"My Skin Care Regimen"

So, people always ask me about the products I use for my skin so I decided that I would FINALLY blog about it so I can just send people this way! :) Before I get into the product, I want to remind you that your skin is your biggest organ! We have to treat it right by drinking alkaline water (I like Essentia), taking our vitamins (Gonna blog on that next), eating our veggies, getting sleep (something I'm still struggling with because we have a 6 month old),  avoiding drama and stress and most importantly, spending time with the Lord. Stress will age and wrinkle your skin. I'm super big on making sure that those things are in place before I throw a bunch of products on my face. So, don't get mad at me if these don't work and you keep eating fried chicken and drinking lots of soda. :) Group Hug! 

Also, I want to note that I'm a HUGE product junkie! I love me some products! I love to find things that make my skin healthier. I know some people that just slap on coconut oil and call it a day & that works for them. That doesn't work for me. :( I tried just throwing on coconut oil at night and my skin broke out. So, I had to figure out what works for ME. The below is what I've figured out over a span of 2 years. This isn't some marketing plan for a company - it's simply what I found that works! So, I don't recommend that you go crazy & buy all of these products. Try a few products & see if they work. Then, try more as you can. 

Before we get into the details of what I use - I want to caution you that these products aren't the cheapest products on this earth but they surly work. I found out about most of these products while getting a facial and saw a difference INSTANTLY. For me, it's worth to splurge a little bit if it's going to keep my skin wrinkle free and healthy! 

AND - before you get started in purchasing any of these things - just try a couple things and see if it works for you. Again, I've been using the below for awhile & I finially found what works for me. AND don't forget to purchase any of these things through EBATES to get coupons & cash back for your purchases. When I shop at certain places - I'm able to get 10% back on my purchases which saves me even more money. Also, be sure to check out the websites - most of the ones I'm linking have coupon codes (like code: deals) and it will give you more money off! 

Ready? Ok, here's my regimen: 

MORNING 

Note that I tagged where I purchase everything HERE: The goal is to never pay for full price for this stuff so check out where I got it & also do your research! :) I figured it would be easier to have an all in one place vs. clicking through each one separately! 

This is the exact order:

1. I wash with Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash. It's a little pricey, so I've since switched to SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser. Both work great!

2. Then, I use Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes to make sure that there's no leftover makeup from last night! It's important that your skin has a clean slate every night and every morning before you apply makeup or anything else. Just think about the amount of things in the air that get on your skin! It's vital that you're washing every morning and at night. 

3. Next, I use Skin Ceuticals Hydrating Vitamin B Serum. - this is such a great moisturizer! Especially if you live in a  dry climate OR you you fly a lot!

5. Up next, eye cream. I LOVE Rodan + Fields Multifunction Eye Cream. It's super lightweight and it works great! I don't want wrinkles in 30 years! :) Don't skip out on your eye cream!

4. Then, Skin Ceuticals Daily Moisture Cream- quite possibly what gives my skin a crazy glow!

5. Skinceuticals Physical Matte UV Defense SPF50 (Don't skip on this, regardless of your skin tone! It's so important to protect your skin from those rays! Even in the winter.

NIGHT

1. I typically exfoliate at night! I exfoliate about 5 times a week at night and the other nights, I use the regular facial wash. I like to use: Skinceuticals Micro Exfoliating Scrub. If your skin dries out quickly, then exfoliating often may not work for you. Reduce the amount of time that you exfoliate. 

2. Then, I use Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes again to make sure that there's no leftover from the day.

3. Then, I use one of two products:

 - SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E 

Don't totally freak out at the price of this one. I've been using it for about 8 months every night & I just ran out. It's AMAZING. With ingredients like Vitamin E, Resveratrol and Baicalin, this Gel targets fine lines, wrinkles, elasticity and dullness to obtain a youthful and glowing look. And, I can say that I love it! I purchased this online after finding it at a Spa. I didn't want to pay the spa prices, so I came online and found a sale for 40% off. 

OR 

- SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Normal To Dry 

This is another great night cream! It's not a gel/serum like the above - it's more of a heavy lotion. I LOVE it and use it interchangeability. 

ONE TIME A WEEK, I USE THIS MASK

Karuna Hydrating + face mask

*This thing is AMAZING! My skin was GLOWING after one use. It's a Korean company and I hear that they take great care of their skin. I tried it once and was hooked! 

