Skin care best practices

For as long as we can both remember we’ve been fascinated with skin care. From digging through our mothers’ and grandmothers’ vanities to admire all of the oils, creams and toners, to crafting homemade oatmeal-honey masks at sleepovers, our love began at an early age.

In recent years, our admiration has evolved into fascination, and we’ve been reading up on best practices, trading tips with our friends, and adjusting (and re-adjusting) our routine. And last weekend, Ashley attended a luncheon with Clarisonic where we talked all about skin care, anti-aging, and how to best take care of your skin. Ever since, I’ve been using the Smart Profile device morning and night, and I’m absolutely in love. This device specifically is designed for cleansing, firming, anti-aging and even in the short time I’ve been able to use it, I’ve noticed a difference in my skin.

Even with all of this research, it seems nearly impossible to create the “perfect” skin care routine. But, we have arrived at a few principles that we generally stick to when it comes to our skin care.

1. Take all your makeup off, every day: We’ve all been there. It’s 11 pm and you had a long day and all you want to do is crawl into bed and get to sleep. We promise, it’s worth the extra 60 seconds to take your makeup off. The Clarisonic face brushes are amazing because they get all the dirt, pollution, makeup, sunscreen off your face and you just feel so much better when you’re done using it!
2. Be gentle: Use natural products free of harsh chemicals when possible. This will leave your skin less sensitive and free to produce the natural oils it requires. That’s why we’ve been so excited about clariSEA products, they’re vegan and all natural — using activated charcoal and sea salt to cleanse and exfoliate.
3. Stay consistent: Switching between multiple products can be difficult for your skin to adapt to. If we’re trying out a new product, we’ll try to give it at least a few weeks to really test how our skin reacts to it. That being said…
4. Your skin changes, so should your regime: Our skin changes with the season, our environment, our age…the list goes on. Be conscientious of these changes and adapt accordingly.
5. Treat yourself to regular masks: One of our favorite weekly routines is an evening face mask. Oftentimes we’ll double up, and follow a detoxifying mask with a hydrating one. Or, mix and match, using a clarifying mask on our T-Zones and a brightening mask on our cheeks and neck. This Deep Pore Detox mask by clariSEA has been on regular rotation recently.
6. Drink water: This should go without saying. Drinking enough water will help your skin stay clear, hydrated, and bright.

xx,

H & A