My Daily Skincare Routine

   

 Finding the perfect skincare regime takes a lot of trial and error. Personally if it doesn't show some almost instant gratification I usually will toss it. However this last October I started a new regime after doing a lot of research and reading on this method.

My skin is aging, after all why wouldn't it, I AM!!! Seriously we can't stop the aging process but we can delay some of the results if we find the right products that work for our skin types.

Today I am going to show you what I use and what is working for me. I am using the Korean skincare method and products.

My morning routine starts with this....

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This is an oil cleanser that goes on as a balm and when you add water you get a nice creamy like foam. I love this stuff and it is on sale right now. They have one for all skin types. The oil helps dissolve any oil or sebum on our skin. I read that somewhere!!

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This is not a Korean product but it uses natural products and I love it. The smell alone would make me use this but it also cleanses my skin and leaves it very soft. In fact I just purchased 2 bottles for under $15 on Amazon as I am writing this!!

I never used toners before because they always seemed to have alcohol and dried my already dry skin out. I kept reading how important it was to use them to balance the ph of the skin so your skin would absorb the nutrients you are applying. Since I was so happy with the Korean products I asked for a suggestion for my skin type which tends to be dry and can be sensitive at times.

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There is nothing in this that will ever dry out your skin. It has Royal jelly and honey among other natural, botanical extracts deliver nutrition to the skin.

My friends that have tried this are SOLD on it and say it is their favorite product. I have to admit it is up there on my list but I have a favorite and it was actually the very first product in the Korean skincare product line.

This is an essence. According to what I have read it is another preparation product for the skin to recieve the nutrients, plus it also has nutrients in it. I love the way it makes my skin feel and the fragrance is so fresh. I think I could drink this stuff it smells so delicious.

 

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 You only use a few drops in the palm of your head and then gently tap it into the skin. I don't know what it is about this one product that feels so decadent and luxurious to my skin. It is like I gave my skin a big drink of clear mountain spring water. Can you tell I love it!? Plus I think it really adds to the moisture and glow of my skin and lets face it we all want that youthful  glow we once had.

It also comes in a travel size if you want to just try it first without getting the large bottle.

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At first this kind of grossed me out, but after reading more and more about it, I had to give it a try and I am glad I did. I am about to reorder this again. 

This can be used as a moisturizer but I use it under my moisturizer. This truly makes my skin softer and more subtle and I think it has diminished fine lines. In fact my hairdresser asked me what was I using on my skin because she noticed a huge difference in how healthy and moist my skin looked!!

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This product is an all natural product not Korean and I love it. I have very sensitive eyes and find it hard to find an eye cream that does not make my eyes weep. This does NOT make my eyes weep and it has caffeine in it which takes away puffiness and dark circles. This has been another repeat purchase for me.

Lastly is the moisturizer that I swear by and so do my friends that have tried it. You can actually see little beads of moisture on your skin when you first apply it. It does what a moisture cream should do and it is so inexpensive. I will have to admit because of the pricing I thought it could not be that good. Boy was I wrong, it is great and I am on my second bottle.

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Lastly I use a sunscreen when I am going out.

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Best sunscreen I have ever used on my face, light weight, light pleasant fragrance SPF 50/PA+++

 powerful broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection

I have never been a very faithful skincare gal other than cleansing and moisturizing, but I have to admit these steps feel so decadent and luxurious I actually look forward to using them. I have a few serums that I have tried and added to my routine and also some night time products. I will do a post on those later. None of these products are overly expensive and they last a good 6 months or more.

I never recommend anything that I have not found to be tried and true. I do try different products from time to time, but all of the above have been with me since October and I have repurchased most of them and will continue to use them.

WE can all learn from each other so leave a comment and tell us what you are using that has worked well for you!!! After all we are in this together ladies, lets be supportive!!! 

These are the two sites I have ordered from and have been very happy with customer service and products.......

PEACH AND LILY Use this code and get a discount ...

http://fbuy.me/fFLBp 

Soko Glam 

 

 

Shopping And Decorating With Your New Purchases!

