Skin Care: What I use

I thought it would be fun to post about my skin regime and what products I use.  I few years ago I started on Dermalogica products after I had a facial at a beauty salon.

Since I have lupus, my skin is super sensitive and I am wary of trying new products.  I wanted to try and switch to more natural products a few years ago but that experiment ended up in disaster.  One of the products I tried, Rose hip Oil, (which is supposedly excellent for skin as it contains retinol and Vitamin C) gave me a rash that lasted almost 3 weeks and was horrid.  I really wanted it to work but had to give up and went back to my trusted Dermalogica products. I'm done experimenting with new stuff unless I get samples as it's expensive and doesn't always yield desirable results for me.

Exfoliating: Daily Microfoliant

As the name suggests, you can use this every day and I have done so in the past, but these days I usually use it every 2-3 days.  It's a very gentle exfoliant; it's almost like a dust when it comes out of the container but you mix it with water and it forms a thick paste.  When you rub it on your face, it doesn't really feel grainy at all, but I do find it equally if not more effective than the more granulated exfoliants.

Cleansing: Dermal Clay Cleanser

Next step is cleansing.  I use the Dermal Clay Cleanser which is good for slightly oily or combination skin. I find now in my 30's my skin is leaning more toward "normal" and less combination.  The product has a fresh minty fragrance and cleanses without drying the skin at all.

Moisturising: Sheer Tint Moisturiser with SPF 15

Final step is my moisturiser.  I love this moisturiser! I purchase the tinted stuff in the medium tint and I don't have to use foundation at all.  The untinted stuff is lovely as well.  I think it has something in the cream that makes your skin sparkle so it gives it a glowy look.

To remove my make up at night, especially around the eyes, I use Dr. Hauschka cream cleanser.  I find it better than a make up remover because you don't have to use tissue or cotton pads to remove.  I just rub it on, massage the skin and rinse with water.  No pulling of the eye area therefore less chance of wrinkles!

When I remember, I try and use an eye cream, Dermalogica's Intensive Eye Cream.  My container is nearly finished so I'm going to try something new next time.

I'm currently on the look out for a new night cream. I tried Olay's Regenerist product but it gave me a mild rash and made my skin feel sensitive.  Luckily the product wasn't too expensive.

Once a week, on Sunday I give myself a mini facial.  I exfoliate, cleanse and the apply a face mask. Once I'm done my skin feels like a babies bottom and it just looks so fresh and bright.

Well, that's pretty much it! I find a huge difference in my skin if I'm lax with my skin care regime so I try and stay on top of it.

One big tip I do have, that doesn't cost anything is facial massage.  If you're starting to get the angry line in between the brows and the forehead lines, regular self massage does wonders.  Think about it: people get botox to temporarily paralyze muscles so that the lines relax and almost disappear.  The muscle in this case is the cause of the wrinkles. If you massage the muscle, it releases the tension and the lines become less prominent.  I'm not sure if it would work on people that already have deep wrinkles, but it certainly works for wrinkles that are just starting to come in.  The trick is to start when you are young so that they don't become established and create permanent lines.  Try it!

Anyone have any tips or suggestions for skin care products?  Especially stuff that stops you from getting old? :-P