Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

I apologize for such a long gap between posts, and lack of commenting on all of the blogs of the lovelies that I follow. Life has been so hectic lately I have neglected this blog, something I don't plan on letting happen very often. With my upcoming graduation I have been very focused on school.

Tonight, though, is a night for relaxation! I've been laying around clipping coupons and trying out a Freeman Beauty avocado clay mask, which is brilliant, by the way. There will be a review soon!


Now to the meat of this post: moisturizing. I may be a little lax on some beauty routines, but moisturizing is one that I never skip. I really started to think about this because of a friend of mine suffering from reoccurring breakouts, varying from light to pretty severe. Of course, me being me, I grilled her about her skin care routine. I was appalled by the horrible things she was doing to her skin, all in the name of ridding herself of her acne.

 What she didn't realize was all of the harsh soaps she was using was doing nothing but exacerbating the problem!

Something that most people don't seem to understand is how the skin works. Just like the hair, the more you strip yours skin of its natural oils, the more it will produce to make up for the deficit. Using harsh soaps and cleansers that dry the skin in an effort to get rid of the acne is going to make the problem worse as your skin tries to recover from the damage you are doing. Hello oil slicks! I am all about using soaps to treat acne, but if they strip your skin of the natural moisture it is vital that you use a moisturizer to replenish what you are taking away. Otherwise you will end up with breakouts that are even worse than those you are trying to treat.

I ended up revamping her routine by adding a few simple steps and substitutions.

First, I have found using a gentle exfoliating face wash does the trick for my clear skin.

Morning and night I use a Neutrotena scrub.

If I have any breakouts, I follow with an acne cream.

Finally I moisturize, morning and night, regardless of if my skin feels like it needs it at all. Your skin always needs to be moisturized to replace what you take away by cleansing.

With this simple routine I've managed to keep my skin clear and even, so much so that I don't need to wear foundation at all! I may need the occasional correction for under eye circles, but that is about it.

The moral of the story is keep your skin moisturized. Your skin will look and feel amazing!

 Your face isn't the only place that needs moisture! A great body lotion will do your skin wonders if you develop a routine. Dial makes a lovely moisturizer that is effective, and less than $3! I bought a new bottle, so expect a review soon!

 Before I close this entry, I do want to say that this routine might not work for everyone. This is just something that I found to work for me. You know your skin better than anyone and need to modify any skin care routine to suit your own needs.


 I have some interesting things planned for the next week or so. I am backed up on reviews, and I was chosen by Influenster to receive their Love VoxBox! It is in the mail, so expect a full report when I get it. I may make my first video dedicated to the unboxing! I hope everyone has had a great week, and we will talk again soon!