18 Ways to Hack Your Way to a Fresher Face in 2017
Ladies, we gotta admit: We were all on top of our makeup A-game during the holiday season — from mixed metal eye looks to the endless uses for rose gold pigment. But our skin needs a bit of a break. It’s a new year, a new day and the perfect time to hit refresh on your beauty routine to make room for a fresh and flawless face. To help you out, here are a few products, DIYs and little tricks you can pick and choose from to bring your skin back to life and keep your makeup minimal in 2017!
Hydrate
1. DIY Hydrating Facial: Give yourself an at-home steaming facial. This hack is nothing new, but it’s still super awesome — especially if you haven’t heard of it yet! It’s so simple to do. Boil a couple of cups of water, then add a few drops of lavender oil and rose petals to the bowl. Grab a towel to place over your head so you can position your face over the bowl and lock the steam in. Breathe in the calming scent while allowing the steam to hydrate your skin for 10-15 minutes. Another hack — add a serum to your skin before you steam to really give your face some quenching love.
2. Must-Have Moisturizer: Trust me; using a moisturizer daily will help your skin stay hydrated. My product of choice is Odylique Timeless Rose Moisturizer ($48) that will hydrate while it treats! This luxurious, lightweight formula absorbs easily into your skin. The scent is divine and you will feel so good putting it on knowing every ingredient is 100 percent natural and 94 percent organic!
3. Moisturizing Mist: One of the best things you can do is to hydrate your skin by giving your face a little spray break throughout the day! Mad Hippie Hydrating Nutrient Mist ($20) is packed with an array of hydrating ingredients that together create a spray that’s great to keep on hand so you can stop, take a deep breath and lightly mist your face as you go.
4. Get to Drinkin’: You can never hear this enough… drink a ton of H2O! This is one of the best treats for our mind, body and soul. Our bodies are on average 65 percent water. Water is responsible for building cells, flushing toxins and insulating your brain, spinal cord and organs, among many other benefits! Set your alarm to make sure you’re consuming at least eight ounces of water a day. Make yourself a cup of tea, and while you’re at it, apply Origins Ritual Tea Feeling Rosy Comforting Powder Face Mask ($36) to your face for 10 minutes. Your skin will feel smooth, hydrated and beyond relaxed.
Rejuvenate
5. DIY Soothing Face Mask: Here’s a little DIY action for you to quickly whip up a soothing face mask straight out of your kitchen. Mix a few tablespoons of honey with the juice from one or two lemon wedges. Lemon juice is known to remove dead skin cells from the alpha-hydroxy acids, while honey is a natural antibacterial agent and full of antioxidants. The combo will leave your skin feeling tighter, brighter and more hydrated.
6. Rejuvenating Oils: A little goes a long way with this delightful Amala Rejuvenate Cocoa Bean Treatment Oil ($186). With a slew of active and mindful ingredients ranging from seed oils to cocoa extract, this product is key for restoring elasticity, reducing inflammation and stimulating microcirculation. I can tell you firsthand that this oil feels incredible and smells amazing.
7. Resurfacing Polish: Sprinkle a teaspoon of Farmaesthetics Vassar Rose Perfecting Polish ($30) with a few drops of water into the palm of your hand to make a single batch of this gentle resurfacing agent to remove dead skin cells and simultaneously reduce pore size, resulting in better skin texture and tone. With remnants of raspberry, papaya and mushroom enzymes blended with poppy seeds, EmerginC Blue Poppy Enzyme Polish ($45) will slough off that top layer of dead skin, helping to give your skin a new life. You will feel the tiny gentle beads in action as you gently scrub your face with this aromatic face wash.
8. Under-Eye Pick-Up: Be sure not to leave out the most sensitive skin on your face — under your eyes. Treat them to a therapeutic experience with Root Science Bright Rejuvenating Eye Serum ($80), which includes 20 rare and exotic botanical oils from around the world. One of the best eye treatments I have ever used, hands-down!
Camouflage
9. No-Makeup Makeup Hack: Hack a natural flush by pinching your cheeks, then applying a cream stick blush like one of my go-to favorites, Trestique Blush Stick in St. Barths Pink ($34), to the places where your cheeks are a little rosy from the friction. This will leave you with a natural flush blush effect.
10. Faux Glow: When you really just miss that summer glow, but are over your makeup routine, simply fake that glow with Million Dollar Tan Mermaid Mousse Face Gradual Sunless Tanning Mousse ($34), formulated especially for your face. This particular line will give you a natural-looking glow that doesn’t leave your skin feeling blocked or weighed down.
11. Hot Highlighter: Skip your foundation and head straight for a luminous highlighter like Bodyography Radiance Boost Highlighter ($23). This little vegan gem is cruelty- and paraben-free, and the effect it has on your skin will give you the confidence to go makeup free on every other level.
12. Flawless Concealer: Spot treat using a lightweight cream concealer like Bodyography Cover And Correct Concealer ($30). When you’re trying to give your skin a little break and just need a bit of love to fake that flawless complexion, apply a few spots of concealer to your blemishes or any spot that needs a little brightening — blend with a flat foundation brush and go!
13. Add Color: Another great minimalist makeup approach that will instantly hide any trouble spots is to go with a bold lip and lined eye. Sigma Beauty Power Stick in Bloody-Good ($25) is a great in-your-face shade that still has a soft pigment that will be just enough to get the focus of those around you. Tight line your upper lash line with a black or brown liner to help keep your eyes from looking sleepy and to balance off a bold lip.
Purify
14. Green Eating: Eliminate those greasy, sugar-infested foods and replace with greens! Your skin needs to be treated well from the inside out with loads of vitamins and minerals. To name a few — vitamin E, which is a vital nutrient for DNA repair, and beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant known to renew and repair the skin.
15. Blemish Spot Treatment: Blemishes can be a typical side effect of any skin resurfacing or deep cleansing, so it’s important to have an acne treatment on hand that will effectively and efficiently zap that zit pronto! I’m obsessed with artnaturals Acne Serum ($13), which is packed with conscious, active ingredients that will clear blemishes and reduce inflammation. This little bottle is a life saver — it works so fast!
16. Deep Cleaning Balm: Decongest your skin for a deep clean with Hush + Dotti Cleansing Balm ($45). The ingredients in this tiny bottle of cleansing balm are enough to make anyone indulge! Eucalyptus, clove bud, rosemary, German chocolate, lavender, carrot seed, sweet orange, lemon and angelica root make up one of the most aromatic and intoxicating face washing experiences EVER!
17. Probiotics: Load up on probiotics! Most people don’t realize that our skin’s health has a lot to do with our body’s ability to absorb vitamins and nutrients. Whether you’re applying topically or ingesting, your body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals at its potential depends greatly on your gut’s intestinal flora (AKA the good bacteria in your gut). Taking probiotics can help this process. It’s best to consult with a professional nutritionist to get a deeper understanding and custom plan for your specific needs.
18. Serums While You Sleep: This gentle retinol treatment serum, Dr. Y Star-Powered PM Serum ($90), is a great way to purify your skin while you sleep. Also, how cute is it that this line gives you sweet little rituals and mantras along with their products? You’ll be obsessed with the encouraging words of self-love that lets you work on your inner beauty while simultaneously rebuilding your outer beauty.
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Art Direction/Hair + Makeup/Styling: Misty Spinney
Photography: Kurt Andre
Designer: Marisa Kumtong
