I am a creature of habit and when it comes to my skin and night time routine I try to stick to what I know works. I love to test and try new products, but if it isn’t working for me after a month of use I ditch it and move on to the next thing. There are a few things lately that I have been using for over a month, and some even a few months, that I really love and wanted to share with you in a post. I like to give products at least a month before I give up on them or assume that what I am using is producing the results I am seeing in the mirror. I never believe that a skin care product will really show you results in a few days, so I make sure to give it ample time before I review it. I have been doing the below night time skin care routine for awhile and feel really good about how my skin overall has been feeling and looking.

For some backstory about my skin here is a quick run down:

I have oily skin and combination skin. I tend to get a bit oily as the day goes on and it is mostly on my forehead, nose and cheek area. My nose tends to be dry as well and can get flaky and peel. Growing up I suffered from what I would call pretty bad acne and spent many years going to dermatologist trying so many super strong prescriptions that made everything worse. In my 20’s while working in Manhattan I started to go to a dermatology practice in TriBeCa and my doctor put me on Accutane. This was probably one of the worst decisions I ever made considering how strong of a drug it is, and how I really didn’t have terrible acne, just the occasional hormonal break outs in my 20’s. Needless to say, after six months on the drug I developed super dry lips, terrible stomach pains (IBS), dry skin and my hair became extremely brittle.

Basically Accutane stripped my entire body of all oils and moisture. I did wind up having skin that was a lot more predictable when it came to break outs, but it was not a drug I would recommend people go on. There are some serious side effects and unless you have severe cystic acne that does not respond to any other treatment I would advise against it. Anyhow, fast forward to today – I still battle with oil even though Accutane was supposed to make it stop over producing, but it is much LESS oily that it was before. Ever since switching to natural skin care products and throwing away any super strong, drying acne medications my skin has responded very well. I don’t have wrinkles, yet, but I do notice some tiny ones forming around my eyes and some in the middle of my brows from squinting. I am always very very conscious of breaking out and I am always looking for products to help combat oil, prevent acne but also be moisturizing so that my skin doesn’t over produce oil.

So, what do I use today on my skin and why?

If you battle with the occasional breakout, have oily skin or are in your 30’s then these products might be perfect for you. Keep in mind that my skin is by no means perfect at all. I actually don’t even know what to respond when I get the compliment that I have great skin, because for my entire life I hated my skin and was so embarrassed by it. I remember in my teens and 20’s cancelling plans with friends or a boy if my skin broke out really bad. I was always hiding my skin with my hair and started to wear foundation as early as 8th grade to cover up my pimples. When you suffer those emotional scars it is really hard to take a compliment about your skin. It’s a constant struggle but thankfully I believe a healthy and clean diet, nutrition, vitamins, supplements and the right cleansers and products have saved my skin immensely!

Cleansing My Skin, Removing My Makeup Routine

Foreo Luna Mini Cleansing and Anti Aging Device

Foreo took the beauty industry by storm with iconic solutions that go beyond standard cosmetic needs, providing smarter, more effective ways to care for yourself. The Sweden-based brand offers simple beauty promise: to deliver a newly found confidence through innovative beauty solutions that work. I received a baby pink Luna Mini about 6 weeks ago as part of a sampling box and have been using it every night since then. It is a facial cleansing and anti-aging device, but unlike a Clarisonic Mia 2, which I have reviewed before (and had a bad experience with), this device is super gentle but cleans my skin so well.

The way it fits into your hand and can be used over your entire face, even to get into the hard to reach areas of your nose to remove dirt and black heads, makes it so comfortable and effortless. What I do is I wet my face with luke warm water, apply my cleanser all over my face, then use my Foreo Luna Mini to work the product into my skin and remove any dirt, makeup and oils. After I use it for about 1-1:30 minutes I then turn it off, run it under the water and clean it, place it on the ledge in my bathtub and rinse my face. It holds a charge for a long time, but when you do need to charge it you use a small cord that you can plug into your iphone charger. The soft material is so gentle on my skin and helps to keep it clean and free of any dead skin cells.

Andalou Naturals Kombucha Cleansing Gel

This cleanser from Andalou Naturals is the one I have been using for the last two months. I have finished one bottle and just purchased another one. The Andalou Naturals Kombucha Cleansing Gel is meant for use on oily skin or skin that needs daily clarifying properties. It helps to remove all of the day’s dirt and oil without over drying. It’s a clean gel and I use one pump in the morning to wash my face when I wake up and I use one pump at night to put all over my face and then rub in using my Foreo Luna Mini. This cleanser removes all of my makeup and makes my face feel fresh and clean. I have had very few blemishes pop up since I started to use this product. Before this cleanser I used to use an exfoliating cleanser daily, but what I realized is that by doing that every day I was irritating my skin and causing it to produce MORE oil and that caused some break outs. This is just a simple, clean and natural gel cleanser that doesn’t make me dry and keeps my skin nice and clear.

