Out of doors homeschool...

                   Where to buy:

                   Pipiri's necklace 

                   Hair ties 

                   Hair ties

                   Pipiri's hat 

                   Mindy's boots

How I make my skin GLOW...it's all fake

Unless you are under the age of 10 your skin really doesn't glow on its own.

My 4 year old has amazing ...glowing ...lit from within skin. But shes 4!

So I fake mine.

......Being that I have not always had clear skin. You can read more about that Here and Here.  I have found a makeup regimen that really works to make my skin look flawless when it's really not...and this one works for just about anyone!

Being that I don't tan my skin at all with the sun or from tanning beds...read more about that Here.

I only self tan...you can read more about that Here...

So I always have to blend my face and neck with my body as I don't self tan my face for fear of acne.

Sooo here's my makeup routine for that.

Post am cleansing routine .....read about that Here.

1.  I use This SPF Every single day of my life! No matter what the weather I never leave my house without my SPF!! It helps prevent sun damage, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, rosacea...you name it ....it helps it. It's the single best this for anti aging!

2.  Then I apply This as my foundation and all over glowiness! Plus it has more SPF in it! I also use it down my neck and chest. 

3.  I love a great bronzer! I add bronzer to the sides of my forehead, temples, chin. I smile before adding my blush and apply is directly on the apples/largest part of my cheeks...the part that's raised when I smile.
As my bronzer and blush I use E.l.f Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder St Lucia

OR this pink blush or this pink blush... If I am wanting more pink. Don't be scared of the color...it goes on very sheer! And I use the ELF bronzer if I'm wanting to add a bit more to match up with my self tanner.

4.  Then for the FAUX GLOW e.l.f. Studio Baked Highlighter 83704 Moonlight Pearls
 I apply it to the inner part of my eye...not the lid..the skin area by the tear duct, the top of the cheekbones, and the brow bone..underneath your eyebrows. It is the SECRET to get the glow in my skin! 

5.  I hate when mascara runs...I also don't like flakes and I especially don't want to tug on my eyelids as this causes wrinkles and fine lines...SO....I use  blinc Amplified Mascara Black 0.3oz. It allows me to remove my mascara with only water...you will see the tiny tubes come off in your hand..don't worry it's not your eyelashes..it's the product!

6.  As for lips...I use  Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss Pink .14oz
Or
This

That's it...It takes me about 7 minutes total to do the basic face from start to finish.

Acne cleansing routine

One would think that everyone knows the right way to cleanse their face...but I have to say when I first married my sweet husband he did not.

He was using the same bar soap on his ENTIRE body and face.

Basically he was washing his face with what I like to call BUTT soap.

So I am here today to explain the importance of cleansing your face, neck, and chest with specific cleansers and not BUTT soap... and how to do it properly.

I have dealt with acne issues since being 12 years old....you can read  Here  and Here to find out more.

In the morning....AM routine

When I first wake in the am.  I splash my skin with water then use this AM and PM foaming makeup removing cleanser before breakfast ...wash off my retinol and bpo cleansing. Just warm water on clean hands with a dollop of cleanser. Lather well on my skin then rinse. Easy peasy!

Being that I'm a homeschool mommy I typically don't shower until after we have school. 

So then when that time comes I am still sans makeup so my routine is this..

Last part of my shower (making sure I am getting all of the conditioner etc of my face) I lather my
hands then face with this Glycolic cleanser I never use washcloths or scrubby puffs on my face..they 
are way to rough and can cause tiny microscopic tears in your skin....so I use just my hands. I lather my face from hairline all the way down my neck and chest. I leave this cleanser on for a few seconds 
then I wet my Cleansing brush and gentle use it to help penetrate the Glycolic cleanser onto my face, neck, and chest...it helps to cleanse a bit deeper helping cellular turnover.  Then I rinse it off completely. I also rinse the scrubbing head and allow it to dry right side up. 

Then I use just my hands with this BPO treatment cleanser I massage it onto my skin and leave it on for 30-45 seconds just on my face only as I don't get acne on my neck any longer. 

Viola! That's it! That's how I cleanse my skin in the am.

I then use this Salicylic toner And this Glycolic toner before I apply the Best SPF!  .... and makeup for the day.

In the evening....PM routine

I shower twice a day because I workout so frequently...so in the evening during my second shower of the day. I clip my hair up (as I only wash my hair once a day)....I wash my body first...then I use This cleanser to remove my makeup and sweat and grime. On clean hands I lather it up very well and in circular motions I lather from hairline all the way down my chest to 

remove everything. I then rinse it off completely. 

