What I’ve Noticed Since Starting a Skincare Routine

I’ve admitted before that I’m not a huge girly girl. I know it seems counter intuitive since I love makeup but it’s the truth. I’ve also never seen the purpose of a skincare routine. I can now hear the collective hissing of thousands of women with their sharp intakes of breath. Yeah that’s me. Even with Rosacea I would only put on the topical medication (which also had a moisturizer) and be on my merry way with my makeup. I recently ran out of my topical medication, had a flare, and decided to try something else besides medication to control it. 

Since I’ve had cancer I’ve been trying to limit the amount of medications and chemicals I use. Now, I’m not an extremist that think I can cure myself with tea, but if I can find something that will work without the use of more chemicals I don’t see a problem (I’ll never stop taking my MS meds. That you’ll have to pry from my cold dead hands – I don’t care if it is an injection). 

So, I went on a hunt to help my lovely angry face skin. Since I know adding a ton of products at once is not going to work (How will I know what product has made my face look like a rug burn?) I’ve slowly started to add products to ma face. I’ve used some great products such as the Dermatlogica Barrier Repair http://tinyurl.com/l59rahd), and the Korres Quercetin & Oak Moisturizer (http://tinyurl.com/l9ojtze) but nothing has been great. Then I found Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer. Hands down The Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer (http://tinyurl.com/n5fefak) is my Holy Grail moisturizer (I've added the links so you can check them out yourself. I don't get anything from the companies so don't worry about the links taking you somewhere weird - smile). 

There are two things I’ve realized since starting a skincare routine:

1. It’s not overrated – My poor skin needed it
2. My skin is not as dry as I thought it was. 

Since I’ve been taking care of my skin I’ve noticed that slowly, I don’t need as much moisturizer. My skin use to drink it up like a dehydrated marathon runner. Now, I’ve had to adjust the amount or I end up with a shiny face (It’s only sipping now). 

The rosacea which I've been dealing with forever has calmed down almost 100% without the use of a topical medication. For those with rosacea you know that this alone is a cause for celebration! I also don't need to use makeup primer if I don't want to, and I don't have any dry scaly patches of skin anymore. My skin just looks and feels better. 

Remember your skin is going to be different then mine. Use what works for you and don't be afraid to ask for samples! How else are you going to know if you like it or not? If you find a store/employee that wont help you, I suggest you take your business elsewhere. If you're going to spend your hard earned money on a pretty expensive product, you need samples (plus samples are awesome - laugh).

If anyone out there believes like I did that a skincare routine wasn't that important, or was a way for companies to make money, it’s not. It really will help your skin. Next, I’m going to add a Serum. Let’s see how that goes!