Wednesday, August 6, 2014
The Beauty Blogger Tag: Get to Know Me!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
So Here's the Deal:
For my beautifully loyal followers who just keep on keeping on when it comes to reading my posts, I thank you for sticking around for such an excruciating time. But, I've got some super exciting news!!
I'm officially a licensed esthetician and a trained makeup artist! (Now, when I say licensed, I mean I just finished school a few days ago and am now waiting for my temporary license in the mail...next step is state boards -gulp-)
I'm super excited to have taken such a huge step in my life, my passion for skincare was much too loud to muffle it or quiet it anymore, so here I am! Can you believe it?!
I would love to write more posts based on what you all want to see. It's hard for me to come up with content constantly (although the world of skin and makeup is always changing) without a little bit of feedback, so I would appreciate some suggestions as to what you would like me to post.
Now, I don't expect you all to come up with EVERY post, but it will keep it more consistent if I have a flow of suggestions coming in.
What questions do you have? Skincare? Makeup? Both?! Please, comment on this post, or any other post, and I'll gladly write about whatever floats your boat, beautiful people!
As far as posting schedule, I'm not 100% sure on that one yet. I don't want to say it's going to be specific days and times, just because I'm in the process of finding an apartment with my boyfriend, trying to balance 2 jobs (one at a spa and the other is still as a keyholder at LUSH), getting my license, studying for state boards...life is crazy...but in the best way!
As I said before, thank you all for sticking with me. Hopefully I'll have some new content up soon! <3
I'm officially a licensed esthetician and a trained makeup artist! (Now, when I say licensed, I mean I just finished school a few days ago and am now waiting for my temporary license in the mail...next step is state boards -gulp-)
I'm super excited to have taken such a huge step in my life, my passion for skincare was much too loud to muffle it or quiet it anymore, so here I am! Can you believe it?!
I would love to write more posts based on what you all want to see. It's hard for me to come up with content constantly (although the world of skin and makeup is always changing) without a little bit of feedback, so I would appreciate some suggestions as to what you would like me to post.
Now, I don't expect you all to come up with EVERY post, but it will keep it more consistent if I have a flow of suggestions coming in.
What questions do you have? Skincare? Makeup? Both?! Please, comment on this post, or any other post, and I'll gladly write about whatever floats your boat, beautiful people!
As far as posting schedule, I'm not 100% sure on that one yet. I don't want to say it's going to be specific days and times, just because I'm in the process of finding an apartment with my boyfriend, trying to balance 2 jobs (one at a spa and the other is still as a keyholder at LUSH), getting my license, studying for state boards...life is crazy...but in the best way!
As I said before, thank you all for sticking with me. Hopefully I'll have some new content up soon! <3
Friday, May 2, 2014
Microdermabrasion: What's the Deal?
I have to say, going to school for esthetics is pretty awesome. This week, we had a guest teacher come in and teach us all about microdermabrasion; I had a chance to have it done to myself, and I got to practice on my classmates. I now have my certification in microderm, and it was so fun getting there!
So what is microdermabrasion?
It's a deep exfoliation that essentially buffs away the dead, dull layer of your skin sitting at the top. It doesn't exfoliate down to the dermis like a chemical peel or anything like that, it's non-invasive, and doesn't require any downtime (unless you're really bothered by some redness). The great thing about microderm is that it will help product penetrate better, so that means any treatment serums and moisturizers that you're using to treat skin "issues" will penetrate the top layer of your skin more effectively, and will help your skin hydrate better!
There are two methods, but the method that I learned was crystal, where there are thousands on thousands of crystals being released onto your face through a vacuum-like machine, and that's what exfoliates!
Things microdermabrasion treats:
Acne scars, blackheads (it loosens up all the gross stuff stuck in your pores), fine lines and small wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sun damage. It also is a great way to exfoliate if you prefer not to at home regularly.
Contraindications (things that would make it so that you cannot receive microderm):
Broken capillaries (they can be buffed but not treated as intensely as the rest of the skin), psoraisis, excema, excessive redness, sunburn, cold sores, open wounds on the area being treated, rosacea, etc.
My experience:
I have 4 tattoos, one of them being on the top of my foot, which I was in excruciating pain from for about a week. I have a high pain tolerance, so looking at a pen that has almost like sandpaper flying out onto your face seemed like no big deal to me. Well, to be honest, I hardly felt anything at all. I know that it worked because when I put my hand up to my face there were crystals there, but it was so light, it felt like someone really gently rubbing sand paper on my skin. I would recommend this treatment to anyone; it truly does not hurt or make you uncomfortable unless your technician uses a very heavy hand, which they shouldn't.
I had a lot of redness (but my skin is naturally very red to begin with) and they told me that was to be expected. The only "abnormal" thing that happened was tracking, which basically means that the skin was not held taut enough during treatment and there was a little too much suction, leaving a small red line after the rest of the skin has healed. It just looks like tan lines. Mine went away in about 24 hours, and they were incredibly subtle to begin with.
I have noticed that my skin is visibly brighter, smoother, more even, and my blackheads have come to the surface and are now SO easy to extract. (Sorry, TMI...) and that was only after one treatment! They normally suggest doing microderm in sets of about 6, but you could talk to your esthetician about what they believe is the correct number of treatments for your skin.
So I say try it! It's fun, it's quick, it feels pretty good...there's no downtime, I just suggest lots of SPF on the treated area (but that's always a given!)
Leave a comment if you've ever had microderm and tell me all about your experience!
So what is microdermabrasion?
It's a deep exfoliation that essentially buffs away the dead, dull layer of your skin sitting at the top. It doesn't exfoliate down to the dermis like a chemical peel or anything like that, it's non-invasive, and doesn't require any downtime (unless you're really bothered by some redness). The great thing about microderm is that it will help product penetrate better, so that means any treatment serums and moisturizers that you're using to treat skin "issues" will penetrate the top layer of your skin more effectively, and will help your skin hydrate better!
There are two methods, but the method that I learned was crystal, where there are thousands on thousands of crystals being released onto your face through a vacuum-like machine, and that's what exfoliates!
Things microdermabrasion treats:
Acne scars, blackheads (it loosens up all the gross stuff stuck in your pores), fine lines and small wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sun damage. It also is a great way to exfoliate if you prefer not to at home regularly.
Contraindications (things that would make it so that you cannot receive microderm):
Broken capillaries (they can be buffed but not treated as intensely as the rest of the skin), psoraisis, excema, excessive redness, sunburn, cold sores, open wounds on the area being treated, rosacea, etc.
My experience:
I have 4 tattoos, one of them being on the top of my foot, which I was in excruciating pain from for about a week. I have a high pain tolerance, so looking at a pen that has almost like sandpaper flying out onto your face seemed like no big deal to me. Well, to be honest, I hardly felt anything at all. I know that it worked because when I put my hand up to my face there were crystals there, but it was so light, it felt like someone really gently rubbing sand paper on my skin. I would recommend this treatment to anyone; it truly does not hurt or make you uncomfortable unless your technician uses a very heavy hand, which they shouldn't.
I had a lot of redness (but my skin is naturally very red to begin with) and they told me that was to be expected. The only "abnormal" thing that happened was tracking, which basically means that the skin was not held taut enough during treatment and there was a little too much suction, leaving a small red line after the rest of the skin has healed. It just looks like tan lines. Mine went away in about 24 hours, and they were incredibly subtle to begin with.
I have noticed that my skin is visibly brighter, smoother, more even, and my blackheads have come to the surface and are now SO easy to extract. (Sorry, TMI...) and that was only after one treatment! They normally suggest doing microderm in sets of about 6, but you could talk to your esthetician about what they believe is the correct number of treatments for your skin.
So I say try it! It's fun, it's quick, it feels pretty good...there's no downtime, I just suggest lots of SPF on the treated area (but that's always a given!)
Leave a comment if you've ever had microderm and tell me all about your experience!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment Review
I have a review for you today, beauties- it's a product I've been using religiously for about 3 months now. To be honest, I was certain I'd done a review on it, but looking back I don't have one!
This post is all about the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment...AKA the best thing to ever grace my eye area.
They have since changed the packaging (now the little "wooden" top is a little larger than the bottom) but the picture shown above is the original packaging I got the treatment in.
This stuff, I'm not going to lie, is beautiful. I'm really skeptical about eye products because my eyes are incredibly sensitive. They turn red if I use anything except the Smashbox Eye Brightening Mascara, they get irritated if I use the wrong eyeliner too close to my waterline...it's a struggle.
So I tried this because I had been using LUSH's Full of Grace serum bar. I went into a LUSH store about 2 years ago and said "someone HELP, my eyes are burning and I'm scared to use eye cream because I'm worried they'll be irritated." Now, when I say my eyes were burning, I mean there was dry skin flaking off my eye area. Right around my eyebrows/bridge of my nose especially, and they would burn and using eye makeup remover made the dryness worse. They recommended Full of Grace and I liked it, it relieved the dryness, however it didn't do much else for me.
Fast forward to Christmastime, I'd heard about this product a little bit just from browsing the internet, and I'd been on a Tarte kick and saw that they had a hydrating eye "treatment" and said "hey, maybe that's the stuff for me. No idea what Maracuja oil is, but whatever!"
I started this stuff January 1st to really give it a good go. Clearly it went well, because I just bought myself a second pot of the stuff last week.
It has tons of antioxidants in it, fighting free radicals in the skin, such as the magical Maracuja oil which replenishes moisture and plumps up the skin (yay!), vitamin C which is awesome for the eye area because it brightens and antioxidizes, and then it has a bit of coconut which is rich in fatty acids and hydrating ingredients.
I gave it a shot and saw instant results. In a matter of minutes my (less) dry skin in my eye area was feeling cooled, soothed, and hydrated. It's definitely a thick cream, which I like because that means it'll stay in place rather than being runny and too oily. Obviously I didn't see too much crazy brightening right off the bat- I knew those results were going to come with extended use.
I haven't necessarily noticed any firming in the skin around my eyes, but I have noticed that they seem less puffy. My dark circles have also cleared up a bit, I don't have them too bad so this stuff just brightens up anything I have. But most importantly: I accidentally got it in my eye and there was no burning/itching/stinging/watering! It doesn't flare up my sensitive eyes!!! YAY!
You can also use this cream under makeup- I would obviously let it dry thoroughly or blot the excess, but it's nice and silky.
I totally give this a 5/5. Try it for yourselves, ladies and gents, it's fab stuff.
This post is all about the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment...AKA the best thing to ever grace my eye area.
This stuff, I'm not going to lie, is beautiful. I'm really skeptical about eye products because my eyes are incredibly sensitive. They turn red if I use anything except the Smashbox Eye Brightening Mascara, they get irritated if I use the wrong eyeliner too close to my waterline...it's a struggle.
So I tried this because I had been using LUSH's Full of Grace serum bar. I went into a LUSH store about 2 years ago and said "someone HELP, my eyes are burning and I'm scared to use eye cream because I'm worried they'll be irritated." Now, when I say my eyes were burning, I mean there was dry skin flaking off my eye area. Right around my eyebrows/bridge of my nose especially, and they would burn and using eye makeup remover made the dryness worse. They recommended Full of Grace and I liked it, it relieved the dryness, however it didn't do much else for me.
Fast forward to Christmastime, I'd heard about this product a little bit just from browsing the internet, and I'd been on a Tarte kick and saw that they had a hydrating eye "treatment" and said "hey, maybe that's the stuff for me. No idea what Maracuja oil is, but whatever!"
I started this stuff January 1st to really give it a good go. Clearly it went well, because I just bought myself a second pot of the stuff last week.
It has tons of antioxidants in it, fighting free radicals in the skin, such as the magical Maracuja oil which replenishes moisture and plumps up the skin (yay!), vitamin C which is awesome for the eye area because it brightens and antioxidizes, and then it has a bit of coconut which is rich in fatty acids and hydrating ingredients.
I gave it a shot and saw instant results. In a matter of minutes my (less) dry skin in my eye area was feeling cooled, soothed, and hydrated. It's definitely a thick cream, which I like because that means it'll stay in place rather than being runny and too oily. Obviously I didn't see too much crazy brightening right off the bat- I knew those results were going to come with extended use.
I haven't necessarily noticed any firming in the skin around my eyes, but I have noticed that they seem less puffy. My dark circles have also cleared up a bit, I don't have them too bad so this stuff just brightens up anything I have. But most importantly: I accidentally got it in my eye and there was no burning/itching/stinging/watering! It doesn't flare up my sensitive eyes!!! YAY!
You can also use this cream under makeup- I would obviously let it dry thoroughly or blot the excess, but it's nice and silky.
I totally give this a 5/5. Try it for yourselves, ladies and gents, it's fab stuff.
Friday, April 18, 2014
IMATS New York Haul!
This year I had the privilege to go to IMATS New York. Since I'm in school as an esthetician and I'm now a certified makeup artist, I knew it would be imperative in continuing my education to go to a huge trade show like IMATS to get the experience...okay who am I kidding? I was just so excited to go and grab some new makeup!
Here's the overview of what I got- I haven't used all of it yet but I can give you the general overview.
The first thing I picked up was my new Dinar airbrush machine- I'm addicted to airbrush after learning how to do it in school. It's so fun, easy and natural looking that I knew I had to add one to my kit. Here's a closeup of my beauty...
I wanted it in black or the opalescent white that they had, but being that I went on Sunday rather than Friday or Saturday, they were sold out of most of the colors, so I went with the hot pink! My other options were lime green and highlighter yellow and those were so not me.
So I tried this baby out for the first time yesterday- I was trained on a machine that my teacher manufactures so it felt a little bit different. The only difference, to be honest, was the compressor. There wasn't a dial to control air flow, it was all one strength so I didn't have to turn a knob like I do on the Dinair, but I'm totally fine with it. I got used to it really fast. I airbrushed my mom before she left for work and she loved it, and when she came home it was still on looking even and fabulous. Needless to say, I love it!
The next thing I bought was the concealer palette from Make Up For Ever. I didn't have a concealer palette in my makeup artist kit yet, so I grabbed the one that I'd heard the most about, and that had the most universally flattering colors. It has a purple concealer that is especially great at concealing yellowness in the skin, but it also has 4 very neutral shades that could work on almost any skin tone. It might be a little light for darker skin tones, but my next investment is a bigger concealer palette with more colors. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find one...the only one I've found is by BH Cosmetics.
The palette I got is for "Asian skintones" according to the Make Up For Ever website, but I have very pale skin with a reddish undertone, while my neck is a little yellowish, so if I want to correct I would need a more yellow concealer. I think it could work on just about anyone, I really, really dislike that that's how they describe the colors.
My next purchase was of course an IMATS hoodie because I know I'm going to wear it everywhere. If there's one thing I can't live without, it's a good hoodie.
And then my favorite and final purchase of the day: the Naked Cosmetics pigments. Goodness gracious, I did not expect to absolutely fall in love with a brand or a product the way I did with Naked. They explained to me that they're some of the most pure pigments imaginable, the color has no additives to dull the color or shine or the payoff of the shade. I bought two sets (the pigments come in stacks, as you can see in the top picture) and you can only buy them that way- no single color purchases. At least not at IMATS.
What I found coolest about all of these pigments was they offered multiple mixing mediums and bases. They offered a clear nail polish so you could turn your pigment into a polish, a base to turn it into a shadow, and then they showed me using them wet with just some water to make a beautiful cream shadow or liner.
The pictures I'm posting of the colors I bought are off the Naked Cosmetics website, I'm not very good at giving the colors the justice they deserve like the website did.
I picked up the Desert Sunset collection:
And the Twilight collection:
Clearly I bought a warm and a cool. Both are so highly pigmented and stunning- I had the girl at the counter test all of the colors on my hand and I so wish that I had kept swatches to show all of you. Maybe I'll do a separate review some time in the near future!
If I had to pick a favorite color it's in the Twilight collection- see that third color in the top row? Looks unsuspecting, right? It's PINK when you put it on. It's a muted grey with a PINK GLITTER. Stunning. Just so stunning.
I would love to buy some more of these, but they run $60 a collection. They were running an amazing deal at the show, though, 2 collections and the base were $60. We'll see, I'm probably going to end up ordering more because I love them so much.
I hope you enjoyed my haul, guys! If you went to IMATS, let me know what you picked up! Until next time, beauties.
The first thing I picked up was my new Dinar airbrush machine- I'm addicted to airbrush after learning how to do it in school. It's so fun, easy and natural looking that I knew I had to add one to my kit. Here's a closeup of my beauty...
So I tried this baby out for the first time yesterday- I was trained on a machine that my teacher manufactures so it felt a little bit different. The only difference, to be honest, was the compressor. There wasn't a dial to control air flow, it was all one strength so I didn't have to turn a knob like I do on the Dinair, but I'm totally fine with it. I got used to it really fast. I airbrushed my mom before she left for work and she loved it, and when she came home it was still on looking even and fabulous. Needless to say, I love it!
The next thing I bought was the concealer palette from Make Up For Ever. I didn't have a concealer palette in my makeup artist kit yet, so I grabbed the one that I'd heard the most about, and that had the most universally flattering colors. It has a purple concealer that is especially great at concealing yellowness in the skin, but it also has 4 very neutral shades that could work on almost any skin tone. It might be a little light for darker skin tones, but my next investment is a bigger concealer palette with more colors. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find one...the only one I've found is by BH Cosmetics.
The palette I got is for "Asian skintones" according to the Make Up For Ever website, but I have very pale skin with a reddish undertone, while my neck is a little yellowish, so if I want to correct I would need a more yellow concealer. I think it could work on just about anyone, I really, really dislike that that's how they describe the colors.
My next purchase was of course an IMATS hoodie because I know I'm going to wear it everywhere. If there's one thing I can't live without, it's a good hoodie.
And then my favorite and final purchase of the day: the Naked Cosmetics pigments. Goodness gracious, I did not expect to absolutely fall in love with a brand or a product the way I did with Naked. They explained to me that they're some of the most pure pigments imaginable, the color has no additives to dull the color or shine or the payoff of the shade. I bought two sets (the pigments come in stacks, as you can see in the top picture) and you can only buy them that way- no single color purchases. At least not at IMATS.
What I found coolest about all of these pigments was they offered multiple mixing mediums and bases. They offered a clear nail polish so you could turn your pigment into a polish, a base to turn it into a shadow, and then they showed me using them wet with just some water to make a beautiful cream shadow or liner.
The pictures I'm posting of the colors I bought are off the Naked Cosmetics website, I'm not very good at giving the colors the justice they deserve like the website did.
I picked up the Desert Sunset collection:
If I had to pick a favorite color it's in the Twilight collection- see that third color in the top row? Looks unsuspecting, right? It's PINK when you put it on. It's a muted grey with a PINK GLITTER. Stunning. Just so stunning.
I would love to buy some more of these, but they run $60 a collection. They were running an amazing deal at the show, though, 2 collections and the base were $60. We'll see, I'm probably going to end up ordering more because I love them so much.
I hope you enjoyed my haul, guys! If you went to IMATS, let me know what you picked up! Until next time, beauties.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Update: Where have I been?!
Hey there beauties!
So as always here I am to apologize for going MIA for a while again. I'm in school for esthetics and actually just got my certification as a makeup artist, so I'm really working towards the dream I've always had.
I go to school full time, so it's 5 days a week, and on top of that I'm still working at LUSH 4 days a week. I've been freelancing with makeup on occasion; I just worked on set for my friend's student film and then had a mother-daughter makeup gig for the daughter's bat mitzvah.
Needless to say it's been a very busy time for me.
So here's the deal:
I want to get back into blogging. Badly. I can't really make a schedule, however I can promise one post a week rather than two like I was doing before. Also, I'm going to be doing a lot more reviewing. I wasn't getting much feedback on my series posts that I was doing (such as ingredient spotlight), so I'm going to stick with what I really love to do, being trying new product! I just went to IMATS NY on Sunday so I'm going to be doing a little haul on that later in the week.
For those of you that have stuck with me this whole time, I appreciate your patience and I'm so, so glad to be back!
So as always here I am to apologize for going MIA for a while again. I'm in school for esthetics and actually just got my certification as a makeup artist, so I'm really working towards the dream I've always had.
I go to school full time, so it's 5 days a week, and on top of that I'm still working at LUSH 4 days a week. I've been freelancing with makeup on occasion; I just worked on set for my friend's student film and then had a mother-daughter makeup gig for the daughter's bat mitzvah.
Needless to say it's been a very busy time for me.
So here's the deal:
I want to get back into blogging. Badly. I can't really make a schedule, however I can promise one post a week rather than two like I was doing before. Also, I'm going to be doing a lot more reviewing. I wasn't getting much feedback on my series posts that I was doing (such as ingredient spotlight), so I'm going to stick with what I really love to do, being trying new product! I just went to IMATS NY on Sunday so I'm going to be doing a little haul on that later in the week.
For those of you that have stuck with me this whole time, I appreciate your patience and I'm so, so glad to be back!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Peter Thomas Roth Acne System
Hey beauties it's been a while! Sorry I've been gone, it's been a super busy holiday season filled with lots of family time, cooking, and a lot of makeup!
I'm doing a review today of the Peter Thomas Roth acne system today, because I have never in my life been so pleased with the results I got from any product. I actually looked in the mirror about 2 days into using it and started crying because of how incredible the results were.
Now, let me tell you: my skin is sensitive, normal to dry, but very, very acne prone. Lately I've been getting severe breakouts all over my forehead and next to my mouth (they say it's hormones and stress, but this has never been an issue for me. ) Up until lately I've been so lucky with how my skin behaved, but it freaked out on me this year and I was not happy about it.
I wish I would have taken before and after pictures, but it's a little late now. I've been using the kit every day for the last week, and I have to say I'm so impressed.
The picture above shows what comes in the kit, I'm religiously using 3 of the 5 products, and I also bought myself the Gentle Complexion Correcting pads.
How I'm using it all:
The Beta Hydroxy Acid Wash is my go-to morning and night to wash with. It's been working wonders and leaves my skin baby-smooth. It smells kind of nice too!
I use the correcting pads in the morning. My skin has had a lot of scarring and discoloration lately...every time I broke out it would leave behind these ugly purplish marks. I got the recommendation from a girl at the Ulta I go to, she said they did wonders on her acne-prone skin. I gave them a shot and I like how they work, they smell like peaches so that's a plus. I've noticed a significant difference in the tone of my skin- everything is starting to even out and I'm noticing a lot of the scarring going away.
On top of the wash and pad in the morning, I use my LUSH Eau Roma toner water and Gorgeous moisturizer. I adore both too much to let them go. I add my Tarte BB Cream in Fair also because it says that with the acids in these products you will most likely have a heightened risk of sunburn, so my BB cream has an SPF 20. (ALWAYS wear sunscreen! I learned the hard way with my scarring and sad skin!!)
Then at night I use the wash again! Yay!
I add the AHA/BHA clearing gel on top of that once my skin is all patted dry. It smells kind of like rubbing alcohol which I really don't like, but the results are worth it. It makes my skin feel tight but not dry, almost like it's helping to firm up my skin.
Then I do my toner and moisturizer again, and then I use the spot treatment that came in the kit as needed.
The yellow buffing beads I've been using on my body more than my face because it's too harsh to use on my face, but I do get the occasional breakout on my chest and back. Ick.
I haven't used the mattifying moisturizer because I adore the moisturizer I have, but hey, maybe one day I'll get the urge to try it and I'll let you guys know.
So my overall review: my skin has never been so soft and bright before. I know it seems intimidating because the products have pretty crazy, severe ingredients, but it worked beautifully on my sensitive skin. I had serious cystic acne around my mouth that would hurt and turn into infected whiteheads, and I was getting constant bumpiness on my forehead that no matter what would lead to blackheads, occasional whiteheads, and overall just a look I would not settle for. I noticed a difference the next day after using this system, and with extended use of about a week my skin has done a complete 180. 90% of the bumpiness is gone, whiteheads and blackheads are clearing up at rapid speed.
I completely recommend this kit to anyone and everyone that has suffered from any kind of acne. I'm such a huge fan, I'll probably never turn back. I am so, so, so overjoyed that I can finally look at my skin and say "I feel like me again"!!
I'm doing a review today of the Peter Thomas Roth acne system today, because I have never in my life been so pleased with the results I got from any product. I actually looked in the mirror about 2 days into using it and started crying because of how incredible the results were.
Now, let me tell you: my skin is sensitive, normal to dry, but very, very acne prone. Lately I've been getting severe breakouts all over my forehead and next to my mouth (they say it's hormones and stress, but this has never been an issue for me. ) Up until lately I've been so lucky with how my skin behaved, but it freaked out on me this year and I was not happy about it.
I wish I would have taken before and after pictures, but it's a little late now. I've been using the kit every day for the last week, and I have to say I'm so impressed.
The picture above shows what comes in the kit, I'm religiously using 3 of the 5 products, and I also bought myself the Gentle Complexion Correcting pads.
How I'm using it all:
The Beta Hydroxy Acid Wash is my go-to morning and night to wash with. It's been working wonders and leaves my skin baby-smooth. It smells kind of nice too!
I use the correcting pads in the morning. My skin has had a lot of scarring and discoloration lately...every time I broke out it would leave behind these ugly purplish marks. I got the recommendation from a girl at the Ulta I go to, she said they did wonders on her acne-prone skin. I gave them a shot and I like how they work, they smell like peaches so that's a plus. I've noticed a significant difference in the tone of my skin- everything is starting to even out and I'm noticing a lot of the scarring going away.
On top of the wash and pad in the morning, I use my LUSH Eau Roma toner water and Gorgeous moisturizer. I adore both too much to let them go. I add my Tarte BB Cream in Fair also because it says that with the acids in these products you will most likely have a heightened risk of sunburn, so my BB cream has an SPF 20. (ALWAYS wear sunscreen! I learned the hard way with my scarring and sad skin!!)
Then at night I use the wash again! Yay!
I add the AHA/BHA clearing gel on top of that once my skin is all patted dry. It smells kind of like rubbing alcohol which I really don't like, but the results are worth it. It makes my skin feel tight but not dry, almost like it's helping to firm up my skin.
Then I do my toner and moisturizer again, and then I use the spot treatment that came in the kit as needed.
The yellow buffing beads I've been using on my body more than my face because it's too harsh to use on my face, but I do get the occasional breakout on my chest and back. Ick.
I haven't used the mattifying moisturizer because I adore the moisturizer I have, but hey, maybe one day I'll get the urge to try it and I'll let you guys know.
So my overall review: my skin has never been so soft and bright before. I know it seems intimidating because the products have pretty crazy, severe ingredients, but it worked beautifully on my sensitive skin. I had serious cystic acne around my mouth that would hurt and turn into infected whiteheads, and I was getting constant bumpiness on my forehead that no matter what would lead to blackheads, occasional whiteheads, and overall just a look I would not settle for. I noticed a difference the next day after using this system, and with extended use of about a week my skin has done a complete 180. 90% of the bumpiness is gone, whiteheads and blackheads are clearing up at rapid speed.
I completely recommend this kit to anyone and everyone that has suffered from any kind of acne. I'm such a huge fan, I'll probably never turn back. I am so, so, so overjoyed that I can finally look at my skin and say "I feel like me again"!!
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