Oh Kaye! Photography

Anytime I post a photo of myself, I get tons of emails and public messages asking me the same question. “What do you use to keep your skin so clear?” Well aside from that magical little spot healing brush in photoshop, I do have a solid skincare regimen that helps me keep breakouts at bay. I thought it might be fun to show everyone what I use morning and night to make sure my face is clean and clear of those pesky things we call blemishes.

Before I start, I have to say that this routine isn’t going to work for everyone. We all have different types of skin and not only that, but you have to keep diet, location, and amounts of stress in mind as well! I have normal skin, meaning its not super oily nor is it super dry. Its literally just regular. I tend to eat pretty healthy but I do give in easily to my weaknesses, like soda and chocolate. But I do always, always, always make sure to drink tons of water through out the day! Which is necessary for healthy skin and just being healthy in general. I do live in Florida where its sunny and humid much through out the year. So I try to stay away from greasy products and lean toward products with SPF. Honestly though, I suggest SPF to anyone and everyone. no matter location. And my stress levels are really minimal as a stay at home mom. At least for now, haha. If this sounds like you, then I am sure a routine like this will work out. If not, no worries, most skin care brands these days have products that cater specifically to every skin type! Mostly, the key to good skin is consistency! Anyway, lets get to the products shall we??

So I am sure a lot of you already know what that thing is. And for those of you that don’t, I am sure you are probably pretty freaked out right now, haha. This is a Clarisonic Mia. Its a facial brush that is great for daily gentle exfoliation and removing makeup at the end of the night. I cannot rave enough about this brush. From the first time I used it, it has worked out so well for me. Without much effort it clears our your pores and brightens your skin. It does work that your regular washcloth can’t. Now I realize that its kind of pricey (I paid $150 for mine a year ago, and now they are $100!!) but to me its 100% worth every penny and more! I have friends who had hesitated buying one for the longest time, but once they did, they wondered why they hadn’t sooner. Seriously do yourself a favor this Mother’s Day and pick one up. Or if its just not in the cards for you financially you can at least grab one of THESE. Its just a standard facial brush. It just lacks the sonic vibrations that the Clarisonic offers, but still gives you that gentle exfoliation. Your face will thank you! TIP: Don’t use any brush on your face when you are breaking out. All this will do is spread the bacteria to the rest of your face. No bueno.

This is the regimen that I use twice daily. Clinique Acne Solutions three step system. I don’t have acne, but I find that this trio really keeps any sort of breakout away. One pump of cleanser in the morning (two pumps at night) paired with my Clarisonic and all dirty and bacteria is gone. A cotton ball soaked with the clarifying lotion aka toner, helps with the ph balance of my skin. And just a teensy bit of the clearing moisturizer, I only use this at night since it tends to be slightly drying. In the mornings I replace my moisturizing step with Aveeno Smart Essentials with SPF 30, its a cream cleanser that is creamy but not greasy. It absorbs really well. You can get the Aveeno at any drug store for about $15. If you want to test out the Clinque 3 step system, you can buy a starter kit at Sephora. Its about $34 for the kit and comes with about 2 weeks worth of each product. If you decide you like it, you can buy each individual product for about $14-$18 a bottle. Which, btw, is NOT as expensive as most regimens come. Trust me, for a good while I was dropping $45 on a 1oz jar of moisturizer that wasn’t even working out for me. It really just depends if you think spending $$ on something like this is worth it for you. I have been using this regimen for over 6  months now and probably get one pimple every 2 months. MAYBE. I just adore it.

Lastly, these are two products that are more luxuries than necessities (though the flawless skin face polish is something I wouldn’t give up!!!). The micro/mini peel 3 step kit is exactly what it sounds like. Its just a mini version of an all natural microderm abrasion. It gently strips and peels away dead skin cells and refines pores. I’ve read that it burns but it has never hurt in my experience. After using this system, my skin feels smooth and my pores look and feel smaller. You can get the set at Sephora for $95. The second product shown is Laura Mercier’s flawless skin face polish. You can get it here for $30 a bottle. This bottle has lasted me 4 months now. I use this product in the mornings 3 mornings a week and its probably my favorite product out of everything I have listed so far! It buffs skin and softens it with emollients. I have tried out tons of defoliators, cheap and expensive alike. Not a single one has given me the results that Laura Mercier’s has. I also use her makeup primer and I am thinking about switching foundations as well. I love this product THAT much. Get yourself to Sephora and ask for a sample of this. You will be converted after your first use, I swear it.

So there it is, my daily routine and then some! Just remember that consistency is key, don’t touch your face unless you have washed your hands, and drink lots and lots of water. Hope you enjoyed this.

