changing my skincare routine for the better

This post and this as a whole has been WORK! I decided to switch my skincare routine up back in 2020. A lot of things played a part in my choosing this but the biggest reasons was I knew I could do better and my budget.

So let me back track here… My skincare collection was a lot and it was very overwhelming. I want to preface that I am forever grateful to be in the position of an “influencer” where brands want to send me product and add me to their PR lists. However, I got to a point I was getting so much that I was over-doing it on my skin. Nobody needs 10 moisturizers open or be using four different types of serums. Because I was using all these products my skin wasn’t benefiting from it, or at least I wasn’t seeing the results I was hoping for.

I do still work with certain skincare brands via social media despite not having their products in my daily routine. I love being able to share these other skincare brands because they’re a great alternative to anyone that might be in the market. For example, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Dr. Dennis Gross these past couple years and are part of their ambassador team so I will continue showing their products.

If anything I want it to be known that I will ONLY share brands and products with you all that I would use on myself. I currently am and will continue to try new products to share my honest word but will always fall back into my routine.

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active ingredients

I knew I could do better in my skin routine when it came to the quality of the ingredients which is why I’ve chosen to stay with medical grade skincare. There’s nothing wrong with not using medical grade skincare but there is a limit on how much of a percentage of an active ingredient can be in a product to be sold on store shelves. For example and just from my own research I learned that a product can legally advertise themselves for being Vitamin C even if they have .00001% of actual Vitamin C in it. That didn’t sit right with me.

A lot of Google searches took place here. Along with asking lots of questions to the girls at the medical spa I get all my treatments done at. “What percent of ____ is considered active in skincare“ was my biggest search and I sure did learn a lot!

One of my biggest saving graces was when I was researching retinol! This is such an important ingredient to have in your skin. Retinol reduces fine line and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. It also helps in the fading of age spots and softening the skin. I was having a hard time finding a product I personally liked with retinol in it and then I learned about tretinoin which is a retinoid acid and the exact same thing as retinol (it’s like Pepsi vs Cola here…just a preference). I was able to get a prescription for tretinoin from my dermatologist (it’s sometimes free deepening on your insurance) and that was a game changer!!!!

budgeting

Of course when you think of medical grade skincare you think of it being more expensive and it can be depending on what you get. I am someone that will always be quality over quantity and I’ve noticed my skincare products last so much longer because they’re so concentrated and I don’t need as much. In the long run I’ve actually saved more. It does hurt buying some of the products. I have a couple products on the higher side but I’m going on month three of using them and still have quite a bit left. All the rest of the products are $50 and under and some of these in particular last me forever.

Spending this amount of money on skincare isn’t for everyone and that’s totally okay! I am someone that has made skincare a priority so this is something that personally isn’t negotiable. I do budget for everything which is how I’ve made it work. If I were to compare my previous skincare routine to what it is now I will honestly say I was paying for the brand and not necessarily the product.

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My skincare products! AM & PM

*I’m unable to link all the products I have above so I’ve added links within the pictures that lead straight to the site to purchase

my latest makeup routine

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xx- Kendra