In the Beginning

In 2017,  I  started a new skin care regimen.  So, the older we get, the more we pay attention to our body apparently. One day I noticed I had that scaly forehead where I knew it was a layer of dead skin. Eeeww!  I hate to say it, but it happens after neglecting to properly care for your skin.

In the process, I noticed fine lines and uneven skin tone and I decided to do something good for my skin. It’s been a trial and error type of adventure but we can all find a little inspiration if the outcome means glowing skin. Yes! That’s the goal here.

My Skin Flaws

This is embarrassing but this is raw and real folks. My before and after. About 4 years of trial and error using different products to bring back elasticity and glow.  The left was in 2017 and the right is in 2021. I must also mention, this is with no makeup on and I am not using any filters. 

I’m a freckled girl and I wasn’t big on moisturizers back then. So those freckles really showed. 

Notice the fine line above my nose and the scar under my eyebrow. Is it less visible? I’d say yes. Also a yes, I had microblading done and I love it. A topic for another blog post. 

To the point, less scaly dead skin,  softer lines, brighter skin, and lighter sun spots. If you want to achieve any of this, you totally can. It takes a little consistency and of course choosing products that match your skin and lifestyle.

Whenever you start a new skin care regimen, or start a new product it’s likely to have a breakout. The ph levels of your skin are changing due to the new skin care product.  Keep in mind that this happened to me but it might not happen to you. It is best to do a trial for 2 weeks before ditching a new routine or a new product. Give your skin time to get used to it.  Then if it doesn’t work, try something different until you find what works for you. 

A disclaimer to my readers, of course I am not a doctor or a dermatologist. Any advice I share on my blog is based on my personal knowledge and experience. I am not giving any type of medical advice. You should seek professional medical advice if you feel doubts or concerns. 

I love sharing my product and idea recommendations with my viewers. As expected, my content will contain affiliate links of the products I love and suggest on my blog. If you click on these links, buy and or subscribe I will earn a small commission that helps this mama buy more coffee for herself and more goldfish for the kids. Coffee helps me think of more awesome content to share with my followers. Thank you for your support.

Simple, bottles up!

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If you want the easiest, the cheapest and the first most important tip to this, then drink your water. Hydration is key to young looking skin. Without water, your skin is the first organ to get neglected by the body. Cue the dry skin, dry hair and brittle nails. Let us get away from that. So drink your water, flavor it, take it everywhere you go and make it a point to drink up several times a day. How about a sturdy cup that’s going to keep your water cold? I prefer room temp but whatever you like works as long as you drink!  

I love lemon water in the morning and before bed. The added vitamin C does miracles for skin. It helps heal with antioxidants and free-radical fighting power. Vitamin C also helps produce collagen and skin elasticity. 

Here are 2 other products you can try if you aren’t a huge water drinker. I know people who can’t stand plain water. It’s mind blowing to me being that our bodies are made up of mostly water but it’s so common in people so let me just suggest a few alternatives. 

Body Armor Lyte is not your typical sports drink. With that said, I suggest the Lyte version for that actual reason. I try to avoid sugar as much as I can. When you are feeling dehydrated, sick, tired, or even just need a tiny boost in your day, try this. It has gotten me through sick days, migraines, and given me noticeable pick me ups. They have so many flavors and my entire family loves these, including my guests! Therefore, I have to order these by the case every month. Body Armor Lyte  keeps you hydrated, has very little sugar, tastes great, and gives you antioxidants and B vitamins in the process. Try it and see. 

When I’m on the go, I like to carry a few pouches of this Liquid I.V. with me at all times. See I suffer from extreme migraines when I get dehydrated so I have to stay on top of it. Since noticing the cues of dehydration I quickly act. My body and skin thank me and yours will too. This product claims to multiply hydration giving you the same hydration of 2-3 bottles of water in one pouch mixed with 16 oz of water. This is superb if you can’t or hate drinking plain water. Why not give it a go?

 Collagen Collagen, Collagen!!

Ok we all know that Collagen is very important for looking young, look it up, collagen is gold for your skin. If you are a Vegan, I have an option that I love for you too! Pair collagen with proper hydration and if you’ll have a combo for beautiful supple skin. It helps reduce fine lines and help rejuvenate and repair damaged skin.  It also helps with your bones and tendons. I always had tight muscles around my neck and shoulders from being on a computer all day. When I started using collagen regularly, I started to feel relief in these areas as well. Of course not everybody’s the same but taking collagen can have several pros. 

These Olly Glowing Skin Gummies taste great. They contain 3 powerful ingredients, Hyaluronic acid, Collagen and Sea Buckthorn. I take them 5 days a week and I’ve gone through multiple containers. They are my go to. If you want to start with a simple to use supplement, this will be it. No food or water is needed to take these. Olly steers clear from artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners from artificial sources. Did I mention that they taste great? 

When you are on the go, these can be perfect, just add the liquid vial to a full bottle of water and it also tastes amazing. It does contain sucralose but I try to not consume too many artificial sweeteners. I make an exception on this one. I add it into my weekly regimen and this also tastes like a fruit punch. It delivers 4000 mg of Hydrolyzed collagen and 2000 mcg of Biotin. Everything your skin, hair and nails crave for a youthful look. Carry these for convenience and see what it does for your skin. 

