Neutrogena Oil Free Facial Moisturizer

I just had to share my new moisturizer! I have been shopping for a new face moisturizer for awhile now. I was pretty happy with my Lumene and Own moisturizers but ran out and wanted something I could pick up locally. The Own  moisturizer was making my face feel a bit oily now that it is starting to heat up outside as well. The facial care aisle at Target is intimidating to say the least. There are SO MANY products. It is crazy. I was looking for oil free moisturizers and found this one by Neutrogena. I stacked two coupons and ended up paying around $6 for this. Regular price is $9.99.  I have been using this for about a month now and I can say I really like it. The moisturizer packaging is ingenious. It is in a pump bottle that dispenses the exact amount you need. I like this because I tend to squeeze or pour out too much moisturizer and end up wasting it. I also like the formula quite a bit. It soaks into the skin in a matter of seconds, it is oil free and has a SPF of 15. My face has adjusted to it well, I did not have any breakouts or transitional reactions to this moisturizer. Overall I am really happy with this moisturizer.

Have you tried Oil Free Moisture by Neutrogena? If so, what did you think?


Thanks for reading,

I edit all my photo's using PicMonkey! Go check them out!

The Skin Regime by Dana Ramos

Please note that the book and products were sent to me for review purposes

 I had the chance to read and try out "The Skin Regime" recently and I wanted to share my experience and opinions with you all. The Skin Regime is a book written by Dana Ramos, who at 52 years old has gorgeous youthful skin. In her book she shares her skin care journey and how at 52 her skin looks better than when she was much younger. She developed what she calls " The Skin Regime". This book breaks down the walls and explains the difference between high and low priced skin care products and how little it actually takes to have glowing and youthful skin. This book contains a wealth of knowledge in regards to skin and caring for it.

The author Dana says "The Skin Regime; Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin- tells the truth about beauty products and skin care, explaining why most products are junk and a huge waste of time and money. Direct and humorous, my book instructs how to create a personalized regime based on products and advice most dermatologists recommend for their patients. The truly skin-transforming ingredients really work and the book teaches you how to find and use "peel" treatments like medical spas and doctors use--for a fraction of the cost, safely and easily".
   
Dana sent me the book and one glycolic acid peel. I read the book in about a day and was super pumped to try out the regime. There was a handful of low priced items that I had to purchase to use with the glycolic peel such as face wash and lotion . After doing one peel and using the products suggested in the book I can say my skin is looking better. I definitely see an improvement in pore size and texture of my skin. I am really excited and pleased at this point so I am going to start the full 8 week regime early June and I will blog before and after pictures and my opinion on the full regime once I am finished with it. The Skin Regime has a very informative website with a lot before and after pictures. Make sure you check it out! If you wish to purchase your own book, it is available on Amazon along with quite a few reviews on the book.

Giveaway time!

One lucky follower will win

The Skin Regime book and one glycolic acid peel!

Thank you so much for supplying the great prizes Dana!

How to Enter:

You must do all 3 steps to enter. Once you have done all three, comment ENTER along with your email address below.

1. You must be a FOLLOWER of this blog via Google Friend Connect 

2. You must LIKE The Skin Regime Facebook page

3. Go check out The Skin Regime website ( I am just trusting you on this one. BE HONEST)

 Extra Entries:
3. Follow The Skin Regime on Twitter. ( Comment Twitter along with your email address below)
4. Subscribe to The Skin Regime on You Tube ( Comment You Tube along with your email address below)
5. Share the link to this giveaway anywhere! Each place you share counts as one entry ( Comment with a link back to where you shared along with your email address below)

Please post extra entries separate or they will be counted as one entry. Include your email address with every entry so that you may be contacted if you win.

Giveaway ends Sunday, June 2nd



I edit all my photo's using PicMonkey! Go check them out!

Yes To Blueberries Smoothing Cleanser

What is it?  95% natural ingredient cream cleanser for your face.

 How much is it? This retails for between $11 and $9. I paid $5 by buying it at Rite Aid and getting a $5 up rewards.

Where to buy it? Ulta, Drug Stores, Target and www.yestocarrots.com

 What is it supposed to do? This milk-based gentle facial cleanser will make you say YES to a fresh face. A gentle start to your skincare regimen, this cleanser is formulated with apple, rich in powerful anti-oxidants and natural alpha-hydroxy acids to help refresh and brighten skin; and lemon peel, a naturally derived cleanser to help sweep away dirt and grime and brighten the skin.

 What does it ACTUALLY do? This made my face feel VERY soft and moisturized. My face did not really feel refreshed and I did not notice it being brighter. It felt like I washed my face with lotion and no cleanser which I am not a fan of. I like my face to feel moisturized but clean after using a face wash. This cleanser reminded me of why I hated cream cleansers in the past.

