MY SKINCARE ROUTINE 2018

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Okay it’s finally here, my skincare routine!  I like to switch up my products quite frequently to see which I love, and which is worth sharing.  I cannot tell you how much I love Dr Dennis Gross Skincare line.  I’m not being paid to say this either.  I love his line and love what he’s created.  The science behind it is GENIUS and he’s genius.

I’m going to go through each product with you, the reason I use it and what it does for your skin.  Keep in mind, everyone has different skin types.  He has a quiz on his site that you can check out to see what products would work best for you.  I know it’s quite pricey, but its worth investing in. 

Ever since I started following this routine and using his products, my skin is CLEAR AS DAY. No breakouts, redness gone, more balanced skin tone, brighter eyes, skin, and I feel more confident.  I don’t feel like I have to wear any make up.

He uses a lot of Vitamin C in his products and what it does for your skin is incredible.  Read more about it HERE.

NIGHTLY SKINCARE ROUTINE BREAKDOWN.

Step 1: Remove make up with Rose Hip Oil Cotton Pads

Step 2: Cleanse with Elta Md & Nion Beauty Brush

Step 3: Spray Mario Bedescu all over face

Step 4: Apply Step 1 Alpha Beta Peel pads, wait 2 minutes then apply step 2.

Step 5: Apply Dr Dennis Gross C Collagen Serum. 2 Pumps all over face.

Step 6: Apply Dr Dennis Gross Retinol.  1 drop on both cheeks, chin, nose, 2 on forehead and massage into skin.

Step 7: Apply Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Moisturizer all over face and neck.  Massage upward.

Step 8: Apply Dr Dennis Gross Eye Gel: 1 pump and dab under eyes 

Step 9: (optional) Massage 4 pumps Rose Hip Oil all over face, neck hands and chest.

 

Here is the FULL BREAKDOWN of all the products I use, and WHY.

  1. CLEANSE.  I wash with Elta Md Cleaser and use the Nion Beauty Brush.  Here is a  post I did on the NION BEAUTY BRUSHES.  I scrub about 1 full pump on about one minute.
  2. SPRAY CUCUMBER MIST. Mario Bedeascu.  4 Sprays all over face. 
  3. PEEL PADS.  Damp my face with a dry towel, and then I use the amazing Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads. There are 2 steps in this.  Step 1 is packed with rejuvenating, powerful yet gentle, exfoliating acids, and step 2 controls the alpha hydroxy acid activity and delivers anti-aging actives, nourishing skin, keeping it balanced, smooth, and radiant – perfectly prepped for a more effective skincare routine. Expect your complexion to appear smoother, with fewer fine lines, a more even tone and texture, and smaller-looking pores. Contains a combination of seven acids, for accelerated results. 

HOW TO USE.

Swipe step 1 all over your face neck and chest.  Neck and chest are optional.  Wait 2 minutes then use step 2 doing the same thing.  Start with the Universal Peel Pads and then you can move on to Extra Strength.

  1. C COLLAGEN SERUM.  HOW I APPLY: 2 pumps and gently rub in all over face.  Dr Dennis Gross has the best serum.  WHAT IS IT? This weightless, fast-absorbing gel-serum is power-packed with our 3-O C vitamin C technology, collagen amino acids, and proprietary energy complex. See an instant, reflective brilliance to skin as it works to help improve the appearance of imperfections like dullness, dark spots, rough texture, and expression lines.

In a consumer study, after 21 days

92% saw an improvement in skin quality

92% agreed their face looked smoother and felt softer

83% agreed their complexion looked brighter, more radiant, and their skin tone appeared more even

FOR ME.  My skin has less breakouts (if at all) more balanced skin tone, smooth, bright and I feel more confident.

  1. RETINOL.   HOW I APPLY.  Drop 1 drop on cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead, then massage into skin.

WHAT IS IT?  A fast-absorbing liquid retinol serum supercharged by ferulic acid to help improve the appearance of skin tone, texture, and fine lines for an even, instantly-smoother looking, lit-from-within glow.

  1. APPLY MOISTURIZER.  I apply either Bioclarity Hydrate, or Alpha Beta Exfoliating Moisturizer by Dr Dennis Gross, which I just recently started using and LOVE.

WHAT IS IT?

When skin is renewed through exfoliation and then replenished with intense hydration, the effect is synergistic. See and feel hydrated skin, refined texture, and improved appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The patented blend of Alpha Beta® acids in this pore-refining formula accelerates cell turnover and lifts away surface dullness. This exfoliating action allows moisturizing ingredients like Sodium Hyaluronate and Saccharide Isomerate to strengthen the moisture barrier and deliver hydration where skin needs it most, for up to 72 hours. Squalane, Ceramides, and Chinese Foxglove seal off water loss, helping skin maintain its natural hydration balance.

