I have always been extremely low maintenance. By low maintenance, I really mean, almost no maintenance.
Don’t get me wrong, I like to be pretty just as much as the next girl. I love makeup. I love wearing pretty clothes, smelling good. I just never really had a routine. I got in the shower, washed my face with whatever I was using to wash my body and if I felt dry, I put on lotion. That’s about it.
I’ve been blessed with pretty clear skin my whole life. I have never really had issues with breakouts, and even now, and almost 40, I have very few lines on my face. In the last 5 years or so though, I have really started to notice some changes. I realized it was time to get my act together and start being proactive about skin care.
I decided to start small (read: CHEAP). I wanted to actually create a routine, and get into the habit of doing it while trying some different types of products before I put a whole lot of money into this thing, so I made a trip to my local Wal-Mart.
There is a whole aisle devoted to facial skincare and let me tell you. It is confusing! There are so many products. I was confused as to what I should be looking for. It seemed to me that everything was either geared toward teenagers and acne or it was for combating the signs of aging. What about general maintenance?
Exactly how many of these things does one really need? There is so much to sift through. Masks, cleansers, wipes, makeup removers, moisturizers, mists, day creams, night creams. For the girl who washes her makeup off with hand soap and water on a good day or just waits till she’s in the shower the next morning on a lazy day (don’t judge me), it’s positively dizzying.
I have been peeking into some beauty blogs lately to see what other ladies are using and getting some ideas, and these helped me a bit while I was going through the selection trying to put together an inexpensive collection of products that would result in a relatively quick and painless daily regimen. Here’s what I came up with.
I ended up with a pink grapefruit scrub, rosewater cleansing cloths, a collagen day moisturizer, cucumber mist, and a night mask. I opted for the store brand (in this case Equate) for everything but the last two items (these are made by a company called Soo’AE and I have to admit, the packaging and the price, at $7 for each one pretty much sold me on those items). All of these products together ran me about $30 after taxes. The whole routine takes me about 10 minutes to complete.
- At night, I use the rosewater wipes to remove any makeup or dirt/residue from my face, and I apply a generous layer of the Soo’AE Unicorn Sleeping Mask. This has a gel-like consistency that feels light, and not sticky on my face. It’s clear so it won’t stain my bedding.
- Upon waking, I rinse that off my face and use the Pink Grapefruit foaming scrub. This stuff smells fantastic. I was hoping for a little more in the exfoliation department, but after washing my face with it, it feels smooth and clean. I may decide to add in a sugar scrub to really get on my exfoliation game, but for now, this will work.
- Next, I double cleanse with the rosewater wipes. These smell so nice, and my face feels super refreshed and nice after I use them.
- The Soo’AE cucumber mist is next on the list, I just mist my face with this. The package said it doubles as a toner, and since rosewater also tones, I figured I could skip a traditional toner or astringent, and just use this. Again, the smell is lovely. This mist is so refreshing! I go back to this throughout the day if I need a little refresher.
- Finally, I put on a layer of the collagen day cream and make sure its rubbed all the way into my skin. This provides me with a nice smooth base for my primer, or if I am not going to wear makeup for the day, it leaves my skin feeling smooth and gives me a bit of UV protection as well.
I have been doing this for a couple days now, and I notice a big improvement in the way my face feels. It is super soft, and makeup goes on much easier now as well! That’s a great little bonus! As I said before, I have been blessed with clear even skin, so I’m not really noticing any dramatic difference in the way my skin looks, but the fact that it feels better is nice. If I were pressed to list an improvement in appearance, I would have to say about the only thing that’s really different, is my skin seems a little less dull now, and it has a dewier look. No complaints on that one!
Overall, I am happy with my purchases and I feel that I am on my way to creating some good habits. The whole process has been a positive mood booster if nothing else. There is something to be said for that alone.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this post are my own. This post was not written in collaboration with any brand or company.
What are some of your favorite products? What are your skincare splurges? I’d love to hear what you use everyday and why you LOVE it!
