mid maintenance

I have always thought I was pretty low maintenance (though I suspect a certain man in my life may disagree) and after looking at and photographing my products, I guess I may be somewhere in between high and low. I think since I save so much money on clothes and shoes, I definitely feel justified in splurging on nice products and cosmetics.  At least the ones that matter.  I feel like my system is very paired down and simple, but I don't have anyone's to compare it with!  Below is a list of the products I use almost daily and the way I use them.   Its a bit crazy how they add up!

1.  Skin:  Every other day, before I take a shower I use a natural bristle dry brush to brush my whole body starting at my heart and working to my fingers and toes. (EDIT: I got the brush at Whole Foods, but I have seen them in a few natural food stores. It was inexpensive, maybe $8. I am sure Body Shop has similar things as well. Here is a link to the one I think I have)  I brush my legs and bootie harder than the rest of me.  It hurts a little at first, but it exfoliates really well and promotes good circulation (I noticed an improvement in skin elasticity and cellulite when I started this brushing. Trust me its worth it).  I have come to relish my brushing.  I wash with whatever soap is in the shower (Dove usually) and shave no matter what, every other day.  Then I pat dry.  I immediately slather my whole body generously with Cetaphil lotion (at any store but I get the economy pack at Costco when I go since I use so much.)  If I would like a boost for my tan (which is mostly from the sun left over from Honduras, Coachella and the park) I use either Nivea Sun Kissed Firming Moisturizer for a gradual warmth, or the Neutrogena Sun Fresh tanning lotion  (more noticeable but a bit starchy smelling)  I have not used these products for a while but they are both nicer than others I have tried.  My skin does tan in the sun very easily and holds the color well though.  Just in case you are ready to lecture, I always wear 15spf if I am going to be outside.

2. Face: After I got back from Honduras, my skin was a little sun damaged and I noticed more lines around my eyes, so right off the plane I hit Sephora and with the help of a great sales woman, discovered this Philosophy skin line.  I use the Microdelivery cleanser each night to exfoliate off dead skin cells, then generously apply the Eye Hope.  I let that soak in for 2 minutes then apply the Hope in a Jar to my whole face, neck, chest and hands.  In the morning I use any random gentle liquid cleanser on my Clearsonic and repeat the last two steps.  I have noticed a DRAMATIC difference in my lines (nearly invisible), my tone and my texture.

3. Makeup: Once my Moisturizer sinks in (3 mins or so) I spray my face lightly with Dior Air Flash foundation in Sand (Sephora) and brush it in with a foundation brush.  It has great coverage but is SUPER light weight. Then I put a bit of Cargo Bronzer on my nose and cheeks for a touch of sun and buff over that with Benefit's Throb powder. My lip color is either one of two Maybelline Colorstay lip colors.  I don't use the provided gloss, just let it be matte. Finally I lightly apply Benefit eyeshadow in Busy Signal with a small brush and swipe just the top lashes with Lancome Defincils Mascara. I sometimes use a liquid liner to make a cat eye instead of the more subtle smudged brown eyeshadow.

4. Hair: I have not committed to a proper shampoo and conditioner yet.  I tried the "Her Cut" line and was not impressed.  I like Biolage though.  For dry shampoos I like the Oscar Blandi Pronto a whole lot, but for darker hair the T3 360 refresh spray dry shampoo in Dark Tone is really great.  I have been using the Orlando Pita dry conditoner as well, and have been addicted to Bumble and Bumble Styling cream for a while.  The boar bristle brush I got is the Sephora brand and my hair drier (which yes has tape holding the filter on it since I dropped it) is this little T3 Bespoke travel drier.  Its light weight and works great.

5. Fragrance: The only perfume or fragrance I wear of any kind is Prada Milano.  I usually will just add the lotion to my Cetaphil in the morning to give me a more subtle smell, but if I go out or want to feel really pretty I will spray the perfume once on my chest.  Not really that important, but I thought I may as well include it since it is a part of my routine.  You will probably never smell me but I am very sensitive to smells and gather a lot of information about my environment and people I meet by how they smell.   I think fragrance says a lot about a person.  (my husband usually says that I smell like food or something edible though so go figure.)

All right!  So thats what I do.  I guess the biggie is just the very regular scrubbing, shaving and moisturizing.  My last bit of news,  I opened a Twitter account, but seriously just so that I can let any interested parties know when I list things on my Etsy (which I did do yesterday!!!)  If you want to follow me you can, but I really won't be tweeting about anything but my shop!  My user name is Secondskinstyle just like my blog address.  I don't have a gadget yet but I am working on figuring all that out.  I feel a little ridiculous about this whole thing though.  We will see how it goes!

Shirt: thrifted vintage
Pants: thrifted vintage
Shoes, belt, hat, necklaces: thirfted vintage