New Years Resolutions

Hello my fellow bloggers and blog readers! I'm a little late with this posting but hey, better late than never. I'm not a big believer in New Years Resolutions as I tend to break them and that doesn't do good things for my self-esteem so my solution is just not to make them haha (not sure which is worse?). But, having said that I've decided to make a few small ones that I know I can probably stick to in the new year! So, without further a-due, here they are: 

1. Develop a more natural skin care routine

The past few weeks I have been reading a lot about what we put on our skin and how it affects the rest of our body. We don't really think about it because mostly, we tend to believe that what we put on our skin stays on our skin, but that isn't the case. Everything we put on our skin gets absorbed into our bodies. Therefore, I've decided to incorporate more natural and organic products into my skin care routine. I like using natural products and own quite a few so this won't be too hard or too much of a change. I just want to be more conscious of it. I will do an updated skincare review in the coming month.

2. Blog more consistently

I love blogging, I don't know why I don't do it on a more regular basis. It's not because of lack of time or lack of interest, I just don't do it. It could be because I hate taking the photos for it because they always end up making me frustrated - lighting, exposure, shaky hands... you name it haha. I'm going to force myself to do more this year and incorporate Face of the Days and product reviews as well as giveaways and fun stuff!

3. Sticking with my skin care routine

If you read my bad beauty habits post, you know I'm terrible for washing my face at night. That means I'm also terrible for using my treatment products! This year I resolve to wash my face every night (mostly) and use my treatment products in order to see the results I want!

Okay, lets limit this to 3 resolutions, that seems overwhelming already! haha I feel like I can at least have some hope of sticking to these (at least for the short term) and hope I can continue them all year!

Do you have any New Years Resolutions? Let me know in the Comments!

Photo retrieved from: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20452233,00.html

My Biggest Beauty Faux Pas

We all have our beauty faux pas - you know, things we know we shouldn't do but do them anyway? I have quite the list and I feel as though with New Years coming up, now would be a great time to try and stop some of these beauty bad habits. So, here is a list of things I do and know I shouldn't and how I'm going to try to correct them now and into the New Year. I know you will all be able to relate and I'd love to know your lists as well. 

1. Going to bed with my makeup on - I used to be really good about not doing this and I take every precaution not to (example, having cleansing wipes beside my bed so I have no excuse not to take off my makeup!) but I still end up going to bed without doing it. I've noticed a difference in my skin and not for the better because of this so I must must MUST change this one!

What to do: I think for this one I will need reminders, I'm going to write it on my calendar so I have to look at it and remember. I'm also going to "reward" myself if I do it everyday for a month (not sure with what yet haha)

2. Not using hand cream or cuticle treatments - I never use hand cream, ever. It's a bad habit that I can get away with in the summer but not the winter. My cuticles are ragged and my hands are dry and my nails aren't growing well and are splitting and peeling.

What to do: For this one, I'm going to keep hand cream in my purse, on my night stand and in my bathroom. I figure if I see it all the time I'll apply it all the time - like lip balm. Plus, I'll use ones that I love the smell of to make it more enticing.

3. Taking hot baths - I love sitting in a hot bath for as long as I can, especially since it has gotten so cold out! I'm up to almost everyday and that is so bad for my skin and I'm feeling itchy and tight.

What to do: Since I know I won't stop taking baths, I'm going to use a bath oil and hydrating body cream as soon as I get out of the tub to help limit the moisture loss. Also, I'll shorten them a bit.. just a bit.

4. Not wearing sunscreen every single day - I know the importance and I'm usually pretty good about it. All my foundations contain sunscreen but on days when I don't put a lot of makeup on I tend to forget. I have a great sunscreen that I like to wear I just need to get back in the habit!

What to do: This one is like washing my face every night. I'm going to write it down and give myself a treat if I do it everyday for a month. The treat will actually be my skin looking and feeling better but something else couldn't hurt!

