Beauty Products I'm Using Lately

In January of this year, I noted that my makeup was looking entirely too heavy and that without makeup my facial skin had dark spots, was coarse looking in texture and there were some deep lines in places where I'd never had lines before.  I also noted that where I'd always had t-zone oiliness, my skin had gotten dry and tended to flake or look red.   Makeup appeared to be too heavily applied and accentuated the very things I didn't like about my facial skin. The skin on my arms and legs looked crepe-y and dry.  And my hair, which has always leaned hard on being oily and required daily shampooing, now was dry and flyaway.   I didn't know what to do with myself!  

I resolved I'd find solutions to all of these issues.  Well, it took me until Spring to really tackle all these issues.  I took them one by one.

I'll start by saying that I am no stranger to skin care.  Granny urged me as a pre-teen to get a good moisturizer and use it daily and she was quite right.  My mother insisted I use a lot of drying products on my face due to typical teenage skin, but the moisturizer likely saved me having worse woes with my skin than I did.  I've been using a moisturizing product now for 51 years.

I've also been careful to remove makeup at the end of the day.  I might have skipped morning cleaning and moisturizing but especially in these latter years I've faithfully cleaned and moisturized every single night.  One of the biggest differences in my skin care program these days is that I now clean and moisturize every morning as well as at night.

Those products which are available on Amazon are linked.  The Amazon links are Associate Affiliate links.  If you make a purchase once you've entered the Amazon site, even if it's not the linked item, I receive a very small commission, regardless of whether or not you purchase the linked item.  

I want to share my basic routine for facial skin care both morning and night routines.  But first I want to mention something I do about once a week or every ten 10 days.  

Shaving my face:  I know some women have medical conditions that bring coarse black hairs out on their face.  I don't have that.  I do have a healthy dose of peach fuzz which over the years had gotten thicker.  It was part of the reason why my skin looked so coarse, especially when I was wearing makeup because the peach fuzz interfered with the way the makeup adhered to the skin.

I started shaving after watching a Japanese program that we liked and in one episode slightly older women raved about how smooth and youthful their skin looked after getting a shave at a barber's.  This was about the time I started seeing and hearing about derma-blading.  I figured shaving was similar.  Derma-blading actually is done using a scalpel and a thin layer of skin is removed, as well as the peach fuzz.

I use a regular multiple blade razor.  I prefer a brand-new razor for this and will use the razor again on my legs and underarms but not again on my face.  I know you can buy those little, tiny razors for eyebrows etc., but honestly if you are careful and stay away from your brow area there's no need to buy special equipment or pricey tools for this job.  

I typically start with a clean face, and I prefer to have my skin damp.  You can use a light shaving cream or foaming face wash if you prefer.  One vlogger I watched the other day who started shaving her face in 2010 recommended an Aveeno Sensitive Skin Shaving Foam.  This is a fragrance-free product and it's something I want to purchase to use.  She also recommended that no product such as retinol based products be applied following shaving.  I don't use that but I don't put anything but moisturizer on my skin following the last rinse after I shave.

My daily skin care routine is as follows:  I wash with a sensitive skin soap (Cetaphil bar) and after rinsing well, I apply a serum.  I use a hyaluronic serum in the morning and Vitamin C serum at night.  Once the serum has dried, I apply my routine moisturizer and I use a separate eye moisturizing cream both morning and night.   

I simply state here that I use my routine moisturizer.  At the moment, that is a Solimo knock off of the Cetaphil big tub.  It's working quite well for me, even though the Cetaphil tub says it's for 'body' skin.  I also have used the Cetaphil Hyaluronic nighttime moisturizer, but I've not done that lately because I've read that you shouldn't mix Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.  As you continue to read, you'll see that I'm rethinking that 'fact'.

Mad Hippie Vitamin C serum :  Vitamin C serum is wonderful for plumping and tightening skin, diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.  It is also known to lighten dark spots, which was my main number one concern.  I can say that using it nightly I've noticed a decrease in how dark my spots are.  I have them mostly on my jaw line where the sun beats into the car windows and has done its damage over the years.   I have noted that my skin appears brighter and less muddied as well as the overall texture becoming finer and less coarse.  I think the last part is due to the two times daily skin care routines I've implemented but the brightening seems to be the result of the Vitamin C serum.

