Gate 11

We decided to spend most of August exploring Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England. Today is the day we fly away. Without delays, we should land in Dublin around 5:30am tomorrow morning, which will feel like midnight to us. It is funny, because a couple of nights ago, we were lamenting leaving behind the heat & humidity. It was 76 when we landed at JFK. It felt like Fall.

Now, both kids are reading (Sleepy Hollow and The Rum Diaries) and I may start embroidering. 

caring for my skin, this winter

I am ashamed to admit that I have never bothered with a *formal* skin care routine. That is, until now. As 43 has approached, I have begun to notice changes in my skin that bother me. There are wrinkles;  deep "expression lines" on my forehead, the beginnings of crows feet, a nagging line above one side of my lip as a result of sleeping on my side. There are discolorations, especially on my forehead. The uneven complexion drives me insane. Finally, I just don't seem as *bright*, if that is understandable. I have combination skin, with the occasional, small pimple. I have no acne scars.

Time to take action.

First of all, I know that half of skin care comes from inside, and I am working on that, too. However, I wanted to document what I am doing on the outside right now. The changes to internal factors, well, I will talk about those later. The routine below is what I started on New Years Eve. I plan to stick with it until the first of March, and then reevaluate. And, as much as I hate having my picture taken, I think it might be a good idea to have some photodocumentation, just to see. I am grateful to having a husband who thinks I am beautiful the way I am, but he isn't the most reliable person to be honest about changes.

A little disclaimer. I am a long term vegetarian (since 2006) with *strong* vegan leanings. As much as I can, I try to use products that are cruelty-free and not tested on animals. I am also trying to make a transition to as many natural treatments as I can. However, I do have spa treatments on occasion.

So...here it is, my new regular routine...

In the morning, I simply splash my face with lukewarm water (I have not "washed" my face in the morning in a long, long time, because I don't want to over dry my skin). I then swipe with a toner (I alternate between Dickinson's Witch Hazel and Burt's Bees Clarifying Toner/Natural Acne Solutions). After that, I put on moisturize (Jason Age Renewal Vitamin E 25,000 I.U. AND Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Eye Cream with Clary Sage). While I wait for this to sink in, I gulp down 16oz to 20oz of water. I then apply Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer SPF 100+ sunscreen, and wait 15 minutes. During the wait, I drink an 8oz glass of hot water with 1/4 of a fresh lemon and cinnamon. I normally do not apply make-up until I get to work.

At night, I follow this routine. First, I remove my eye make-up with a make-up remover (Alba Botanica). Then, I wash with a non-soap cleanser. Currently, I am using Avalon Organics CoQ10 Repair Facial Cleaning Milk. I love it. It just feels good. (Before that, I used Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream) I then use a honey (local) and Demerara sugar scrub on my lips. Every *other* day, I use Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub OR a homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate.  I follow with a swipe of toner. I then apply a retinol product (currently, I am using ROC Deep Wrinkle Night Cream, but may switch to something by Philosophy in the future. I am happy with ROC right now). While this sinks in, I have another glass of my "lemon tea". This is followed by my moisturizes, only at night, I bring it all the way down the decolletage. Lastly, I dip a Qtip in EVOO and apply this to my eyelashes, to make sure they get love, too!

In addition to all that, I like to do an enzyme peel (Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Tone Correcting peel and most recently, ones I create myself...like the Blackberry & Yogurt Peel I have on right now). Once a week, I use Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque...which I have used for years.

So...there it is. And, it seems like a whole lot of work. Thing is, it isn't really. The most time consuming part is the *sinking into the skin* parts, and I use that for hydration time. I realize it can seem frivolous and maybe a waste of time. Maybe its a futile exercise. But, I have grown to love the routine. It puts me in the mind set of...its time for bed, or time to get moving on the day. And, I like that I am taking a small bit of time to pamper myself. That can't be a bad thing.

Any other suggestions you can think of? I would love to hear tips and ideas.