My Latest Skincare Routine & Favorite Products

I LOVE trying new skincare products. If you walk into my bathroom and open up the many drawers we have in there, it’s almost all skincare products. I love creams, serums, masks, and really any other product out there that’s being pushed by some blogger or influencer. Because I’m simply curious. I want to figure out what the best product is for my own skin and luckily, there are A TON of great skincare companies out there. Many have been introduced to me by my esthetician and others I’ve just found along the way. So today I want to walk you through my latest skincare favorites and what I’m doing to work on my own skin issues and frustrations.

Before we get started, I wanted to link some previous blog posts in case you are new here! I used to have HORRIBLE cystic acne. It was painful, miserable, and often debilitating. I didn’t even want to leave my house, I was so incredibly embarrassed. But once I finally went on accutane, I felt like I had some slight control over my body. It was one of the best things I ever did, even though it was a super miserable process. Since accutane in 2013, I’ve dabbled in so many different skincare treatments and products. Profractional, BBL, and Microneedling are three of my favorite treatments that I get on a regular basis to help with my skin’s texture and look. Hopefully those previous posts help give you a little insight into my own skincare journey and help you with your own! Now let’s talk about some of the products I’m loving lately!

Vivant Skin Care Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser: This cleanser is recommended for combination or oily skin and it’s ideal for adult acne and skin new to advanced skincare regimens. I’ve used this cleanser for years now because it helps reduce blemishes, dark spots, discoloration and fine lines. And it gently exfoliates without irritating the skin.

Beyond Complexion Mandelic Acid 5+ Re-texturizing Pads: After I cleanse my skin, these pads are almost the second cleansing step. These pads help with blemishes, dark spots, fine lines, uneven skin texture, acne, and help minimize the appearance of pore. This is one of my absolute favorite products and a product that I’ve used for probably 3-4 years now. Just FYI – I cut the pads in half to help the product last longer!

Colleen Rothschild Skin Revival Serum Trio – I just recently started using Colleen Rothschild products and I LOVE them. I was definitely #influenced by an amazing blogger and bought a small trio kit to see if I like the products. I do. I love them so much. In the trio, you’ll find –

• Age Renewal Super Serum – This serum has more than 20 potent ingredients, including peptides, collagen boosters, amino acids, vitamins, and plant extracts that effectively fight the signs of aging. I apply this every morning before the Face Oil.
• Face Oil N°9 – This product combines nine transformative oils that provide an intense moisture boost, deeply nourish thirsty skin, and leave your complexion radiant after the first application. I add this to my SPF to add a little extra moisture to the skin every morning.
• Mandelic Acid Radiance Serum – This serum is used at night and it promotes cellular turnover, which addresses photo-aging, fine lines, acne, dark spots and overall skin texture. I LOVE mandelic acid, you’ll see it a few times in this post.

Beyond Complexion Vitamin C+ Sheer Defense SPF – Finding a face sunscreen can be tough. Most products break my skin out, but not this one. This lightweight sunscreen is loaded with Vitamin C which has potent antioxidants to fight free radicals, improves appearance of aged, fragile skin, and discoloration. And it protects the skin against UVA/UVB rays.

Colleen Rothschild Hydrating Mask – I use this product 3-4x a week and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! It adds hydration to tight, dry, rough or dehydrated skin. This mask helps strengthen elasticity, leaving skin with a youthful suppleness and radiance. It’s especially amazing when you’re flying on a plane for a long amount of time. Ditch the makeup and use this mask instead. I have Courtney Kerr to thank for that amazing tip!

Now whenever my skin is looking a little rough and needs just a little extra help, these are the three products I turn to –

Tula So Polished Exfoliating Sugar Scrub – This sugar scrub naturally exfoliates and hydrates while the papaya revives dull skin and the probiotics in it lock in hydration. After I use this scrub, my skin always feels like butter and looks instantly brighter.

Tula Dual Side Skin Reviving Treatment Pads – These pads are f*cking awesome. I’m trying to bring minimal products with me to Bali (to keep my suitcase as light as possible) and these pads will be my savior. They are like a mini facial. The pads include ingredients like Willow Bark Extract which contains salicylic acid to clear pores, and Witch Hazel to remove excess oil from the skin. These pads are a must!

