Skincare at ummm 40 something...When It All Goes to Hell During A Pandemic Edition

I wouldn't say that my skincare routine wasn't working anymore, I just felt that it wasn't doing anything and my skin started to feel the affects of the day to day stressors of pandemic living. An entire upheaval was necessary. I have always been of the less is more theory when it comes to my skincare routine. I know there have been all these memes that have emerged joking about everyone being at their wits end with hearing/reading about about skincare/fitness goals, suggestions and routines and although I find these equally funny, They have also saved me when things went to hell in a hand basket almost a year ago. It has also taken almost that entire time to find a skincare routine as well.

This is it...super simple right?! It even includes my evening and morning hair care routine (apparently I am at this stage of the pandemic).

Peep Megara showing off my skincare....because why not?!

If you are in need of being better educated on skincare and ingredients, but need it presented to you in layman's terms and with a personality that is easy to relate too, let me introduce you to Hyram. He has been fantastic to watch and is very knowledgeable on skincare ingredients, plus his suggestions are easily accessible/attainable with a variety of price points (think for the most part drugstore cost). He also has a great deal of information on how these ingredients interact with certain skin types, so you know exactly on what to invest in and what to potentially avoid. Buying non-expensive (easily attainable), products that stand by their ingredients also means that if they do not work for you that they can be easily returned. The Cerave moisturizer w/the pump was one of those products (see below), it is not that it did not work for me, it is just that I didn't see anything different and it felt really thick. I began using it as a nightcream and then slowly transitioned it to my out of the shower body moisturizer. I absolutely love the large pump that it comes with and it feels great on my skin without the greasy feeling that some moisturizers can have when putting them on after a shower. You can find the entire video he does on Cerave' HERE and all of there amazing components (there are actually several videos that you can search).

Why yes that is a Megara perched between my skincare

I pretty much replaced everything I had been using from last year on. I have a basket in the kids bathroom that has skincare that I like so if I am able to reintroduce it or use it for travel, I can (when that's a thing again). I had a lot of "trial" and "travel" samples of things that I tried, but although great to travel with for quick jaunts I didn't really fall in love with anything for the long haul and felt that it wasn't worth getting the full size of. I was particularly disappointed that my Clinique's MoistureSurge was no longer working the way it had been all the years before (I am actually embarrassed that I have several jars of this that I purchased during one of their "spend this and you get this gift with purchase" times). I go through moisturizer pretty quickly since I slather it on, so none of it has ever gone to waste or expired (although I probably just jinxed myself).

I started my new skincare journey by falling down the rabbit hole of watching Hyram's videos which happens more often then I would like to admit with me and jotted down some notes and suggestions while on a second tab I began ordering.

I do not know what I would have done without Hyram's suggestion of the Cerave' Hydrating Cleanser. I love that I do not have to stick my fingers in anything, (unfortunately this cannot be said for my moisturizers or pretty much everything else I use) and that it is light, cleanses my face really well (all makeup just seems to melt off), and there is no offensive odor. I also love the quality of the ingredients. Most importantly, it doesn't burn if I happen to open my eyes while washing my face (gotta keep the ol' eyes on the kids or the eerie quiet). Honestly the smell and the non-burning factor were the most important. I loved THIS First Aid Beauty's moisturizer for years as well as THIS face wash, but one they are both a smidge pricey and two the medicinal smell I just cannot get behind (oh and the face wash burns the dickens out of my eyes and nose when I wash it off my face). Not. Worth It. Especially when the Cerave' cleanses my face just as nicely without all the other pitfalls.

At nighttime after I cleanse my face with the Cerave, I add several drops to my face of THIS. I love the Ordinary brand. They are affordable, have very basic but fantastic ingredients and it is just a simple brand without all the fluff that makes you confident about what you are putting on your face/body/hair. However, because of the vast selection and the very simple products, I never knew what to choose. Although there is/was a lot of hype around the Hyaluronic Acid, I have always been nervous about putting anything with the terminology "acid" on my face. For the most part and with the exception of some redness around my nose area, I do not have problematic skin (I barely break out...a point of contention with my husband). But, after learning more about it HERE and reading all the reviews (I filtered individuals more my age ::sigh::) I took the leap (I mean it is REALLY inexpensive so if I hated it, I didn't feel like it was waste). I. LOVE. IT. I typically add three to four drops on my hands and pat it into my skin (apparently this is a thing), let it dry (I will usually brush my teeth at this time) and then apply my night moisturizer. This has completely turned around my nighttime routine and I wake up with glowing skin and looking refreshed which is something I honestly thought that "influencers" had made up when they used a product...turns out glowing can be a real thing. Yes, it is in a glass bottle which is kind of a pain, but I bought THESE travel glass bottles from Amazon so that I can travel with them when the time comes.

I actually use two different moisturizers, one for the night and one for the day. I am not sure how I figured out this works for me, but it does. I bought THIS and THIS based on Hyram's suggestions and they are fantastic. I find both to be reasonably priced. Obviously the e.l.f's Holy Hydration is the lesser expensive choice and easier to get since there are multiple drugstore options to scoop it up and I love the ingredient (Hyram's Video) list as well as the fact that it is fragrance-free (there are two options: fragrance-free and one not fragrance-free so if this is important to you, be cognizant). I may not be a fan of a majority of First Aid products simply because of the smell, but I have been loving the FAB Coconut Water Cream. I use this moisturizer in the evening after I cleanse my face and it just feels great (plus the highlight being that there is no smell and if there is a coconut smell it is barely there if at all because I do not smell anything). Because it is a gel/water-based product, it does take a little bit to dry down, so I will tend to do my hair treatment in the interim if my plan is to lie down once my skincare is done.

