Current Skincare Routine & Favorites

You guys, this is one of my favorite topics so excuse me if I get a little carried away. I'm aware that this whole routine is elaborate and extra, but I don't care- skincare is EVERYTHING. I'm going to try to break this down in categories of daily, nightly, bi-weekly, and weekly. See? Extra AF. But if Lauryn Evarts Bosstick from The Skinny Confidential has taught me anything, it's that people want specifics. I'm also going to post a Q & A from my esthetician at the end of this post. She also happens to be my sister, so I've definitely got the hookup when it comes to skincare.

This routine is always changing, and I'm constantly trying out new products. When I finish one I will swap it out with another. I have a couple of holy grail products that will always be part of the routine and I will make sure to let you guys know which products are here to stay. I have very sensitive skin, so everything I use is relatively gentle and natural.

Daily:

STEP 1: Cleanse

• Every morning I cleanse my face with one of these two washes. They are both very gentle and don't cause any redness, which is a must for me since my skin turns pinkish-red so easily. The African Black Soap is a body wash that I originally bought for Blake, but I ended up loving it as a facial cleanser as well. Both of these are available at Target.

STEP 2: Tone

• I am absolutely obsessed with this witch hazel toner from Target. This is definitely a holy grail product because it has made my skin tone so much more even and has gotten rid of a lot of pore congestion. I love the rose petal scent but I have also tried the lavender and it is amazing. I've found that my skin reacts better to natural-based products versus products that are loaded with chemicals.

STEP 3: Lymphatic drainage with a jade roller

• This step is optional, but it is a game changer. I do this in the morning before I apply my makeup if I'm looking puffy. I am naturally pretty oily so I don't use the rosehip oil if I'm going to wear makeup, but if it's the weekend or before bed I'll use an oil. This one I picked up from Marshalls, and the jade roller is from Amazon. I will link a video on lymphatic drainage with a roller, because it's so important to do it correctly. This will instantly slim your face and make your features more defined. I've found that when I do this regularly my fine lines aren't as noticeable and I actually have a jawline LOL. This is the video that explains why a jade roller is a great tool for lymphatic drainage. You can always just use your hands, and I'll link a video for that here. This is the jade roller that I got from Amazon. 

STEP 4: Moisturize & SPF

• Hey Tristin, are you proud of me? She is always telling me to protect my skin from the sun, and this moisturizer has SPF 30 in it. Anti aging is a pretty big deal, so this is perfect. My best friend/ makeup artist @moonchild_makeup showed this stuff to me and now it is definitely considered a holy grail product. It's not too heavy and it doesn't make my skin any oilier than it already is. It's a great primer for makeup. You can find this at ULTA or Target.

Nightly:

STEP 1: Remove makeup & cleanse 

• Using a wash cloth and one of the face cleansers that I showed in Daily: Step 1, remove all makeup. I will NEVER sleep with makeup on, under any circumstances. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have accidentally fallen asleep with makeup on. It is a CRIME. Do you hear me, Sophia? 

STEP 2: Eye cream

• I alternate between the Rodan & Fields eye cream and the Dermalogica, but they are both great. I am OCD about the fine lines around my eyes so I always make sure to use an eye cream before bed. In my opinion wrinkles around the eye are a positive thing because it means that you've laughed a lot, but they also age us like crazy. This is a great preventative measure, and if I start now hopefully they won't be too bad when I'm older. Both of these are available at Touch of Class Salon. 

STEP 3: Night time oil with Retinol

• This was a MAJOR splurge for me, but I had an ULTA gift card and I've heard that serums infused with Retinol are amazing for skin tone, so I did it. So far I absolutely love it, but I'll keep you guys posted on whether or not I'll buy it again.

STEP 4: Moisturize

• I like to do a moisturizer on top of my oils at night! Moisturizing= preventing. Any product from Pacifica is amazing, in my experience. I have tried several and I have yet to find one that I don't like. When I had eyelash extensions I used this one specifically because it is oil free and wouldn't make the extensions fall off before they were ready. You can find this at Target. 

