Summer Line Up

 

I have such a love hate relationship with the sun. There is nothing better than its warm soft rays on bare skin in these summer months, but the lines in my face and the spots on my arms remind me of its ugly side. With not a lot of time each morning, I need easy products to moisturizer, cover and correct easily. Here is my morning routine. 

1. Splash face with cold water. I heard about this from Giada and she looks pretty damn good. 

2. I mix a couple of drops of Vitamin C serum with Kate Sommerville Serum Sunscreen and slather on. This is the lightest, non-greasy sunscreen I have tried. I add a little more Vitamin C because why not? (the Sommerville serum can be hard to find, this Super Goop option is a good one too)

3. Dab on a little Kinerase C8 Peptide Under Eye Treatment. This can be used day and night and seems to have tightened things up a bit. 

4. I squirt one pump of Make Up For Ever HD Foundation into a scoop of Algenist Regenerative Anti-Aging Moisturizer. It gives me just enough coverage to not have to wear anything else and keeps my skin moisturized all day without being oily. The Algenist was a great find I was talked into by a woman at Sephora, I am on my second pot which says a lot because of my product hoarding problem. 

If I am lucky, I have time for my 3 minute make up routine, but most days I skip that. Feeling a bit more confident in my skin these days since the hormonal acne has calmed down after babies and these products seem to actually be doing the work they claim to do. Shocking. ha 

What do you swear by in the summer? Would love to hear. 

xo

Erin 

Retinol Remedy

As someone who is over 30 and well on her way to regretting every minute I spent in the sun (and tanning bed! yuck), I am always searching for the best ways to reverse all the bad I did. Serums and potions line my bathroom counter like soldiers fighting a war on the front line. Or at least my forehead lines. And though I do not know the secret to erasing anything, I have been following the simple advice of sunscreen all day, retinol at night. Have you tried retinol yet? 

I was prescribed it in the form of Ziana for my acne (is there anything worse than trying to fight wrinkles and acne? Somehow it feels super unfair), but have been trying other over the counter formulas. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that has shown to regenerate cells, smooth lines, fade dark marks, and prevent new ones. 

And because I am such a sucker for a celebrity endorsement, my latest retinol experiment comes straight from the recommendation of Miss Jessica Alba.  Her favorite facialist, Shani Darden, has developed a retinol serum to wear at night. Resurface by Shani Darden. After stalking Alba's perfect skin, I had to try it. 

This product contains lactic acid as well, which helps keep your skin moisturized and makes it more possible for people with sensitive skin to use it. Retinol can be hard on your skin, many experience redness, so you should start using any retinol sparingly and work up to every night. I do not even use it every night, giving my skin a break a couple times a week. 

I highly recommend this retinol. It is pricey, not going to lie, but worth it for the punch it packs. The day after using it things always look a bit better and brighter. 

If you are looking for something from the drugstore, try Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Night Moisturizer. Really fantastic, has retinol in it, and works on all your skin problems all at once. 

What retinol products have you used that you love? You know I will go out and buy it immediately. ha

xo

Erin