my night time skin care routine

 

I’m in my late 20’s… it is sad but it is true…

I have always tried to take relatively good care of my skin, however up until recently I have kept it pretty simple and basic. That was until I started to realize the fine lines under my eyes were only getting worse and it was probably about time I did something about it.

So lets talk about my skin type…

-combination/oily

-large pores

-fine lines under my eyes

-very uneven and red

-beginning signs of aging

These are the products I have been using for the last several months and I have noticed a genuine improvement in my skin overall.

Step 1: Wash

Skin + Pharmacy Advanced Anti-Aging Therapy Hydrating Cleanser 

This cleanser has hyaluronic acid, olive oil and vitamins A, C and E

It promises to moisturize and nourish skin, help to protect it from free radicals as well as remove dirt and impurities.

This product is thick and creamy and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and plump and I really enjoy it.

Tool: Ulta Dual Action Cleansing Brush 

Now I realize there are several options when it comes to cleansing brushes, lots of brands produce them now and I’m sure there is one even better than this one however for the price I have been very impressed! I feel like my skin is getting cleaner than ever before, it is gentle, affordable and gets the job done!

Step 2: Eye Cream

ANDALOU NATURALS coconut water eye lift cream

This product promises to hydrate, brighten and smooth with the help of coconut water and vitamin C. It is vegan, gluten-free and cruelty free as well and non GMO certified and 98% naturally derived. This eye cream is light weight while still packing a hydration punch. It absorbs quickly, has a smooth creamy feel and does not leave the skin sticky. It has been a definite game changer for my under eye fine lines.

Step 3: Serum

ANDALOU NATURALS turmeric + c enlighten serum

This serum is my absolute favorite part of my routine! Daily use will help you to achieve lighter, tighter, brighter looking skin and an over all luminous complexion. This serum like the eye cream is vegan, cruelty free, gluten-free, non GMO and 99% naturally derived. It is thin and light weight, absorbs very quickly and comfortably and the best part is it smells like oranges! This serum has helped reduce the redness and unevenness that my skin has.

Step 4: Moisturizer 

ANDALOU NATURALS resveratrol q10 night repair cream 

This night cream is a dream! It is super hydrating without feeling heavy or greasy on the skin. It has a subtle scent of coco which I love and it sinks into my skin very quickly and comfortably. Being that I have combination skin moisturizers can sometimes be too much but this products formula is just right! This moisturizer claims to uplift tone and texture as well as provide velvety soft skin with the appearance of fewer fine lines and wrinkles, and I can most certainly attest to that! 

Some tips!

-Make sure you are using products that are natural! Made with good quality ingredients… remember these products are being absorbed through our skin 🙂

-When applying eye cream use your ring finger and gently pat in the product. Avoid harsh rubbing or pulling in this delicate area!

-When it comes to your serum apply in an upwards motion and gently pat the skin to help with absorption. 

 

I hope you found this helpful and you try out some of these products for yourself!

Thank you for reading!

xoxo Erin 

*disclaimer some product descriptions came from brand website

 

 

find what makes you happy

Today I am bringing you another installment of #motivationmonday and reminding you to

FIND WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND DO IT EVERYDAY

Unfortunately in the world we live in passion and happiness come second to money and success. And while it is very important to be successful and have enough money to pay your bills and live an enjoyable life, I think a lot of times we lose track of the things that really matter along the way.

I will use myself as an example…

Growing up I had a HUGE passion for performing… dance, singing, acting, making people laugh, I loved it all. And because I was incredibly blessed with a mother who encouraged her children to do what they loved I was able to pursue this passion for many years. I took voice lessons and dance classes I went to theater camps and performed in and out of school. I went away to intensive dance workshops to work with famous choreographers and I got to perform in countless recitals, theater productions and concerts. If you would have asked me as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up I most definitely would have told you something to do with music and performing. Unfortunately for me once I graduated high school and began my journey to adulthood my responsibilities became grater and my opportunities to do what I truly loved became less and less. I felt a lot of pressure to go to college (even though I didn’t have the slightest idea what I wanted to do) and I felt a lot of pressure to work so that I could buy a car and pay a phone bill and car insurance and have a social life and all the other things that you become responsible for after you turn 18. And before I knew it I found myself working 2 jobs going to school (and not doing very well) and leaving the things that made me happiest in my past. Fast forward to now 10 years later I never finished my college degree and I have yet to figure out what I truly want to do with my life. I, like the rest of us have so many responsibility’s now that after work and bills and taking care of a home and a partner and everything else we all have going on there is no time left for our passion.

Does this sound at all familiar?

Doesn’t it kind of suck?

 

At the beginning of the year I did something that I always wanted to do and was always to scared to do… I took a leap of faith 🙂 And with no real plan I quit my job! I decided that I was sick of working 40+ hours a week in a job where I just wasn’t very happy. I was stressed I was overworked I was overwhelmed and it made my day-to-day life completely not enjoyable!!! I never saw my family, my friends, I had no hobbies, I had no time or energy to do any of the things that used to bring me so much joy. Quitting my job allowed me to change my life so that I could begin to find passion and joy and do things that made me happy!  I let go of the idea that my only purpose in life was to work for a paycheck. 

