Hello Y’all!! I hope you have had a great week so far and you are looking forward to the weekend. I guess we aren’t out of the freeze just yet but I decided to  do a half hour lunch and take a nice walk. I discovered a Mediterranean cafe tucked in the corner of a building that I have walked by for almost a year without noticing; I’m already making plans to check it out. 😀

I was thinking to myself, ‘January isn’t over and I have pretty much riveted back to my usual skincare routine…which is ‘skincare at my convenience’. A friend of mine suggested using a combination of natural oils to remove my makeup which I think is a great idea but imagine me jumping off my couch at 2.00am after a late night or dozing off while trying to keep up with some late night TV show – then repeat that suggestion again – that would be an epic fail 😀 Having a skincare regimen that works shouldn’t be hard to keep up with and in my bid to kick old habits, I came up with what I would call  a basic skincare regimen that A-N-Y-O-N-E can follow and I’m sharing these basic to do items that will work with any skin type. These items range from grocery store brands to high end cosmetic lines depending on what your preference is. 😀

A Doable Skincare Regimen – 101

Clay Mask. Helps unclog your pores. Twice a month works great but if you’re out and about a lot, you might need to use it more often. There are so many products on the market from Queen Helen clay mask that are  more affordable to high end products like La Prairie masks.

A Gentle Astringent. Products that do not contain alcohol are best. Trust me, your skin will thank you for it a couple of years down the line.Witch Hazel is an amazing product!

An Eye Cream. With so many serums and instant result creams out there, I tend to go the organic route. Burt’s and Bees has an eye cream that works and has non of the scary ingredients in it. Use it twice a day.

Eye Makeup Remover. Having tried so many brands that claim to remove ‘ALL’ of your eye makeup. I’ve been disappointed to still find those mascara induced smudges you see first thing in the morning. But I was a little surprised to find a product that actually worked – Avon Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion!

Lip Balm. Brands from EOS, Blistex work great. A friend gifted me with a Cinnamint Lip Balm by Young Living Essential Oils that’s also very good. Thanks M. 😀

Mineral Peel. I cannot stress how important this is for your skin. If you are in your late twenties and up, I would recommend you try this at least once a month. Being out everyday coupled with daily makeup application plus all the toxic metals in our environment; you need a gentle mineral peel regimen that gets rid of the dead skin cells and help resurface new skin. I would recommend Avani mineral peel products because they are gentle, natural and affordable but if you would prefer high end lines, Vine Vera mineral peel works equally well.

Face Wash. I always go with any products that are gentle on the skin.

A Water Based Body Lotion. Water needs to be the major ingredient. Be on the look out for products that have collagen in them. The older we get, the more collagen we need to maintain the firm texture of our skin.

Sauna. One of the best ways to unclog and detox your whole body at once. I try to make it a habit to sauna after a swim. I can’t recommend a specific time frame (30 minutes – 1 hour) for a sauna session because our skin reach different breaking points -where we begin to sweat after being exposed to hot air – at different times.

Wipes. Organic, oil free, unscented baby wipes – yes I said baby wipes – work great! 😀

A go-to Homemade Facial. Take a peek in your kitchen cabinets and I can guarantee that the possibilities for a good facial are endless! 😀 We all have different skin types and varying levels of sensitivity to products, so please pay attention to your skin. Feel free to let me know what skincare regimen items work well for you. 😀 Until I come your way again next time, its ciao for now!

Periwinkle Starr