going au naturale
In an interview I read a little while ago, someone who I find to be effortlessly beautiful shared that she considered herself to be of the "skincare-as-makeup persuasion." It was a minor light bulb moment for me. Well duh! Treat the dark circles, treat the redness, and eliminate the cover-up FOR-EV-ER. Or that would be the goal, right?
I look back at photos of myself as an early teenager, and braces aside, I miss the days when my then-loathed freckles were my one skin concern. The first time I wore make-up, it was only a few swipes of mascara and I was out the door feeling all radiant and grown-up for the first time at 16. Now, if I were to just swipe on mascara and go, I would look in the mirror and indubitably analyze the darker uneven skin tone around my eyes and the redness around my nose. And who knows if these things are due to aging, motherhood and lack of sleep, or just becoming a harsher critic of myself over the years, but I would like to see them go.
As I mentioned before, my skin-care routine right now is lacking. After the completion of each day, normally I'm too tired to take an extra 15 minutes for myself before bed, and usually end up just wiping off my make-up, and throwing a little coconut oil on my face. Shrugging off the rest of my skin, and hair, and ... eye bags ... until tomorrow, when I'll be "less tired." But THAT never happens.
So! As part of the Made to Matter, Handpicked by TargetTM challenge, I set out on a quest to claim those 15 extra minutes at night for myself and run with them for a few weeks. First step: spending an exorbitant amount of time at Target (which as we know, is something I excel at) in their natural beauty aisle, picking up a few items that would enhance my daily regimen. Even though my main skin concerns involve my face, my goal was to try out the products that would benefit all the other parts of my body that are continually neglected. My hands for one! I have to laugh at myself when I'm hanging out with friends and someone scoffs at their hands and says something like, "man, I really need a manicure." I look down at my hands, unpainted, with their dry, uneven cuticles and the occasional hang nail and think," oh yeah. I guess a manicure would be good." I would just never think about it on my own! Same with my feet, and elbows, and hey, how about a nourishing mask for those split ends!
The great thing about this shopping trip was knowing that whatever products I absolutely loved at the end of this trial-run, I could afford to love them again, even after the product ran out. Everything was in my price range, and it gave me peace of mind knowing that I could choose anything in that natural beauty aisle, and it would actually be better for me, which is a concern since I’m pregnant. While my first instinct, as usual, was to get products that focused mainly on my face, I picked up some great body butters, shampoos and conditioners, face masks, hair masks, foot creams, cuticle/hand creams, eye creams, cleansers and make-up removers ... and for the following few weeks a new and improved routine was born. Starting with that night, when I obsessively tried all of them at once, ha!
I look back at photos of myself as an early teenager, and braces aside, I miss the days when my then-loathed freckles were my one skin concern. The first time I wore make-up, it was only a few swipes of mascara and I was out the door feeling all radiant and grown-up for the first time at 16. Now, if I were to just swipe on mascara and go, I would look in the mirror and indubitably analyze the darker uneven skin tone around my eyes and the redness around my nose. And who knows if these things are due to aging, motherhood and lack of sleep, or just becoming a harsher critic of myself over the years, but I would like to see them go.
As I mentioned before, my skin-care routine right now is lacking. After the completion of each day, normally I'm too tired to take an extra 15 minutes for myself before bed, and usually end up just wiping off my make-up, and throwing a little coconut oil on my face. Shrugging off the rest of my skin, and hair, and ... eye bags ... until tomorrow, when I'll be "less tired." But THAT never happens.
So! As part of the Made to Matter, Handpicked by TargetTM challenge, I set out on a quest to claim those 15 extra minutes at night for myself and run with them for a few weeks. First step: spending an exorbitant amount of time at Target (which as we know, is something I excel at) in their natural beauty aisle, picking up a few items that would enhance my daily regimen. Even though my main skin concerns involve my face, my goal was to try out the products that would benefit all the other parts of my body that are continually neglected. My hands for one! I have to laugh at myself when I'm hanging out with friends and someone scoffs at their hands and says something like, "man, I really need a manicure." I look down at my hands, unpainted, with their dry, uneven cuticles and the occasional hang nail and think," oh yeah. I guess a manicure would be good." I would just never think about it on my own! Same with my feet, and elbows, and hey, how about a nourishing mask for those split ends!
The great thing about this shopping trip was knowing that whatever products I absolutely loved at the end of this trial-run, I could afford to love them again, even after the product ran out. Everything was in my price range, and it gave me peace of mind knowing that I could choose anything in that natural beauty aisle, and it would actually be better for me, which is a concern since I’m pregnant. While my first instinct, as usual, was to get products that focused mainly on my face, I picked up some great body butters, shampoos and conditioners, face masks, hair masks, foot creams, cuticle/hand creams, eye creams, cleansers and make-up removers ... and for the following few weeks a new and improved routine was born. Starting with that night, when I obsessively tried all of them at once, ha!
Here’s a sampling of what I picked up:
Shea Moisture Healthy Glow Essentials Eye Makeup Remover
Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme
Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick
Shea Moisture Smooth & Repair Rinse-Out Conditioner
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Extra-Moisturizing Detangler
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
Yes to Carrots Rich Body Butter
Shea Moisture Healthy Glow Essentials Eye Makeup Remover
Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme
Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick
Shea Moisture Smooth & Repair Rinse-Out Conditioner
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Extra-Moisturizing Detangler
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
Yes to Carrots Rich Body Butter
This post is sponsored by Target. The Made To Matter line has been handpicked by Target to bring you brands that make things better for your you, your family, and the place we all call home.
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