Now I am NOT suggesting you quit your job (my example is a bit extreme) but what I am suggesting is for you to take a look at your life and ask yourself

Am I happy?

Am I fulfilled?

Do I want more our of this life?

And if you are not happy, not fulfilled and want more out of this life than make a change!!!

 

It can be big changes, it can be small additions to your normal routine, it can be trying new things, it can be revisiting passions from your past, it doesn’t matter what it is all that matters is that you do it!

And while maybe for now you don’t love your job or you don’t love your living situation or you don’t love everything about your life…

And maybe right now those aren’t things you can change…

But

What you can do is figure out the things that make you happy and do those things 

every. single. day

 

xoxo Erin

my love hate relationship with the ketogenic diet

preface: I am NOT a doctor, dietitian, trainer or heath coach. I am simply someone who struggles with weight and has tried a lot of “diets”, this is my experience and should not be interpreted as fact or typical.

what is keto?

put simply this is a style of eating where you are eating very high fat and very low carb with a moderate about of protein.

 

so ill start with my introduction to the ketogenic lifestyle (it truly shouldn’t be referred to as a diet)

while struggling to lose weight and get in shape for my wedding my wife discovered a friend of ours had transitioned to a ketogenic style of eating and she looked amazing! we reached out to her to see how she was obtaining these fantastic results and she clued us in. high fat low carb… basically the opposite of anything I had every known or learned about healthy eating. 

so with what we had learned from our friend and some research of our own we embarked on our ketogenic journey.

we bought oils and cheeses and butter and veggies and bacon (for Megan not for me) and ketone test strips and we started “tracking our macros” and before you knew it we were in full-blown keto flu.

soooo what is “keto flu” 

what we didn’t really know back then was that when you stop feeding your body carbs and sugar as its main source of energy and switch it to fat as its main source of energy things can get a little wonky for a while. you can suffer from headaches , stomach upset, lethargy, sleeplessness, moodiness and so on and so on. so for the first week or so (could be more time could be less depending on your body) we were kind of feeling like garbage. 

however that did subside (thank goodness) and we were well on our way!

the pounds starting falling off, we were sleeping better, we had fabulous mental clarity, our skin looked wonderful, we had flat stomachs, no bloating, the positives when on and on… and that lasted for about 3 months.

at around the 3 month mark while I was looking and feeling fabulous my bachelorette party rolled around. and there was no way I was going away with my besties for 2 nights and not going to eat and drink and do whatever I wanted… so I decided to “cheat” on my “diet”. which was great for 2 days but it really threw me off the wagon. back to bloating, stress, feeling sick, ect. as much as I tried I really couldn’t commit to the style of eating as I originally had, plus the damn keto flu was back! 

now is probably a good time to give you a little insight on myself as an eater generally speaking…

• I am a vegetarian and have been for about 15 years,

• I am the pickiest eater and prior to starting keto basically survived off of processed carbohydrates.

• I have a HUGE sweet tooth. 

• I can not and will not eat something if I am not really craving it

• I suffer from terrible bloating and have an extremely sensitive stomach

so basically I am SUPER difficult

all of these things did not make keto any easier for me. after a while I got board of the same recipes, I did not have a lot of luck when I would switch up my meals and I eventually found myself living off of string cheese and Atkins bars which is super unhealthy. 

now don’t get me wrong I am NOT saying keto is a bad diet plan or an unrealistic way to eat

however for me not eating meat made this extremely difficult especially because dairy is very inflammatory and not really a food group that your entire diet should be based off. the more research I did the more I found that the recommended way of eating was highly  based on animal protein including bone broth and organ meats, things I am just not willing to eat as a vegetarian

why keto works for my wife and may work for you

Megan is basically the opposite of me when it comes to food and eating. if you tell Megan if she ate worms everyday for a year it would make her feel and look great she would do it! She isn’t picky she isn’t fussy she is able to detach emotion from food and look at it solely as fuel (unlike myself). Megan eats organic heathy fats, greens, low carb veggies and meat. She sources her meats in a way that she believes to be responsible and humane and does not eat low quality foods. 

what I’ve learned

there have been a lot of great take aways for me even if as a whole this style of eating is not for me. one thing I definitely did not put enough focus on is how bad processed carbohydrates are for our bodies. how they turn into sugar while being digested and are gravely detrimental to our heath. I learned that I was simply eating too much sugar and again I didn’t really even realise it. while I definitely am not following a keto diet I have greatly lowered my carb intake and tried to limit it to mostly whole food carbohydrates. heath and wellness are a lifelong journey and I believe it is super important to always do your research and really do what works best for you and makes you feel your best!

I really hope you enjoyed learning about my personal journey with the ketogenic lifestyle!

thank you so much for reading 🙂

xoxo Erin