9 Skin Care Tips and Routines for Your 20s

This year, I made some New Year's resolutions to take better care of my skin and develop a skin care routine for the 2 years I have left in my twenties. Although I don't wear a ton of face makeup -- eye makeup, yes ... heavy foundations, no -- I have never been the kind to remember to wash my face before bed. It's terrible, I know. Plus, my Mom and Grandma both started going grey at 28, so I figured it was time to take better care of my skin seeing as I'll be grey any day now! Here are some skin care tips and routines for your 20s that I've embraced to keep my skin as youthful as possible!

1. Avoid sulfates 
I first learned about sulfates when I was doing marketing for a chain of salons in Tennessee. We would have continuing education classes about lotions and products. Sulfates are a cleaning agent in soaps and shampoos that strip your skin of essential oils, leaving you with dry, itchy, flaky skin. Sulfates are also found in most shampoos, and have the same negative effects for your hair as they do your skin. Look for a shampoo and body wash that doesn't contain the word "sulfate" in the ingredient list.


2. Use baby shampoo and conditioner to clean your makeup brushes
I buy inexpensive makeup brushes (think $1 to $3 from ELF) and throw them away after a few months. Or General sometimes eats them, and I take that as a sign that I need to move on and find new brushes. If you prefer expensive brushes that aren't quite as disposable, take care of them with weekly washes.

3. After a day at the pool, get straight to the shower
I'll admit it, on multiple occasions, I've spent a day at the pool and then proceeded to lounge around the house socializing in my coverup. That lingering chlorine can absolutely wreck your hair and skin. Don't be lazy, go shower. Rinsing your hair with one part vinegar to four parts water is a good trick to getting all of the chlorine out of your hair.

4. Keep hair spray far away from your face
I once had a makeup artist spray my face with hair spray to set my makeup. I thought this was genius at the time, but later learned that setting your face with hair spray can clog your pores and completely dry out your skin. Do not set your makeup with hair spray, it isn't worth it for one night.

5. Switch your pillow cases to silk and keep them CLEAN
Cotton pillow cases strip moisture and can leave sleep lines and wrinkles. Cotton can also tug at your skin, encouraging wrinkles. Makes sense, right? Silk pillow cases are expensive, yes, but the benefits extend past just skin deep, your hair will thank you too.

6. Sleep on your back
This one is easier said than done for me. I always wind up on my side -- cuddling with my man is more important than waking up flawless, sorry not sorry. If you can sleep on your back, rather than on your stomach or side, you're less likely to have fluid buildup or puffiness under your eyes in the morning! Personally, I'll just use an eye cream and call it a day night.

7. Give your face a break during the week
Having a full face of makeup for work is really not important to me. I like to give my skin a break Monday through Thursday and just do a bit of mascara and some blush.

8. Never go to bed without a glass of water
I constantly wake up in the middle of the night and feel the need to chug water. If I go to bed without a glass of water, I'll be too lazy to get out of bed in the middle of the night to get some, and end up waking up with bladder pains and depleted skin from being dehydrated. I'm very lazy at 3am, sad but true. Anytime you feel the need to drink water, drink.

9. Invest in a great moisturizer or serum
Yes, I said invest. If you can justify dropping $50 at the bar on a round of cocktails for all of your friends (guilty), then you can justify a really nice moisturizer. My friend Magen has always been my go-to for skin care advice, so when I got back from a work trip where I  spent 10 days on a boat and returned with destroyed, peeling skin, she recommended switching to a serum. She was spot on with this recommendation. I have been using a serum ever since and it has made the biggest difference.

I recently started using a few items from the The VivierSkin Wrinkle Relief System, which is a complete all-in-one anti-aging system.  The Serum 20 Rejuvenating Antioxidant Serum legit leaves my skin feeling so soft and bright.

The full wrinkle relief system contains six full-sized premium products and combines key ingredients with patented formulations proven to help reverse signs of aging, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Prepare, Revitalize and Protect your skin by following this simple skin care regime and start seeing visibly younger-looking skin with a more radiant complexion.

Best part? We've got THREE to give away today, a $272 value!!
Any skin care tips you'd recommend I add to my routine?

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Beware of the Selfie Stick

This weekend three of the loves of my life traveled from different states to come visit me in Dallas. We were all great friends, roommates and sorority sisters -- Pi Phi if you didn't already know that -- during our 4 years at Tennessee. We knew going into it that this was going to be an incredible weekend, and we were right. 
Now, for one of our anniversary presents, CB bought me a selife stick. I texted the girls before they left, and let them know that I was fully prepared for the weekend pictures thanks to said selfie stick. They all laughed, but were probably feeling a little sorry for me and my excitement over something so stupid. I had it out and ready to go before anyone even unzipped a suitcase.

Magen, to my left, has a blog too! Check her out STAT!  
Don't let this picture fool you, that selfie stick was difficult to use. I'm sure all of my issues can be redirected back to user error, but I really had a difficult time. The first problem with the selfie stick, is that it doesn't automatically connect to bluetooth on your phone. You have to reconnect it each time you want to use it. 
Another problem, it made me feel like an old person posing for a video. Do I wave? What am I supposed to do with my hands? I'm feeling a little lost here. Where is the instruction manual for posing with a selfie stick??

A third problem? Well, the fact that you're using a selfie stick..... in public. Oddly enough, this was not an issue for me. I know this is terrible, but I'm normally way too concerned with what strangers think. For some reason though, the fact that I was whipping out a selfie stick all over Downtown Dallas didn't even phase me. I should have been more embarrassed, but I think the girls were feeling embarrassed enough for all of us. 
A fourth problem? Well, the vast majority of my pictures looked like this. 

I decided to give the selfie stick a rest after this pic fail, and just take pictures the good ole fashioned way, using the front camera or asking a boy to take our picture.  
To kick off the Dallas festivities, I took the girls to happy hour at the Midnight Rambler, which is in the basement of the beautiful Joule hotel. 

From there, we hit up Public School 214 for dinner. I highly recommend this place for the school-themed atmosphere, the cocktails and the food. 

  CB met up with us right as we were finishing dinner. This was the first time for him to meet all of my Tennessee girls, I was so excited I could cry! I knew they'd love him as much as I did! The rest of the night was filled with giant smiles and dance parties in Uptown.  

The next day we had brunch and a full day of shopping planned. I hadn't been shopping in quite some time, so it was really nice to roam around for some retail therapy. What I was really looking forward to though, was taking the girls out for a night in my hood, Deep Ellum. CB invited all of his friends over to my apartment, and we drank and smiled and laughed and enjoyed the fabulous company.

As you can see, the selfie stick appeared for a repeat performance. 

And just when I thought I had the selfie stick mastered, I arrived at problem number five. My iPhone 6 Plus with a $200 insurance deductible fell out of the selfie stick. The screen is now shattered. RIP phone screen and RIP selfie stick. Your services will no longer be required, please pack your things and go.