FACE STUFF

FACING IT AT FIFTY, FORTY, THIRTY OR TWENTY...

Update - 9/15/14 - * Scroll to the end of this post for product and info update

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the sweet young things under 35...Your skin is still amazing or breaking out and you are not concerned about wrinkles in your distant future because you are too busy being young and fabulous to realize that one day will be here before you know it and yes, my little pretty you will be shocked and appalled by how fast it can all fall apart. Or you are living life up with the hope that by the time you are my age science will have not only cured Cancer but stopped the aging process with a pill. Dream big dreams - just wash your face every night no matter how much fun you've had and WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY EVEN WHEN IT IS NOT SUNNY OUTSIDE...

For those of us that are facing the piper of aging - after being Young & Fabulous and now trying to be F.....something and Fabulous here are my  Favorite Face Things...

I've been trying a lot of new face things the last couple of months. It's been awhile since I've shared and it's been exciting to see some changes. The hard truth about being on the over Fifty side is not the wrinkles...Adjust your attitude and accept that most of these wrinkles are because we have lived, loved and smiled often. In the grand scheme of life wrinkles are not the end of the world or your beauty. Now if your wrinkles are a result of your negativity, anger and frowning, then you have more problems than my fav face stuff can fix. Sorry about that. Personally, I can live with wrinkles. It's the hormonal havoc that causes breakouts that has been making me crazy!! I've been going to the Dr. for this and not botox or fillers.. and still breaking out. Here is what seems to be working today. Knock wood.

1. Diet - Limit dairy products. According to some articles and people I know with amazing skin, that whole Got Milk campaign is just that - a brilliant marketing ploy.  And this was a really hard one for me  due to my love of all things cheese (except Goat) and cream and butter...(I love the old Paula).  But even just cutting back a little has made a huge difference in my skin.

2. Alcohol - Yes, we all know Mama loves her wine children...it would probably help if we all cut back on that. Personally,  I wouldn't know.  But, what I do know is that rubbing alcohol is not for drinking. If you are doing that then my fav face stuff can't fix that either.  But, if you apply it to any thing trying to break out on your face and ruin your day it will help. Thank you Leah Bgood for this amazing life changing information. I swear by it!! My "know it all" children beg to differ but I think they just aren't doing it. Or maybe it only works on over F...something skin. Here's what I know. I'm not filling any more expensive Px for my face and it looks great as far as big under the skin breakouts go. The minute I feel one or see something I just apply good old cheap rubbing alcohol to the area a couple of times a day and it goes away!! As long as I follow my own advice to the Young and Fab and wash EVERY night - even I don't want to after a night of too much funwine - the other types of breakouts are under control too. Not to get gross, but you know what I mean. The kind you have to pop even though all the experts say not too. Guess what they do? Pop them. I can do that for a lot less money :). Well, again our friend Alcohol dries them up so fast you will be amazed.  Just moisturize to prevent it getting too dry and if it is a major breakout apply an over the counter antibacterial cream after alcohol and before moisturizer.

3. Products - Just tell us the products, WOMAN!!
Sorry, love to ramble...Run to the Kiehl's Store or counter at Nordstrom's or Neiman's or anywhere that sells these amazing products.  Online works too but I advise you to talk and trust the sales person - tell them about your skin and they will give great advice on what you need. I have WondermanJohn to thank for these. He made a new friend in the cosmetic dept at Nordstrom while waiting for me to get a fix for my lipgloss addiction... cheaper than my shoe addiction so I think he was happy for that.  Might have been the liquid lunch I try to make sure he has during every shopping trip. Trust me ladies. If you must shop with "them",  liquor them up first.  Now, not to throw him under the bus but he has had a lifetime of skin issues with rosacea and lots of trips to dermatologist due to it.  Minding his own business that day he was approached by our new God of Skincare.  He politely commented on John's skin and offered to give him a few large samples (in jars thank you not those tiny little foil samples) to try.  Now, my hubs is no dummy. Nordstrom has an amazing return policy and our business for life.  He loves samples for travel and he just bought every thing the sales person told him too.  I about had a heart attack at the bill. He got a boat load of stuff and I almost spent more on lip gloss. (Our dirty little secret) Not only are these products FANTASTIC but they are affordable too. None of those $3000.00 eye creams here.  So guess who else is not a dummy? Me!! I am not kidding his skin looked better over night. I think for him this event probably ranks up there with the birth of his children and every tennis match he's ever won.  I couldn't get my hands on his stuff fast enough.  Now, Baby GirlTyler has been using and loving Kiehl's before us, but I thought she's only 22  - WTH does she know. Well,  She knows good stuff too.  Again, go talk to the pros about your skin and here is what I'm using:

Midnight Recovery Concentrate Elixir
Ultra Facial Moisturizer with sunscreen
Ultra Facial Cleanser
Midnight Eye Recovery Concentrate
Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution - thanks to all those years of being sun stupid, twenty & Fab
Super Multi-Corrective Cream
Epidermal Re-Texturizing  Micro-Dermabrasion scrub
Amino Acid Shampoo - we also love this

Whew! Are you still with me? Have you aged just reading this because it has taken me about 3 years to write this.  A few more favorites

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex - daytime too after night of extra funtoomuchfun/wine

OleHendiksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil - don't let the orange color scare you

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light - as needed for dry patchy places

Queen Helene Mud Pack Masque - twice a week in a perfect world

I would list the prices on the above products but then WondermanJohn would have a heart attack and I'd really miss him. So I guess the truth about aging is that yes it helps to accept it and enjoy the gift of being alive everyday.  A boat load of good skin care products doesn't hurt either and it is a lot cheaper than botox, fillers and surgery.

* Update 9/15/14
I'd like to add a couple of new products in the fight against hormonal breakouts....Alcohol is now followed by these amazing products that I've read about forever but it took Babygirl convincing me to try them - She loves them and her skin looks amazing!! She happened to call me during a moment of face trauma, mine, as in a ginormous swelling that was causing me to smile crooked. I kid you not. Wonderman was very concerned once he stopped pointing and laughing hysterically. Big help. She however, said,"get off this phone and rush to Ulta before they close to buy these things and you will look normal by in the morning." Thank God I didn't run into anyone and even better they had this stuff in stock and to top it all off I did look better the next day and by day 2 all gone!! We are talking major skin miracle. I'm not gonna lie - I am stock piling this stuff so if you shop at my Ulta they may be running a little low on these amazing life savers:

Mario Badescu Skin Care
Drying Lotion - use at night due to lovely shade of pink. Do not shake the bottle first. Dip a Qtip all the way to the bottom of bottle and apply to all breakouts. Allow to dry and leave on overnight.

Drying Cream - use this during the daytime and anytime you even think you feel a breakout coming on. It also helps conceal the redness.

Silver Powder - use this weekly as a mask for blackheads and whiteheads. It really cleans out your pores.

Anti aging products - on my last stockpiling trip I noticed they had little sample kits of other items in their line and I got the anti aging one that included these products
Glycolic Foaming Cleanser
Glycolic Acid Toner
Glycolic Eye Cream
Moisturizer with Vitamin E and SPF 20
Also happy to share that these products not only work but they are not super expensive. Always a plus.

I also use and love a toner I learned about from my skin Wizard Joanna Czech ...it is Biologique P50V - it gently exfoliates, moisturizes and helps maintain the skins acid PH. It can be purchased from Joanna or online by googling Biologique Recherche. I can say that when I eat clean (no gluten...there will be another post on that) and use this toner twice a day, I can go for weeks without needing the Mario Badescu products. And when I do - I've got them.