My Beauty Must Haves

Today's post is going to be all about my beauty must have's. The products that I've been using to keep my skin looking healthy and glowing. My skin type is oily, not just T zone oily, I'm talking about all over my face type of oily. It's sucks but someone once told me that people with oily skin types tend to look younger as they age but I suspect that they told me that to make me feel a bit better about my overly oily skin. It's not too bad when I'm fresh faced but I've realized that when I wear makeup it seems to get worse or rather the oiliness  is a lot more noticeable. Anyway, if you've got oily sensitive skin like me and you're looking for products that combat both issues then perhaps some of the products here may be able to help you as  much as they've helped me. Let's get started.

  

Cleanse. When I get out of the bed in the morning, I go straight for one of my two cleansers. If my skin has any acne flair ups I turn to Murad Clarifying Cleanser. If there's no acne I'll turn to my Cetaphil Gentle Daily Skin Cleanser. In the inter months I turn to Murad Renewing Cleansing Cream; it's geared towards older women but I love how moisturizing it is and it works miracles during those cold winter months. For my body I absolutely love most of Dr. Bronners liquid soaps; my two favorites are the Hemp Tea Tree and Peppermint.  These cleanser are effective yet gentle and easily found in stores and online for reasonable prices.

Makeup Remover. I don't wear makeup everyday but when I do I remove it by utilizing the oil cleansing method. To most this may sound weird but it's a very simple yet effective manner of getting rid of all the makeup off of your skin while moisturizing it instead of stripping it completely as most cleansers do. Instead of using your usual cleanser get your favorite oils, rub them on your face, let it sit for a minute, dip your washcloth into some warm water and thoroughly wipe the oil and gunk off your face. That's it, oil cleansing method in a nutshell. My favorite oils to use is Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Almond Oil particularly Sweet Almond Oil. I love Coconut Oil for most things but I'd caution you to stay away from Coconut Oil for oil cleansing. Most people complain that it clogs their pores and causes more breakouts. Of course it's up to you if you'd like to try it.     

Exfoliate. Two of my top exfoliating products are the St. Ives Apricot Scrub and the Neutrogena Microdermabrasion kit. Both products gently exfoliates and deep-cleans my skin. The Apricot scrub has been around for ages and is found in most of your local pharmacy's and beauty supply stores for less than $5. Talk about getting a bang for your buck. 

Treat. Then, while I sip on my soy green tea latte, I lightly rub on the Freemans Avocado and Oatmeal Clay mask which purges the dirt and oils from my pores. It's rich in Vitamin E and leaves my skin feeling cleaner and not as dry as most clay masks do. One tip would be to drink the recommended amount of water intake when doing clay masks. I've found that when I use them if I don't drink water I almost always break out the day after. I also Collagen Essence facial Mask by Skininstinct but there are hundreds of brands of collagen masks and other types of masks like Aloe, Ginseng, Green tea etc. I also love the Garnier Skin Renew Anti- Puff Eye Roller Gel. This little gem comes in handy when I pull all nighters which happens regularly. The roller gel moisturizes, shrinks my bags, and is said to increase circulation. You can use it then apply your makeup but I don't. I use it at night just before I hit the sack.  Another amazing treatment is RoC Retinal Correxion Sensitive Eye Cream. This helps fight lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area with minimal or no irritation.

Moisturize. When it comes to moisturizers I tend to stick to a select few that I rotate depending on the season and on how my skin feels. My everyday moisturizer is my Cetaphil moisturizer  I love it because it's easily accessible,  inexpensive, fragrance free, and most importantly it works. When I'm in the mood to pamper my skin with a high end super effective moisturizer I turn to Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream. If you're looking for a powerhouse moisturizer then this is it.   

Hope you've found this list to be helpful. Like I said I have sensitive oily skin and these products have worked miracles for me. Most of them are inexpensive so you don't have to worry about going broke for the sake of beauty. What are your beauty must haves?