I glanced up in the mirror and saw a shadowy darkness under my eyes. It was the end of the day, so naturally I thought my eyeliner just lost its grip on my waterline. I licked my thumb (I am a classy broad), and dragged it across the area underneath my eye. I looked at my thumb to bear witness to the black liner carnage, and I saw a perfectly clean appendage. I looked up at the mirror again and stared, like really stared, and saw the black was still under my eyes.
Suddenly it felt like since becoming a mom, my dark circles were no longer due to misbehaving eyeliner but actual physical proof of my lack of sleep. And that wasn't all I noticed. Did I always have such big pores? Why is my skin so simultaneously oily and dehydrated?
If I'm being honest with myself, the state of my skin shouldn't be shocking to me.
I can be pretty lax when it comes to establishing my own routines. I never had a brand allegiance when it came to products, and frankly did nothing more than wash my face once a day. As in yes, I counted using makeup wipes before bed as a nighttime skincare routine. The truth is, being a mom makes me backburner myself … a lot. Washing my face, putting on lotion; those things feel like a luxury now that I have little hands to wipe and a little belly to fill.
Of course, that is utterly ridiculous. And now that I am in my 30s and have no hope of a good night's sleep in the future, if I want to properly care for the only skin and body I will ever have, I better start now.
I have combination, hormonal acne-prone skin, so if I was going to start this little skincare journey, I needed basic, simple products. Enter Found.
Found Beauty boasts a nearly 100% natural ingredient-based formula on all of the company's products, and when I was offered an opportunity to try it, I jumped at the chance. I decided to go with the most basic regimen: a cleanser, a serum, and a moisturizer. I also gave a makeup remover and pore minimizers a try.
I internally committed myself to carving out five minutes both morning and night to do my little routine, come heck or high water.
I began with Found's Makeup Removing Balm, as I had actually worn makeup that day.
A small scoop of this takes you pretty far. The product itself is super silky, and helps loosen stubborn makeup from your skin. I globbed far too much on my face and ended up needing to remove some with a towel, and my makeup slid right off.
If I'm being 100% transparent here, it is more than likely my skin-caring routine would have stopped here.
That is why I am self-flagellating myself by posting this ridiculous photo of me after I used the makeup removing balm.
Anyway, next up was the Bamboo Cream Scrub.
The Bamboo Cream Scrub felt equal parts silky and grainy. The face wash lathered up very nicely, and the scrub left my skin feeling soft and supple. I could immediately feel that my skin was more hydrated, and it left me totally glowy.
Next I swiped on the Fruit AHA Peel Pads.
In the interest of transparency, it wasn't love at first swipe. Not only did they smell a little weird, but they stung a bit too. However, after I was done wiping my face, I noticed the pad picked up a ton of gunk. Plus my skin felt super firm, which was worth the two seconds of sting.
Next I dripped on a few drops of the Three Lime Blend Face Serum.
It was fairly thin, so a little went a long way. I did a dollop on my forehead, both my cheeks and chin, and rubbed it in with upward circular motions.
Finally it was time to swipe on the California Poppy Face Lotion ...
… and ya'll let me tell you — I LOVE this moisturizer. Part of the reason I never bothered with lotion is because it always felt too suffocating on my skin. This lotion is deeply hydrating while also being extremely lightweight. It dried quickly, and before I knew it, I had completed my very first full skincare routine.
After one week of regularly performing this routine every morning and night, I started noticing a difference.
My redness in general had gone down immensely, especially in the nose area. Spots on my chin and cheek smoothed over, and overall my pores minimized.
After three full weeks of consistent washing and use, I started going out with zero foundation.
Above is me with a little eyeliner and that is it.
In the end, carving out the extra five minutes in the morning and at night to do this is beyond worth it. I feel more refreshed and healthy looking, and when you feel better, you can do better. The smallest of self-care acts can make a huge difference.
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