Skin Care Switch-up

Autumn. Crisp cool breezes; crunchy fallen leaves; rich red, yellow and orange hues adorning tree tops; cuddling up in comfy knits and cozy scarves while sipping pumpkin lattes - There's really not much that I don't absolutely adore about this time of year, but as the days grow shorter and the weather becomes cooler, my skin is yearning for a little extra attention.

Skin is a finicky thing, no? {And if yours isn't, well then we can't be friends... Just kidding. Though I do envy you in a major way!}


Each season seems to require a little something different when it comes to achieving a happily balanced epidermis. In the Summer I wrote about my battle to keep my skin looking acceptably "dewy" and not entering the land of plain ol' greasy and gross. Now, with the coming of Fall, right on par with my skin's schizophrenia, it's begging for more moisture and frequent exfoliation. Therefore, it was time to make some changes to the routine, and here they are:

In the morning I like to do one of two things:

1. If I'm launching into the day with no shower, I like to use Sprout Skincare's Cleanser which isn't your typical lathering face wash. It's a super gentle concoction of rosewater, vegetable glycerin, and just the right amount of tea tree oil. The consistency is watery and unlike any other cleanser I've ever used before, and the same goes for its instructions: Shake well, apply to face with cotton. Rinse gently with warm water. The process is a little strange at first for someone who is used to a sudsy experience, but the formula is incredibly effective, perfectly gentle for morning skin and wonderfully non drying.

2. If I've got time for a shower One Love Organic's Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser is my cleanser of choice. It foams in a really cool, not your typical sudsy soap way {which makes sense seeing as it is in fact SOAP FREE}. The scent is intoxicating to me - Beyond lovely {likely attributed it to the cold-pressed apple oil} and it's instant mood boosting capabilities are something I look forward to every day. Again,  muy importante here is that this formula is non drying and doesn't have any weird creepy ingredients lurking around.

Outta the shower and into a robe - *Note: We're focusing strictly on face here {besides my body care has remained the same for over a year: Dr. Bronner's Liquid Soap in Baby Mild, Everyday Shea Body Moisturizer, and Soapwalla Kitchen's Deodorant Cream - The combo is tried and true and holy moly am I thankful for that given how looney tunes my face can get!}

Once my face is clean I use Sprout Skincare's Toner all over my face. It's a mixture of water, raw apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, and essential oils of clary sage and sandalwood.   The combination of ingredients has been straight MAGICAL. Really, it's managed to stop new blemishes from appearing and the remnants of past breakouts have been banished. And although raw apple cider vinegar plays a crucial role in this breakout banning elixir, it does not and will not make your face smell like the House Salad  at some restaurant. Now, the instructions for application of the toner are pretty standard with the whole cotton ball routine, but I always feel like when I use cotton balls it soaks up way more of the toner than I actually need, soooo I poured the Toner into a clean, glass spray bottle that I had from a previous product and HEYO, no more wasted Toning goodness sucked into that cotton ball and wasted!

Immediately following the Toner, and while my skin is still nice and damp, I take about a small pea size amount of Sprout Skincare's Cream, and between my two index fingers I warm it up to a nice soft, frosting-like consistency. I dab a bit of it on all four corners of the earth, or ya know, my face, and then massage and blend. The experience is a treat, and this cream is the BOMB. Made up of wildcrafted, unrefined shea butter, extra virgin coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil the cream is soothing, nourishing, moisturizing and will not, I repeat will NOT clog your pores. Not to mention the fabulous antimicrobial, acne fighting aspects dwelling in the coconut oil! Seriously, the stuff looks like vanilla frosting and thus the thought of slathering it all over your face is slightly terrifying, especially if you worry that at any moment an acne war of the worlds could ensue on your face. Cast your fears aside! I assure you that your face will experience nothing but peace and complete happiness as you allow this cream to dreamily melt in to your skin and magically disappears without a trace of grease. A very little goes an incredibly long way making the longevity of this product pretty flippin' awesome!

At night it's the same ol' routine as above with a little bit of exfoliation in the mix, every other day. Acure Organics makes a Brightening Facial Scrub with Sea Kelp + Chlorella Growth Factor, and while I wish I had any idea what the benefits of sea kelp are and what the heck chlorella growth factor even is, I LOVE this product. I've found that exfoliation is crucial to my skin care routine {some peeps don't need it, and some can't live without it; I am in the latter category}, and this scrub is the scrub of all scrubs. It banishes flakey, dry skin where it exists and stimulates quicker cell turnover where it's needed without making your face feel raw, red and irritated. AND it's paraben free, vegan friendly, gluten free, synthetic fragrance free, silicone free, phthalate free - In other words, it's free of the bad stuff!

And that's all she wrote, folks - Or at least it's all I'm writing cause this has already been a lengthy description of what is usually just a 10 minute process morning and night! I can honestly say that this routine has been an absolute skin saver in the recent weeks. I felt like I was on the precipice of complete skin disaster, and between Sprout, One Love Organics, and Acure Organics my overly demanding and frequently riotous skin has been calmed and soothed, and I am eternally grateful!
I hope that those of you out there in need of a skin care switch up this season found this helpful... but to those of you who have been using the same products for the last 10 years with no problems whatsoever and have completely radiant skin: Don't talk to me. JUST KIDDING, I LOVE YOU, envy you, but LOVE YOU!