My last few posts have been about de stressing / taking moments out of the busyness to relax and I wanted to continue that theme in today’s post. So much of life is insanely busy, but the little things [like taking care of yourself- mentally and physically] are so important.

The busier I have been getting, the more I find it absolutely necessary to really dedicate time to taking care of myself. IRL I probably still need a mom, but since mine is thousands of miles away it’s falling on me to remind myself to eat and drink water and all of that stuff I used to not bother with [seriously, I’m terrible with that. I always forget to eat].

Making sure that I’m getting enough sleep and drinking enough water has really become a priority for me now. I used to get away with staying up ‘til all hours of the night [I’d say I was ‘creative’ and I ‘worked better at night’ when really, I was just unorganized and I would procrastinate and not plan. I’m even more creative now and I get up early and function on a business schedule. Night owls of the world, you can change!]. I had to change to keep up with my work schedule and crazy hours. I can’t show up for shoots with two hours of sleep in me- I’m exhausted, I don’t function as well, and honestly, you can see it in me. My eyes, my face, my skin. It really does affect your appearance as well as your attitude. Same reason why I’ve had to remind myself to drink so much water. You can see it in your skin when you’re dehydrated, and since I’m on camera so much I have just another excuse why I have to keep up with it- that includes cutting down alcohol. I am by no means a heavy drinker, I’ll have a glass or two of wine sometimes. But alcohol ages your skin and you really can see it years down the road.

Taking care of my skin externally has always been something I’ve focused on. I don’t have a product heavy routine by any means- I will never be the type of girl that has six primers, eye creams, face creams and scrubs, no matter how old I get. I just know I can’t commit to that. I keep my routine simple and use a few key products that work for my skin. Skincare has always been something I’ve invested in- I love to try out new products, and if a product works well, I’ll continue to invest in it. Investing in quality products and dedicating yourself to a routine will really make a difference in your skin. Not only will your skin feel and look better, it also helps in ways you wouldn’t necessarily think- your makeup will apply easier, and you’ll need to use less [something I learned when I started to really exfoliate and moisturize my face].

My newest investment has been into an anti-aging serum – PREVAGE® Anti-aging Daily Serum from Elizabeth Arden. I just had my 27th birthday [gasp!] and for my birthday last year my body decided to gift me a set of hips [it was like happy birthday! have a child!] so I decided I would get ahead of it this year and gift myself some anti-aging skincare before it decided to give me some wrinkles. It’s something I know I can commit to because it’s right before moisturizer [which is something I swear by. I will not sleep unless I’ve removed my makeup and applied moisturizer, so this is a simple addition].  If you’re someone with dry skin, you’ll understand the necessity of needing to moisturize frequently- I like to apply at both morning and night, and this feels very luxurious without adding a lot of weight or grease. I also liked that this product comes in a dispensable tube instead of a jar. My routine as of now for my external skin care is cleansing my face, adding on my anti-aging serum, and a moisturizer- both morning and night. I’ve noticed that my skin is definitely more healthy, more radiant, and has generally looked better overall.