You know those days. Maybe you spent all day in class followed by a library study sesh and six coffees. Perhaps you decided to celebrate this beautiful thing called life by going out and dancing all night, but forgetting to take your makeup off after. Either way, you wake up ready to take on the day like the boss chick that you are, but you’re stopped in your tracks when you realize your skin feels less than radiant. Sometimes you just need to stop, rewind and rejuvenate your skin – and we have all of the tips you need to do it!
Exfoliate & Moisturize
Hey, we’ve all been there! Your life becomes so busy that you toss that daily routine for a quick rinse before heading out for the day. Occasionally this is a must, however, eventually you’ll start to feel it. Sometimes when your skin just isn’t at it’s best, the best plan of attack is to go back to the basics. Without exfoliating, your dead skin cells will stay on your skin, leaving it looking dull oily. Follow up with a moisturizer to keep your skin from drying out – bonus points if you pick one with protection from the sun.
Five-Minute Facemask
Sometimes, the idea of committing to putting on, waiting the required amount of time and taking off a facemask seems too daunting to even consider. But there is a reason you often see the most relaxed people in movies always sitting in a lawn chair with a facemask and cucumbers on their eyes. Facemasks are a great once a week addition to your skincare routine. Not only can you find one that fights a specific skin problem you have, like oily skin or excessive blackheads, but they usually smell like a spa, even if you’re just in your bedroom. Put one on when you wake up in the morning before you pack your backpack, then hit the shower right before you leave. The cleanup will be less hectic and your skin will feel powerful and ready for anything.
Post-Sun Protection
One of the biggest problems we face with our skin is damage from the sun. It’s often a forgotten area of skincare, but it can be the most important! After spending a day outside, reward your skin with a wash and some aloe vera or cocoa butter instead of your normal moisturizer. Instead of soaking into your skin like lotion, these things will coat the skin and help soothe any effects the sun may have had that you may not have even noticed!
If You Got It, BLOT IT
If you have extra oily skin, it can mean avoiding over-moisturizing your face with a lot of lotions. Grab some oil blotting sheets and throw them in your purse or backpack. If you’re not about those beauty store prices, try coffee filters. Keep them with you and when you start to feel a little less than perfect, dab a few times on your T zone! The great thing about these, as opposed to blotting with random napkins or your shirt sleeve, is that they don’t take makeup off. They just soak the oil up from underneath.
Hydration Station
It may seem cliche to say that water is the key to everything, but TBH it really is the key to EVERYTHING. Chugging a glass of water before you leave in the morning or filling up a reusable water bottle throughout the day will make your skin glow like a newborn baby’s. It will also help you stay energized, which will make it easier to come home and follow up with that daily routine.
With so many different products, brands and skin types, we get why it can be hard to focus your energy on your skin. Even if it isn’t your top priority, make sure to press pause on that incredible life of yours every now and then and allow yourself to give back to your body.