Blovet Beauty Skincare Routine January 2011

 

Thanks for your sweet comments in my previous update entry. U guys are so sweet!!

Ok. My boys are sleeping which is a rare rare thing and I finally have quiet time to myself! I never valued free time as much as I do now! hee hee.

Yes, I’ve been receiving emails and comments on my skin and what I’ve been using blah blah but so you know, I’m not 100% happy with my skin. I tend to scrutinize it too much and find flaws that I don’t like. However, I am very very relieved and happy that I have found and stuck to a skincare routine that does not-

a) break me out

b) clog my pores

c) dull my skin

You would think I have a million products but really my current skincare routine is simple and easy. I’ve tried countless high end to drugstore products but these are the few that work.

NIGHT SKINCARE ROUTINE

(V. very important as skin is recovering and healing from 11pm onwards )

Step 1:

I use olive oil + makeup remover to rid my face of all makeup first. Taking a little bit of SKII and Baking Soda, I wash my face thoroughly.

Step 2:

I apply my Glycolic Cream. This is the best glycolic cream I have used. I have been using this for 2 plus years and it still works so damn well. I’ve tried glycolic creams from other brands but none matched up. It kills pimples and evens out skin tone very well. I’ve had some orders for this cream but it’s not cheap so I might start selling sample sizes on blovetbabee so you guys can give it a try too. Seriously I would die without this cream.

Step 3 ( I do not do this step every night):

Dr Secrets Skin Light. Next best lightening product to my glycolic cream. When I had acne, I had to mix this product with a moisturizing cream. Using it straight would aggravate my acne but when I mixed it with a moisturizer, it soothed and healed blemishes. Now that my acne is under control, I use this straight. My skin is accustomed to it and it helps maintain fair and glowing skin. However, I sometimes use it twice every week if I feel like my skin isn't too dull or tired looking

DAY SKINCARE ROUTINE

Step 1:

Use SKII cleanser

Step 2:

I apply SPECTRABAN Sunblock or Dr Secrets Sunblock ( gives a foundation like effect)

** Spectraban is an excellent sunblock in my opinion but it does not give that glow like Dr Secrets. It also has a strong smell that turned me off totally during my pregnancy. I am not sure how others take to it but its one sunblock that doesn’t clog my pores at all. All other sunblock brands I’ve tried have clogged or caused breakouts. I have super sensitive skin.

Spectraban SPF 60
- non greasy & hypoallergenic ( it does look greasy on me!)

- Perfume Free ( very impt for sensitive skin)

- Vit E

-Water resistent

I do not ever use foundation or powder. I only use concealor where needed. Foundations and powder have always clogged my skin up.

Extra Tips for Clear Skin

+Try to go for a weekend without any foundation, powder or concealor. Skin needs to breathe

+Try to get some time in the day to relax. Stress always brings on pimples for me.

+Hydrate

+Never skip sunblock in the day. It’s like reversing the lightening effects of the night before.

+DON’T TOUCH YOUR SKIN. My mom taught my at a young age to burst my pimples. MY GAWD that left me with tiny scars. I love my mom but that’s the worse advice EVER. Touching your skin makes it worse. Just leave it alone. Really.

+ OK. I have gone through pregnancy and during that time I rarely got a pimple. I could use soap to wash my face ( *gasp*) and not have to use much glycolic and my skin would be a okay. I am convinced hormones are the culprit for breakouts- occasional or serious. It’s a vicious cycle.

Stress-> body & mind feels stress- >messes with hormones – >pimples.

You may think you aren’t stress but hidden stress is also a trigger for fluctuating hormones.That’s why people like to say that you get less breakouts as you grow older. They assume that people hormones stabilize but that cant be further from the truth.

I love helping people achieve beautiful skin.l always have and I hope this article helped. I’m also on a lifelong quest for beautiful skin !

Love,

BlovetBeauty

My giveaway is ending tonight. Quick join before its too late!!

B.LIV BY CELLNIQUE

I tend to be very picky with my facial products and it’s only during this pregnant time in my life that I have been able to use SOAP on my face. Gasp. Yes, handmade bar soap that is.  However, my hormones seem to be getting back to their normal irritable selves and my skin is once again starting to react to different products that I use on my face.

