Spring Cleaning: Purify Pores & Revive Lifeless Skin with Facial Toners, Scrubs & Washes

Cardboard chaos.

As a beauty blogger, dozens of product samples arrive at my home almost on a daily basis. After I open the packages, the cardboard containers get stacked and stored in the basement. However, it doesn't take long before I feel like I'm buried in boxes. In fact, I recently decided enough was enough. 

That's when Operation Spring Cleaning commenced. This annual ritual serves as an opportunity to discard the old and freshen up with the new. In this case, I cleared out the cardboard chaos (see pics below) and created lots of needed uncluttered space. 

The removal process brought about two benefits. It helped refresh the basement and brighten my outlook. The same can also be said about cleansing rituals for your skin--especially the face. Sloughing dead skin stimulates cellular turnover, deep cleans pores and restores lost radiance.

Before summer arrives next month, we'd like to present 12 top facial toners, scrubs and washes to help you jump-start a spring cleaning ritual for your skin. They're designed to banish blemishes, and excess dirt and debris, and bring about a vibrant glow to your complexion. 

Shine on beautynistas!

Lotsa boxes await their fate.

Flattened and ready to be recycled.

SHINE: Abrioné by VB Cosmetics Microdermabrasion Facial Scrub. BEAUTY: Gently scrub, resurface and soften your skin with sea kelp extract, grapefruit and lavender oils, and aloe vera gel. BEACON: No animal testing.

SHINE: CellCeuticals NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment. BEAUTY: Pineapple and papaya extracts, and volcanic micro-minerals help promote cell renewal and smooth the skin for a more radiant appearance. BEACON: No animal testing and vegan. Free of artificial colorants and fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates and parabens.

SHINE: Éminence Organic Skin Care Stone Crop Gel Wash. BEAUTY: Diminish blotchiness and blemishes with stone crop plant and juice, and shea butter. BEACON: No animal testing. The company plants one tree for each product sold through its Forests For the Future program.

SHINE: Gingi Make-Up Removal Clarifying Cleanser. BEAUTY: Aloe vera gel, seaweed algae extract and sweet almond oil help to deep clean your skin and remove cosmetics without the usual drying effects. BEACON: No animal testing.

SHINE: Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. BEAUTY: For a smoother and softer complexion, this treatment gently polishes your skin with lactic acid, papaya, pineapple and pumpkin extracts, and aloe vera leaf juice. BEACON: No animal testing.

SHINE: Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. BEAUTY: Glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids dissolve dry surface cells to minimize dull skin and maximize radiance. BEACON: No animal testing.

SHINE: Nature Pure Labs Brightening Facial Fruit Wash. BEAUTY: Rejuvenate your skin by removing residue and impurities with salicylic acid, and aloe vera leaf, lemon peel and apple fruit extracts. BEACON: No animal testing. Free of parabens, and artificial colors and fragrances. 

SHINE: Pevonia Botanica Ligne Speciale Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser. BEAUTY: Rose flower and safflower seed oils, and jojoba and horse chestnut seed extracts help tame toxins and gently polish your face without irritating the skin. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports the Beauty Bus Foundation.

SHINE: Refineé Micro-Derma Peel. BEAUTY: Stimulate your skin's renewal process by deep cleaning your pores with aloe vera extract, vitamins A, C and E, and green tea extract. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports the Noreen Fraser Foundation and Look Good...Feel Better.

SHINE: Sanitas Lactic Cleanser. BEAUTY: Lactic and hyaluronic acids, vitamin C and citrus oil help diminish discoloration and hyperpigmentation, and step up skin's suppleness. BEACON: Contains no parabens or preservatives. Supports the Cinderella Foundation. 

SHINE: Somme Institute Transport. BEAUTY: These soft cotton pads unclog blocked pores and exfoliate dead skin cells with green tea and aloe vera leaf extracts, vitamin E, and orange and lime fruit extracts. BEACON: Free of parabens.

SHINE: Vie Collection Smoothing Toning Lotion. BEAUTY: Lactic and hyaluronic acids, castor oil and vitamin E maximize cell renewal and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. BEACON: No animal testing.

Academy Award Beauty: Best Porcelain Complexion Goes To Anne Hathaway

Photo by Jenn Deering Davis

And the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress goes to... Actually, we won't know who prevails until the Academy Awards show airs this weekend. However, the Odds On Favorite To Win Best Supporting Actress Award goes to Anne Hathaway for her portrayal of the tragic Fantine in "Les Miserables." 

Widely praised by critics and fans for the depth of her performance, she's predicted to be the belle of the ball on Sunday. In fact, her rendition of the musicals’ song, I Dreamed a Dream, has been called, "Raw, heartbreaking, haunting and beautiful."

Hathway's perfect porcelain skin also receives rave reviews from beautynistas. Her flawless face shows no signs of hyperpigmentation, pore congestion or premature aging. It's known as one of the clearest complexions in Hollywood.

We don't know what type of skincare products the 30-year-old Hathaway uses, but face primers often contribute to radiant skin. These glow-getters act as base coats when applied over your moisturizer and beneath your foundation. They also extend the wearability of makeup. 

To create a more finished look, some primers multitask. They provide a three-for-all for your skin with their tinting, moisturizing and sun shielding benefits. So get ready for your close-up with the following face and lash primers. You'll feel red carpet ready in no time.

SHINE: Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer SPF 30. BEAUTY: Shield skin against sun damage and prep it for makeup application with peptides, green tea leaf extract, hyaluronic acid and iron oxides. BEACON: Contains no artificial fragrances or colors. Championed joinFITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship). The Dermalogica Foundation also supports S.K.I.N. (Skincare for Kids in Need).

SHINE: Elizabeth Grant Professional Tinted Primer & Pore Minimizer. BEAUTY: Vitamin E and iron oxides leave your skin with a smoother and more even toned surface. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports the Hollyrod Foundation, World Wildlife Fund and Sick Kids Foundation. 

SHINE: Inika Certified Organic Pure Primer. BEAUTY: Provide an even canvas for foundation application and improve the staying power of your makeup with aloe vera leaf juice, coconut and jojoba seed oils, and vitamin E. BEACON: No animal testing and vegan. Contains no petrochemicals, talc, artificial colors or fragrances, parabens, DEA or sulphates.

SHINE: RevitaLash Volumizing Primer. BEAUTY: Nettle extract and peptides prepare your lashes for a long-lasting mascara application. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure and Cancer and Careers. 

SHINE: Sue Devitt Microquatic Fortifying Primer. BEAUTY: Heighten hydration and restore radiance with water lily extract, iron oxide, titanium dioxide and soy protein. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports Africa Foundation and Blue Planet Network.

SHINE: Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer SPF 30 (Medium). BEAUTY: Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica and diamond powder help brighten skin, minimize pores and shield harmful sun rays. BEACON: Cruelty free and vegan. Formulated without parabens, mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates and synthetic fragrance. Supports the Sustainable Amazon Partnership.