Karla recommended two brands one of which was this one when I questioned you all about which Vitamin C serums you used.  The price was affordable.  You use only a small amount.  I use it as part of my nightly routine.   I apply a small amount of the Vitamin C serum.  When it has dried, I then apply my usual moisturizer.  

In reading the blurb on the Amazon page this serum contains Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid...so I guess you can mix the hyaluronic acid and the Vitamin C without causing a problem.

I keep my serum in the refrigerator.  I shake it well before I use.  This brand does say that it is stabilized and won't oxidize which is a hazard with some Vitamin C serums.  I decided to refrigerate it on the recommendation of an older vlogger I watch for skin care tips and product recommendations.    

I am sensitive to aroma and will say that this is relatively fragrance free.  It has a bit of a honey/orange smell that isn't unpleasant to me in the least.  

ArtNaturals Hyaluronic Serum:  Katie recommended this product to me.  She picked it up at Target, I think.  I've had the bottle for six months and just ran out last month.  I found the same product on Amazon for the exact same price.

Hyaluronic acid moisturizes the skin by binding water to the collagen in the skin, reduces wrinkles and reduces skin inflammation.  It's also good for healing scarring and wounds on the skin.  

My main purpose in using this product is for the moisturizing effects.  I can honestly say that I've had far less flakiness and a finer texture to my skin since I began using this product.  My skin feels and looks 'plumped', not swollen but fresh.  I've never struggled with fine lines or wrinkles, but I was starting to see a few fine lines.  This has eased the appearance of the lines.

I ordered the last bottle online at Walmart and I don't recommend that.  Go to Target and pick the product up.  I'm pretty sure despite labeling that what I got from the company supplying Walmart is a Vitamin C serum.  It smells like Vitamin C serum.  It is nothing like the Hyaluronic serum I got from Katie and frankly, even if the label says it's the same product, I'm not so sure.

Body skin Care:  Someone here mentioned that as we age, and as our skin is drier, we should shower less often.  Well, I'm inclined to agree after my experiences this year, especially in winter I'm finding that a gently warm shower on the days I do shower, a mild soap (Cetaphil sensitive skin) and after care is very important.  

I've learned the wisdom of Granny's and Grandmother's method of what they referred to as Polka dot bathing.  On the days they didn't shower, they performed basic hygenic cleaning.  This is far less drying than a full body bath or shower.

In summer, I'm more inclined to the daily shower but with cooler water and a most thorough rinsing to ensure that all soap residue is removed.  I follow with the moisturizing lotion mixture.  If I choose not to shower, I wash my face and take a sponge bath.  Then I follow with a cornstarch based baby powder in places where sweat tends to build up and use the lotion/oil blend to moisturize my arms and legs.

Plant Therapy Fractionated Coconut Oil   I bought this to use as a make-up remover and for general skin, and hair care.  I'd read that the fractionated oil was the best to use for skin care because it is highly absorbable.  I mix two or three drops with one pump of my body lotion.  This has done wonders for reducing the crepe-y skin I had at the beginning of the year.  I try to use this each time I shower, after patting my skin dry and leaving it slightly damp.  I do not do this daily, however.  Three or four times a week seems to be just fine.  

You can use this product to moisturize hair.  Just a few drops on your hands, three or so, rub your palms together and run through damp hair.

Medline Remedy Phytoplex Moisturizing Lotion I was first introduced to this lotion when I was in the hospital back in 2015 and I've been using it ever since.  Frequently I find that the fragrance is simply too heavy for me in most lotions, but this line of lotions is lightly scented.  I've had vanilla and currently have the lemon scent but it's a very light aroma.  It also comes in unscented varieties.  It's not greasy and not heavy but it is thick and rich feeling.   I use this alone every night on my feet and hands to keep them from feeling rough and dry.  I mix this with the fractionated coconut oil and use it after showering.  