I’ve been trying quite a few facial products and B.liv products did work well and exceeded my expectations. I have not heard about this brand and only started to research on it when I was approached for a review. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to expect result wise but decide to give it a shot anyways.

* I was using Paul and Joe Whitening serum ( much raved about) for about 2 days and I got Zits in between my eyes and around my mouth area. I am pretty sure it was a reaction to P&J because all I was using was a cleanser( no allergic reaction to this as it’s my staple product) and the serum. My skin just isn’t suited to P&J skin products.

I intend to sell it off as I’ve only used 2 pumps. Please email me if you are interested as it is a brand new bottle that has been sitting in the fridge. The first two times I’ve used it were the very last I touched it :P

Back to the subject matter!!

*** FREE OFF WITH THOSE HEADS SAMPLES INVOLVED

                         > >SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE*****

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

b.liv by Cellnique Review:

Products: Off With Those Heads, Spots Got Shot and Glow and Shine

Duration of Use: 3 Weeks

Packaging: Hygienic  & Good quality packaging

Product I would Repurchase: Off with those heads & Glow and Shine ( if I’m feeling rich)

1) OFF WITH THOSE HEADS

How it works:

Off With Those Heads removes white & blackheads without violence or pain, and stops them from appearing ever again. The gel softens the clogging blocking your pores, allowing for effortless extraction and removal of all sores. Its essence ingredients keep oil secretions under control, and skin irritation will never again rule!

Price: USD 63
Size: 45ml

Main functions: clear blackheads + whiteheads

http://www.blivskin.com/en/products/blackheads-off_with_those_heads_45-detail.html

Pros+

- Dissolves Black & White heads ( highly effective)

-Tightens pores

- No Breakouts

-Facilitates Extraction ( I still had to extract my black and white heads but the time and effort spent was cut by half and by the end of the third week of usage my pores had significantly less junk and I skipped manual extraction! Yippie! )

-Hygienic Pump

Cons-

- Not Cheap

- Daily consistent usage to maintain results ( price to pay for a clearer nose!) Although I did miss a few days of application here and there, the results were still apparent and the blackheads did not return with a vengeance.

Thoughts on product:

Probably the best product of the 3 I was sent. I was skeptical about it’s ability to help dissolve my super stubborn  black and white heads but it really got rid of 40-50% of those nasty heads by the end of the second week (before extraction). The pores on my nose which are stubborn as crap have actually tightened and look smaller. By the end of the third week, I did not even see a need for much manual extraction, a big relief and my nose was not looking like Mrs Strawberry!  Black and whiteheads came off easily with a facial scrub and my pores just looked cleaner and tighter on the whole. Overall, packaging is hygienic and the product has not given me a reaction. I  highly recommend this product for stubborn blackheads on the nose! 

 

 SPOTS GOT SHOT

Price: USD 25
Size: 15ml

Main functions:
blemish & spot therapy + oil control

Spots Got Shot diminishes blemishes from your face, and soothes your aggravated skin to ensure marks leave without a trace. It soaks up excess sebum, to prevent future problems, and removes dead skin cells, to leave you looking vibrant and well

http://www.blivskin.com/en/products/blemish-spots_got_shots-detail.html

 

Pros+

- Not too expensive for spot control

- Skin types who react well to SA, may do well with this spot treatment

Cons-

- Used it a few times and didn’t like how it made my blemish area feel( dry and peeling)

- Dried that area of skin I applied it on but it did not shrink my spots as effectively as glycolic.

Thoughts on product:

Not a product I would rave about. Since it also has Salicylic acid that I am not fond off. I used ROC spot treatment when I was in my teens and it contained Salicylic acid  too. It worked for a couple of years but the effectiveness wore out with time. Not for my skin type.