Yes, I even have a new hair treatment (post-partum is a complete b**** y'all). Post-partum is still affecting me tremendously as far as hair loss goes even a year and a half in. I picked up (ordered off of Sephora) a couple of the Ordinary products when I was ordering the Hyaluronic Acid and boy oh boy do I love THIS and THIS. They have quite literally saved my post-partum hair. Again these are in a glass bottle but I do have those travel glass bottles that came with labels so that I could travel with them. I have no idea what I have done without these two products and for the cost, it cannot be beat. There had been a couple different products from Amazon that I had been researching that were on the more expensive side, but I figured I would try these first and delve in to them second and I do not even feel as though I have to now....

I use THIS one only in my sidepart where my hair has been significantly thinning and ONLY along my part line and ONLY half way (if that). I have read that some people found it greasy, but I have very thick hair so my hair just soaks it in like it is nothing lol, but if you are finding this, I would only use a drop or two JUST in the thinning area and massage it in really well. I then use THIS one from the nape down to my ends and again I use about four drops and really work it in (especially massaging it into the ends). I read that it is more intended for a facial product, but a majority of the reviews were all of women saying that they didn't like it for that, but instead loved it as a hair treatment for dry, over-colored hair and I 100% agree with them. I absolutely love this as a hair supplement and it has completely saved my over-processed hair. Yes, I use both twice a day after my skin care is completed

Anywhoooo, I digress...back to skincare shall we

My morning moisturizer as mentioned is the e.l.f Holy Hydration Fragrance Free and I positively love everything about it. The only thing that would make it a 10/10 and is the smallest gripe ever would be for it not to be in a jar, but since I wash my face before I apply it and my hands are super clean, it is not a huge deal. Plus, it allows you to get every bit out. I absolutely love how this feels on my skin and all the great ingredients it contains (the link to the Hyram video where he talks about this is above) and overall how my skin looks now that I have introduced this. Plus, the price point and being able to add this to our grocery delivery has been a great bonus.

Not one of Hyram's suggestions, but something I fell in love with is THIS Clinique Face Suncreen. I still love Sunbum as you should know by all my Summer posts and our adoration of the spray is evident in that we have bottles of it all over the house and in every travel bag. It is quite literally our most used product (our entire family including the kiddos use it) and the major bonus being that there is no white cast. The Sunbum Tinted Face Sunscreen however, although nice, I did not love the texture or how it sat on my face (this sounds 100% inappropriate yet sounds so professional from everyone else). However the Clinique did everything I wanted the Sunbum too. Now when you squeeze out the Clinique sunscreen because of it's thickness, you would think that the white cast would be an obvious outcome, but there is no cast whatsoever, in fact, it goes on quite smooth and light. It provides great coverage from the sun with its 50 SPF and yes, it is a little small for the price ($28.50), but I find that it is 100% worth it and I like that I can just throw it in a bag or my purse for touch-ups. Additionally, it serves as a great primer for makeup so if I am applying a BB cream, the makeup doesn't slide around and it serves as a great canvas making the makeup look great. Even without the BB Cream it gives a nice glow without being greasy, so I do not even have to put on any makeup at all for my skin to look good in pictures and so forth. I wear sunscreen religiously anyway, but adding this to my morning routine has truly changed how everything else looks. I am going to wait until Sephora's next 20% off and then I am going to buy a couple of these.

Remember that time in just the previous post when I went a little rant-y about spray makeup primer. I will say I purchased THIS just for the photoshoot we did at Disney's Boardwalk purely based on an influencer who I follow that had a full face of makeup, used the spray and then proceeded to wear a mask all day and the makeup never came off the mask. She even pressed the mask to her face and lips to demonstrate. I know I know I shouldn't have been suckered into this, but I was concerned about my makeup during the shoot. It was hot (which means humid for Florida) and we were going to be doing a lot of walking/running around and the intention was to go to secluded areas where we could quickly take off our masks, get a couple shots and put the masks back on. Hubs and I had pockets in our outfits just for this reason. Putting the mask back on and off meant that there was the concern of my makeup coming off with it every time and I had only intended to take my lipstick with me. Again, this could be a complete placebo affect, but I think it worked pretty decent and yes it could be photo filtering, but my makeup looked pretty on point the entire time.

VMP Photography

Now, this is probably the only bougie thing where you could get the same affect from using Aquaphor (and I have and obviously it is something automatically in our diaper bag as I swear by it for multiple things), but I do deeply love THESE Laneige sleeping masks...I know I know...is my placebo affect showing?! But I have found that these have curbed my lip picking (which I have done forever, but has been in overdrive with the pandemic) and I wake up with my lips looking and feeling moisturized. You bet I purchased the gummy bear one because if you know you know. It lasts FOREVER so even though it is kind of a you need it, but don't product I feel that I am definitely getting my moneys worth. Oh and it comes with a little mini spatula and case (cutest thing ever) so no digging in with your finger...bonus.

And that is it my friends...super simple, but really effective and has completely turned my skin around to what it was prior to the pandemic. I am actually loving these products so much that I am hoping that they stay in my arsenal for quite a bit. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed doing a skincare routine where it just wasn't something I did because it was expected and necessary (which lets be honest it can kind of feel like) and can be really boring and time consuming at the end of a day.

Have you had to change things in your skincare game because of the pandemic or just because of life in general?!