Remember when you were a teenager and you were SUPER excited to be an adult so you wouldn’t get zits anymore?
I’m still waiting.
So if just growing up worked as good for you as it did for me (or if you haven’t grown up yet) here is my best tips for keeping your skin as clear and as pretty as the “adult” you always imagined you would be.
Products:
Normal Skin:
Philosophy Great Skin is In Normal/Combo Full Kit
I am completely smitten with Philosphy’s products. They make my skin feel incredible and I love the simplicity of a 3 product routine. I wash my face once a day in the evening before bed.
Normal Skin on a Budget:
St. Ives Facial Moisturizer Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin
I can’s always afford Philosphy so on weaker wallet days I shoot for the St. Ives Line. GREAT products people. Such a steal too, you have to double take the prices.
St. Ives, Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub
St. Ives Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser
Sensitive Skin:
First Aid Beauty Fab Faves To Go Kit
I don’t have sensitive skin at all but for my peeps that do I have heard RAVE reviews on this adorable line.
Other stuff:
Don’t scrimp on the moisture!
Even if you are naturally oily, you need to fight fire with fire and moisturize! It won’t make you greasy or make you break out! I promise!
Keep your little diggers off the skin!
OK, I understand the occasional beheading of your white head or clearing your extra bad black heads but other than that you need to keep your mitts off! You could be causing many more troubles than you are alleviating.
Water.
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again. Drink up ladies. It does everything good. Including but not limited too your SKIN!
Stop comparing your skin to ANYONE else’s:
There are SO many types of beautiful skin. I am lost and bewildered when a girl tells me to cover her freckles?? Um, I create fake-eyeliner freckles on my face to brighten my day. Or that their skin is too white or too yellow…compared to what? Stop it. You’re beautiful, You’re skin is far, far more flawless than you give it credit for!
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Perfect Foundation. Day One: Skin Care
Freckled.
Have a “good face day” everyday.
I have a little nugget of great news…
Your face makeup looks beautiful in this picture! What products did you use?
Yes, I would love you know how you did your makeup/What products you used as well!
love this! thanks.
Your skin looks amazing in this picture. Thanks for the budget product suggestions! Some of us are having light wallet years.
Hey Cara. Great post on skin care. I don’t know if you are familiar with Groupon or not but there is a whole makeup brush set selling for like 18 bucks.
Cara, do you have a clarisonic? CHANGED MY LIFE.
No! I neeeeeed to though, it pretty much seems like everyone that has one can’t get enough of it! I better bite the bullet and get one!
THANK YOU FOR THIS! I HAVE VERY SENSITIVE SKIN TO WHERE I GET PAINFUL RASHES UNDER MY EYES IF I USE THE WRONG THING. DOES THAT SOUND LIKE ROSACEA? ANYWAY, ONLY HAPPENS IF I USE SOMETHING IM ALLERGIC TO. I HAVE BEEN USING THAT PHILOSOPHY CLEANSER AND HAVENT HAD THE MONEY TO BUY THE REST OF THE LINE SO IVE BEEN SKIPPING MOISURIZER. IM GONNA BUY THE ST IVES!
Like you said, that only usually happens when you use something you’re allergic to. Sensitive skin will more likely get red, dry and painful pretty well everywhere. I get the same baggy painful rash kinda thing when I used Proactive, turns out I’m allergic. Use a cortisone cream OTC for the dryness and swelling, cold compresses for the swelling/pain. AND THEN DON’T USE IT AGAIN!! Rosacea is a chronic skin condition, not a reaction to a cream!
thx for the chin up talk
ill probably be dealing with adult acne most of my life…genetics 
it sucks sometimes, but you are right…we always see ourselves a lot worse than it is in reality!
oh & i should also mention.. thx to ur blog & all ur tutorials i feel great in my makeup and for the first time i feel like i know what im doing which makes me so much more confidant to face the day even if i do have bad acne. so thank u : )
Cara, My friend who is in cosmetology school says the best advice she got was that St. Ives Apricots use apricot cores, therefore is really bad for your skin. She told me it cuts your skin at a micro level causing damage over time. One other thing is you should check out Dr. Perricones advice on eating a low glycemic index diet to clear up your skin. His advice makes total sense and is the only thing truly to work for my adult acne.
oh wow, I never heard that until now…something to check out thank you!
St. Ives Green Tea Scrub is amazing! And the particles are a lot smaller so they are less damaging on your skin. Smells good too
love St. Ives green tea scrub! It’s my first choice when I can’t afford Purity Made Simple. My skin feels wonderfully clean afterward.
