My Skincare by Mary Kay

I confess that when I first started exploring the world of cosmetics and skin care products as a pre-teen, Mary Kay was not a brand I thought of for myself. It was the brand my mom and grandma used.  While my adult self now sees that as clear evidence of what quality products they are.  Generations of women have used these great products, and I'm part of that sorority as well now.  

The company is always trying to provide us with the latest technological advancements in skin care (as we're all our quest for the fountain of youth in a bottle), and here I'm sharing my favorites that are part of my daily routine.

My daily skincare routine is essentially as follows:

Morning:

1. Rinse face with warm water only (usually just in the shower.)
2. Apply TimeWise Repair® Volu-Firm® Day Cream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, pat into skin.  As you know, you should always wear sunscreen.  This cream is very hydrating but not greasy, and absorbs quickly.
3. Apply TimeWise Repair® Volu-Firm® Eye Renewal Cream.  The tip is a smooth metal applicator that glides on your skin and keeps you from tugging at the delicate eye area. I usually pat with my ring fingers just to get it all absorbed before makeup.
4. Stay tuned for a future post of my cosmetics routine.

Evening:

1. Wash face with Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser. It's called 3-in-1 because it cleanses, exfoliates and tones in one step.  I use the oily skin formula, even thought my skin isn't very oily, because I like the lather. It is not drying.  It washes away so clean, leaves no residue.  Has a very light, clean scent.
2. Remove eye make-up with Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.  This is THE BEST. If you only ever try one MK product, this is the one.  I don't think there has ever been a person that tried this that didn't love it, nor a waterproof eye makeup that it couldn't remove.  It is safe for all skin types, won't hurt your eyes, and removes EVERYTHING without any tugging or rubbing.  
3.  Apply TimeWise Repair® Volu-Firm® Lifting Serum, followed by TimeWise Repair® Volu-Firm® Night Treatment With Retinol. Pat into skin. These are the real anti-wrinkle heavy hitters.  The lifting serum is very luxurious feeling, but absorbs well and feels light.  In all the TimeWise Repair® products is the patent-pending Volu-Firm® Complex, a perfect union of three ingredients that work to restore the look of youthful volume and vibrancy.

Special Treatments: alternating nights, I do nightly masks before my Evening product application: the Timewise Moisture Renewing Gel Mask, and the Timewise Even Complexion Mask.  Tuesdays and Thursdays, I do the Even Complexion mask. Monday, Wednesday, Friday I do the Gel Mask.  

The Mary Kay skin care lines are formulated to work with each other, but they also work just as well incorporated in a skin care regiment with other brand products (I use other brands as well. Mary Kay is my staple though.)  The Timewise Repair product line is designed to fight the signs of aging, but they have great products for acne treatment, dry skin, etc.  I use the Repair line because I figure prevention is easier than correction.  

If you're interested in trying any of these products for yourself, click the links in the text above, or click here to let me know which and I'll share a 25% off discount with you.  (Click here too if you're interested in becoming an MK Consultant yourself, and always having a great discount on their products!)  I wanted to use MK all the time, so I became a consultant years ago (but I'm a terrible sales woman, and basically just sell to myself and family, because I never promote myself anywhere else!)  All MK products come with a money-back guarantee, so if you don't like it, you can return with no hassle.

Beauty Splurge - but worth it

In an effort to de-clutter and reduce waste, I told my husband that I wouldn't buy any more make-up/hair products until I had used up what I already had. (I know what you're thinking, because I would too reading this: HA! Yeah, right!)  For some background, I'm definitely not a compulsive product buyer.  But I'm a Birchbox subscriber, which gives me sample size products to try every month (which I don't always use up before the next month's arrival), and I'm always on the hunt for the best products to suit my hair and skin needs (come on, aren't we all?)  That's one of the reasons I do Birchbox, so I can try products without the full price commitment.  And that is how I came to love the product I'm going to rave about here.

I have several skin issues that I want to address with my face products, as I think we all do (though different for each.) I was currently using an SPF moisturizer, an eye cream, an anti-aging serum, a brightening product (damn you, pregnancy dark spots) and face primer every morning before make-up.  Why can't I get one cream that does everything?  Enter Mereadesso All-In-One Moisturizer.

This came to me in a Birchbox sample, which was actually their travel size and is available for purchase.  The little travel size last me a month, at least.  I have never been happier with my skin than I was when using this product.

