Skin Care Streamlined: A Few Minutes Make a Huge Difference

I think we can all agree that "me time" is hard to come by. No matter what profession we have chosen or how we spend our days, there never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything on our to-do lists. And if you're anything like me, time to indulge myself rarely even makes it onto the list.

However, when thinking about skin care, maybe we've got it wrong. Maybe it shouldn't fall so much under "me time,” but rather be something we do without thinking about -- like brushing our teeth. You wouldn't go a day without brushing your teeth, right? Well, I think skin care should fall under the same umbrella.

While it goes completely against what my parents taught me from an early age and is 100% the opposite of environmentally friendly, I let the hot water run while brushing my teeth. I do this as a reminder to wash my face with the then-warm water immediately after. It's something I've done for years that absolutely works. If I'm doing one, I do both, and I stick to what works.

Michele at Sparks and Butterflies makes it as easy as possible by brushing her teeth and washing her face while she's in the shower. By creating an easy system, taking care of your skin becomes a habit that's relatively simple to keep.

Perfectly flawless skin is but a memory -- once taken for granted in our youth, when we cared less about our appearance and more about playtime. And it seems that with each passing decade, our skin changes and craves new philosophies and treatments. But the easiest way to turn skin care into a daily routine is by figuring out what works best for you and your skin type.

Kate from City Life, City Wife invests in one great face wash that covers all bases and is gentle but effective. Meg at O is Me relies on a battery-powered skin brush that exfoliates while ensuring a thorough cleanse. GroovyMarlin multitasks by applying a light mask to her skin first thing. She wears it while doing morning chores and rinses it off in the shower. I think these are great quick and effective skin care regimens.

After a long day, exhaustion occasionally beats skin care in a fight for well-being -- but if you think about all the dirt and toxins that have built up throughout the day, layered on top of makeup, it's cringe-worthy. Rhiannon from Rhi in Pink makes sure to wash her face every single night before bed no matter how exhausted she is because it makes a world of difference to her skin. And if you've ever gone to bed with a face full of makeup and woken up to a listless complexion and a few under-the-skin pimples ready to ruin your day, you'd agree. It's never a bad idea to keep no-rinse face wipes bedside for those nights you just can't seem to stand up another minute.

If your skin is sensitive, even waiting until the end of the day to wash may trigger breakouts. Lulu from Clout and About carries a baby-sized washcloth with her at all times. She gently pats her face with warm water first, then cold, to cleanse and refresh her skin throughout her day. Kim from flutie mcd relies on baby wipes for on-the-go treatment.

At the young age of 13, with puberty knocking at my bedroom door, my once-smooth skin suddenly had tiny little bumps all over it. My mom bought me a gentle cleanser and loofah to help -- being the health nut that she was, gave me vitamins to boot. She always taught me that beauty came from within and the small doses of zinc and beta carotene I took on a daily basis proved her theory correct. They did wonders for my complexion. Throughout the years, I added E and biotin to my vitamin cocktail, with added benefits. Julie from The Daily Julie swears by vitamin E oil as a topical treatment.

And let’s not forget water. Water is the easiest and best way to get healthier skin in zero time -- better than anything else you can do. Though it's been said that pursing your lips around a water bottle over time can cause upper lip wrinkles, the benefits to keeping water with you to drink throughout the day by far outweighs the wrinkle vanity, in my opinion.

Even with all the good we put into our body, we cannot forget moisturizer. It really does help with our skin's elasticity through the day and throughout the years. Kaleigha at Krameymartin agrees that moisturizing is one the easiest and most basic things she does for radiant skin. She chooses natural and organic products for a healthy glow.

Moisturizer is a bit more tricky to get right. In my 20's, I could use almost any moisturizer on my skin, and I would -- the thicker the better. But as I reached my later 20s and 30s, when moisturizing was even more important, I found that some moisturizers triggered breakouts to my ever-changing complexion. My grandma lived and died by Chanel products; while I've tried them as well as other expensive creams like La Mer, I've found that I get the same (if not better) results with moisturizers from the drug store, which I use under my makeup.

Unfortunately, being the sun worshiper that I am, I have melasma (dark spots) on my forehead from tanning while on the Pill in my 20s. Had I known this was a possible result of mixing contraceptives with the sun, I would have been more dutiful about covering my face with a hat and/or slathering on sunscreen by the hour. Now, I use a special lightening night cream from my dermatologist to try to even out my skin tone -- and I never leave the house without SPF day cream and makeup with SPF as well. Taking the time to find a great SPF moisturizer to balance out your skin is sometimes a long and ongoing process, but is essential to protect your epidermis.

Even with zero "me time," skin care is crucial to looking and feeling radiant throughout the day and for years to come -- so make a habit of it!

BlogHer Style Editor Maegan Tintari {@loveMaegan} is a Fashion, Home & Lifestyle blogger from Los Angeles. Go to ...love Maegan to find out more!