My Skincare Routine with Colleen Rothschild

I thought about naming this post ‘how to care for your skin in your 30s’ but when I thought about it, this is a routine I actually started in my late 20s and only WISHED I’d begun sooner. Good skin is something that I took for granted for a long time, because it wasn’t really a worry for me. Occasional breakouts in my 20s (most likely due to stress, diet, etc.) would make me pay attention to my skincare routine for about a week and then it was back to sleeping in my makeup and patting myself on the back for using an occasional makeup remover before bed.

I started to take my skincare more seriously when I began to notice a few fine lines on my forehead. Immediate regret set in as to why I hadn’t spent the last 29 years moisturizing for this moment. But I didn’t really know where to start — there are SO MANY PRODUCTS out there and they all seem great based on their claims. Even turning to the internet to see what other people used lead me to even more options that I’d never even heard of. I became overwhelmed and decided that if I could just wash my face everyday and put on a moisturizer at least once a day, then that’s a great starting place. And it was — baby steps lead to my daily skin care regimen.

I was at a conference and introduced to Colleen Rothschild via a free sample of their Sheer Renewal Cream lotion.  I was intrigued because she is actually Dallas based, so I loved that this was a local enterprise. Then this lotion changed my whole outlook on moisturizers. (I would say it changed my whole life, but I’m trying to no the so dramatic these days.) It was light, fresh and after about 2 minutes of putting it on I forgot it was even there. It almost felt like a primer. I as sold. When I ran out of this lotion, I tried to go a few days without it and quickly realized I never wanted to run out of this product again. I immediately ordered the lotion again and decided to try a few other of her products, including the Radiant Cleansing Balm and the Dual Enzyme Polish. This was on a whim, mind you. Basically how I discover most things.

Well, that was 3 years ago and I’ve gone on to try even more of her products and introduced them (albeit slowly) into my daily skin care routine. I was so excited when they wanted to collaborate because it was such a natural fit — I like to think I’m an expert on their product line. 😉 Or at least a familiar name to their customer service because I order it so often. One of the questions I actually receive the most is what I do for my skin, so look no further because all my secrets are out. Skincare in three easy steps below!

Wash Twice Daily — no excuses.

Learning to wash my face morning and night took a lot of self-lecturing (and possible self-shaming) for it to become habit. But after a few weeks of dual cleansing, I saw results in my skin; it was more radiant and glowy than before. I found myself going without makeup more often because my face felt and looked so clean. I think that if you only do 1 thing for your skin, cleaning it day and night would be your best bet. Give your skin a break during the night and let it breathe.

Recently I did a post on all of my favorite face washes and the Radiant Cleansing Balm won Best in Show (or most luxurious). This is hands down my favorite cleanser I’ve ever used; I’ve literally tried to push it on everyone I know that comes over to my house. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the day, I will try to wash your face with this. It doesn’t really make sense how it works — it’s a solid balm that you warm in your hands and place on your unwashed face once the balm because an oil. Then you place a warm washcloth or muslin cloth over your face for a quick ‘steam’ and your makeup and dirt just wash away, leaving your face feeling amazing. I feel like if Cleopatra had a face wash, this would have been it. (You don’t have to use much to get a great wash, so I would say this product lasts about 5-6 months.)

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

And if there are only two things that you could do for you skin, it would be keep it clean and keep it moisturized. You don’t have to go overkill on the moisturizers either — because I know there are a ton out there for morning, noon and night. Find one you love and use it daily. I pair this with my face wash — right after I wash, I moisturize. Simple as that.

I use the Sheer Renewal Cream everyday underneath my makeup and on the weekends when I’m not wearing any (more on this later). But recently I’ve expanded my interest of moisturizers into eye creams, night creams and anti-aging creams. I’ve added the Complete Eye Cream to my routine in the morning and an anti-aging lotion at night. I find those are much more potent and by leaving them over night gives more time to set in. Plus if I use an anti-aging serum, by morning my face is a bit more oily forcing me to wash it again. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle. 😉 (I haven’t run out of the eye cream or anti-aging lotion yet, but I can get almost 9 months of use out of the Sheer Renewal Cream lotion, just FYI.)

I’ve recently started using the Age Renewal Super Serum at night for preventative measures. I find that it’s a nice feeling to get into bed with a fresh, clean and moisturized face.

Mask & Exfoliate

This is hands down my favorite part of my skin care routine. I think because this part is more of a weekly task instead of daily, so it truly feels like a treat. One night a week, or Saturday mornings if we aren’t busy, I will do a mask treatment — either a charcoal mask or an exfoliant mask. One of the original masks I started using was the Dual Enzyme Polish, which is what I’m using above. You leave it on for 15-20 minutes and you can actually feel a little bit of a tingle on your skin from the enzymes. Then you simply rub it in and wash it off. Your skin feels brand new. (I’ve also used her Charcoal mask — the Clarifying Detox Mask. This is a really, really gentle charcoal mask if you are looking for one that does not dry you out and/or if charcoal masks scare you. These masks last me for 9 months, if I rotate them each.)

I prefer to do masks on Saturday and then lather on a rich lotion or serum and go makeup free all day if I can. I can’t always go all day without makeup but if I can, I always feel like my face gets a reset from the week. (Since my makeup has SPF in it, I usually add on a facial sunscreen as well if I’m going foundation free.)

And that is it! For a really long post, my skin care routine is actually not that daunting. Wash, lotion, exfoliate, repeat. I’ve seen more improvement in my skin since not only introducing a habitual routine but also quality skincare products. Use code KENDI20 for 20% off all regular-priced Colleen Rothschild items through 05/05/2017, and take advantage of their promo of a free deluxe sample of the Extreme Recovery Cream ($45 value) with any purchase of $75 or more.

I’d love to hear your routine! I find everyone’s so interesting and different! Feel free to share your thoughts, experiences and routines below!

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Colleen Rothschild. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!