Product Review Time- NeoCutis and Glytone

I am embarrassed to say that I really had never heard of Neocutis or Glytone until just a few weeks ago when it was recommended to me by my local aesthetician. I am always a little hesitant to experiment with new products, especially when they can be so CRAZY expensive (if my husband asks, they were on sale ;). But I was in a skincare rut, so I paid up.

One rookie mistake I made was that I bought too much. For the first two nights, I couldn't quite figure out how to blend all of the products. I typically layer based on texture and consistency (think water for cleansing, toner, thin serum, thicker moisturizer), but all of these products sort of felt the same. Many of them also had the same AM/PM recommendation.

After playing around for a bit, I think I found my routine- here it is ladies!

Morning:

Every morning I cleanse with any creamy cleanser, right now I am using Neutrogena's Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (not pictured). I'm happy with it, but may switch to their oil-free cleanser when I am finished.

Next I use Dermalogica's Multi Active Toner- I love the way this toner smells, but most of all, I love that when I use it, I can feel the toner working. There is this sudsy reaction when I put the toner on my skin. You don't get the burning
or warming effect that sometimes happens with an astringent toner but I still feel like it's helping to clean and protect my face.

Next up is my Serum- cue new product haul! I am really liking the NeoCutis Micro Serum. It goes on super smooth and light, no heavy feeling at all. It gives me an immediate glow. My skin feels clean and moisturized when I use this and it has really earned a spot in my skincare lineup.

And the final step for daytime is a moisturizer with sunscreen. When I am feeling indulgent, I like to do the fancy stuff, but right now I am just feeling the Neutrogena product line (I went crazy at Walgreens). Their Healthy Skin Face Lotion with Sunscreen layers nicely with the rest of my morning routine and adds that SPF 15 that works well during the winter months (for summer months when I am out more often and the sun is stronger, I definitely up the SPF to at least 30!).

This image also included my NeoCutis ReActive Antioxidant serum. Still not quite sure how to integrate this one into my routine, but occasionally I will swap out the Micro Serum just to change things up a bit.

Evening:

For night, I cleanse with the same morning cleanser and use the same toner, but switch up to the heavy hitters which include my retinaldehyde Night Renewal Cream from Glytone with the occasional switch in of the Glytone Enhance Brightening Complex. To be fair, I am not entirely sure that I am using the brightening cream correctly, but I plan on asking my aesthetician this week! Stay tuned...

Retinaldehyde is new to me. I am an old-school Retin-A enthusiast, but figured I would give it's kinder cousin a try (I've had my fair share of skin shedding experiences so the idea of a gentler alternative seemed like one I should consider). I was getting a little bit restless after not seeing an immediate reaction when I started to use it, but after two solid weeks of nightly use, I did notice a smoother complexion. In full disclosure, while I like the idea of using this nightly and not having the painful shedding that can sometimes happen with traditional Retin-A, I do think I want to add a stronger alternative twice a week to really jump start that cell turnover and use the retinaldehyde as a nightly treatment.

There you have it folks! There are a few products from my recent purchase which I haven't quite figured out how to integrate into my skincare routine, but when I figure that out, I will definitely keep you posted!!

Be Well,
Kate

The Ultimate Product Review Site- Check this Out

I acknowledge that by posting about this destination, I am likely undermining my own content, but seriously, have you guys checked out Reviews.com? How did I not know about this site until someone from the team reached out to me?

They recently ran a study for best natural deodorants- check out their final picks here- and had asked me to highlight their work on the blog. Always happy to help a brand that's inline with my work, I made a point to check out their site and now I feel like I want to work there (no, seriously, are you hiring?).

I love comparing skincare products and sharing pros and cons, but these guys managed to test out 219 products and pare them down to two?! This consumer-centric editorial team is a curated group of dedicated product-testers whose sole purpose is to ensure that you never make an uninformed purchase ever again. And not just on skincare.... "The Best Knife Set", "The Best Yoga Mat", "The Best Bottled Water" (I can appreciate this the most because there is MOST definitely a difference between brands! My husband disagrees).

Ok, just for fun I thought of the most random thing ever.... yes, they had a thorough review on it, "The Best Auto Insurance."

Have you guys known about this gem and neglected to share this essential pre-purchase destination with all of us?

New Skincare Haul!!

I feel like it is too late to blame my lack of skincare commitment on the crazy holidays, but I swear that I am really just getting back into my game.

I have been picking up more projects as a freelancer for a hyperlocal news publication, spinning my wheels with children's activities, keeping my head above water on my own content development, digging through client emails requesting blog content and trying to carve out some adult time... all of this means very little time for selfcare (Although, one might argue that pursuing all of the fulfilling items I've just listed really is an excellent form of selfcare!).

So in the post-holiday hangover era, I noticed some serious skin fatigue. I joked with a girlfriend yesterday that I felt like I could see my pores from a mile away! My skin felt tired and less dewy and I had fallen out of my paramedical product skincare routine!

As luck would have it, I received a call from a local aesthetician who reminded me that I still had a few sessions with her from an old package that I had received as a gift. When I first started seeing her, I was still nursing a child which meant we had to be very delicate with the facial options.

Now that I am no longer nursing and with ZERO plans to have another baby, it was time to bring on the good stuff. And that she did. Chemical peel to the max! More details on that later....

But what I really needed to do was to up my at-home routine. I love a good drug store haul, and recently I've been using a Neutrogena Day Cream with SPF and a Night Cream, but I felt like I was missing out on the hard working, anti-aging ingredients that you can only find in a physician's office.

So I splurged!!  I'm still tweaking my routine- all of these brands are actually new to me! I typically layer based on texture and I am still trying to figure out when and how to optimize this little skincare goodie bag, but I will get there!  And I absolutely cannot wait to tell you all about it!!

Have you tried Glytone or NeoCutis? I would love your thoughts and ideas on these products!!

Downtown Business Spotlight: Insight Psychological Group

The Downtown Business Spotlight Series that I am working on serves as an opportunity to showcase local businesses making a difference in our community. I find that I am typically drawn to lifestyle and healthy living businesses so when conversations first began with a psychological group, I was a little worried about how I would feature them? But it didn't take long for me to realize that mental wellness is crucial for overall wellness and healthy living.

I sat down with Brett Vasquez, LCP and other therapists from Insight Psychological Group to learn more about the many offerings of their practice.

The counselors and therapists at Insight Psychology Group right in Westfield are so thoughtful, kind, and experienced- offering specific support on a broad range of mental health concerns.

Learn more about this business in my latest Downtown Business Spotlight!!