Thursday, September 5, 2013

Five Skincare Products I Cannot Live Without

I'd like to start a new series called Products I Cannot Live Without that I will update throughout the year as I get inspired.  This week I would like to talk about skincare as the warmer months will soon turn cooler and if you are like me your skin will change.  During the summer I have oily skin but in the fall and winter months my skin turns more normal to combination which means I need to start being more diligent about my skincare routine so no issues pop up (like pimples...no pun intended, I swear).  So here are my five picks for skincare products I cannot live without!



Hyaluronic Acid is naturally occurring in our skin, however as we age our skin starts to lose this precious acid.  It binds to water and can hold up to 1000 times its weight so that means when you apply it topically it sinks into and plumps up your skin making wrinkles less noticeable.  It's like Botox in a jar without nasty needles and in a natural way.  I apply this every night right before bed.  The cheapest place I have found it is at Vitacost for $7.89.  You can purchase it by clicking here.

  

Alpha Hydroxy Acid is what I credit as keeping my skin clear from breakouts.  It is a chemical exfoliator so what is does is it loosens the "glue" that binds dead skin cells thus allowing these dead cells to slough off.  Alpha Hydroxy Acids are found naturally in fruit and milk to name a few, and is the obvious reason why Cleopatra used to bathe in milk!  I apply this every other day after I cleanse and tone and about ten minutes before I apply my Reviva in order for it to sink in and give it time to do its magic.  The cheapest place I have found it is for $14.26 at Walgreens, however it is not carried in stores so you will have to order it online here.  It is also at Drugstore.com but it is a little more expensive at $15.49.  If you have been wanting to place an order for several things on there or on Beauty.com then it may be worth the extra dollar to buy it off Drugstore.com.  I hate to pay shipping costs so if I'm going to place an order online I will buy enough things just to keep from doing it!  So here's the Drugstore.com link if you want to order it here.







This stuff is a dupe for Kate Somerville ExfoliKate.  And at $11.99 here at Vitacost it is a steal compared to Kate's version that costs $85.  I use this about once a week as a manual exfoliator.  This just helps ensure I get every last dead skin cell off my skin which helps my makeup apply smoother and helps my moisturizer sink into my skin better.  It's so important to properly exfoliate because then your skincare products are no longer "trapped" by dead skin cells and they can actually do their job so much better with a clean slate.




For toning I like to use Thayer's Witch Hazel.  This is not a crucial step to a skincare routine but I always find that it helps clear my skin of any leftover soap or other residue I may have missed when I wash my face.  It is alcohol free and the Lavender scent not only is a calming and soothing scent before bed but it also has disinfecting properties which helps kill any bacteria on your skin.  We all know bacteria is one of the causes of acne!  The cheapest I have found it is for $7.96 here at Vitacost.



I use this stuff in the morning as my cleanser when I feel like I need to and I also use it at night as a makeup remover.  They claim you can use it as your cleanser at night, however I find that when you wear long wearing makeup it just doesn't quite get it all off so I still need to follow with a foaming cleanser.  Yes it is expensive at $28.33 here on Amazon.com but as you can see it is a huge bottle so it really does last forever and feels very luxurious at the same time.

So there you have it, my top five skincare picks!  My goodness it was hard to narrow it down to only five but somehow I managed.  And just in case you couldn't tell I love shopping at Vitacost.com.  This post is not sponsored by them in any way, it just comes from an obsessed fan.  I feel they have the cheapest prices, a huge selection, and they are more focused on natural lines which I love.  I do like to pass on good deals, coupon codes, and the like when I find it so if you click this link here you will get $10 off your purchase of $30 or more through the Vitacost refer a friend program.  If you spend $49 or more you will also get free shipping along with the $10 off. 

My favorite section on their website is their Last Chance Sale  which you can find here.  They have crazy good sale prices and I like to check it out often to try out new things.  Also they have a section at the top right tab labeled Deals (it's easy to see as it's in red) that gives all the sales and coupon codes they are currently offering so that's fun to browse through too! 


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