What Healthy Means to Me

This is a repost from a few years ago. I thought it needed to be said again! XO My blog title is "Color Me Healthy". When you read that and see that I have Cystic Fibrosis, have had two organ transplants, and the various problems that go with those two, I'm sure you automatically think "Color Me Healthy" is referring to my physical health. That's only part of it. To me, health refers to the physical, the spiritual, and the mental. It not only means taking my medicine and complying with my doctor's orders, but it means feeling good about myself when I look in the mirror, feeling good about choices I make, and being happy and feeling at peace in life. I have never wanted to look sick. I can only remember a few times that I didn't at least fix my hair before going into the hospital. I remember my lung transplant pulmonologist coming into the room a week or so after my lung transplant and saying... "Well, I'm glad you FINALLY look sick." LOL. I always thought if I kept the outside looking "healthy", then that would help the inside. It has in a way, because it helps my attitude and outlook on life, and we all know that attitude goes a long way. There is another blog that I visit where a chat is taking place soon to tell others why you named your blog what you did. We are always working toward bettering ourselves, whether it be through knowledge, health, appearance, or spiritual growth. "Color Me Healthy" is me striving for all of these. Attitude and a love for life get you pretty far no matter what your challenges are! As you have noticed, my blog posts are about health, fashion, beauty, faith, prayer, family, friendship, and just about anything else that life is about. I hope I never focus 100% on one of these things, because that would mean I am neglecting other things that matter.

How to keep your skin young, prevent damage, and heal damage

How to keep your skin ageless! This is my full skincare regimen, and you will notice that I use many different brands. They all work very well with each other. Above everything else, keeping your skin moisturized by drinking a lot of water and little caffeine, wearing sunscreen, and wearing big hats in the summer to protect your face is most important. Being 42 and being told that I have 25 year old skin is priceless. Here are the steps I take:

Morning routine:

I was my face with purity cleanser by Philosophy. It is a nice simple cleanser that I find very light and refreshing.

I then put SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic on my face. This is an antioxidant, helps build collagen, and helps your sunscreen work better.

Next, I put on this wonderful moisturizer by Karin Herzog. I use the Vita-A-Kombi 2 face cream, but if you are in your 20s or early 30s, you can use the number 1, which is more for prevention, whereas two is for prevention and healing.

The last step that I take in morning is to put on my sunscreen. You can get a sunscreen with 70 spf, and you will not get the coverage you will with something like Blue Lizard, which has not only a chemical barrier, but a physical barrier because it has zinc oxide in it. I also have the Blue Lizard sunscreen for my body.


Nighttime routine:

Again, I use Philosophy's purity cleanser.

Three times a week, I use this exfoliator with my cleanser. It works great, and is not too harsh. It's the Olay PRO X advanced cleaning system.

Three times a week, I also use this Olay PRO X exfoliating cleanser with the exfoliator above. My face feels so clean after removing all of the dead skin cells. You can use this more or less often as necessary.

Every night, I put on SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel. It helps with tissue repair and it replenishes nutrients.

My final step for the night is this Renew Overnight Moisturizer by SkinCeuticals. I use the formula for dry skin, but it also comes in oily.

I have been using self tanning cream since 1994. Having tried most brands out there, I keep going back to Clinique's line of self sun. I use it on my face and body. I never get sun on my face. That is the number one key to youthful skin!!!