Skincare Superstars

Hello beautiful friends,

Today I wanted to give some love to my favourite skincare ingredients. They are not all created equally, so whatever your skin woe is, there is guaranteed a special ingredient out there to help you on your quest for amazing skin.

First off, we have....

Vitamin C - This is the stuff. The holy grail if you will. It's anti-aging, it reduces hyper pigmentation and it gives your skin the antioxidants it needs to defend itself from free radicals. It's pretty much good for all skin types except for those of you who are extremely sensitive. If you are sensitive, it could be a little too strong for your skin to handle.

Niacinamide - Also known as Vitamin B3, this is a fantastic ingredient to look for if you have oily or acne prone skin. It's also amazing for evening out your skin tone and getting rid of any post-acne hyperpigmentation.

Retinol - Or Vitamin A. This is an anti-aging superstar. It helps speed up your skin's turnover, resulting is newer, younger looking skin. It's fantastic if you want to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. It's also an amazing ingredient if you want to treat acne and/or scarring.

Hyaluronic Acid - Probably one of my favourites! It's carries up to a thousand times its weight in water, so its excellent at hydrating your skin. If dewy skin is your thing, hyaluronic acid is your best friend. It's fabulous for anyone with dry skin and also works wonderfully for those who also have sensitive skin.

And to round out this episode of skincare superstars, we have...

Liquorice extract - This is a plant extract that packs a powerful punch. It's not only calming and soothing to red, sensitive skin, it also works wonders when it comes to creating a more even, luminous skin tone.

And there you have it folks. Hopefully, when you shop for skincare products, you'll be sure to look out for these types of ingredients! They're truly the best of the best. But remember, first and foremost you need to ensure that you stick with a good routine to truly reap the benefits of your skincare.

Love,

Tabitha

The Cool Drink That Gives You Beautiful Skin

Hey guys!

As important as skincare is, I believe that true skin health comes from the inside. In order to have beautiful skin, you take care of your body, which means eating a variety of clean foods, working out, and getting enough sleep. Having this mentality means that I am always scoping out cool new superfoods or recipes that claim to be amazing for both my skin and health. My latest obsession?

Chlorophyll Drinks.

Chlorophyll is what gives green vegetables their colour. This plant pigment is absolutely amazing; it both heals and detoxes your body. It helps in normal blood clotting, and can also prevent and aid in the healing of diseases such as cancer, fibromyalgia and arthritis. It is a potent anti-inflammatory, and it also helps to deodorize your body (SO cool). Honestly, whenever I drink it at night, the next morning I wake up and my breath is so much noticeably fresher.

It also contains so many properties that make it amazing for your skin. It's chockfull of antioxidants, for one. It also promotes detoxification, which is amazing for your body, your weight and also clears your skin. It's highly alkalizing, and also balances your hormones. It truly does it all.

The way I take chlorophyll is I mix one tablespoon of liquid chlorophyll with a full glass of water and have it in the morning before anything else enters my body. On days when I really want to detox, I'll have it at night as well before bed. You can also mix it into smoothies if having it with water is too unbearable, although I've found that the state has really grown on me!

My skin has improved so much by regularly taking chlorophyll. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven't already!

An important reminder....

Hey guys!

Today I wanted to touch upon a factor that has a very strong influence on the health of our skin. We always take so much time to perfect our skincare routine with the right products, while drinking the recommended eight glasses of water that we forget about one very important thing; our mental health.

