What's On My Face (A Beauty Post, People)

The beauty routine you see here is something that has been the product of many years of trial and error. I've gone the flashy route before, toying with expensive products with pretty packaging and runway worthy logos, and I've also gone the drugstore route. The sweet spot is really in the middle, where you're not spending a fortune and where you're not just wasting your money on what are ultimately cheap products. Behold Kiehl's — the friendly middle-of-the-road, no-perfumes, no-dyes, no-frills, decades long reputation of a beauty brand. I like their stuff because it just works. It does what is says. It's not promising magic and I appreciate the brand's realness.

My routine starts with the morning moisturizer, followed by a sheer SPF liquid over that. Kiehl's makes a great one, but I just so happen to be out of it and don't want to be wasteful, hence the Neutrogena liquid — which is also great. 75 SPF may seem excessive, but sun damage is the quickest way to wrinkles, people. And even city exposure, or even cloudy days, have a cumulative effect on your skin. Plus, it only takes a second, so just do it, ok?  If I'm headed to work I like to dab a couple drops of foundation. I like Lancome, but that's another post. A more makeup-ey type post. Let's skip to the night time. At night, I wash my face with the Ultra Facial Cleanser. I love this stuff. I removes everything on my face, including mascara. I don't do waterproof mascara on a daily basis, which makes removing the regular stuff easy with the cleanser. I used to hate washing my face because it left my skin feeling so dry, but this stuff is gentle. Use good products and follow the instructions. That's pretty much what it takes to have nice skin. Follow the rinsing with the Ultra Facial Toner on a cotton ball and you should be nice and squeaky clean. The toner essentially removes every smudge of makeup that might be left behind by the cleanser. Pad your beautiful clean skin dry and you're ready for the next step: moisture.

Any time you get out of the shower or wash your face you need to replenish the moisture on your skin. The same thing goes for your body, but let's just keep this post extra simply by focusing on your face and neck. I use the Ultra Facial Moisturizer and then layer on a 2-3 drops of the Midnight Recovery Serum  at night. Disclosure: this serum is fantastic when my skin is being a problem child, with patchy dry spots or annoying breakouts. My skin is happy in the morning whenever I use it. I don't use it all the time, since it can make my skin oily if I use it day after day, so just use it when you feel like you need it. Maybe once or twice a week.

Final step is the Abyssine Eye Cream and a dab of their Lip Balm #1. It seems like a lot when you write it all out, but I promise you it's easy and worth it. And don't take my word for it, buy a mini kit of all this stuff and try it out yourself. What works for me may not work for you. You can get a mini Kiehl's kit here.

Other essential tips for great skin? Don't pick at your face. This is key. When I am stressed out it's so easy to assume control of a situation by taking it out on your face. Just don't. It makes your skin irritated and you will have a hard time covering up the damage. Be nice to my face. Oh, and drink lots of water.