Forget Scott Disick cheating on Kourtney Kardashian. A worse betrayal is when your skin's been crystal clear all year (My skin ideal used to be Gwyneth Paltrow, but lately it's Cate Blanchett. Have you seen those SKII ads?) and then, it turns on you.

Yeah, so that happened...I woke up last week and my skin was all broken out, meanwhile Kourtney Kardashian's skin is looking crystal. Not to be a hater but WTF. Now I don't wanna point the finger, but I think it was the European skincare line that I just had to buy and try because it suddenly seemed like everyone on Instagram was using it. (Switching up your skincare too frequently is a potential recipe for complexion catastrophe.)

Besides adding a clay cleanser with zinc into my rotation - I like REN Clarifying Clay Cleanser. (It's organic and doesn't contain any parabens or mineral oil. Funny how so many products for oily or acne prone skin actually contain mineral oil, which is a pore clogger and serious precipitator of spots.) and cleaning my phone religiously. (In case you missed that email, your cell is dirtier than a public toilet.)

I also realized I needed a toner. Let me rephrase that - I realized I needed the right toner. That's where the Coffee + Tea Herbal Toner from Organical Botanical on Main St., EG comes in. I picked it up the other day, along with a Blemish Stick and Calendula Cream (highly recommend for its healing properties), after Tanya, the owner, recommended it. It's not loaded with alcohol. So no burning, stinging, or redness after applying. And it has COFFEE (You might already be aware that I'm borderline obsessed with anything and everything coffee.). Anyway, already seeing  an improvement after using it only a few times. Skin is looking way calmer.

**I used to think toners were BS, but a good one will not only smooth out and soothe your skin post cleanse, but also help maintain optimum PH levels which, in turn, helps protect against future pimples and bad skin days. 

Another thing I'm ramping up right now is the fresh juice. You can spend beaucoup bucks on skincare and facials, but if you don't eat (or drink) the right foods, you're still going to be severely disappointed with how your skin looks and feels. I'm a serious fan of 'the Alkalizer', a blend of apple, cucumber, ginger, lemon, and cayenne, (which I like to tell myself helps regulate the PH levels in my body...It certainly can't hurt, right?) at Wildflour in PVD. If I'm anywhere near EG, I'll also go to Raw Bob's for something similar. When I can't get to either, I'll grab a Blue Print Juice or something from my neighborhood Whole Foods. 

***Sure everyone's going to tell you to drink plenty of water, but if you also add in some fresh juice, you'll see a major difference in your skin in about a week or two.

Ciao for Now,

Patty J

Photo Credits: All photos by Ashley Farney.