Beauty Bootcamp: Facial Skincare

I took a little hiatus this week as we ventured out to the beautiful and relaxing Shenandoah Mountains on our vacation, so I didn't get a chance to tell you all about my facial at the Aveda Institute last week. Before I continue, I must encourage you to visit an Aveda Institute if you live in a city with one. For about half the price of any regular salon, you can get almost any beauty treatment that you can think of as the students "practice" on you; plus your services are done with Aveda products only! Love it, love it, love it!

I bared it all in the picture at the right the morning after my facial where I took a shot without any make-up at all. I wish however that there was away for you to touch my skin because that was the real kicker. My skin was soft and subtle and felt perfect.

Anyway, there is not much that I can share this week because our skin types and issues are just as diverse as our skin color. I learned early on to make sure that I follow the three step facial skincare regime habitually - Cleanse, tone and moisturize.

Unbelievably I still have acne at my age, so my skin care regime is pretty basic - Proactiv. I used Proactiv a few years ago and my skin cleared up beautifully and then I stopped and you can guess what happened, so I'm back on it and it's working pretty well. Proactiv makes it pretty simple with it's 3 step process. Additionally, I use a tinted moisturizer with SPF 30 so everyday I'm pretty assured that I am also protecting my skin from the sun.

Whatever product line that you use, expensive or inexpensive, please make sure that you Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize and Protect your skin.

A few of my own tips - don't know whether or not they actually work; but some are worth a try:

- ALWAYS wash your make up off at night. NEVER go to bed with make up because the oils may clog your pores

- Witch hazel is a great substitute for toner

- A little hydrogen peroxide on a pimple may help get rid of it faster

- Mix a little oatmeal and water and use as a mask that will leave your skin soft and bright

- Apply mask before taking a shower and leave it on while in the shower because the steam from the shower will help the mask work a little better

- Make sure that you remove any unwanted facial hair either by waxing or using a hair removal creme because it's not a good look to have whiskers!

See you next week for body skin care - I have booked a spa appointment for a Vichy Shower Tahitian body scrub. I can't wait to let you know how that goes.