Blissful Beauty: 4 tips for glowing skin

Fun little fact for you: I was a licensed esthetician in the state of California for 4 years. Ever since I was a young girl, I have been obsessed with skin and beauty. All the women in my family were very, very specific about their beauty routines. So, I have followed suit and always been obsessed with mine. When I was living in Los Angeles, I became enchanted by Aveda products which are all based on an Ayurvedic philosophy. I became passionate about the body and holistic skin care practices so I decided to attend the Esthetics program and become very well educated in skin care.

I was always torn between interior design and skincare. Interiors just spoke to my soul.

That didn’t mean I quit my passion for skin. I just became very obsessed in my own life. I am committed to my beauty rituals, they make me feel so blissful. I also do it right. I am not a wash-my-face-last-minute kind of girl. I do it up. I put on a long luxurious feeling robe. I put my hair up in a bun and cover my hairline with a turban situation so as to not get product on my face. I intentionally make skin care fun and fabulous so that the whole experience feels like a spa.

Every time I get asked about skin tips, I feel compelled to add in the entire beauty routine because here is the deal, It isn’t just about the moisturizer you wear. It’s about what you eat, what you do, your mindset, your stress levels, hydration, supplements, EVERYTHING. I do so much more than just creams and serums to have great skin. It would be unfair of me to rob you from knowing that a good skin care regime is a full on commitment to your skins glow.

Okay, so here are my 4 tips for glowing skin:

1. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. This isn’t some big surprise here. We all know how important it is to hydrate yourself for a healthy body. But I really want to stress the importance of consistent hydration. One of my more specific hydration hacks is having a large hydroflask next to my bed at night so that I hydrate well before bed. A lot of our cells in the body are rejuvenating at night and it is so important that we are well hydrated for all the work our body is doing during our sleep. I also take really hot baths, which are incredible for tricking your body to release toxins rapidly. Before I get in the bath, I have my water bottle next to me. I drink it throughout for like a double detox flush. It’s soooo good for cleansing out your system.

2. Commit to routines and rituals. I stick to a morning and evening beauty routine and I am committed. Every so often, I’ll miss a night or two but I always regret it. I can totally tell if I am not up on my skin routine because a new wrinkle will pop up or maybe a blemish. Do your best to make 5 out of 7 days of week of a full on skin commitment. It’s so so worth it. My nightly beauty routine is really where I get into it. I always like to start with a hot washcloth to steam my face and get it nice and steamy Then I’ll use my MyChelle Fruit Enzyme cleanser to was my face. 2-3 nights a week, I will swap this cleanser for a deeper scrub, Ole Henrickson Facial Sauna Scrub. Omg, this scrub is so divine, it smells like a pure magical eucalyptus steam room and feels so refreshing. Then I prep myself by using a brightening toner. I do 8 sprays, I really like a wet face. Anything with Vitamin C is going to be brightening for the face, hydrating and really help you get a glow. After that I wait about 10-15 minutes. (this is typically when I take my vitamins which are very helpful for skin. I always have a biotin vitamin in the mix. always.) After the toner has sunk down into the skin, I grab this incredible budget buy, a CE Ferulic Acid Serum that has completely changed my skin. I use about half the dropper full amount. I rub it it my hands and pat, pat, pat it into my face and neck. Then I grab my Rose Quartz roller and roll it all in. I really work my jaw and the perimeter of my face because I hold a lot of tension in my jaw and shoulders. At night, I finish off with ROC restoring night cream. I have combination skin and tend to get oily so I have to be very specific with my creams. This one feels nice and thick but doesn’t clog up my pores or make me feel to greasy. I also do face masks like once a week. My #1 staple is the AZTEC mud mask, I’ve never been exfoliated so well. In the morning, I gently wash my face with in the morning. I never do too much of a harsh cleanse or scrub because all the products from your sleep are most likely still at work in the morning. (If you are feeling lazy, I love these Incredi-peel pads) If you are keeping with your night routine, your face should look dewy and glowy in the AM and you will look and feel fabulous. I do use a SPF 50 moisturizer that is freaking amazing. It has a little bit of a tint that makes me glow. I don’t like BB creams or even foundation because I hate the way it changes my skin color, but this SPF is incredible and blends into the skin like it is your own specific color. Trust me, you will love it!

3. Dermaplane your face. I will never forget the first time my esthetician shaved my face. It was before a laser treatment, she asked me how I felt about shaving all of the baby hair off of my face like it was going to be an invasive surgery. At first I was super hesitant and scared but once she explained all of the benefits, (like helps skin care products work more efficiently and penetrate the skin better) I couldn’t resist trying it. It sounds so weird and feels awkward when they are doing it but after your face is all peach-fuzz-less, it feels incredible. When products goes on your face, it glides on smooth and easily. It just feels so great. So, I started shaving my face at home in between facials with a cute little pink hair remover. When you can keep your skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom, you glow better. I’m obsessed.

4. Supplements. I love supplements. It always makes me feel like I’m super charging my wellness when I get to take my vitamins. Anything with Biotin in it is great, I have always taken gummy hair, skin and nail vitamins. I will link the exact ones below. I also make sure to add a lot of spinach to my diet, greens always help you to glow.

Okay babe, there you have it. These are some of my most trusted skin tips. P.S. The biggest thing I have learned about skin, is stay out of the sun. In my youth, I was a sun kissed goddess but that isn’t cute anymore. So, I wear hats a LOT and very big sunglasses. And I am always looking for products with Vitamin C.

