Could My Cell Phone be Damaging My Skin?!

Fresh off of a girls' weekend in Savannah (which was amazing!!!), I came home ready to reset the late nights, late mornings, and general bad behavior that happens on a girls' weekend.

I snuggled into bed- face washed and toned (and even with a new beauty product I'm testing- Thanks Allie & Rodan + Fields...more on this later!).

It was 10:30p (way earlier than the weekend's 2:00am lights out!), phone in hand, I was ready to catch up on the social media happenings of my peers, scroll through the latest news, and check in on some of my favorite blogs.

My eyes were tired and I was straining to read the content.  I held the phone closer to my face but it only made me strain more- scrunching my nose and squinting my eyes.  And that's when it hit me...

This can't be good for my skin!

I know, I know- there is a ton of data available about how bad screen time is before bedtime interms of sleep quality, but I had never thought about other physical effects of phone usage before bed.  This prompted an early morning research sesh which resulted in THIS find.  I'll leave you to it.  And while you are reading, I'll be disinfection my phone...ew!

Feeling Like a Skincare Novice

You've heard me complaining about the general skin congestion I've been dealing with during these hot summer months!  The layers of sunscreen and grit are just doing a number on my skin's clarity.

I finally went for a much-needed facial at my local Blue Mercury Spa (it was fabulous, by the way- read about it here) and as we talked about my daily regimen (cream cleanser, retinol creams, repair creams, and more), my aesthetician asked what toner I used.

Screeching Halt.  Long Pause.  Followed by my stuttering out the words, "I actually...I don't...I haven't been using a toner..."

This explains so much.

Way back when, toners were recommended to help restore the pH of our skin after we used a bar of soap to wash our face.  As cleansers evolved, pH restoration wasn't needed so toners started to fade away.  They also started to get a bit of a bad wrap- especially the astringent, alcohol-based toners (mostly because, well, the alcohol-based toners are actually not good for your skin...stay away from those).

However, we do know that after cleansing, our face benefits from restoring clarity with ingredients that continue to foster cell renewal and hydration.  A toner can help "break through" some of those clogged pores and help moisturizers work more effectively, too!

Awhile back I posted about this little care package from Perfectly Pure right here- it had a bunch of goodies, one of which was a Rose & Witch Hazel Toner.  I have incorporated this into my night time regimen and can hands down say I've noticed a difference in the clarity of my skin.

I'm feeling silly that it didn't dawn on me sooner!  But a toner is a "must" in my beauty book these days :)

Falling Back in Love with My Mascara

This is really just a letter of gratitude to Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes for making me fall back in love with my mascara!!  I have struggled for so long to find the right eye makeup remover- something that is easy to use and doesn't require the energy of a power sander to remove my eye makeup- including my waterproof mascara!

Honestly, before these wipes, there were days when I would just forgo the mascara because the evening makeup removal routine seemed too overwhelming for this under slept mom.  But now, I literally enjoy putting on my mascara because I know it will be a breeze to come off.  This might not seem like a big deal to most, but when my mornings BARELY allow sunscreen, blush, mascara and lip gloss, it's nice to know I can wear it confidently, knowing that, come bedtime, I can remove it with a quick wipe!

So seriously, Neutrogena, thank you!

New Sauna Routine

So after my awkward, yet enlightening, sauna experience, I've come up with my own routine.  I only had an opportunity to try it out twice this week, but follow along and maybe we will see sauna beauty benefits together!!

At the gym, I generally run for 20 minutes followed by stretching, lunges, arms...and then it is on to the pampering!

SHOWER

1. Rinse and cleanse
2. Exfoliate face 
3. Dry bristle brush body
4. Wash hair
5. Intense Hydrating Mask treatment- wrap head in towel and leave on while in sauna

SAUNA

1. Stay in for 15 minutes at the very least
2. Lay on the upper level and raise my legs up against a wall (sort of like this, but with a bit more of a bend in my knee)
3. Drink water periodically

BACK TO SHOWER

1. Rinse out conditioning treatment with warm (not hot) water
2. Rinse and wash body

BACK TO THE SAUNA

1. Apply skin cream or oil while in the heat of the sauna

I Dermaplaned! And I think I Might Be in Love...

Awhile back I wrote about the new exfoliation method of dermaplaning in my post, "Do You Dare to Dergmaplane."

This new(ish) medspa treatment promises glowing skin by "shaving" off that top layer of dry, dull skin (and taking off the vellus hair- aka peach fuzz- for an added glow!).

I was hesitant at first, worried that I would be lathered with shaving cream and straight edged.  But that is not at all how it works!

After my skin was thoroughly washed by Christine at the Plastic Surgery Group in Albany, NY, she then painstakingly dermaplaned my skin, inch-by-inch.  This incredibly pain-free experience was not only relaxing but also satisfying as you heard the "scraping away" of dull and dry skin.  On top of the manual exfoliation, a chemical exfoliating peel is added to amplify your glow.

Here are my (no makeup) before and after pics....what do you think...would you dermaplane??

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER (with natural light)