 

I am so all about balance. If I am wearing something that is bright, funky, or super textural/patterned I tend to dress down my accessories. Keep it simple. But if I am going for a comfortable, casual look, that is when I bust out all of my fun accessories! As a young mom that doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready most days, I usually live in jeans and tees. As much as I love to dress up and bust out my star outfits, 90% of the time I am throwing on cotton tees and my favorite denim. But hey, there is nothing wrong with that! Us moms (no matter the age) seriously can’t be expected to walk around in jazzed outfits 24/7. We make do with what we are handed and I pride myself in being able to turn my most basic jeans and tees into chic ensembles!

Today, I wore some dark wash jeggings and two layered tanks. It was a pretty lazy Sunday running errands with the family. Thus the skinnies and tank. Sounds pretty boring right? Well sure…alone they would be! But I decided to add my own little touch to this, ‘blank canvas,’ so to speak. I should have had my husband take some full body shots of my entire outfit :/ sorry! Its okay, I will show you all of the cute accessories I dressed myself up in!

I rarely wear these shoes. Only because they are so bold on their own. I mean how many people do you know that wear their Coach on their feet? But it does work so perfectly with plain neutral outfits. I got these as a Christmas gift about 5 years ago. I also threw on a vintage Paris scarf that I picked up when I was living in Seattle years ago. I actually have a small collection of these little vintage scarves. I used to work at a vintage boutique up there and became addicted. Under the scarf I wore a long chain necklace with a little whistle pendant and coral feather. I got this last week at American Eagle. The ring was a gift from my best friend last year, I believe she picked it up at Urban Outfitters. I just love love love quirky pieces of jewelry like these. Pretty much all of the jewelry I wear is something fun and quirky. The bottom photo on the right there is my phone, for those of you that couldn’t tellI just recently got this case and I am IN LOVE. With all of the phone case options out there, who says your phone can’t be an accessory?! I forget the website I ordered this from, but its just darling. Its a mint floral hard shell case. I find that my manicures look especially great with that minty color <3 Society6.com also has some really amazing cases. Be careful, you will get lost in that site and end up ordering like 3 cases. And lastly,

My hair! For those of you that know me personally, you would know that about a month ago…I DIY ombre’d my hair. And though it was lovely and fun, I didn’t ever feel like it was 100% ME. So last night I went ahead and colored it back to dark brown. No worries, I used a temporary dye to protect my hair from any further damage. But most importantly, your hair can be one of your biggest accessories! You wouldn’t walk around with a prom up do with your casual outfit. Just like you wouldn’t show up to a school or job interview with an untamed messy bun. So make sure your hair flows well with what you are wearing. And make sure that you feel comfortable with whatever you are wearing, trust me. With whatever accessories you wear, you want them to totally be YOU.

Well it has come to my attention that I have been neglecting my blog, severely! And for that, I apologize. To make it up to you, I am coming back to you with something super special, personal, and best of all recurring! Fashion and personal style has always been a big part of my life. I have admitted multiple times that I am addicted to clothing, shoes, and accessories. I blame my mother, she’d be proud to know that too. Ever since I can remember, she has dressed me up and our weekends were spent shopping the day away. Seriously, by the time I was in high school I had a pretty hefty stash of hand bags! And now, the obsession continues. My style plays such a huge role for me. It helps me not only show off my personality but it also reflects my mood for the day! I was really inspired to do something like this when I stumbled upon this adorable blog: Ellie and Rendard by Miss Sarah Waggoner. This girl is just absolutely quirky and chic! Her blog is frickin’ packed with awesome info and tons of photo eye candy! I hope that I can work my way up to be as neato as her!

So this is why I am starting up a fashion portion of my blog. This will be titled ‘Hair pins & Hemlines.’ I will post a few self portraits displaying my outfit of choice, maybe some hair and makeup shots, and probably 90% of the time I will show off my shoes! I am so excited to be doing this. I’d love to grow at taking creative self portraits. And offer a way for you guys to get to know me a little better! Lets get started shall we?! When trying to come up with a name for this feature, a friend of mine asked me how I would describe my style. This was my response, ‘feminine, casual, eclectic, trendy, and textural.’ I also told her that I really love unique accessories, like my vintage spoon ring and my shovel and bird hair pins. That was the moment the name Hair pins & Hemlines popped into my head. I suppose I do love some alliteration. I hope you all enjoy this first post and the many more I plan on doing from here on out!!

Skirt: Target, in stores now | Top: Old Navy, 2 years ago | Sandals: Target, in stores now (children’s section) | Ring: Etsy, Kimberlin Silver Co | Compass Necklace: AE, in stores now | Nail Polish: Revlon in ‘Minted’