( I like to use a cleanser that removes all eye makeup as well because I am a firm believer in touching your eye area as little as possible. I believe all of the tugging and rubbing of the eye area causes wrinkles around the eyes. Sooo....I use one cleanser to remove everything at once including eye makeup and mascara.) 

Then I do the exact same thing again... I use This cleanser  twice to make sure I remove every last smudge of makeup. Rinse. 

Then I use my  Glycolic cleanser again without the brush this time. Just a nice lathering gentle from hairline to chest area...leave on for a minute of so...gently lathering into skin. Rinse.

Lastly I use my BPO cleanser same way skipping the chest. Leaving on for a minute or so. 

Massaging into skin. Rinse.

Then I use Glycolic toner And  Salicylic toner separately...saturating with cotton balls sweeping from hairline to neck to chest.

I then apply my  Retinol to my forehead, and any hyperpigmentation areas, a small amount to my neck and chest....and my bpo topical treatment on my cheeks and nose. (Don't use retinols and bpo in same areas as they cancel each other out).

I can do this entire routine in about 5 minutes. Well worth it!

The above routine is for acne and oily skin types.

For wrinkled, major sun damaged, dry, and mature skins you routines will be different.

How I finally "fixed" my acne and oiliness Part 2

I learned so much working with the most knowledgable physicians and fellow aestheticians. I learned how to use hair removal lasers..  how to treat rosacea, spider veins, hyperpigmentation, how to  use every kind of Glycolic, salicylic, jessner, enzyme peel solution, speed wax, brows, bikini wax, leg and back wax, treat acne, oily skin, dryness, wrinkles, how to give facials...the list goes on and on...

I also learned that Accutane does not last forever and that I needed another round of at least 6 months to really fix my skin...to permanently shrink my oil glands...yes permanently! Or I was going to have acne for life. So I did just that...6 months full round of Accutane as a licensed aesthcian. It was not as bad as the first time. Being that I was wayyy more knowledgable about dryness..the I importance of water...and nutrition....

After the 6 months....the peeling the incredible dryness...the nose bleeds...the blood work....it seemed as if I was cured...

Now I needed to find a way to keep my acne at bay...I needed a consistent daily home routine...

I was lucky in that I was able to try out every product that I used on clients on myself first. And I figured  out a routine that worked for me. I realized that home skin care is more important that just getting a peel once a week.

The light bulb moment was.....

realizing I had to treat my acne BEFORE it actually erupted. I had to pre treat it...I had to 
prevent it from happening.

I am thankful that after approximately 23 years of dealing with pimples I can officially say I am acne free. Have been for about 8 years now. While yes, I still have a breakout every now and then...I am very happy with the look of my skin.

Here's my routine: 

Daily makeup grime sweat removing foaming cleanser
Cleanser 2x a day

BPO cleanser 2x a day....life changer!
Salicylic toner 2x a day

Glycolic toner
bpo topical treatment

Retinol at night

Best SPF ever!! Every single day!!

My secret....Foundation SPF for daily glow!!!!!!

How I finally "fixed" my acne and oiliness Part 1

I started having acne when I was 12.

I suffered for the majority of my life with acne. Blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, oiliness, cysts...you name it I have had them all. I started seeing a dermatologist at 12 followed by dozens more...with the same routine...buff puffs, retin a, harsh scrubs, and a round of tetracycline. 

I started frying myself in the sun and tanning bed around age 14 thinking it would help my skin clear. Which it didn't and I was left with worse acne...which was now super red, peeling, dry, and scars from all of the tanning plus harsh meds I was on PLUS hyper pigmentation from the old heeling acne that was now burned and tan and now more acne...

It was a vicious cycle.

Tan, burn, peel, acne, red, dry, more acne, more peeling....

Not to mention the havoc I was wrecking on myself from picking....poking...digging..squeezing...

My skin looked like raw meat for so many years. 

As you can see here...overly tan..red...trying to hide my acne.

You can read Here about my past tanning habit.

And Here how I now safely self tan instead. 

After I finally stopped tanning I still had acne. 

Cystic acne came in college for me...oh the joy!  Plus all the rest of still stayed with me....

At this point I had been to countless dermatologists, tried every product, every makeup, and nothing seemed to work. 

