A Very Sweet Blog

Friday, March 30, 2012

My Skincare Regimen ~ Part 3

It's Friday! What's everybody getting into this weekend? I'll be taking pics of clothes and accessories I plan to sell on my blog (see the BIG pink circle on my sidebar to subscribe and get 1st notice...items will be super cheap).

I also plan to go to the movies and see Wrath of the Titans. I LOVE these kind of movies! Huge monsters, good vs. evil, mythology and fantasy. I eat that kind of stuff up. HaHaHa Reviews are all over the place. So the jury is still out on this one. Was always a a fan of THE ORIGINAL Clash of The Titans (not the new one). I love movies that "take you to other places". I'll also probably dine out.Here are some pics from Wrath of the Titans and a video preview...

Oh yeah, the final part to my Skincare Regimen. HaHa

Let's get started...

Moisturize & Replenish

After ALL of that cleaning and scrubbing I feel it's important to moisturize. My favorite body lotion is Archipelago Oat Milk Lotion. Love this stuff! FYI - It's an Allure Magazine Editor Favorite also. It's creamy, white and not too heavy. I've been using it for years. I use Mary Kay's Timewise moisturizer and Timewise day solution with sunscreen on my face.

Natural Glow
My skin tone can change if I'm not feeling well, tired or other factors, so when I need a pigment boost I use Jergens Natural Glow. It's lightweight, non-sticky and doesn't give you that dreaded orange oompa loompa look. I use it all over.

Skincare from the Inside
I've only stated what I do on the outside in regards to skincare, but it's important for me to also tell you what I do from within. I make sure I get enough rest. I drink LOTS of water and I JUICE. Yes, I juice on the weekends.

I started juicing about 3 years ago. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I love it and feel the difference when I do. I did my research online and found the Breville Juicer to be ONE of the best. You have to get off a pretty penny when purchasing one, but when it came I didn't have to screw one thing together, cleaning is super easy and I don't have to cut fruit or veggies into tiny little pieces. I love my Breville Juicer and I highly recommend it.

My Juice Combinations:

My Favorite Juicing Mix is: Kale (1 stalk - see picture), carrots (4), celery (2), apple (1), cucumber (1) and a large tomato (1). The key to vegetable juicing is always using at least one piece of fruit. There's really not a wrong combination. If you want to use 2 tomatoes...do it. If you want less carrots...do it. That's the main combination I use, but I've varied it and it always tastes good.

Another Cool Fruit & Vegetable Mix is: Spinach (1 bag), Cucumber (1), Pear (1), Celery (2), Mango (1). When using mangos and papaya it can get a little expensive unless you're in an area where they are plentiful. They also don't produce a lot of juice. I prefer eating mangos and papaya! haha But it does taste good :)

Smoothie Girl: In my blender, I like to make banana and strawberry smoothies. Smoothies are refreshing especially this time of year and offer a nice alternative to not so healthy sweet treats. I simply use ice and honey (to sweeten) to make these.

Farmer's Market and Mr. Okra: I go to the store, but I like going to Farmer's Markets for really fresh produce and I'm really lucky to have a fruit and vegetable man (Mr. Okra) that sometimes passes by my house. Yes! Can you believe it!?! and I live in the CITY. The taste and quality is truly amazing. So I try to support local vendors.

So that's it you guys! Along with walking on the treadmill (which I just started back doing) and using sunscreen on my face and body (Neutrogena) is why my skin IS what it is. I don't know if this would qualify as HIGH MAINTENANCE, because many of the products I use are not expensive (only a few are).

I use a lot of DIFFERENT products from different brands. I would LOVE to use just one brand, but I haven't found one brand that can give me what I need or do the things I need it to do. HaHaHa Only if we lived in a PERFECT world! HaHa!

Have a Great Weekend Everybody!

My Skincare Regimen ~ Part 2

Happy Thursday Everybody! Glad you guys enjoyed Part 1. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed reading your comments about the different cleansers you're using and your skincare regimen. I'm always looking to test new stuff out and you guys gave me some great suggestions and tips. There were some brands you mentioned, that I forgot about. So thank you.

Well, today is Part 2 of my skin care regimen. There was another editorial, I was itching to post but I don't want any riots on here ;) hee hee So let's get started and I'll post it another time! :)

SCRUB-A-Dub-Dub

Once a week, I'll exfoliate and scrub my skin (not my face though). Body scrubs have been hit or miss in my book. Either they're too oily, leave a film, too abrasive, or not abrasive enough.

If you're looking for a designer brand, I really like Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Sugar Scrub (her honey bath and souffle body cream is divine). If you want an excellent inexpensive scrub, go to Bath and Body Works and get True Blue Spa Toe the Line. It's specifically for your feet, but I use it on EVERYTHING. It's perfect, rinses clean, doesn't have a harsh scent, is not oily, sticky or heavy and did I mention I love it!?!

Also, don't forget about your back! It needs to be kept clean too. I purchased a brush from my local day spa. A picture of it is below. It's great to use when scrubbing your back.