  1. EYE GEL.  Apply 1 pump Dr Dennis Gross Dew it all Gel.

WHAT IS IT? 

a smart targeted delivery system that solves clashing under-eye concerns simultaneously–puffiness and dry fine lines. Moisture-attracting Hyaluronic Acid and elasticity-building Japanese “Green Caviar” algae provide line-filling hydration at the surface and improve skin suppleness. Caffeine, Carribean Gargonian Extract, and Sarsaparilla Root work synergistically to improve the appearance of dark circles and puffiness by reducing water retention under the surface. Bonus optical diffusers add luminosity.

What I’ve noticed, is my eyes never look tired, no puffiness, bright eyes and my eye wrinkles are diminishing.

Lastly, I massage 3-4 drops of Rose Hip Oil on my skin, hands neck and chest.  I always massage upward and not down.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MY MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE

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MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE BREAKDOWN.

Step 1 (ONLY because I work out in the mornings- otherwise I just rinse with water before starting the routine) : Cleanse with Elta Md & Nion Beauty Brush

Step 2: Spray Mario Bedescu all over face

Step 3: Apply Dr Dennis Gross C Collagen Serum. 2 Pumps all over face.

Step 4: Apply Dr Dennis Gross Retinol.  1 drop on both cheeks, chin, nose, 2 on forehead and massage into skin.

Step 5: Apply Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Moisturizer all over face and neck.  Massage upward.

Step 6:  Apply Elta Md UV Clear Tinted SunscreenREAD WHY I’M A FREAK ABOUT SUNSCREEN.  I’ve never found a better sunscreen for my face.  I apply all over my face, neck, chest and hands.

Step 7: (optional) Dab 2 pumps Rose Hip Oil all over face, neck hands and chest.

And there you have it, my full skincare routine every single day.  Here is the thing about me.  I LOVE skin.  It starts with SKIN.  You wear it everyday, you put make up on it everyday.  Your make up will actually look better because of it.   If you want great skin that is, and want to prevent premature aging.  We all are going to age, its inevitable,  but don’t you want to slow down that aging process and stay ahead of the game?  The great thing is, is that we have the products now to take care of our skin!  Think about when our moms grew up, all they had was ponds to remove their make up, and then they were thinking about face lifts at agae 40-50.   We have so many things to care for our skin now, we gotta take advantage, right! Its right at our finger tips, and is so easy.  We don’t need face lifts in the future, because all we have to do is take 10 minutes everyday, to prevent that from happening when we turn 40.  Don’t wait until you have a problem to fix the problem, thats when it looks overdone.  I always follow preventative measures.  That is why I’ll never ever look overdone, or to much of something.  I want to look natural always.

Here are the 3 biggest tips I follow.  I’m just going to go ahead and CAPS these for you, because they’re so important. 

  1. In order to have great skin, you must follow a SKINCARE REGIMEN and BE CONSISTENT with it. Day in and day out.  If you just take 10 minutes a day to take care of your skin, you’ll be SO amazed at your results.  Everyone has 10 minutes.
  2. DON’T GO TO BED WITH MAKE UP ON.  Thats a huge NO NO. 
  3. Wear SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY.  

 

Hope you loved this post!  Let me know if you have any questions about any of the products.  Happy to answer!

XOXO,

SARA LYNN

EASY TIPS TO FOLLOW TO HELP HAIR GROW & GET HEALTHY

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Oh, the journey of hair.  Don’t we all go through phases of wanting to try something new, to wanting to go through a DRAMATIC hair change.. and it’s always when you’re pregnant. Always.   This is the story of my hair nightmare and what I did and telling you guys NEVER to do.  haha..  so here we go.

Once upon a time, I had gorgeous locks that took me 5 years to grow out.  I literally cannot even tell you how healthy my hair was before I got pregnant – well mid pregnancy.  My bangs were the same lengths as my hair.  Lets rewind a bit.   I have lovely thin hair genes.  I was not blessed with gorgeous thick hair.  That department doesn’t exist.  I always had fine thin hair growing up.  Could I have had longer locks?  Most likely, but I was a dumbass and bleached the shit out of my hair, ALL THE TIME.  So I never got that blessing.  I’ll spare you the photos of my teenage hair.   Lets just say it was blonde, crispy and short.

So fast forward 10 years later, my hair was the healthiest, thickest and longest it’s ever been.. ever!  This was when I was 25.    This was all because I decided to change my life aka stop starving and binging… and get healthy when I was 21.  Thats another story, but I started to work out everyday and made healthier choices, got on a vitamin regimen and things were starting to change.  Now, I didn’t eat like I do now by ANY means.  It was the start of my journey.  Over the years, I’ve learned, experimented and have just gotten a lot better in that department because I’m more educated with foods and what they can do.

