Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Bentonite Clay Update and some Makeup questions
Results:
So far I am still pleased with the results. My skin is not completely clear still, so I may consider adding something to the regimen when I get home. The Bentonite clay is absolutely helping keep big pimples at bay, but I am trying to aim for perfection here people!
ONTO another topic:... Makeup!
When I wear makeup 9 times out of 10 I take it off that night and wash my face thoroughly. I still notice however that my face tends to break out when I use makeup. I am currently using Fit Me foundation in 115. I did a review about it on another post, and I am completely in love with it! I really did not ever want to change makeup. However, I am noticing that it is the trigger to breakouts once in a while.
The solution:
My sister has this covergirl nature something or other makeup that I used a couple of times while back in NJ. It seems to not make me breakout. So Today I bought some of my own in my own shade and will be testing it out and doing a review OOOOF COURSE! It would not be such a bad thing since it is more natural than the Fit Me makeup, but it is DEF more expensive. Once all of this is behind me, I want to switch to completely natural mineral makeup. However, my skin does not cover well with Bare Minerals or any other mineral makeup. It tends to just leave lines and look really cakey.
That's all on my thoughts for now... Check back in a couple of days for that review. I will also be trying out a seven day detox when I get back! New Year means New Years resolution of losing weight!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Bentonite Clay Skin Detox (Acne)
So I have tried numerous home made remedies for my acne prone skin. Incase you are wondering, I stopped using store bought things because I have tried just about every product out there and they never ever work. If they do, it is only for a little bit and then they decide they hate me again. So I figured I should try my luck at home made things for a couple of reasons. 1) they're cheap. 2) they are easier to change if they do not work. 3) no harmful chemicals running around on my poor skin.
I have tried many many things, with some luck. Most recipes are on the website. BUT! I was still getting breakouts. Granted my skin is a lot better than it was before I dropped all of my "products" but it was still not quite lovely. I tried this new thing called Bentonite clay.
WTF is that??
Well, we have all heard about clay masks that draw out impurities blah blah and they cost a pretty penny. Well a lot of those masks are artificial ingredients OR contain a very very small amount of an actual all natural clay. Bentonite clay is an nature made ingredient that you can find online. You usually have to by in at least by the pound but that is still about $10 tops and will last you quite a while. For preventative issues it should be used like a regular store bought clay mask, once or twice a week. However I decided to go on a major detox. (as far as my skin was concerned at least)
Step One:
Drop the makeup... to do this I waited until finals week for me so I didn't have to worry about being seen with my awful skin around campus etc. But I reccomend this for any cold turkey skin detox. In my opinion the less crap on your face the better chance it has to heal.
Step Two:
The mask. It is very simply clay powder (bought online) and water. Now there are many different types of clays you can buy, but after some research I decided on this clay. It was said to be the most detoxifying without really drying out the skin too much.
One note about this clay is that it is VERY absorbent. I tried for days to get a good mixture. I only wanted to make one serving at a time, so there was a lot of guess, check and fails on my end. I discovered a few things that worked for me.
1)The clay is extremely absorbent like I said, I use about one part clay to four or five parts water. I know that seems like a lot, but it really mixes better that way. When I used more than that I got a clumpy thick mixture that did not want to spread evenly on my skin.
2) Try to get a container that seals and has approximately one serving unless you want to make it ahead of time. I have not tried this, so I do not know what it's shelf life will be.
3) Even when you use the correct proportions of clay to water, the mixture will initially be lumpy and hard to spread. I found that making it the night before works really well. I simply refill it after I used it on my skin, taking up no more time than had I done it right then.
4) Mix thoroughly for a few seconds. I do this simply by putting the lid on then shaking. However, the clay will be at its best if you let it sit and absorb on it's own for a while. Once again, I reccom
mend overnight.
A few other general tips:
1) make sure you apply to clean skin. I like to wash my face beforehand, even if I do not have makeup on I will have excess oil. If this oil is left on the skin I found that the clay absorbs THAT, thus not absorbing as much from your pours as it could be
2) Moisturize lightly afterward if you feel the need. Honestly, if my skin feels fine after the mask I leave it overnight, but if it feels dry I moisturize with coconut oil.
3) Leave on for half an hour. I put it on before the shower and then wet it and scrub it into my face before I rinse it off.
Results:
So far I have been using this mask everyday for about 12 days I think. My skin has definitely improved. I am not sure if after I am done "detoxing" my skin will stay nice when I revert back to once or twice a week for maintenance. however, this is cost effective and gentle enough to use as a cleanser as well, so I would not be opposed to doing that.