 

GLOW AND SHINE

Price: USD 25
Size: 50ml

Main functions:
exfoliating + pores reducing + brightening

*For sensitive skin with large pores

Glow & Shine deeply exfoliates damaged, scarred or unhealthy skin, to reveal the smooth, flawless complexion lurking within. It also lightens and brightens the dull and uneven-toned face, to make one's inner glow and shine rise to the surface.

http://www.blivskin.com/en/products/largepores-glow_and_shine-detail.html

Pros+

- Brightens complexion

-No irritation/gentle

-Skin appears whiter and more translucent

Cons-

- Not as effective on scars or red marks

Thoughts on product:

I would purchase this product again only if there was a sale on it. It’s ranked no. 2 out of the three products I was sent. What I like about this mask was that it had a cooling effect when I first applied it on and the papaya enzyme did not irritate my skin at all. This cooling mask did not really have much effect on existing scars but it does a good job of whitening the skin in my opinion. I would recommend that this product be used when your skin has not had any exfoliation for a few days. I used it after a scrub and it was a little stingy. That’s my fault for being over zealous.  I would repurchase this mask, if I had spare cash, because it feels cool & comforting and it makes my skin look clean and translucent.

Overall, I like 2 products out of 3. Not bad at all! I love off with those heads the most. It seriously works and B.liv informed me that they are giving away free samples. It’s so so so simple to get these samples :)

*****b.liv is offering  free samples of Off with those heads, 3ml to  the first 50 readers. You can email your full name and mailing/shipping address to fbfreesample@blivskin.com with the subject blovet.blogspot.com

Readers that send in their blog’s url, stand a chance to do a product review. This will be valid until the 19th July 2010 and be sure to expect your sample delivery within 4 – 6 weeks!**********

SKIN WHITENING

Skin Whitening is very very big in Asia.

In Singapore, you can find a whitening range in just about any cosmetic or skincare store. Cheap papaya whitening creams to mid range drugstore brands to higher end miracle whitening creams adorn the shelves. It’s truly a whitening jungle out here!

SNOW WHITE

The benefits of Skin Whitening  is highly sought after as it promises clearer, translucent, fairer  and even tone skin. People with hyper pigmentation, liver spots, sun damage, acne scarring and freckles can achieve longer lasting results by using whitening products that block melanin production.
Achieving fairer skin takes time, patience and devotion as the effects are gradual and best seen after a few months. Do not expect fairer, translucent and even skin tone in a few weeks or days, as whitening is skin deep and works deep in the skin by blocking melanin production (responsible for the darker coloration in skin) and gradually exfoliating  away the dull surface layer of skin. A whitening range can translate to brighter skin as well :)
As effective as a whitening range can be, it does have it’s drawbacks and it’s safer to exercise caution and moderation when embarking on a whitening regime:

SKINGEEK.COM

“ Whitening agents, especially ones that are effective, are the most potent active ingredients in all of skin care products available on the consumer market and they have a tendency to THIN THE SKIN DRAMATICALLY, making your skin extremely sensitive and vulnerable.
Remember that the skin is a protective organ. It’s not supposed to be thin, frail, nor vulnerable. It’s supposed to callus where it need be, roughen where it need be, and fight germs and toxins by “turning red” or “growing a zit”. It’s supposed to get tanned and dark when exposed to UV so that it can do its job of protecting the INSIDE of you from UV radiation.

SKIN WHITENING

Best Approach to Skin Whitening:

1)  Whitening the skin should be done in cycles.

Periods of intense whitening should be accompanied with periods of downtime for the skin to regenerate independently.

Right now, I’ve noticed an increased reddness in my skin tone ,especially concentrated at my post acne redness. I’ve taken a week off my glycolic and skin lightening products and I’m using SANA’s Cleanser, Dr Secrets Toner and Vitacreme B12. During the week , I noticed that my skin had a few tiny zits but it went away very quickly when I applied just  a tiny amount of glycolic directly onto it( not onto the whole face). Amazingly, Vitacreme worked within 2 days to soothe the excessive redness on my skin and I think it’s an effective product for skin regeneration and healing. My sensitive and red skin is now back to normal skin tone, just after one and a half weeks of using VITACREME B12.
 2) Do not embark on an AGGRESSIVE WHITENING REGIME if you have dry, sensitive and “thin” skin.
If you tend to have dry skin, whitening agents can sometimes irritate the skin and make it flake excessively. Start out slow and use a very gentle whitening regime.
If you have oily to normal skin, a gentle whitening regime may not be as effective. Your skin may be able to tolerate moderate to aggressive skin whitening regime.

