1 Week Challenge Results

I can't believe how fast a week went by. Going all natural was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, but I got through with it without missing a single night. Since it was only 7 days I can't say I see a huge difference in my skin. Actually that isn't entirely true. Some of my dark spots cleared up but the texture of my skin isn't as soft as it usually is - not that it's the softest skin ever lol. Also, the oatmeal didn't do much to properly exfoliate my skin, so now the skin on my nose feels like it wants to peel but it doesn't. I have to admit that any routine has to be done for longer than a week to take proper effect but I'm not interested in switching to olive oil just yet. I will continue to use lemon juice until the lemons I bought run out. Unfortunately I didn't think to take before and after pictures...sorry! But I will remember to do that next time I decide to go all natural again.

1 Week All Natural Skin Care Challenge

The title pretty much says it all. I've personally challenged myself to only use natural products in my night skin care regimen for 1 week. I would do this during the day as well but I'm not sure what a natural substitute there is for sunscreen. I'm using lemon juice to whiten and even out my skin tone. For moisturizing I'm using extra virgin olive oil. I know, I know, no big surprise. I needed to see for myself if it really does everything it claims to do plus I'm hoping it reduces some of the redness around my nose. Truth is I started last night and this morning I was already getting compliments on how nice my skin looked.

So this is what I'm doing:

After I wash my face I take a cotton pad and squeeze about 4-5 drops of lemon juice on it and rub it all over my face - avoiding the eye area of course. It stings ever so slightly but nothing unbearable. I let it sit for 10 minutes exactly. Once the 10 minutes have passed I take about a penny or dime sized drop of olive oil rub it between my hands to heat it up and then massage it all over my face for about 2-3 minutes. And that's it. For exfoliating I plan to start using oatmeal again and for a mask I might try honey - we'll see though.

Remember that this is only for the night time. If you expose your face to the sun with lemon juice on it you risk staining your face in a really bad way. Besides, you don't want to go out smelling like a salad dressing in the making.

As for my eyes I'm still using my RoC Retinol Correxion eye cream and Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. This has helped reduce the dark circles I had in a significant way.

A few things you should keep in mind if you decide you want to try this challenge out as well.

1. Don't buy those little lemon shaped containers that come with pre-squeezed lemon juice. Even though they say 100% lemon juice on the front on the back it will say that it has lemon oil and a few other things in it as well (preservatives ruin the juice). You want real lemon juice or even lime juice. Since we are looking for the most vitamin c possible stick with lemons - they have double the amount of vitamin c compared to limes.

2. Good extra virgin olive oil can be expensive at your local supermarket. Consider buying a bulk size container at Costco or other similar store if you can. If you can't, Marshalls sells imported olive oils at really good prices and the bottles are usually pretty big.

3. Try to put the olive oil on your skin a few hours before going to bed. This way you give it time to absorb properly and you don't risk getting grease stains all over your pillow. If you feel like your face is too shiny right before getting into bed take a piece of tissue and remove the excess.

4. Make sure to cleanse your face thoroughly in the morning before going out. As I mentioned above, lemon juice will react badly when exposed to the sun and could cause more spots on your face. Also, you want to make sure you don't have an oily looking complexion.

Kiehl's Complimentary Ground Shopping

From now until Monday July 11th, Kiehl's is offering complimentary shipping for orders of $35 or more. Enter code SUMMERFUN at checkout. I know this isn't as great as completely free shipping on any order but Kiehl's tends to only give free shipping on orders of $50 or more so you are still saving $15 - I totally had to use a calculator to figure that out LOL.

Skin Care Routine Update and Free Deluxe Samples

Hey guys! Just making a quick post to let you know of a small change to my skin care routine. Now, instead of using Purity by Philosophy in the mornings I have started using Naruko's Niaouli & Tea Tree Acne Clay Cleanser. So far I like how it feels on my skin but I will talk about it in-depth after I've used it for a few weeks. I'm also switching over to Kiehl's Acne Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment as my new spot treatment once my Kiehl's Blue Herbal spot treatment runs out - which should be any day now. I will be uploading my first youtube video soon about my day/night routine. I'll make a post about it once it's up.

