I'll admit it. I am a lazy face washer. It's hard enough to do all the other things I have to do, without dealing with that whole twice a day face washing routine. WHAAAATTTT????!!!! A makeup artist who doesn't wash her face? Ew...

Alright, it's not entirely true... the real truth is that good skin has always been and will always be more important than good makeup.

And I'm lucky. I've been blessed with good skin the way some women have been blessed with long, thick, fabulously gorgeous and ridiculously bouncy hair. In the 80s my mom would watch Christy Brinkley's commercials for Prell shampoo and say, "That girl could wash her hair with a Brillo pad, and it would still look good." Some people are just lucky that way. So I suppose I spent many years taking for granted that I could simply use a little shower gel on my face, or shampoo, or bar soap, or nothing much at all, and suffer no ill fate... And that's been pretty much the case, until now.

Whatever your skin condition, whatever your age in life, you can bet it's going to change. The "State of Our Skin" (more important than a silly State of the Union, I'd venture) is not merely prescribed by genetics, it is also largely hormonal, environmental, and dietary. Teenagers break out. Pregnant women either glow, or break out. Women in their 30s and 40s will also find their skin changing, and for what? For the better? Yeah... no.

You may have gotten away with skin crimes for twenty years, Sister, but you're going to start paying for them now. I'm talking to all you girls who, like me, wash their hair and their face with the same product.

It's time to take back your skin.

If you're ready to try something a little different, I promise your face will thank you. It's dirt. Yup, a little bit of French Clay or Clean Dirt goes a long, long, way. Earth is great for many reasons: it absorbs oil, it purifies your pores and absorbs toxins, it makes your pores look smaller, it exfoliates, and it cleanses! People and elephants have been washing themselves with earth for centuries. So why do we think we have to have suds? Turn off your TV and play in the dirt instead. It's better for your brain, and better for your skin.

Now, where does one aquire dirt?

You can buy French Clay (it's a nice green color) in bulk at your natural food store, mix it with a bit of water and either make a cleanser, a paste, or a drying mask. For those of you who prefer a manufactured product that offers added benefits, there are a few skincare lines who taut dirt among their ingredients. Here are a few I've tried:

RareMinerals Renew & Reveal Facial Cleanser

A mineral-based cleanser with added benefits of rice, oatmeal, aloe and green tea. No harsh detergents or chemicals added.

RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment

A dirty "night creme." It uses a virgin soil, buffed into the skin to tighten pores, reduce wrinkles, and and make the skin glow.

100% Pure Organic Eucalyptus Seafoam

Contains organic seaweed, organic green tea, and French green sea clay. Also contains pomegranate, rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, cinnamon, golden seal, thyme and oregano. (Also comes in lavender formula.)

The winner so far? I love 100% Pure's Seafoam. I love the tingly way my skin feels when I use it, I like the wet grittiness of the mud which transforms into seafoam on my face (makes me feel like Aphrodite), and I like how little it takes to make me feel about a zillion times cleaner. It doesn't dry my skin out, either, which is important. I also like that it comes in a recycled glass container, and is organic. I do like my dirt SUPER clean!

I tried both Rare Minerals products — I used them until they were gone, in fact. The cleanser I like for the ease of use: flip-top opening, shake it into your wet hand, rub on face. And I appreciated the mild exfoliation as well, but my skin never really felt fresh afterward — it felt slightly drier, and I just persisted because I realized that I needed to change my shampoo-on-face regimen.

As far as dirt-as-nightcreme, I love the concept, but I'm not convinced that dirt is the answer at night. My husband likes it, so it's probably a great option for those women who struggle with oily skin or breakouts. But for drier skinned girls, I'm still a fan of a good serum and a great, restorative face oil or creme. I'm still open to the idea of dirt as moisturizer... but I'm SOLD on the idea of dirt as cleanser.

No one is so lazy that they can't throw a little dirt on their face and call it a day. Not even me.

So what are you waiting for? Go get dirty!