Effective Skin Whitening Ingredients:

Skin Whitening Ingredients works in two ways to give you fairer skin:
1. By absorbing the UV rays, thus preventing the sun from darkening your skin.
2. By reducing the production of melanin, the skin pigment found in
your skin which is responsible for skin darkening.

a. Hydroquinone ***not proven to be 100% safe

http://www.whiterskin.com/skin-lightening-ingredients.html
b. Kojic Acid
c. Vitamin C (Stabilised)
d. Niacinamide
e. Arbutin
f. Licorice Extract
g.Glycolic Acid\AHA

What should you look out for when you want to purchase a whitening product ? Glycolic Acid, Kojic Acid and Vitamin C are my preferred choice of whitening ingredients as they give me the least amount of skin irritation and maximum results in terms of lightening and evening out the skin tone. Glycolic based products can help with stubborn pigmentation too because I had a bad pigmented patch and after a few months of regular glycolic use, it has faded back to my normal skin tone.

Beware of products containing hydroquinone such as DR MURAD Age Spot & Pigment Lightening Gel with 2% Hydroquinone. This ingredient  irritates my skin and has broken me out before. Also, it isn’t certified to be a 100% “ Safe” ingredient. This ingredient is my least favourite whitening agent.

If you are a whitening expert, you would know what works and what doesn’t. If you are new to whitening, you might have to do some trial and error but you should look into your current skin care routine(esp if it is working) to know which ingredients seem to work for your skin and which doesn’t. You can make better whitening product choice if you do enough research on the whitening product and by double checking the ingredients list first.

People with already sensitive skin can experience different levels of irritation when they start using skin whitening products. It took me 2-3 months to become accustomed to the whitening ingredients found in Dr Secrets( it contains Kojic Acid). Now I can’t do without it.

Recommended Whitening Skin Care Products:

-From Vichy Bi White Advanced Range :
Intensive Whitening Correcting Care with liquorice extract ( helps fade stubborn pigmentation)

-P&J Whitening Serum(tons of rave reviews on this one)

-Dr Secrets T3 Skin Lightener (contains Kojic Acid & Citric Acid) and T4 Skin Recon

-Olay Whitening Range (Budget friendly)

-Clarins ( for sensitive and drier skin type)

-Glycolic or AHA based products( exfoliating of dead skin cells reveal a fairer , clearer and more even skin tone)

-Kojie-San Kojic Acid Soap

-NEOSTRATA Range

-Elizabeth Arden VISIBLE WHITENING Pure Intensive Capsules

Recommended Whitening Masks:

Whitening masks acts as a supplement to your whitening skincare and is not considered a skin whitening regime replacement.

My Beauty Diary Mask
OLAY Whitening Mask
The Face Shop Mask Vit C Whitening Mask
Dr Secrets Gold Mask
Home made strawberry/honey and yogurt mask
Homemade papaya mask

There are so many ways to “lighten or whiten” our skin tone and ultimately it boils down to finding the right ingredients that work with your skin type. Take your time to discover your most suitable whitening product and should you get any nasty reactions or break out, stop using the products immediately. Effective whitening products should make your skin fairer, clearer and brighter. Do not be afraid to give your whitening regime a break when you feel your skin is looking too red or irritated or sensitive . Do pamper your skin with a whitening mask once a week or twice a month too. Peels and exfoliation is key to allow maximum penetration of skin whitening agents.

I know alot of you girls have really beautiful fair skin. What’s your must have whitening skin care product ?

As always,wear sunblock for fair, translucent and beautiful skin & have a great great week ahead sweeties & Dee sweetie, I hope this article helps u:)

My Beauty Diary at CozyCot HGP & DHC Suncut Q10 SPF50+

Thanks to all beauties who left such  positive words of encouragement in my last post.

To be frank,  I would love to do more FOTD & EOTD but I was always a little hesitant cause I always felt my skills weren’t tat great. I guess practice makes perfect right? Makeup should be about fun, making mistakes and correcting them right! :-)

I’m sure every beauty crazed Singaporean has heard about COZY COT’S Holy Grail Party 2009 due to their intensive advertising efforts. I was really expecting a huge turn up cause big cosmetic brands were sponsoring and you could catch a makeup demonstration and celebrities and what not…

I also attended this event expecting the attendance of many established  beauty brands and more but there weren’t many booths and the  turn up on the second day wasn’t impressive. I took a grand total of 8 shots  and 2 were kinda blur and pointless so here are the remaining 6…
 

     

The best booth in the Cozy Cot Holy Grail Thingy was MY BEAUTY DIARY. They were having some promotions for it and this brand was pretty well reviewed by a few of my favourite bloggers… So , I got a pack of three:

My Beauty Diary Face Mask Review:

FROM LEFT:

1)Bulgarian White Rose Mask – For Whitening and Soothing

* I’m saving this mask as part of my giveaway :)

2)Aloe Vera – For Moisturising and Smoothing

3) Black Pearl – Whitening and Nourishing

PROCESS & VERDICT:

I tried the Black Pearl Mask for whitening and Nourishing.

Out of the pack:

My Diary Mask Time:

After 40 Minutes:

*same lighting and no color correction was done to these pics

HOW IT FELT?

My skin was looking kinda lack lustre and tired today so I decided to slap on the whitening and nourishing black pearl mask.

I loved the smell so much..

Initially, I felt a mild biting sensation all over my face (especially on a blemish spot). When I read the back of the packaging, I noticed they listed Natural Vitamin C extracts such as pineapple, lime, cucumber  and I instantly felt a bit more relieved cause it’s perfectly normal  for Vit C to sting a little  :)

My skin is super sensitive so I have to be careful when it comes to the type of masks I use. Overly nourishing ones spells zits and some whitening ones have given me rashes.. My beauty diary black pearl mask was exeptional!

It  lightened, tightened and even “lifted” my skin. I can’t describe my excitement towards this amazing mask. My skin looked more refined and tight , without any dryness or any reaction!

The lady at the booth informed me that Watson would be selling this brand of mask soon! I’m going to get more and treat my skin to a mask more often, it felt so relaxing :))

I give this 5 stars out of 5 stars!

DHC Suncut Q10 SPF 50+ Review:

How long have I used it:

I’ve been trying the DHC Suncut Q10 SPF 50+ for 2 weeks now and I think it’s pretty safe to give a short review on this baby:

Texture:

It’s a white colored, thin and runny consistency sunblock lotion. If you have ever used a thick, creamy sunblock like me previously, this thin, easy to spread formula would be a welcomed change.

Why I like it:

Spreads like a dream, no clogged pores, no sticky feeling, very little smell, I didn’t get darker after being out in the sun :)

What I didn’t like about it:

My skin took some time to get used to this product. There were no clogged pores but there was some small red zits. I usually get these types from minor irritation. My skin got used to this sunblock only after a week. This sunblock can leave a white cast, so I had to blend it into my skin very well. I’m used to this cause I’ve been using Dr Secrets sunblock that has a strong whitish cast and is very thick in consistency.

I give this 4 stars out of 5 stars!

This week I’ll be posting alot more skincare related entries, it’s been long overdue :P

Okie, can’t wait to hear from u guys on ur favourite masks!

Korean Skin Care Secrets

 

* I am in no way a Skin Care Expert.

I’m simply sharing what I know from a variety of reliable sources. It helps to have friends who have stayed or visited Korea and have shared with me their personal observations of their way of life. Also internet sources for this topic are pretty limited, thus I had to rely more on word of mouth, Korean dramas , general reading etc.

Choi Ji Woo & Lee Hyori have great skin. They are renown for their beauty and have made Korean beauties skin care highly sought after  :-)

  

 

 KOREAN SKIN CARE:

I sincerely hope this entry is going to benefit people with different skin condition in one way or another.

 

WHITENING

Whitening may seem very superficial to many people esp. to Sun Worshippers but the long term benefits are undeniable.

As we age our skin metabolism aka turnover rate slows down. We shed dead cells less frequently and as such the skin starts looking dull due to cell build up. A dull complexion or problem skin is most likely due to the build up or accumulation of skin cells, dirt, or the use of ineffective skin care products.

As such procedures such as chemical peels, lasers and dermabrasion have become very popular to assist in resurfacing skin to reveal “new” skin which yields positive results such as reducing acne breakouts and lightening pigmentation spots .

A good whitening range helps to increase CELL TURNOVER . Exfoliation also gives the same type of results. Only difference is that over the counter exfoliation products are more gentle than all the derm procedures.

Whitening helps to even out skin tone by removing dead skin cells and working on pigmented areas. However, Brown spots and pigmentation require continual use ( 3 months and above) of good whitening products. Being diligent should yield visible results in 3 months and if you don’t see any evening out of skin tone or lightening of spots, ur skin care might not be as effective OR you need to apply sunblock more frequently and avoid the sun even more.

Recommended Whitening Product Range:

Clarins. Elizabeth Arden.DHC.Shiseido. CD. P&J has been getting rave reviews on their whitening serum.. 

SUNBLOCK

I am not going to go into scientific detail for the detrimental effects of sunlight on the skin. There are tons of websites that supply high quality info on that.

Basically, just watching National Geographic is enough for me to see the undesirable effect of the Sun on skin quality. Just look at a farmer’s face who is exposed to constant sun light versus an office worker who is shielded away from the sun’s rays in his cubicle.  

lHave you seen atheletes who’ve spent hour after hour in the the sun, at age 40? They may have great physiques but their faces are pretty crinkly and show visible signs of sun damage. Their once sun kissed youthful skin is youthful no more….

Whatever regime you may be on, you should know that SUNBLOCK is your friend. It is a fact that our skin needs some sun for VIT D but in our tropical climate, sunlight is in total abundance and thus a greater need to protect our precious skin. 

With all that whitening action going on at night, protection against harmful rays is critical. Do not undo all the effects of a  whitening skin care range by missing out on sunblock in the day. Be it rain or shine, sunblock is going to be our weapon against harmful rays which causes premature aging, brown spots, freckles,wrinkles and other skin aliments.

A FEW I RECOMMEND:

Dr Secrets.Yamano.Shiseido. Clinique. Biotherm

FACIAL MASSAGE

Korean women swear by it. Facial massage is a must to maintaining porcelain looking skin. Watch the video if you have no idea how its done. I was told that they do facials massage with their hands as well and its pretty “vigorous”….

In general,  the scrapping action helps to stimulate blood circulation in the lower layers of the skin. When your blood circulation is at its optimum, it shows on the face.

Lately,Japanese  facial massaging devices have been exploding all over the market. You Tuber Beauty QQ shows us the benefits of this method using a jade facial massager( she’s a blast to watch, even though I dun understand100%) :

Personally though, I would only allow such vigorous massage to be done on my skin if it was starting to show signs of sagging. I would refrain from frequent facial massage, especially for problem skin types and young skin.

 

BB CREAMS & MAKEUP

You and I can’t run away from the simple fact that BB Creams give pretty good coverage. It’s almost like a liquid foundation in my opinion, just that it supposedly has  “ skin healing” properties.I know some people attribute their clear skin to BB creams and its fantastic that they have found what works for them but there will be those few, like myself, who get cystic acne with BB Creams.

BB creams and foundations probably enhance the skin by making it appear more radiant and healthy .

Not every Korean woman has flawless skin and that goes for just about any country.  Makeup is always used for that poreless, porcelain look. Makeup works wonders and they have pretty darn good makeup artists too. Their Korean Drama Actors always have a thick slab of foundation/BB cream on their face, so its best not to be fooled and to know that even the beautiful use makeup to attain that flawless glowing skin.

Since I don’t even use BB Creams ( give me cystic acne), I can’t make any recommendations. Although I’ve read about popular ones such as skin food and missha…

FACIAL MASKS

Watched any Korean drama lately? In the past I probably watched every Korean serial there was and it was pretty evident that they love their facial mask. The drier climate in Korea allows them to use all sorts of moisturizing creams and masks.

I would exercise a little more caution on this point because excessively moisturising mask can cause outbreaks, bumps or do nothing but leave a temporary shine on the face. Once more, a tropical climate like Singapore would most likely provide more than enough moisture than we would like… Places like Korea with the different seasons and drier climate would require frequent moisturisation or moisture replenishment for non flaky,dewy,  radiant skin .

For the hot tropics, I would say Fruit , Yogurt and clay mask would be safer bets for our naturally “oiler” skin. They contain AHAs that assist with exfoliation and assist in revealing younger looking skin.

Recommended Facial Masks:

OLAY. SKII. BIOTHERM. NATURAL HONEY MASK.

DIET

Koreans eat hell of  alot of vegetables. Just follow this link to check out Koreans Favourite Food:

http://korean-chic.blogspot.com/search/label/Korean%20Food

Kimchi and all that veg and protein and healthy looking stuff! My mom and hubby visited Korea some time ago and told me the food is freaking fresh! The Koreans love their preserved veg & high quality meats &  it shows!!

Our diet is probably a big factor in what our skin is looking like. I would like  to say that eating chocolate and sweets won’t affect your skin quality but it does. I’ve given up to this point already and I’m a bit more lucky cause I love my veggies..

Finer Points:

*Use outward & upwards strokes when washing your face
Source:http://www.vivawoman.net/2009/01/16/korean-beauty-secrets-revealed/

* Be gentle when applying makeup. Do not tug at the skin or you risk wrinkles

* I don’t believe in Sauna for beautiful skin. IMHO, saunas do more long term damage to the skin. The intense heat may open up the pores and to some extent “ CLEAN” the pores but I can’t imagine what frequent opening of the pores will do to the size of it. Excessive heat ages the skin faster and as such get into the habit of using normal water temperature to wash the face and using cold water to rinse.

Facial places usually steam open your pores before they extract all the nasty stuff. If you have a reliable facial lady who knows what she is doing, than steaming ur face in that sorta situation is fine by me…

_________________________________________________

If you were wondering, I don’t use Korean Skin Care products cause it doesn’t suit my skin type. But I am quite a fan of Korean Makeup. Its pretty GOOD!

Okie, if u happen to know any other secrets of Korean women,do share !

Gd luck in the eternal quest for clear radiant Korean Looking Skin!

__________________________________________________

Here Blair, Some Vampire-ish EOTD with my Maxi Eyes Blue Contacts! hahaha Kinda freaky, but I’m having so much fun with them!

 

Dayna's Cheap Beauty Tricks

David's twin sister, Dayna, entertained some friends on a boat. It was a Girl's Day on the boat, and she asked her girlfriends to bring one cheap beauty tip. Dana claims to not have her own beauty tips, but she seems to have quite a few...

1. Vaseline on your brows in the morning when you're doing your make-up to deepen your color and keep the flyaways or no-helpers in place. By no-helpers we mean stray long ones that you don't want to hit your eyes in an ungainly way.

2. Vaseline on your lips at night, just because Dana says so. She says:
"Don't most people?" Well, I didn't, but now I think I might.

3. Shave your legs with cheap hair conditioner (the kind that leaves residue on your hair). The cheapest your can find, like Suave, or something one sale. The conditioner is slippery so it won't clog the raiser like bar soap or regular shave jell. Personally, I use Oil of Olay bar soap, and have for years, to shave my legs, and it's just fine. But if you use shave jell, conditioner seems like a better idea.

4. For rough skin patches, there is a baby jell available in the baby section of the drug store. It is a combination, or something, of oil, and baby something. It might be Johnson and Johnson, but it is a jell-like-lotion that is great for very rough patches like elbows, the backs of arms, upper thighs. Available in the baby section of the drug store. We don't know what it's called, and we don't know how to Google it, but it's there.

5. Exfoliate your lips. That's right. Brush your lips while brushing your teeth. This clears the chapped, flaky pieces of skin that you just want to pick off.

6. Witch hazel. I've heard this one before, so it's confirmed. Buy witch hazel at the drug store for $2.99 instead of expensive toner. Personally, I use Clinique's number 2, but have been meaning to buy plain old witch hazel and have been forgetting.

Happy Beautifying.

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Laser Hair Removal: The Second Zap

It's been a long while since my last appointment. Even I forgot I was doing laser hair removal! By the time my appointment finally came around, they had to reschedule because they were replacing their flooring. They offered a free microderm abrasion for the inconvenience, but I opted for more of my favorite skin care product - Ameri Pure – as I need to think long-term benefits here. More on that later.

The second lasering went fine. I was done in about an hour (I'm doing thigh, bikini, love trail). We did turn up the level of the laser this time. After my first treatment, to be honest, I really didn't have any hair loss (my future male children will be glad to know that their hair will most likely be persistent). Except for one patch on the bikini, all was as usual. In fact, I had to finally replace my Venus razor after keeping for way too long anyway. And as a side note, this model vibrates! I must be missing all of the commercials, but I had no idea! So now I'm vibrating while shaving! Odd.

Because we turned the laser level up, which I consented to, I did feel the laser on my hair follicles more. I didn't feel like I was getting a tattoo, but the sensation was stronger. Definately out of the league of my first observation during my first zap, where I compared it to feeling like mechanical pencil lead poking my skin. I was still able to gab away with my fun esthetician, whose skin is looking glorious, by the way, thanks to the Ameri Pure Crystal Exfoliotor. Love it!

I wore my glasses (the appointment was at 9am on a Saturday...never again), as I forgot about the green safety goggles you have to wear to protect against the laser rays. So I was a bit foggy-visioned the whole time, but it was no matter.

So I'm doing an experiment, where I shaved a couple of days after the appointment to get rid of any weird stubble that grew back. Now I've been waiting to see if my lower leg hair is growing at a faster pace than my upper leg, and it is. My thighs did get stubble back, but it seems to have stopped growing. So I'm going to shave again and continue with the experiments with my weird Venus razor.

And lastly, my continued praise for Ameri Pure's Crystal Exfoliator. Yes, it has cleared my forhead bumps. Yes, it has fought ingrown hairs. Yes, it has reduced unnessisary upper arm bumps after one application (if only I could remember to put it on before the shower).

So, more followup to come from the second appointment...

Laser Progress Reports

Laser Hair Reomval :: Appointment #6
Laser Hair Removal :: Appointment #5.5 for Bikini
Laser Hair Removal :: Appointment #5
Laser Hair Removal :: Appointment #4
Laser Hair Removal :: Appointment #3.5
Laser Hair Removal :: The Second Zap
Laser Hair Removal :: The First Followup
Laser Hair Removal :: The First Zap
Laser Hair Removal :: War of My Legs Part 1


Disclaimer: FashionMista, nor its author, are qualified to give medical advice and cannot be held responsible for anything that may occur. Should you have a medical concern, please consult your physician.


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Summertime Facial Skin Care Treatment

Facial skin bumps? What facial skin bumps? I've been meaning to blog to you about this since the first heat wave when I went on about Minute Maid Fruit Juice ice-cubes, but I just couldn't make the time! I know we all have the perfect skin because we read about how to get the "Perfect Skin For Now," but I have to confess, I've fallen off the facial skin care treatment wagon. What with obsessing over the laser hair removal for my legs and bikini, I've let my Fresh clay umbria bar sit dry and untouched for a while in its little bathroom dish.

Until my friend came to visit and saw my AmeriPure Crystal Exfoliator. She'd heard about it and had been dying to try it on her skin. Watch out, I'm about to sound like a bad Sunday afternoon info-skin commercial, but it's true. I got the AmeriPure Crystal Exfoliator to fight ingrowns, as instructed by the American Laser Centers people who are doing my laser hair removal. That was my assignment: take care of the ingrowns before your next appointment. The esthetician said that she loved the exfoliator and even used it on her face to get rid of some redness she had there. Whatever, I thought. I have the perfect skin for now. Aside from the little skin-colored bumps on my forehead that usually only showed up when I had bangs during field hockey pre-season over highschool summer vacations. But they've been here through a winter already, ok two winters, but whatever. Don't we all have skin bumps?

Not if we use the AmeriPure Crystal Exfoliator on our faces. And if we combine it with the clay Umbria mud bar face mask from Fresh, we have no skin bumps and a fresh healthy glow. Why wasn't I doing this before? The exfoliator is cool because it's not like that St. Alves or whatever, that has the harsh sand. It's like a jar of a thick baking soda paste that tastes like salt water when you rinse it off. Basically, remember the baking soda paste you put on your bee stings, and apply it to your face. And the clay umbria bar. Oh! Don't get me started on how much I love it! Picture yourself emerging from the freshest lake when you rinse it off in cool water. Delish. Does wonders.

Bottom line: I've had these dratted skin bumps on my forehead for two years, and now they are thinning out. The AmeriPure Crystal Exfoliator is quite a skin treatment. I highly recommend. I did a quick search, and think that the exfoliator is only available on the American Laser Center's website. The Fresh clay umbria bar you can get from Amazon.

PS: I've been putting the exfoliator on dry skin, either after I run and before my shower, or before I go to bed and after I wash my face with my regular bar soap (Oil of Olay, of course).

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