Love Your Skin Link Up: What's Your Routine?

 I am participating in the Love Your Skin Link Up on Shades of Gray and a Pinch Of Pink blog.  I heard about this from the Pretty in Pale blog that I follow.  I love this idea!  I have been called a product junkie and I am okay with that!  I love trying out all the new products and it seems like there is always something new on the market, which keeps me really busy!   Here are my answers!

   What's your daily skincare routine?

       I use Mark (Avon) “That’s Deep” cleanser on my face in the morning, and then I use either Mary Kay’s Timewise moisturizer with spf 30 or Avon’s Anew Revitilizing cream with spf 25 as my moisturizer. I also apply Avon’s Magix face perfector before foundation and  Anew Reversalist eye cream.  I use Avon Clearskin Deep Pore Cleansing Scrub in the evening, followed by the Anew Reversalist night emulsion.  Once a week I exfoliate, especially in the winter, by mixing some water with baking powder.  Makes your skin super soft!    In the shower I use Philosophy's Amazing Grace shower gel and their microdelivery exfoliating scrub.  

                                                        A skin product you could never live without?  

 I could not live without my moisturizers with sunscreen.  I love the formulas that I use on my face, (see above),because they don’t feel heavy, clog my pores, or sting my eyes!  Having melanoma, I wear sunscreen daily and I could never go out of the house without it! 

   Have you ever used a tanning bed? 

Yes, unfortunately at the age of 39.  I had always been afraid to before, but it seemed safe because everyone was doing it.  I didn’t think I had the characteristics of someone predisposed to skin cancer, and thought, “they just cut it off.”  I always wanted to be tan and thought I was much prettier with a tan. I was always in the sun and never had anything happen to me since I was a teen.  I ended up with Stage 1b melanoma and basal cell carcinoma just after less than a year of tanning bed use.  Changed my entire life. But prevented my daughter from following in my shoes.
                 

Thoughts on spray tanning? 

I personally would not do it.  I love my skin tone natural and pale these days.  This wasn't the case pre-melanoma.  I don’t like the way spray tans look, but I would suggest it to someone that was looking for the tanned look and stress to avoid those tanning beds!  Even spray tans are not completely safe though.  The fumes are not good to breathe. And you could look like this....

       Favorite brand of sunscreen? 

       I have really liked the Neutrogena Dry-Touch sunscreens this winter.  They do tend to leave white marks on things, (such as my car interior!), but it doesn’t leave a greasy feeling.  I use the Blue Lizard if I am going to be outside for long periods of time, or especially in the warmer months.

   
                                                          Biggest skincare splurge? 

       My moisturizers are definitley my biggest splurge.  I am kind of a product junkie, and I love to try all the newest stuff. Currently I am using the Avon Reversalist line.  It is AWESOME!

 
                                            Celebrity with the most perfect skin?    
       There are so many that I admire for their natural, flawless skin.  Examples would be Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Rachel McAdams and Dakota Fanning.  They are beautiful without the tan.  Watching the Golden Globes I was proud of the actresses who were natural and disgusted with one that looked like she rolled in Doritos.  (see above photo).

       

 

                                             Feature you're most self-conscious about? 

       Probably my oily skin.  It has gotten much better with age though and I don't have many wrinkles either, which is cool. 

                                                      What do you think about botox?  

         It can be overdone, and I don't think I would ever feel the need to do it, but I guess you never know! Right now, I don't need it.   :)

                                                  I feel most confident when.. 
      My fiancé tells me I am beautiful and I can see by the way he is looking at me,that he truly means it .  Oh and also when I have on my high heels!                     **********************************************************************************

    
This was fun!  I hope you will link up and share too!  
            http://shadesofgrayandapinchofpink.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-wrinkly-will-your-skin-be.html
 

Announcing the Grand Opening of the Pale Girls Club

  Looking at pictures of my daughter recently, I had the idea of creating this club.  I know it is not the norm for young girls,like my daughter, to accept and embrace their paleness.  Most of them are tanning to fit in and to be beautiful.  There is a belief that if you are not tan, you look unhealthy.

Have you ever been bullied about your paleness?  Has anyone ever said, "You should get a little sun."?  or "You are SO PALE!"?  If so, that is bullying!  Don't be bullied into changing who you are to make others comfortable!  Be happy with yourself! 

I hope that someday soon, women, especially young girls, stop believing that they have to be tan to be beautiful.  Those young girls are dying to be tan.  It is not beautiful to be dead.  I hope that someday, pale is accepted more.  It used to be the norm.  People who were tanned were the working class, or laborers.  My how things have changed!  I myself, grew up wanting to be tan, and always wanting to be more tan than I was! I had Malibu Barbie and wanted to live in California.  After being diagnosed with melanoma and losing the tan, I realized how much better I look with my natural skin tone. I am learning to love and embrace my natural skin tone!  I wish now, that I had never tanned.  I did it to cover up my flaws, but I just made them a whole lot worse!

Pale IS a four letter word, but it IS NOT a bad word.  There are a lot of people that believe it is one of the worst things to be.  I disagree.  It is not bad to be true to yourself.  It is not bad to love yourself, and there are way worse things to be.  

Why is it that people almost seem uncomfortable around someone that is pale?  Is it because they think we are going to grow fangs and suck their blood?  We are not vampires.  We are just pale.  Is it because they think we are weird?  Strange?  Indoors too much?  Why do they feel they have to change us into a tanned piece of leather?  I for one, think that tanning is addictive.  I would probably still be tanning if I had not been diagnosed with melanoma.  As a matter of fact, I know I would.  My daughter would be too.  It breaks my heart that she would be doing that to herself.  I am thankful daily that I was diagnosed with melanoma and she will never set foot in a tanning bed or tan at all.  I am thankful that I was the one diagnosed and not her.  I believe that happened for a reason.

Please check out the Pale Girls Club on facebook and coming soon to other social networks and our website is going to be up soon too!

Please feel free to post a picture of yourself rocking your pale, natural skin or anything related.  This is a place for us to be ourselves and not be ashamed of our natural beauty!