Dry Body Brushing

      In the last few weeks I have started dry body brushing. I have really loved the results so I thought I would make a post about it. I purchased a brush from target that I love (this is not a picture of the actual brush, but it looks similar to this). The brush head detaches from the handle to make it easier to hold. 

     My routine consists of dry body brushing everyday before I shower. I have read that it is best to do this in the morning because it can stimulate your system, but I prefer to shower at night for other reasons, so I do it at night. I also read that you should follow it with some form of hydrotherapy (a bath or shower), which is why I do it before my shower. It also makes it easier in my opinion because you can just step in the shower before turning the water on and then start your shower when you're done.

      Dry body brushing is good for your skin because it helps to exfoliate the top layer, increase blood circulation to the skin and help the body to more efficiently release toxins. It is also said to be good for your lymph system. The action supposedly helps to keep your lymph fluid moving up towards your heart. For this reason, dry body brushing is done by brushing upwards from your feet to your heart and downwards from your neck to your heart. I brush up my legs first (starting at the bottom of my feet) and then brush my stomach in a circular motion. I then move on to my lower back using an upward motion. My arms are next starting at the hands moving up towards the shoulder paying special attention to the underarms because of the concentration of lymph nodes there. I finish off by brushing downwards on my upper back and very lightly on my chest (not the breasts). This can be skipped if you have especially sensitive skin, but it you want to do it make sure to use an extremely light touch. For the rest of your body you should use firm, but not painful pressure. It is generally recommended to start out lighter and gradually increase the pressure the more you do it. If your skin is sensitive you can buy a brush with less stiff bristles to start out. This whole routine only takes minutes to do once you get the hang of it. 

     I feel like my skin is glowing because of this routine. And I definitely have less dry skin and in turn softer skin in general. I was worried how this would work with my self tanner routine as I like to apply self tanner on a regular basis (I have incredibly pale skin and like to have a glow year round). I feel that it has actually helped. It does result in slightly less tan skin because of the daily exfoliation, but I'm not going for "tan" really, just a healthy glow. What it helps with is streaking. I haven't had a streak since I started doing this and don't have to worry about my application quite as much because of it. Anyways, I hope this post has been helpful and that you might consider trying dry body brushing. 

Until next time... Meagan

Bring on the cold weather...

So it's not exactly cold yet where I live (it was in the 80s today), but we have had a few days with lows in the 40s. I always hate this time of year where the weather switches back and forth from summer to fall weather from day to day, but it does mean that soon the cold weather will be here. I love fall and winter, so I am always looking forward to it. However; my skin does not like cold weather. I know a lot of you are already experiencing snow and therefore probably also experiencing drier skin because of it. I have dry skin year round, but it's more "normal" in the summer and extremely dry during the winter. We're talking cracked hands and lips; the works. So here are some of the things I am planning on doing this winter in an effort to keep the dry skin at bay.

1) Drink more water. I know this is cliche (forgive the missing accent, I have never been able to figure those out), but I need to work on this most of all. I used to drink only one or two glasses a day. Now, contrary to popular belief, drinking water does not "moisturize your skin". What it does do is keep the cells in your body functioning properly which can help to alleviate some severe dryness. 

2) Take warm showers instead of hot showers. I love hot showers, but they can strip every bit of moisture out of your skin. I know that this will be a hard one for me, but hopefully I can change.

3) Moisturize while skin is still damp after showering. This helps to lock the moisture in your skin. I'm hoping that it will help prevent my skin from cracking. Now I can't say that I will be slathering lotion all over my entire body while still slightly damp because the feeling freaks me out a little, but I am going to put lotion on all my dry spots right away. Areas I will focus on are my lips and hands along with my elbows, knees and feet. 

4) Use a hydrating mist throughout the day as needed. I think that this will help to refresh my face throughout the day and keep my makeup looking nice as my skin gets drier. I have never done this before, so I am not sure how it will go. I am planning on trying The Body Shop's Vitamin E Facial Mist. I have heard good things. If it doesn't work I will just use Mac Fix+.  

These are the big changes I am planning on making. There are other things I will be doing too, but I already do them. In case you aren't doing them here they are.

1) Use a cream or oil cleanser. I already do this. I have been using Philosophy Purity for years and it works well for me. I also just started using the cleansing oil from the same line to remove my makeup. This is of course all based on your skin though, so do what you think will work best. 

2) Wash my face every night (aka don't sleep with makeup on). I never sleep with makeup on for a full night. I have fallen asleep for a few hours with it on before, but I always wake up and wash my face at some point. I think my body knows lol. Sleeping in makeup dries out my skin and makes me break out even just for a little bit. 

3) Apply body cream and facial moisturizer every night. This is something I have been doing for years upon years so no problem for me.

4) Apply lip balm. My poor lips require constant application of lip balms. They have always been chapped, but my hypothyroidism has made it even worse. I tend to use things like vitamin e oil, argan oil, Fresh sugar lip treatment and of course Vaseline/Aquaphor. 

5) Get plenty of omega-3s. I take a fish oil supplement everyday to help keep my skin and organs functioning properly. 

So there they are. The things I will be doing this winter. I'm sure I forgot some of the things I already do because that's my nature, but I will update you if I notice any others. Hopefully this will be helpful for any one who sees it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Favorite Actresses

Hello. 

I thought today I would do a short post about my favorite actresses of the moment. I love Emma Watson, Kate Winslet and Ginnifer Goodwin. If a movie was made with all three in it, I would have to go see it no matter what it was about. I love that they all promote better body image for girls as they do not have the typical hollywood look, but instead accept themselves as they are. I generally like the movies they are in especially Kate Winslet. I have loved her since Titanic lol. Anyways, that's all for now. 

Meagan 

I'm Back

    Okay. It has been a year and a half since I have blogged. I kind of suck. I was looking at my last posts and thought that I would make a new update. I now own a Clarisonic and like to use it once a day every other day. I have dry skin and using it too often angers my skin. This happens with any kind of exfoliation. I seriously need help with the amount of makeup I buy, but I am getting better. Things I have bought recently and love include: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (I hate the smell and the shade selection though), the beauty blender (I succumbed and it was worth every penny), Ole Henricksen skincare, Chanel Bronze Universal, Sigma Bare Palette (I hated this at first), Maybelline The Falsies and One-by-One and the MAC 109. I know it's a lot, but it's been a while. A non-beauty related thing I love...the Tone It Up diet plan. I started 2 weeks ago and it's amazing.
     I'm still looking for an eye cream and a concealer as I have yet to find my holy grail products. So if anyone sees this it would be great to hear some recommendations and why you love them. I'm not going to say I will write on this soon as I don't want to break another promise, but I am going to try to come back to this more often (to be completely honest I had forgotten I started blogging).
Meagan