Smooth As SILK
Let's talk hair removal (ummm yes, i won't do outfit posts, but i'll show my legs...go figure! haha). There's waxing, laser hair removal and many other ways to get rid of hair! But for the most part I shave. I was a Skintimate girl for years! I didn't think ANYthing was better. I was wrong. I tried Pure Silk by accident and I've never looked back. It's cheaper and (in my opinion) better than Skintimate. Wonderful lather, nice choice of soft scents, great coverage and no nicks. You'll have silky smooth legs always. And BTW that's the brush I use on my back.

Cracks Are Whack

It's springtime!!! I hate to see cracked heels on a man or woman. Feet should look cute in sandals, not tore up. Runnnnn and buy this if you want super baby soft feet. It's called Surgeons Skin Secret ( it's a twist up stick: i use the vanilla but there is an unscented version)! You can use it on your feet and hands.

Before using it, file your feet first. I use Flowery's Swedish Clover Foot File (it's so good you guys, and it has a 5 year guarantee). It's also at Amazon. This file will NOT hurt you at all. It get's an A+++ for sloughing off dead skin. You'll thank me! I promise!

Afterwards lotion your feet. Apply the Surgeon's Skin Secret balm (at night) on your heels, toes or wherever you want it soft and sleep with a sock. When you wake up, you will see a miracle.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE both of these products!
I get pedicures, but both are great to use in-between visits.
What do you use to stay smooth?
Part 3 (my beauty regimen finale) will be tomorrow!

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker's Man...

So Kim, Part 2 of your skincare regimen consists of cake!?! LOL No, but you guys I couldn't resist posting this cool editorial from Marie Claire China. I'm such a sucker for a sweet editorial. I know. I'm such a TEASE.

It features pastel hair models (Masha P & Anna I), photographed by Amber Gray, wearing Louis Vuitton, Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier and making cakes at a bakery!

I had to laugh, because the lopsided cake the model is carrying below is probably how my cake would turn out if they stuck me in a bakery. There's even a cool video. Trust me it's a definite must watch.

Makeup is by David Tibolla. Pastel hair is by Yoichi Tomizawa. The stylist is Guillaume Boulez.

What's Your Favorite Type of Cake?

I love wedding, red velvet, chocolate, birthday, carrot and lemon cake...to name a few. LOL

I'll post Part 2 of my skincare regimen tomorrow (fingers crossed hahaha)

My Skincare Regimen ~ Part 1

Happy Tuesday Everybody! A couple of my bloggie buddies asked me to blog about my skin care regimen. So I decided to do a short mini-series about it this week.

I'll keep the posts short, so that it's not overwhelming.

Not only will I focus on my face, but my body as well. Skin encompasses your entire body and you should take care of it all. So here's mine...

Get Clean!

I love body wash, salts, scrubs and bath bombs, but for me it's important to be CLEAN before using all of that stuff.

Many people are not a fan of soap for really good reasons. However, my grandmother used Ivory soap and maintained beautiful, soft and supple skin all her life. She would use it all over and then moisturize. My mom had surgery several years ago and her surgeon recommended Dial WHITE anti-bacterial deodorant soap. I tried it and loved it. It's the only soap I've used for several years now. I haven't had a cold in a really long time (knock-on-wood hahaha). So I INITIALLY wash my body and face (yes face!) with it everyday and night.

I THEN use my favorite body wash. Currently my favorite body washes are products from Earthsavers, Philosophy, and Vitabath.

Digging Deep!

After cleaning my face with Dial White Soap, I use Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser which was recommended by my Dermatologist. Local drugstores and my sponsor SkincareRx carries it. It's awesome and I highly recommend it!

I've spent years trying expensive and inexpensive cleansers (mary kay, noxzema, neutrogena, clearasil, clarins, clinique, spent a load of money on la mer etc.) and NONE of them (for me) compared to Cetaphil, which is truly inexpensive compared to the rest. I have sensitive skin and it really works for me.

Try using a WHITE WASHCLOTH when washing your face to make sure you're getting all of your make-up off. If you really want to make your pores happy and dig out the gunk that's in them use a Clarisonic. I have a Clarisonic Mia. I want to purchase the Clarisonic Plus for my entire body. Again, I have sensitive skin and it doesn't bother me. It's an excellent investment if you want clean and clear skin. You can purchase it on SkinCareRx and many other places. Yep, that's me without makeup (birthmark dot on my forehead) and MY hair is finally growing out (from a salon hair catastrophe hahaha) So that was Part 1! Part 2 will be tomorrow! Have a great day!

Save 10% on all skin care devices (Clarisonic etc.) with code POWER10 at SkinCareRx

What's Your Favorite Cleanser?

Architectural Digest India featuring Deepika Padukone

Architectural Digest just recently launched publication in India. Isn't that amazing? I was astonished, because with all of the beautiful architecture, sculpture and art India has you would think this would've been implemented years ago. I had to do a double take when I read it and ask why so long?

To grace the inaugural issue they enlisted Deepika Padukone. I haven't followed her career and know nothing of her personal life, but what I've read is truly extraordinary. She's very accomplished and beyond beautiful.

I thought the photo shoot for this editorial was simply gorgeous, because it encompasses exquisite designer fashion and fabulous India interior design.

Watch the video. They show closeups of all the fabulous India decor used in this spread. It's breathtaking and amazing. I really enjoy learning about other cultures.Have a great Monday! :)

Jexika S/S 2012 and Elie Saab Spring 2012