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?

This post is in partnetship with Aveeno, but all opinions are my own.

Have you ever tossed a lotion container and wondered if there was a better way to recycle or re-purpose it? In celebration of Earth Day this Sunday, April 22, I collabrated with Aveeno to share ideas on how to upcycle your containers once they’re empty. Every day, I strive to make sure my family and I are being conscious and doing our part to recycle and reduce and reuse. Today I’m sharing two creative ideas to transform your Aveeno Daily MoisturizingLlotion bottle into a makeup brush holder and the Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial jar into a jewelry holder.

I’ve been a huge fan of Aveeno products for the past year. They’ve been a game changer in improving the clarity of my skin and helping give it a glow. My favorite is the Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial, I use it 2-3 times a week and wake up the next morning with super soft skin. It’s a must try! I love Aveeno’s commitment to using high-quality ingredients sourced from nature. Their products are available instore and online, at retailers like Amazon.com.

DIY MAKEUP BRUSH HOLDER

ONE. Once your Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion bottle is empty, remove the lotion pump and decide the height you want your makeup brush holder. I place my tallest makeup brush next to my bottle to help to determine the height and then mark a line with a pencil. Next, carefully peel off the sticker on the bottle front and back and discard.

TWO. I used scissors to cut the bottle in half. I was surprised how much lotion I still had in my container, so going forward I’ll never toss a bottle without cutting it in half. It's crazy how wasteful I’ve been all these years! Using a spoon and funnel, I topped off my new Aveeno Daily Moisterizing Lotion bottle with the remaining lotion of my old bottle. Rinse the container out with soap and water and dry.

THREE. Using a gold leaf pen, I created a block design on my bottle to give a hand painted look. I love how the makeup holder turned out, simple and elegant. It's the perfect size and shape to hold my collection of makeup brushes.

DIY JEWERLY HOLDER

ONE. I loved the look of the jar and knew it would make a great jewelry holder for the bathroom. Once the container is empty, rinse it out with soap and water and dry.

TWO. I used gold paint that adheres to plastic to paint the outside of the container with a small brush. It took three coats to get full coverage and cover-up the lettering on the jar.

THREE. To give the container a little oomph, I added a pretty faux druzy knob I found at a local craft store to the lid. I drilled a small hole on top of the lid and then screwed the knob on. I left the lid pale green, to contrast with the gold body of the container and gold knob. I love that this little jar is the perfect size to keep my treasures safe in the bathroom, such as earrings and rings.

IF YOU LOVE THIS, PIN IT!

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I hope you find these projects fun and easy to recreate next time you've finshed your favorite beauty product. A little gold leaf pen and gold paint can go a long way. What’s your favorite upcycling project you’ve tackled recently?

To learn more about ways to recycle and upcycle, click here!