My skin care routine

So, I'm a smoker. Yeah yeah, its bad. whatever.


While my roommate and I don't smoke in our living room, we do smoke in our bedrooms. And since my roommate owns the good TV in the living room, I let him have first pick of what to watch/play on it. Which means I spend a lot of time in my room, hiding from Madden or reality-show-drivel. And that means I smoke more, because I can. It does make my clothes smell bad, unless I keep the closet door closed. The other side effect is that it ages my skin. I started noticing an intricate web of fine lines on my forehead, and an even deeper wrinkle right between my eyebrows. Needless to say, at 25, I was in a panic.


I hadn't been much for moisturizing in the past, as my skin tends toward the oily. But I realized that the only way to keep my skin from aging any more than it already has is to keep it nice and hydrated. So, this is what I've been doing for about a month, and it actually seems to be working. The fine lines on my forehead are noticeably lessened and that particular little wrinkle between my brows is a little less pronounced.


In the shower in the morning, I alternate between Arbonne FC5 daily cleanser (for oily/combination skin) and MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. As I have reviewed previously Arbonne cleanser is awesome. And I'm running out of it, which is annoying. But it lasts for a loooong time. You only need about a dime size amount, probably less.


I'm still on the fence, even half way through my tube. On the one hand, the exfoliating beads are very fine and take only a little effort to polish your whole face. It also doubles as a cleanser; as you scrub, it foams up and leaves your skin soft and moisturized. And hey, its black! That's nifty. But the trouble with "natural" scrubbing materials is that they're not smooth and even, which if you have sensitive skin, can feel very rough and jagged. If you get a little overzealous while scrubbing (as i'm sometimes prone to) it can actually hurt a little. I also haven't noticed any reduction in the size of my pores and have actually noticed more clogged pores on my cheeks, where I didn't use to have too much trouble. Now, this could be the fault of my shit foundation (which I still am using and haven't returned since I reviewed it before). So, anyway, thats what I do in the mornings. I alternate between straight up cleanser and an exfoliating cleanser. If I feel really gross, sometimes I'll do both.


When I get out of the shower, I moisturize with my Arbonne FC5 Oil Absorbing Day Lotion with SPF 20. I love it, as I stated in that other review. Never feels heavy. Smells fantastic. One of the few products that I've bought a second time, despite its $50 sticker price. If anyone's interested, contact me and I'll be happy to put you in touch with my friend's mom who sells it.


At night, I cleanse my face with makeup wipes, because I HATE washing my face when not in the shower. Water gets EVERYWHERE, and gets stuck in the cat litter that my kitties kick out of their litter box. And all over the toilet paper on the roll. and all over the mirror... (I have a really small bathroom) So I use makeup wipes. I have been using Clean and Clear wipes for the last few months, but I think they're not getting all the dirt that the Ponds ones I used to use were. So I've switched back as of last night.


Following makeup wipes, I use Pond's Mend & Defend intensive protection SPF 15 moisturizer This used to be my favorite moisturizer before I discovered Arbonne. Its a little heavy, but in a good way. And its formulated for anti-aging stuff. It absorbs quickly and leaves the skin supple and soft. And its cheap, and available (or used to be) at drug stores. There was a brief period a few years ago where I couldn't find it anywhere, and I got the supply I have now on clearance at CVS. I haven't shopped for it in a while, because I use so little, so I really don't know if they still make it. If they don't make this exact one, there's probably something similar on the market.


In addition to facial moisturizer, I use Arbonne Intelligence Not-So-Basic Daily Eye Cream. I rub this into my eyelids, under my eyes, on the bridge of my nose and up over both my eyebrows. This product I know for a fact is not on the market anymore. Arbonne stopped making the Intelligence line and replaced it (I think) with FC5. The jar I have is miniature, meant for travel, and was included in a birthday gift from my friend who's mom sells it. Her mom had a bunch of Intelligence stuff at one point that she was selling cheap, since they don't make it anymore. I'd bet you can find it on ebay, and my friend Kyle wrote this post on her blog about where to find discontinued beauty products. Dunno if any of them carry Arbonne, but its worth a shot. Again, I use a very small amount, pretty much just dab my finger in once and thats all I need, so I don't anticipate running out anytime soon. Other eye creams that I have liked are both available at Kohls, Good Skin (like generic Clinique) and Grassroots.


Anyways, so thats my daily skin care routine. And it is actually working. Of course, its important to get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of water, these also help with keeping skin young and fresh.


Happy Holidays everyone!!!!