Recession Proof Usage

To my dear readers (read: my mom, sis, longtime high school bff & strikingly gorgeous, Shake Shack eating friend! Actually I'm not even sure if my family even reads my blog so that narrows it down just to you Amber and Lisa!) I apologize for the untimely delay in this post. I have made a "cross my heart, hope to die"promise to myself that I will post three times a week: Monday, Thursday and Saturday. And already I'm breaking the rules but I'm going to make it up to you.

In spirit of the half million first time filings for unemployment benefits in July (a saddening monthly statistic), dismal back-to-school retail sales and a fatigued unemployment rate edging scaringly close to double digits; I thought we could continue with the recession theme a bit longer. Today's topic: how much product should you be using during application. The funny thing is I've found that we don't always know how much is enough, and since our mindset reflects a more always = better philosophy often we are just overusing product. I don't know why we are necessarily programmed to think that if I apply more skin cream, it's going to work twice as fast for quicker results. Unfortunately when it comes to beauty it's the exact opposite. Overuse will prohibit your skin from properly absorbing the product, leading to clogged pores that only result in breakouts. So how much is enough? Are you overusing? Are you repurchasing too quickly because of it? Let's break it down product by product, category by category. And just for the fun of it (and keeping with our recession theme) let's define the usage amount in relation to currency.

Facial Skin Care:

Cleanser -nickel size

Serum - dime size

Moisturizer - nickel size (if skin is extremely dry add an additional penny size)

Eye cream - penny size

Sunscreen (face + neck: yes you should also be covering your neck!) - quarter size

Body Care:

Body wash - 4 quarters size

Body lotion - dollar bill size

Body oil - quarter size (if skin is dry add an additional dime size)

Body cream - 3 quarter size

Sunscreen - dollar bill size (while in sun reapply every one to two hours)

Hair Care:

Shampoo - quarter size

Conditioner - nickel size

Styling cream/gel - nickel size

Shine serum - dime size

Usage tip: I think this time I covered it all off in the main content! Just remember everyone's skin or hair is a bit different; dependent on your unique personal id (ie. long vs short hair or dry vs oily skin) so use these recommendations as guidelines and customize them to meet your needs.

The results: Efficacious beauty, used at the right amount, for the best results. And oh yeah, saving you a few bucks along the way!