The Boozy Housewife 
I’m was quite similar in that I didn’t suffer with many breakouts on my skin so I haven’t always looked after it that well with products etc, I can go days where all I do is wash it with a flannel and water and it’s still okay. However, I did go through one point at the beginning of this year where I got a little skin infection on my face – I actually found out it was down to my anxiety because it was at a very bad point in my life and that really affected my physical health as well as my mental health, and so I started using Doublebase gel that I was prescribed with from my doctor and it’s my best friend now, I use it every morning and every night and my skin is always so soft now! 🙂
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
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It’s so nice to not have to deal with all the products and everything at a young age, but I am finding it harder to get into the groove now that I am older and it’s becoming a necessity! Guess it’s just payback time since I had it easy for so long! Glad you found something that works for you, but sad that you had to go through the trouble of an infection in order to do it! Thanks for reading! ❤
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I swear by the clean and clear original face wash for morning cleansing and I’ve been obsessed with charcoal wipes for removing make up recently. I love my morrocan rose oil which I use to moisturise before applying my make up.
I love the look of that sleep mask you’ve brought but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in stores here ☹️
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I had never seen it either til I was in the store Friday. Unfortunately looking at their site, it looks as if they are US/Canada only. Hopefully they change this as they grow. It really is nice. its super lightweight, and you just quickly put a layer on your face, it seems to pretty much soak in like a lotion leaving very little residue that, and nothing visible, you sleep, and rinse with water in the morning. Easy Peasy. And it really does seem to be brightening up my skin, as it’s not hard at all in the morning to look fresh. Thanks for reading!
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I am very similar to you in being that I’ve never had any troubles with my skin. I literally wash with hand soap too. I always want to have some nice routine of skin care but then I go into that aisle and it’s INSANE. Sooooo many options. So I run away. Lol I have taken note of your great finds! I will have to try them out! Awesome post!
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Trust me, I wanted to run away too. The Soo’AE products are super nice, and when I went to their website to take a look for Karen, it looked like although the seem to be pretty much US only, there -was- a Soo’AE Canada link, so it looks like you can order their stuff to your neck of the woods too! Here’s a link to their CAN site. https://sooae.ca/ . The prices are pretty nice, and the products were very nice!
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I use Noxzema and noxzema pads I use Careless evenly gorgeous body wash and aloe vera gel yes all this for my face I been doing it for 6 months now and my skin is soft and no blemishes great blog love the tips
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Thanks for reading!!! I love the evenly gorgeous body wash! That’s been one of my go-to’s for the shower!
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I mostly use natural products when I can find them on the cheap – I love almost anything from Burt’s Bees (their oil cleanser is fantastic!) and I also like to use e.l.f. cleansers and moisturizers. For eye creams I kind of gravitate towards Korean brands because they often pack those products with stuff like hyaluronic acid or retinol – which I need for my dry under-eye area and dark circles.
Also, micellar wipes? Absolute godsend, they are perfect for lazy days when I don’t feel like actually washing my face with water and cleanser.
I’ve been curious about a grapefruit exfoliator but I worry it might irritate my skin too much. >_<
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I have hyaluronic acid solution but I have never really used it much, maybe I will give it a real try. My skin isn’t very sensitive, but the foaming grapefruit scrub I got seems like it’s very gentle. At only around $4 it couldn’t hurt to give it a try maybe on a day you have nothing planned and see if it will work for you.
Burt’s Bees is so great. I have always been a fan of their hand masks and lip balms.
Thanks for reading and sharing your tips!
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I am so intrigued by the collagen cream. I am currently suffering from breakouts which have NEVER happened to me. I say never but it’s become more of a consistent thing now which is making me a bit worried. Great post hun. I really need to find good products other than what I am using to manage whatever my skin is not liking.
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I am loving the collagen cream! It goes on smooth and rubs all the way in nicely, leaving a soft, non-greasy feel that makes makeup application a breeze. Thanks for reading! ❤
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