My GO- TO Lip Balm AT NIGHT

Rodan + Fields Lip Renewing Serum (Silver capsules)

*To be honest, I didn't expect much. My lips have been super dry because of the hormones after giving birth but after trying this - my lips are SUPER soft

WHEN I HAVE ACNE:

Skin Ceuticals Blemish + Age Defense Acne Treatment 

. 

MY GO-TO BODY LOTION

Reisha Body Lotion by Pearl Apothecary by Emerging Energy

So, I also love my from-scratch lotions and this is one of my favorites! I've been using this Etsy store for awhile now and I also love their all natural chest rub (I use it on the babies) and scrubs! 

WHEN I WANT A SUNKISSED GLOW

So, if you knew me back in the day - you would know that I loved going to the tanner. *hides* Why? Because I loved that bronzed, I've been on a vacation look! Since I ditched the tanner years ago - I started to get spray tans. Now that I have 2 kids - the days of spray tanning are OVER. So, I found this Rodan + Fields Sunless Foaming Tanner! 

So, that's it! Remember that everything is linked HERE. 

Sorry that it took so long, I wanted to be be as detailed as possible! :) 

Love you all & cheers to some healthy, glowing' fabulous skin!

Just a few things:

1. Find my (4) books (including my NEW book, "The Runaway Bride"), purity rings, shirts & all that good stuff via pinkypromiseboutiques.com!

2. We have developed an APP! Think: daily post notifications + weekly devotionals, recipes and so much more! It's out NOW for iphones + Androids. Under: Heather & Cornelius Lindsey: Today With the Lindsey's

3.  If you live in Atlanta, I want to invite you to our church. Join us on Sundays at 11:00am. Our churches name is: "The Gathering Oasis"  3600 Snapfinger Rd Lithonia, GA 30038

4. Register for the 2016 Pinky Promise in Atlanta, GA! It sold out last year so you don't want to miss out! www.pinkypromiseconference.com

5. We are headed to London for the Holy Desperation Conference! Join us!www.lindseysinlondon2016.eventbee.com 

6. As always, you can join a Pinky Promise group locally! There's about 40,000 ladies that have joined! Find a group near you by joining & checking out the intro page! Join here: www.PinkyPromiseMovement.com

God loves you like crazy,
Love you all so much!

Heather Lindsey

How to Travel The World For Free

Wait, did you just say free Heather? Well, pretty much free or pretty cheap (but still nice). So, if you know me - I'm one of those crazy planners that plans my entire life like a year out. I just have to get the okay from my husband but my calendar is pretty much confirmed before the year even starts. I like to know where I'm going from speaking engagements to family trips.

Every year, we go on the following trips:

1. A me & my hubby ONLY trip (baby-free) (3-4 days)

2. A family trip (1-2 weeks)

3. 1-2 staycations in the state

4. Girls & guys trips (separately) 

5. Maybe a couples trip (hasn't happened lately)

Can you believe that we typically only pay for 25% of these trips? They're usually FREE or super cheap! 

We travel a lot outside of that for ministry purposes only. So, we may fly somewhere and be there for 12-24 hours so I don't consider that "vacation" - as it's for ministry purposes and pretty exciting but exhausting!

So, I like to make sure that our family trips are as nice, comfortable and affordable! Well, let's get started!

1. I like to book my trips wayyyy in advance. I will purchase the flights about 320 days before my trip. I've also heard that 54 days before hand is good as well - I wouldn't chance it for our family trip as we have to buy about 4 tickets. In buying 320 days out it - it assured that I got to choose my seats on the plane AND the flight prices ONLY went up from that point (for our recent trip to Hawaii). For trips that aren't as far, I'm sure you're fine in booking the 54 day rule. One of the beauties in flying a lot for ministry is that we get a TON of points with a selected airline. We can use those miles to upgrade our seats and even pay for our flights. I didn't pay for my flight on the last girls trip that I took - I simply used my miles. Typically, you need 25,000 miles for one round trip ticket in the United States. And, I caught the airline at a good time so I was able to get a first class ticket round trip for 25,000 miles. You may say - "Heather, I don't fly a lot - how can I get points?" Well, that brings me to my next point:

2. I know there's a ton of financial guru's that say credit cards are the devil, etc and I agree with the scripture that says not to owe no many anything but to love them. Well, I found a credit card that doesn't put me in debt because it forces me to pay off the balance in full every month! For my Pinky Promise Store  I am required to purchase a ton of stuff wholesale. So, where does it go? Right onto my credit card. I use American Express and I LOVE it. I also put our life insurance bill on there, home insurance, car insurance and any other bill and then at the end of the month - I pay it off! So, I'm getting points that I can use for travel, gift cards, cash, hotels, flights, etc! I want my money to work for me in every way possible and I'm very disciplined when it comes to paying stuff off! On one of our family trips, I paid $0.00 for an 5 star hotel for an entire week! Isn't that amazing?! I simply used my points and I saved up the points for the entire year! Now, if you can't get an American Express cards- there's other cards with cash back and I encourage you to get one and use it so you can get some benefits. Again, if you're anti- credit cards or you don't feel like you will be disciplined in paying it off-- don't get it. I don't play when it comes to my credit and paying off bills. Use wisdom in everything that you do! Do your research! There's other cards that use points for miles as well. I also use their travel agents to get great deals as well.

3. In booking your flights, make sure that if you're staying for a week or so, that you're not rushed. Why? Because most times, flights are overbooked by the airlines and they will offer flight vouchers to anyone who will take the next flight. If it requires an overnight stay, airlines will give you a hotel and a food voucher. When we were traveling to Hawaii this past month, they were giving out $1,000 flight vouchers to anywhere in the world, good for one year! Amazing, right? ALSO, on our return flight, we were delayed due to mechanical issues on the plane. We then missed our connecting flight home and it was theeeee longest travel day with two kids. So, I called the airline the next morning after we returned and they gave each of us a $200 flight voucher for their inconvenience. So, I in turn used the flight voucher of $400 to pay for the trip me & my hubby are taking this year alone AND baby free. AND because I have an american express card, they give me a $200 flight credit to my select airline. So, we pretty much got our flights for next to NOTHING! Isn't that amazing? So, we are flying FREE in March to our trip alone! Note that if the delay is due to weather, the airline won't compensate that, but it doesn't hurt to call if it is due to mechanical problems!

4. I've always heard that it's best to book your flights on Tuesday early morning if you need a flight and you've missed both the 320 and the 54 day rule. I remember that I needed to go to St. Thomas for a wedding last minute and I snagged a flight there for $554 a few days before it left at like 3AM on a Tuesday morning. I checked later that day and the flight went up to $1010!

5. Saving, saving, SAVINGS! I recommend PLANNING and saving ahead. I literally save and prepare for each of our trips. Every month, I set money aside to go into an account that I don't have a card for - this way, I won't be tempted to touch the money. I put all extra money aside into this account. (Note that I encourage you to first have an emergency fund set up with at least $1000 or 3 months of bills if you can before you start a vacation fund). So, how do I save?

• I LOVE EBATES!! You literally get paid for shopping online. So, before I buy things online that I need for around the house, the kids, etc- I first go to Ebates and then I type in the store that I'm planning to shop at. I can see coupons and a percentage that I will get back from shopping through Ebates. THEN, I find the store, click their link and it will take me to the actual online store. The cool thing is, I've gotten back over $1,000 of free money over the years for simply shopping online! Then, they send me a check and I will put that money in the vacation fund. You see, instead of going to Target to shop - I shop online through ebates, select pick up from the store and I get my points and I didn't get caught by the Target demon. haha! So, that money is saved in our vacation fund to be used towards food, a car rental, hotel fees, etc. 
• IBOTTA!  This is another site that I use that allows you to make money off of things like your groceries! So, I clicked on the link, signed up, downloaded the app and then I would go to the grocery store. After shopping, I would go home and then "unlock" rebates based on what I purchased. So, you can go on there and unlock things like "pasta" for $2.00. You scan the item + verify your receipt by taking a snap shot of it & then bam - the money is in your account that can be transferred to PayPal! Isn't that cool? So, I take that money as well and transfer it to our vacation fund. So, this is another way to make some extra money to save, give, or do whatever that the Lord leads you to do! 
• EBAY! So, every now and then, I will clean out my closet and sell most of it on Ebay. As the Lord leads me to give, save or whatever else, I will put a portion of that in my vacation fund as well. So, again, I'm not "seeing" my hard worked-for money go into the vacation fund. I haven't used Ebay in a couple years, but it was a great source back before our ministry started! I recall the Lord telling me to sell some of my shoes for a mission trip. Hey, we got money in our closets! Work with what you have! 
• So, save away as much as you can in a high yield savings account so you can see some interest grow on what you've earned! 

6. When you get to the hotel, ask for an upgrade if it's available! Because we have the American express card, it grants us an automatic upgrade if it's available at the hotel! And, breakfast for two every morning. If you don't have the card, ASK for an upgrade anyway! What else could they say? No? Sometimes, they will say there's a fee. But, if you are super nice, tell them it's your birthday (don't lie now), anniversary, first family vacation, etc! Go for it! 