Mèreadesso's simple one-step moisturizer also functions as a serum, primer, and eye cream. With benefits ranging from redness reduction to anti-aging properties, this multi-tasker is tailor-made to streamline your routine, all while nourishing skin with a host of natural enzymes and antioxidants.  It is an aloe-based gel which contains 16 botanical extracts, 8 enzymes and minerals, and over 20 antioxidants chosen for their purity and effectiveness—adding up to one powerful product. A combination of caffeine and apple and cucumber extracts contributes to the all-in-one moisturizer’s refreshing cooling and tightening sensation.

The main thing missing for me was SPF protection, which was easily remedied via my foundation (SPF Mineral Powder foundation.) 

The product absorbed quickly and provided the perfect base for my powder foundation, and I felt like the primer qualities really helped keep my make-up looking fresh all day.  It didn't settle into my pores as the day progressed, as can often be the case.

Now this is pricier than what I normally spend on products, but when you consider that it replaces more than 3 of my other products, and just the travel size lasts me over a month, buying the full size isn't really costing me more over the run of the bottle.

Rarely do I find products that I LOVE, but this was one of them. So I wanted to share.

What are your favorite multi-purpose products?
 

3 Body Parts You're Probably Forgetting About

I think the first product I remember using as I a pre-teen starting in on my evolving skin care journey was Noxzema.  Good ol' Classis Noxzema. As my skin (aka hormones) changed as I grew, I tried various other products for various skin issues: breakouts, oiliness, blackheads, etc.  It unfortunately wasn't until college (after the years in high school out on the track field in the sun everyday) that I started wearing SPF every day on my face, which I of course continue regularly today, along with my current collection of anti-aging products.

But all the time the products were about my face.  I did use body lotion on my arms and legs, but pretty much I took for granted all the skin from my chin down.  But that is a mistake.  All of our skin is aging together, and needs attention to keep it at its best.  It may not be as common everywhere else, but in LA it's not hard to find a mature woman with a youthfully taught face (courtesy likely some Dr. in the 90210), but then the deep lines and sag in her neck, and the spots on her forearms and back of her hands give her true age away.

The following 3 body parts need our attention as much as our crows feet and smile lines to help them age well:

1. Your Neck

From your chin all the way down to your chest.  This area is actually delicate, and suffers the same effects from sun exposure as your face does.  And while most of use will not likely turn to cosmetic procedures to reverse the signs of aging, even if we did, there are not as many options available for the damage to the décolletage.  You will be very unhappy if you've managed to keep your face sun-spot free, only to have your chest covered in them.

What you should do: While it will likely cause you to go through your facial products faster, you should be applying all the same products from your chest up.  Your anti-wrinkle products and your SPF products.  Or you can use separate products specifically designed for those areas, but at a minimum you should moisturize and use an SPF everyday.  And you should apply all products in an upward motion - there's no point in using an anti-aging firming product if you're only going to drag the skin down with your pulling while applying.

2. The Backs of Your Hands

This is one of the first places to show signs of aging.  Depending on your skin type and the frequency with which you wash your hands, you may or may not apply hand lotion regularly.  I have a toddler and hand washing is a frequent event for me, so my hands get dry.  There's always a lotion on my desk and in my purse.  While moisture is important, the main thing most people neglect with their hands is the SPF.  Like the skin of our necks and chest, the skin on the backs of our hands is more delicate than many other places.  The backs are unlike the palms of our hands, which we are constantly using and therefore have constant cell-turnover.  Additionally, if you spend any amount of time driving a car, then your hands on the steering wheel are getting harmful sun exposure while most of the rest of you is shaded in the car.

What you should do:  Exfoliate weekly or bi-weekly, and apply SPF often.  The hard thing about your hands is that they get washed more frequently than the rest of your body. So if you put sunscreen on in the morning, the next time you wash your hands you're back at square one.  The thing is to find a hand lotion with sunscreen in it, and use it after every wash.  I also keep a travel size sunscreen in my car console and apply a layer to the back of my hands on especially sunny days.

3. Your Feet

Sure, we get pedicures weekly (or monthly, if we're lucky), and they use callous remover and scrubs.  But on a daily basis, our feet go through a lot and need daily TLC to keep the dry heel crack from becoming a permanent foot trait.  Although if you wear a lot of open shoes and are in a sunny region, the tops of your feet need sun protection as well. This is often forgotten.

What you should do:  It's really all about the moisture with the feet skin.  In the morning, right after your shower, or at least 10 minutes before you put shoes on, apply lotion.  At night is when you can do a deep moisture treatment if you're so inclined: using a more intense formula, apply before bed then sleep with socks on.  Your feet will stay soft between pedicures, and likely your callouses won't be as noticeable.  While you can buy specific foot lotions, this is where I like to use up those travel and sample sized lotions that I don't like for any other part of my body. (I'm currently using up some Body Shop Body Butter that was just too fragrant for use closer to my nose.)