Yikes! I know I know it goes against everything I stand for, overpaying for all of these chemicals that will probably kill my face but... I am getting desperate. Nothing seems to be controlling my god awful skin lately and school is starting soon. :( So I caved and I am going to try Proactive.
I am currently on day three and got the 30 day trial kit with the refining mask. I am not going to do a complete review right now because I have just started using it. Instead I am going to cover my butt a little bit and tell you all why I caved.
I am a firm believer in putting as few chemicals in on and around you as possible. I think it helps us be healthier and is overall better for us and the quality of our lives. However, I am going to briefly talk about something all us women know and need but far from love. HORMONES. Yes yes, the kind in our bodies andddd the kind in our food. Did you know the foods you eat contain hormone balancers and hormones that can balance or throw off your natural hormone balance. I am sure you knew that your hormones can affect your acne. Well, the foods you eat can affect your hormones. I have recently restarted eating a "clean" diet, full of hormone balancing foods and eliminating the bad. Now naturally, my body will detoxify itself during this process. THIS is why I think my face is running rampant (YUCK), because I think my hormones are trying to sort themselves out in an orderly fashion.
Because of this, I am going to crack and introduce Proactive to my life. My skin is extremely bad right now and needs some chemical assistance to help bring me back to center. This is more than likely not a permanent solution, rather an immediate evacuation of bacteria from my poor skin cells.
Like I said before, I am not going to do a complete review right now, just a few things I have noticed.
First off, it is expensive as hell, you can get the online offer for 20 bucks and if your going to try this stuff that really is the best way. However, after that I believe it goes to 40 dollars a month or something like that. I will get exacts when I make an official review.
Second off, this refining mask everyone raves about. Well like most things I have found, it does not work on pimples that have not broken the skin. However, a pimple that is about to become a big ugly mess. It's True!! Gone overnight. Can't ask for more than that. Although I will say it smells like desitin which is just kind of weird, but the smell does not stay after you rinse it so no worries.
Third off, I have been using it for three days and I have noticed my skin getting a bit smoother, no doubt shedding all the skin cells that have over stayed their welcome. However, my skin is already incredibly dry in certain areas. This is the same problem I run into with most acne product lines. The parts of my face that get dry and flakey are the parts that need the medicine on them. I am still currently using coconut oil after the regimen to moisturize and that has kept it at bay a little bit, but I did notice it's getting worse. I may just be a one a day girl... who knows yet.
Anyway, I am not overly thrilled with my results thus far, but like I said three days only. That being said I am noticing enough changes to make me curious enough to keep going. My thoughts would be proactive once a day and maybe a bentonite clay mask the second time, or something like that. HMM
What do you guys think? Anyone ever tried this stuff. Shoot me an email! :)
Showing posts with label Acne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acne. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Makeup Review: Covergirl Natureluxe Silk Foundation
As I told you guys before I borrowed my sister's makeup when I got home because I left all of mine at home! FML. I ended up using this foundation because it was the lightest color she had on hand. Well I really was quite impressed so I picked some up in my own shade to give it a fair trial. I have been using it for a few days now and gave it the ultimate test... New Years Eve!
The Basics:
Covergirl made this foundation to give us a more natural feel with cucumber and jojoba oil. Well how was I supposed to resist any attempt at being more "organic" with my makeup. It is a liquid foundation that comes in a compact tube which in my opinion is quite cute. Now mind you when I used this I used makeup forever primer on my face, but no concealer because I didn't have mine!
The color: I found mine by using my fit me color to compare in the drugstore, which worked out fine. I have a hard skin tone to match sometimes without looking orange and I was able to get a pretty decent match. that being said it was a little pale for me which looks god awful in certain lights. That being said the shade above would have been far to orange for me. In the right light though it looks quite good. I think it will be just a matter of if they have a color that fits you. Their shade selection is in my opinion less than fabulous, but holds true to all of their other colors so its a personal fit thing. I give their color three stars. ***
The coverage: I was impressed with how well this covered up blemishes considering it had no concealer at it's aid. I think it covered on its own better that the Maybelline Fit Me which is my usual foundation of choice. It covered under eye circles not as well as I hoped, but again that is being picky. I give their coverage five stars *****
The finish: It was a very matte almost powdery finish in blemish prone areas, which I think personally make your blemishes look worse than they already are. However, it was not extreme, and I think with a concealer it would be a non issue. I did hope for a little more "glow" if you will in the finish than I got. Especially after putting a setting powder over it. Finish gets three stars ***
The price: This is something that I have kind of an issue with. I payed $15 for the foundation, and could have gotten a larger "high end" brand of foundation for $30. Covergirl has good products yes, but at $15 dollars it needs to be bigger. End Of Story. Price gets two stars **
My skin: I said before that my reason for even trying this was because the fit me was making me break out a little bit. I have been wearing this for about a week and it has not made me breakout. I even left it on overnight last night (half experiment half being lazy) and did not break out at all. This gets five stars! *****
The other thing I held issue with in this makeup was the smell. I understand that makeup will have a scent, and maybe it is personal preference but I found this smell less than appealing. It smelled chalky to me, and I could smell it the whole night, not just right after I put it on. Normally this is not something I really think about all that much, but I felt strongly enough about the smell to put it in this review.