I have also purchased a few makeup items and was given two more.  I'll share my views on those.

e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer Matte I've been using this product for years and really like it a lot.  It's a non-oily, non-sticky but super silky primer.  I do one pump and that's all I need, and the product generally lasts me for a few months.  I wear it under foundation or mix it with a tinted moisturizer on the days I don't want to wear makeup.  

Laura Geller Baked Balanced n Brighten Color Correcting Foundation   I've complained that my skin is now drier than it was and I'm using a powder foundation?  Well, yes and no.   This is a baked cream that applies like a powder but doesn't dry the skin in the least.  I ordered a new liquid foundation at the same time from a different manufacturer and got a 'moisture' formula.  The Laura Geller product is my preference of the two. I'm not going to waste the other item.  I will use it up, but the Laura Geller product is the one I will purchase again.  I often get that slightly tight, dry feeling from the matte finish liquid, but I never have that with the Laura Geller Baked Foundation. I like the matte look more than the dewy one.  But it's true that if a product is too matte, you'll find the fine lines are accentuated.

One of the older makeup vloggers shared this product and I was impressed with her video.  She offered a coupon code and link to the site.  There was also a sale on the product at the time, so it was about 1/2 price.  She'd stated that she'd worried with her dry skin that a dry powder foundation would make her skin feel tight and dry, but it had not.  She had also purchased the primer, which they call Spackle on the LG site.  I just use the primer I typically use because I like the e.l.f. product.  It seems to work very well with the foundation.

Application is simple:  Laura Geller offers a special brush to use. I didn't purchase that.  I use a big foundation brush and after loading with the cake foundation, I rub it into my skin.  I really like the look.  It's natural looking but I'm definitely getting coverage.  It does not look cake-y, nor does it look too orange-y.  It's not glittery.  It doesn't settle into fine lines.   

I've watched some tutorials from other bloggers (no one in particular) as well as Laura Geller herself, and I've learned how to use the product as my concealer, highlighter, and bronzer.  You simply use the color in the marbled swirl that is required.  Yellow corrects redness, lighter beige tends to highlight, the darkest color in the marbling will act as a shadow or bronzer.  When all are mixed together, you will get full coverage for your skin overall. 

Hair:  Over the last few years I've used one shampoo product, Not Your Mother's.  Currently I'm using the one I've linked to but I've tried various other of their products.  My hair is short and thin.  Daily shampooing is definitely out for me these days.  I've managed to wean my hair off the need to be shampooed daily and now shampoo about twice a week.  In between shampoos, I either use a dry shampoo product (nothing in particular to share at present) or I simply dampen my hair, rub dry with a towel and then blow dry to ensure my hair looks styled.  I hate to say styled, because these days I do very little styling and don't use any styling product.

The product is more expensive than Suave or some of the other products, but I'll say right now that I've had fewer bumps and sores on my scalp.  We could never use the really cheap products anyway, because they don't play nice with our naturally soft water.  They tend to clog drains here.   I will say that typically an 8-ounce bottle lasts me about a year.

On the occasions when I feel my hair needs extra conditioning, I will apply a coat of any hair conditioner I have on hand and let it soak in for a few minutes, followed by shampooing.  In winter if my hair gets terribly fly away and dry, a wee bit of coconut oil rubbed between my palms and gently smoothed over my hair works just fine without making my hair appear oily.

Is my skin and hair picture perfect these days?  Not quite but it definitely has improved.  My hair is healthier than it's been in years.  The skin on my arms is not crepey as long as I moisturize daily.  Skip one day and I see it immediately in the texture of my skin.  If anything could convince me, I was doing something right it's the appearance of my skin when I don't do it!

My facial skin is finer textured once more, and the dark spots are fading.  It's not dramatically different but they are definitely lighter and that's an improvement.  The lines I mentioned earlier actually have a name as I discovered in watching an older makeup artist, nasal fascia lines and the best way to decrease those is the subtle use of a concealer.  

I hope that you find solutions to skin care issues you've had in reading about my methods and the products I use.  I suggest strongly that you research and study and watch YouTube videos as I've done and try new products to determine what works for your skin.  I confess, I'm cautious about products and generally am not going to use a very expensive item simply because I want what I'm using to work with the budget I have to live on.  

Let me know if you have a favorite product and what skin care issue it has helped you improve.