Get Ready With Me: Date Night Facial Routine

As I have stated before, I don't date much. (see blog) (also see this blog)
That being said, when I do date, I take it pretty seriously. Especially the all important "First Date". I take pride in putting my best foot forward. I think to properly cleanse and ready yourself, including your face, your clothes, your hair, your scent, your breath, all shows that you respect the person you are meeting and respect the date itself. It shows that you are all in, even if you only make it through that one date. If it all falls apart, at least you can take pride in knowing that you showed your date the respect that you would hope to receive from them. I didn't mention behavior, because if you haven't gotten that under control by your mid-thirties, I don't know how this blog about a facial can help you.

Anyway, it's something I like to do. I enjoy being a girly girl, even if I don't get to relish in all the wonderful and fun things that that can entail as often as I would like. So, inspired by an adorable video tutorial I saw on YouTube entitled "Get Ready With Me! <3 My Bedtime Routine" by missglamorazzi, I decided to let you all watch my upbeat optimism give me an excuse to play with my face for a few extra minutes.

I started out by exfoliating and cleansing my face with some softened and crushed aspirin, ala the honey and aspirin facial. Only this time I didn't use honey. I just didn't want to add any more residue to be washed off today. All I did was take a few uncoated aspirin and add a few drops of water. Then you crush them up with a spoon.

Just the aspirin. It stayed on pretty well.

For those who don't know, aspirin contains salicylic asid, which is a main ingredient in acne treatments. Aspirin is also a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. And you can get some uncoated aspirin for about $0.88 a bottle at your local Walmart.

I left that on my face for about twenty minutes or so while I completed the next step, which was a coconut oil treatment on my hair. I had never done this one before, but I have read a lot of wonderful things about coconut oil. Apparently it's a multitasking miracle worker. You can cook with it, moisturize your skin and hair with it, remove eye makeup with it and do about a thousand other things. All of which I plan on trying out. Eventually.  

I got this jar of Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil at Walmart for about $10

When I first bought this jar, the oil inside was a coagulated solid. I guess you are supposed to scoop some out and heat it up. BUT, Texas weather in the summer being what it is, even inside the air-conditioned house, when I went into the cupboard to fetch it, it had already liquefied all by its widdle self. So I wrapped a towel around my neck and just started pouring the oil into my hair a section at a time. I worked it through to the tips of my hair, really saturating everything, and then twisted my hair into a makeshift bun. Then I placed a bag over my head to let it simmer a while.

As slick as a used car salesman.

So then I grab a fresh new razor and hop in the shower. 

Those of you who know me on Facebook know that I have recently become obsessed with obtaining a Clarisonic Mia 2.

How CUTE is this Peony color??

Everyone I talk to swears by them and does nothing but sing praises of it's cleansing power and ability to ward off wrinkles and such. But at $150, it's going to be a good long while before I snag one of these little beauties. Some of you may say, "$150! That's preposterous!" To that I say, maybe. But as one very wise hairdresser once said to me "People will spend $200 on an outfit or a pair of shoes, wear it once, and then retire it to the closet forever but skimp on hair and face care. You wear your face everyday! And it's the only one you get. Spend your money wisely." Wiser words had never been spoken to me. I am guilty of skimping on my hair, especially lately, with disastrous results. (Check back later for a blog on how I accidentally ombre'd my hair. *eye roll* That little mishap has left my hair uncharacteristically dry and yuck feeling. My hair is normally smooth and soft, so this depleted, juiceless hair is really pissing me off.)

But until I've got an extra $150 hanging out in my pocket, I picked up the "poor man's Clarisonic" from the dollar store. It's just a little non-fancy face brush. But it's gonna have to get the job done for now. I used it along with some Olay Foaming Face Wash. 

Olay Face Wash about $5 from Walmart
"Klarisonik" face brush - $0.99 from the $0.99 store.

As you can see, it doesn't really foam. Even when I don't use the brush.
I wouldn't really recommend this. I'll be moving on a different product once I finish this off.

Washed my face. Washed my hair. Shaved my legs. Got out. Wrapped my hair in a soft t-shirt, which I have heard is much better for your hair than wrapping it in a towel. Unless you have a microfiber towel. Then that's cool too.

Once out of the shower I used some toner on my face and neck. The exact difference between toner and astringent continues to baffle me. But from my reading, I see that adding toner after washing your face can help to remove any excess face wash and balance out your skin and close your pores and yadda yadda yadda. Whatever it does, everyone says that you need some. 

The next step was to steam my pores with some chamomile tea infused water. Chamomile tea, like the almighty coconut oil, has many health benefits. Some of which are reducing swelling and fighting bacteria. 

Camped out over a boiling pot of tea.

Right about now I wanted to die. I was already hot from showering (even after a cold shower, I am hot. Always) and now I've just spent five minutes with my face over a boiling pot of water. I needed to go take a little break and lay out under my ceiling fan. 

post steam cleaning 

Now I apply a clay based mask. I chose Freeman Facial Clay Mask with Avocado and Oatmeal (about $4 at Walmart). Mostly because that was the only mask I could find that had the word "clay" in the title. Clay masks are said to be useful at sucking dirt right out of your face. I've used this a few times now. I can't really tell if it makes any difference, but I like using it. It feels neat and I'm sure it's helping to keep me clean. You apply it and wait a few minutes until it dries up, then rinse off with warm water. 

My face was dried up, it was too hard to smile.
Had a little spot on my chest that I wanted to take care of while I was at it. 

All cleaned up. I've got a few nice blemishes peaking out there.
Thanks guys, I was worried you wouldn't show up for my date. 

Okay, I seem to be having trouble with my photos once they're uploaded. They look like they're a little glossy and photoshopped, but I swear this is not the case. They're doing it by themselves. My honest intention with this is to show you real results, and my photos do not seem to agree with me today. 

Anyway, with my face all spiffed up and ready for a night on the town, I turned my attention to re-polishing my nails. 

I chose Sinful Colors #113 Dream On, which is WAY prettier in real life than I can capture with my camera phone. Highly recommend this color, which I got for $1.98 at Walmart. You can find it here on Amazon, but for five stinking dollars. 

After all of that, I was so into getting ready for this date that I FORGOT to take pictures of my makeup or my outfit. *forehead slap* But at any rate, I am happy to report that the date went well. He was very cute and talkative, but in a good way. He was polite enough to ask me about myself and actually listen when I spoke. Which is a vast improvement over some of my past experiences. Lest we forget this guy. 

All of this prepping took a while, but I honestly enjoyed it. As I've said before, it's good for us ladies to take care of ourselves. And I really delight in indulging my girly girl side. I swear every time I get ready for a date, I sing at least one of the following songs. 

 

That's all for now, my gal pals. I leave you with this positive affirmation and wish you a happy day and a life blessed with love. And remember, it's your face. Have fun with it!