27.4.10

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

30 comments:

sarahannnoel said...

Firstly, I looooove your outfit. So easy and chic. Especially the pants! I've been looking for some like that.

And secondly, thanks for sharing your tips! I do think you have the prettiest skin, so I feel like getting all this info is like being let in on the best beauty secret!

Have a great day, doll!
S

letterstobetsy said...

The outfit is so easy and chic. Anyone could wear that and it looks totally flawless.
I also love hearing about beauty tips. What products other use and it makes me smile when I hear others use what I use!
I have never tried Prada perfume but perhaps I will!
I am not a big perfume gal but this sounds yummy!
xoxo
KC
http://www.letterstobetsy.com

Anonymous said...

i love seeing someone elses beauty routine since I have a makeup addiction.

Love that you shared this! xo, Kim www.crowded-closet.com

tess said...

cetaphil is great, my skin breaksout a lot less now

Zoƫ, Lion Heart Vintage said...

great outfit! those pants are a beaut.

thanks for sharing your tips, the scrubbing is definitely something i'm going to try.

MARGARET said...

thank you for sharing!!

you have absolutely gorgeous skin, so i am excited to try out your tips. :-)

girlxoxo said...

Ooh - thanks for sharing your beauty regime. I was so curious, especially since I have none and I really need to get one.

The Wh0le Story said...

Definitely going to try your body brushing method. Varicose veins run in my family, so it can't hurt to try and keep my circulation healthy.

Sara said...

Your outfit looks like sooo much fun and it looks comfy :)

Thanks for sharing all of this, sometimes I can get overwhelmed in the store looking for product, so it's good to know someone's recomendations on products :)

Anonymous said...

Where did you get the natural bristle dry brush you use to exfoliate (in step 1)? Thanks.

Chaucee said...

I love fashion that is comfortable : )

Unknown said...

love the outfit, it looks so nice and comfy and chic at the same time! also eagerly reading your beauty tips since I´ve got some skin problems atm due to medication and I´m trying very hard not to look like a toad. I think they are cute though but humans with toad skin are not... Anyway, great post, thank you!

Seval said...

Your outfit looks so urban :) the color looks very good with your hair! And the tips are great! I scrub my body too, but I need to moisturize more regularly I guess... Oh well! :)

Unknown said...

This may be my most favorite outfit yet!!!! The wooden beads,belt,pinky top and tan look sooo fresh and compliment your skin tone and new hair color! UR beautiful today!

Anonymous said...

So seriously chic. You have like this subtle safari chic look, adorable.

:)

Bess Seidler said...

I LOVE THIS OUTFIT! CONGRATS!

http://bessseidler.blogspot.com

Bess Seidler said...

P.S-

Could you write a blog about what to look for when you go thrift store shopping?

How do you find such great things?

Whenever I go to one, everything looks ratty and old.
it would be a great post!

I LOVE YOUR STYLE!!!!!

C said...

First, those pants are an absolute delight.

Second, I'm TOTALLY inspired now to vamp up my self-care routine. I'm totally a Neutrogena and nothing else kind of gal, but my skin is definitely short of perfect. Hmm....

Desiree said...

Ohh I'm glad you did a post like this. I always love seeing what works for other women. I'm going to try to brush thing.

Also, a while back you posted about eating for your blood type, yoga, and such. I would love to read more about that if you have any sort of link or anything.

Brittany said...

Your new pictures look amazing! I'm getting a new camera this summer.. what did you decide to go with?

Ahh.. we now are inside the mind of a true fashionista & beauty queen! Watch out..we now know all your secrets! But really.. great advice,love the idea of mixing your perfume w. lotion!

Corie said...

I love the outfit Christina...love how the pants are such a great fit on you.

J. said...

I've heard a lot of good things about the philosophy line. I'm thinking of trying it out to help out with an overall more even/fresh looking skin tone, but there are so many to choose from!

myedit said...

For some reason I couldn't post on your last outfit, you look so pretty, relaxed and golden in the cut-offs and striped shirt. This outfit is great too...

Morgan and Lua said...

How do you find time to do it all?? Do you just get used to the routine? Thanks for all the information. I'm going to have to try a few of these!
When you get down this whole -not washing your hair everyday- thing do you think you could do a little post on that? I'm honestly baffled by it.

Love the color of the top on you!
www.morganandlua.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Have you considered more slowly phasing in the non-everyday-hairwashing routine? My understanding is that most people's hair will adjust, i.e. if you start washing every other day, your hair/scalp will actually begin to produce less oil, as your body realizes it actually needs less oil. Then you could shift to every third day, or every fourth. Just an idea! I stopped conditioning my hair every day a while ago, and I found it much easier to just condition every other day, then stretch it out longer, so now I only need to condition once a week or so.

Catherine
anhourandahalfeast.tumblr.com

Unknown said...

Love this outfit and LOVE the beauty tips! I read this at work and couldn't wait to go buy some of the things you use. I wanted to try out the dry shampoo, since I definitely have dark hair that needs washing everyday, but was dismayed to see that it was so expensive at Sephora!

Then I stepped into the Marshall's next to my office and BAM. Fifteen bottles of the stuff, in dark, for less than $6 a bottle. I am trying it tomorrow and if I dig it, I am sold.

I also happened across the exact body brush you use there. It was pretty awesome.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the skin/body care tips! I am going to try the brush for exfoliating because my skin has the tendency to get quite dry!

You outfit is great as always!

ChrisRobinson said...

I love this post! I was going to say that even before I got to all the awesome beauty routine stuff (my guiltiest pleasure. I wish when I met someone, I also was handed a polaroid of their vanity cabinet. weird?). You have an awesome routine! And you've finally convinced me to get that C-sonic cleaner. I've been checking it out, it's in my Sephora wishlist... I just feel like I tug at my skin when I rub a scrub in. Do you consider it pretty gentle? Worth the price?

I've been keeping up every day but have been lousy about commenting. You've just been looking fantastic lately. Spring is definitely your season! :)

C@ Corks + Caftans

Maya Francesca said...

Hi Christina,

Thanks so much for this post! Your legs are so beautiful they actually look airbrushed, and I've been wondering what your secret must be. I'm going to buy a body brush and gradual self-tanner immediately.

I'll try to contribute to the topic here...

Hair stuff:
My hair type - strands are very thick, somewhat coarse, and very prone to drying out.

I used to wash and blow-dry my hair everyday and it started to take on the texture of straw. So I stopped blow-drying (haven't touched a dryer since I was 14), started washing it every other day (with conditioner every time), and stopped using every kind of hair product other than shampoo, conditioner, and the occasional leave-in strengthening conditioner. My hair is now soft, shiny, and very long. I use Giovanni products (found in the "natural products" section) - works much better for me than anything else I've tried, including stuff like Pantene.

Skin stuff:
Skin type - combination skin, problems with dry flakiness on my nose and cheeks, despite being oily enough to use oil blotting sheets.

Over-consuming dairy products makes me break out terribly (this is somewhat common and is thought to be due to the hormones in commercial milk products), as does not getting regular exercise (walking around a lot takes care of that). My dermatologist put me on Retin-A for the acne and fine lines and it really helped; due to my dry skin problems, she told me to apply it 20 minutes after applying moisturizer (I do this during cold, dry months). Clinique and Burt's Bees products work really well for me - Burt's Bees Orange Essence cleanser doesn't exacerbate my dryness at all, and it actually tastes like oranges.

knittingnora said...

Ok so in step one you brush BEFORE you even get in the shower? Sorry I have ADD. Whats the difference then doing it in the shower?
Anything that could reduce cellulite I am signing up for!!

Thanks.

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