Rachael Zarda

In the midst of spring cleaning, I decided to do a complete overhaul on my beauty routine.

For someone who has used the same 10 products for the past decade, navigating the world of skincare and beauty products has been intimidating to say the least. It’s been too easy to go the rabbit hole of YouTube videos and beauty blogs – contouring, strobing, BB, CC, oh my! I bought products that looked like cake on my face, smelled weird, and in general just didn’t work for me. Frustrating! It got me thinking. Why, as women, do we do this? Why are we spending hundreds of dollars a year and precious time out of our day covering up who we are? I have the occasional blemish to hide and I love discovering a tube of brilliant mascara just as much as the next girl, but I’ve transitioned my routine into one of a true minimalist. And I’m spending my money where it counts – on creating a skincare regime for healthier skin, hoping to eliminate the need for unnecessary makeup purchases in the future.

I can tell that my face and skin have changed over the last few years, so it’s been a necessary transition into finding products better suited for this stage of my life. Having sensitive skin has made experimenting more difficult – who wants to buy a $60 bottle of toner that breaks your entire skin out and be stuck with it? Not me! It’s a rarity for me to try new things in the beauty department, so when I find a product I love I want to shout it from the rooftops. With the help of some very kind and patient ladies at Sephora, I’ve finally been able to tailor my products to my needs.

A few healthy skin tips I’ve learned along the way:
ONE | Go for product samples or the travel-sized versions first. Don’t buy the full sized product before you know you’re going to love it. Although most places allow you to return products you’re not a fan of, asking for samples let’s you compare several different brands at once and decide which one you want can’t live without.
TWO | Brushes make a difference. If you’re putting your makeup on with your fingers or brushes you rarely clean, that’s going to make a difference on your skin. Invest in a good set of brushes, clean them often, and you will see a difference in your skin, I promise.
THREE | Try going makeup free for a while. Unless I have something special planned, I try to take my makeup off . It lets my skin breathe for a long period of time and saves me money by using less product. Boom!
FOUR | Skincare can be way expensive. There are often more affordable options provided by other brands, you just have to do you research or ask a professional.

I’ve listed some of the products I’ve been using and loving lately below. Do you have a skincare product you can’t live without? I’d love to here them, leave a comment below!