 THE DO'S THE DON'TS  THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY

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Before I begin this post I have to say this is my opinion, it is not in cement. I realize that all design is subjective. I am only here to give you guidance, and you can take what I have to say for what it is worth to you.

 

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This post is not to make you afraid to ever buy anything again, but to empower you to be more selective and to curate your purchases beautifully in your homes.

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If you have been following my blog for awhile you have noticed I tend to be a less is more gal. Not a minimalist, but I like my home to feel open and airy, and especially uncluttered.

Clutter tends to make me feel nervous inside and I strive for a calm, peaceful atmosphere to surround me. In fact that is one of the compliments I love the most when someone offers up a compliment about my home.

 

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While I was shopping in Homegoods the other day I took a look in several ladies carts and wanted so badly to help them out. They had sooooo many little this and that's and pillows and wall hangings in their carts, and none of good design or quality.

HAPPINESS IS RELATIVE!

You name it they had it in their cart, BUT then I looked at their faces, they were grinning from ear to ear. 

What they had in their carts made them happy, and after all isn't that what decorating our homes is  all about, to make us, and those who enter our homes, happy and content. 

I only hope they were happy when they went home and tried to place all their new purchases in their rooms. I had my doubts.

I am only telling you this because I am about to tell you WHY your carts should not be full of this and that, nor your homes.

If you are still with me and have read the above and looked at the pictures I chose to show  well curated rooms then let's begin......

#1 DON'T DECORATE EVERY SURFACE AND WALL IN YOUR HOME

First I have to tell you not every table, or wall HAS to have something on it!! I use to tell my clients, if you want someone to stop and look at that wall, put something on it. However if you want them to pass by, DON'T !!!! This is a good guideline for hallways or areas you just pass by.

Remember the eye needs a place to rest in every room!!

#2 CHOOSE A FOCAL POINT IN YOUR ROOM!

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A good guideline is to choose one focal point in your room, and maybe two supporting areas as well to address. 

I like to think of your room as a stage with actors and there should be one star and a couple of supporting actors.

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Most rooms have a natural focal point, a main wall, fireplace, or a bank of lovely windows. If your room has neither, notice the main wall you view as you enter the room, you can mark that as your focal wall.

#3 Choose larger elements

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Try to choose larger pieces to decorate with and only a few smaller elements. If you have a bunch of smalls they get lost on stage and no one even notices them

 When adding elements to your room always start with your base pieces first, furniture, lighting, artwork. 

 After the main pieces are placed add your larger accessories first, then fill in with the smalls, wherever you need a touch of interest such as texture, or color.

#4 MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A PLACE FOR YOUR NEW PURCHASES

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There will be many that will disagree with me on this count and this is something that is not in cement so take it for what it is worth......

 I have found for me personally, that if I am attracted to something I have to be able to place it somewhere in my home in my minds eye. If I can not think of where I will use it, then I do NOT purchase it.

 

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That does not mean I don't have extra accessories in my cabinets and garage, trust me I do. However, I do NOT put them all out at one time. I rotate my accessories. In fact I just did that when I brought out my summer pillows and accessories.

I find that if you purchase something you will feel compelled to put it out in your room whether it adds a cluttered look or not.  

WE all have to justify our purchases to ourselves, and others if we live with someone that has us on a budget, if you know what I mean!!

 #5 Make sure you vary your textures in your rooms.

Every well decorated room will have a variation of textures in the room. By textures I mean elements that have smooth, shiny or rough textures.

 

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Sometimes you will see a pretty room and you know it is pretty but it is lacking something and you can not pinpoint what the problem is. 9 out of 10 times it is lack of textures so keep that in mind when you do your accessorizing.

I have found it helpful to make a list of elements that can add textures to my rooms that I will like.  

This is an area where I see people adding more and more elements of the same textures because they sense that their room needs something. When in fact it is not that it needs more, it just needs different.

#6 Make sure you allow for enough lighting in your rooms and buy the correct size.

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I would say 8 out of 10 rooms are lacking the proper lighting. Make sure you have overhead, wall and surface lighting in your rooms. 

If you have table lamps make sure they are large enough. I so often see lamps that are way too small for a table or a room. There is nothing that can cheapen the look of your room more than poor  lighting that is also the wrong proportion for the room.

HERE is an article that gives some good guidelines for how to choose the proper size of table lamp

 (Just click on the above sentence to go to article.) 

I see so many people choose the candlestick lighting as a table lamp and it is just too small, those need to be on the ends of a mantle or narrow console table, not on a table by a reading chair. Just keep that in mind next time you need a new lamp or see a bargain. Pass it up!! It is not a bargain if it makes your room look like there is no rhyme or reason to it.

Another thing to think about when adding any lighting to your room, whenever possible have all lights on dimmer switches.

Here is a little formula to know how much lighting to add to your size of room.....

#7 When making new purchases for your room choose the least available element first.

This probably sounds a bit confusing, let me give you a for instance. If you want a colorful or patterned rug in your room choose it first. There will be less rugs that you will like than maybe a sofa or chair. Of course this is just a guideline, each room will dictate what is needed first.

 

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Let's just say choose the most patterned, colorful piece of furniture, or rug first and work the other elements around that. You can always add solids or neutrals in the other pieces.

#8 CHOOSE YOUR PAINT COLOR LAST!!

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This is the one area that a lot of people want to start with first and then work their room around a wall color. 

Don't do it!! 

Let's use a bedroom as our example. Many people change out there bed coverings more often than any other change in their home. It is the least expensive area to change and it truly makes a huge change. Let's face it, our beds take up most of the space in our bedrooms so whatever we put on them to dress them up says a lot!!!

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You should choose your bed coverings first!! The paint world is a bottomless pit and you can always have a custom color mixed so the colors to choose from are endless.

#9 Keep your collections together

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If you have a collection of pictures, or even special figurines, or any collection for that matter, group them together, DO NOT scatter them around the room.

#10 Buyer Beware!! 

 Have you ever been in a  room that looks as if there should be price tags on all the elements they have sitting around. 

I am not talking about true antiques or genuine collections, but I am referring to the obvious new purchased items that are sitting everywhere.

Since we all have a local Homegoods stores around us it is a real pitfall to go there and fill our carts up with lots and lots of goodies. Don't do it! You don't want your home to look as if everything came from Homegoods. 

Be selective and make your purchases carefully, making sure they fit into your home and add to the richness of the room. 

 #11 BE BRUTALLY HONEST

Step back and evaluate your room ask yourself a few questions....

• Does this room reflect ME?

• Do I LOVE this room?

• Does my room look like a boutique rather than a home?

• Does my eye flow gently around the room without any jolts on the eye due to  use of colors or elements

• Does this room say Welcome Home?

• How does this room make me feel happy, content, relaxed?

• Does this room have character and a story it could tell?

Remember these are only guidelines that I have learned in my years of working with clients and issues I ran across many, many times. 

 

 

Apparently I Am In A Blue Mood!!!

   

You know how they talk about artist having certain color periods? Well apparently I seem to have certain color periods when I shop.

For instance, the other day I took a trip to Homegoods looking for two white drum shades. 

Of course they didn't have any, but that did not stop me from shopping a bit more and then going next door to TJ Maxx as well. 

After I was all done shopping I looked at what I had purchased and it was almost all varying shades of blues.

On the left you will see a blue striped throw for our office dens ottoman. 

Next to the throw is a very tall artisan pitcher that I thought would look great next to the wooden lamp on my mirrored table.

Then I found a Fossil leather crossbody bag in just the right colors, black, white and blue. I was the most excited about this purchase since I have been looking for a new everyday bag for awhile.

The patterned piece is a fun knit skirt in a bohemian navy, denim blue and white print by Max Studios. This skirt has POCKETS!!! Yes I am that girl that gets overly excited about pockets in her dresses and skirts.

At the very bottom is a cork and gold clutch that will go great with my new sandals and I had to get a smaller wallet to fit in the new smaller bag.

Here is the new pitcher in its spot!.....

 The last two months I seem to have made several blue choices........

Look how well all my purchases go with my new summer slides!

I am definitely in my blue period as far as home decor and wardrobe goes!!

It will be interesting to see if I continue in the blue period!!!