Written by Natasha Lawrence

Before starting The Strategy, I had a pretty basic beauty routine. I used water to cleanse my face in the morning. If I wore a lot of make-up, maybe, I’d add some soap in the evening. Body lotion was my only lotion. No moisturizer, no face cream – nothing. I never had problem skin, so my ‘routine’, if you can call it that, never seemed to cause any problems. However, my skin wasn’t at its best. Since The Strategy, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing brands, test amazing products, and I’ve started to really pay attention to the improvements I’ve seen in my skin.

A couple weeks ago, a friend, who like the old me, wasn’t too bothered with beauty, asked me a question that really had me thinking. After all the products I’ve tried, after all the treatments, after all the experiments, what were the beauty tricks that I’ve learned that actually stuck with me. It took me a minute, but I shared with her the three tips I’ve picked up along the way, and that I’ve implemented into my daily routine.

Ice Cubes

Back when we talked about Joan Crawford’s epic beauty routine, I added ice cubes into my beauty routine. After seeing a week’s worth of result, it has become a trick I tell everyone about. When I first wake up, after cleansing my face, I swipe an ice cube, covered in a clean cloth, over my face. The cool sensation helps to wake me up, and also helps to tighten my skin. From there, I lightly dab my face dry, and then massage moisturizer over my face. It locks in my moisturizer and gives my skin a natural glow.

I’ve tried all the eye creams I could get my hand on, but nothing get’s rid of my under-eye circles as efficiently as a good ole’ fashioned ice cube. And, it has the added bonus of being  100% all natural, and free.

Dry Brushing

Pre-TS, my shower ritual was to get naked while the water heats up, then jump in the shower. But, our post on upping your bath time game had me throwing that ritual out the window. Now, my shower routine is much more involved and requires multiple pre-shower steps. The step that I never leave out now is dry brushing. We’ve heard everyone and their mothers talk about the benefits of dry brushing, and they are totally right about how amazing it is. I dry brush right before I get into the shower or bath. Sweeping the brush along my arms and legs wakes up my skin and gently removes dead skin cells. I’ve also noticed a slight decrease in the appearance of cellulite. BONUS! It also provides a perfect base for my post-shower routine.

Body Oil

As I said before, a big old bottle of body lotion was all I used to moisturize. I slathered it on my legs, my arms, my face…everywhere. It wasn’t until I was introduced to body oils that I learned there were other forms of moisturizer out there.

What I like most about this step in my post-shower routine, is that it’s not something that can be rushed. Really massaging body oil into the skin takes time, and it is one small way to incorporate self-care into my daily routine.

I also find the moisture is then locked into my skin, and I feel moisturized throughout the entire day. It also gives the skin more of a glow than body lotion. I’m all about the glow.