Ps, Cara- get a Clarisonic! I got the Clarisonic Mia. It’s considered a travel size, but it works just as well. It just lacks the multiple speeds that the original has. Also, the Mia offers pretty colors to choose from
Sooo, I think I already left you a comment saying how much I love your blog, but I can’t find which post I left it on. Oh well. Mommy brain!
Do you have a place on here where you discuss the different brushes? I did order that Morphe set, now Im wondering how to use them to their best advantage. Thanks! You rock!
Your skin looks so great , my problem is redness . What is the best way to get rid of that while still being tanned , when I try to fix it I just look so pale.
Thanks for putting together all these great resources on Squidoo! Hope to see more soon,
~Kimberly
Squidoo’s Community Organizer
can you do a post soon on how to care for, and what to look for in using lash extensions? i just got some yesterday and LOVE them but have no idea what im doing!
Hi! I noticed your eyes were brown in your most recent post. I LOVE the blue green color of your eyes and was wondering if they are color contacts do you mind sharing what brand and color they are? Thanks so much!
Cara,
I was wanting to know your opinion on this blog…I cam across it today and was wondering what you think about her dupes of high end make up.
http://drugstoreprincess.com/tagged/dupes
I value your opinion and I am very interested in what you think about it.
Thanks!
-Amber
I went in to Sephora the other day…to get the TooFaced Foundation you recommended. I got a skincare consult as well and she used the FAB line on my skin. It is absolutely AMAZING!!! And yes Cara, you have to bite the bullet and get the Clarosonic!
<3 The Other Cara
I’ve heard GREAT things about St Ive’s skin care products. I will have to give them a try. Right now I’m currently using DDF brightening cleanser. It came in my birchbox and I LOVE IT! It seriously is making my dark spots (from using these fingeys to pick apart my face : / ) fade and is keeping my face clear. It’s pretty pricey but you barely use any at all so it lasts for a while. Your skin looks amazing in this picture. And you are so beautiful!
I use the DDF that I got in my birchbox too. It’s been doing a great job to help lighten the mask I got when pregnant.
I have sensitive skin, and b/c of cystic acne I was put on accutane… which did the trick! However, it dried out my face pretty bad. I tried a LOT of stuff in all price ranges. And the First Aid Beauty Ultra repair cream worked the best on the face! My face has never looked better even thought all the moisture is being sucked out of it every minute. For other areas, other lotions work better. Eucerin makes your hands look younger (amazing difference after a week of using it) and Aquaphor is the best lip balm EVER. No taste, lasts longer than anything else I’ve used, even with eating and drinking. And it just heals the lips. Only downfall is no spf. oh well. can’t have it all.
Cara,
Your blog is so great!! I have always thought that there are a list of things every woman should know how to do before 25 and clean, beautiful makeup and hair are on the list and i never was taught! I’m almost thirty and just started learning!! Thank you for being willing to teach.
I’ve always had skin issues too and I’ve found that chemical free products are the best for reactive skin ! Makes a huge difference!
On another note, do you have good volumizer recommendations for fine hair? Would love a suggestion!! Thanks again for teaching us non skilled women these tricks!
I find my skin to be the best ever and I’m 31.. I make a scrub out of some real juice from like half a lemon( never bottled full of preservatives)..I squeeze onto a cotton round and then take some regular organic if possible granulated sugar and sprinkle on top the lemon juice soaked cotton. Before I begin to rub on face I splash warm water to open pores and then use gentle circular motions over my entire face and sometimes neck..this kills any bacteria that can cause breakouts, super easy and u will not believe how SOFT your skin will feel after u rinse and dry..omg like baby soft and as close to the pregnant glow I have even been while not actually pregnant! lol try it ! Ps. I just found your blog and I love it all u have beautiful hair!!! Great advice too, well written..will be a subscriber..plan to start one too soon:) finally
In this picture are you using that tanning stuff that you’ve talked about before on your face. I use jergens self tanner but it looks blotchy and orange. Help!
Cara, I also have been struggling with adult acne, just randomly and recently, you need the clarisonic. Can you tell me what is your foundation and concealer routine and recommendations? I would love to see a basic video of just foundation and concealer!
You look beautiful in this picture! I would love to copy this look.. What products did you use for this photo? Gorgeous!
I just got the philosophy face stuff and love it! Thanks cara!