The Regimen created for me by a Celebrity Skin Care Expert

My skin care journey is still going strong. Thanks to the fermented cod liver oil and increased water intake, I'm seeing some real improvement.  One sure sign of progress is that I didn't have to make my regular appointment for a corrective facial during my recent visit to Beverly Hills.

Since early this year, I've made several appointments to Lady Dee's skin care spa. This woman specializes in creating the flawless faces of many African American stars and starlets.   Many of whom are known for having amazing skin.  Her facials and products were divine and I have no doubt that, if I lived in L.A., I would proudly flaunt the flawless skin of so many of her clients.  Maybe one day soon I'll do one of her infamous peels and finally rid myself of these ancient acne scars but, in the mean time, I stumbled upon a gem that just might make my skin's dreams come true.

While rummaging through some of my old stuff, I found a copy of a taylor made skin care regimen created by Lady Dee herself.  It's very detailed and I'm sure that if I follow this regularly, my skin will look phenomenal. You lucky devils will be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of this regimen for yourselves.   Remember that some of the recommendations are relevant to the skin issues I was dealing with and, may or may not, work for you.  So here we go!

***my notes and commentary are are captured in "blue."***

Morning Wash Routine:

• Wet face and wash with Lexus Soap (a brand she recommended for my face).  
• Rinse well and pat face dry. Both Lady Dee and her assistant warned me not to dry my face with a towel but to use a paper towel instead or allow my skin to air dry.
• Once face is dry, glide an ice cube over my face and neck.  (I definitely need to do this for days when I don't feel like taking a cold shower).  Use fast strokes to avoid burning.  Pat dry with tissue. 
• Dampen a cotton ball with toner and wipe over face, neck and upper chest area. (I tone with apple cider vinegar to manage my dermatitis flare-ups)
• Apply Active Serum to skin.  (I'm using a vitamin C serum for this step).
• Apply dime size amount of face cream (with kojic acid and lactic acid). Massage into face for 10 minutes. (I definitely need to invest more time in massaging products into my face. That will also bring blood flow to the skin and create a healthier, toned look overall). 
• Apply sunscreen to face and neck (I always forget to apply sunscreen to my neck).

Night Time Routine:

• Cleanse with Lexus soap and mixed with a tiny bit of exfoliant scrub. (Will use Fresh Sugar Face polish since it's so gentle and doesn't over dry my skin).
• Glide ice cube over face and neck.  Throw away remaining ice cube and pat face dry.  (the ice cube closes pores and tightens the skin)
• Apply spot treatment lotion. Massage gently for 10 minutes. This is where I apply a face cream that has the ability to fade discolorations over time.
• Apply acne medication. Massage into face for 60 seconds. The only effective acne treatment that I've used to date is the fermented cod liver oil on my breakouts directly.  Stinks, but it works. 
• Leave on all night.

Mask Routine: (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday)

• Follow the Mask Routine 3x/week instead of the night routine.
• Cleanse face with facial scrub.
• Apply clay mask evenly all over face. Leave on for 30 minutes
• Ice cube
• Apply spot treatment lotion and acne medication.

Daily Routine: 

• Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily!!!! (she even included the extra exclamation points in the instructions).  
• Take 1 Multi-Vitamin.
• Take a dropper of liquid vitamin A under tongue morning and night. (Fermented cod liver oil has my back on this one.  It contains an all natural, raw form of vitamin A readily absorbable by the body. That's probably why it's been so effective with my breakouts).  

Lady Dee once said to me that her role in my skin care is the same as the dentist's.  Yes, she can perform deep cleanings for me but she can't work her magic unless I was "brushing and flossing" consistently.  She meant that I'm supposed to maintain a great skin care routine in between our visits which is why she gave me this regimen.  I have to confess that I've not followed her sound advice.  Good thing that she was gracious enough to put it all in writing for me.  Now I can put it all into practice so I can fulfill my intention of not just having clear skin, but having skin that looks well taken care of.  I want to be one of those women who looks like she invests a lot of time and focus into the health of her skin.  In order to get there, I have to be diligent.  

I pretty much have everything I need to get this routine going with the exception of a face cream that treats my hyper-pigmentation.  Once I have that, I'm set.  I'm researching a few on Amazon that I'd like to try out.  I'm kicking off this regimen officially today and will make it a part of my everyday.  The one thing I'll do that's not included in this regimen is use my Clarisonic.  Another esthetician recommended that I use it daily, but for some reason, Lady Dee didn't think it was a good idea to use that often (that might have to do with the fact that she already incorporates regular exfoliation in the mask routine)..  My skin is pretty used to cleansing with the Clarisonic regularly so I see no harm in using daily. (although I may adjust the amount of exfoliation I do weekly depending on how my skin handles it).  Another recommendation from Lady Dee was to touch my face only twice a day. During the morning routine and during the nightly routine.  Otherwise, I should keep my hands away from my face.  Little does she know that I'm constantly touching my face. It's worse than my hands in hair disease.  I've got to break that habit starting now.  

Here's to flawless skin in 2013!  Thank you Lady Dee!