Adrien: Can I Talk About My Face?

You guys. I am sorry to tell you this but when you hit your 40s things start...changing. In the last year my skin has started to develop lines where there were no lines and I've lately had some bad hyperpigmentation spots. To add insult to injury, I've also had weird breakouts - tiny baby pimples that I think were caused by Nars Light Reflecting powder (my skin does not like this stuff) and by not washing my face correctly.

I will pause while you eye-roll that last bit and compel you to read this. Oh, and this. I'll wait.

Is your head exploding? Are you DOING IT ALL WRONG? I was definitely doing some of it wrong. A few years back I stopped washing my face in the morning because I thought it was contributing to my skin's dryness. Now I realize I was contributing to it's pollution. I'm also guilty of washing my face in the shower, splashing dirty water back up on my face, etc. Doing it all wrong.

So, I read Hiron's routine that I linked above and I thought, why not try it? What do I have to lose? I had most of the products already, I just wasn't using them daily. I actually typed out an embarrassing cheat sheet because it's a lot:

A.M.

• Cleanse (I use CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser)
• Exfoliating/Tone (I skip this because my skin doesn't love over-exfoliation)
• Spray hydrate (I use Avene Thermal Spring Water)
• Eye cream (I use Boots No7 Protect & Perfect)
• Serum/Oils (I use Skinceuticals Serum 10 AOX+*)
• Moisturizer (I use CeraVe AM, sometimes with a little jojoba oil first.)
• SPF (My moisturizer has SPF and I just CANNOT with another step)

P.M.

• Oil Cleanser/Makeup remover (I use DHC Cleansing Oil. Love this stuff.)
• Gel/Balm Cleanser (I use Cerave Hydrating Cleanser)
• Exfoliating/Tone (I use Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads once a week. They're magical.)
• Spray hydrate (I use Avene Thermal Spring Water)
• Eye cream (I use Peter Thomas Roth Laser-Free Resurfacing Eye Serum )
• Treatments (I alternate Brad Essential Elixir Multi-Peptide serum and RoC Deep Wrinkle Serum.)
• Moisturizer (I use a few drops of jojoba oil mixed with CeraVe PM)

Supplements: 

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids (mine are from Trader Joe's)
• Rainbow Light Women's One
• Rainbow Light Nail, Hair & Skin Connection

It sounds like a lot and it IS a lot but once you start doing it daily it goes really fast and I actually look forward to the ritual of taking care of my skin. And you know what? In the two weeks I've been doing this my skin looks quite a bit better. Not crazy better, but better. Here is a horrifying photo of me with no makeup:

Room for improvement.

And here's what I look like with a face-load of makeup. Apparently I need more help in the under-eye area. Baby steps.

Yay makeup! Lip color is Stila Color Balm in Ali.

I do take some of Caroline Hiron's advice with a grain of salt because she's in the industry and has access to lots and lots and  LOTS of products, many of which she gets free. However, she is pretty no-nonsense about what you need to do to have nice skin and this really jumped out at me:

Spend your money on supplements, skincare, foundation and concealer and scrimp on the rest. You will look fabulous.

I do use some drugstore skincare but I think there's something to spending more on better quality products. If you don't have perfect skin, don't be afraid to throw a little money at it. Just do your research first. 

* I bought the Skinceuticals Serum as a preventative to future sun damage. The jury is still out because this is not an instant change kinda product, but so far I am happy.