Have any of you tried this? or exprimented with other clays. I also order Rhaussoul Clay, but this has been workign so well I have yet to try it.
EMAIL me with your results, and Happy experimenting.
**REMINDERS** None of the above information or anything from previous posts is based off of scientific evidence or fact. This is all simply MY own personal experience with each of these "recipes" or products. Any experimenting you do must be done of your own caution. Please check for allergies, or other possibilities before trying any of these things. I am not responsible for any adverse affects due to your own at home experiments. THESE ARE SIMPLY MY EXPERIENCES and I do not encourage anyone to try them without consulting the necessary professional resources.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Product Review: Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer in Light 01
The Product:
Texture: It comes out in a thick cream and goes on quite smoothly. As always remember to tap the product into your skin and never rub. If you tap it in you need hardly any to cover large parts of your face. *****
Color: There are only I believe four color options for the concealer here. Now for me that is not such a big deal because I have always been a concealer before foundation person. However if you are the other way around, this may cause some issues. Although I will say that it blends quite well.
****
Coverage: If this thing says it can cover tattoos well... I am not SO sure about that. I find that with large blemishes it does a really good job at reducing them but I still see them a little bit. However!, my redness and acne scars completely disappear. My favorite thing is that my skin does not look like I have a ton of makeup on because well I don't! It takes very little to get such good coverage results as far as redness and scars are concerned. For the bigger blemishes though I am still left a little wanting.
****
Price: I may come back and amend this later on, but right now I am not thrilled. It costs 30$ at Sephora. The container is 0.5 oz of concealer. This depends I though on how long is lasts me. It is true I use very little to cover up my face, so 30$ every two months might not be SOOO bad. For a beauty product that I hold to high standards such as my concealer I am willing to pay for results.
**
Overall: I really do like this product. It has definitely climbed the ranks as far as my personal favorites. However the price really kills. I know it is a high end product, but until I see how long this lasts me the rating stays at ***3/4.
Note: I use this concealer with a skin primer under it. I do not know how it performs without a primer. I will do an experiment and let you know!
So what concealers do you use? Do you apply it before or after foundation? How much do you pay for it and how often do you buy it? Any suggestions!?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Product Review: Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation 120
So as much as I am still very much pro DIY all natural ETC. I do love my makeup. I think if nothing else it is a fun way to play up a day or a convenient way to cover up your breakouts. I have been using Fit Me for about two months now. Like many of you I have rarely bought the same foundation twice and have a hard time finding one I get what I want out of.
My situation:
I have combination skin at it's finest. I get oily in certain areas and then flaky in other areas making my needs a lot more specific. I also have breakouts and have yet to find a be all end all solution for them so I need to control them as well. I prefer a liquid or cream to powder and have a hard time finding my color. I seem to be right in between looking really pale or looking like I fell face first in dirt. I also refuse to spend 30$ on foundation merely because I have yet to try something that I am terribly impressed with.
The makeup:
Texture: This is your typical liquid makeup, but it is a nice consistency not watery like some. It also goes on your skin super smooth. Some liquids I find get streaky or become gooey before they actually cover anything. *****
Color: Fit me has tons of shades which is one of the reasons I was attracted to it. My 120 Classic ivory is pretty close to perfect. It gets a little orange around my neck, but I think that is more me being pale and sun fearing. ****
Coverage: This makeup is not a stage makeup level cover by any means. But it does a really great job of evening out my skin tone which in turn makes blemishes and such minimized. I always notice a difference. However, it does not stay for a really long time. In a normal person's life I am sure it would. When I have weekends where I don't go out to the barn to run around like a crazy person it stays all day just fine. ****
Price: I believe I bought this for $12 at the grocery store, so I am sure you could find it for a bit cheaper else where but... $12 is not bad at all especially since I am going on two months and still have a ways to go. *****
Overall: This is a makeup that I think I may actually purchase twice. I think for me personally I need to add a primer and some concealer, but for anyone who breaks out less or has an indoor job I would recommend this. Especially if your on a budget! ****1/2
~PLEASE NOTE~
This review and other posts on this blog are merely my experience and opinion. I have no facts backing any of this up nor do I have an education that allows me to recommend products or cosmetics.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Mayo Hair wrap and Face regimen update!
I took mayo covered my hair in it then covered my hair in plastic wrap since I didn't have a shower cap. I used the blow dryer to heat it up for about 15 minutes then rinsed. If I was going to rate the process and the results I give it a one!
YUCK! First of all that much mayo in one place really smells quite awful. I have gotten used to the ACV smell just fine for the most part, but the mayo is ten times worse. It also feels nasty and thick and greasy when I put it in my hair. Of course heating it up only made it smell worse. Just thinking about it makes me gag. :( Rinsing it out was hard and took a long time. After I got out of the shower my hair felt heavy and gross. I thought it might not be a huge deal and it would feel fine once it dried.
