My pursuit of the perfect foundation has been like chasing a magical unicorn. Every time a product promises me matte or dewy, natural perfection, I am sold. I am hopeful each time before my application of the radiance-enhancing product I hold in my hand. I have tried mineral powders, liquids, powder to liquid, tinted moisturizers, and BB and CC creams. Some have faired better than others winning bronze or even silver medals, but none get the gold medallion.

It has occurred to me on several occasions that maybe I’m chasing the wrong thing. Perfection may not come in a bottle. Perhaps the no makeup look really is about No Makeup. Maybe, instead of littering my counter top with Bareminerals, Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Mac and Nars (just to name a few of my most recent trial and error buys) maybe I should be focusing on the Skin itself.

My skin care routine has been just as experimental as my foundation hunt. Products others hail as must haves often leave my skin irritated or cause untimely breakouts. I have had great skin at different times of my life. Particularly when on the pill, as the hormone thing is definitely a culprit for me. But since eliminating the pill my skin has been all over the place.

I’ve read tons of blog posts and articles giving you the run down on the basic dos and don’ts on how to get good skin.I do the basics: I drink plenty of water, never sleep in my makeup and eat lots of fruits and veggies (I am a vegetarian and consume very little dairy) and always, yes always, get 8 hours of sleep. I should have a glowing complexion right? Wrong!

Now, to be honest I am not suffering from cystic acne or anything like that but I am far from the baby smooth, poreless, even skin that those who hit the genetic lottery are blessed with. My youngest daughter is one of those people, her skin care routine is basically non-existent, yet somehow she still has perfect skin… and then there are the rest of us… Le Sigh.

So, I’ve decided to get serious about skin this year. So, In addition to a makeup remover wipe (the extent of my skin care on some really tired nights-tragic…I know!) I have committed to investing more time in caring for my skin.

I also decided that I am going to start getting facials. Something I have been hesitant to invest in as I saw it as frivolous and indulgent, but now I realize that might save me money and time in the long run. I am always looking for ways to make things in my life simpler. I also realize that many things in life can be applied to the pay now or pay later philosophy.

I think I am off to a pretty good start, but to be sure I also reached out to my very dear friend and skin care specialist extraordinaire, to ask her what her thoughts are on some of the questions I had about skin care.

Denise Kail is the Director of Skin Care, a registered nurse and certified nurse injector with more than 14 years of skin care experience, at Dr. Hubbard’s Plastic Surgery Center in Virginia Beach, VA.

SMC-Denise, what is the biggest mistake women make when it comes to skincare?

Denise-I think the biggest mistake women make with skin care is that they spend thousands of dollars on over the counter products and see no results. Using medical grade products can be pricey at first but by the time you have wasted hundreds of dollars on products that have no results, you realize that you end up saving money in the long run.

SMC-Yikes, definitely guilty of this one!

SMC- What is the number one thing women can do to improve their complexions?

Denise-I think the number one thing that women can do to improve their complexion is applying a retinol nightly and an SPF daily. Even my beautiful ladies with darker skin still need sunscreen.

SMC-So true!

SMC-What are your own personal go to products?

Denise -My go to products are Skin Medical TNS essential serum (an amazing moisturizer and growth factor). Your skin looks amazing when you use this!
https://www.skinmedica.com/tns-essential-serum.html
I also have a new product that just arrived. It is called HA5,It is the best moisturizer I have EVER used!
https://www.skinmedica.com/ha5-rejuvenating-hydrator.html
SMC-What is your number one requested service at Dr. Hubbard’s?

Denise-Botox. Women want to feel younger and this softens the lines that are etched in the skin.

SMC –What skin care advice would you give your younger self?

Denise– I would tell my younger self to STAY OUT of the tanning beds! It ages you and creates brown spots and it’s dangerous. The skin cancer rate with tanning bed users is higher than the correlation of lung cancer and smoking! I also would tell my younger self to wear sunscreen, and not to use baby oil or Betadine! Being in the skin care business for 14 years, I still see ladies with dark tans ALL year and their skin is so unhealthy. No facelift can improve unhealthy skin!

SMC-Thank you for the insider skin info!

Denise-You’re welcome. Love your blog. I have enjoyed reading all your posts! I just need to start simplifying my wardrobe now!

SMC-Aww…Thanks!

Okay, so I definitely think Denise gave us some great information! She certainly knows all about good skin!

Until I upgrade my skin care products (I just made an appointment) these are the products I am currently using:

Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser- https://www.clinique.com/product/12517/6254/Skin-Care/Oil-Free/Rinse-Off-Foaming-Cleanser
Clinique Mild clarifying lotion-http://www.clinique.com/product/1573/15500/3-Step/Step-2-Exfoliate/Mild-Clarifying-Lotion
Honey I Peel Good Biometric Cream-http://www.heyhoney.com/i-peel-good-biomimetic-honey-peel-cream/

I have to admit I went back to the basics here. I have been using Clinique on and off since high school but I was pleased to read in a recently published Huffington post article, that they were on a skin care gurus list too.

I will also keep you posted on my good skin journey. Let me know what works for you too!

Until Next Post,