I then heard about the very serious drug Accutane. It was 1996.  I discussed it with my then Derm and I went on a 4 month round of Accutane. It was Sooo amazing!, My skin had never been clearer! It was the miracle I had been looking for! Within just a few short weeks my oiliness had completely gone, all my zits were gone, blackheads gone, cysts gone....everything gone! I loved it! I was finally able to not think about my skin!

Yes I had a bloody nose daily from Accutane. Yes, my lips were so dry if I went without Chapstick for 30 minutes it was a catastrophe. Yes, I had to drive 2 hours every other week to have blood drawn to make sure my lipids were ok and that my cholesterol had not raised (it was elevated one time...) 

BUT I HAD CLEAR SKIN!

Which lasted about 2 years post Accutane...and then it came back. 

So I started having Glycolic acid peels at my Derm office (this was back when insurance paid for them)....they would keep me clear for a couple of weeks and then I would break out again. I did this routine for a couple of years. 

But my skin was still very oily, many blackheads, not as many cysts, but still a ton of just gross zits all over.  Makeup was out of the question...everything broke me out! Everything! I tried powders, minerals, liquids, expensive, cheap...I read articles, books, magazines...anything I could to help me but nothing helped! 

So in 1999 I went to Paramedical Aesthetics (medical skin care) School.  I wanted to learn as much as I could about acne. I wanted to solve and fix my own skin as well as help others.  

I loved Aesthetics School. It was so wonderful! I learned so much about the health and integrity of skin. I learned how to wax eye brows...I met dear friends...

I finished school and went to work that very same day at a spa. 

Since then I have had the pleasure to work in different realms in the skin world..... I was the head of aesthetics for the Vanderbilt Cosmetic Surgery Center, I worked for Élan Skin and Laser Center, I have worked with dermatologists, plastic surgeons, fantastic innovative aestheticians...I worked for Wax Nashville...I have been a licensed Aesthetician for over 15 years. 

How I Self Tan

After I spent an entire decade in the suntanning bed and laid out every summer for countless years...I am left with some serious sun damaged skin...(neck down that is....)

I have tons of sun spots, hyper pigmented splotches, scars...etc.

It ain't pretty!

So I self tan to help make it all less noticeable.

I use  This Self Tanner  Or This as your once a week tanning product...I use it twice a week.

My routine is the following:

1. First I  shower and exfoliate with This Exfoliator.

2. Then I towel dry (being wet will make the tanner run everywhere and make splotches).

3. You will need to wear gloves.  You will need about two quarter sizes of gel tanner or a larger amount of the mousse if your are using that type....for each leg maybe a bit more. One quarter size for your chest, one for tummy, one for each arm...Then I use the provided mitt to rub the makeup/tanner all over. Work quickly!!

4. Don't worry if it's not completely perfect because in the morning when you shower the places you mess up will wash off in the shower. 

You will be very tan! 

So don't freak out! 

This is just a makeup showing up...it will not last..

Don't go running, don't get into a sauna, and try not to sweat or it will drip.

You must NOT shower for at least 8 hours or is won't be a very long lasting tan. 

That's the reason I do it in the evening post showering.

Yes it is messy but it will not stain. It will get on your clothes so wear an old shirt or pajamas...and yes it will get on your sheets. In all of the years I have been using it I have never had it not come out of my clothes or sheets.

I always put a towel down on my couch just in case a bit comes off...it never has but I'm careful.

Then the following day after the allotted 8 hours hopefully longer...I shower. You will notice a ton of
tanner going down the drain. Don't worry again as I know you are thinking it's all washing off. But it is not...just the makeup portion. 

You will still be left with the most beeeeeauuuuutiful color!

(And no I don't put it on my face...just from the neck down...more on how to make your face match later on:)

Then I applyFake Bake Sport Self-Tanning Lotion to make the tan stay as long as possible....I use this as my daily body lotion.

Above shows no tanner at all VS. Post shower with Fake bake and Jergens dark

Read at the very bottom of this post about what I now use as my daily tanning lotion.

Before During After

No tanner VS post shower with Fake Bake and Jergens natural glow dark.

Bonus fake tanning always makes you look more ripped! Always! 

It's like an instant 5 pounds thinner!

Here's the list of items I use:

Fake Bake Body Polish 6oz - exfoliator

Fake Bake Original Self Tan Lotion 6oz - 1-2x a week

                          OR
Fake Bake Instant Self Tanning Spray 7oz - 1-2x week

Fake Bake Flawless Darker - I use this one if I don't feel like using my daily tanner and just want to be super tan very quickly.

