Moist Lips

I blame spending 10-12 hours a day in an AC dungeon for my addiction to lip balms and chapstick. So when I saw the commercial for the new Neosporin lip therapy for dry and chapped lips (and NOT the one for sores and herpes... cuz, ew.), I headed straight for Target. It claims moist and healed lips in 3 days. So I of course, got both the night AND day (the day has 20 spf!!) treatment. I have been using both in tandem.. THEY WORK! I can now make it through a whole day at work without needing to lubing up every couple of hours. And that's a good thing since I'm sure that my co-workers appreciated NOT working with someone with Bobby Trendy lips.

So, as a side note, here are a few items that will hopefully make this post a little less random. Well, maybe.

-Remember "back to basics"?

-I love Neosproin as I believe it's the gel from the gods. It works miracles on cuts and any open wounds (LIKE ZITS. one of my techniques involves popping them at night and then smearing the area with neosporin and covering with a band-aid overnight. totally helps the healing!). PS - I also love that it's anti-bacterial.

-I have a new love of SPF. My new thing wearing no less than 50 on my face when I step outside.

Beauty Buzz: My new nighttime moisturizer!

I am, I admit, a person with many neuroses. And one of those is that I can't use any face product that comes in a tub or a pot in which you have to stick your fingers. (I also think that the little spoon that comes with the pot is useless - it either gets lost, or dirty, or simply doesn't work.) It just bugs me that I'm "touching" and exposing to air all the product all at once. So, one of my requirements for a moisturizer is that it has to come in either a pump of a squeeze tube. This, I have learned, is hard to find when you are also looking for a thick, nighttime, extra hydrating moisturizer that is also anti-aging. Most of those come in the pots.

So, after scouring Barney's for a while, I finally found an anti-aging moisturizer that is in a pump - the Chantecaille Bio-Dynamic Lifting Fluid!



My thoughts? It goes on smooth, and it makes my skin feel soft. But it is not a thick lotion, which is good in the sense that it absorbs quickly and isn't greasy, but bad in the sense that it doesn't feel thick enough for nighttime use. I also feel like I need three or four pumps of the fluid to cover my whole face, which seems excessive and possibly quite expensive (given the price of the bottle).

I have been using it in conjunction with a Vitamin E oil that I got a the drugstore that I pour on a cotton pad and smear around my under eye area and laugh lines - to try and prevent wrinkles from forming. I have enjoyed this combination and my skin feel hydrated and happy in the morning. Plus, I haven't experienced any unwanted breakouts from this combination.

All in all, however, I will probably go back to my Kinerase Ultimate Night Moisturizer when this pump is done. The Kinerase is a thicker cream, so I felt like it was more effective at hydrating, (but not oily!) and it is a touch cheaper as well. (And, I don't have to combine it with the drugstore oil for me to feel like it is working.) If I was willing to invest more time into my "daytime" or "morning" face, I would use the Chantecaille fluid as a daytime moisturizer or makeup primer, making sure to put makeup and/or SPF over it. As it is however, I am lazy and just smear SPF moisturizer on my face as I run out the door. Maybe when I grow up this Chantecaille can be part of the morning makeup routine.

back to basics take 2

Jessica and I are the kinds of people that the boys and girls behind the cosmetic counters dream about. Easy sells. Product whores. Suckers. Call us what you may, but we will so take the wash, the toner and a candle to qualify for the mini-bag filled with samples! But no more! Or at least I'm making an effort not to do it any more... I'm going back to basics.

I was strolling the aisles of Target in awe and bewilderment, how I like to do, and got sucked into the Biore section. I was drawn to the Triple Action Astringent - it cleanses, tightens, clears, and contains a salicylic acid acne treatment! I've been using it after cleansing and shaving in the mornings (at night I use a moisture rich toner for my old wrinkled skin) and it's wonderful. I've been using it for about 2 months and it's minimized my black heads and it leaves a cool tingling sensation all over, which is perfect for the balmy summer mornings. And at $7.00 a bottle, its a near guilt free purchase!

my dirty little beauty secret

Image from Acne Compare.