Now on to the free samples. Below you will find 2 links for coupons of deluxe samples you can redeem at any Sephora located inside JCPENNY. The samples are of Murad's Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 which expires on 07/13/2011 and Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer Combination Skin which expires on 07/25/2011. I already picked up both samples - the Murad sample is 10 ml while the Bare Escentuals sample is 5 ml. I haven't tried either of them yet but I will once some of my other samples run out.

Murad Deluxe Sample
Bare Escentuals Deluxe Sample

Korean 5 Step Skin Care Regimen

This post is for those of you not familiar with the Korean 5 step routine.

1. Double Cleansing - This step entitles first cleansing with cleansing oil and then regular cleanser.

2. Mask/Massage - Massaging is very important because it increase circulation and keeps your skin healthy and with a beautiful glow. On the days you do not massage you use a mask (or in my case I sometimes exfoliate).

3. Tone - Tone your face thoroughly to remove any leftover residue.

4. Essence - Essence is another word for serum. Serums are highly concentrated treatments created to correct different skin issues (such as dark spots, wrinkles, etc.).

5. Moisturizer - Lastly apply your favorite moisturizer after your serum has been completely absorbed. This typically takes 5-10 minutes.

There you have it. This is a very easy routine to follow and in my opinion very effective.

My Skin Care Routine

I thought I would post my skin care routine for those of you curious to know what products I'm currently using. Just so you guys know I follow the Korean 5 step skin care routine - with the exception of double cleansing. I've listed the general steps and then at the end I listed all the products I use.

Daytime Routine:

Since my skin has suddenly become combination over the summer I've reduced the amount of things I do for the daytime just to avoid breakouts and overall oily skin.

1. In the shower I splash warm water on my face to open up my pores and proceed to cleanse. I rinse the cleanser off with warm water and then right at the end I splash cold water on my face to tighten up my pores.

2. I apply eye cream. If my eyes are puffy I apply an eye gel prior to the cream.

3. I use toner.

4. Once I feel that the toner has completely dried I apply a pump of serum.

5. To finish up I use a mattefying moisturizer with spf.

For days when I use makeup or even just BB cream, I leave out the moisturizer or else my face feels too oily.

Nighttime Routine:

My bedtime routine is a bit more extensive.

1. I splash warm water on my face to open up my pores. I rub the cleanser on my face and work it in for a few minutes making sure to concentrate on my problematic areas (nose and chin). Then I rinse with cold water.

2. I pat my face dry and follow up with toner unless it is one of the nights I do a mask or exfoliate. If that is the case I'll do that first

3. If I did a mask then I'll take this step to use toner. If not, I move straight to applying eye cream.

4. I rub an acne spot treatment on the areas I get the most acne and/or blackheads.

5. When the acne treatment has fully dried I apply 2 different serums right after.

6. When the serums have dried I apply a correcting moisturizer.

7. Lastly I apply a wrinkle correcting serum on the areas where the first signs of aging tend to appear first (eyes, mouth, forehead, etc.).

The products I use are as follow:

Daytime

Purity by Philosophy Cleanser
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado and 40 Carrots Retinol-Rich Skin Care Carrot + Cucumber Eye Gel (if needed)
Shiseido Hadasui Skin and Body Lotion or Kiehl's Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner (I alternate my toners daily).
Naruko Niaouli & Tea Tree Balancing Serum
hope in a jar oil-free spf 30 moisturizer (prefer Cosmedicines mattefying lotion)

Nighttime

Clean & Clear deep action cream cleanser sensitive skin oil-free
Shiseido Hadasui Skin and Body Lotion or Kiehl's Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment (not the best but doing the job)
Naruko Niaouli & Tea Tree Balancing Serum
Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate
Kiehl's Acai Damage-Correcting Moisturizer
RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum

The Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment is a sample I got (a few samples actually). I normally use RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream. When I remember, I also use Kiehl's Ultra Moisturizing Eye Stick SPF 30 during the day - obviously.

Masks, exfoliants, and blackhead removers I currently use:

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque
Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask
boscia Luminizing Black Mask
St. Clare Facial Treatment Set
Amore Pacific Enzyme Peel
Deary Co-Q10 & Vit. C Mask
Plain Oatmeal

Shikai Natural Tea Tree Shampoo

I really wanted to love this shampoo. I wanted to leave the common drugstore brands that strip your hair and use something more natural. This was horrible. I've never had so much dandruff and scabs on my scalp. Sorry for sharing so much but it's true. I usually get hives when I'm allergic to something and I have the bad habit of scratching thus resulting in scabs. I honestly have no idea why this happened. Could it be that my scalp prefers sulfates and parabens? This shampoo, as the title states, has tea tree oil in it as well as peppermint oil. I have other products that have tea tree in them (such as a serum I put on my face) and I haven't had any reaction so it could very will be that I'm allergic to peppermint oil. Regardless my experience with this shampoo was plain out bad. Finally I couldn't take the itch anymore and I went back to using my John Frieda shampoo and conditioner. It's really unfortunate because I rather enjoyed the tingly sensation I would get every time I used the Shikai shampoo. The smell is also nice. You can definitely smell a hint of tea tree but it's mostly a minty smell.

I'm not giving up on using natural/organic shampoos... I just need to find one that doesn't make me want to rip my scalp off lol.

Clean & Clear deep action cream cleanser sensitive skin

It's been nearly a month since I purchased Clean & Clear's deep action cream cleanser sensitive skin and I thought it was about time that I reported back on how I feel about it.

Before starting I wanted to talk about the recent change my skin has undergone. Since I got into skincare I always considered myself a dry/sensitive skin person - more like that is what my dermatogolist told me. But, for some crazy reason or more like weather, my skin has gone from dry to combination. It's pretty annoying since every single product I have purchased until now has been for dry skin. As you can imagine my skin suddenly broke out in the most horrible way it has ever broken out and my forehead looked like I could cook stuff on it. Silly as I can be I just kept putting on all the stuff I usually do and sat there wondering why my problem wasn't getting better. In the end I stopped using everything for two days and followed my mom's suggestion of doing a quick wash (I'll post the ingredients for this effective wash soon) and then placing potato on my trouble areas - yes the same kind you eat. Since then my face has been slowly recovering. I've also pretty much stopped using everything I owned and got a few new things. Lucky for me I have tons of samples just sitting around for combination skin (I'll also get into that later on). I don't know if the change is permanent but I'm hoping it isn't. I rather have dry skin over oily any day.

Now on to the review...

Although this cleanser comes in a cream form it is oil free and hasn't made my current combination skin any worse. In fact not only does it rinse off without leaving any residue behind it always leaves my face feeling tingly and perfectly moisturized. It isn't an acne fighting wonder per say but I can say that it has kept my existing break outs under control and I haven't seen any new ones come up as of yet. I really love this cleanser and have been using it every single night since I purchased which is pretty strange for me since I typically alternate my cleansers nightly - what can I say I have a mini cleanser collection going. This cleanser comes in two different versions with one of those being made for sensitive skin. The bottles are 100% identical with the only difference being that the title ends with "sensitive skin". So far what it claims to do has been true because I haven't had a single hive or dry patch since I've been using it. At times I even forget it has salicylic acid in it. The ingredients list is really small compared to other cleansers out there, so even though it isn't organic like my Boscia cream cleanser it's still good in my book. I highly recommend this cleanser for any skin type that has minimal acne issues. And, If you do decide you want to give this exact cleanser a try your best bet is to order from Walmart.com. For some reason the senstive skin one isn't really available in stores. On the plus side the shipping will be free, the price is really low ($4-5), and if you get lucky like I did you will get a bag full of samples.

iMomoko Anniversary Sale!

Because of their anniversary imomoko.com is currently offering 10% off your entire purchase if you enter promo code ANNIVERSARY before checkout. Many of you know that iMomoko is one of the best places online to shop for Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese skin care products. This promotion ends on June 12th so do not hesitate to run over there and get some stuff - shipping is free on orders over $50. Happy shopping!

Boscia BB Cream Review

I wont beat around the bush in my opinion this BB cream sucks. Thankfully I didn't waste my time buying it because Sephora is usually pretty awesome about giving samples. Why do I think it sucks? It has glitter, that's right, glitter. By now most of us know that glitter is the enemy seeing as it gets into all the fine lines and it makes you look old. Why the hell did Boscia even add glitter? Are they trying to make us look like cheap versions of "Twilight" vampires? Seriously though, not only was it loaded with glitter it has an awful gray undertone. When it finally settled into my skin it sort of looked like a match but with a noticeable gray cast. It was weird. And it just sunk into every fine line. I'm 26 and I felt old -___-. I'm pretty disappointed because up to now I was a fan of the Boscia line (YAY for organic) but they need to leave BB cream making to the experts and just stick to what they know.

If you are interested in trying it out for yourself just click on one of the links below:

Sephora

Amazon

Boscia

If you enter the promo code babyBB at the Boscia website you get a free 0.35oz mini BB cream with your purchase of $30 or more. The normal size cream itself is $38 at all three sites.

Update to my previous post "Leave your face alone!"

I am very happy to announce that I did not rupture a capillary like I thought I had. It seems like all I did was pinch some of my skin off - still pretty idiotic of me -_-. To be on the safe side I gave those home remedies I mentioned in the first post a try and that tipped me off that it was a surface scratch (the apple cider vinegar stung like hell!). It was at that point I just let it be. Truth is I contribute it healing nicely and leaving no mark to Amore Pacific's Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Serum. I had two samples that I got the last time I went to Sephora that lasted me four days and it was during that time that the mark completely disappeared - and my skin looked great. Sadly I can't really afford to purchase the regular size bottle but I recommend you get it if you can, or at least go ask for some samples.

If you would like to purchase the serum just click on one of the links below.

Amazon

Sephora

Homemade exfoliating scrub

If you suffer from dry sensitive skin you know better than anyone how hard it can be to exfoliate without causing irritation. Most drugstore products don't help much and even going to a professional can be a disaster. The best solution is to make your own homemade scrub. Depending on the severity of your sensitivity you can make this recipe in one of two ways. All you will need is oatmeal - no I don't mean the instant kind - and baking soda.

For sensitive skin:

1. Take 1 tbls of oatmeal and grind it up in a blender until you get a pretty smooth powder (don't worry about a few big grains being leftover).

2. Place the oatmeal powder on a small plate and add 1 tbls of baking soda. Mix them well.

3. Add 1 tbls of water and mix it thoroughly until you get a nice paste. If it is too thick feel free to add another tbls of water.

4. Rub the mixture all over your face just like a regular mask making sure to avoid your eye area.

5. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Once it has dried beging to rub the scrub in circular motions with your fingertips right before rinsing it off. This will help "scrub" the dead skin cells off and also remove most of the oatmeal mixture (believe me you don't want to let it go down the drain).

For extra sensitive skin:

Pretty much follow the same instructions but leave out the baking soda. The oatmeal by itself is a wonderful, natural exfoliator. Do this once a week and trust me that you will see a difference in your face.

If you still prefer to just purchase a product I highly recommend Amore Pacific's Treatment Enzyme Peel. It's really gentle and it gets the job done but it's a bit on the expensive side.

Where to purchase:

Sephora

Amazon

How to effectively use Biore strips

Truth is I'm not a fanatic of Biore strips since they can be slightly damaging to the skin. But, even I admit I get a sense of satisfaction when I see a bunch of blackheads come out. The idea behind the strips is pretty simple. You wet your nose, apply the strip, and then remove it once it has dried. Sometimes you get a ton of blackheads out and other times you get nothing. After trying it out a few different ways I figured out the most effective way to remove as many blackheads as possible.

Follow these steps and it should work for you as well (try to do this at night if possible):

1. Cleanse your face as usual but do it with the warmest water your face can handle.

2. Pat your face dry. Except your nose or other area you want to apply the strip - of course!

3. Wet the area once again with the warmest water possible. Basically you want to hold the water over the area for a few seconds at a time to help open up your pores. Once you think it's enough go ahead and apply the strip.

4. Leave the strip on for the suggested amount of time or until it has dried up and then remove it.

At this point you should see a ton of blackheads. The trick to making these strips truly effective is to open up your pores before use. If you don't want to put hot water on your face you can definitely use a facial steamer if you have one or just boil some water, place it in a bowl, and then put your face over the bowl with a towel over your head.

Hope this helps!

Leave your face alone!

No, I don't mean stop your daily skin care regimen. I mean, stop picking at your face! Ok, so it's not like we don't all do it (even I'm guilty). Today I learned a lesson and it's to leave my face alone. Believe me I learned the hard, ugly way.

Basically what happened was I decided to try and force stubborn blackheads out of my nose. In the process of squeezing I most likely broke a capillary and now I have an ugly red mark on the side of my nose. Honestly it serves me right :(. Up to now I've been so good about properly cleansing and using masks - which have significantly helped. Now I have to wait and see if it will go away on its own. I take vitamin e everyday and that's been known to help as well as apple cider vinegar. For those of you who don't know, vinegar is often used on fresh bumps to thin out the blood and prevent bruising. Mom's use this on little kids when they fall and hit themselves.

If these home remedies don't do the trick my only other option is to pay a dermatologist to zap it away. And who knows what that will cost me?

The moral of the story ladies, leave your face alone! An annoying blackhead is a million times better than an ugly broken vein.

Walmart Free Samples Haul

Last week, after much research, I decided to purchase Clean & Clear's deep action cream cleanser for sensitive skin. Typically, because my skin is dry and sensitive, I don't tend to purchase any products that are meant to help with acne since they usually contain salicylic acid (which can be very drying). Unfortunately the closer summer gets the more my face is starting to breakout - and it isn't just 1 or 2 blemishes u_u. Anyways, as I was saying, I decided to purchase this product after watching some review videos which claimed it was a great option for people with my skin type. Usually I go to my local Walgreens, Target, or Walmart to pick up any drugstore brand but for some reason the deep action cream cleanser for sensitive skin isn't always available in store so I ended shopping around online. To my surprise Walmart had it priced at $4.47 with free shipping. Mind you, all the stores I mentioned above are literally down the street from my house but why would I say "no" to having it brought to my doorstep for free? LOL. So I waited and waited and it finally came today in a box bigger than I expected. Well, not only had they sent my cleanser but also a bag of freebies (picture below).

I apologize for the quality of the picture but I only had my cellphone handy at the moment. This is what I got in my freebie bag:

1 Frederic Fekkai Shampoo/Conditioner The Shea Butter Collection

1 Frederic Fekkai Shampoo/Conditioner The Glossing Collection

1 "New" Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

1 "New" Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo/Conditioner

1 John Frieda full REPAIR Shampoo/Conditioner

1 Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Moisturizer SPF 15

1 COSMEDICINE Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion Skin Protectant Sunscreen SPF 20

1 Hard Candy Take Me Out Liner in the shade "abyss" (it's glittery)

1 Box always thin/mince flexi-style pantiliners

1 Coupon to save $5.00 if I buy 3 P&G products

This was definitely a great buy. I'm completely impressed with the fact that Walmart is willing to ship something that is so cheap absolutely free and on top of that they stuff the box with goodies. Today I wont have to spend hours looking for freebies myself LOL! I recommend you check out http://www.walmart.com/ the next time you want to purchase any drugstore brand, you might get lucky as well.

I'll be adding a review for the cleanser in the next couple of days.

Freebie of the Day!

I love all skin care related freebies - even those of brands I don't particularly like. Today I found a free sample of L'Oreal's Youth Code. Just click on the link below and register to get the free sample.

L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Sample

Do high-end masks work better than drugstore masks?

