How I get my Skin to Bounce Back after Traveling
Happy Wednesday! Hope you all are having a fantastic week; I can't believe we’re into November already!? I've been back from Europe a few weeks now and I'm feeling pretty happy with how my skin's bounced back from the trauma I put it through last month! I used to hate my skin, but guys, skincare can work literal miracles! Even in just a few weeks... mine has bounced back from a month of way too little sleep, 5 red eye flights, and too much sugar, wine, & carbs.
Usually when I'm traveling a lot, the main issues I start struggling with are dullness and breakouts, so my skincare when I get home tends to target those issues. I've been using 3 products for each concern, and below I'm sharing why, what I love about them, and how they help!
Dullness
Dr. Brant Microdermabrasion Exfoliator - So first, I like to do an intense scrub with an exfoliator to get off that top layer of dry, dead skin. It works wonders for brightening, and even helps with breakouts because dead skin can end up clogging your pores... add some bacteria, and you've got a zit. I love this particular one because it has a very spa-like, soothing scent but has no added fake fragrance, the consistency is dense/not runny but the grains very fine, so you get a lot in a small amount of product making it very effective!
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - After doing a physical exfoliation, I follow with chemical exfoliation... in this case, a peel. I love peels; they work wonders for your skin! The glow they give is real, they help with cell turnover, which reveals younger looking skin, help with pore size & skin texture, andddd help with breakouts. So much bang for your buck! I've been a huge fan of Dr. Dennis Gross's peels for a year or so now, and have had these back in my evening skincare routine since I've gotten back. They're super convenient, leave your skin radiant but not red/blotchy, and are formulated so they are a strength you can use daily.
Josie Maran's Argan Bright Skin Vitamin C Serum - And lastly for getting that glow back into my skin, I turn to good old Vitamin C! I shared about Josie Maran's serums back this summer, and I got right back on the Vitamin C as soon as I got back. Not only is it packed with Vitamin C, which is one of the best ingredients for brightening and fading dark spots, it's stable, bioactive Vitamin C, so it's active on the skin longer yielding more powerful results. And because it's argan oil based, it deeply hydrates, nourishes and firms! I use this in the AM on my face & décolletage and start seeing noticeable results after just 2-3 days!
Breakouts
Welly Face Save Clear Spot 'Bandages' - I put the bandages in quotes because I wouldn't call them that at all; these are clear little dot stickers are technically for cuts, but I use them on breakouts find these it heal/erase them in 12-36 hours (from my experience) depending how sinister of a zit it is! They're amazing and discreet! They are a quick fix, so I would definitely recommend using in addition to having a solid skincare routine in place to prevent breakouts to begin with, but they do help immensely when your skin/hormones just aren't cooperating (or you've had 5 too many chocolate croissants in the past 3 days). They're also only $9 for a tin of 36, which is so much less than the actual 'zit stickers' on the market.
La Mer Creme de la Mer - Anyone else literally brutalize their skin when they were younger with anything and anything salicylic acid/benzyol peroxide? Yea. I wish I'd know my problem was that my skin was actually super DRY and needed lots of love and moisture! Sadly it's just one thing on a looooong list of things I never ever should have done to myself/my skin before I knew better (I still daily mourn how I plucked the living daylights out of my brows...). Thank goodness for the internet, social media, and fantastic skincare products. I've been slathering my skin in La Mer's Creme de la Mer every night before bed since I returned and my skin is finally balanced and not overly oily again. I'm finally getting it through any head that most of the time, excess oil, which definitely fuels breakouts, is because my skin is being stripped of it's natural oils or dehydrated (same goes for your hair/scalp!). This cream is a favorite because it's deeply hydrating and leaves my skin super soft of smoothed.
Shiffa Emerald Clarifying Face Oil - This face oil is fantastic for healing and preventing breakouts! It's packed with Linoleic acid and is anti-microbial & purifying, so it kills bad bacteria while hydrating & balancing the skin and helping reduce excess sebum production. Shiffa is SUCH a fantastic brand, the products contain the highest quality ingredients; they're clean, organic, natural, yet backed by science and therefore very effective! I also love that there is a tiny chunk of emerald in each bottle of this oil! I love to use this after applying my La Mer cream I the evenings before I head to bed.
I hope this was helpful for any of you returning from a trip, or even just suffering from dull skin/breakouts! If you try any of these, let me know how you like them! :)
Bisous,
Laurelle