Have you heard of Rae Vegan Collagen Boost Capsules? 

OK Vegans, this one’s for you. These minty capsules really help boost your collagen production.  Since introducing them, I’ve noticed an improvement in my skin. Make note, these don’t contain collagen but rather collagen production boosting antioxidants to help maximize the production of your own body’s collagen. Now I’m a “try all” girl and I never stick to one product. I like trying different approaches based on my own research. I like to switch it up and see how a combination of collagen products perform for my skin. 

A disclaimer to my readers, of course I am not a doctor or a dermatologist. Any advice I share on my blog is based on my personal knowledge and experience. I am not giving any type of medical advice. You should seek professional medical advice if you feel doubts or concerns. 

I love smoothies for breakfast and I make them at least twice a week, but most times every day on weekdays for breakfast.  They include a scoop of collagen peptides. We all know collagen is produced less as we age.  This collagen powder has no no taste and in the process of consuming it, helps your skin, hair and nails.  Yes please!  Check out my Pinterest board for more delicious smoothie recipes. Since the powder has no taste, just add a scoop or two to the smoothie recipe of your choice. https://www.pinterest.com/ChambaMama3/mommy-health-and-nutrition/smoothie-recipes/

Mama, wash that beautiful face!

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When you are tired and exhausted from a day of typical mom life it can be so hard to do something so simple like wash your face. If you are wearing makeup, you want to wash that off each night before bed. You don’t want to clog your pores with oil, dead skin and make up.  You want a fresh face and gentle exfoliation to make sure all the gunk comes off. The skin has to breathe and even repair itself as you get that beauty sleep. The term beauty sleep makes sense doesn’t it? 

So makeup removing cloths have been a great tool of mine since 2016. I add a pump of face wash , rub my face gently and in a few seconds all the makeup is off. I will stress to be gentle rubbing your face with these cloths. These do exfoliate as they clean and you can burn your face if you rub too hard or for too long.I speak from wisdom on that tip, yes ouch!  I then rinse the cloth with hand soap until it’s clean, rinse completely with warm water and air dry. Like anything, you want to make sure you keep these cloths clean. You don’t want bacteria living on these cloths so keep them clean and wash them regularly with your own towels. 

I have a clarisonic brush which is a great tool for exfoliation. They aren’t cheap and I wish I could have afforded them earlier when I was younger. I recommend both and I have both of these tools. I keep my Clarisonic Mia 2 in my beauty drawer. I keep the Eco Tools brush in the shower. Since the eco tools brush is so cheap and works great, I replace it often. 

Remember that scaly forehead skin I mentioned in my previous “before” picture? A good facial cleansing brush will work miracles. Beauty professionals everywhere also recommend exfoliating your face before applying make up for special days or events. There is a reason for that madness. Having a smooth clean face helps with a smoother application and your makeup looks better.  These tools do the job. I apply a dab of face wash in the shower with the Eco Tools face brush and scrub in circular motion. I use Clarisonic Mia 2 ( not in the shower) and use some DHC cleansing oil to get clean soft facial skin. These are life changers. You shouldn’t exfoliate daily, that can burn or irritate your skin. Once a week is enough and you only need to use one brush. I alternate these methods weekly. 

Again, a disclaimer to my readers, please use your own judgment when applying or using any recommended products. We all have beautiful and unique skin and what works for me may not work for you. Review your past regimen, make note of products and methods that have failed and do not attempt any of these methods if you know that they caused harm to your skin. I want success in my recommendations and that comes with a “one size does not fill all” type of process.

Moisture is sooo important!

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When you wash that make up at night, exfoliate that dead skin, use warm water you tend to strip a few natural oils to your skin. It’s always important to reapply a few of those while your skin gets to work on reproducing those nutrients and skin protectants.

Daily moisturizers with an SPF of 30 or higher are always recommended by dermatologists everywhere. If you have sun spots, and dark freckles, UV rays are to blame and the best thing you can do for your skin is block those rays when they become harmful.  Here are a few moisturizers that are on the top of my list. 

Miracle Worker by Philosophy. 

Defense is needed at night too. When we sleep our body works in miraculous ways to make repairs and empty the trash. This delivers a boat in antioxidants to help rebuild while you sleep. 

Add hyaluronic acid and vitamin C and you should see a boost in skin tone and brightness.  Ok, who doesn’t need that? Use this after washing your skin in your nighttime skin routine before bed.

It’s trial and error with a consistent approach.

Adding in these tips won’t change your skin overnight. Build up your routine, and stick to it. When applying consistency and putting in the work , it will help to see your results. Taking your vitamins and drinking your water is the best thing you can start with. After all, we all want to look healthy and feel our best. You totally deserve that. Start slow and see the improvements that some of these recommendations do for you. 

What recommendations do you have? Share your comments and recommendations below. I would Love! Love! Love! to hear all the tips and tricks that you the reader would recommend.

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