Hello! SKIN, SKIN, SKIN. It’s SO in and you know I’m all about taking the best possible care of my skin especially if you follow along on IG Stories.

One product in particular seems to have a really mystifying identity: toners. I didn’t really ‘get it’ until recently myself. However they really are a crucial part of taking care of your skin.

Before, I thought of toner as being super astringent and harsh because that’s how I recall it being back in the day, like when I was 14. Do you guys remember those toners?

The game has changed in a BIG way since then, and now toners are made for every skin type without drying alcohol and stinging ingredients. So, what is it?

To put it simply, toner looks like water and acts like water. But it’s not water. Depending on the toner, it also can contain acids, glycerin, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories.

“If you want to talk science, a toner is a fast-penetrating liquid that delivers skin a quick hit of hydration and helps remove some dead cells off the surface of the skin. The result: plump, glowy skin. On a makeup-related note, toner is like a primer for the rest of your skincare routine like serums and moisturizer.” {source}

Here’s what toners can do for your skin:

Sops up every last speck of makeup

Toners were initially created to help as an extra step cleaning your face, AKA getting all the shit that might be left on your skin after cleansing. And it’s true: when I use toner, I can see grime on the cotton ball I use just about every time.

It removes excess oil, which leads to less acne

Toners are notorious for removing excess oil, which is what clogs pores and causes blackheads in the first place. If you have oily or acne prone skin, try a toner with glycolic acid or “If you have acne or oil-prone skin, look for a toner that contains glycolic acid or salicylic acid, as it will cut down on oil and shine. {source}

Adds hydration to your skin

Toner serves as the perfect base for oils and moisturizers in addition to cleaning your face. It also restores the pH balance to your skin which equals glowy-ness.

Ok, so here’s when and how I use toner: I use it every single morning before I use anything else on my face. I do not use a cleanser on my face in the morning because I find that they’re too drying to use twice a day…so I only use cleansers at night (I double cleanse). I pack on all of my oils and moisturizers at night after I’ve cleansed, and then in the morning I do a swipe all over my face and neck with Pacifica’s Toner, which is provides a gentle clean to my face and serves as a hydrating base for my AM skincare and then makeup.

xo, Lynn

When I think of bright, white eyes, I always think of that Ben Stein Clear Eyes commercial where he goes, “for dry eyes, use Clear Eyes”. LOL.

Anyway, I have THE solution for you if you want to get sparkly, BIG, shimmering eyes with minimal makeup. It involves Lumify eyedrops – these are seriously the best, they last for 8 hours and make your eyes WHITE. Very white. Jeff and I both used these drops on our wedding day and our eyes were white all day and night.

Next up is shimmer powder. Specifically NYX Shimmer Powder in Platinum. It really makes the whites of your eyes POP. It also helps to contour around your nose and eye area – I’m all for a good contour especially when it requires minimal makeup.

Get the deets on my full eye routine in my new YouTube video:

Calling all who have dry hair! BECAUSE I have the best DIY treatment for your hair!

In junior high and high school, I was on the swim team and that meant that my hair was always dry due to the chlorine. I would buy those little plastic packs of hot oil treatments at the drugstore…I’m honestly not sure what they’re called but I doubt they’re ‘clean’, as in no shitty chemicals.

It had been YEARS since I’d done a hot oil treatment on my hair, and one day I had the bright idea to give it a go myself. I did a bunch of research on the best kind of oil to use for an at-home hot oil treatment, and coconut oil was the winner because it can penetrate the hair shaft.

Let’s get into the sciency part a bit:

All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first is based on saturation which many of you have probably heard of. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.

Another system of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

The main fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid. In fact it’s about 44-52% lauric acid. What’s so special about this fatty acid? It has an affinity for hair proteins. This means that lauric acid LOVES, LOVES, LOVES hair protein. It has a low molecular weight and straight chained structure. This means that it can penetrate INTO the hair shaft. {source}

Let’s get into the benefits of using a coconut oil treatment:

1- It penetrates your hair’s shaft, in addition to sealing the surface: most oils seal the surface, but fail to moisturize your hair’s shaft. Coconut oil has low molecular weight that nourishes your hair from within (as seen above).

2- It softens dry hair: a little coconut oil is used as “silicone” to soften and remove the frizz without weighing it down.

3- It seals scales: coconut oil covers your hair with a protective layer that fights static.

4- It increases shine due to the large amount of fatty acids, it rebuilds and strengthens your hair to help fight damage caused by external agents.

5- It improves hair growth and the secret is to use it every week. Apply coconut oil by massaging it into you scalp and leave it on for about half an hour.

6- It is good for all hair types. It hydrates and nourishes dry and chemically treated hair, and also regulates your hair’s oil and pH.

8- It is antibacterial and antifungal, which means that it helps treat dandruff and seborrhea.

9- It is rich in essential nutrients for healthy growth such as vitamins E, K and iron.

10- It is easy to find in stores and is affordable.

{source}

Here’s my step-by-step process: