Fall Skin Care Guide

I received the following products in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Last fall I posted a guide about how to moisturize your skin when the weather is dry. This year, I'm loading up my beauty arsenal with some new products that I recently tested and am bringing you my best skin care beauty tips.

Keep Your Skin Looking Great this Fall 

• Hydrate: Healthy skin starts with a healthy diet and adequate hydration. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to keep your skin hydrated. When people ask me how I keep my skin looking so nice, this is always the first thing I say.
  
• Wash: I wash my face at least twice a day, in the morning and at night. In the morning, I just use a facial cleanser and my hands. At night, I apply the facial cleanser using a small brush to remove all the dirt and accumulated oil in my skin. If I do an activity during the day that makes me sweat a lot, like gardening, I splash my face with water.
  
• Exfoliate: In addition to the small brush that I use at night, I exfoliate my skin every other morning. This helps remove dead skin cells and stubborn dirt and oil in my pores.
  
  For the skin on my body, I use an exfoliating glove about once a week. Instead of wearing the glove and scrubbing, I put small pieces of soap in it (they're basically the last bits of formerly large bar soap). I then use the glove as I would a sponge. This works well for removing dead skin.
  
  For my feet, I like to use the Bella Natural Electronic Foot File. It's more effective than traditional foot files and safer than using razor blade contraptions to remove tough skin and calluses. Here is a video review that I did:
  
  
• Tone: To reduce the size of my pores and wipe away any leftover dirt and oil, I use a skin toning product after I shower or after exposing my face to hot water (like a steam bath). If you like to use natural products, witch hazel is a good toning product.
  

• Moisturize: Always moisturize, even if you have oily skin. When the skin on the face doesn't have enough moisture, your body produces more oil, making you have an oily complexion. In the morning, I use a moisturizer with SPF, even on cloudy days. (Sun protection is my #2 skin care tip.)
  
  Right now, I'm using 30 SPF sunscreen from OZ Naturals, a company for which I've done several reviews in the past. They sent me a regular and tinted sunscreen. The best thing that I like about the sunscreens is that they do not smell like sunscreen. You can also use the creams on your face and body. I thought the tinted skin would be too dark for my fair skin, but it's not. It looks natural, evens out my skin tone and and prepares my face for makeup. 
  
  At night, I use rosehip seed oil. Yes, oil! It never makes my skin feel greasy and it never causes acne.

 How do you care for your skin during the fall?




I received the products mentioned in exchange for an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission if you click on a product link and make a purchase through Amazon.com.

Moisturize Dry Skin When the Weather is Cold

The following is an advertorial. I received the products mentioned in exchange for an honest review on my blog. This post contains affiliate links.

I have no idea what the future has in store for me. But, when the weather starts to get chilly, I know one thing for sure: cold weather = dry skin. For years, I used to just slather moisturizer all over my face and hands without a second thought. This year, I'm more thoughtful about my approach to keep my complexion clear and my skin hydrated and glowing.

How to Moisturize Dry Skin

1. Drink

Moisturized skin starts from the inside of your body. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day to keep your body and skin -- the body's largest organ -- hydrated. While this step may seem way too simplistic, it's one of the most vital.

2. Prep

Before moisturizing your skin, you must prepare it by getting rid of excess dirt, oil and bacteria. Vivant Skin Care's Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. The wash helps rejuvenate the skin, as well as treat acne, hyper-pigmentation (discoloration). In addition to using it on your face, you can use the wash on your body and hair.  

Because I have sensitive skin, I like that the wash contains acids derived from natural sources (i.e., almonds, grape seed, kiwi fruit and green tea) instead of harsh benzoyl peroxide. The product's scent reminds me of a gentle shampoo and it has a great lather. I use the wash day and night and recommend it if you want to prevent acne or minimize your pores.

Another product I use is InstaNatural's Deep Cleansing Facial Oil. You may think, "Wash your face with oil?! What the..." But, yes, you can wash your face with oil. This deep cleansing oil is a dry oil, so it cleans and moisturizes at the same time.

This oil is my go-to eye makeup remover. I have some mascara that's impossible to remove with regular eye makeup removers, but the Deep Cleansing Facial Oil does the trick. It completely dissolves the mascara, something that other oils I tried couldn't do. It also doesn't dry out the skin around your eyes when you use it.

Another thing that I like about the cleansing oil is its floral smell. It reminds me of Rodin's Olio Lusso, a similar facial oil that my skin likes, but is out of my price range. When I use InstaNatural's oil, I experience the same benefits as the luxury product, but at a fraction of the price.

3. Mask

Every once in a while, I like to use a facial mask to help remove dead skin cells and impurities from my skin. Azara Organics' Seaweed Facial Mask and Body Wrap does just that without drying out my skin. Harvested from the Atlantic Ocean and tested for quality, the seaweed mask naturally helps reduce inflammation and remove toxins.