 Overall thoughts? I only bought this because with the my Rite Aid rewards card it cost $5. I normally buy Say Yes To Carrots cream cleanser for $8 and it is SO MUCH better. I have been using this for over a week and my face is responding to it well. It looks hydrated and smooth but I cant get over the greasy, dirty feeling I have right after washing. I would not buy this cleanser again but would try other items from the Say Yes To Blueberries line.

Have you tried this cleanser? If so what did you think?

Thanks for reading,

My skin care routine unveiled!

   Quite a few people ask me about my skin care routine and what I am using. My skin has undergone such an improvement over the last year so I thought I would share. This is MY routine and obviously will not work for everyone. I still like to try out new things here and there but for the most part I stick with the same weekly routine. I have combination skin, my chin and around my mouth tend to be very dry and my cheeks and forehead tend to be oily.

Morning -
  After I wake up I wash my face using a cream cleanser. Normally I use Say Yes To Carrots cream cleanser but for the last month I have been using Own Rejuvenating Cleanser. I used to hate cream cleansers because they did not foam up when washing. I related bubbles with clean. It took awhile but I noticed some great results in my skin from using Say Yes To Carrots cream cleanser. I prefer it over the Own cleanser only because the formula is a bit more creamy and I like the scent better.

Then I usually will do an eye cream. I will use either Lumene Time Freeze Firming Eye Cream or Own Lifting Eye Cream. Both are very nice formulas. I do not have a lot of wrinkling around my eyes yet, ( THANK YOU LORD) so I feel like these creams are helping prevent them.

Then I moisturize using Own Anti-Aging Broad Spectrum Dual Protecting SPF30 Day Lotion. Before this I was just using a generic Olay lotion which seemed to do a decent job. I really like this new lotion by Own because it goes on smoothly and sinks into my face without feeling heavy or greasy.

Bedtime -
  Before I go to bed I wash my makeup off and my face at the same time using Neutrogena Fresh Foaming cleanser. I am in LOVE with this cleanser. I apply a dime size amount to my hands and that is all I need to get all of my makeup off. Even the black gel liner and mascara. I gently rub my face and eyes and it comes right off. I have heard that using an all in one cleanser like this can be bad for your eye skin because it is overly drying. I personally find it better for eye skin because you are not tugging, rubbing or pulling to get your eye makeup removed. As long as you use a good eye moisturizer you will be fine.

Then I add my eye cream again either Lumene Time Freeze Firming Eye Cream or Own Lifting Eye Cream.After that I like to use a lifting or tightening serum. I use either Lumene Instant Lift Serum or Own Firming Silk Concentrate. I prefer the formula of the Own Firming Silk Concentrate. It goes on a bit more slippery then Lumene and makes my face feel great by the time I wake in the morning.

After that I do a final moisturizing using either Lumene Firming Cream or Own Refining Hydrating Night Cream. 

Weekly Additions-
I use my Clarisonic Mia with a cream cleanser normally 3-5 times a week. I truly believe the Clarisonic is what keeps my face looking it's best. My skin has improved SO much since using it.

Once a week I use the Dermaroller along with a Hyaluronic Acid sheet mask. I swear by the Dermaroller. It has improved the look of my skin tremendously.

 I also highly recommend drinking water. A lot of it. I drink water all day long and it really helps improve the look of my skin. If I do not drink enough water or drink a lot of alcohol my face shows it. So drink up!!
So there is my skin care routine. Is it perfect? Probably not. I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to skin care so I like to try things and watch for the results. I recently added a retinol cream to the mix and my face FREAKED OUT. It was dry, oily and broken out BADLY. I stopped using the cream and my face returned to normal within a week or two. My routine now is really giving me the results I am looking for.

Do you have any skin care tips you would like to share? How about a product you love? Tell me about it!


 Thanks for reading,

Dermaroller

   The dermaroller, just hearing the name makes people cringe, show them a picture of it and they shudder in fear. It is a horrifying beauty device, or so I thought. A bunch of my friends hopped on the dermaroller trend a few months ago. I was a newb and never heard of the dermaroller so I asked to see a picture. SAY WHAT!! They poke their face with that THING!!! I thought they were nuts. I told my husband about it and we both agreed, they were nuts! Then they started talking about the results they were seeing from using the it, then came the pictures with clear evidence of skin improvement and I was sold. I quickly placed an order for a torture device of my own. I bought mine on Amazon for less than $10. I also picked up some hyaluronic acid sheet masks to use after dermarolling.

So you may be wondering, what is a dermaroller and what is supposed to do? The dermaroller is a simple hand held roller device with a bunch of surgical steel micro needles on the roller end.  The dermaroller improves skin by increasing the levels of collagen and elastin in your skin. It does this by causing "trauma" to your face which in turns makes your skin produce more collagen and elastin. The dermaroller also improves elasticity of skin, reduces pore size and firms, smooths acne scars and reduces fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles.

I had my dermaroller for about a week before I got up the nerve to try it. First I washed my face and applied some Say Yes to Carrots moisturizer. Then I used some hand sanitizer. It is extremely important that you keep your hands, face and dermaroller clean and sanitary.  Next I used some 91% alcohol and sprayed the dermaroller down making sure to spin the roller and get all areas.

