Skin Clearing Arsenal (or trial, anyway)

I have mentioned that I am working towards clearing my skin without resorting to going back to oral medications.  I have picked up several items to work into my routine to see if I'll have any success.  Some of these items are new, and others not so much.  I have opinions formed on a few of these products, but I'll get to that in due time.  This isn't everything that I am using, just the newer products.  For example, I'm still using a Neutrogena Naturals cleanser, which I've been using for well over a year now.  I didn't show that, though, because it isn't a new item that I am trying to determine will work for me in the long run.

Some of the first items I picked up were Clean & Clear as well as a generic scrub.  I didn't do much research before purchasing, I just snatched up whatever appealed to me that day.  (hint at my opinion of one of these: RESEARCH FIRST!) I got a black head eraser scrub, an acne cleanser, and a medicated scrub.

I read a lot about jojoba oil helping people with congested skin and working as a great moisturizer, so I figured I would pick it up and give it a shot.  It is supposed to closely resemble the skin's natural oil & sebum.   The tea tree oil is a multiple time repurchase.  I always come back to it.  I like it as an all over astringent (diluted down) and a spot treatment.

The final items are the newest to the group.  They are a couple of masks.  I had all intentions of just getting a clay mask to draw out impurities, but then last minute decided to also get a peel off mask to help with dead skin removal and another form of  pore cleansing. 

I would like to give more time before I share my official opinions on these products, but I plan to do periodic updates.  If there is a particular product you think is worth giving a shot, let me know!  I'm open for suggestions! 

April 2013 Monthly Favorites

I'm trying to do better at remembering to post about my monthly favorites.  I think I've done okay so far, remembering the past couple of months.  HA! :-)

I'm really trying to keep my selections down to a minimum because, really, even on a product heavy month...  there are only a small handful of items I keep coming back to and really enjoying using. 

In the blush realm this month, I've busted out pretty much all brights.  There were one or two days where the weather was gloomy and I went for a more toned down blush, but for the most part, I was lusting after cheery colors.   The colors here are:

• elf: Pink Passion (square pan to the left)
• Sonia Kashuk: Sunset (round pan at the top right)
• Revlon: Flushed (round pan at the bottom)

Pink Passion and Sunset are both powder blushes and Flushed is a cream.  They all are quite pigmented so I slowly build up the color.

I tend to use my makeup brushes just out of habit and not thinking too much about them.  However, I've been using these two elf brushes like crazy since I bought them, and each day I think about how amazingly well they apply my makeup.  They cost me $3.00 and work wonders!  On the left is their flat top powder brush which I have been using to buff in my liquid foundation.  On the right is the small stipple brush which I have been using to apply my under eye brightener and concealer.  

I have been wearing a lot of brighter lipsticks this month, but one I have had in my purse and tend to top up with, or have used on its own from the get go, multiple times...  is Revlon's Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti.  It is a bright, orangey-coral without being obnoxious.

The shadows, I am showing because I have been wearing the brighter colors as liners.  While I adore fun colored liquid liners (like Urban Decay, for example), I've found that using a powder gives me a softer look, which I've been enjoying.   These are in the I ❤ Matte palette from Wet n Wild.

My skin took a turn for the worse this past month because I stopped taking one of my oral medications my dermatologist had me on.  I wanted to try and tackle my skin issues without ingesting a pill.   Everything flared up and was horrible for a couple of weeks.   I repurchased some Jason's Tea Tree oil and a gritty exfoliant to use.  The tea tree oil I have been using after washing my face.  I wet a cotton ball with cold water and then drip 2-3 drops of the oil on.  That is wiped all over my face as an astringent. Also, on individual pimples, I drop a bit onto a q-tip and use that to apply directly to the spot. The exfoliant I chose is just a cheap, Kroger brand scrub that is medicated with salicylic acid.  While this scrub is one of the more coarse kinds, I don't have problems with it as long as I'm being gentle and not trying to scrub away the flesh of my face.  HAHAHA!  The two of these things seem to have really helped.  At the very  moment, I have a single blemish that I'm treating but everything else has dried up and gone away.

I was all over the place with my perfume this past month.   The three I've worn the most are Coach Poppy, Dior Miss Dior, and L De Lolita Lempicka.  Coach is the sweetest and the one my husband commented one night and said he liked out of all of my perfumes.  This is also the one he bought for me this last Christmas.  Miss Dior is a delicate scent that makes me feel very feminine.  I wanted to save this one as more of a special perfume, but I love it so much that I've been wearing the heck out of it.   The final one (L de Lolita Lempicka) was a bit strange of a choice because it is a perfume I love in the fall and winter.  It is such a cozy perfume because it has notes of cinnamon.  However, I found that in the heat, it is just as beautiful of a fragrance.  It is different in the warmth, though!  Instead of this cozy, comforting perfume... it is a relaxing, sandy beach kind of perfume.  It is amazing how different it seems in different seasons!  I'm thrilled it works so well in heat, too, though, because this is one of my all time favorite perfumes!  This just means I get to wear it year round!