Fake Bake Sport Self-Tanning Lotion  Is the current daily tanner I use as a daily moisturizer. 

In the photos above I used the fake bake spray and Jergens natural glow. In the past few months I have stopped using any products with parabens and sulfates....thus I have switched to the fake bake sport as my daily tanning lotion instead of the Jergens. I find that the fake bake sport provides just as good of a daily dark tan as I like. I think the scent is actually better than the Jergens.

Why I stopped sun tanning!

I was always the tannest girl around...I started going to the tanning bed in high school and before that I laid out everyday in middle school when summer began. I was dark/tan/leathery/ with the most bleached and fried locks you have ever seen. I used sun it and when the summer ended I just bleached my hair to death.

My tanorexia lasted for many many years...all through high school...going to the tanning bed my senior year EVERY single day! What an accomplishment! 

College was a different story...it was the grundge era..so tanning was not cool anymore so I stopped (for awhile ).... I hated being "pale"...hated when my hair turned brown from no sun in...HATED it!

So I started back sun tanning and tanning bed post college. 

In 1998 three moles that I have had since birth on my chest started becoming noticeable dry. I went the the dermatologist and they wanted to remove them all and told me I would be left with large visible scars. I decided to get a second opinion with a plastic surgeon. He said he would remove them and barely leave a scar....so he removed them all three of them...

They biopsy report came back with unclean margins...so he removed more skin....again the biopsy report came back with unclean margins. At this point the plastic surgeons nurse took me aside telling me that I have melanoma and that I needed to go to a Derm (basically she was telling me that the doc she worked for didn't know what he was doing.)

So back to the original Derm I went. He removed 3-5 inches of skin around each mole. Never mentioned that I had melanoma but in my head that was exactly what I had.

So from 1998 until 2012 I had always thought that I had had melanoma. 

One day when cleaning out cabinets I ran across the paperwork from the original plastic surgeon. I thought man I need to give this to my current Derm so she has it in my files. (Side bar...since 1998 I have been skin checked from head to toe by a Derm every 6 months... And have had countless moles, skin tags, and other atypical moles removed but never more than atypical)...

I was shocked to receive a call one day from my derms nurse telling me that they read through the paperwork and that I had NEVER had melanoma! NEVER! They were just atypical moles which had long been removed with clean margins! 

So I like to say that even though I never actually had melanoma that thinking that I had saved me from a life of tanning. My skin has not been in the sun without SPF protection, protective clothing, sunglasses and a hat...since 1998! 

Now I am a vampire!

And .....

Now I self tan only!! 

How I became a runner....

I started running in 1999.. (sort of).....I was the worst runner ever!!

I remember competing in a 5 mile run in Kentucky...keep in mind I had never run a block! I thought because I had been doing the elliptical and step aerobics for many months that it had to be the same thing. 

Well it's not! 

To me running is much harder...in fact it's the hardest form of cardiovascular exercise ever!

I wore the wrong shoes, had blisters for weeks, started off extremely fast out of the gate, didn't eat a bite before I ran, and had to be picked up with the Emergency golf cart because I couldn't make it to the finish line.  Worst experience ever! 

But that experience made me want to be a runner! 

So when I moved to Florida in 2000...I was determined to start running. 

I started running literally a block at a time and then I would walk a block...I did this for maybe 30 minutes at a time 3-4 days a week. I did the old school circuit/nautilus type machines on opposing days. I did this for about a 7-8 months. Finally I could run for about a mile without stopping. It was hard and sometimes my side would still hurt but I kept going. 

Then I signed up for my first 5k...which is 3.1 miles. I trained for many months before....because 3 is much harder than 1. So I would run for a mile which took me 11-13 minutes...then I would walk a minute until I got to 3 miles. 

The 5k was on the beach and sand for me is very different to run on. Much more difficult! 

But I finished! And it was a great feeling....I had been running at this time for maybe 10 months. 

So as I was leaving the race with my race shirt and my number that I was sooo proud of...someone stopped me and said mam I think they are looking for you...I was so confused...who? Who's looking for me?

The judges! 

You know why? Because I had won my age group! That's right I beat out 2 whole people! Haha! And I won a trophy!! 

Well I was hooked now! I was ready to do more and more 5k...maybe even a 5 mile race....and my love for running began!