It came quicker than I expected. THIRTY-FIVE. I officially crossed the threshold of a decade that put me closer to an age (ahem, 40), that I once believed and declared as OLD. Believe me, I’m ROLLING MY EYES just as much as you are right now. Forty is not old. Apparently, 40 is the new 30, so by my math, I’m actually a young 25. I don’t feel old; in fact, I sort of feel like college was “recent” and I don’t feel like I’ve changed THAT much. 

BUT, ye dear ole Facebook reminded me with its “On this day 10 year ago…” photo, that YES, a few things have indeed changed. I’m not gonna jump on the self-deprivation bandwagon, because that’s just ridiculous and wrong. But in the past year, I have been inspired to take better care of my skin than I have in the past.  

My skin “regime” has typically been nothing more than washing my face in the shower and taking off my makeup with the Costco makeup remover wipes. So I asked a few friends for some recommendations and I’ve stepped up my skin care game, and I’m happy to say that people have actually commented about my skin! These products take a smidge of effort and it’s the first time I’ve seen an actual difference in my skin.

5 Skincare Products I Swear By

1) Chemical-Free Makeup Remover Cloths: These cloths are AMAZING. They completely remove your makeup just by wetting the cloth! That’s it. No makeup remover solution or rubbing your face too hard with a wipe filled with chemicals! I would never believe it if I didn’t have them myself. One side is for daily makeup removal and the other can be used every few days for more of deep clean/exfoliation. These can be used multiple times, washed, dried, and ready to go again! If anything, I’ve saved a ton of money on makeup remover wipes! There are several brands on Amazon; I got a pack of four for about $15.

2) Clarisonic Mia Electric Face Cleaning Brush: Along the lines of facial cleansing, this brush has changed my life. I read about this product for YEARS on a blog I follow and just couldn’t pull the trigger because of the price. I could kick myself for holding out! It runs about $150-$175, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny. The Clarisonic is waterproof, so I use it to wash my face in the shower. It has a timer, so it runs for about a minute while you rub in a circular motion. My face has honestly never felt cleaner; I feel like simply having a CLEAN face has singlehandedly improve my skin drastically. Amazon runs some good deals on these or you can keep an eye out for an Ultra coupon! 

3) Zum Face Scrub: Now that we’ve mastered a clean face, let’s move on to exfoliation. Gotta remove those dead skin cells, mamas! I’ll be the first to admit, I had NO exfoliation routine; I could probably count on one hand how many times I had

used a scrub on my face. My friend gave me this Zum scrub for Christmas, and I am totally hooked! There are several scents, but the Lemongrass is SO refreshing! My face is BABY SOFT after using this! It can be found on the trusty Amazon for about $15. 

4) Bare Minerals Butter Drench Moisturizer: The older I get, the more I realize that moisturizer is my friend. LIKE MY BEST FRIEND. My younger skin self could slap on any ole moisturizer on my face with no problem. And then I crossed this invisible threshold where my skin REJECTED anything that was less than $20 a bottle. A few years ago, in an effort to save some money, I tried

a cheapo moisturizer, and days later, my face started PEELING OFF. Like literally, my eyelids were molting like a snake. My husband looked at me and said: “Just go buy WHATEVER you need to buy!” I landed on this Bare Minerals “Butter Drench” and they truly couldn’t have come up with a better name. It is what it says it is. Feels like butter on your skin and drenches you with moisture without feeling sticky or cakey. It is my forever favorite and I will die if they ever change it. You can find it on Amazon sometimes, and, of course, stores like Ulta or Sephora. It costs around $38, but a little goes a long way! A bottle usually last me about two months.

5) “IT” CC Cream: I had heard rumors of this so-called dream cream before, but the only CC I had in my life was my mother. (CC is her grandmother name.) And then my friend MADE me try the “IT” brand of CC cream and I am totally hooked. “CC” actually stands for “color correcting” cream, and it’s meant to balance out color imperfection from redness to sallowness/yellowish skin. Not only does it correct your color, but has SPF 50! It provides full coverage, like a tinted foundation, without feeling thick. I love that I can literally put it on in about two seconds and my skin looks 10 times better! It’s like a two-for—it serves as makeup while improving your skin! I truly feel like it has evened out the color imperfections. 

I am so excited that I started making an effort with my skin, and realize that a little effort goes a long way. And even though I would love to try some pricier products one day, good skin care DOES NOT have to break the bank! Please share YOUR favorite skin care products. I would love to try them!