When I relaunched my blog in January under my name, my plan was to include more lifestyle content. For me lifestyle means adding more topics to my blog I'm passionate about, including travel, entertaining and girl stuff. Sharing the 'stuff' I chat with my friends about and on Instagram Stories. One of my favorite topics lately is skin care!

In late 2016, I was noticing how dull my skin was looking; I'm talking zero radiance and zero glow. I looked on Groupon and opted to try Microdermabrasion facial, I had two sessions, and my skin began looking better. Microdermabrasion is a treatment that is supposed to help treat light scarring, discoloration, exfoliate your skin giving it a fresh feeling.

My biggest takeaway from the sessions was talking to the Esthetician at length about my skincare regime and my skin type. I have sensitive oily-dry skin; my forehead easily gets oily and other areas on my face dry-out. I was using the same skin-care products on my for years with no positive results. I was stuck in a skincare rut, and my face was paying the price. At the beginning of 2017, I decided to make some skin care changes and completely threw out my old Neutrogena products and looked for products that are naturally based and would help the appearance and smoothness of my skin.

Over that past year, I've created a buffet of products for my skin and my skin is loving it! My face now is now more even in tone, feels hydrated, feels smoother, breakouts are non-existent and I feel like my skin glows! I can honestly say my skin has never looked and felt better! Before buying my new products, I read every review and allowed myself time to try the new products and confirm my skin loved them.

There is something empowering about changing up a routine that is not working for you. It's a good feeling. I'm currently using three different skin care brands to meet my skincare needs: Aveeno, The Ordinary and DeramaE. I love them all. Below I'm sharing the skin care products and love and how I use them.

Morning Skincare Routine

In the morning I wash my face with Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleaner and then use The Ordinary Toning Solution. When I was using Neutrogena toner, it would always sting my face, with The Ordinary Toning Solution there is zero stinging. After toner, I use Aveeno Positively Radiant Lotion with SPF 30, I'm obsessed with this lotion. It doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy, I add 1-2 drops of The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil to my Aveeno lotion. It's like my little pot of GLOW! I typically wait about 30-60 seconds before applying makeup. My makeup routine is very minimal, most days I'm makeup free. when I am wearing makeup it's a simple combination light foundation, pressed powder, a little blush and maybe mascara and lipstick. After applying makeup I spritz my face with DermaE Hydrating Mist, this can be used any time of the day when you face needs a refreshing boost. I typically use it after applying makeup as a setting spray. Love this spray, it's feels so good on my skin!

Honorable Mentions: I also love DermaE Essentials Radiance Toner, its magic in a bottle! I used this religiously until my Ordinary Toning Solution arrived. Both these toners are amazing and both of them sell out! I was stalking The Ordinary Toner for months before it was back in stock.

I also love the DermaE Illuminating Rosehip and Cranberry Face Oil, its such an incredible face oil. Another favorite of mine is Rose Water by Mario Badescu, love it! It's a great Summer Hydrating mist, it smells good and feels really refreshing.

Evening Skin Care Routine

In the evening I add a few products in the rotation to help hydrate my skin and help diminish hyperpigmentation. My skin tends to scar very easy and discolor. I use my favorite cream cleanser from Aveeno, then The Ordinary Toning Solution. I used Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream, I love this cream it's nice and thick and a little goes a long way, I add 2-3 drops of The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil to the cream and then wait about about a minute to allow the cream and oil to absorb into my skin. Lastly, I apply The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone, this cream is very similar to apply primer to on your skin., it glides on smooth. Vitamin C is supposed to be really good for the skin and helps brighten the skin, reduce the signs of aging.

Weekly Skincare Favorites

The products I shared above I use every day and swap a few of them out a couple times a week. I use Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial 2-3 times a week (swapping it with my regular night cream) The next morning after using the cream, my face feels incredibly soft and refreshed. I also love using the Aveeno Positively Radiant Shower Facial 1-2 a week in the shower, it's a great gentle face scrub. My new favorite is The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, aka The Vampire 10 Minute Facial Mask. This is bananas good! I used this last week and loved it, my skin looked so good the next day! I was a little nervous to try because my skin is so sensitive, but it my skin was fine!

It's incredible how my much skincare has changed in one year and how much better my skin looks and feels. As I mentioned, my goal was to use more natural skin based products, which makes me heart DermaE so much, they're a California Based company with skincare products that are cruelty-free, GMO-Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free. I'm also in love with The Ordinary; I love their scientific approach that is free of all the crap. They clearly state on each of their products what it is free of nut-free, water free, vegan and so on. Plus their products are affordable! I'm also a huge fan of Aveeno, love their skin care products for the mind and face! I love that the mix Active Naturals with a scientific approach to create amazing skin solutions.

All the skin-care products I use are in the $6-18 range! I think good skin care products don't have to cost an arm and a leg to work!

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Now that I've shared my favorite skin care products that I've been using, what are some of your tired and true brands? Are you also a fan of the skincare brands I mentioned above? If so what are your favorites?