Since Jason is sharing his "back to basics" beauty secrets, I thought I would share my skin care regime as well. I would not say that I used to have very bad skin or anything, but I would occasionally break out, and when I did, it would be those deep, under the skin, takes forever to go away zits. And, I found that as I got older, they would not go away! I tried everything - weekly facials, microdermabrasion, dermatologists, expensive beauty products (La Mer, Dauphin, Natura Bisse, pretty much anything you can buy on the first floor of Barney's or NM), cortizone injections...but while some of these things would help (LOVE the triple oxygen facial at Bliss with microdermabrasion), none of these things would provide me with any long-term results for clear skin.

I had heard about Proactiv, but honestly, I dismissed it because it was on an infomercial. Then I started to hear about other friends of friends that used it. And these friends of friends had great skin! And one day a few years ago, I noticed that there was a Proactiv vending machine in the Century City mall (hidden in the corner by the movie theater!). And it was a day that I was particularly fed up with my skin. So I purchased the spot treatment and the small travel pack of the cleanser, toner, and repairing lotion, and vowed to try it for a week. The spot treatment was pretty useless (sorry, but I've got to be honest), and the week came and went with no noticeable change in my skin.

But, I got into the habit of using the Proactiv, and I didn't want to screw up its effectiveness by alternating with other products, and frankly I was tired of spending hundreds of dollars on "lotions and potions". So when I had gone through the entire travel bottles, I thought I would get the regular size, because it was cheaper than any of the other cleansing regimes. And slowly, without even really noticing, my breakouts became less frequent. And when I went to facials, the aestheticians would comment about how clear my skin was, and how it hardly any congestion. My skin is softer than its ever been, and I never really worry about breakouts now.

Of course, I still get clogged pores and blackheads occasionally, but I rarely get those deep red zits anymore. And I've saved probably thousands of dollars on products and now only treat myself to facials about twice a year. (Okay, maybe three times a year.) In terms of cost, convenience, and effectiveness, Proactiv has definitely worked for me!

back to basics take 1

My name is Jason... and I suffer from adult acne. It's sad but true! So in an effort to tame the outbreaking beast (and curb my spending), I decided to take things back to basics. Instead of reaching for those pricey but fantastic products that I'm drawn to at every department store cosmetic counter and Sephora, I went to the drug store. And who doesn't love the drug store? Rite Aid, CVS, select Bed Bath & Beyonds, and Target... (btw -it's kind of a favorite pastime Jess and I to roam the aisles, usually on a Friday or Saturday night -I know!- buying up many a miracle stain remover, the latest in dental hygiene and hair care, or wrinkle remover.)

Anyhow, back to basics!, I started with face wash - Cetaphil (the Gentle Skin Cleanser not the Daily Facial Cleanser version. The packaging is similar so careful!). I've been using is for over a year now with ah-maz-ing results. It's affordable, non comedogenic, friend, dermatologist and internet recommended. (Also, in my head drug store bought products have less "exotic" ingredients that can clog and irritate pores and I'm testing the theory that for products, they can be just as effective as the fancy stuff.)

After using Cetaphil, which goes on like a lotion and can be applied on dry skin, my face feels supple and clean. Although, I love a squeaky-clean feeling, I've learned that it's no good for people "my age". Cleansers that leave the skin squeaky-clean, actually do so by over-stripping it. Doing such dehydrates the skin, causing wrinkles and fine lines. And another result of the dehydration is that it causes the skin to produce oil. And who wants a wrinkled, dry and oily face!?

Results:
-Less breakouts (I still get them, but not as bad as the pre-Cetaphil days)
-Clean and supple skin
-Money saved (Target has the larger 16 oz. version for $8.94! and the last time I bought it , it came with a sample of their new Facial 50 spf Moisturizer. I've been using it and it's great stuff!)