Greetings and salutations!

If you read part one of this blog, you probably know why I am posting this part two.

Essentially, I had several people reach out about how to make this happen, and I want to follow up with everyone and offer some super great ways to start living the life you want in the future, now.

Or, to put it another way, how to trick the future into being the present.

So, one of the things I mentioned was if you want to be the kind of person who takes care of their skin in the future, start doing that now.

I mentioned that you can always use inexpensive products, but I didn’t exactly give you any product ideas, recommendations, or even solutions for your various skin care desires.

Which sucks, because I am trying to build this little family, and it isn’t just about y’all reading my writing…It is also about me taking any and all advice I have or can research and providing to you in a easy and enjoyable to read way. For your information and ease, I went to a local Walmart, as that store seems to be nearly everywhere world wide, for a cheap price. Some products are cheaper or more expensive depending on where you live and shop, but you can see prices of many of the products in the pictures, as I took them in store, to try and help as much as possible with helping you find the right product.

So, how about we get into how to have great skin care, even on a tight budget.

First, some basics. The base of all skin care routines is: Cleanse, tone, moisturize.

I have always followed this, and a few other key tips, and as I have gotten older, I have refined my skills and knowledge base.

First, a decent cleanser. Do this once in the morning once in the evening. I can go on for days about kinds of cleansing, double cleansing, using miccelar water instead of a cleanser in the morning…But for now, let’s leave it at this: A cleaning cleanser.

Biore has a nice charcoal one that I find delightful. CeraVe has one that is on par with fancier cleanser’s.

When I was younger my mom sold Mary Kay and I used the Velocity cleanser (and the lightweight moisturizer and yes, even the perfume. I LOVED that line.)

Neutrogena was always a bit rougher than I ever needed, but I have had lots of friends who loved it. I also love the regular and generic version of their makeup wipes, so, they definitely make the list.

I currently use a double cleansing in the evening system and rotate which cleansers I use, but at the time I tend to use Miccellar water to remove eye makeup, or a makeup removing wipe, or a melt-away cleansing balm, like my personal favorite one from Farmacy.

If you have the room in your budget for a makeup remover, get Miccellar water. It can remove waterproof makeup and eyeliner, isn’t harsh at all, is safe for around eyes, and it removes stuff from your skin without tripping your own natural oils and sebum.

Fun fact, many times oily skin is oily because the skin thinks it needs more oil, and produces more, so if you don’t strip your skin of all the oils, or replenish the ones you strip, you can actually reduce your oily skin problem.

So, if you don’t have room for miccelar water, no big deal, because if you can’t afford that, you likely aren’t wearing makeup either due to budget costs, and it isn’t a big issue.

(See what I did there? Yes, I know some people may hate that I say this but if you can’t afford skin care products you shouldn’t waste money on makeup either.)

Cleanser. Even a cheaper one, will do wonders. CeraVe, Biore, Nuetrogena, all have WONDERFUL discount products. Simple, Clean and Clear also work well. Tons of choices, some are vegan, some for sensitive skin, some for dry or oily…There is a product out there for you that isn’t expensive.

The way you use this cleanser also matters, but without going into a long rant i will say, try putting the cleanser directly on your face, work it into your skin for a few moments, and then suds it up with water before rinsing. This allows your skin to actually get the good stuff from the cleanser, the various ingredients that help make the cleanser work its magic on your skin.

After you have washed your skin, use a toner.

Lately, I have been experimenting with just patting toner onto my face, instead of putting it on a cotton round and smearing it on my skin that way.

I am undecided as to which I like better, but I have found patting it on to be just as useful for getting the good ingredients in the toner on my skin, and if you are cleansing properly, you don’t need to use your toner to “deep clean” your skin.

What toners, you ask?

I actually get VERY indulgent with my toners, spending 10-30 bucks a bottle. You don’t need to be like me.

Witch hazel, namely, Thayers, is a staple for everyone, and I find nearly everyone has great results with it.

Neutrogena has one that feels more like an astringent for me, but again, I find Neutrogena to be a very “deep” digging product that may be too much for dry or sensitive skin.