K, completely going off track.  Lets get back to it.  SO HAIR.

Before I got pregnant, I started to get baby highlights in my hair, which I had dark dark hair, and the highlights were a fabulous little touch.  Then I got pregnant and things started to change, as they always do.  I started to think that I should go blonder, and blonde … and BLONDE.  Hormones started flowing and flowing, and just telling me “GO BLONDE, IT’LL LOOK SO HOT!”  So, I listened… my close friends, and dear sister told me not to do it, and tried talking me out of it multiple times, but those hormones weren’t going to stop.  

This was my beautiful hair before I bleached the shit out of it.

I was 5 months pregnant.. I think? July 2015

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THEN…. I bleached it…. I don’t blame my hair dresser at all.  She was great at what she did!  I take complete ownership.  I told her to do it,  I should’ve known better.  My hair is fine and thin.  It can’t handle bleach like that.. ESPECIALLY pregnant.

So I sat in the chair after I bleached it, and could see the hair falling out and breaking off as she would brush it.  And that was it.  I hated my hair and cried so many times about it, it’s not even funny.  I would look back and pictures and pray I could just go back to my old hair.   K waaa waaa.. anyways hahah.

SO DON’T CHANGE YOUR HAIR WHILE PREGNANT. PLEASE, I’ll spare you the pain.

Here is it, about 4 inches broken off…..

OH, and I have extensions in this, so don’t think its full and luscious.  It’s not.  I was just trying to hide the frazzled hair.  But look at those bangs.  They used to be way below my chin and now, they were eye level.  I honestly was devastated about it.  

Oh, and look at my little 2 month old … tear….

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So after I had Oaks, and hormones kind of balanced back out, I wanted to go back dark, so I got some low lights and it looked like this (photo below).  THEN I wanted to go back even darker… and well.. it Went BLACK. Seriously?  Eff my life.  haha.  So thats another story I’ll spare you.  

So after this color, it went black, so I’ll just spare you that photo. It was blackest black.  If you’ve followed me for a few years, you know the time.  It was after I had Oaks.  Scroll through my feed and you’ll see that jet black hair.

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Okay ONTO THE GOOD NEWS…

After all that BS, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I went through all of that as a learning lesson.  I will never go blonde.  Ever, OH and I’ll never change my hair while pregnant.   

So now, after these last 2 years, I let my hair slowly fade away from the black and it did eventually.  I didn’t put highlights in my hair, until 4 months ago.  

And I’m pleased to report, I nursed my hair back to it’s health and it’s grown back!!!  So happy  about it!  So I wanted to share this story with you and share what I’ve been using and eating to get it back to its health.  Scroll down and I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing, to nurse it back to health!

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So I made a decision. 

I made a decision that I wanted to baby my hair and grow it back, so here is what I did!

  1. BRUSH CAREFULLY- Be careful when you brush your hair, you brush it like its spun from gold!  Brush from the ends to the root, so you aren’t pulling anymore hair out.
  2. WEAR SCRUNCHIES– When I wear my hair up, its with these hair ties, no rubber bands, or anything thats going to snag or pull your hair out.  
  3. KERASTASE DEEP CONDITIONING- This can only be done in salons that carry kerastase.  I got to Amara Day Spa in Orem, if you’re local.  I do this every 6 weeks, and its been a miracle worker!  It makes your hair extremely soft and shiny.  I totally believe its helped my hair grow quicker.  It’s $30 a treatment.
  4. GET GOOD NUTRIENTS – Drink lots of water, and eat YO GREENS and veggies.  Try MY Fab 4 SMOOTHIE in the mornings. You’re what you eat guys!  And your hair needs these nutrients too.  
  5.  TAKE VITAMINS CONSISTENTLY- Have a routine where you take your vitamins the same time every day.  I take Collagen, Biotin, and a Prenatal.  Collagen is so good for the skin, hair and nails, plus bone health.  Biotin will also, help your hair grow.  Take everyday and try not to miss a day!
  6. WASH LESS- Guys- I know this sounds gross, but wash your hair every 5 days if you can.  Washing it can cause the natural oils to strip that you hair needs, plus who wants to wash their hair that much!  Use a Dry Shampoo if you have to!  I wear mine up 90% of the time anyways.  When I wash I use PUREOLOGY Shampoo and Conditioner, which I love!   I then Use Kerastase Thermaquie heat treatment for a heat protectant, and R&CO High Dive for shine.

These are things I’ve followed religiously for 2 years straight!  You have to be consistent with things in order to see any benefit from it.  These are things that have helped me!  So take this information how you want to take it.  I’m not telling anyone what to do!  You can apply it however you would like.

What are some of your hair tips?  Please share!

Thanks for reading guys!

xoxo,

SARA LYNN