5. Washing my makeup brushes - This is a two-fold problem. I am so lazy about washing my brushes (don't worry they are only used on me) and therefore I use my hands to apply a lot of my makeup. Both are bad habits that I need to break. If I get in the habit of washing my brushes, I can get in the habit of touching my face less and hopefully having a clearer complexion.

What to do: I'm going to be realistic with this one and say I'll deep clean my brushes once every 2 weeks to a month (depending on how much I use them) and spot clean them every time I use them with a daily brush cleaner. That should help both problems.

So everyone those are my biggest beauty blunders! I'm sure there are many more but those are the ones I really need to change. What are some of your beauty bad habits? Let me know in the comments section or do a post about it and send me the link! 

Skin Care for the Season

As promised, this post will be my personal skin care picks for the winter season. As you may know, I have sensitive, breakout prone skin that is oilier in summer and drier in the winter. So, with it being full blown winter, it is now dry!

Trying to  counteract my dryness and increased sensitivity in the winter months without setting off my breakout prone skin can be a tough thing to do. This season, I seem to have found some great products that have been giving me great moisture without giving me excess oil. Thank goodness! Here is my complete list of products:

Let's start with my cleansing routine. I have made a pact with myself to break all my bad beauty habits this month, one of which is forgetting to wash my makeup off at night (so bad!). So, since my skin gets much drier and more sensitive I have switched a couple products from my summer routine.

1. Clean & Clear Soothing Eye Makeup Remover - I have never been one to use a separate product to take my eye makeup off, thats just another step and I'm inherently lazy. BUT I must say, once I started, my eyes were much happier! I am prone to eczema on my eyelids and I think makeup may have contributed. I also don't want to tug at my eye area anymore (another one of my beauty faux pas!) so this helps a lot. It removes everything without a greasy feel and is oil-free.

2. Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser - I love this cleanser. Its gentle, removes all makeup and doesn't leave my skin with that dry, tight feeling. It's also inexpensive so I can have one everywhere I need.

3. H2O+ Face Oasis Cleansing Water - This brand is relatively new to me, I've only been using it for about 3 weeks but its become a staple in my cleansing routine! I use this interesting cleanser in the morning and at night but in two different ways. This cleanser pumps out like water but once applied to the face it feels slick. Once you work it in it actually seems to soak into the skin. In the morning I only use this, I apply to my face until it is soaked in then add a little bit of water to my hands and continue to work it into a lather then rinse. At night I use it as a pre-cleanser and apply my Neutrogena cleanser right over top to make sure all my makeup is removed. This is a great product!

4. Clarisonic Mia - This never leaves my cleansing routine but I definitely use it much less in the winter. I find my skin gets extremely sensitive in the colder months so I only use my Clarisonic about 3 times a week as my exfoliating treatment. I also switch to the 'delicate' or 'sensitive' brush head.

My next step never and I mean NEVER leaves my skin care routine! To keep my breakouts in check all year I use Neutrogena's 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment. It is very gentle, has 2% Salicylic Acid to control breakouts and hydrates. It is a fluid/serum texture so its great for every skin type. Definitely a product to get if you have any breakouts and any skin type. 

Next I apply a hydrating oil-free serum. H2O+ Oasis Hydrating Booster is an amazing for acne-prone or combination skin. One pump of this dual phase serum and you feel incredibly hydrated without any greasy feeling. It sinks in quickly and adds a much needed extra layer of moisture without feeling heavy or greasy!  A new staple in my skin care routine.

Next up is my day/night creams (or should I say gels?). Both of these hydrating treatments by H2O+ come in a gel form, great for combination/sensitive acne-prone skin battling dryness. I use H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralizing Gel during the day and H2O+ Face Oasis Hydrating Gel at night. Both absorb quickly, keep me hydrated and make my skin more plump without adding oil. I always steer towards gels or gel-creams for my moisturizers as a lot of the ingredients in creams and lotions can clog my pores. 

I never want to give up my facial treatments and masks during the winter so I switch to more hydrating forms of the same thing. I want to absorb the extra oil without over drying or making my skin feel tight. Once a week I will use a clay based mask to absorb debris and oil either C. Booth's Deep Cleansing Volcanic Mud Mask or Bliss's Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask. Both of these are amazing masks and sound like they do the same thing but I use them for two different reasons. If I have slept in my makeup or feel really breakout prone I will use C. Booth's Volcanic mask. It does a great job of clearing out pores ('amazing' was the first word I used when I saw the results!) without leaving my skin dry. If I'm feeling a little 'clogged' but dry I will use Bliss's Steep Clean mask. It is much more hydrating but also helps with breakouts and oil. I use Bliss's Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask once a week as well (on a different day than the other mask) to give my skin radiance and an extra little 'boost' when it looks dull. I love this mask before a big day or event!

In the winter my skin has a tendency to get extremely itchy, irritated and red for pretty much no reason (fun!). I don't like using cortisone creams because they can thin skin with repeated use so I look for more natural alternatives for my itchy skin and eczema patches. This is B. Kamins' Bio-Maple Antipruritic Cream. It is great for general irritation and itching anywhere on the body. Whenever I have flare-up's I reach for this cream for a quick, soothing remedy. 

As I've mentioned a few times (understatement!) my skin gets red and sensitive during the winter. I love Clinique's sunscreens because they don't break me out and its just as important to use a sunscreen everyday in the winter as it is in the summer. I switch from Clinique's City Block SPF 25 in the summer to Clinque's Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base SPF 15 in the winter. I find them to be very similar in formulation with the Redness Solutions having a green tint to counteract my redness (the other is flesh toned). I like this added correction and it reduces the amount of foundation and concealer I have to apply afterwards.

When I'm feeling extra dry or every other night (which ever comes first) I apply Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream with Retinol. This is a richer cream (still not nearly as rich as a regular cream) with the added benefit of Retinol to help ward of wrinkles. I'm a big believe in "its never too early to prevent wrinkles" so I use this quite a bit and find my skin looks smoother and brighter when I use it religiously.

So, there it is. My winter skin care routine! I hope this helped you figure out your new routine and gave you some good tips for sensitive/combination skin. What are your favourite products for winter? Let me know in the comments section!

Be sure to check back for winter Body Care and Hair Care posts!

'Tis the Season..

Happy Holidays everyone! What a season of joy and good times - although its also time for cold weather, harsh heating and beating winds! These can wreak havoc on our hair and skin, so even though this is a festive time of year, lets make it a beautiful one as well.

Today I'm going to share some tips and my personal beauty routines for your body's "winterization". First, lets begin with some winter basics! Here in Canada, the temperature drops and with it goes the humidity (at least here in the west), so we need to account for not only the cold temperature but the lack of moisture in the air as well. Here are some great tips, in no particular order!

Top Tips

1. Use a humidifier - I learned the importance of this while living in Calgary, probably the driest place in Canada! Not only does the added moisture in the air benefit your skin and hair, it also benefits your lungs, sinuses and throat which is especially essential during cold and flu season. You can purchase "personal" humidifiers for as little as $20 so there's no reason to be without!

2. Boost your moisturizer (no matter what your skin type) - You can boost your hydration and moisturization in a couple ways. First, if your skin is normal to dry or extra dry, try a thicker, richer cream with added emollients and water binding agents. These can include glycerine, hyaluronic acid, natural plant oils and vitamins such as E. For oily or acne prone skin, adding a hydrating oil-free serum can be your best bet as well as an oil-free moisturizer.

3. Skip long hot baths and showers - I know, I know, I love them too but they are exceptionally drying for skin. If you must take a warm bath or a long hot shower be sure to use hydrating body washes or a bath oil. Many bubble bath formulas are very drying so if you want bubbles, try some bubble bars from Lush Cosmetics which incorporate hydrating oils with bubbles, or add a bath oil as well. Be sure to follow your bath or shower with a body oil or rich lotion.

4. Cut back on exfoliation - I love to exfoliate seeing as I have oily, acne prone skin but during the winter months, I find it can actually make things worse. With the drier air, my skin gets extremely sensitive so I switch to chemical exfoliants as opposed to scrubs. I also find I have to switch my Clarisonic brush head to the "delicate skin" option and use it a lot less often. If you find you have dry skin and it gets flakey, you may need to exfoliate but try a cream based scrub or daily chemical exfoliating cream. 

5. Wash your hair less often - To keep your scalp dandruff free and your hair from becoming dry, try to wash your hair a maximum of once every two days. This will keep your ends from drying out and your scalp from becoming itchy or flakey. Use a hydrating shampoo. Also, if you find your hair gets exceedingly dry in the winter (hello static!) use a deep condition mask every time you wash as opposed to just a regular conditioner. Follow with a leave in conditioner or oil. You can also use a hydrating treatment overnight once a week for extra benefit.

6. Exfoliate your body - This may sound like it contradicts point  number 4 but body skin is different than facial skin and for you to be able to get the full benefit of your body cream, you need to exfoliate first. Again, don't over do it. A loofah or puff is usually good enough paired with a hydrating body wash. For extra dry patches, use a gentle scrub. This will help you get the full potential out of your body cream.

So, those are my top tips for the winter season! Do you have any more to add that you swear by? Let me know down below! :)

Check back for my personal picks for the season!

New Skincare for a New Climate.

Hello again everyone, I've missed you all! I've had a few big changes in my life since I last posted (months ago, terrible me!) and one of them was moving Provinces. I recently (in May) relocated back to my home town in British Columbia where the climate is much different than Calgary, where I had been living for the past 3 years. This is proving to be hard on my skin so I've been on the hunt to find what my skin needs now and share what has been working for me in the recent months.

First, a little background on the climate I've come from and am now living in. Calgary was extremely dry and generally cold. Where I live now in British Columbia is also relatively dry (as I am in a technical desert region) but still no where near comparable to Calgary, as I am now back living near a large lake. In Calgary I suffered with very dehydrated skin that was also exceedingly oily. Sounds like a contradiction, but is very common. I would't apply moisturizer for fear of creating more oil on my skin leading to more breakouts but I didn't realize that my skin was creating more oil because it was so dehydrated. After finally figuring out what my skin needed, I moved to a completely different climate. Here in BC my skin has been very balanced over the summer months. The humidity is ideal and I have not suffered with much excess oil or breakouts. The only thing that seems to aggravate my skin recently is air conditioning, which can dry out my lips and skin. 

As the weather here is still in the mid 30's (Celsius) I have yet to switch to a "fall routine". But for these summer months I have found a few products that I couldn't have lived a day without. Here is a list of those great summer finds:

Cleanser

Marcelle Hydra-C Self-Foaming Cleanser

Clarisonic Mia

Treatment

Neutrogena 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment

Fusion Beauty Illumifill Line Filling Luminizer

Exfoliants/Masks

Colbert MD Microdermabrasion Pads

Alba Organics Papaya Enzyme Mask

100% Pure Brightening Scrub/Mask

Eye Cream

Morning: 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

Night: Bliss All Around Eye Cream

Moisturizer

Morning: Clean & Clear Pore Perfecting Moisturizer SPF 15

Night: 100% Pure Red Wine Resveratrol Nourishing Cream

Sunscreen

Neutrogena Water Light SPF 60

Lips

C.O. Bigelow My Favourite Night Balm

Korres Lip Butter

Fusion Beauty LipFusion

Lush Lip Scrub

So there you have it. Some of my year round favourites as well as some great summer finds! I know my routine will be changing soon to compensate for the cooler and drier fall weather so there will be more skin care updates to come!

Your One-Stop Skin Care Shop!

Hey Ladies! Hope your evenings are going well! You may have seen a similar post to this one on Pammy's blog over at Pammy Blogs Beauty - (Gee Pammy, I mention you a lot! haha) but she was the one who introduced me to this amazing site so she deserves much of the credit!

For those of you who didn't see Pammy's post, this is about a new website called MySkin.com. My main passion in the cosmetics industry is Skin Care - it is my first and true love! I mean, you can't have a gorgeous face of makeup without a great complexion right? So when Pammy mentioned this site to me I was intrigued and eager to try it out!

The Concept

This is a site that focuses on getting you better skin care. Not only does it focus on better skin care, but it is completely unbiased advice on skin care! It is so hard to find advice based on your skin without someone trying to sell you something and you know what that means - if someone is trying to sell you something, it isn't always the right thing for your skin. (NOTE: not all products being sold to you are wrong, but some sales people can mislead you - or even be mislead themselves by their company and the end result may not be right for your skin - Remember, this is my experience and opinions :) ) BUT what MySkin.com does is takes out that bias of "selling" and gives you access to a large variety of products that are scientifically researched by the MySkin team to be good for your skin type - then, you choose what you want to try! (You don't have to buy anything from them - they only suggest!) 

They have a very comprehensive questionnaire about your skin so they can understand what it needs. You can also upload your current routine and how each product is working for you so they can take that information as well and adapt the products they suggest to you. Here is a sample of what my profile and current routine look like:

It is really easy to sign up and get started creating your own routine! All you do is go to www.myskin.com and it will automatically prompt you to "Register", it's totally free and you can have a lot of fun exploring others profiles, having discussions with others about skin care and looking at their blog list of great beauty blogs you may not know about! 

The best way to explain this site is for you to go check it out for yourself! Its very easy to navigate and learn so have fun! :)

Economical Indulgence

Hello ladies! Tonight I'm thinking of doing an at home spa-night (one of my all time favourite things to do!) so I thought I would share a few of my inexpensive but super effective finds with you!

I usually like to have a bath first, so here are some great bath finds!

Lush Bubble Bar - Creamy Candy

Okay, this is arguable regarding the "economical" part but I have some tricks to make it more cost effective! This is Lush's bubble bar in Creamy Candy! If you want to really indulge yourself and relax any of Lush's products are a great way to do it! They are so well formulated and fragrant you don't need much else! My trick to make it last longer is to break it up into 4 chunks, that way you get 4 baths out of it! I do like to add bath salts as well to suck all the toxins out of my skin. I like Rocky Mountain Soap Company's Detox Bath Salts (www.rockymountainsoap.com) or for an even less expensive option, regular epsom salts from Wal-Mart work great and are only around $2.50 for a large carton!

I really like to use candles when I bath too to get the full spa like effect! Some of my favourite candles are by Beanpod. The scents are so rich and they have such a wide variety! They last forever and are completely soy so they are much better for you than regular wax candles. You can find retailers at www.beanpodcandles.com. An easier option to find, and my second favourite, is Bath & Body Works candles. Again, super fragrant and moderately inexpensive and MUCH easier to get your hands on! I really like the Sweetpea but am really into Christmas-y, fall scents right now! Beanpod has one called Oatmeal Cookies and it is to die for!

After my bath I'll move on to a facial. Here are some fantastic masks I use that are so cheap you wont believe it and more effective than my high end spa brands!

Freeman Pineapple Enzyme Mask

I usually use two masks if I'm doing a full indulgent spa night. This is the first one I use, Freeman Pineapple enzyme mask. I use this first to get rid of all the dead skin cells that have built up from the week! It works incredibly well and is only $3.77 at Wal-Mart, YAY!

Lush Magnaminty Mask

Next, I'll use a clay mask to get every last bit of debris out! This is one of my favourites and its by lush. This is their only mask that doesn't have to be refrigerated (which I love) and also works the best for me. Another great mask (that I actually use more often because its less expensive) is Freeman's Mint/Lemon Clay mask. It has the same effects for about a third of the cost for $3.77 as well! St.Ives also makes a really good one but recently it has been making my skin itch. Its called their Mineral Clay Firming Mask, it works really well and its only about $4.50.

I also like to give myself a mani/pedi on these nights! I'll start in the bath with a pumice stone to remove all the dead skin. Then I'll push all my cuticles back and add a good cuticle oil or cream. I love Sally Hansen's Green Tea and Soy oil as well as Lush's Lemony Flutter balm. Then I'll polish my nails with whatever I choose (tonight it will be Unripened from my Go Goth! collection!) 

I love doing all this stuff and hope it will help you find a great, inexpensive alternatives to a pricey spa visit! 

Have fun! :)

What Every Girl Needs To Know About SKIN CARE!

Okay, so there are a few tried and tested skin care tips that I believe everyone should know! Unless you are like me and spend most of your time reading beauty magazines, beauty blogs, beauty websites etc. you may not have heard of all of these, but they are absolutely essential to me now that I know them! Here I will pass them on to you and hope they help your routine!

1) Go From Thin To Thick - this may sound funny but I'm talking about the consistency of the product! When you are applying skin care products you should always go from the most liquid to the most creamy consistencies. Doing so will ensure penetration of each product you use. An example (using my routine) is to start with your serums. In my case, I use my LUSH Tea Tree Water toner, then ISOMERS Copper-P Peptide serum which repairs skin and makes it stronger. I then use my acne serum, NEUTROGENA 3-in-1 Hydrating treatment. This is a salicylic acid product that is also very liquidy. Next, I go to my sunscreen which is much thicker than the other products. I use AVEENO Ultra-Calm SPF 30 lotion. Make sure to always go thinnest to thickest!

2) Wear Sunscreen EVERYDAY! - I know this has probably been drilled into your head every place you turn but it really is essential. Sun damage is the number one cause of aging and also causes skin cancer. The earlier you get in the habit, the better off you will be so if you are young START NOW and if you are older START NOW! It isn't too late to start, its always better to wear sunscreen, even on cloudy days! (I like AVEENO Ultra-Calm for my Oily Skin)

3) Exfoliate - You have to get the dead skin cells off your face if you want a radiant complexion. Exfoliating is essential for every skin type, dry to oily. It provides different benefits for each type but the overall idea is you NEED help to get all those skin cells off. As you age, skin cells slough off more slowly so helping them is essential! It also helps by not having the dead skin cells on your skin that can lead to clogged pores and breakouts. You can use an everyday GENTLE polish or a weekly intensive treatment. (I use Freeman Raspberry Facial Scrub daily and The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion weekly!)

4) Use Toner - Toner may seem like a product that you don't need but it plays a huge role in keeping your skin healthy. Toner helps to restore the optimal pH level of your skin so it doesn't produce excess oil and is in a healthy balance. Toner also helps to remove any bit of residue that you might not have removed with cleansing (and it even removes excess cleanser) for a truly clean skin! (I use Marcelle Tonifying Lotion)

5) Oily Skin Needs Moisture Too! - just because your skin is oily, doesn't mean it can't be dehydrated. An imbalance of moisture can cause a lot of different skin concerns such as increased oil production, more prominent lines and wrinkles and of course dry, flakey skin. Many people with oily skin don't realize that if you strip the skins natural moisture barrier it actually makes it more susceptible to breakouts by producing more oil to make up for its loss. Therefore, you can't over dry your skin if you are prone to breakouts, it won't make it better. You have to use a moisturizer formulated for oily skin though so a gel, serum or very light lotion will work well! (Something with a sunscreen preferably!) 

So I hope these tips helped you all out! I live by them and they work very well for my skin! And always remember to keep up with your skin care routine, thats the only way it will be effective for you!

Good Luck with your skin, and check out my skin care GIVEAWAY!

Save Your Stressed Skin!

These first two weeks back at University have been a little hectic and my skin has been taking a beating! I've been having late nights and even earlier mornings and haven't been taking proper care of my skin! I have a pretty sure fire way to get my skin back in order (I have to do this a lot haha) and I'll list my tips for you!

(Keep in mind, my skin is oily, so I get clogged pores, built up dead skin cells and just overall dullness! This is what I do to liven it back up!)

Boots Botanics Brightening Cleanser

Cleanse Deeply - This is going to sound scary but to really get my face clean I use either Olive Oil or my Boots Botanics Brighten Cleanser. I use these because oil breaks down oil, especially built up oil. It also breaks down any makeup or debris that might be stuck in your skin giving you a super deep clean! I follow it up with my normal cleanser to remove any traces of the excess oil.

Marcelle Tonifying Lotion (Normal to Dry)

Toner - Take a simple toner and sweep it all over to ensure you removed everything, we want to really clean our skin! I use Marcelle Tonifying Lotion (normal to dry skin), just because its a better formulation than the oily skin toner.

Cure Natural Aqua Gel (Sample Packets)

Exfoliate - Because my skin has a lot of build up now, I need a good exfoliation. I don't use a scrub, my skin is too sensitive for them, but if that is what you prefer then use your favourite scrub here! Use it for 2 minutes longer than you usually would but with extremely gentle pressure. This will ensure all the dead skin cells get removed without irritation. Personally, I use a chemical or natural exfoliation gel. I use Cure Natural Aqua Gel at this step, which removes dead skin cells with no granules.

Naturopathica Pumpkin Enzyme Peel

Mask - At this point, a mask is great because you have exposed new skin through the exfoliation process so its a great time to nourish it! You can use whatever mask you like! If you have oily skin pick an absorbent clay mask. I really like the St.Ives Firming Clay mask or Biore Self-Heating Clay mask (come in individual packets). For dry skin or for a brightening boost use a moisturizing mask. My favourite is The Body Shop Wise Woman firming mask, which doesn't firm but is so hydrating and brightening without causing breakouts! Last, but not least, my favourite mask! If you need an extra brighten or exfoliation, use an enzyme mask. I love Naturopathica Pumpkin Enzyme Peel! But for an inexpensive option, try Freeman Pineapple Enzyme mask (only $3 at Wal-Mart!) and works really well actually!

Isomers Copper-P Concentrate Serum

Treat - If you are prone to breakouts, treat your skin with a Salicylic Acid to keep spots at bay! If you have persistent breakouts, also apply a 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide (Panoxyl Mild Aqua Gel). If you have dry skin, to keep skin bright use a Glycolic Acid, I like Neostrata 10% Oil-Free Smoothing Lotion. Also, no matter what your skin type, treat your skin to as many nutrients and repairing properties as you can! You have bright new skin now and we want to keep it that way! I like to use a Vitamin C serum which helps with skin tone problems (Isomers Vitamin C & E serum or Copper-P serum) but any serum with nutrients, peptides and vitamins & minerals is great! Even a great moisturizer if you have dryer skin is awesome!

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve

Eyes & Lips - Don't forget your eyes and lips! Apply a hydrating, plumping eye cream (Mac Moisture Lush is good, I also apply my serums around my eyes so I have little need for eye cream) and apply your most moisturizing lip balm! I love B.Kamins Bio-Maple lip balm (its only in Canada!) and C.O. Bigelow Rosebud lip balm!

Use this treatment whenever you feel the need! It really does help, I use it all the time! If you have more tips for helping stressed skin let me know! :)

How To: Acne Prone Skin

No more hiding behind makeup or hair or hands! Clear skin really is attainable and is simpler than you might think! I have learned these tips and tricks from various sources throughout the years and would like to share my knowledge with you! This is also my skin care routine and has really worked to heal my skin! I am acne prone and oily but finally have my skin under control!

First Step - You need a good GENTLE cleanser! You don't want anything that is going to strip your skin of its natural oils. Stripping your skin leads to more oil production and therefore more clogged pores and breakouts. This always scared me because I liked the feeling of squeaky clean skin. Some Cleansers I like are: NEUTROGENA EXTRA GENTLE CLEANSER, BOOTS BOTANICS BRIGHTENING CLEANSER and CLINIQUE EXTRA MILD CLEANSER.

Step Two: You need to exfoliate your skin. This may not be in the way you are used to. Scrubs can aggravate breakouts further and cause micro-tears in the skin, leading to increased breakouts. Not to mention they cause a lot of redness. Instead, use an exfoliating lotion. A great exfoliant for acne prone skin is Salicylic Acid. This is found in many acne products. Some great ones are: NEUTROGENA 3 IN 1 HYDRATING ACNE TREATMENT, CLEARASIL OVERNIGHT SERUM and CLINIQUE MILD CLARIFYING LOTION.

Step three: If you have persistent breakouts, you need to kill the bacteria on the surface before it can cause them. To do this, use a Benzoyl Peroxide. This is again very common in acne treatments but a good formulation is key to prevent the drying effects it has. Some I like are PANOXYL AQUAGEL, CLINIQUE ACNE SOLUTIONS LOTION and CLINIQUE EMERGENCY GEL/CREAM. Benzoyl Peroxide comes in different strengths. The lowest is a 2.5% (which is in the Clinique Solutions Lotion and can be found in Panoxyl's MILD aquagel) and is good for sensitive skins prone to drying. Next is 5% which is the average amount and the highest is 10%. Most people can't handle the 10% as it is very strong. Always start with a lower one and work your way up if needed.

Step four: A good moisturizer with sunscreen. Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide can both increase skins sensitivity to the sun so a good sunscreen is essential! Its pretty tricky to find a sunscreen that isn't greasy and won't cause breakouts. I've managed to find a few that work for me: CLINIQUE CITY BLOCK 25, NEAUTROGENA TONE CORRECTING MOISTURE SPF 30 and AVEENO ULTRA CALM SPF 30. Make sure to find a sunscreen that you like the feeling of so you will use it everyday!

Options: Start with an eye cream early! It's easier to prevent than to correct! I like MAC MOISTURE LUSH eye cream. Also, add a serum if your skin can handle it without feeling heavy or greasy. A serum will add extra healing properties like antioxidants to your skin to make it overall healthier and prevent/help correct aging. ISOMERS LABORATORIES makes great serums at decent prices for every age! I use the Copper-P and Vitamin C & E serums. Retinol is another great product for acne prone skin and is in the NEUTROGENA TONE CORRECTING MOISTURE. It helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and clear out pores at the same time.

I hope these help you out, they have certainly helped me! My skin is clear and healthy! Let me know your opinions, and add me as a friend :)

I originally posted this on my Luuux Page: http://www.luuux.com/health-beauty/tips-tricks-acne-prone-skin?blog_id=12048 

Broken Make-up

Hi everyone! So, lately I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos about make-up, skin care and all that kind of stuff mostly because I recently bought a mac palette to de-pot all of my shadows and blushes and wasn't sure how to go about it. I found a bunch of good methods with and with-out using heat (to melt the glue and make it easier to remove the pan) BUT I managed to break just about every single one no matter which method I used. That resulted in even more YouTube searches for fixing broken shadows and blushes which yielded some interesting results. I found that almost every single video used rubbing alcohol in order to re-press blushes and eyeshadows (because you need a liquid in order to make the powder malleable). In what I've seen and researched rubbing alcohol, or any alcohol for that matter, is terrible for your skin! It actually can promote free-radical damage when exposed to sunlight and the elements. Putting this in your powders in order to fix them is not beneficial for your skin so I would strongly suggest using something else to re-press broken powders. I found that eyedrops actually work well for pressing powder eyeshadows and can also provide benefits for your eyes such as anti-reddness and anti-irritation. For powders and blushes I would suggest an alcohol free toner or I was even thinking of trying Bioderma Sensibio H2O (a type of cleansing liquid). I haven't tried it yet but I just broke a blush today when I knocked my palette on the floor so I will be trying it soon. I've been considering making a video to show my techniques that I have found useful and trying to let people know about the harmful effects of the rubbing alcohol that some people suggest. I am by no means saying these peoples' advice is wrong and it is an effective method for re-pressing powder, I am only concerned about the effect it may have on the skin and am suggesting another method for people with sensitive skin or with the same concern as I have. I hope this helped some of you out! Please let me know if you would like a video tutorial for more information or product reviews! Thanks for visiting, enjoy!