No money for a toner? That’s fine. Check this out: You probably have what you need in your house right now to make your own damn toner, screw the store, and screw people standing in the way of the cool toner I wanted to look at that looked like it may have lavender in it. Vinegar.

Using vinegar as a skin toner is historical: Helen of Troy used it, and it’s just as effective today as it was then when her gorgeously well maintained face supposedly started a crazy ass war. You likely already have the toner you need, in your home, if not, you can buy a thing of vinegar, to get your own, for cheap. After you wash your face, mix one tablespoon apple cider vinegar with two cups water as a finishing rinse to cleanse and tighten your skin.

Those same ingredients can be mixed in different ratios and create a bit of a “mask”- simply take 1/4 of a cup of cider with 1/4 cup of preferably filtered) water. Gently apply this solution, and let it dry. This method, to me, is the same as patting on a toner, so I would suggest simply using the toner recipe, applying it, and while it dries, continuing to read for more DIY masks with stuff in your house.

After I let the toner dry for a few seconds, my routine depends largely on the day and my skin’s needs. This assessment comes from years of focusing on my skin and no single blog can help you with that, but this blog post can help you get started. So, if i am not masking, I toss on some moisturizer.

However, my routine is so rarely done after toning, so lets get into some budget friendly awesome things we can do for our skin.

Cheap masks. They do exist. I am actually starting to review more skin masks, since damn I do use them every damn night, and I am intentionally reviewing some of the more inexpensive ones first, to give options quickly- By the time this blog drops, my Hemp Rose Gold mask by “Uncle Bud’s” review should be published.

But I actually have researched some amazing DIY masks that should be incredibly affordable, and you may even have the stuff around your house. I have included some I have tried, because they work for my skin, and kinds that I haven’t used because they aren’t right for my skin, but are well reviewed and verified by other blogger type people, and in some cases, dermatologists.

The easiest, and one of my absolute FAVORITES, is the SINGLE item mask.

Do you want to take LITERALLY one thing that is either already in your kitchen, or incredibly cheap in the produce section, and make a super great mask that not only provides intense hydration but also provides some tightening and smoothing properties to your face while minimizing any dark spots…hello anti aging.

A banana.

Smash up that banana, put the stuff on your skin, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, and rinse off with cool water.

For bonus points, you can also mix in yogurt or honey, (or use yogurt and honey by themselves, I’ve also done that) to get some hydrating and tightening powers, and the honey helps fight acne too!

Have any powdered milk? Mix with (preferably filtered) water and make it into a paste. Put this paste on your skin and let it set till dry, then rinse off. Hello moisture and vitamins!

For a refreshing homemade face mask, maybe while you get ready in the morning for my people with multi mask goals- mix one teaspoon plain yogurt with juice from about 1/4 slice of orange, some of the orange pulp, and one teaspoon aloe. Leave the mixture on your face for at least five minutes before rinsing it off. Quick, easy, wakes you and your skin up. Masks aren’t just for the evening time!

“Actually, Orange isn’t my preferred citrus, so I don’t have it in the fridge.”

How about Lemon?

Lemons contain AHAs and BHAs, which are two types of hydroxy acid that remove dead skin cells and help clear up blackheads, acne, and discoloration. These are frequently found in cleansers and toners for acne skin, and frequently found in better exfoliatants. Create a homemade face mask and skip paying big money for one of those chemical exfoliants by mixing the juice from one lemon with 1/4 cup olive oil, coconut oil, or sweet almond oil. Or mix the juice of 1/2 lemon with a tablespoon of honey- This is the first version of this mask I heard of, and I have done the lemon juice and honey before. It worked wonderfully! Apply to your face, wait a good 15-20 minutes, and rinse off with warm water.

With how sticky honey can be, I highly suggest the warm washcloth first, then a water rinse.

How about something…a bit more? Something that really packs a healthy punch.

I thought you’d never ask.

Take some hot, but please not boiling, water, 1/2 cup. Grab some oatmeal- no, not a packet full of seasoning, some plain ole oatmeal- 1/3 cup. After the warm water and oatmeal have settled into…well, you know, oatmeal, add in 2 tablespoons of plain old yogurt, two tablespoons of the mighty healing agent known as honey, and one small egg white.

