How to take care of your skin

                                       

Taking care of our skin is so important! We are given one body and it is our job to take care of that body. Proper skincare can be a little high maintenance but it is important to take the time in making sure it is properly cared for. Healthy skins looks radiant and young. And I think its very important as women to be proud of our natural beauty. When we treat ourselves and love our skin it makes that easier.

Since, I am such an advocate for proper skincare I am breaking this up into two posts. So today I will talk about taking care of our faces. I wanted to talk about this first because the skin on our faces is a lot more delicate and requires extra care. 

I have one major rule that I try to never break and that is NEVER EVER sleep in your makeup. Now I'm not perfect but I have had a few nights that I got home to late and was too tired to wash my face, but it is so bad for your skin! Sleeping in your makeup breaks down collagen and produces more wrinkles. Foundation stretches your pores and sleeping in eye makeup can cause styes. Then, there's the obvious acne from bacteria.

Washing your face in the morning may seem daunting but it is extremely important. Unless you change your pillow cases every night you still collect bacteria and toxin on your face. With that being said, my morning routine is a little bit different than my evening routine. 

Morning Routine

First thing in the morning I cleanse my face with a gentle cleanser.This is a Neutrogena cream cleanser. 

Twice a week I exfoliate to scrub away the dead skin cells. I am loving this apricot scrub but I'm on the hunt for an all natural product that I really like. 

I take a toner and clean away the dirt that was left behind from cleansing and I finish up with a light-weight day moisturizer. This is Neutrogena toner and I have literally used it off and on since I was in middle school.

 The moisturizer is target brand. I like how light-weight it is.

Evening Routine

At night I use these Mary Kay makeup remover cloths before I begin to wash my face. I'm not sure if they're still available but I bought them in bulk a long time ago. 

I've noticed taking this step gets a lot more makeup off than when I skip it. Right now I am using the same cleanser day and night. Sometimes when I am trying out other products I will use a stronger one during the night. Again I follow up with the toner to remove access dirt. Even if I skip this step in the morning I make sure to use toner at the night because I want no trace of makeup on my face. 

Then, I use a thicker moisturizer to be sure my skin is hydrated and stays young looking. I started using the Burts Bee's night cream and I LOVE it! Its natural and very moisturizing, 

I finish off with a retinol gel from Ulta  around my eyes to reverse the process of wrinkles. Now, I know I am only in my twenties but I think it is never too early to start fighting against wrinkles. 

When I really want to spoil myself I use my eye mask from Ulta. It has gel beads on the front so I put it in the refrigerator an hour before bed, The cooling feeling feels amazing on my eyes and is so relaxing.

So, to wrap this up my two BIGGEST points are never sleep in makeup and moisturize, Moisturize, MOISTURIZE.

The cleansers, toner, and moisturizers I use can be found at your local drug store.

Get the retinol gel here.

Get the eye mask here.

Check out my other blogs about skincare and makeup!

Kisses, Shavon.

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Best Water Bottle Ever!!

Let's talk water.


I am a firm believer that everyone should drink AT LEAST eight glasses of water a day. There are numerous health benefits to keeping hydrated:

• younger looking skin
• calorie control
• happier muscles
• shiny hair

Need I go on?

While the importance of water is obvious, I was one that found every excuse under the sun as to why I wouldn't drink it. The taste of water, having to drink so much, or simply forgetting to drink it. I was definitely acting like a child but I hated it and I hated the thought of having to drink so much. Until I decided to start filtering my water that is.

Now, those of you that don't taste the difference; you my friends are lucky. It was like night and day for me and I realized how silly I was for doing it wrong all these years. My fiance was kind enough to bring me the Brita water bottle that filters tap water and I fell in love! - He must have gotten tired of hearing me whine about hating the taste of it haha.



I've always seen the larger pitchers that Brita made to filter water but that never worked for me because I'm always on the go but this little thing is a life saver. It is 32 ounces and allows me to have filtered water on the go so I can no longer make excuses for not drinking it. Inside the water bottle there is a straw so the bottle can be held upright for drinking. The straw attaches to the filter which attaches to the lid. So no matter where I am I can have filtered water. Super simple!!

Have you guys had a chance to try this yet? Let me know your thoughts on water intake.



Kisses, Shavon

My Top 3 Natural Products

Hello lovies!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about natural products. I have been doing a lot of research on the use of body washes, lotions, and deodorants and the studies that have been found linking the ingredients in these everyday products to serious health issues. To say I was shocked by the facts would be an understatement. Parabens and phthalates are two of the more known and debatable ingredients in beauty products and have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer and fertility problems.

Now, I have some good news!! There are surprisingly a lot of natural products available that are fairly inexpensive. A lot of them arguably work better than their chemical-induced counter parts. In looking at natural options I found that a lot of labels are 99% organic or 97% natural. There are definitely 100% organic products out there, you just have to look a little harder.

In my switch (which is ungoing) to natural products I found that my face was not so eager to accept natural products. I'm not sure what it is about my face but it is REALLY sensitive so I have yet to switch to "completely" natural because I need to find a product that works well with my sensitive skin. So, I wanted to share some of my favorites with you guys, especially if you are thinking of switching to a natural regimen. Now there are some brands that have a mostly natural line of products such as Burt's Bees and Yes to Carrots and both of these lines can be found in local drug stores.

My top three picks:


1. Weleda skin food

I love this stuff! It is a very rich body cream but it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I use this especially right after the shower when my skin is still damp to lock in that moisture and the skins natural oils.



2. SheaMoisture Olive and Green Tea Body Scrub

Exfoliating your skin regularly is really important and this is by far one of my favorite products. Its a gentle scrub but instantly reveals healthy younger looking skin.

3. Burt's Bees Extra Energizing Citrus and Ginger Body Wash

What I love about this body wash the most is the smell! I thought switching to natural products would mean that everything would smell natural. But this fresh citrus smell is perfect!




So, there you have it. My three favorite natural body products. Let me know what you guys think!



Kisses, Shavon