The Morning Routine For The Beauty Queen

Okay, don't let the title fool you. When I wake up in the morning, I'm far from a beauty queen. I'd say it's more like Frankenstein's bride. But thanks to a few steps and products, I have found a cure to the morning curse.

Wash my face. DUH! I have to be able to see what I'm doing to get the job done. If you have read my last post, then refer to the Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Gel Cleanser, and to the Acne Free Severe to Clear Skin System (Step 1).

My eye roller. Yes, I do use one. I know, I know, "you're only 20, why do you use this?" My mom asks me this all the time. Simply, your skin begins to start maturing in your 20's. To prevent dark circles and crow's feet, you should hydrate the area around your eyes with a light cream or as I do, an eye roller. My pick:  Aveeno Smart Essentials Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment  

 

 I love this! It reduces the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. You simply just roll it from you inner corner to the outer corner of your eye, once in the morning and once in the evening. Beware that this can irritate skin. The worse side effect I have experienced was just a little burn, but that was only when I got my acne medication too close to my eyes. So be cautious with using other products with this one. I'd use this right after washing your face, give it a few minutes to set in, and then add your next product as you wish.

Next is a good moisturizer with SPF of 15 or higher. It's important to keep your skin hydrated to prevent wrinkles later, but it's even more important to shield your skin from the harmful UVA/UVB rays of the sun. This is the first step to preventing skin-cancer, and it helps to keep you young and beautiful...so why not? My two picks:

Mary Kay TimeWise Day Solution Sunscreen SPF25

I'm currently using the rest of this product up. I used to sell Mary Kay, so this was in my starter kit. I must say it works quite well as a sunscreen, but I would recommend the moisturizer that Mary Kay also sells to give your skin a little more saturation. This sunscreen/moisturizer also has an age-fighting complex that is good for young to mature skin.  This product is a bit on the pricey side, so if that is a problem for you, I am recommending another product that is more budget friendly. To read more about this click on the link above.

 Clean & Clear Morning Burst Morning Glow Moisturizer (SPF15)

This product is a great SPF moisturizer. I haven't used it in awhile, because like I said before I'm trying to use up all my Mary Kay. However, when I did use this product, I must say it worked great. It kept my skin moisturized and protected from the sun. Viewing as I have young skin, it was hard to see if it benefited me on the age-fighting side, but it did help keep sun spots and sun-burn from appearing on my face and neck. I would totally recommend this product to anyone, and definitely to those individuals on a tight budget. To see more info or to purchase, click on the link above. You will have to type in either the product name or search for moisturizers to find this product.

Now we get down to concealer. This I use to help along with my eye roller AND to clear acne. It's the best of both worlds! I use a tiny amount under my eyes, after using my foundation (which I'm not going to be talking about in this post, because every product has different shades for different skin).  I use this for those stubborn dark circles under the eyes and blemishes. My pick:

 Neutrogena SkinClearing Blemish Concealer

This is by far my favorite concealer. It works great for masking dark circles under the eyes and blemishes. But what you might not know is that this concealer also contains an acne medication that actually clears blemishes when you use it on top of them! AMAZING! It goes on well and lasts. Great for acne troubled skin, or for anyone who is looking for a great concealer. I highly recommend this product. For more information or to purchase, click on the link above.

Finally, I finish with face powder. Any shade or brand you like. I use many products (too many to list here now). I do recommend finding a light weight finishing powder in a translucent shade for a more airbrushed look however. I live in Texas, and visit Florida quite often for travel so a powder is much more sustainable to the high humidity weather that I experience here.

Well, I think that's about it for this blog. If you have any questions or comments feel free to express! 

As always, have a wonderful day, and stay looking awake!

~Angel

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My Beauty Picks For Acne Free Skin

Here are a few products that I myself use everyday. They are mostly for the treatment of acne caused by stress, menstruation, or overly oily skin. I have been using these products for quite some time, and I LOVE the results they gave me.

Here is the list (with descriptions):

 Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Purifying Gel Cleanser 

I LOVE this product! It's made with natural ingredients that don't clog pores or irritate my skin, and it sweeps away excess oil and dead skin cells from the skin leaving it smooth. Over just a few days of use, I noticed a difference in the appearance of my skin. It had cleared the majority of my acne up in no time. Now when you buy this product, don't be thrown off by it's liquid texture. I know it says it's a gel, but it has a watery base to it. Some people don't like this, but it actually allows the solution to lather up nicely.  

Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment

Another amazing natural based product from Burt's Bees is this Targeted Spot Treatment. It has a watery consistency as well, but it leaves for more suitable spreading. It does come in a small bottle so don't be thrown off by the price for bottle...a little goes a LONG way. This product is great for those problems areas. Just dab a bit of this on in the morning and at night and it helps fight the bacteria that causes acne, and helps clear up trouble spots.

Acne Free Severe to Clear Skin System

This is a four piece system for severe acne. I don't have severe acne, but I was recommended this product by a friend who said it worked wonders for her. So being the curious cat I am, I tried it. Now I love it. Of course I don't use as much of it as recommended for severe acne. I use the wash everyday twice a day, the toner once a day to every other day, and the lotion as well, and then on days when I need a sure fire boost I'll use the targeted solution (Step 4). This was a little pricey, but well worth the cost. I've read reviews saying it rivals ProActiv. I have never used ProActiv so I can't make that assessment myself, but I will preach its cure. It works!

St. Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish Fighting

Everyone needs an exfoliator for their skin. I recommend St. Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish Control. I will admit that right now I'm using a generic brand from Dollar General that does the same thing. It gently exfoliates the skin, leaving it smooth by removing dead skin cells and excess oil. Your complexion is also enhanced by this product as it helps to reveal healthier more radiant skin.

 
So those are my picks for acne products. Feel free to ask more questions, or click on the links of each product name to read up on them yourself or to purchase.

Thanks guys, and have an awesome acne free day!

~Angel




 

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Hydrocortisone Cream For Acne Blemishes and Acne Scars

When you think hydrocortisone cream, you typically think anti-itch medicine for bug bites, rashes, or dry skin. But, have you ever thought about using it for more than that? Perhaps like for acne or acne scars? Well you might want to try it.

One night after some typical late night dry skin itching, I  was in such a frantic to stop itching, so I grabbed the hydrocortisone cream and started applying in liberally to my legs and arms where it itched. Well at the time, I had been having bad acne problems from, well... stress and the typical college life. I wasn't really thinking too much about it when I simultaneously began to put the hydrocortisone cream on my face like I would have my acne medication. Remember, I was half asleep.

Well, the next morning my acne had shrunk in size and redness, and I could see where my acne medicine had dried out my skin, become way more hydrated and smooth. I was thinking to myself, "wow what a great middle of the night, half-asleep find!"

I began to do some research on this, to see if anyone else used this method of clearing acne. Come to find out, they do!

Here's the link I was looking at that explains how to properly use hydrocortisone cream for acne blemishes and scars: http://www.bestacnetreatmentstips.com/articles/114/1/Hydrocortisone-Cream-for-Acne-Scars-/Page1.html

Please note that I am not a doctor myself, and that as stated in the link above: "This cream has some serious – side effects and might not suit for everyone." So it might suit you best to ask a doctor before using this as a way to clear acne. If you would like to find another link over this, there are many out there, I just chose this one. 

It worked for me, will it work for you too?

~Angel












 

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