Conclusion: Truth be told this makeup frusterated me! The good parts I was madly in love with, and the bad parts I have a hard time looking past. This makeup covers well, does not make me breakout and utilizes some more earth friendly ingredients than some other foundations out there. Those are three of the most important things to me personally. However, the awkward smell and the price really are off-putting. The price is not enough to keep me from ever buying it again, but enough to make me think twice. Since this is a new makeup it is hard to get upset over a lack of shades. If they added more shades to this, it would absolutely become a favorite. However, I am happy with my own foundation. To be honest unless other makeup made me keep breaking out I would not buy this again, but I will use this bottle until it is gone. If you have acne prone or sensitive skin, or even if you want a natural makeup without losing out on coverage, I think you should try this. You will probably be incredibly satisfied. However, if your skin is not all that sensitive you probably will be just as happy with something a little bit more refined. Since this is a new product I say this is one to keep an eye on.
How about anyone else? Have you tried this? Let me know! Also! if anyone can find it cheaper absolutely let me know :)
Please be advised I am not affiliated with any companies, and do these reviews completely on my own. I am not a professional and these are just my opinion and experience. I am not responsible for any adverse reactions you experience with this makeup, or any other recipe or makeup on this blog.
The Basics:
Covergirl made this foundation to give us a more natural feel with cucumber and jojoba oil. Well how was I supposed to resist any attempt at being more "organic" with my makeup. It is a liquid foundation that comes in a compact tube which in my opinion is quite cute. Now mind you when I used this I used makeup forever primer on my face, but no concealer because I didn't have mine!
The color: I found mine by using my fit me color to compare in the drugstore, which worked out fine. I have a hard skin tone to match sometimes without looking orange and I was able to get a pretty decent match. that being said it was a little pale for me which looks god awful in certain lights. That being said the shade above would have been far to orange for me. In the right light though it looks quite good. I think it will be just a matter of if they have a color that fits you. Their shade selection is in my opinion less than fabulous, but holds true to all of their other colors so its a personal fit thing. I give their color three stars. ***
The coverage: I was impressed with how well this covered up blemishes considering it had no concealer at it's aid. I think it covered on its own better that the Maybelline Fit Me which is my usual foundation of choice. It covered under eye circles not as well as I hoped, but again that is being picky. I give their coverage five stars *****
The finish: It was a very matte almost powdery finish in blemish prone areas, which I think personally make your blemishes look worse than they already are. However, it was not extreme, and I think with a concealer it would be a non issue. I did hope for a little more "glow" if you will in the finish than I got. Especially after putting a setting powder over it. Finish gets three stars ***
The price: This is something that I have kind of an issue with. I payed $15 for the foundation, and could have gotten a larger "high end" brand of foundation for $30. Covergirl has good products yes, but at $15 dollars it needs to be bigger. End Of Story. Price gets two stars **
My skin: I said before that my reason for even trying this was because the fit me was making me break out a little bit. I have been wearing this for about a week and it has not made me breakout. I even left it on overnight last night (half experiment half being lazy) and did not break out at all. This gets five stars! *****
The other thing I held issue with in this makeup was the smell. I understand that makeup will have a scent, and maybe it is personal preference but I found this smell less than appealing. It smelled chalky to me, and I could smell it the whole night, not just right after I put it on. Normally this is not something I really think about all that much, but I felt strongly enough about the smell to put it in this review.
Conclusion: Truth be told this makeup frusterated me! The good parts I was madly in love with, and the bad parts I have a hard time looking past. This makeup covers well, does not make me breakout and utilizes some more earth friendly ingredients than some other foundations out there. Those are three of the most important things to me personally. However, the awkward smell and the price really are off-putting. The price is not enough to keep me from ever buying it again, but enough to make me think twice. Since this is a new makeup it is hard to get upset over a lack of shades. If they added more shades to this, it would absolutely become a favorite. However, I am happy with my own foundation. To be honest unless other makeup made me keep breaking out I would not buy this again, but I will use this bottle until it is gone. If you have acne prone or sensitive skin, or even if you want a natural makeup without losing out on coverage, I think you should try this. You will probably be incredibly satisfied. However, if your skin is not all that sensitive you probably will be just as happy with something a little bit more refined. Since this is a new product I say this is one to keep an eye on.
How about anyone else? Have you tried this? Let me know! Also! if anyone can find it cheaper absolutely let me know :)
Please be advised I am not affiliated with any companies, and do these reviews completely on my own. I am not a professional and these are just my opinion and experience. I am not responsible for any adverse reactions you experience with this makeup, or any other recipe or makeup on this blog.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Bentonite Clay Skin Detox (Acne)
Hey guys,
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Mayo Hair wrap and Face regimen update!
So has anyone ever heard of this whole Mayo hair wrap? Basically since forever it has been used as a deep conditioning treatment which totally make sense considering eggs are used for the same thing. My mom also said it works which led me to try it.
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.**
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.**
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