So on to some lighter things-Doing a great facial at Home!

First, start with a nice liquid facial soap. Here are some of my favorites: The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil facial wash, Aveeno's Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser, and Clarisonic's daily cleanser (all three of which go well with the Clarisonic exfoliaters or a wet washcloth. Remember to use warm but not hot water to open your pores.

Next we tone the face and I really love Sonya Dakar's 'Aromasol Mists' line. They are great toners for your face and there is a variety of kinds - "Clear" which has lavender and tea tree essential oils, "Refine" which has pure essential cypress and lemon extracts, "Scarring", "Maintenance" with geranium and rosewood extracts, and "Discoloration" which contains eucalyptus and lemon extracts. If you're like me and don't wear make-up very often, anytime is a good time for a little spritz of one of these to freshen up the face.

Next, we exfoliate mechanically and then chemically (don't be scared by that everything in the world is some kind of chemical compound-these are all very gentle products). I have very sensitive skin and therefor have to be very careful with my skin care products and scented products. My favorite mechanical exfoliant is Remede's Sweep. This is a great first step in giving yourself a world-class facial. Next I like to use Sonya Dakar's Enzyme Peeling Cream. This is an acid-free "chemical" exfoliant made out of pumpkin enzymes, cardamon and beta-carotene extracts.

If you want to use a mask of some sort, now is the time. You will still get a great facial if you skip the masks, however. Two masks that I like are Sonya Dakar's Blue Mask (which is a hydrating mask for sensitive skin) and Sonya Dakar's Lightening Mask which refines the skin with licorice and mulberry extracts. A more affordable mask is Oil of Olay's deep cleansing clay mask using kaolin clay which helps draw out toxins.

Here, I like to get a wash cloth wet with cool water and rinse my face well. The cool water will help close your pores.

Next, use whatever facial cream you like. But a warning: after such an intensive exfoliation, my face is always extra extra sensitive even to some products that I could ordinarily use. If you have this problem or extremely sensitive skin in general I recommend the product line called Vanicream. They have moisturizing lotion, sun block and other hypoallergenic, 100% fragrance free products. Other nice facial moisturizers are JASON'S Revitalizing Moisturizing Cream, BWC'S daily moisturizer, BWC'S Vitamin C Organic Facial Renewal Cream, The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil Mattifying Moisturizer, and JASON'S Vitamin E Oil which has a mix of Almond, Apricot, Avocado and Wheat Germ oils (I link to replace cream with oils sometimes because they are so good for your skin).

Enjoy all the compliments you get on how nice you look! Repeat once a week to maintain a natural glow.