Happy Monday, loves! Are you all dragging a bit post Super Bowl or are you on a high because your team won? Being in Dallas, we’re big Cowboys fans, so we didn’t really have a team we were rooting for. However, it was an awesome game and JT was phenomenal!
One of my goals or intentions for this year is to feel beautiful in my own skin. I say it’s a goal for this year, but in all honesty, it’s been something I’ve been striving for for years. I’ve come a long way from the girl that used to stand in front of the mirror and tear herself down body part by body party, but I still have a bit to go. I think the biggest thing that’s helped me post baby is just accepting my body right where it is.
Accepting my body as it is doesn’t mean I just let everything go though. As Christians, we are called to treat out bodies like a temple. We are called to treat our bodies the best we can. So, being content and feeling beautiful in our own skin doesn’t mean we can’t strive to take better care of our bodies. I would say that over the past year or so I have learned to love my body exactly as it is – I love all my scars, my stretch marks, my insecurities, but I also love learning how to take better care of myself. For me, part of that is exercising; part is dressing in a way that fits my personal style; part is taking care of my skin.
The whole “taking care of my skin” part is a new thing. Truthfully, it’s the most overwhelming part for me. I know what needs to be taken care of, but I am not a big make-up or skincare product person, so I’ve felt a bit in the dark in this area. As of the last 6 months I’ve really tried to hone in on what products I put on my face and if they are really helping.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t planning on writing a post on my skincare this early on in my learning game, but I’ve had a lot of you ask about my routine. In fact, a lot of you have asked specifically about the Tula products I use. There have been a good number of you that have asked if Tula products are simply the “it product” right now for bloggers or if they really work.
Side note before I go on – I hope you guys know that I only promote products on my blog that I genuinely believe in. Because of that and because of my lack of knowledge of skincare products, I haven’t talked a lot about skincare products. That being said, if you see me talking about a product positively on my blog, it’s because I genuinely like it, use it, and believe in the company.
Because so many of you have been curious about the Tula products I’ve been using I wanted to chit chat a bit about the 5 products I use daily that have made a noticeable improvement in my skin. As far as Tula goes, I have been using their Exfoliating Treatment Mask for almost a year. It’s been the only mask that’s gently exfoliated my face and left it feeling hydrated and smooth. So, when I had the opportunity to work with Tula two months ago and try more of their skin care products, I was intrigued and excited.
So before I get into my top 5 products, I have to mention the Tula MVP in my book – their cleanser. I always thought cleansers were basically the same – some had little exfoliating bumps, some didn’t, but they all cleaned your face. I was wrong. The Tula cleanser is by far and away the best cleanser I’ve used. It’s gentle, soft, and takes off all of your make up – all of it. I don’t know about you guys but I feel like it’s so dang hard to find a cleanser that takes off all of your eye make-up without your scrubbing your eyes off. This cleanser does though! You barely have to rub your eyes and it’s all gone. It’s amazing! Give it a try and let me know what you think!
- TONER – For my toner I have been using Teddie Organics Rose Water Facial Toner. As I was searching for a natural toner for my skin, this product caught my eye with a 5 star rating from almost 4,000 people! A lot of the reviews boasted of their faces feeling plumper and decreased in redness. As someone with Melasma, I am all ears when it comes to products evening out my skin tone. So, I started using this as my toner and have been wowed. Truly. It’s so super light weight, smells great, it’s not full of chemicals, and it has helped to even out my skin tone. I love that this product can be used to spray on your face post workouts, too, leaving you feeling refreshed.
- VITAMIN C SERUM – Finding a good Vitamin C serum was difficult. To rewind a bit, I’ve found that Vitamin C serum is one of the few products that helps with my melasma. Melasma is something I’ll have forever and while microneedling treatments help a lot, I need something in the downtime. So, in addition to a whitening cream from my dermatologist, I have found that vitamin C serum helps stave off my melasma and uneven pigmentation too. The problem I’ve found though is that the Vitamin C serums have either a really low dose of Vitamin C or they’re super expensive. Well, this one is 20% Vitamin C and it’s only $20! It also has a 4.5 star rating from over 8,000 people! Crazy, right? Now, I will say that this serum will dry your face out a bit, so you have to be super diligent about following it with a serum and moisturizer, too. If you don’t have melasma, I still recommend using a Vitamin C serum as it helps to reduce redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. We can all use help there, haha.
- TULA ILLUMINATING SERUM – up until 2 months ago, I had never used a serum as part of my regimen. When I started using Vitamin C again, I realized how essential using a serum was going to be. So, I started using Tula’s Illuminating Serum. To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for this product. When so many of my other products were making such a big impact, I didn’t even think I’d notice if this one did or didn’t. I don’t think I really was even looking for a difference in my skin from this product until one day I could tell something was different. 2 months into using this serum I realized how different my skin looked. Despite my lack of microneedling treatments lately, my dark spots seemed lighter. My dark spots weren’t getting worse and that’s just unheard of for me. Additionally, I wasn’t broken out. I thought with all these layers that I would start breaking out, but this serum was and is so lightweight that it just didn’t happen. It didn’t clog my pores and was making my skin look and feel brighter – truly.
- TULA EYE CREAM – I don’t know why, but eye cream has always been a tough one for me. I don’t wear a ton of make-up and I feel like most eye creams are so thick and heavy that I only wear them at night…when I remember. I wanted to give this Tula eye cream a true shot though, so I started trying to use it day and night. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but it really is so super lightweight that you don’t even notice it under your make-up. And, it doesn’t cause your make-up to sink into your cracks and make your under eye look worse than it really is. Think of it as a mini eye lift.
- ELTA MD TINTED SUNSCREEN/MOISTURIZER – y’all, this product is so good. I got hooked on it over a year ago and have sworn by it since the day I started wearing it. This product also comes highly recommended by my dermatologist. In fact, she says there isn’t a better product out there. Elta MD’s tinted moisturizer has 41 SPF, is water resistant, is super light weight, and does not break you out. Also, the tinted version – the one I use, provides enough tint that you can actually wear it as your foundation. I actually just use this on week days and only add a true foundation to my skin when I am going to an event or out on a date. Plus, it’s protecting your skin, which we all need.
If you’re looking to give their products a try, I would suggest trying out their “fit and flawless set” to determine how it works for your face. This set contains the cleanser I rave about, the day and night cream, and exfoliating treatment mask. It’s a great starter kit!
tunic: free people | denim: levis | pumps: similar | bag: tory burch (similar) | sunnies: karen walker
photography: fort lion studio