Benefits of Vitamin C:

*Promotes Collagen

*Brightening

*Photoprotection

*Wrinkle reduction

*Firming

*Reduces dark spots

Keep that skin dewy girl.

MY GLOWY SKIN ESSENTIALS:

5 steps to style your nightstand for a calmer mind

Did you even know that #nightstandgoals is a thing? Yes. You heard it right here. One scroll of that hashtag on Instagram will yield over one hundred thousand different posts. Can you believe it?

I’m going to be very honest with you. I haven’t been keeping a perfectly decorated home. For years, I have been beyond nutty around a put together home but living with a man and a little baby boy has completely knocked me off of my game. So, for a while, I’ve let things slip a little. Don’t kill me.

But, with my recent Summer life makeover, one of the most important moves that I knew I needed to make, was to get my home life a little more on point. De-cluttering and organization are always my go-to moves, so I wanted to tell you about the very first thing that I de-cluttered and why I think it is the most important.

MY NIGHTSTAND.

Oh, my nightstand. Picture this, I woke up one morning looking frantically for something and I opened up the bottom drawer of my nightstand. I was flabbergasted. Basically just random stuff, with no purpose, was sitting in the bottom drawer. Literally, things that make no sense. An old dead cell phone and the box it came in. An old, empty candle box and a sunglass case with no sunglasses in it. An up-opened box of resistance work out bands. Lord help me. I guess I just created like a basic junk drawer.

Not cool.

As I was going through my recent life makeover, I remember this NY Post article that states, ‘we spend half our lifetime lying around in bed’ . So that means our nightstands are literally a companion for over half of our lives. In Feng Shui, our nightstand is meant to be used like a mini life altar for our soul. I preach about this to everyone I meet. So why oh why would I let mine get so embarrassing and drab?

I mean look at this mess of a nightstand.

A few symptoms of a cluttered, non intentional, messy, chaotic random nightstand:

• Lack of focus and clarity: you’re mind might feel scattered. You are probably carrying so much random stuff in your brain. A scattered nightstand equals a scattered mind.

• Exhaustion: The energy next to your sleeping quarters is hectic, so as you are trying to drift off to sleep, you may experience difficulty getting adequate REM sleep.

• Lack of harmony in your love life: In Feng Shui, two matching nightstands on either side of the bed will promote harmony and balance in your relationship. If one is messy and one is clean, there can be an imbalance. If both are messy, you may experience disconnection and lack of commitment.

I knew instantly that I needed to whip mine in to shape. When you are de-cluttering, it’s best to start with one specific area and then the high vibe energy of that will propel you into de-cluttering other areas. It becomes like a waterfall of organized energy that comes over you. If you haven’t googled organization videos on YouTube, you seriously haven’t lived. Even if you feel your nightstand vibes rock, you may just need a good old refresh, to get your energy going if you know what I mean.

I broke it down into 5 easy steps:

1.Clear out the nightstand completely.

I took every single last thing off and out of the nightstand. I cleaned it out and wiped it down. Burned some sage for emphasis. I went through each item and decided whether it was going to enhance my life or not. If I didn’t need it, it went in the trash. I put everything in different piles according to what I wanted to keep and how I use it. Jewelry, beauty products, cords, books, etc. I even burned out my old candles and brought out a fresh new candle to enhance the whole makeover experience.

2. Choose a color scheme.

I tried to stick to a specific theme and scheme. What color am I most drawn to currently? What vibe am I loving. I also color coded my books to keep it pleasing to the eye because I need my books next to me. I fall asleep the best when I am reading and/or journaling, it puts me right to sleep.

3. Use storage space wisely.

With a good idea of what I was going to keep in the nightstand, I went shopping for drawer organizing to hold specific items. I like to keep nighttime beauty products near bed so I can do masks and put on creams. I knew I needed some better everyday organized jewelry storage where I can see things easily. I also knew I need to keep phone cords and tech stuff ready and available. So I was very specific about what sort of items I needed. I took a tape measure with me so I could make the best use of the space. HomeGoods had EXACTLY what I needed.

4. Everything has a home.

As I put in the organization pieces, I really thought about accessibility and ease. With each item, I was very intentional about it’s purpose. Nothing that I don’t regularly use went in my nightstand. When you are working on de-cluttering and simplifying your life, you want to make sure that everything in your home has a place and a purpose. It is scientifically proven to calm the mind.

5. Keep things that spark joy.

I added things that gave it my personal touch for joy. When you surround yourself with things that make you smile, it enhances your life experiences and calms you. My favorite vintage pink vase with blush pink roses totally sparks joy. I also always keep a rose quartz crystal on my nightstand because it is supposed to help you have deeper, clearer dreams. Rose Quartz also enhances your self love and romantic love so keeping it by your bed will infuse more of that loving energy. When you add a personal touch to your nightstand, you are expressing to the world, the things that are the most meaningful to you. Allow the process to be fun and flowy, your nightstand should make you happy, nobody else. This helps you to feel more yourself when you get ready for bed at night, which is the most comforting feeling in the world. Bliss Vibes Only, am I right?

Here is a shot of the items I bought, a set of 3 soft canvas baskets that corral my items for the top drawer and a large velvety jewelry storage tray for the bottom drawer.

The jewelry organization has really been a game changer for me. These are some of my everyday pieces so its nice to have them spread out and organized and not piled up on a jewelry dish on my nightstand.

I cannot explain how amazing it feels to have a nightstand that feels good to lay next to. My mind feels more calm because I know where everything is and I truly love everything on it. Here are some images of the final look.