A friend sought out my help recently for dry skin problems brought on by pregnancy. Like me, she has combination skin that is breakout prone without the right products. Her skin is oilier than mine so pre-pregnancy she was using several products with salicylic acid. I told her to drop the salicylic acid and use emollient oil free non-comedogenic products for combination skin. By the way, salicylic acid use during pregnancy is not recommended and I’ve noticed it in several face washes, scrubs and moisturizers.

To combat dry skin, examine all beauty products for drying culprits like salicylic acid and don’t stop at changing out one product. Multitask for more impact by combining a moisturizing face wash with an emollient moisturizer. Try this gentle but effective oil free face wash from CVS with Lumene’s Vitamin C SPF 15 moisturizer. I use this heavenly scented cream morning (along with 30 SPF for more protection) and night. Lumene also offers a Vitamin C night cream, but you don’t necessarily need to spend the money because Vitamin C has it’s own anti- aging and skin brightening benefits.

Richard Carlson, Ph.D. debates the power of positive thinking in his book, You Can Be Happy No Matter What. A common theme among positive thinkers involves replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This takes significant effort and often is overcome by conditional thinking or individual thought systems. Thought systems consist of past information that has been gained over a person’s lifetime. By nature, they are self-validating and do not like being interfered with. Thought is not reality and need not be taken so seriously. According to Dr. Carlson, “the way we think about something, and most importantly, the way we relate to our thinking, will determine its effect on us.” Indeed, there is a fundamental flaw in positive thinking that places too much focus on changing negative thoughts. In turn, negative thoughts inevitably end up being emphasized.

Recognize thinking for what it is, a voluntary function that forms our experience of life. Thought is not inherently bad, unless it is permitted to be so. Focus shifted away from thoughts not worthy of attention allows more positive thoughts to arise naturally. When thoughts are not qualified as negative or positive, they are defined according to their true meaning – simply thoughts. This leads to a transformed perspective without the extraordinary effort it takes to fight the conditioned mind deeply embedded within individual thought systems.

Soak. Soak your feet with a foot soak for about 5-10 minutes.

Scrub. Apply a scrub to your feet then use a foot file to remove dead skin and calluses. This Ms. Pedicure kit includes most of the tools needed with the exception of a cuticle trimmer.

Push and clean. Push cuticles forward gently with a cuticle stick, trim dead/raised cuticles with cuticle scissors carefully, and scrub above and below the nail with a nail brush.

Buff. Lightly buff toenail ridges, rinse and towel dry.

Staying power. Put on toe separators then apply a basecoat to prolong the life of your polish. Finish with 1-2 coats of your favorite nail polish and enjoy your Pretty Pedi for several weeks!

Pressed for time? Divide the steps above over a few days. Clear or light pink polishes are best for pedis on the go!

Related article:
Find time for great nails!

Texturize.  Start with wet hair and apply a root booster like Catwalk Root Lifter at the roots. Follow with a volumizing mousse such as Wella Color Preserve Volume Mousse and comb through.

Set. Take random one inch sections of hair and spiral around your finger. Hold on scalp for a few seconds, and then let each curl unravel naturally. Repeat until you have completed the whole head. Depending on the hold level of your mousse, you may be able to stop here. I go a step further and set it with a frizz control hairspray like Matrix Sleek Look.

Go! You’re done! Let your hair air dry and then smooth any stiff spots on the go by scrunching lightly with hair serum. Check out Samy Fat Hair “O” Calorie Serum.

Money may not grow on trees, but it may be piling up in your cabinet! I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one with mounds of unused products under the sink…After I settled on a dedicated beauty routine, I started to incorporate some of those unused products into the process. Sweet - more money in my pocket!

Another savings tip is to save packaging from new products being tested. Many stores provide money back guarantees. Don’t hesitate to take something back if it isn’t the right color, creates breakouts, dry skin, etc.!  You paid too much for the product to let it not live up to the hype on the package. Don’t let those dollars dwindle away under the sink or worse yet – throw them in the garbage! At about $10 a pop, taking products back that don’t work can add up to real savings in your pocket!

I’ve noticed beauty is a continuous process that often requires some tweaking. While generally I defer to oil free combination skin products, this can deviate depending on several factors. Boy do I get irritated when I’ve committed to a routine that suddenly isn’t moisturizing adequately! However, skin is in a constant state of flux according to the season or that time of the month…Not to mention aging! Make adjustments as necessary, but don’t allow beauty companies to get richer while you get poorer!

Additional resources/related articles:
Earn cash back toward purchases at CVS and drugstore.com, or get coupons at Walgreens.  
Track drugstore deals at CouponMom.com.
Check out my most viewed post Fine curly hair got you down? for fine hair and savings tips!