My Skin Care Routine

Today I wanted to share with you guys my current skin care routine. Before we get into the products let me first give you a little history on my skin type. My skin tends to have a mind of its own and although I tend to look like my mother I didn't get her flawless canvas, I was blessed with my fathers genes yay! When I was in my teens my skin was normal to oily, I have suffered with acne all my adolescent years and although I don't have an extreme amount of acne I have never not had one pimple on my face no matter what I do so I have just learned to cope with it over the years and just love my skin for what it is. My skin has always been extremely sensitive I have to be very careful with what I put on it. I remember maybe like a year or two ago I broke out with a disgusting rash on my cheeks, it literally looked like i had sand on my face. I ordered a completely organic skin regimen from melaleuca, an organic plant type based company that sells you anything from make up to cleaning products. Any ways I ordered it and I tried it out, the first day it broke me out with little white dots, at first I didn't think anything of it I figured my skin was just getting used to it. When I woke up the next day I tried it again and by the end of the day I looked like a sand scraper... not really that bad but that's how I felt. Turns out I'm allergic to tea tree oil which is the main ingredient in their products, hence melaleuca which stands for tea tree oil. At first I didn't want it to be true because I have read up on tea tree oil and its suppose to be really good with getting rid of excess oil on the face and other fungal type infections on the skin, also good for keeping lice away... don't ask how I know that.  I wanted to test tea tree oil on my face again to see if it was really just that main ingredient or if  I was just being a baby. I borrowed my sisters Tea tree water toner from lush and doused my self in it, the next day I woke up with a lot small white bumps all over my face. So now I tend to stay away from anything tea tree unless its extremely mild. Another problem my skin has most recently developed is that I have become very dry so I am constantly putting lotion on my face or spraying  my rose water to give my skin some much needed moisture. I have learned the hard way that I am not the type of girl that can sleep with her make up on because I have giant pores so everything will just start to clog up. Its been hard to love my skin but I'm happy with what God blessed me its manageable and its kind of fun trying out new products every once in a while. 

Okay so enough rambling...

Clarissa's Current skin care Routine.

1. The first step in my skin care routine is removing all of my make up at the end of the day, I don't wear make up for most of the week but on the weekends when I do I use the Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water. I love this product because it is super gentle on my sensitive skin and it takes off all of your make up! It's pretty inexpensive as well it only retails for 6.99$ at walmart and it has a decent amount of product in it. Ive had it for about 4 months now. It depends on how much  make up you wear but I think it is worth the buy.
Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water- 6.96$ at Walmart.

2. The second step Has two products in it, I use my Neutrogena cleanser with my Tjmaxx cleansing brush, I got the brush for 8 bucks and it has been a life saver, I'm not ready to drop 100+ on a clarisonic just yet so this is the next best thing for me and I honestly have had no complaints.  I really gets in all the areas of my face and clears out all the days dirt and oil from my pores. The cleanser is a new one that I have recently bought it has so far done its job I've had it for about three weeks so i give it a dumbs up, but if anything changes ill keep you posted.
Neutrogena Cleanser-  9.99$ at Target
Cleansing Brush- May vary but I got mine from tjmaxx for 8.00$

3. The next step in my routine is moisturizing, this step is my most important because like I said I've been a dry potato lately so I can never skip this step. I use two different moisturizers depending on what time of day it is, In the mornings I like to use my ponds Dark spot correcting cream, I started off with a small bottle and have recently upgraded to the giant tub because I love it so much. Its extremely moisturizing I'm not sure how you would feel about it if you have oily skin but I personally love it, I not only love it because I feel nice and dewy all day, but because it really does remove unwanted dark spots. Like I mentioned before I did have acne in the past and probably will continue to have it, and like most of us I can't just let that sucker live I have to constantly pick at it so I get ugly dark spots from it and this lotion has helped in removing them slowly but surely, its all about that patience girl. The second moisturizer that I use at night is the Image ageless total repair cream, this baby is a pricey one but worth it. You can feel it getting rid of those wrinkles. When I first started using it, it burned my skin a little but I got used to it now and its one of my favorites, I haven't developed any wrinkles yet so it seems to be doing its job ;)
Ponds dark spot correcting cream-  8.97$ at walmart
Image ageless total repair creme- 46.34$ ( you have to get this from a licensed physician or aesthetician) 



4. The Last step involves my favorite part! This trick I learned form my good friend Nancy Ayala, I saw her spray it on herself and decided to give it a try. FYI I'm just literally inserting the product description straight from the website because it was described perfectly: Mario Badescu Rose Water ..." A refreshing, hydrating mist to use anywhere anytime. Simply formulated with fragrant herbal extracts and rosewater for a pleasant, pick me up for dehydrated, tight and uncomfortable skin. Spray your day and night creams for a boost of hydration or use it to set make-up or spray on dry hair throughout the day. Safe for all skin types. Gentle, non-irritating." I love this product so much I'm about to spray some on myself it smells so good and keeps me hydrated and smelling good at all times. Thank you Mario for such a simple yet effective product.
Mario Badescu Rose Water- 7.00$ at Ulta




Bonus Step:

The next steps aren't in my daily routine these are just preventive maintenance products that I also love. The first one is my Mario Badescu Drying lotion.. ( this man is a genius )... all you need is a small amount of product on your unwanted friends visiting you on your face and bam drys them right up, at first I was a bit skeptical I thought this product was all hype but I was wrong and I'm glad I was it really does dry them up and make the appearance look smaller. The second one is any type of facial mask, I'm currently going to try the Farmacy hydrating coconut gel mask that my sister gave me from her boxy charm. I like to try these out at least once a month, I tend to forget this so I just use them whenever I get my hands on one. One other thing I also like to do is black head remover I use one from Avon that i got for like three bucks you can use any brand they all do the same thing but I do think its important because it takes off all the black spots on your nose.
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion- 17.00$ at Ulta
Farmacy Coconut Gel Mask- 3 for 24.00$ at Sephora 
Any Black Head Remover- Price may vary 

So far those are the steps I take to Keep my face looking fresh and healthy. Its not perfect and may not be for everyone but it works for my skin type. Thank you so much for reading if you have any suggestions don't forget to leave a comment down below!

Song of solomon 4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.