …) I just wet my washcloth with warm water over the sink, work a dime sized amount of the cleanser into a lather in the washcloth, then use it to wash my face and wipe away any makeup from the day.

Lisa: For my night time cleanse, I use our Pink Mineral Cleansing Bar or the Essential Mineral Foaming Gel Cleanser with my Clairsonic (one of my pro-aging tools). 

 Abby: Now it’s time for my favorite part– the Crisp Cucumber Toner! This smells absolutely heavenly (just like fresh cucumbers… it reminds me of putting cucumber slices over my eyes for “spa day” games when I was little) and it makes my face feel so fresh and, well, crisp! I just put a bit of it on a cotton round, and spread it all over my face, and that’s it! No need to rinse off!

Lisa: I like to spray mine on. Oooh! Feels wonderful.

 Abby: Next, I pat my face dry with a clean towel and move on to moisturizing! For this step, you will LOVE the Olive Oil Light Lotion. It absorbs quickly, but leaves your skin feeling hydrated and silky smooth– score! Added bonus: you can use this all over as a body lotion, too. You’re welcome ;)

Lisa: Next, and before moisturizing, on Abby's care of skin routine, and yours, is nourish. Add your Vitamin C Serum in at this time. It will aid in dehydration, and help to fade age spots. I squirt one to three drops onto my fingers and spread on my face, neck and chest. The last little bit goes on the back of my hands.

Abby: I make sure to spread this evenly over my entire face– and I always err on the side of “too much” rather than “not enough”! Making sure your skin is properly moisturized is one of the most important steps in keeping it looking healthy and totally glowing not only now, but for years to come!

Lisa: Can I get an Amen! I use Olive Oil Creme with Frankincense on my mature skin. I follow it up with Pure Bliss Eye Creme around my eyes and on my upper lip. Embellish Pro-Aging Nighttime Mineral Powder is my final touch. I feel quite lovely and glowy before bed.  

Abby: Last but not least, one of my favorite things about my new skincare routine is that it is full of products I can trust.

The ingredients are safe and I love knowing that they are good for my body– especially when you are using a product every single day, you want to make sure it’s something that is truly taking care of your body, and that it’s not full of icky chemicals that might not be as loving and gentle to your skin as you are! Lucky for us, all of the SBM skincare products will love us right back! And the ingredients lists are posted online for easy reading. Don’t you love that? I know I do!

Abby is a recent UCSB alum and self proclaimed second-generation hippie with a passion for everything DIY, vegan snickerdoodles and eco-friendly, sustainable living – in that order. She is happily married to all 6 1/2 feet of her wonderful husband, and spends her time taking pictures and writing about her life in tiny notebooks.

Note from Lisa: This was a fun post to do; both Abby - a young women, and myself - a mature woman, sharing our night time skin care routines. 

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