These ingredients together (if they have no allergies for you) is like a SUPER MASK for your face. All these ingredients, individually do some magic for your skin (and insides) but when mixed together become a crazy powerful mask of awesome.

Apply a thin layer of this mask to your face, and let this super food mask sit for about 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. As you may recall or know from mask review blogs, I like to rinse masks off with a warm washcloth, and with the larger chunks of oatmeal that are in this mask, I would suggest it, so you can chunk those in the garbage, and not risk them clogging your drain and creating plumbing problems.

This mask is calming and soothing, it fights inflammation, it treats dry skin, helps with acne….Oatmeal is a wonder food….Just like the banana, and honey…which all go into this mask, with some awesome tightening properties from the egg white too! This is a great all natural mask, and I highly suggest everyone give this one a try. Even if you have to buy the supplies to make it you will have SO MUCH mask, and you can reconfigure the ingredients for other masks too. Plus…you know…eating.

Yes, I wasn’t kidding when I said if you want to have good skin now, take care of it now…You CAN have better skin.

Already have skin you like? Cool. Taking time to care for your skin now will keep it healthy.

Skin care is self care, but not the self care that ultimately hurts us, like eating poorly or binging a show. No, this is a way to really treat yourself, and actually help yourself.

“Abbi, I really don’t have much in my fridge, and I can’t go to the store right now.”

“Okay, cool keep reading. Do you have any condiments in your fridge?”

Mayo mask.

So, I hate mayo, but, it does work for a mask, in a pinch.

Remove mayo from fridge, gently apply to your face, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Rinse off with cool water. (I personally highly suggest the warm washcloth method, and then a cool water rinse, as this is a heavy fatty mask)

Plain Yogurt? Same thing. Add honey if you have it. Yogurt is great for moisture and tighetning. I find it is also good for helping skin recover from environmental stresses like pollution and sun.

“Okay, that’s nice Abbi but what if I don’t even have that in my fridge, all I have is some take out condiment packets?”

“How about…Mustard?”

Mustard seeds contain bacteria-fighting sulphur, so this mask is especially good for skin sensitivity, acne, and inflammation. Sulphur is being used in skin care everywhere now as one of the trendy ingredients of the week. Pat your face with mild yellow mustard for a bracing facial that will soothe and stimulate your skin. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Be sure to try this on a small test area of your skin, like the under part of your arm, first to make sure it won’t irritate your skin.

And egg, alone, can also make a great mask. For dry skin, beat the yolk, for oily skin, the white, for combo, the entire egg, and let the egg sit on your face for 30 minutes. Wash off, and enjoy the amazing skin revealed.

I could go on for days, but I think I have given you a nice basis for what kind of masks can be made from your kitchen….

While I have you, let’s talk about a nice scrub you can use for your skin, face, hands, everywhere.

My coworker, Sunya, actually just came by my desk and gave me some, which was the most perfect timing ever.

Take some sugar.

Grab your preferred oil, I like coconut for skin and teeth.

Essential oils you like.

Mix that shit together, creating a delightful scrub. I don’t give ratios, because the final product depends on you. Do you prefer a dryer scrub to exfoliate, or a moisterizing scrub? That will decide how much oil you want. If you make too much, don’t worry, you didn’t really make too much. Toss the extra in a container and keep for later or give to a friend.

The reason I have some is Sunya made some for Robin, and there was some left over. You can always save your extra for yourself or give it away to someone you want to be pampered…

Because this scrub will be a game changer for your skin. It exfoliates and actually moisturizes at the same time, while also treating your skin. Rub it all over, wherever you want to exfoliate and moisturize, and rinse off. Reveal the skin you have always wished for.

This is also gentle enough to use when you wash your hands. I keep this by my sink so if I am washing my hands a lot, like when I clean or cook, I can give my hands a little treat and keep them from getting into bad shape.

I know this is a ton of information, but I had several different types of people message me about this blog, asking for follow up information, and I REALLY do believe that we can all trick the future we want to exist to happen now, in the present, just by actively working towards those goals, by doing the things you will do when that time comes.

