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I am completely guilty of the worst 'do as I say and not as I do,' crime when it comes to skin care. I rarely wash my face before I go to bed at night. Or at least I used to be guilty of this crime before I discovered another fabulous secret from my sisters in France, micellar water. French women cannot be bothered to wash their face. Actually, the common wisdom is that the water in France was infamously harsh, so really out of necessity they needed an alternative. I prefer however to imagine Marlene Dietrich as the Laziest Girl In Town. Many people confuse this with makeup remover. Don't do that. This is not going to remove your water proof shellac. If you typically require an eye makeup remover, do not skip it. Micellar water simply replaces the step of water and cleanser in your routine. Which for some reason I cannot manage to do at night otherwise. I must have been a fabulous french woman in a past life.     Anyway, oil molecules (micelles) suspended in so...

Birthday No. 42, gulp. Products come and go.  Especially for a skincare/makeup obsessive like me.  Some products are so tried and true though I continue to use them regularly, if not daily.  I may cheat on them a bit now and then but I always return to products that work.  These are the absolute gold standard of my regime.  Follow the links to my original blog postings. Purity Made Simple Face Wash - Philosophy There simply is no better face wash.  It is gentle, dissolves makeup, and doesn't sting my eyes.  I buy 32 ounce sizes so that I never run out. Purity Made Simple Clarisonic Face Brush This brush is amazing.  It's worth the money.  Your skin just gets cleaner.  Your pores look better.  Just remember to REGULARLY replace that brush. Clarisonic UN-Wrinkle Peel Pads - Peter Thomas Roth I don't take the time to use these enough.  When I do though (and I always do), I s...

This is the best cleanser I have found.  It gently removes your makeup and deeply cleanses your skin.  I don't use makeup remover because this does the trick in one step.  Plus I don't get that tight, uncomfortable, dry feeling after I cleanse with Purity Made Simple.  I love it so much, I keep it in my shower and next to my bathroom sink so that I don't have to go hunting for it.  I recommend using this at night and an exfoliating cleanser in the morning.  An 8 oz. bottle of Purity Made Simple goes for about $20.  Philosophy Purity Made Simple 8 oz    

Verabella, a local Beverly Hills skin care studio, created this solid exfoliating cleanser.  It's gentle enough to use every day for most people.  Depending on how sensitive your skin is, you may want to alternate days.  What makes this so gentle however are the jojoba beads.  While I would never recommend ingesting hydrogenated oils (stay away from that!), these little hydrogenated jojoba beads are perfectly smooth and round, exactly what you want to look for in an exfoliating product.        I cannot stress enough how important regular exfoliation is to your skin.  There is seriously no point in putting expensive creams and masks on your face unless you have removed the dead skin.  The last thing you want to do is pay good money for good products that just sit on top of your face and never get absorbed.  Also, regular exfoliation stimulates the regeneration of your skin cells.  Allow me to stat...

During the years, I have repeatedly heard from doctors and friends alike about Purpose cleanser. I have used it many times and have no complaints. It does the job and it's very gentle. Save your money when it comes to cleanser and use this along with your more expensive serums and creams. At around $6 a pop you can't beat the price. Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash 6 fl oz (180 ml)