What's the bare minimum you should do for your skin?

What's first? Well, I know...it's completely obvious, but you GOTTA have a good cleanser. Oil, dirt, makeup, pollutants....everything that you walk through and do on a daily basis effects your face. Failure to cleanse your face will lead to pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, oil and dirt buildup..just to name a few. The key to finding the perfect cleanser is to be gentle, yet effective. I use to want to find the most exfoliating wash I could and use it twice a day...little did I know that I was actually doing more harm than good by OVER exfoliating and actually potentially damaging my skin. All you need to accomplish with your cleanser....is to CLEAN your face! Search and find one that works best for your skin type and desires.

Next? You might be quick to jumping to toner....but, in my opinion you would be wrong! The next MOST important basic is to moisturize! Yes ladies and gents....that EVEN includes us acne prone individuals. Again something I use to completely steer clear of! Back in my teenage years.....early 90's....it was understood and seemed to be common knowledge that if you were acne prone...then stay away from moisturizers (at least this was the recommendation of my then dermatologist). This logic is primarily incorrect. There is a VERY small percentage of adults who will not need to moisturize, the rest of us WILL benefit from just a small pea-sized dollop of moisturizer (you may just want to search for an oil-free). Benefits that are typically immediately noticeable!

The last step is something we ALL have heard of and MOST already do....but get yourself a good sunscreen! Sun damage is the #1 cause of wrinkles and obviously the source for sun spots. Adding a sunscreen NOW will save your face YEARS of aging in the future. Just make it part of your daily routine. Heck....make it easy on yourself and get a moisturizer sunscreen or take it a LAZY step further (this is completely me by the way) and purchase a tinted moisturizer with SPF! You can wash your face and put 1 product on and be ready for your day AND already have your foundation for your makeup. My personal fave is Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15. The ONLY issue with this is that you REALLY should use an SPF 30 on your face...so I usually top it with Colorescience Pro Sunforgettable SPF 50 Powder.

Whelp, there you have it! My 3 Let's Get Back to Skin Basics recommendations. This week we will be doing a sale PERFECT for this blog. You can receive 15% OFF cleansers, moisturizers, and cleaning accessories (Clarisonics, facial brushes) by using code WINTER15 at checkout.

Until next time....stay tuned and stay beautiful!!