How I Noticeably Improved my Skin in 30 Days

In early December I remember looking at my skin and thinking “gosh you are looking dull lately.”

I started doing a little research to find ways to improve my skin and decided to try a few things that have noticeably improved my skin in just 30 days!

If you find yourself feeling like your skin needs some help, then here are the things that helped me!

Hydrate Your Body

We have all heard this a million times, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and it is so true!

No, your 2-4 cups of coffee don’t count!

I’m talking water!

I used to drink 2-3 glasses of water per day and 2-3 cups of coffee and go to the gym 5x/week and sweat!

So many times I promised myself I would drink more water and never stuck to it.

For Christmas my mother in-law bought me this water diffuser and I am addicted!

I’ve tried a few combinations of infused water flavors but lemon and cucumber is my favorite.

One of these bottles is 32oz and I have been drinking 3-4 of them/day consistently!

Your body needs about 64oz of water every single day but because I workout 5x per week and sweat a lot when I am working out, I drink an extra 1-2 bottles to make up for any water lost during a workout.

I can not tell you enough, my skin is sooo happy!

I am also less bloated because the more water you drink, the less water you retain.

If you don’t do anything else that I am going to share in this post today and just drink 64oz or more of water per day, you will see a difference, I promise you that!

That is how confident I am that this works.

Hydrate Your Skin

I have never been really good about hydrating my skin with good skincare products.

For years I have been washing with soap and water and using lotion here or there.

Again, I sat down and did some research on different products. I read hundreds of reviews, watched videos, and even talked to people in the skincare section at various stores.

After all of my research, the skincare line that seemed most suitable for me and that had so many amazing reviews was Elemis Skincare.

You may or may not have heard of them.

I chose Elemis because they don’t use retinol, they do use collagen, and they had thousands of reviews with before and after photos and I was amazed at the results people were having.

I have to tell you, they are not cheap but worth every penny.

Here is my morning and night skincare routine:

Morning:

Cedaphil Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser – I wash my face with this every morning and every night. It is very gentle and removed makeup really well.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream– I then apply this cream to my face and neck and let it sit for about 10 minutes before applying my makeup. This is a nice, lightweight every day moisturizer that isn’t greasy and my makeup goes on really smooth and nicely over it!

Nighttime:

Here is my nighttime skincare line-up in the order in which I apply it to my face:

I wash my face with Cedaphil Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser and pat dry.

Elemis Pro-Definition Eye & Lip Contour Cream– I apply this to my under eye and side of my eyes and I apply it between my eyebrows.

Although it doesn’t say anywhere on the packaging to apply it between the eyebrow area, I read a lot of reviews from people that said they applied it to that area where a frown crease was starting to show.

I noticed I had a line starting in between my eyebrows and I feel like this has really reduced its visibility because it firms that area!

I am extremely happy with the results of this product and you literally use the teeny tiniest drop so this bottle will last me a year!

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Oil – This is like giving your face a drink of water.

It’s soooo good and smells good too! The price isn’t so bad either!

You get a pretty good sized bottle for $79 and you only need 3-4 drops per night.

If you are on a budget or don’t want to spend too much, just adding this one product to your routine will make a difference.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Overnight Matrix– This is their most popular and most loved cream and it is aaammaaazziinngg.

This is the 3rd product that I apply and it kind of seals it all in.

My skin is literally glowing after I apply these products and walk out of the bathroom.

Jason almost always compliments my skin after my nighttime routine.

I also wake up glowing and not looking dull or dry. I cannot recommend this enough.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream – this cream is really thick and I use it twice a week instead of the Overnight Matrix.

I usually use this one on Wednesday and Sundays and I use the Pro-Callagen Overnight Matrix all of the other days.

It’s just an extra boost of hydration in the middle and beginning of the week.

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Oil– I’ve been using this oil for years and took a break but still love to use it every once in a while.

I am not currently using it with the Elemis products but I wanted to mention it because it’s an amazing oil to put on before bed for extra moisture and you truly will notice a difference by morning with this one as well.

Other tips: I used to wipe my face dry with a towel until my sister in-law said you should be patting it dry (her facial lady told her that!).

So I started patting my skin dry and just treating it more gently. Don’t pick at it, don’t pull down on it when wiping your face, and just be a little more gentle 🙂

Collagen Peptides

Have you heard of Collagen Peptides? If not, you are about to!

This is basically a powder that you add to your morning coffee or shakes and it gives you 20g of Collagen per serving!

