How was the weekend? Mine was restful and productive. No complaints here!

Anyhoo, yesterday I took a moment to give my skin a little TLC by giving myself a mini-facial. I first learned about mini-facials from Kitiya of Mischo Beauty, who is a licensed esthetician, cosmetologist and makeup artist. They are essentially weekly maintenance for your skin in between monthly professional facials that I’ve been slacking on LOL. You can read her post here.

Today, I’m going to walk you guys through my take on the mini-facial. It’s a little bootleg (LOL) because I ran out of my serum and toner (doh!) but the basic steps are here. Also, don’t mind my unkempt brows (going to Thread this week!)

So, without further ado…

STEP 1: Cleanse

What I Used: Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser + Clarisonic Classic (both are must-haves!) and get my skin very clean without drying it out.

STEP 2: Steam

Bless you if you own a steam machine! I don’t so, I steamed the old-fashioned way. Steaming helps get those pores open.

What I Used: Dr. Haushcka Facial Steam Bath, which helps stimulate circulation, loosen blackheads and encourage skin detoxification.

I added some boiled water to hot tap water in my sink…

And threw a towel over my head for 5 minutes (man, it was hot in there!)

STEP 3: Exfoliate

I used an enzyme mask for this step. Light fruit acids are a wonder for the skin.

What I Used: E.L.F. Concealer Brush + June Jacobs Papaya Enzyme Masque deluxe sample (came with this month’s BirchBox)

 This brush is so darn handy for applying facial masks…

Always remember your neck area when applying facial products!

STEP 4: Rinse + Dab Face Dry

My skin felt as smooth as a baby’s butt! I dab in order to remove excess moisture, while leaving a light dewy layer of moisture.

STEP 5: Eye Crème

Applied to under eye area, eyelid and brow bone.

What I Used: Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture. Peptides, hyaluronic acid and other goodies provide a nice bit of long-lasting moisture

STEP 5: Serum

As stated above, mine just finished (boo!) but this is the step where I would apply it. Be sure to get one for your specific skin concerns! In her Serums 101 post, Mischo Beauty says:

“A serum is simply a highly concentrated treatment of active ingredients used to penetrate and treat various skin conditions such as dehydration, stress, environmental damage, fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation issues or loss of elasticity.”

STEP 6: Moisturize/Night Crème

Use a nourishing cream or facial oil to optimize overnight treatment of the skin.

What I Used: Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Healing Skin Cream.  My skin loves oils! This one has a simple list of pronounceable ingredients, like olive oil and royal jelly, and can be used all over.

I take a gob and emulsify it in my hands before applying to my face…

STEP 7: Finished product!

 Yay!

There you have it. A peek into my Sunday Mini-Facial Routine/Home Spa Initiative (minus toner and serum). As always, let me know what you think.

Do you get monthly professional facials?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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This smells so good I wanna eat it! It brightens my skin really well, too.

Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Peel Full Strength ($45) was my first foray into the world of the exfoliating treatment mask and I’m happy to report smoother, brighter and more supple skin as a result.

As part of my Home Spa Initiative, I bought this at Sephora to use in my weekly mini-facial routine (detailed post in the pipeline!) After cleansing and toning, I paint a layer of this treatment onto my face and neck using an inexpensive concealer brush and leave it on for 15 minutes… It goes on clear, so your face just looks like it has a clear gel on it until rinse time. Then, voilà!

As with any product that contains hydroxy acids, this stuff does sting/tingle a bit. So, be careful not to get it anywhere near your eyes. There’s also a milder version of this peel for sensitive skin. Also, make sure to use sunscreen while using this product, since hydroxy acid products increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.

Green Apple Peel Full Strength is 100% vegetarian and made with certified organic ingredients, like apple, lemon and white grape juices. It renews the skin by removing dead skin cells with its fruit acid complex.

Have you tried this or any other treatment mask? If so, let us know!

Stay Beautiful

***Enter our latest contest! Ends 3/29***

Disclaimer: I bought this bad boy myself!

Suffering from the requisite skin weirdness that comes when the seasons change?

Yep, us too!

Anyway, there is a recession-friendly solution available at your local department store Clarins counter by the name of Skin Time.

Here are the deets from the Clarins press release:

WHAT? A complimentary 20-minute Skin Time Facial Treatment, personalized for your skin needs…

WHERE? At any Clarins Counter nationwide.

A Skin Time Facial Treatment begins with a quick, yet thorough client consultation to identify and target her skin care needs (dry skin, dark circles, oily complexion, loss of firmness, etc.) There are seven different treatments to choose from, from Shine Stopper to Thirst Quencher to Anti-Aging.

After your consultation, a Clarins Skin Care Specialist will demonstrate application methods and teach you how to incorporate them into your daily routine. We’ve seen these techniques demonstrated in person, and they are quick but luxurious at the same time. Thumbs up all the way.

Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!

Stay Beautiful