If, in the future, you see yourself as someone with great clean skin who has an awesome skin care routine…You absolutely shouldn’t wait until you have the money for expensive products…You should learn what your skin needs now, and get in good skin care habits now, so when you DO have those nicer products, you can know how to properly use them.

Why have a jade roller if you use it over your cleanser that you apply like a mask once a week?

That wouldn’t make any damn sense. I do want a jade roller though.

Why worry about treating sun spotted skin in the future with expensive products when you can get in the habit of using a day cream with at least an SPF30, to prevent and minimize the impact of our harsh sun.

Why try and treat oily skin with expensive (and bad for the environment) blotting papers, that you can’t afford now… Why not treat the cause of the oily skin now, to just have good skin.

Besides, you may find these masks work better than the costly ones, and you can be literally saving your future self tons of money.

Or, maybe you will at least know what to do with that one last banana that is too ripe to eat but isn’t enough to make banana bread out of.

Okay, so now that you have masked, lets moisterize.

Inexpensive, but pack a BIG punch day and night creams.

First, CereaVe is a constant for inexpensive skin care that is actually really close to the better nice expensive stuff.

I love just about all of the CeraVe line- I use the day cream with SPF 30 every single day, because I can’t really afford to use the Murad environmental shield I would like to use.

CeraVe actually helps rebuild the moisture barrier which all of us need help with, and it has a real effectiveness that I have seen day in and day out, and everyone I have seen use it have had delightful results.

It’s affordable and packs a big punch. I used to use the Simple day and night cream, the simple was so affordable for a good SPF day cream that I was able to use it for my arms in a pinch too.

Whatever you use, make sure the day time one has an SPF, and the night time one doesn’t.

If you can’t find a day cream with SPF you like, cool, no big deal, but MAKE SURE you add an SPF.

I once read that if you can do nothing else for your skin at night, at least moisturize it.

(If you wear makeup, get a moisturizing cleansing wipe and get that crap off your skin. Do not sleep in make up, it is not doing you any favors. Skin care, skin care is the thing that does you favors.)

“But Abbi, I don’t want to be seen without makeup, so I sleep in my makeup so my bed partner doesn’t see.”

“First of all, anyone sharing your bed should be able to handle you without a face of makeup. Second of all, the way you are able to wear a naked face, free of makeup, with pride, is by taking care of your skin. Wash your make up off, moisturize your skin, drink some water and get some rest. Your skin will thank you.

So, we have discussed some affordable skin care options. Keep in mind Tea Tree oil is also great for fighting inflammation and clearing out acne- think of this as a spot treatment.

Add parts of your skin routine to your budget as money allows. I would add miccelar water for makeup removal, also if you have dry skin, it may work better for you to use this to cleanse in the morning, over a more intense cleanser. This change alone was a major victory for my skin.

Add a serum, which is highly concentrated so you use very little per use, when your budget allows. These can be harder to find on discount, or in drug/grocery stores. I personally just make sure to add on a serum as needed to my monthly Ipsy bag. Ipsy has add-ons, and also is so personalized I frequently get some around when I need it. If I find a favorite I end up buying more than once, I am SURE I will blog about it’s discovery.

Ipsy has been a game changer for me. Getting five products to try out, review if I want, and resupply in some cases, keeps me on top of new products and skin care that is hitting the market. In the pictures, you will see two serums. I am using the Private Doctor by ID Hospital (seen above) in the evening, and the other, the DERMA-E, (Seen below) during the day. I have also used the DERMA-E at night.

Make sure anytime you use vitamin C, you use SPF before going outside…

But you don’t need that warning, right? You listened to me earlier about the importance of having some SPF…so this is just me repeating this while you nod, knowingly, because OF COURSE you will use SPF EVERY DAY.

Please. Please protect your skin.

Okay, so, it is safe to say, we have thoroughly discussed how to care for your skin now, so you can act like day one of your “come up to success” is happening today, to continue this idea of making the future we want, happen today.

Let’s talk about the rest of what I discussed, shall we?

(Yes, I know we talked about skin care for a while, but at least half of the people who reached out to me about that blog mentioned the skin care part being hard to figure out, and hard to afford before said success, so I wanted to help those people.)