Stress can negatively impact your skin in the worst way. If you are stressed, I can guarantee you that it will show up on your skin and not just in the form of a few breakouts. Stress can cause blotchiness, dull, lacklustre skin and can also be a trigger for both eczema and melasma. A few years back, I was going through a very stressful time in my life; looking back, I had the worst eczema flare-up of my life. It was horrible and made me very self-conscious which in turn stressed me out further. It's truly a vicious cycle. Eventually I got sick of feeling sorry for myself and being unhappy, so I decided to take action. I read a few self help books that deeply resonated with me, and I started to take the time to relax, take care of myself and not allow the little things to get to me. My flare-up cleared up in literally one week. My skin looked clear as day once again. Since then my skin has remained calm and eczema free because I ensure that I am doing what I need in order to be happy and stay balanced. Yoga as well as stretching is a great way to de-stress. Meditation works amazing for many as well, as does intense exercise (cardio and/or weight-lifting). It's important to stay active not just for your health but to also keep those endorphins up. Even so, exercise isn't the only thing you can do to stay relaxed. Just be sure to take the time to unwind doing something you love. That can be reading, cooking, knitting, video games, vacations, staycations, whatever.

Take care of YOU.

Love,

Tabitha

Get That J-Lo Glow

Hello Lovelies,

I don't know about you guys, but lately, I'm all about glowing, healthy skin! I didn't always believe in that glowing look. When I was a teenager, my skin was at it's oiliest, which always made me reach for anything that would make me look as matte as possible. I was famous for wearing nothing but concealer and powder. Since then, I've refined my skincare routine, thus balancing my skin. Now, whenever I attempt to wear anything too matte, it always makes my face look dry and dull.

The best way to achieve glowing makeup is through glowing skin. This means using a quality cleanser and moisturizer that suits your skin type. Drier skins need thicker moisturizers that are maybe even enriched with some beneficial plant based oils. Oily and combination skins tend to do better on lighter moisturizers and gel-based creams. Serums and organic oils can also be very helpful when it comes to achieving a healthy complexion. Skincare is the most important factor that contributes to glowing skin!

Next, you have to perfect your base. Use products that will even out your skin tone. If you have relatively clear skin, you could probably get away with just a luminous tinted moisturizer. If you have blemishes, I would suggest going with something less dewy and going for a light coverage foundation with a natural satin finish. After, simply use concealer to spot conceal those blemished areas. Don't put it all over! You want the clear areas of your skin to look as natural as possible.

After that comes the fun part; Highlighters!

In my experience, I find that the most natural highlighters are the ones that come in the form of creams and liquids. If you have really oily skin, however, definitely go with a powder formula.

When it comes to Blush, be sure to keep it superlight and slightly shimmery. Soft pinks and peaches are best to achieve a natural glow.

Last, my secret weapon....Facial Mists! They lock your makeup in place, and give your skin a dewy, lived in look. Plus they're awesome for your skin.

And that's how to achieve a flawless glow that will leave your looking fresh and radiant all summer long :)

My Favorite Ways to Relieve Stress

Hey guys!

Today I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite ways to relax and relieve my mind and body of any stress I may be holding on to. We live in a busy, fast-paced environment with all of us trying to do ten things at once, so it's only natural to become stressed out. The downside to stress is that it can weigh heavy on the way we look, especially when it comes to our skin. When I'm stressed out, my skin looks dull, broken out, and overall a little temperamental. Stress can even make you hold onto excess weight! Not fun at all.

I think that its crucial to take a little time for yourself and do whatever it is you need in order to feel balanced back to your natural self. It allows your mind to calm down, and thus calms your skin down, and regulates your body's natural rhythms.

Here's what I do to relieve stress:

Read - Reading is absolutely one of my favorite hobbies! I love books, and immersing myself in a fantasy or romance always relaxes me. I typically like to read a little before bed; it's great for helping to prepare your body for sleep as well.

Speaking of sleep....Get more - This is so important. Even if it's just one day a week, try to dedicate some time to either sleeping in later in the morning, or going to bed earlier. It makes a world of a difference. When I'm well-rested, there's nothing I can't do. Things always seem a little more difficult to overcome when you're constantly tired.

Exercise - one word; endorphins. They make you happy, thus relieving stress. I literally just did thirty minutes of cardio, and my mood is pretty darn chipper right now. It also gets your blood flowing, which will help your skin. Yay!

Yoga - This one is a little predictable, and I do apologize, but what can I say? It works! Stretching is so relaxing, and yoga in itself really does relax my overactive mind.