Well, waking up the next morning was less than exciting. I looked like a greasy Tbird missing his pink lady for days! even after using BSoda and ACV to get it to rinse out. Basically, you could not pay me enough to do this again.
WHY??
I started thinking about why this backfired on me so intensely and I came up with a theory. Now that I have been no poo for about a month now my hair is overall much healthier and happier with almost nothing added to it. A mayo pack is intended for people with dry brittle hair which I DEF used to have. However, now that my hair has gone through this transformation it does not really need that much moisture in one hit. I will say even if I needed it, with other alternatives like other oils etc... I would not go back to this anyway.
Has anyone else every tried this? If you have how did it workout?
Face UPDATE!!!
This is a much happier update. So for a while I was not sure if my skin was purging if you will or if I was just breaking out. I figured since my skin sucks anyway it was not a big deal so I pushed through. Well "that time of the month" is usually the be all end of my face looking decent for about two weeks. First off I never pay attention to that like some women do. I'm a busy girl! Anyway it totally caught up to me because my face didn't break out. I mean at all. I am sitting here writing to cyber space with two weeks after skin instead of first day of skin. I am AMAZED! This is by far the happiest result I could have asked for. One thing I changed is dropping out the tea tree oil all over my face. I found it irritating and more useful as a spot treatment only because it is rather drying.
I also watered down my ACV and kept it that way and I think it is working just fine that way. Nothing wrong with saving a few bucks right!
** Please remember these are just my recipes and experiences with them. I in no way have any medical knowledge of these products nor do I know how they will work for you.**
Monday, November 14, 2011
Quinoa and lentils with Feta (Vegetarian)
The Recipe:
1 Cup Quinoa cooked
1 Cup Lentils cooked
1/4 Cup of Feta Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
Cook Quinoa in water and season with salt and pepper to taste. I found if you add the salt and pepper while the quinoa is cooking it absorbs really nicely. I added about a teaspoon of pepper and got a really nice bite to it.
Cook Lentils in water and season with a little bit of salt. I always use sea salt no matter what but regular salt is fine.
Once everything is cooked mix together in a bowl and add the feta. Mix well to get a nice creamy texture. Add a very tiny bit of lemon juice to taste. This makes about four servings.
It was delicious, I would like to try it with tomatoes and spinach and maybe gorgonzola cheese instead. I also think some almonds or walnuts would make it even better! I have left overs so I will experiment for lunch tomorrow!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A different take on NO POO
I just found this blog and think I may try it. If I do i will let you know how it goes. But basically it isn't no poo, but it is how to make your own shampoo at home! Thus eliminating the harsh chemicals we all don't know and fear. Still controls exactly what you put into your hair but may be better for those out there who don't know how to feel about never using soap on their locks again!
Check them out and as always support... if you try it out write a review.
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/08/homemade-natural-hair-care-shampoo-recipe.html
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Blogs I am obsessed with
Has anyone ever been here? I just discovered it a few days ago and am kind of in love! It is where I got the recipe for bread which I embarked on yesterday. I must say it was delicious and will start my journey onto never buying bread again!
Anyway Check it out there are so many great tips on here. Especially because even though I want to be as organic as possible, I would also like to not break the bank!
Face Wash Regimen (All Natural)
After some research my possibilities included...
just about everything under the sun... So I threw everything out the window and Decided to pretty literally make it up as I went along. What I ended up with were a few key ingredients that I made into a three sometimes four step system.
Organic ACV
Coconut Oil
Baking Soda
Tea Tree Oil
Aquaphor
Although I initially wanted to use only all natural ingredients, Aquaphor has been something I use on my skin daily since I was a kid. It made the rounds in my house and got used on everything! It is scent free and doesn't clog pours. Aquaphor is something I will probably never be able to cut ties with even if one day I lived in the forrest in a tent. Seriously this stuff is THAT good!
Step One, Scrub:
This one is pretty basic. Simply Baking soda and water. Thats Right! Just baking soda and water. I use about a 1/4 BSoda to a 3/4 Water mix. You should adjust this based on your own skin type because the soda will exfoliate the skin.
Step Two, Toner:
Again this is basic. Organic ACV. This once again stinks to high heaven, but it goes away completely when it dries. I use about 50/50 water to ACV because my acne is pretty heavy. Some people say to use it full strength some say 1 part ACV to 10 parts water. Basically there is no right answer.
