Skin Care Boot Camp

Hello, Beautiful!

Right now I'm feeling anything but beautiful. I've been very stressed the past several weeks and that is never a good thing with my Cushing's Syndrome. My hormone levels are going crazy and my skin has gone crazy too.

I have been so busy on some days that I didn't even have time to shower or wash my face. Gross, I know, but it's a fact of life. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that can skip a day (or two) of showering when they're super busy and not leaving the house. I know I'm not the only gross one out there!

My skin was improving greatly. I had limited blemishes and the new ones that were showing up were less crazy and didn't bring a whole group of them. And now back to bad-skin-city!

So now it's time to kick my skin back into shape with what I'm calling Skin Care Boot Camp. I'm using a lot of the same products as previously listed in other blog posts, but I've added some different products and when I apply them, so I figured I'd update this blog with that post.

I did take a before photo, which I don't even dare to post until there is a major improvement with an after photo. But once I do post the before and after photos you may be shocked at how awful my skin gets in such a short period of time with lack of care and too much stress (thanks a lot, health problems). I look like one of those before photos in those Proactive commercials... maybe even worse than some. It's so bad that not even makeup can make me feel good - although I still have a great routine for covering my awful skin.

Here is my Skin Care Boot Camp product list:


MORNING ROUTINE PRODUCT LIST:

• Sephora Face Complexion Brush
• Patricia Wexler Dual-Action Foaming Cleanser
• MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (2 to 3 days per week)
• Olay Refreshing Toner (only on days I'm really oily)
• Patricia Wexler Anti-Aging Acne Serum (only on days I am breaking out a lot)
• Patricia Wexler Skin Brightening Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
• Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream

MORNING ROUTINE REGIMEN:

First I begin by prepping my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush. I just run it under water to get it wet and then apply my cleanser directly to the brush head. I massage the brush head onto my skin in circular motions. There is no real rhyme or reason, I just do circles. I normally will go in one direction (such as only doing clock-wise), then rinse the brush head off and go back over the same area in the opposite direction. After I wash my entire face with the face brush (taking 20 to 30 seconds minimum per main area), I rinse off my face and the face brush. I pat my face dry (don't rub your face, especially if you have any breakouts - you can spread the bacteria or cause more skin irritation).

Every other day, or every two days, I will exfoliate my face with a good exfoliator. Currently I'm using MAC's Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. This works good to make my skin feel nice and soft, but the smoky smell is hard to deal with, but then again I'm pretty sensitive to certain smells. I apply this with my fingers to my entire face, and most times just use my fingers to gently rub it in circles to exfoliate my face. However, if it's been awhile, or if my skin just needs it, I will use my Sephora Face Complexion Brush to work in the exfoliator. Using the brush adds an extra layer of exfoliation.

Then, if my skin is oily (mostly in the summer time - not so much in the fall/winter), I will use Olay's Refreshing Toner - which I apply with a cotton ball. I apply this to my t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) but also to my cheeks, which is where a lot of my breakouts happen. This toner will help balance out your skin so it controls oil. I don't always remember to do this step, and it's not a step that will hurt or greatly benefit my skin care routine. It's just helpful.

If my skin is breaking out alot, or if I see new breakouts forming, I will apply Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum to problem areas (which for me is everywhere). I don't always do this step in the morning, even if I need it. I try to because it is very helpful, but I will also use this at night if I forget to do it in the morning.

Finally, I will apply Patricia Wexler's Skin Brightening Daily Moisture SPF 30. I love this moisturizer. It's perfect and I can't really explain why. It just works. Then I'll apply my eye cream, which right now I'm using Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream. That completes my morning routine.

TIP: I should mention that if you are applying an anti-acne treatment (like Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum) you should wait 15 minutes before applying your moisturizer or anything else on top. If you don't wait you're just diluting the anti-acne formula and not getting its full benefits. This can hold true with all nighttime serums and treatments too. I like to fill that time by brushing my teeth, brushing my hair and picking out my clothes.




 
NIGHT ROUTINE PRODUCT LIST:

• Makeup Remover (usually Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover and Make Up For Ever Sen's Eye Makeup Remover - but I will use whatever makeup remover I have on hand)
• Sephora Face Complexion Brush
• DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser 
• Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser
• Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion
• Philosophy Help Me
• Patricia Wexler Skin Brightening Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
• Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream
• Philosophy Hope in a Tube

NIGHT ROUTINE REGIMEN:

First I begin by removing any makeup I may have on my face. I don't wear makeup everyday, but most days I do. Even if I don't have makeup on I will still use a makeup remover over my face just to take off any excess oil and dirt so my cleanser can really get my skin clean and not just clean off my makeup.

Next I prep my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush. I just run it under water to get it wet and then apply my cleanser directly to the brush head. I massage the brush head onto my skin in circular motions. There is no real rhyme or reason, I just do circles. I normally will go in one direction (such as only doing clock-wise), then rinse the brush head off and go back over the same area in the opposite direction. After I wash my entire face with the face brush (taking 20 to 30 seconds minimum per main area), I rinse off my face and the face brush. I pat my face dry (don't rub your face, especially if you have any breakouts - you can spread the bacteria or cause more skin irritation).

Then I use Patricia Wexler's Exfoliating Cleanser. This is for the treatment of acne and I love this. I can feel it working - although not so much of an exfoliator, but since I use it daily that's okay (save harsher exfoliators for 1 to 4 times per week depending on the type). I apply this cleanser onto my face with my fingers, smearing it onto each main area. Then I use my Sephora Face Complexion Brush and work it into my skin. Then I will rinse my face and pat dry.

Next I will apply Patricia Wexler's Overnight Acne Repair Lotion. I apply this to my entire face (minus the eye area) because I break out everywhere. You may only need to apply this to one or two problem areas. If I forgot to use it in the morning, or if I'm really breaking out, I'll also use Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum, allowing 2 to 5 minutes in between to dry.

Then I apply Philosophy's Help Me, which helps with dark pigmentation, pores and fine lines.

Finally I can apply my moisturizer and eye cream and get to bed!



Well, that's the plan! I know it worked before, so it should work again. We shall see...

September 2010 Favorites & Not-So-Favorites

Hello, Beautiful!

Before I begin my September favorites list, I want to remind you to enter our daily contest for a chance to win $5 to spend at ValentineKisses.com!


Click here to read our contest blog post and to enter the contest!

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Now onto my September favorites!

September is more than half way over and I've fallen in like, lust and love with many beauty products this month. I've also come to dis-like a few beauty products.

My September Favorites:

Makeup Sponges

I've fallen in like with using makeup sponges again. I know, there is nothing special or fancy or magic about makeup sponges. It's almost kind of pointless to even list them. But I went months without using them; I was hooked on using my 187 MAC Stippling Brush to stipple on my foundation. And although I still prefer using a brush over a sponge any day, the sponges have been such a time saver in the mornings. For that reason alone they are on my September favorites list!


WEN
I've fallen in lust with the WEN hair care line! The reason it's lust and not love is because I'm not sure it's really a system I can keep up with. It requires a lot of time to do it correctly, you need a lot of product, and I can't stand the Fig smell (in fact, I'm sending it back to get a different scent). If you haven't tried WEN yet both you and your hair are really missing out! After just one application, my hair was completely transformed; not only in how it looked, but how it felt too! I did a big blog post about my experience using WEN, including pics, which you can check out here.


L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base
I've absolutely fallen in love with this primer! It is for sure my favorite primer, probably of all time! I even like it more than my Make Up For Ever HD Primer (which is a beautiful primer that works amazingly). It's just the perfect primer for me! I did a blog post about this primer, including swatches, which you can check out here.


Ikea GISLEV Rug!

This rug is just $19.99 at Ikea. I absolutely love it. It goes beautifully in my bedroom (which is themed out in black, white and gray tones). It's also the rug you'll see on Project Runway (in the girls' bedroom). In fact, I'm thinking of going back to Ikea just to pick up a second (for my office). Although I was worried it would feel really awful since it's only $20 and it's 6'x5' in length. It's not a  luxurious rug at all, but it does its job (at least in my house) and it's a really affordable way to change up your room space.



Jason Mraz Concert!!!!!!!!!!

Only a few days left (10) until the Jason Mraz concert! I am super excited and I'm already thinking of what makeup and hair look I'll choose. I have no idea actually, and I'll probably try out several over the next ten days. Any suggestions??



My September Dis-Likes:

My recent purse purchase from Target:

Okay, I'll start by saying I generally love the purses I get from Target (I actually get a lot of compliments on my purse and people are usually surprised when I say I got it at Target). Sure, they're no Kate Spade, but they allow me to change out my purse often without breaking the bank. I recently picked up a pretty deep plum hued purse (with black and white zebra print inside). I loved the way it looked, it was big enough to carry all my crap (like my coupon organizer thingy), and it was under $30. BUT every time I wear this it bugs me. Only one strap will stay on my shoulder. The other falls off right away. I have to keep pulling it back up... over and over again. The only way the straps will stay up is if I hold them up! It's frustrating, but yet for some reason I continue to use this purse everyday (I don't want to waste my money and it's far past the return policy - plus it's used). This is the first purse from Target that has given me these issues.

Bare Escentuals Natural Lip Gloss

I have this in "Sugar Cookie", which is a pretty shade and the gloss actually smells/kind of tastes like a sugar cookie. But it's so freakin' sticky!!! The kind of sticky gloss where you talk and your lips stick together. The kind of sticky gloss where your hair will surely get stuck in it not once, but 100 times. If this gloss wasn't so sticky I would really love it, but it's just too sticky for me (and that's saying a lot, considering I love the Stila Lip Glazes - which are slightly sticky)!

Body Wash - almost all of them!

I don't know what it is this month. I just can't stand the way any of my body washes smell anymore (well, that's not completely true - I still love my Korres Bitter Almond body wash). I get an instant headache from my body washes and I'm forced to use the "back ups" because I'm out of my Korres body wash. Maybe it's the changing of the seasons that's making my nose change the way it picks up smells, or maybe it's not. Whatever the case, I want to throw all my body washes out at this very moment (but I won't, I'm too cheap for that, so instead they will go into the guest bathroom where most of my beauty product cast-off's end up).

My Neighbor's Dog(s)

I doubt my neighbors read this blog, but I secretly hope they do because maybe they aren't aware of this situation (and the fact that all the surrounding houses can't stand your dog(s) barking). EVERY NIGHT their dog(s) bark... and bark... and bark... and bark... and FREAKIN' BARK. I have dogs - I have two right now, but I've had five at one time - I can tolerate dog barking and I understand that dogs are going to bark. If anyone in my neighborhood could tolerate dogs barking, it's me. But their dog(s) bark a lot - especially during normal sleeping hours. I don't really mind the dog going bark-crazy during the day. I can even tolerate it going bark-crazy at 9pm (despite my son hearing your dog(s) barking and not being able to sleep). But I can no longer tolerate the midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am, and even the 4am barking!! It has got to stop! It's making me crazy! You better believe the moment I get pregnant is the moment your 9 month countdown begins to get that dog barking under control. Because once I have a newborn in the house sleep is precious - both to me and the new baby. If your dog even once wakes my baby up, or me up, I will become that mean neighbor. I don't want to become that neighbor - you know, the one that calls the cops because your dog is making too much noise - but I'm not the only neighbor that can't stand your dog(s) barking, and probably by the time I actually get pregnant someone else will have called the cops on you anyway. This was a nice and quiet neighborhood before you moved in. Now you have the most annoying house in the neighborhood. I'm so lucky to be your neighbor.

[Just to clarify: I do like our neighbors, I just hate their dogs. Also, I'm not pregnant now, but my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant again for years. Eventually it will happen... I hope!]

xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.

- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

Skin care - my current miracle workers

Hello, beautiful!

I had mentioned in a previous blog post that I would talk about my current skin care routine. So here it is!

I have a new skin care routine that works like a miracle. I'm telling you, my skin has changed so much!! And the more I use it the better the results! It's been nearly 3 years since I've seen any improvement in my skin, and now I can finally see a dramatic improvement!

Here's what I'm doing:


MORNING:
1. Patricia Wexler Dual-Action Foaming Cleanser
2. Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser
3. Olay Refreshing Toner
4. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
5. Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream


NIGHT:
1. Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover
2. Make Up Forever Sen's Eyes Eye Makeup Remover
3. DDF Blemishs Foaming Cleanser
4. Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion
5. Philosophy Help Me
6. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
7. Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream
8. Philosophy Hope in a Tube



So let's start with the morning routine:

I use my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush to apply all my cleansers (Dual-Action, Exfoliating Cleanser, and DDF).

I wet my face brush and apply one pump of Patricia Wexler's Dual Action Foaming Cleanser to the brush head. I then massage it onto my skin in circular motions. There is no rhyme or reason. I just do circles. I usually go in one direction all over an area and then reverse the circle motion the other way. I then re-wet my face brush and re-brush over the same area. Then I repeat the same process another 2 times (one more pump for my other side of my face and one pump for the forehead). Keep in mind sometimes one pump isn't a full pump of product. I can control how much comes out. I probably only use two full pumps over my entire face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

Next, I squeeze out some of the Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser onto the back of my hand and put it on my face in spots (a smear onto each cheek, a smear on the forehead, a smear on my chin and a small smear on my nose). You don't need a lot of this product. Just squeeze out what you would use on your entire face and distribute it onto your face. Then I take the face brush, wet it again, and massage the product into my face the same way I did with the cleanser. This exfoliating cleanser isn't harsh and you can barely feel the exfoliating pieces, but it's helpful, especially when combined with the face brush. I re-wet/rinse out my face brush after each area of my face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

This next step is something I don't do everyday, but you can if you want (it won't hurt). I use Olay's Refreshing Toner, which I apply with a cotton ball. I normally only apply this on days I'll be outdoors most of the day, or on days I'll be indoors cleaning all day (basically for any situation in which I could start sweating). My face can get very oily, so this toner helps control oil (at least in my opinion it does).

Then I apply my moisturizer (Aveeno Positively Radiant), followed up with my eye cream (Korres Evening Primrose). And my morning skincare routine is complete.

This takes me about 5 minutes to do, so it may seem like a lot of steps but I assure you it doesn't take up a lot of time and after seeing the results I will do this every single morning!



Now let's talk about the nighttime routine:

At nighttime my routine is a little different, and there are more steps.

First, I remove all my makeup. I use two makeup removers - one just for eye makeup and one for everything else. I normally use Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover for all over my face and then I use Make Up Forever Sen's Eyes Eye Makeup Remover to remove my mascara, liner, brow powder, etc. I use cotton balls to remove my makeup and q-tips to remove my eyeliner and mascara.

I like to remove my makeup first before using a cleanser because I feel like my cleanser will work better if it's cleaning makeup-free skin (although using the brush cleans out all the makeup - even makeup the makeup remover couldn't get to!).

Then I bring out my Sephora face brush and wet it. I apply a pump of the DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser to the brush head. I then massage it onto my skin in circular motions. There is no rhyme or reason. I just do circles. I usually go in one direction all over an area and then reverse the circle motion the other way. I then re-wet my face brush and re-brush over the same area. Then I repeat the same process another 2 times (one more pump for my other side of my face and one pump for the forehead). Again, keep in mind sometimes one pump isn't a full pump of product. I can control how much comes out. I probably only use two full pumps over my entire face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

Next, I apply Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion. I pump out 3 pumps onto the back of my hand and apply it all over my face (except the eye area). I allow this to dry for a minute or so before applying a thin layer of Philosophy's Help Me (which is a retinol treatment to help fine lines, discoloration, and large pores). I allow that to dry before moving on.

Then I apply my moisturizer (Aveeno Positively Radiant), followed up with my eye cream (Korres Evening Primrose). I will also use Philosophy's Hope in a Tube as my lip line cream. I apply it to the smile lines (parentheses around your mouth) and above my lip. That completes my nighttime skincare routine.



So there you have it! Those are my current miracle workers. I don't care how tired I am at night I will always do my skincare routine. The results are too amazing to not put the time into it.


And now: 5 Skincare Lines that Failed Me!

1. Anything Neutrogena! They always make it sound soooo promising. So far, everything I've tried has failed me. I even tried Neutrogena Skin ID - big fail!

2. Murad (their acne line). It semi-worked, but was far too drying to my skin.

3. Olay. I like their toner and their moisturizers (some) - everything else failed for my skin. I also can't stand the smell of their products. A lot of them have a hint of rose or some other floral scent. I'm not into those type of scents at all.

4. Clean & Clear - nope, didn't work for my skin!

5. Philosophy - just the acne line that I didn't like. I really like Philosophy in general. I stuck with their brand for a long time and I still use some of their products. But their acne line didn't help all that much. It was their regular skincare that worked, and I love their bath & body items.



xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com