Essential Oils - Aromatherapy people! This has been a proven way to reduce stress for a long time. My favorites are blends with vanilla, citrus and coffee bean. I mainly use those at night. Eucalyptus and mint are really great during the day because they're both relaxing and energizing.

And there you have it! These things never fail to both relax and ground me.

What do you do to relieve stress?

My Take on Makeup Wipes

Hello Loves,

Today I thought that I would talk a little bit about a beauty product that tends to get a bad rep. So yes, I'm talking about makeup wipes. So many skincare professionals bash them, but I don't believe that they're as terrible as so many people make them out to be, so long as you use them the correct way.

Do I use makeup wipes? Yes I do.

Although, when I first tried out a makeup wipe, I will admit, it was horrible. It was Yes to Cucumbers, and I think the fragrance in the wipes gave me a bad reaction, because I woke up the next morning completely broken out. I was pretty devastated. Needless to say, that prevented me from going anywhere near a makeup wipe for a long while.

However, I planned on going on a trip for a week, and I knew that I wasn't about to pack along my ginormous bottle of micellar water. So I went for the Simple Kind to Skin makeup removing wipes, and I LOVED THEM. I decided to try these specific ones because they are completely fragrance free and don't contain any harsh chemicals.

These are my absolute favorite!

I think that makeup wipes are incredibly useful to just toss in your bag and use on the go. If you're at school or work and decide that you want to make a quick stop at the gym, makeup wipes have you covered (because you should never workout with your makeup on). I like using them for that exact purpose because after my workout, I can head home and immediately shower, and properly cleanse my face. So I think that they're great at getting the majority of your makeup off, but in no way should they replace an actual cleanser. They will never remove everything and give your skin the proper clean it deserves. They're great to use as an add-on, an extra step to ensure you've taken all your makeup off.

Bottom line: I would never use a makeup wipe instead of skincare and call it a night.

They're great mid-day to give your face a pick-me-up or remove makeup because you don't want to over-wash your face. They're useful for the gym and traveling. And that's pretty much it in my opinion. So while they can definitely act as a last minute life-saver, I don't really consider them to be an actual skincare product.

What do you guys think of makeup wipes? Love or hate?

Mixing and Matching Skincare Brands?

Hello Lovelies,

Today, I thought I would chat about my thoughts on mixing and matching skincare from different brands.

From the time that I was thirteen and started using skincare, my mom would always have me buy every item from the same line. I was then using cleanser, toner and moisturizer and it was literally all Aveeno and nothing else. When I forayed into Neutrogena, again everything had to be from the same company. She firmly believes that one should try to use one skincare line only, because she believes that each product is formulated to best work with their sister products. It does make sense to me, but lately, as I've experimented with different beauty products, I've developed a different opinion.

I found this one on the web. Each and every product is from a different brand. 

I think that in every skincare brand, you will always find a few hero products that stand out. One brand may be known for their rich eye cream, another for their unique brightening cleanser. Every company has hits and misses, so why sign yourself up for the misses just to justify using the hits?

Why not just use all hero products, whether they're from the same brand or not?

I remember loving this one moisturizer from the drugstore that contained vitamin E. It was an amazing gel cream that I used for two years as a teen because it truly served every skincare need I had at that age. That cream was literally one of three products (all moisturizers) that that brand created, so it of course mismatched with the rest of my routine as I couldn't go out and buy their cleanser, toner, sunscreen etc. And it didn't matter one bit. I even tried a no-name brand that was the copy-cat of that particular cream when it was sold out one day, and that worked just as well. A quick note on no-name brands; if you're on a budget, they can be a lifesaver. You're getting an almost identical product for a way cheaper price. That's a score in my books.

So my final verdict? I say mix and match however you please. It makes the process more fun, and experimenting with different products and combinations may lead you to your very own customized routine that works best for YOU.

Go forth and do you. Mix and match to your heart's content.

Love,

Tabitha