Back to School: Skin Care Essentials

Skincare is really important so I wanted to emphasize this in my Back to School series. If you start taking care of your skin at a young age you are less likely to run into problems later and you will have glowing, radiant skin as long as you take care of it like you're supposed to. Thankfully I was introduced at a very young age to skin care and how important it really is. Acne is one of the biggest issues during these teenage years and I know it seems like it will never go away but it will, eventually. I know that there are lots of you that struggle with acne like I do and going back to school sometimes causes stress which does not make it any better! These are some products that have helped me that I think you will help you keep your skin clear and some of that redness to a minimum.

Get a good face wash. If you have acne get one that is specific to treating acne. I've been loving the Clinique face wash from their 3 step system. What I like most about this 3 step process is that it is really personalized to your exact skin needs! They have so many different options so that there is something to suit every one's skin type. I've been alternating between the Clinique face was and another face I got from Lush called Coalface. It is a mild exfoliant as well but doesn't irritate my skin at all! It is handmade and all natural! The coal in it helps to absorb excess oils and keep you from getting that shine! Of course, if you have really oily skin like I do you'll get some shine by the end of the day but it keeps it away for much longer than other products I have tried.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

Click here to buy it: http://www.clinique.com/cms/product/franchise/3step_system_detail.tmpl

Lush Coalface

Click here to buy it: http://www.lushusa.com/Coalface/00233,en_US,pd.html

Next is a toner. I know lots of people say oh, you don't need a toner. I went a while without using one thinking ok, yeah, toners don't really do anything. Then I started using a toner again and oh, I was so wrong. My skin is so much better now that I'm using a toner again. I'm currently using the Cliniqie toner from their 3 step. If you click the Clinique link above you can see all of the products from the system. I've recently used the Estee Lauder toner and that works amazing of you need something really calming for your skin. It instantly takes away any redness you may have. If you are interested the link is below the photo.

Click here to buy Estee Lauder Toner

Next is moisturizer! It is important to moisturize oily skin, otherwise it will produce even more oils to try and hydrate the skin. Of course, I'm currently using the Clinique moisturizer. They have 2 different ones available for the 3 step system. The Dramatically Different Lotion for skin types 1 & 2 and the Dramatically Different Gel for types 3 & 4. I have the gel which is for more oily skin. The Lotion is for very dry and dry combination. The gel is so light, but moisturizes my skin perfectly. There is also an Aveeno moisturizer you can get from the drug store that I have re-purchased so many times! I still use this one sometimes because it has SPF and the Clinique one doesn't. Even though I have super oily skin sometimes it needs some good hydration, especially after a day of being in the sun! I'll use the Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer with SPF 15. If you end up using a moisturizer without SPF make sure you use some protection on your face, your skin will thank you for it!:)

Buy Clinique Moisturizer here: http://www.clinique.com/products/1574/3_step/Step_3_Moisturize/index.tmpl

Buy Aveeno moisturizer here: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=prod410002

Exfoliating I know can be a little scary if you have irritated acne prone skin but it is a must! I would say 2-3 times a week, you just have to see what works for your skin. It will help take those dead skin cells away and unclog pores. I would recommend the St. Ives Green Tea Scrub which will help clear acne and reduce redness. You can get it at any drug store.

Last is a good face mask, personally I love them! Recently I've discovered Lush face masks and I've fallen in love! I Got this one called Catastrophe Cosmetic. It's a blueberry, calamine face mask that will clean and calm your skin and shrink those pores! The calamine powder is what will soothe the skin.

The only thing is, you can't buy this online. You have to go in the store and get it because it must stay refrigerated. You can go online though and see which ones they have before you go in to pick it up in store. There is another one I think I'll be getting when I run out of the blueberry one and it's called Cupcake (also from Lush)! How fun is that? It's a chocolate mint face mask for oily or spotty skin. If you aren't really into face masks then you could always pick up those single use masks from drugstores. Those are great but make sure you get one for your skin type! I would say, once a week is good for face masks but if you are using a Lush face mask I think using it more often shouldn't hurt, considering everything is natural and there are no harsh chemicals.