The smell of the seaweed powder reminds of an aquarium. It doesn't smell fishy; it smells like the beach. I had a bit of trouble getting the powder-to-water ratio just right at first. After I figured it out, I left the mask on for about 15 minutes. When I washed it off, my skin felt soft and smooth. If you like natural masks, this is a good one.

4. Tone

When you wash your face with warm water, the pores on your face naturally open up more. A toner helps minimize your pores and clear out excess dirt and bacteria. I also like to use it when the skin on my face feels gross.

InstaNatural offers a Vitamin C Facial Toner that you can spray directly onto your face or onto a cotton ball (to wipe on your face). The toner has a nice citrus smell, moisturizes your skin and prepares it to absorb serums and moisturizers.

I thought the Vitamin C toner was the best I had ever used until InstaNatural sent me a toner made from Moroccan Rose Water. I love its smell! I can't decide which toner I like better, but I do wish the rose water toner had a spray pump on the bottle.

5. Nourish

Before I moisturize my skin, I apply serums that  help nourish it. Two that I recently used are hyaluronic acid serums with vitamin C and green tea from Morea Naturals and Body Merry. While both serums performed equally well, the serum by Morea Naturals seemed a bit silkier. It also comes in a pump bottle instead of a bottle with a pipette.

Body Merry also makes a Pro-A Serum that you can use in combination with its hyaluronic acid serum. Derived from vitamin A, the retinol serum helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. What I like best about it, though, is that it helps keep my skin clear.

Foxbrim sells a Complete Anti-Aging Moisturizer with vitamin A (retinol) and antioxidants. I'm all for products with retinol (I can't get enough). I feel, however, that this product doesn't deliver enough moisture to my skin, so I use it as a serum. The product feels nice on my face and my skin absorbs it quickly. 

InstaNatural sells the Age-Defying Skin Clearing Serum, which contains retinol, vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin C. Who knew that you could absorb so many vitamins through the skin? It also contain salicylic acid, which helps keep your complexion clear. This product blends my favorite skin-nourishing ingredients, eliminating the need to have a bunch of little bottles.

InstaNatural also let me try its Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) Anti-Aging & Skin-Lightening Serum. The serum is great for all skin types and gives your skin a boost of moisture before you apply a facial moisturizer. The nice thing about this product is that you only need a tiny squirt of it for your entire face, and the anti-aging properties also help you maintain a clear complexion.

6. Moisturize

My skin cries out for moisture after I wash it. Adovia has a great line of skin and hair care products, including its Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Cream. This product is a rich moisturizer that has ingredients like Dead Sea salt, vitamin C, collagen and lactic acid. While I like how the cream feels, its scent is a little too strong; it reminds me of soap. The smell, however, isn't so bad that I won't use the product.

Foxbrim has a nice Vitamin C Lotion that complements its anti-aging moisturizer. The product contains ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, green tea and MSM. I like to use this lotion when I need a light moisturizer, like on warmer days, or if I plan to use supplemental moisturizing products.

Right now my favorite moisturizer to use is the Dr. Song Organic Rosehip Oil. I use it day and night and on my face, hands and feet. Rosehip seed oil is a dry oil, so it doesn't clog your pores or leave your skin feeling greasy. One aspect that I like is that you only need two or three drops of oil for your entire face, so the bottle will last you a long time.

7. Treat

Despite all the moisturizer and serums that I use, I sometimes need some extra oomph in areas where my skin is particularly sensitive or delicate, like around my eyes. Yalmeh offers the Super Youth Eye Cream and Glory Eye Bright Gel. Both product combat dark under-eye circles, puffiness and fine lines using natural ingredients, such as aloe vera.

The eye cream is much richer than the gel. I think I prefer it over the gel, but I like the gel's packaging better, as it comes in a tube. The gel smells nice and works as a light moisturizer. One thing I noticed, however, is that the gel smells just like Foxbrim's eye gel, which I reviewed several months ago.   


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission if you click on an Amazon.com link and make a purchase.  

Skin Cream Review

I received a bottle of from Neoteric Cosmetics, a subsidiary of Scott’s Liquid Gold. This cream is great for diabetics and non-diabetics alike as it is provides an intensive treatment for chronic dry, cracked, damaged or slow healing skin. The cream contains TriOxygenC®, an ingredient clinically proven to increase circulation and speed skin's healing by strengthening its own natural defenses.

I am not diabetic, but have dry, sensitive skin. The first thing I noticed about the Diabetic Advanced Healing Cream is its nice smell. The cream feels silky. I never truly knew what silky-feeling skin cream was like until I tried this one. It feels great and lasts a long time. My husband has a condition that causes the skin around his ear to flake. He has been using the Diabetic Advanced Healing Cream for a couple weeks and has noticed a vast improvement in the condition of his skin. His ears are almost completely healed! 

I am genuinely impressed with Neoteric Cosmetics’ Diabetic Advanced Healing Cream. I definitely recommend this product to anyone who is diabetic, has dry skin or skin that is slow to heal. 

Learn more about the Diabetic Advanced Healing Cream at http://www.neotericcosmetics.com/. Find them on Facebook and follow on Twitter@diabetichealing.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.