#NoFilter Skin Care (Part 1)

I'm never more happy than the start of Spring, I can shed the heavy makeup, thick moisturizing creams and dark lip colors for lighter, natural, simpler colors and products. This season kicked off with fresh, bare faces on the runway as Spring always ushers in the soft, dewy skin and barely there blush.

Of course wearing less makeup to me, is practically an art unto itself. I love you, Instagram because your magic filters can instantly make my skin clear, smoothed over and glowing. My skin can throw tantrums worse than a two year old so finding products that both treat and sooth my skins' unruly and random symptoms is a tricky business. However, healthy skin is beautiful skin so it is important to treat and take care of your skin for that truly natural radiance. 

To begin with my favorite skin products I'll first let you know the temperaments my skin dishes this time of year... 

1. Dry patches and flakiness -this is super annoying because it's not all over dryness just around my nose and mouth everywhere else is perfectly fine. 
2. Acne (yuck. Whatever, I'll still admit that it happens.)
3. Uneven skin tone -again, just annoying.

Now here's the Spring team lineup: 

Starting from the left:

• Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Foundation- He's genius in combining clinical skincare with makeup for healthy, beautified skin. The foundation- which is airy and breathable boasts a 20 SPF protection to keep fine lines and wrinkles at bay. Working double duty against unwanted lines and wrinkles is an expert blend of six anti-aging peptides and neuropeptides. Now wait, this does actually mean something. Both peptides and neuropeptides are co-stars in delivering moisture, resilience, even tone and smooth texture to our skin. You want to use products that contain neuropeptides when choosing an anti-aging product. This foundation also contains vitamins A, C, & E and of course has a tint to give an overall even finish. This is the type of makeup that makes your skin look better over time even after it's been washed off. 

• CeraVe Sunscreen Face Lotion- This is a go-to favorite of mine. I try a lot of products but I know that CeraVe is a brand that doesn't let me down. This particular cream contains zinc which is a fantastic sunscreen. Think cheesy 80's beach movies where the lifeguard has zinc down the bridge of his nose except this is a little more blend-able and a lot less cheesy. This cream dries with a clear finish giving you confident protection against the aging rays of the sun. I find this brilliantly formulated because sun exposure breaks down your skins moisture barrier (and lack of moisture = wrinkles) so the zinc blocks the sun and then the mix of ceramides and niacinamide helps repair and restore the skins natural moisture barrier as well as boosts skin to produce more natural ceramides and fatty acids that are key to fortifying the skins natural moisture barrier. Sunscreen never worked so brilliantly. 

• Jergens BB Body Cream- As if I wasn't obsessed with BB creams enough, Jergens went and did something fantastic. The same hydrating, illuminating, firming and corrective benefits of using BB creams for your face is now available for everywhere else. I hesitated at the thought of the "sheer coverage" getting on my clothes but I promise you that doesn't happen. Not to be confused with a gradual tanner, this body cream smoothes over for even skin tone with self-adjusting technology and illuminates skin for a natural finish of all over radiance.

• Squalane- I know, what? I think I said this wrong on my first 5 attempts but we're good now and this is a new skin care product that is making it's name on the market for it's moisturizing and anti-aging properties. Squalane mimics the naturally occurring squalene found in the body's natural lipid barrier. Since squalane can easily be absorbed deep into the skin it is able to reinforce the lipid barrier of the skin to improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, elasticity and radiance.       

Keep blemishes at bay by cleaning skin thoroughly, I can't sing the praises of a Clarisonic Mia brush enough. It has made the biggest difference in my skin care routine. For the times that I do get the occasional blemish I turn to a sulfur based spot clearing treatment like Acne Free products. 

   

So it probably goes without saying that moisture is the main component once again as we change from winter to spring. The three facial products can be used separately or you can blend them together for a quick super cocktail of anti-aging, moisturizing, tone perfecting tint to wear alone for that fresh and natural look during spring.