The short answer is, probably not. But truth be told we all have different skin and even when we share similar issues no product will work the same on 2 individuals. So, do more expensive masks work better than drugstore bought masks? I decided to see for myself by purchasing 3 different masks. The first was Boscia's Luminizing Black Mask (retails for $34 at http://www.sephora.com/ and http://www.boscia.net/), the second was Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask (retails for $8.99 at your local Target), and lastly Queen Helene The Original Mint Julep Masque (I got it for $2.75 at my local Dollar Tree but typically retails for $2-$7 online).

Before I start I want to state that personally I have dry sensitive skin that is prone to the occasional breakout. I also have issues with whiteheads and blackheads on my chin/nose areas respectively. Obviously these things affect how I feel about each individual product I mentioned. As you can imagine I always try to purchase products that work with my skin needs and that are either organic or natural (it's more of a preference not a necessity). It is this particular preference that led me to purchase the Boscia mask. After all it has Sephora's organic seal off approval.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

The good:

Organic Product

Easy to apply

Dries fairly quickly (15-20 mins. depending on the thickness you apply)

Sinks into every pore on your face

Removes some blackheads and dead skin

The bad:

Difficult to peel off

Stings after removal and skin is sensitive overall

Does not remove most impurities

Does not significantly improve the skins appearance

Amount (2.8 oz)

Price

Where to purchase:

Boscia

Sephora

Amazon

Although Boscia claims its mask "boosts skin clarity and radiance. Removes dirt and impurities while refining the look of pores" it reminds me of a nose strip. Honestly, it's just like one huge Biore strip. And much like a Biore strip it will rip out facial hair, remove some blackheads, and then call it a day. For the price and amount you get I wouldn't say it's worth it. The ironic part is that now Boscia has black nose strips - I guess I wasn't the only one that felt this way about this mask lol.

Boots Botanics Conditioning Mask

The good:

Affordable price

Dries extremely fast

Gets into every single pore on your face

Does not dry your skin

Dried up blemishes

Washed off easily

The bad:

Dries extremely fast

Where to purchase:

Target

Boots

Amazon

drugstore.com

Boots Clay Mask works by "exhibiting a negative electrical charge to attract deep-rooted impurities from your skin". What caught my attention was the fact that it claimed to work well for dry skin (as well as normal/combination skin). It isn't often you find a product that really does work for all skin types. That aside, how could I say no when the price was so cheap and I was getting twice as much product than the Boscia mask? The only downside I found was the way the mask dried. At times I wanted to spread the product out but by the time I would get back to an area it would be 50% dry forcing me to have to use  more product to compensate. Besides that I really loved this mask. It made my skin feel so clean and soft, especially my nose which is always a troublesome area. I'm not looking for a miracle product but this is pretty darn close. I would definitely recommend this for any skin type.

Queen Helene The Original Mint Julep Masque

The good:

Price

Quantity (8 oz Bonus 33% More)

Consistency

Dries quickly

Sinks into every single pore

Nice tingling sensation

Dried blemishes

Washed off easily

The bad:

The smell (it was like applying toothpaste)

Stung when applied

Left my face very dry

Where to purchase:

Amazon

Walgreens

drugstore.com

This particular mask seems to be quite popular among skin care gurus (just search YouTube and you will see what I mean). Quite frankly I stumbled upon it one day at my local Dollar Tree. I never imagined this would be my third selection, but at $2.75 for an 8 oz tube, how could I say no?

I really enjoyed the thickness of this mask because a little really did go a long way. This tube will probably last me for quite a bit lol. Even though it stung a lot on the initial application, it tingled nicely all the way until it dried. I loved how deep into my pores it went and how quickly it dried up. But, my skin got pretty dry once I removed it - my nose was pretty bad. Fortunately it wasn't anything my night time routine couldn't handle. To my surprise the very next day some blemishes I had dried up but I had broken out in new ones as well - go figure! Ironically I took this as a good sign that it was pulling out deep impurities in my skin. Still, I wouldn't recommend this for people with severely dry/sensitive skin.

Now, down to business. Surely at this point you can guess what my take is on this particular topic. While I absolutely love going to department stores and buying expensive "promises" of amazing results a lot of times you can get the same or even better results from a drugstore brand. Out of the 3 products, Boots won hands down in my opinion. You will just have to see for yourself ^_^.