S K I N
If you’re like me, dealing with your skin is like being in a poly-relationship. It takes a lot of trial and error, communication, patience and regular ole spoiling to makeup. There’s Margaret, who’s miserable during the winter time but can be won over by a facial and raw shea butter massages. Then there’s Eva, who never has a dull moment and actually needs to take chill pill some days. There are a lot of things I am learning about my skin, especially being in my almost-mid-twenties. So, if you wanna hear how I satisfy two women at once, scroll through the carousel above, follow the steps below and find the adjacent links to products I swear by.
FIRST of all, I usually wear makeup. If you hate it, move. If you love it, welcome to the club sis. Over here, we do sleep in our makeup sometimes. Why am I telling you this? Because the next time we get to go outside, I’ll probably stay out late and break the rules and not wipe my makeup off before bed. If I DO feel like removing my makeup I start with something oil based, to help loosen up all the product (because baby, Morphe and Airspun do not play about setting my face honey). I use this bomb vanilla coconut shea body scrub on my face, to gently scrub the makeup to the surface. Then, I’ll take a makeup wipe and make it do what it do.
STEP TWO: Exfoliate while using my tea tree facial wash. Tea tree oil is particularly special and helps me prevent frequent pimple breakouts that surprise me around my hairline. It pretty much sucks out bacteria from any impurity on my skin. Bumps/pimples pop up as a result of the oils I use or naturally develop in my hair. Fun times. Try to keep your hair from breaking off and that’s how it repays you - trash. Anywho, my cheeks hate me. They develop dry patches year round, usually due to not having the proper moisturizer. Once upon a time, I thought exfoliating till the death was the solution. Turns out, it’s just the first step (and I’m STILL not sure I should exfoliate everyday, but I don’t). So, I exfoliate with my Vanity Planet Spinny Brush then do
STEP THREE, I apply a face mask that further moisturizes but cleanses my pores. Now that the dead skin is gone, it’s easier for the mask to do its job. Feel me? I let that sit for however long it takes to completely dry (because it does peel), then i gently pick at it, starting at my forehead and pull downward. I pull in this direction because when I get to my nose, I notice that blackheads and/or hairs of any kind point in that direction and it just makes sense to do that. Like, if you get waxed, you can understand. It’s the same concept. Wax in one direction, pull in the other.
STEP FOUR: Tone, tone, tone. No, this is not a reboot of one of the hotted 90’s R&B groups, it’s what I do to make sure every single thing has been removed from my face. Your toner is like your mom when she told you to dust the living room table, and later she comes around to swipe it with her finger to make sure it’s all gone. Yeah- toner’s the micromanager of skincare (Lol).
Then the FINAL STEP is to glaze that donut honey! Grease your skin up with shea butter, or whatever your favorite moisturizer is. I’m about to try jojoba oil, which I have learned is much better for my dry patches, than marula oil.
Well, that’s it for my simple skincare routine. I do most of these steps in the morning, except I don’t exfoliate (unless of course I didn’t the night before)I genuinely enjoy this time because it’s super peaceful and it’s just nice to spoil myself. Skincare is definitely a form of self-care and if you’re neglecting that “small” part of yourself, you’re probably neglecting something else just as important- YOU! Take care of yourselves, and take special care of that skin.
Xoxo, richelle k.
(all links below)