STEP 5: Target problem areas

• I have tried countless on the spot treatments for pimples and clogged pores and nothing has come close to drying them out like pure tea tree oil. I put a little bit of this stuff if I feel a blemish coming on and it stops it before it can get out of control. I got this oil at Target but I think next time I'm going to buy the real deal from an Essential Oils rep. I want my skincare to be as pure as possible.

Bi-Weekly

Exfoliate

• Every two or three days I will use a scrub to get rid of any dead skin or buildup. My absolute favorite scrub is from Rodan + Fields, and it's available through our salon Touch of Class in Tulare. It is magical, but pricey. I've recently started using this African Black Soap scrub and so far I love it. It's very gentle. I usually do this in the morning before I tone or on the weekends.

Red Light Therapy

• As many times as I'm able to during the week I go to Revive Tan & Spa in Tulare and I get in the red light therapy bed. Red light therapy is NOT a tanning bed, it's quite the opposite. It's healing. My acne scars have disappeared thanks to this bed. When I was going every other day (recommended), I saw a major reduction in joint pain and even my cellulite. Everything about red light therapy is amazing and I encourage you all to do some research on it. I got in the red light bed throughout my pregnancy and I never got any stretch marks. It could be genetics, but I think that red light therapy also had something to do with it. Also, I drank TONS of water.

Weekly

Face Mask

• HOLY GRAIL OF ALL HOLY GRAIL PRODUCTS. I have used this mask for years and have yet to find another mask that can compete with this one. If I'm having a breakout or if I just need to get a deep clean, this is my go-to. I will link it here, but it's also available at Target now. Target, I love you.

Face Tinkling- AKA shaving my face

• This sounds crazy, I'm aware. It's intimidating, I'm aware. Honestly though, now that I've finally decided to go for it I'm telling you I will never skip this step. I have blonde baby hairs all over my face, and even though you can't see them I didn't realize that it was making me break out along my cheeks. It was also making my bronzer go on splotchy. Since I've been doing this regularly I no longer have those problems. A few different bloggers have talked about this and have some great videos demonstrating how they do this. I will link them here and here. On the second video fast forward to 6 minutes in. 

Interview with @Tristin_the_Esthetician

Q: If you had to choose one skincare product what would you chose and why?

A: SUNSCREEN SUNSCREEN and did I mention sunscreen? I use a daily SPF of Atleast 30 (which blocks 97% of the sun’s UVB rays) It is soooo important not only to protect our skin from skin cancer but also to age gracefully. I don’t know about you but I’m trying to stay lookin good as long as I possibly can.

• Tris recommends this Supergoop Sunscreen

Q: Why are facials so good for us? How often do you recommend a facial?

A: Facials are very beneficial for a number of reasons. Each person has their own issues with their skin that a facial can address. Whether that’s acne, congestion, uneven skin tone, fine lines (the list goes on). Even if you feel like you have generally good skin a facial is still necessary. Exfoliation, extractions, hydrating mask, and a stimulating massage are all part of a basic facial that helps you keep your skin feeling healthy and looking radiant. I recommend a facial once a month. 

Q: What is your #1 piece of advice for someone who struggles with acne prone skin?

A: Ahh such a hard question. Acne can be caused by so many different things. Diet, hormones, hygiene, certain make ups or products, genetics, etc. My best piece of advice would be to eliminate or add one thing at a time so you can see how it affects your skin. I probably hear this the most: 

"IM BREAKING OUT I’M GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW" or "I’ve been using this for a week and see no change"

Which, yes queens and kings make those changes; but when you do it all at once you have no idea what you got rid of or added that helped or didn’t help, ya know? & your skin takes 3-4 weeks to adjust to a new product. I know, life isn’t fair. 

Tristin's product recommendations:

Cleansers: 

• OBAJI Medical Clenziderm  
• Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash

Tris says: "Always double cleanse, ya'll"

Night Serum:

•  Provence Beauty Rewind Active Facial Oil

Tris says: "Lather this all over your face at night, thank me later ;)"

Moisturizer:

•  Pierre F Probiotic Daily Moisturizer

Tris says: "SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T MOISTURIZE AND IT MAKES ME WANNA PUNCH THINGS" 

Thank you so much for the suggestions you guys, I'm having so much fun sharing with you all! If you have any ideas for next week, send them my way!

As always, 

lovelovelove,

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