My First Facial and Follow Up Skincare

 This year my lovely father treated myself, my mother and, his mother to a beautiful post Christmas pamper session.

 He booked us in for facials and mani-pedis on the 26th and while we were all looking forward to a lazy day I don't think any of us were prepared for this kind of relaxation.

My feet are finally feeling like feet instead of sandpaper but the Dermalogica fueled facial seems to have me completely skipping my hormonal break out this month. Now that doesn't mean there wasn't some residual purging for my skin after the thorough and deep clean but since then it's been smooth sailing. 

Some of the consultant's advice seems to have been really working well for me too.

 When she asked about my skin I told her I had more or less normal skin that wasn't so much prone to breakouts as it was prone to never ending congestion. No large inflamed spots just small bumps full of all the crap the New York City air has to offer.

Yum.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job on my skin and sticking to acid toners seemed to be working well for me throughout the past year in terms of exfoliating and keeping things fresh. Lately, however, it seemed I wasn't quite getting the same results and my skin was starting to look a little dull and clogged. 

I hadn't done any serious exfoliation and had definitely backed off my routine since the holiday frenzy set in so hearing it from someone else helped to kick start my skincare new year.

I'm back to double cleansing with my Clinique Take the Day Off  Cleansing Balm following it up with Mario Badescu's Glycolic Acid Toner, a light layer of the Now Solutions Rose Hip Seed Oil and sealed in with a generous layer of the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream.

Although after a Target impulse purchase and a suggestion from the spa consultant I think I may be bringing back something I haven't done in a long time.

Physical exfoliation...

These days it seems to be something of a skincare taboo citing things like micro tears in the skin that can result in collagen breakdown and the rampant spread of bacteria. All these things are very true but it seems to me that it all depends on what you're using. Chunks of apricot pits...maybe not but does powdered walnut shell and lemon peel granules make for a huge improvement? In this case I would say a resounding yes. 

The Acure (sometimes Acure Organics) Brightening Facial Scrub came on my radar as a skincare favorite of Ashley at MakeupTIA so when I saw it pop up on an endcap at Target for $9.99 later the same day of my facial I thought it was the perfect time to give it a try. 

Used twice a week I think it's making an excellent addition to my routine. The scrub is finely milled, soft and, adopts an almost creamy texture when it meets slightly damp skin. I think that this is a prime example of not all products being created equally and skin care "rules" that are made to be broken. 

So here I go into the new year with a renewed routine and an addition that will hopefully rid me of all the worst that New York City air has to offer.