My experiences:
I have used it full strength and 50/50. I switched to 50/50 simply because it cut the smell down. It was going away on my face but my bathroom was starting to stink-Yuck!-and I will say it cuts down the stench by a ton. I have not noticed it working differently since diluting it. However I will admit I would probably switch to full strength when I get a breakout just to nip it in the butt.
Step Three, Moisturize:
I use two different moisturizers, one during the day and one overnight. Coconut oil is the sole ingredient the night time moisturizer. Since I also use it on my skin I just take it straight out of the jar. However and this is BIG however, you must use Virgin Coconut oil. It should be white and a little cakey. Once you heat it up between your fingers it melts right into clear oil. I just apply a thin layer all over my skin and thats that!
During the day I have this spray bottle with a cup of water and maybe a teaspoon of Coconut Oil in it. I just spray my face with it lightly with it after toner. I switch it up because the straight oil takes a while to absorb, and I don't have the time in the morning!
Step Four, Spot Treatment/Mask:
This is where the Aquaphor comes in. I just took about a tablespoon of Aquaphor and mix in a drop or two of tea tree oil. I originally did this as spot treatment because I wanted something more substantial than just oil so I felt like it was staying on my face all night. Once every three days I replace the coconut oil with this mask. Just a thin layer on my skin before bedtime.
THATS IT! I know it was a lot of words, but if you think about it most steps are just one ingredient. Doesn't it erk you that it can be that simple. I will say my skin has NEVER looked so much better. It is not overly dry oily messy anything. Just slowly clearing up and getting healthier. A big part of this is my honey mask. Since I find it so crucial I will make an entire post dedicated to it. It is just too lovely!
P.S. Shelf life is something I was concerned about when I decided to use all natural ingredients. However, I made all of these ahead of time and store them in my bathroom. So far nothing has gone bad or smelled funny and it has been a couple of weeks.
Please remember, this is how these things reacted to MY skin. Each person is different and ingredients may react to your face in a better or worse way. Be careful and let me know how it goes!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Experiment #2 Organic ACV in hair
Recipe...
~One part organic ACV
~Three parts hot water
~One teaspoon of raw organic honey.
~Mix all together until honey completely melts
~Dump on hair focusing on scalp
~Massage in scalp for one minute or so
~Rinse well
Effects...
Well the vinegar smell is extremely intense especially with this organic stuff. However I def noticed that my hair curled really nicely this morning all by itself. Once again the vinegar smell disappears when your hair dries. My hair looks fine, not incredibly shiny but stayed together really well and did not friz at all. I would like a little more shine and volume in my curl. Although I have heard a lot of good things about this method, and will try it again. My hair is still getting better by the day in it's transition period if you will.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Experiment #1
Recipes:
Hair Rinse...
~ about 1/8 cup of ACV
~ mixed with about 2 cups warm water from shower
~ tilt head forward and pour vinegar over hair
~ massage for about a minute then rinse with warm water
~ follow up with cool water if you can stand it (for shine)
Effects...
I tried to use this as an anti dandruff treatment, and a clarifying treatment since I have really hard water at home. The next day I must say I did not notice any itch at all, and my hair looked AMAZING! However, I did smell like an Easter Egg until my hair dried. *NOTE* If you are active or workout whatever, when my hair got wet again and I started to sweat I did smell a hint of vinegar, but nothing terrible.
Skin Toner...
~ I used a dab of this on a piece of toilet paper or a tissue
~ I used it on my face full strength. If you have sensitive skin you can dilute with water.
~ Do not rinse off, let dry.
~ If skin feels dry moisturize with anything that won't clog pours
~ I added nothing the first night just to see what the effects would be
Effects...
~ Acne looked better, not completely gone
~ Complexion looked a lot better
~ Smelled of vinegar a tad when sweating.
After I did these experiments I found out that Organic ACV is really what I was supposed to be using. It contains the "mother" which is basically a bunch of cloudy gunk. So although I got the results I wanted for my hair, I am looking forward to the hopefully enhanced results with my skin.
will check back later!
Going All Natural "No Poo"
As I was googling I stumbled across the "no poo" method. The basic way is baking soda and ACV (apple cider vinegar). As I read further, the baking soda could be very drying. Then I found out about the curly girl method. This focused on washing your hair with only conditioner. Of course then there is the always famous olive oil deep conditioning. Then I found a website with organic shampoo bars. So basically there are about a gazillion "no poo" techniques on the world wide web. Thus leaving be one STILL very unsatisfied curly haired little girl. In my lack of planning type of way the first thing I did was went shopping!
I bought...
Baking soda
Apple cider vinegar
Coconut oil
Grape seed oil
Monday, September 12, 2011
It's 5:34 am... Do you know where your children are?: Alternate: Gypsy Girl Why Do You Run
Anyway.