Why is collagen important, you ask?

Well first of all collagen is a major component of your skin and as you age, your body produces less collagen.

Hence why so many higher priced skincare products are made with collagen!

Collagen effects the elasticity and hydration of your skin, less collagen = more wrinkles, dry skin, and aging.

It also improves your hair, nails, ligaments, tendons, bones, joints, etc.

Yes, I did my research on this one as well!

I add this to my coffee every morning and you can barely taste it.

It also has a good amount of pure protein which is a plus!

Dietary Changes

Less Chocolate and Dairy

When I was in high school one of my doctors told me that chocolate and dairy can actually cause breakouts on your back and face.

I’ve never had acne but I do notice that when I eat a lot of chocolate I get breakouts on my chin as well as on my back, so I tend to stay away from chocolate most of the time.

I have also cut my dairy intake out almost completely.

I used to have dairy with every single meal and now I have it once a day and in small portions (for example: some feta or goat cheese on my salad, or a small serving of cottage cheese or yogurt).

Eat Whole Foods

I’ve also started eating a whole food diet.

I’m not following “Whole30” or anything like that, I’m simply just buying and eating foods that are unprocessed.

No canned goods, no pre-made meals, etc.

I’ve always meal prepped but would eat processed foods in between quite regularly or as a side to my homemade dishes.

For the past 30 days I have eaten 95% whole foods, and I have barely eaten out!

Eating like this takes more planning but it has been so worth it.

Not only has it benefited my skin, but I have more energy and I know I am nourishing my body.

No Fried Food

I have completely cut fried foods out of my diet.

I love me a good fried chicken, but after doing a lot of online research, fried foods wreak havoc on your skin.

Eating too many fried foods, especially with bad oils like vegetable or canola oil, can promote that skin puffiness that no one appreciates when looking in the mirror.

Count my Calories

Yes, I did a lot of reading up about this and did you know that eating too many calories in a day (even good calories) can cause your skin to look dull, and puffy.

Who would have thought!

Our bodies are meant to have a certain amount of food or calories to survive and function properly.

Eating too much isn’t going to kill you (it will make most of us gain weight), but your body is working hard to digest all those extra calories and can actually make you sluggish, retain water, and slow down digestion which leads to bloating and other issues.

I’m realizing that being conscious of how much food I’m consuming (even if it’s healthy) has more benefits than just losing weight.

For my height and lifestyle, I wanted to cut a few pounds that I’ve gained over the holidays and also monitor my intake so I have been keeping track of my calories with MyFitnessPal.

I love that I can track my macros and make sure that I am not going over my suggested calorie intake for the day.

I also find that I have more energy throughout the day because I am not over eating and feeling full all the time.

Not only has this improved my energy levels but I am not as bloated and I am sleeping better and I believe it attributed to my skin looking better!

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is going to really help your skin.

Have you noticed that when you don’t get enough sleep your face and eyes look puffy?

That is your body telling you it needs more sleep!

Rather than sitting up late watching tv, I have been forcing myself to stop everything an hour earlier than I used to and go to bed.

There’s a reason it is called Beauty Sleep!!

Shop all of my favorite skincare products here:

I am not a dermatologist, I am just sharing things that I changed in my daily routine that have made a huge difference on my skin.

I wanted to just improve the overall appearance of my skin: firmness, dullness, puffiness, etc.

I wanted to achieve a healthy glow!

Jason first started noticing about two weeks ago and kept telling me that my skin is looking so good lately.

A few of my family members and friends have also mentioned that my skin is looking great and more and more of you have been messaging me on Instagram about my skincare routine and saying that my skin is “glowing.”

When you make a change and people start noticing, you know you are doing something right!

I realize that some of the skincare products I listed above are on the pricier side but I’ve tried lots of cheaper brands and never had the same results.

Now that I am in my 30’s, I feel like investing more on skincare is going to keep my skin healthier and more youthful looking for longer.

If spending that much on skincare products isn’t your thing, then simply drinking more water, getting more sleep, making better food choices, and maybe looking for more affordable oils or face lotions to keep your skin hydrated will definitely make a difference!

If nothing else, start with your water intake, that alone will improve your skin!

Have a question or comment? Leave it below!

(None of the products mentioned above are specifically designed to treat acne, they are more anti-ageing and overall skin health products.  I just want to mention that so no one is confused or tries something on acne prone skin that will make it worse.)