So, in the future, you see yourself as a healthy person? Maybe one who is hydrated?

I am sure I don’t need to tell you all about how great water is for you, but for a quick run down, water helps control cravings and appetite, and, to be honest, most of the time our feelings of unwell, unrest, or fatigue, are due to dehydration.

Headache, stomachache, muscle aches, fatigue, bad mood, hunger…Drink water.

Got a problem? Water.

I prefer filtered water, but drink water. Drink water all day, don’t just wait till the evening to chug a bottle.

I aim for 100 ounces of water a day, spread out over the day. Grab a reusable bottle, or one that tracks your intake. There are also water tracking apps for free, and many come already installed on phones. Use these apps, set hydration goals, and knock those goals out of the park.

Okay, so in the future do you see yourself as a person who works out?

Well, I did too. But I hate people and don’t like leaving my house to work out…I know myself well enough to know that I won’t do it.

So, I bought a stationary bike for less then most gyms start up costs end up being. (Real talk, most gyms may claim to be 10-20 a month but had crazy membership and joining fees, or the lower fee doesn’t cover ANY of the crap you want). I mainly wanted to add cardio to my daily workout, so a stationary bike was perfect. I was able to find this one for less than $100.00, and it was delivered to my door, up the stairs for me. Took me less than 20 minutes to put together, including smoking a bowl during the process.

Now, I can pull out my stationary bike, and as any frequent readers of the blog will tell you, I can update the blog, catch up on social media, whatever, while I get my work out in.

I can also veg out and watch TV, without feeling like a lazy bones, because I am working out.

I also want to be someone who does yoga every morning.

If you follow the blog you know I have failed at this the most.

Like seriously. I want it so bad and I keep not doing it. It may be time to reassess where i would like my yoga time to fall in the day, As I mentioned, part of doing these habits now is to learn what does and doesn’t work for you while you are still learning the habits, to build the proper habits for your future.

But, if you want to do yoga, there ARE tons of resources for you. You don’t need a mat, you can use a towel.

You don’t need cute clothing, you can wear whatever ratty clothing you clean in. Hit a thrift store if you want some yoga leggings.

Or any of the resale sites that have them, like relovv, Mercari, eBay and Poshmark.

If you want to live in a super cute place in the future, start working on your place now. I won’t go into details here, because I am working on another blog about this, (and hell maybe this blog is going to turn into a series) but, it is amazing what 50 bucks can do to a room. Even some paint and new hardware on cabinets can change a kitchen or a bathroom. New linens add even more, and can jazz up a bedroom.

Don’t be afraid to make that future happen now with small changes. When you make these changes it forces you as a person to take yourself more seriously, while also propelling you to the success you seek.

This is right past manifestation and basically means one thing…

We are making our future happen, right now.

Now, if you don’t know what you want your life to look like, I have tips for you too.

Get a piece of paper, a note card, a poster board, whatever, and write down some ideas of what you want your life to look like.

If words fail you, open a magazine or two and take out images that appeal to you until you create a vision. Get those juices flowing and dream as big as you want to.

Think about your job, not just the money you want to make, but the job you want to spend every day doing.

Think about what the financial success means to you- do you want to be able to pay your bills, go out once or twice a month, and smoke a little weed? Do you want to drive luxury cars, with the newest phone, going on epic vacations every day? Imagine the house you want to live in. Cute studio apartment in the city? Maybe more of a condo or townhouse? You more of a house in the burbs kind of person? Large kitchen? Marble tiles? Wood floors? Two bathrooms? Yard? Pool? Gym?

Do you see yourself as a work out person, someone who spends an hour a day working out?

Do you want to eat healthy, eat crap, cook for yourself, have a chef, eat take out…

What kind of clothing do you want? What image do you want to present every day? What kind of life do you want to lead?

Start writing all of these things down, and then tackle what you can. This is where the last blog comes in.

I understand this has been a longer blog so I’m going to wrap this up, but I do think I may end up posting another blog, related to this one, with some more affordable beauty products and DIY methods of making the nice future you want, happen now.

Remember, act as if every day is day one of your come up to success, because it is.

You are awesome.

❤

Abbi