Peter Lamas Pumpkin Exfoliating Facial Scrub

I use the Peter Lamas Pumpkin Exfoliating Facial Scrub one to two times a week as a skin refresh. I first of all love the smell of this product, it’s like a sugary sweet smell so it’s like a dessert for my face. I also like to use this since the exfoliating beads are small and not harsh like many other exfoliating products. I want it to be soft and gentle so it doesn’t cause my skin to freak out and break out. This is a bit pricier of a product so I use a tiny drop of it and work it all over my face using my pointer and middle finger in circular motions.

Moving on to moisturizing and hydrating

Now that I am 34 years old, that hurts to even type, I have to be a lot nicer to my skin than I was in my 20’s so moisturizing is super important for me. I can already see some lines and wrinkles, age spots and some tiredness so I have been testing out a lot of products to help combat all of those things. Right now I have been using quite a few different products in the evening to moisturize my skin overall, hydrate my eye area and another product to help lift the skin and one more to help with any scaring or imperfections.

Peter Lamas Naturals Nourishing Buriti Oil Moisturizer

I have also started to use the Peter Lamas Naturals Nourishing Buriti Oil Moisturizer at night time as part of my moisturizing routine. At first when I read the package I thought it was a real “oil” meaning it was greasy and oily in texture. It’s actually a cream that is soft, soothing and very nourishing. I use a tiny amount of this and spread it all over my face after my face is clean and dry. It gives your skin a supple and dewy look. The natural occurrence of Vitamin A in the Buriti Oil combined with powerful Resveratrol give it the incredible ability to strengthen and protect while enhancing skin’s texture. The lightweight formula also includes a soothing blend of antioxidants and botanicals — Vitamin E, Avocado Oil and Macadamia Seed Oil—that instantly absorbs, leaving skin supple, refreshed, and smooth.

 Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer

I recently received a sample size of the Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer and have been using it religiously every evening ever since I got my hands on it. I had heard of this brand before from the infomercials about their neck cream, but I was not familiar with their over all face creams. This one is super moisturizing but not heavy, thick or greasy. It’s a cool, fresh feeling moisturizer that sets into the skin pretty quickly. It helps decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; increases radiance and hydrates the skin. A light weight, superior facial moisturizer formulated with powerful antioxidants to help firm skin’s appearance and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. Face Finishing Moisturizer is rich in texture and feels simply wonderful on the skin, imparting a visibly radiant and smooth appearance. It’s formulated with three powerful anti-aging sciences: Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE and Vitamin C Ester. The only thing I do not like about this cream, besides being expensive is that it can be a little tingly and if you happen to have cut, scab or for some reason any irritated or broken skin it will burn a little. That isn’t pleasant, but otherwise it is pretty awesome

Nerium Age Defying Night Cream

I had saw another beauty guru post about this cream on her blog and in a YouTube video and I was interested to try the Nerium Age Defying Night Cream. This product is a bit pricey ranging around $70 but you really only need one pump of it to use on your entire face. It is a thick cream and as you put it on your skin you will feel it tighten a bit and feel like it is “lifting” especially around the cheeks and eye area. I have noticed that using it has made my skin feel smoother and more even. I don’t like to put it on my skin alone though, I put a small amount on after I have applied the Buriti Oil from Peter Lamas otherwise it feels kind of sticky and tacky on my bare skin. I bought this about 3 months ago and I still have not made a dent in the bottle so it does last you a long time. They also make a Nerium Day Cream which they recommend you use in combination but I do not use the day cream.

La Roche Posay New Effaclar DUO

The La Roche Posay New Effaclar Duo I use in replacement of an acne treatment gel. If I find that my skin is acting up I will apply this as my first step of my moisturizing step after cleansing. It helps to combat sebum-blocked pores. Results: Pores are purified, imperfections are reduced. Skin looks clearer and smoother. It regains a long-lasting balance to help recover the qualities of more healthy-looking skin. I will apply this all over my face and allow it time to dry and seep into my pores before applying my other products. It does not sting or tingle or cause drying on my face. If I find a pimple forming or already formed I will use a tiny drop of the Derma E Acne Treatment Cream which is a super gentle natural acne treatment that is not over drying like other spot acne treatments.

100% Pure Green Coffee Eye Cream

I like the 100% Pure Green Coffee Bean Eye Cream to brighten and awaken my under eye and crows feet area around my eyes. The coffee ingredient seems to wake my eye area up and give it some “life” back. I use one tiny pump and lightly tap it in to the delicate eye area using my ring finger avoiding any kind of pulling or pushing of the skin area.

I know this seems like a ton of products, but I am not using every single one every day. Some days I use just 1 moisturizer and my eye cream and that will do it. I have to say that switching to natural cleansers and avoiding anything harsh like a Clean & Clear or drug store over the counter cleanser it has saved my skin. I switched to natural cleansers over five years ago and couldn’t believe the difference in my skin. I think sometimes the harsher the ingredients the worse your skin because it is just a perpetual cycle of drying, flaking, irritating, break out, moisturize, etc etc etc. As for vitamins and supplements to help with acne or break outs, all I can say is what I take that I truly believe in. I take a chewable zinc tablet, omega 3 fish oil, Neo Cell Beauty Bursts, Resveratrol, and B12 liquid. I have done so much research over the years to help keep my skin clear and this work really well over all for my skin.

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