One of my favorite topics to discuss on my blog is small space living, sharing design ideas for small home dwellers. I started this design series a two years ago and recently expanded to include home tours. I love seeing how other small home dwellers are making their spaces work; it's so inspiring.

Each month, I'm showcasing a stylish small home and gaining insight from the home dweller how they make on design decisions, and challenges they've faced living small.

Today I'm sharing a colorful Charlotte Brick Bungalow home TaLaya, and her finance Kerrick recently inherited from his grandparents. Over the past year, this family home has been getting a vibrant new look as the family settles in. Follow along Talaya's home journey on Instagram @OurBrickHouseStyle

House Facts:

House Built in 1956
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Just Shy of 1500 sq feet
TaLaya shares her home with her fiance Kerrick and their sweet pup Honey and lots of plant babies! I love her plant collection #PlantGoals

PLEASE SHARE SOME DETAILS ABOUT YOUR HOME, DOES YOUR HOME HAVE A NICKNAME?

It was built in 1956 and is just under 1500 square feet. We have three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. When it was originally built it was much smaller, only two bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen, den and formal living room. Then in the early 70's, his grandparents added an additional master bedroom, bathroom, sunroom, dining area and laundry room. It's located in an older community just outside of uptown Charlotte.

We chose to take on this renovation project for a few different reasons. We always knew we wanted to live in a smaller, close-knit community and location was important to us as well. We are central to everything in the city. We also chose this route for financial freedom purposes which will allow us to have fewer expenses and more freedom to do the things we want to do.

And for me, living small has always been the goal. I grew up in Detroit in a house a little bit smaller than ours, and to me, it was always the perfect amount of space. I've never lived in a larger home and have never had the desire to, so 1500 square feet was the perfect size for my fiancé and I (and some babies when we decided to expand our family.)

" Living small has always been the goal " - TaLaya

Our homes nickname is "Our Brick House". It's very practical and to the point! I chose it when we decided to document our renovation journey on Instagram.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FEATURES ABOUT YOUR HOME AND WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?

I have so many! One of my favorite features of our home is our large front porch. Our house is one of only a few in the neighborhood that has one. Kerrick's mom told me that when her parents were getting the home built, they gave them a choice between adding the front porch or adding a half bathroom, I'm so glad they chose the porch!

Another thing that I love about our home, which I had never even considered before, is that we have two separate living spaces. We have a family room/den, and we also have a formal living room (which isn't very formal at all!). Both rooms get lots of use, but I just love the fact that both my fiancé and I can be home and if we want to watch separate things on tv or if the other is working on something and needs some quiet time, we have the space for it. There are doors everywhere so even in a home the size of ours; there's still a privacy aspect to it.

Oh and our hardwood floors, I LOVE our floors! It was the biggest expense in our renovation but worth every single penny. Most of the hardwood is original to the home, but we had to get it matched and installed in both the kitchen and the addition that was added decades ago. They did a phenomenal job. We went with a natural tone, and it adds the perfect amount of warmth to our home!

Now, my favorite room in the house is definitely our kitchen. We've spent a lot of time and effort transitioning this space into exactly what we wanted, and it turned out so awesome!

ANY CHALLENGES YOU'VE FACED LIVING IN A SMALL HOME?

Functionality for sure. I'm a very organized person, and I don't like a lot of clutter. So it has been a challenge creating spaces in our home for storage and functionality. For example, our closets are tiny, all of them. So in our bedroom, we had to figure out a way to be able to store more clothing items. Our solution was instead of traditional nightstands, we bought two chests of drawers from IKEA, that served both purposes of nightstand and storage.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING SMALL?

Less space, less stuff. I think it has made me much more conscious of the things that I decide to purchase. We have to be intentional about everything because everything in our home has its place. I remember when we decided to embark on this small house living journey I said to my fiancé that I am making a golden rule for myself, "I won't buy anything for our home unless I know exactly where it's going", and I've stuck to that rule!

BEST SMALL SPACE LIVING TIP?

Just because a space is smaller doesn't mean it can't have lots of personality. You have to have fun with it and make it your own. Our home is ever-changing. We always have project or two going on. And don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles. I’ve mixed it up in our home. I love moody and minimal style spaces, and I love colorful and bright style spaces, and I think we have a little of both. I don't follow any specific rules, I go with what I love and what feels right, and it's resulted in a cozy, colorful and inviting home that we both love tremendously. We wouldn't trade this experience for anything!

IF YOU LOVE THIS, PIN IT!

" We have to be intentional about everything because everything in our home has its place " - TaLaya

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A huge thank you to TaLaya and Kerrick for sharing their home with Katrina Blair readers! My personal favorite space in their Brick Bungalow is the kitchen! I love the honey wood floating shelves, cabinet hardware, black cabinets paired with my forever favorite subway tile.

In need of some Small Home design solutions? Check out my blog series Small Home Style dedicated to stylish design ideas for small spaces.

What are your favorite takeaways from this 1950's Brick Bungalow?