I asked her what her secret was…. Good genes?  Foreign products made in silence by monks? Nope: “I scrub my face like crazy with a loofah every morning under the hot shower. Scrubbing dead skin away is the key!”

So I tried it. The results? Well, lets just say I didn’t feel like going out that night.  Not all of us have thick skin! But it got me thinking: there’s got to be a better way to shed the dead skin cells that are clogging my pores. And that’s when my desperate search to properly exfoliate my skin started!

Remember that whole at-home-microdermabrasion-craze? Sure, massaging my skin with pea-size beads made out of walnuts shells and ingredients I could not pronounce exfoliated dead skin. In fact, it exfoliated most of my skin away, leaving it blotchy, red and sensitized. NOT what I was looking for. Neither were all the scrubs, peels, serums and magic washcloths that followed: the chemicals in most of the products only managed to assault my skin, causing it to flare-up!

Little did I know that over-exfoliating, just like hard water, weather and pollution, is actually harmful to your skin. So what’s a girl to do?

Please meet Marie Louise’s Restoration Clear Gel. First of all and most important, this exfoliating gel is actually hydrating and nourishing, thanks to ingredients such as desalted deep sea water, glycerin and algae extracts, known to help the skin retain moisture.  It literally melts as your skin absorbs it, dry grains gently (and that’s the key word one should look for in all products) lifting away impurities and dead skin. Once they have ceased to appear and have been rinsed off with warm water you are left with a bright and pure complexion. Since it’s gentle enough, you can use it more often; this regular regimen will allow your skin to absorb all the benefits your moisturizers, masks and serums have to offer, thus making them more effective! It will also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles- after all, it’s no secret that the cleaner your skin is, the younger and healthier it looks!

Just remember: you shouldn’t need sandpaper to get results!

#47: Patience is a virtue. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to see results when starting a new skin care regimen. Stick with it.

#48: Refresh your skin with a luxurious toner like the Moistraiser a-VC nourishes and penetrates the skin to awaken it’s natural vitality.

#49: Don’t be afraid of oils in your skincare products! Coconut & jojoba for normal to oily skin. Olive & avocado for drier, mature skin.

4 Home Beauty Tips Using Epsom Salt: http://tinyurl.com/ykuwnzc

10 Best Budget Beauty Tips http://bit.ly/Snjgu

Surprise Beauty Tips from Your Bathroom (http://cli.gs/vynaN)

Can facial acupuncture reduce wrinkles?  http://bit.ly/3vN6f6

Great discussion on organic skincare http://tiny.cc/T2Ngp

#42: Apply a thin layer of  crème a-VC over face or target. Use a shower or steamer to stimulate perspiration for 10 minutes before rinsing = great mask.

#43: 44% of women are using 1-5 more skin care products than they did one year ago.

#44: When applying beauty products, finish by firmly pressing skin with the palms of your hands to promote absorption.

#45: Don’t want leathery skin? Lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by reducing exposure to the sun’s dangerous rays.

Thank you ShopEatSleep for the review:  http://ow.ly/tRAz

3 Essential Beauty Tips From A Pro Model: http://tinyurl.com/navxal

5 Beauty Mistakes That Makes You Look Old: http://bit.ly/rwKSB

What to do when “zit happens.”http://ow.ly/qeD1

#37: We’re adventurous but it IS better to understand ur skin type before trying products & recipes to avoid ending up with a blotchy, red face!

#38: One of the most important things is to start with a very clean base, use a good quality cleaner to remove any of your existing makeup.

#39: “Beauty isn’t worth thinking about; what’s important is your mind. You don’t want a $50 haircut on a 50-cent head.” Garrison Keillor

#40: For clear skin slice off the top of a strawberry, rub it on a just-clean face. Wait 10 minutes, then rinse.

I feel so lucky to be living in an age of advanced technology where experts and professionals come up with all types of products and advice to keep me looking beautiful.  One of my favorite beauty products ever invented is the blotting tissue which ranges from the traditional paper kind to the more recent film-like ones from the likes of Gatsby and Clean and Clear.  For many years now, this invention has kept my face shine-free throughout the day.

On my most recent trip to Japan in August, I discovered two new types of blotting tissue.  The one in the picture with the green packaging is supposed to blot up all your sweat and keep your pores very clean.  The one in the pink packaging is supposed to make your pores smaller.  So far, I have tried the pink one and have fallen totally in love with it.  It has a powdery film-like texture that makes my face shine-free and more even-toned.  I love how they added a sparkle to the product, so that my face actually brightens up in the afternoon when I use it.  I haven’t had a chance to try the green one yet but will let you guys know once I do.