7. Back to flying, same goes with your seats! Ask for an upgrade at the counter or the gate. If you have really bad seats - ask for the exit row seats and if available, they will put you in there.

8. AirBNB- Forget the super fancy hotels and the crazy prices! You can stay at AirB & B for super cheap AND at times, it's cleaner than a hotel! It's pretty much staying in someones home, apartment or whatever else. The cool thing about it is that you can meet the owner & he/she can share the best restaurants, mom & pop shops and whatever else in the area. You can check out the reviews for the home prior to staying there AND if something doesn't work out, AirBNB will refund you and put you in a hotel while finding a new place if it isn't lining up with the photos.

9. Activities: I've learned that the hotel (if you stay there) up charges for activities. Go online and book tickets, excursions, etc and you will find that they're SO much cheaper.

10. When do you travel? If you are traveling during Christmas, the prices are going to be super high! You may say, "well, I don't get this or that off." You have to plan your travel days ahead! We also travel a couple weeks before Christmas to get things MUCH cheaper than traveling around Christmas. Granted, you may be the only one at work around Christmas - but at least you can relax & not deal with the rush.

11. Pack LIGHT! I like to pack 2 weeks before a trip to make sure that I can properly label all of my outfits and that I will actually wear them on the trip. Making an itinerary will help you to see what you will be doing and be sure to check the weather ahead of time!

12. Uber! I downloaded the Uber App and I use it when we need to get around versus trying to figure out local train/bus systems while out of town.

13. If you aren't feeling the AirBNB option, check out: http://www.jetsetter.com! You can get great deals on hotels for super cheap! I have heard of hostels - but personally, I wouldn't recommend something if I wouldn't stay there! Just my 2 cents! :)

14. Download the "Hotel Tonight" App. If you are going somewhere last minute, after 12 noon EST, they post deals for that night and you're able to snag super cheap hotel rooms that are nice!

15. Keep cash on you! I don't know about you, but my credit cards have been shut down while traveling because I was out of town. The problem is, they shut it down when you're internationally traveling at times so you have to call your bank ahead of time and let them know you're traveling. But, it's good to have a couple hundred dollars in cash on you just in case something happens so you aren't stuck anywhere!

BONUS: Sign up for all airline miles, Starwood points, hertz points and any other "point" program/etc. Companies are more willing to give you upgrades if they feel like you're invested too! PLUS, you can use those points to pay for your flights!

Places to book your flights & other quick tips:
1. www.Skyscanner.com compares millions of flights to find you the cheapest deal, fast. They also compare and find the cheapest hotels and car rental for your next trip.
2. I LOVE www.kayak.com to get an idea of what prices will be like in general. They also have hotel packages, etc!
3. Did you know that www.groupon.com has travel packages? You can also snag activities and restaurants from groupon!

So, these are my top tips for traveling' the world! And some of us just need to plan, road trip & just go! Most times we want everything to be perfect and that's not always the reality. When my husband and I first got married we didn't have much but we would road trip, stay at hotels, share meals & laugh. We needed to get out of our bed & stay the night somewhere else together to keep things fun and fresh. The same o'le routine got old to us! So, we just started small and then the Lord opened doors for us to travel more by plane vs. driving.

Just a few things:

1. Find my (4) books (including my NEW book, "The Runaway Bride"), purity rings, shirts & all that good stuff via pinkypromiseboutiques.com!

2. We have developed an APP! Think: daily post notifications + weekly devotionals, recipes and so much more! It's out NOW for iphones + Androids. Under: Heather & Cornelius Lindsey: Today With the Lindsey's

3.  If you live in Atlanta, I want to invite you to our church. Join us on Sundays at 11:00am at: "The Gathering Oasis"  3600 Snapfinger Rd Lithonia, GA 30038

4. Register for the 2016 Pinky Promise in Atlanta, GA! It sold out last year so you don't want to miss out! www.pinkypromiseconference.com

5. We are headed to London for the Holy Desperation Conference! Join us!www.lindseysinlondon2016.eventbee.com 

6. As always, you can join a Pinky Promise group locally! There's about 40,000 ladies that have joined! Find a group near you by joining & checking out the intro page! Join here: www.PinkyPromiseMovement.com

God loves you like crazy,
Love you all so much!

Heather Lindsey

In Dubai with my hubby in 2011!