5 Ways To Improve Your Skin

   Happy Friday y'all! I hope everyone's week has gone well, if not cheer up, Friday is here! For this week's Five on Friday I thought I'd share five ways you can improve your skin. So if you're worried about your skin being dull, constantly blemish ridden, or just anything besides radiant, read on!

1. Moisturize

    For years I thought I shouldn't moisturize my skin because it could aggravate acne. Your skin still needs moisture. I use the Anew Vitale Day Cream, which is specifically for women in their 20s to 30s. It's so important to not just moisturize but to use a moisturizer suited for your skin type. Moisturizing is your best bet against the first signs of aging, such as fine lines. It's always best to start before you see any aging, so if you don't have a daily moisturizer today is the day to find the right one for you.

2. Exfoliate
     In order for your skin to look good not only without makeup but also with, you need to be exfoliating. It is ideal to exfoliate once per week in the Winter, and every few days in the warm weather months. Your makeup won't blend right if you're stuck with dead skin cells on your face. I use the Anew Clean Refining Daily Scrub. If you want a more thorough scrub try out the Anew Clean Cleansing Brush. You can use your regular daily facial cleanser with it, and it's suitable for all skin types. It cleans 5 times better than your hands alone. Bonus tip: try exfoliating when you go to wash your makeup off. Not only will you be exfoliating away the dead skin, but you'll make sure not a trace is left of your makeup.

3. Ice, Ice, Baby
     This one isn't really a long term fix for your skin. It's more of  a "I have someone coming over in 10 minutes and I still need to pick up the living room" quick fix for your skin. Which we could all use every once in a while. Take an ice cube and just suck on it for a few minutes, until it melts basically. The ice chills the millions of cells in your cheeks and lips, which will cause increased circulation, and leaves you with the result of plumper, rosier skin.

4. Clean Your Phone
     You don't have to watch Inside Edition to know that your phone is a breeding ground for every germ imaginable. Germs are flawless skin's biggest foe. So if you really want to improve your skin start cleaning your phone as often as possible. Your skin will thank you.

5. Clean Your Makeup Brushes
     Makeup brushes trap in all those germs found on your face and in your makeup like that Swiffer duster you used to clean the ceiling fan. Think about that. Now go grab your makeup brushes, some baby shampoo, warm water, and get to cleaning. Once you've cleaned them, pat the bristles dry (reshaping them if necessary) and let them dry on a fresh hand towel. Voila.

   Well there you have it folks, five ways to improve your skin, and none of them are super expensive or involve heavy amounts of Botox and other unknown injectables. What are your favorite skincare tips?


Linking up with April

Read The Baby Books

    It's official, you're going to be a mother. Whether you're pregnant, adopting, using a surrogate, you're about to enter new and unexplored terroriy. Naturally you wanna be prepared for what lies ahead so you pick up a few baby books. You decide to ask a friend/sister/mom group what books they read when they were waiting for their baby. Some provide a few books they enjoyed, and then there's that one. You know the one. She proudly says "oh I never read any of those books, you'd be better off to just take it as it comes".
     Now I will admit the moms that turn their noses up at reading pregnancy or parenting books often have some valid points, but I am astounded by the number of blogs where moms actually WARN other moms about reading baby books.
    I'm here to tell you, read the baby books. I'm not saying you have to, but there is no harm in being more informed. Knowledge is power, my friends.
     Have you ever noticed that the same moms who warn about baby books also dole out their own parenting advice freely (and maybe unasked for)? Coinidence? I think not. Newsflash: no one is the perfect parent. No one is born knowing how to be a mother.
     I had a lot of experience with children before I was a mother. I had taught Sunday School, I taught children dance, I have 7 nieces and nephews that I used to babysit all the time. I was even called "the grandchild wrangler". Even with all of that experience with and around children when I had my son it was all new to me. For one thing a lot of the things I went through with my son or my first son for that matter weren't things anyone that was my contemporary was going through. So I turned to other resources. Yes baby books, but also books about grief and mommy blogs, really anything that I could read and see myself or my babies in.
     You will never hear a mother say "I wish I didn't know this when I was expecting". I'll say the most crucial time to read any book or blog or online resource involving your child is during pregnancy. There are so many signs and symptoms that unless you've read about it you wouldn't know that something is wrong.
      I'm not here to tell you that reading baby books will make you the right kind of mother for your child. I'm just trying to tell you, don't fear the baby books. Don't be afraid of knowledge. Besides it's much easier to just ignore advice in a book than to tell your relative you don't want to use their advice.
      How do you feel about the great baby book debate?