I have been up since 3 AM trying to go back to sleep
Accepting that I am not going back to sleep
Then figuring out what to do since I am not asleep
Then... figuring out what to do with my life.
I suppose that is the kind of question that comes down to "who am I" blah blah blah. I think the truth to that is who cares? I do not mean that in a depressing sort of way. But more of an everyone is too caught up with figuring themselves out to figure you out kind of way. Which personally I see as a total advantage. I mean think about it, if no one is paying attention to anyone else then you get to PRETTY MUCH do whatever the heck you want. Aside from a nod from the fellow oddlings nothing else is going to happen. I mean unless of course you do something incredibly illegal. But even then, look at Lisbeth Salander, she made off pretty in the end!
But basically I have been trying to figure out what the heck would make me the happiest. You see I have this passion. I have been riding horses since I was four. YEAH FOUR. I live on a farm at home, I have three horses here at school, where I study horses and riding them basically. I have always had the end goal of a farm and some students etc. Which is all well and good and many days all I think I would need.
Here's the kicker (whatever that means) Establishing a farm and a riding program is done over time and done to establish yourself in the riding world to establish a record to establish some esteem to establish a reputation (a positive one hopefully). Well... I don't know about you but that seems like an awful lot of establishing to establish to establish to become well... established. What does establish mean to you? Because to me it means a base, roots, something you have built up something firmly planted on the ground that you are standing on. Well all of those words strike fear into the very depths of my twenty year old soul. I am not that kind of girl.
What kind of girl am I you ask? I am the kind of girl whose backpack has a cape on it. Whose closet consists of hippy skirts AND combat boots. Whose hair is so out of control it has never looked the same twice. Who wants a station wagon because of the sheer amount of STUFF I could put in it. Who liked her room better when it was an aero bed that she could fold up and take with her. Who has an art blog and no time to fill it with all of the wild ideas in her head. The kind of girl that could probably never ever make a decision about her life in one fell swoop a term she learned from a song from her favorite band that is her favorite because he sings of passion and existing without any actual establishment. I am first and foremost a girl of passion. Yes I am passionate about the animals I have dedicated my life to everyday for the past 15 years. I like them more than people and I understand them way more than people. How on earth though can one pick between passions. I cannot rank them in my head. I guess if you ranked them on performance horses are the first passion. But that is because they need to be they take so much time, and establishing. You cannot pack a horse in a station wagon and hit the road. You cannot just up and go with your horse and his stall. I am therefore a passionate human trapped within her passion.
What's a girl to do?
A girl is to think on it some more I suppose. Growing up means making choices doesn't it? OR growing up can mean figuring out how to not have to sacrifice one passion for the next. OR who knows really... lets be honest I have no idea what I am talking about. There is no how to guide to living. Well I take that back I am sure somewhere out there (or not so out there) there is, but honestly? Would YOU read it? I mean of course other than in a manner of sheer curiosity.
The time is 5:55 AM_The song is Gypsy Girl by Dean Brody although admittedly I just turned it on about fifteen seconds ago_the feeling is trapped_the solution is to run.
"Gypsy girl why do you run?"
Stay weird XxAngelRae
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Lexi and riley update :)
Sad news and good news. Bad news first... riley got shoes on and still has not improved soundness wise. She is sound going to the right but not the left. I think we are going to send her back or find somewhere for her to go. :( sadness she is a really sweet mare and hopefully someone will love her!
Now for the good news... Lexi has been making great progress and will probably come with me to ohio :) today was a big day for her we went in the outdoor ring yesterday and walked and trotted around like a little champ :) so today we cantered her for the first time and trotted over a couple poles. She was amazing she is a really smart mare who learns quick and loves working. She is getting better ever day about putting the saddle on her and was better for the farrier the other day. She is making great progress and I could not be more proud. Pictures soon :)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lexi and Riley :D
Today was a good milestone day for both mares. We used the mounting block on them for the first time and they were stars! neither of them minded lungeing around the round pen with it or minded me using it to get on. Riley, being the older one was graduated into the indoor arena today! That was a huge step getting out of the round pen and into an actual arena. She looked around a very tiny bit but remained her same personable self.
As of now they both cross tie, long line, lunge, stand for the mounting block, and for the farrier. We seperated them after their third day with us and they screamed bloody murder for the first day or so but have now settled in. They cross paths once in a while and notice each other but no longer shout longingly. Personality wise I think Lexi is the more independant of the two, Riley just wants to be loved on all day. Although neither of them deny the attention they receive.
Looking forward to working with them and to updating cyber space about their progress! :)