Tula Illuminating Serum – Whenever my skin is looking a little dull, I use this serum to help brighten things up. The serum includes ingredients like Vitamin E to help protect the skin and maintain a youthful appearance, and citrus extracts to visibly brighten the skin and boost its radiance. Once you put this on, your skin instantly glows!

Now when it comes to my evening routine, I recently started using Absolute Skin Therapy after my esthetician introduced me to it. For a long time I was using retin-a to help with cell turnover, but I came to find out that retin-a can actually lead to thinning of the skin over time. Yes, retin-a is known to help promote collagen and thicken the dermis, however it shuts down your body’s ability to create its own vitamin a, which is critical to maintain it. That’s where a 3% reduction in thickness annually comes into play. The top layer of skin does get thin over time and my esthetician has seen this in long term retin-a users; their skin gets crepey and thin. But people that use vitamin a proprionate and chirally correct vitamin a don’t get that! Which is why I threw away my retin-a and started using Absolute Skin Therapy. This Absolute Triad has 3 products in it –

Absolute Enhanced A Complex: This product contains 2 powerful ingredients that are found in the correct isomer so they help regenerate new skin cells without thinning of the dermis needed for regeneration of new skin cells.

Absolute Enhanced C Complex: This product repairs sun damage, protects the DNA from damage due to overexposure to the sun, and lightens dark spots over time, more efficiently than the toxic hydroquinone products (which I had been using in the past). It also increases blood circulation, supports nervous tissue, and provides collagen and elastin to help repair the skin.

Absolute Enhanced Peptide Serum: The product reduces wrinkles, fine lines and smile lines.

Since removing retin-a and adding this trio to my routine, my skin has looked healthier, more supple, and less irritated. I’m SO glad I removed retin-a because it was leading to worse issues over time.

Now these are a handful of products I add in whenever I’m feeling like it!

Vivant Skin Care 15% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum – I use to use the 8% for years and finally bumped it up a bit with this 15% product. This serum targets acne (hello, me!), age spots, discoloration and wrinkles. All things I’m constantly working on. I usually use this every other day since it can dry out the skin a bit.

Revision Skincare Nectifirm Advanced Neck Firming Cream – Did you know the neck ages 7 years quicker than the face? I heard that recently and it’s stuck with me. So I’m always adding some extra neck cream to my routine to help combat that. I love revision products and this cream helps reduce the appearance of adipose tissue and rough, crepey skin, while it smooths the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

Revision Skincare Lumiquin – Now think for a second how much sun your neck gets – honestly not near as much as your hands. Your hands are almost always in the sun when you’re outside, which means they are constantly exposed. I use this cream on night on my hands to help them look smoother and lock in their natural moisture barrier.

Revision Skincare D.E.J. Eye Cream – And whenever my eyes are looking a little in need of some extra moisture, I add this cream to my morning and evening routine. It provides intense moisture for smoother skin texture and it has advanced extracts, peptides and potent antioxidants to help promote a healthy microbiome.

I know this feels like a lot, but remember – I didn’t purchase all of these products at once. I started with the mandelic cleanser and pads. Then I added some serums, then started playing around with neck and hand cream, then tried the different trio products. This has all been over years and this is what works for me at the time. But I’m sure I’ll find other products along the way and add those in and out. Also, most of these products last A LONG time because you only need a small amount each day. If you look at this and feel like it all is so overwhelming and expensive, I get it. It is. But it doesn’t have to be. Start with one or two products to help your skin out. When I first started my skincare journey, I started with a good cleanser and serum, and I think that is a great place to start. Then you can continue to try different products over time, instead of all at once. Just take care of your skin, it will thank you later on!

And if you’re in the Denver area, I see two amazing women to help with my skin. And they can always recommend the best products for your own skin needs. They are doing such great things for people’s skin, I can’t recommend them enough.

• Shawn Haviland at Cherry Hills Facial Aesthetics 720-459-7960 – I see Shawn for lasers, dermaplane, and more
• Marci Tarango at Cherry Hills Facial Aesthetics 720-459-7960 – I see Marcy for botox, microneedling, and cryo t-sculpt

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