Years and years ago during my freshman year of college, I took a sociology class. In it, we learned that the only trait that is seen as attractive across all countries and cultures is good skin - teeth, hair, body type, and make-up all vary, but everyone considers good skin beautiful. This has obviously stuck with me, and for the last few years, I definitely have been trying to get ahead of the game - we're not getting any younger here! I wash my make-up off every night, I use sunscreen, I use my retin-A at night, I do masks fairly regularly, I try to drink plenty of water, and so on. For a while, I was getting a facial every couple of months, and while my skin felt awesome for a day or two, I have over the past year or so not gotten one in an effort to put my money towards other skin procedures (more about my microneedling experience in a few weeks!). So instead, I have figured out how to do my own facials at home that still give me smooth and glowing skin for a few days without dropping $75 every six weeks on the same results. I do these about once a week (usually during The Bachelor!) and feel that it has made quite the difference in how my skin is the rest of the week!
EXFOLIATE: Pretty vital to the process of getting smooth and glowing skin is getting rid of that top dull layer! My go-to process is after washing my make-up off in the shower, I'll do a quick pass with my go-to face cleanser and a cleansing sponge - basically just to remove the last of any make-up, and to get any big flakes. Plus taking a shower before all of this helps open up your pores. After getting out of the shower, I put on a layer of Glamglow's clearing treatment on any blemishes (this jar came in a holiday set last year), and the original mask over the rest of my face. I also put on a layer of KaplanMD's Perfect Pout lip mask. I wait about 15 minutes or so, just until the mask is dry. Because this mask can be drying, I don't like to keep it on my skin much longer than that. I then using a wash cloth, and gently scrub the mask off.
TREAT: I have loved exploring all the different types of sheet masks out there - they are the perfect product for these at home facials! Once you exfoliate, this is the time you want to address whatever issues you're having with your skin, whether it's dry skin (me during the winter!), acne (especially around that time of the month), dullness (again me during the winter), or oily skin. I first started using the Sephora masks about a year ago, but several of you had mentioned getting cheaper ones from Memebox, so I ordered a whole bunch a few months ago that I'm still working through. Most of those masks cost between $1 to $3, so if one isn't great, it's not a huge loss! So far, I think my favorite mask from them has been the E.G.T. Timetox mask (no longer available on Memebox, but it is on Amazon) and the Tosowoong Pure Propolis Mask. I still have a whole stack to go through though, so I'm sure I'll fall in love with others. I've also tried the Tony Moly pack found on Amazon, which I quite liked (plus it's super cheap and you get a bunch of mask that treat different issues). I still occasionally will buy the more expensive masks, like the Dr. Jart+ mask I tried last night, and the SK-II mask that I'm saving for a special occasion because it's so pricy, but have found there really isn't much of a difference between the more inexpensive versions and the expensive versions, especially because the results you see from either mask aren't going to last forever - it's all somewhat temporary. So once you have exfoliated and dried your face, you just slap one of these on your face and wait 20-30 minutes. I also will put in my teeth whitening trays during this time - you can't really move your face much while wearing the masks, so it's really killing two birds with one stone! After the time is up, you remove the mask, and the rub the rest of the serum into your skin.
MOISTURIZE & SEAL: This part will really vary depending on your skin type. I have quite dry skin, so I like to use a heavier moisturizer, especially after using a product that can dry out your skin like the Glamglow mask. Recently I've been using Nature Republic's steam cream - it's pretty heavy duty, so it's the perfect last step for me (but definitely not something I would use as a daily morning cream). I would say it's a medium weight cream - it's not like a Nivea cream that is heavy but it's also not your light weight moisturizer that goes on super sheer. Like I said, this last step again depends on what you are looking for for your skin.
And that's it! Super easy, super efficient, and gets the job done! My skin always feels so soft after I do this, and while I would love the relaxing atmosphere of a spa while someone rubs creams all over my face, I feel I've gotten similar results sitting at home on my couch watching tv.
And although I've documented this on Snapchat a dozen times, here's last night's facial in all its bare skin glory during The Bachelor (Corinne is crazy and insecure, correct? I have lots of thoughts). Now if only I could figure out an at-home remedy for my dark tear trough (which I've had since I was a kid, so I can't even blame school for them!).
