Starting Fresh

    

I apologize for that disgusting coffee mug stain on my bathroom counter. Sometimes a girl just needs a little "wake me up" in the morning.

     Good afternoon, Good day, How are your lovely faces? I hope they are soft to the touch, and glowing at all times! To start off this little blog thing we have going on here, I thought I would start by showing your pretty little faces what I use and recommend for a scrub, cleanser, spot treatment, and moisturizers. LET'S BEGIN, SHALL WE?!

Materials:

• Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Foaming Scrub
• Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Cream Cleanser
• Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Spot Treatment
• Aveeno Active Naturals: Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer (SPF 15)
• Aveeno Active Naturals: Smart Essentials Nighttime Moisture Infusion (Vitamin A,C, & E)
• Water
• Antibacterial Soap
• Wash Cloth
• Hand Towel
• Q-tips

***NOTICE: I am in no way requiring you, the reader, to use the exact products I am using. These are only suggestions. If you have other products, feel free to use them. If you find these products work well too, let me know in the comments!

Step 1: Wash your hands...

     thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water. This will help to reduce the amount of bacteria you spread on your face.

Step 2: Splash your face... 

     with warm water. When I say "splash", don't take it literally and throw two handfuls of water at your face... you're going to make a mess; and I can assure you, you're not going to want to clean it up. To avoid a sopping mess, put your face towards the sink and take the warm water and gently wet down your face by using a light rubbing motion (circular towards center of face to reduce stretching and wrinkling face). 

Step 3: Time for a scrubbing...

     Squeeze about a nickel-sized amount of Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Foaming Scrub onto your finger tips. Rub finger tips together. Spread scrub onto face and neck. Please don't neglect your neck! It's the same thing as if you bronze your face, you have to bronze your neck to match. Why have a youthful face if your neck looks as if an 80 year old woman swapped her neck for yours? Just keep that in mind. Leave on for about a minute, wet wash cloth with warm water, and rub off GENTLY! Be soft, but efficient. 

     *Note: I suggest using a scrub that treats and prevents breakouts. This will reassure you that the scrub is helping your face get rid of any acne that you have, and will prevent future acne from appearing. I also only recommend using a scrub 2-3 times a week. It's just a nice treat to get rid of any extra dirt/oil/dead skin that your cleanser won't be able to remove.

Step 4: Time to cleanse the soul... or face...

     Is your face starting to feel smooth yet? It should be! The next step is to put on a cleanser. I suggest putting about a dime-sized amount onto your fingertips and gently massaging into the face... and neck. Leave on for a minute, use warm water to remove. PAT FACE DRY WITH CLEAN HAND TOWEL.

     *Note: I love using this cleanser from Neutrogena because it is "fortified" with Wintergreen leaf derived acne-fighting bionutrient for clear, healthy-looking skin. It feels so refreshing in the morning when there is a slight cooling sensation occurring on your face, plus it smells delicious!

Step 5: Treating problem spots like a boss...

     Now that your face is dry, it should be glowing, like a Christmas tree. Sorry, that was a bit dramatic, and I probably shouldn't be mentioning Christmas in the middle of July. Oops! Continuing on, I then put a small dot of Acne Spot Treatment on one side of a clean Q-tip (never use your fingers)! Dot, don't rub, onto the spots you desire to treat. 

     *Note: If you desire more product, use the other side of the Q-tip or get a new one. Once you touch the Q-tip to the problem spot, it is considered "infected". You will be picking up bacteria from your spot and putting it on the opening of the tube. Now the tube is infected! Do you see what you did now?! Keep this in mind when doing your make up as well.

Step 6: Moisturizing is a must...

     If you haven't noticed in my photos, I have two moisturizers. Now I know what you're thinking, "Amanda! No one needs two moisturizers!" Well I do. You want to know why? I'll tell you why! The first moisturizer, Aveeno Active Naturals: Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer, is what I use in the morning to give me a glowing effect. It is also nice that it has a bit of sun protectant in it, which helps considering I work at a pool six days a week. The second moisturizer, Aveeno Active Naturals: Smart Essentials Nighttime Moisture Infusion, is used at night. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to use two separate moisturizers, but I can assure you, it's worth it! 

     Yes, guys...girls... whoever is reading this, I realize that was a bit lengthy and a bit repetitive, but I just want to reassure myself you are taking good care of your skin and taking the right precautions. Keep in mind, these products might not be compatible with your skin type. I have quite dry skin, and I feel that these work best.

Let me know what you like, don't like about this blog! What would you like to read about? 

Love you, invisible audience.

xx Amanda

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore