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...

August 2010 Favorites & Not-So-Favorites

Hello, Beautiful!

This post is all about the items I'm loving right now. Not all makeup items, and some technically not items at all, but all favorites for August!


NARS Chihuahua Lip Gloss
This is one of my favorite shades of gloss! I rarely get through an entire tube of lip gloss before getting bored of the shade and moving on. Even if I really love a shade and get near the end I'll still rarely re-purchase the same gloss twice. BUT, I'm super close to cleaning out the tube on this beautiful gloss and I don't think I'll be able to move on from this shade. It just works so well for me - it's a great subtle pink with no shimmer. It goes great with just about all makeup looks (from natural to smokey). So yes, my sweet kind husband, I will need another $24 to re-purchase this gloss :)


My Skin Care
I made a post a little bit ago about my current skin care routine. I'm still sticking to it, although I switched up my moisturizer and added another product to my routine. I do have to say, I feel awful because this past week and a half I've been so busy (I was rarely home) and I haven't put in the energy to clean my face the way I need to. I even went to bed on more than one night with my makeup on. It felt gross and heavy. Now that life is calming down again, I can get back into the skincare routine as normal and not skip on anything. After going from that great skin feeling back to gross un-cared for skin, I will NOT let that happen for this long ever again. Gross! I NEED my skin care!



China Glaze Nail Polish in Strawberry Fields
This is a sparkly pink shade, which changes slightly in different lighting. Sometimes it looks like a beautiful bright sparkly pink. Othertimes it has a hint of red and you can see the great gold sparkle in the polish. No matter what lighting you may be in while wearing this shade, it looks pretty and is a great summer shade. I'm rocking it on my toe nails at the moment.



Red Bull
I'm not a coffee drinker (can't stand the taste - but love the smell), so Red Bull is my caffeine of choice. I'm a bit obsessed with Red Bull. At any given time it's in my fridge. I used to buy it by the case at the distributor back when my son was a newborn, but now I can get by on the cases they sell at grocery stores.



Family
I've seen a lot of my family lately. I had to go to a friends wedding at the beginning of August (out of state). Then once a year I take my brother's three kids down to visit me (they live in a different state). That was this past week - which is why I've barely been home. My grandmom is now visiting me for the next week. Basically, all of August has been family. Being that we don't see them much else throughout the year (except maybe at holidays), it's nice to have that much time with them.... although it's always nice to see them leave (so I can miss them, of course).



And with every list of favorites usually comes a few dislikes. These are my dislikes at the moment:

* Nobody seemed to play the movie "Friday the 13th" yesterday - which was Friday August 13. You can almost always find that movie playing on that day, but nope, not this time. It was the perfect weather here too - gloomy, raining and grim. We ended up watching two other scary movies anyway. I am a huge horror movie fan!

* Driving!! I have been driving so much over the past week taking my nephew and nieces to various places - plus back to their home (in another state). My husband did do a lot of driving too, but I'm done with driving for awhile. I want to put my feet up and not move for awhile.

* Leg Pain! I have chronic leg pain (left leg - back of thigh/side of thigh and butt) from an injury that happened over 2 years ago. Since then, it's been a constant battle. Everyday it's stretching my leg, using my TENS machine (electrode thing), putting on BioFreeze, taking meds, hoping it can get better, etc. etc. It's been extra painful lately and I'm really tired of it! Some days it's so bad I can't sit without flaring my leg pain, standing doesn't help, walking can make it worse, and the pain makes concentrating on anything impossible. I'm tired of complaining to my husband about this pain, so for once I will vent it out here and spare him the usual speach asking him to chop my leg off because it hurts so bad.


Well that's all for now! Have a great weekend and don't forget to shop ValentineKisses.com while we have all those great items on sale (as listed in the blog post below).


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