 

Then it was time to roll. I started on my cheeks, at first I was surprised about how it felt. It did not hurt at all. You are supposed to roll up and down, side to side and diagonal so you make sure you get the entire surface of your skin. After going over the cheek a few times it did start to sting a bit, mainly on my cheekbones. After the cheeks I went on to my chin, then tried my upper lip. Uh, no. Way, way, way to sensitive. Skipped that and tried my nose. NOPE!! Skin is too thin and I did get some small spots of blood. Stopped that right away. Lastly I did my forehead and focused quite a bit on any lines or wrinkles I had up there. Afterwards my face was red and a bit hot. After dermarolling I applied the hyaluronic acid sheet mask which was so soothing. It really made my face feel good. I left that on for about 20 minutes and then massaged any leftover product into my face.

This is my face right after dermarolling

The next day after using the dermaroller my face felt a bit more oily than normal and sort of tight. It felt similar to the way my face feels after I get a bit too much sun. That feeling lasted for about 1-2 days and after that my face was back to normal. I noticed results within the first week of using the dermaroller. The skin on my cheeks were looking much smoother and my skin as a whole looked more firm. I have since used the dermaroller 5 times and see improvement after each time. My forehead lines are looking smoother and the general appearance of my skin is better. My camera is not that great at picking up skin imperfections so I apologize for the bad photos. People online and in person have commented on my skin and have noticed the improvements. Normally I do use some photo editing tools to smooth my skin if it looks bad but since using the dermaroller I have not had to do that at all!!

 Before the dermaroller
(no foundation)
My skin doesn't look bad in this photo
but you can see the fine lines on my cheeks.

After using the dermaroller once
( no foundation)

 Also after using the dermaroller once
(with foundation)

My face today after using the dermaroller 5 times

So now I am going to tell you why I think the dermaroller is a better option than topical creams, serums and other things. It is because with the dermaroller you get almost instant results and your skin keeps improving for up to 6 months after use. Another reason I like the dermaroller instead is because you get almost instant results without having to go through a transition period (your face reacting to the new product, breaking out, dryness and other unpleasant things) and waiting for weeks or months to see results. The process of using it takes a matter of minutes. I use mine once a week but you can use it more often it you desire. You can also get larger needle size dermarollers. I am fine with the size I have for now. I personally do not find using it painful, it is more of an annoying feeling than pain. I am extremely happy that I bought this product and am overjoyed at the results I am seeing!


Have you ever tried a dermaroller? If so what did you think? If not, do you think it is nuts?

 Thanks for reading,

Say Yes to Carrots

Yes, Yes and Yes!!!!!!!!

I stumbled across this line of products at my local Target but

never tried it because it was a bit pricey and I have not

really gotten into spending a lot on facial care products yet.

Well last month I noticed that this cleanser was marked $1.68!

NOTHING else in the Yes To.. line is cheap so I thought it must be wrong.

Scanned it and the price was correct!

I bought it and have been using it since and my skin feels awesome!!!

I normally am not a cream cleanser gal but this stuff really feels soothing.

I used it for a few weeks on its own and my skin showed 

improvement but paired with my Clarisonic my skin is almost

perfect!! I have no blemishes, redness and my skin feels

great!!  I went back to Target recently and the $1.68 sticker was

still there so I bought the one cleanser left. 

Check your Targets ladies!!

I also found that the Yes To Carrots eye cream was under $3.00 so 

I have been using that for a couple of weeks now.  I am new

to eye creams but so far I like it. I am sure it is better than the 

nothing I used before.

If you are unfamiliar with the Say Yes To... line of products you can

view their website here.

Here is their bio.

FOUNDED IN 2006, Yes To is a consumer-inspired line of hair and skin products born out of a desire to make you look and feel your most happy and radiant. Yes To combines high-quality organic fruits and vegetables with a special mineral elixir derived from the Dead Sea to nourish and hydrate naturally. With four unique collections - Yes To Carrots, Yes To Tomatoes, Yes To Cucumbers, and now Yes To Baby Carrots - the Yes To family addresses a variety of skin and hair needs to help people find their own "recipe" of products. And the best part is, not only have we found a way to offer all of this incredible quality at a very accessible, guilt-free price, but a portion of all Yes To proceeds has been dedicated to the Yes To Carrots™ Seed Fund, a non-profit, 501(C) 3 organization helping to make a difference in people's lives through sustainable agriculture. Intrigued? You can find the full range of products for sale everywhere from the Champs-Elysees to the stores you pass on your way home. Join us.

Say Yes... to everything! 

I love this company!! I have seen Ulta have buy one get one 50%

often so maybe I will try some of the Yes To Blueberries line because

it is anti aging.

Have you tried anything in the Yes To... line?

If so what did you think?

Any suggestions on what I should try next?

Thanks for reading,