Besides vitamins and exfoliants, I used eggs in treating my zit too.
This one is all about eggs.
Dermabrasion
When you crack open an egg, there is that thin membranous layer that you can peel off from the shell. For the chick in development, this layer aids in flushing out the impurities of the whites and yolk especially. The same concept will help for the human face.
1. Crack a large egg and dump the yolk and white into a bowl.
3. Peel away the layers and apply on your pimple and/or face.
4. If you're concentrating on just a pimple, layer each peel on top of each other.
5. Let it sit for ~5-10 minutes.
6. Gently peel away or wash it off.
Because this is considered a dermabrasion, your skin is more sensitive to UV rays and dryness.
Be sure to moisturize with an SPF. SPF 30 or more is best.
Don't do this everyday. Once a week is good enough.
Facial Mask
1. Crack a large egg
2. Separate the white and the yolk into two separate bowls.
3. Wash your hands.
4. Dab your fingers into the whites and apply an even coat on face. You don't have to use all of it.
5. Let it dry. It will be ready when it's hard to smile.
6. Wash off.
7. Apply the yolk on.
8. Dry and try to smile again. If you can't, it's hardened and ready.
9. Wash off.
10. Wrap up or eat your leftover eggs. If you wrap it up, don't refrigerate it for more than 4 days.
Don't do this everyday. Once a week will do.
The best thing about the yolk is that it is rich in antioxidants to neutralize pesky free radicals and aid in repairing skin from sun damage.
The only con is that eggs do not have anti-aging properties so you'll need to look elsewhere for that.
I personally did the egg mask and it makes your face feel very soft. I didn't like that it made my forehead really shiny and was glad that I did it at home at the end of the day. But it felt very clean.
Blackheads/Zits - Dermabrasion Method @ Sunday, December 20, 2009
Blackheads/Zits - Exfoliant and Vitamin Approach @
Three days before my best friend was set to fly in (pictures galore!), I got a lovely giant whitehead that looked something like 
After some research, I used my own regimen to eliminate it in two days. The result:
. It's difficult to see in pictures and in person. Apparently, this also worked on my blackheads (not my intent!).
Normally, close up they look like small black freckles. But these were even smaller and very translucent. It was really hard to even see them up close. Those blackhead strips I see at drugstores are too expensive so I'll definitely use this.
Oh, and another shot of the pimple is in the lower right corner.
For the pimple, I exfoliated, cleansed, and used a "topical" drug in that order.
For the blackheads, I exfoliated and cleansed only (but you can use the "topical" too) in that order.
I didn't have an exfoliant so I used ground coffee. It doesn't have to be brewed; just make sure it's not beans. And no instant coffee (the water dissolves it). Even a little will last a long time. Mechanics are also known to wash motor oil off their hands with coffee (thus coffee neutralizes oils really well!).
You need: a cup, tablespoon or spoon, honey, and ground coffee
The first time around, I used olive oil instead of honey. Even though it's good for your skin, I don't recommend it. It was difficult to wash it off.
The second time, I still didn't have honey so I used those Asian orange citrus honey tea mixes, seen above. It's gooey and still works. I used very little because I saw that it had sugar. I am paranoid about sugar possibly feeding bacteria.
If you don't have coffee, you can also use kosher salt or sugar. These are more harsh than coffee so be more gentle with them.
1. Take about one tablespoon (I used the tablespoon they give you) into your cup.
2. Mix a little bit of honey. Not too much. The honey is just a medium for the coffee to stick to.
3. Stir.
4. Wash your hands so you don't further contaminate your face.
5. Get some onto your fingers and scrub in a circular motion. Don't scrub too hard. It will overdry your face (making minor rashes and redness) if you do.
6. Wash off.
Next, I used a facial cleanser (Clearasil). I dabbed a small mound onto my pimples and nasal blackheads then applied to the rest of my face. Then I let it set for a minute. If facial cleansers don't work for you, just do whatever works. My skin just needs facial cleansers. Others might not.
For the "topical" drug, I didn't have salicylic acid unfortunately (commonly in aspirin) so I improvised with Amoxicillin instead.
Upon researching more about the drug, I found that it inhibited cell wall synthesis in bacteria and thus acts as an antibiotic so it will still work.
Do not use ibuprofen and Bayer.
Neither have salicylic acid and ibuprofen can actually be an irritant to your skin.
1. Dispense some onto a dish.
2. Use a Q-tip to dab it onto the area of interest. Don't use it all. That's overkill. I did it just enough to see a white spot from afar.
3. It's optional but I also put a small Band-Aid over the spot. This prevents me from accidentally touching the area and contaminating it more!
Another habit I practiced was sleeping on my back, keeping facial contact away from your dirty pillow. The average pillow is so filthy that it must be washed every two days to clean all the oils it accumulates.
Lastly...VITAMINS!!!
If your family is a vitamin junkie (like most Asian families), take advantage!!
After every meal, I used:
These are REALLY good for your skin. Especially B-complex and Omega-3!!!
Vitamin A shrinks your pores (retinol is the best and purest form of A). Vitamin B helps to repair the skin. And fish oil...it seems like omega-3 can't not do anything. Really.
I took Niacin and the GNC one just for the hell of it. Niacin is still a form of Vitamin B but sure, why not?
Just don't ingest too much of Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E especially on a multivitamin. These are the fat-soluble and are toxic to your body at high levels, hence why I didn't use one.
The most important thing is sleep. Sleep is the best medicine for acne. Your body needs sleep to repair everything your poor skin has gone through.
I know this was a long post, but this is seriously everything I did and it worked for me. It went away in two days for me and it was inexpensive. :)
After some research, I used my own regimen to eliminate it in two days. The result:
. It's difficult to see in pictures and in person. Apparently, this also worked on my blackheads (not my intent!).Normally, close up they look like small black freckles. But these were even smaller and very translucent. It was really hard to even see them up close. Those blackhead strips I see at drugstores are too expensive so I'll definitely use this.
Oh, and another shot of the pimple is in the lower right corner.
For the pimple, I exfoliated, cleansed, and used a "topical" drug in that order.
For the blackheads, I exfoliated and cleansed only (but you can use the "topical" too) in that order.
I didn't have an exfoliant so I used ground coffee. It doesn't have to be brewed; just make sure it's not beans. And no instant coffee (the water dissolves it). Even a little will last a long time. Mechanics are also known to wash motor oil off their hands with coffee (thus coffee neutralizes oils really well!).
You need: a cup, tablespoon or spoon, honey, and ground coffee
The first time around, I used olive oil instead of honey. Even though it's good for your skin, I don't recommend it. It was difficult to wash it off.
The second time, I still didn't have honey so I used those Asian orange citrus honey tea mixes, seen above. It's gooey and still works. I used very little because I saw that it had sugar. I am paranoid about sugar possibly feeding bacteria.
If you don't have coffee, you can also use kosher salt or sugar. These are more harsh than coffee so be more gentle with them.
1. Take about one tablespoon (I used the tablespoon they give you) into your cup.
2. Mix a little bit of honey. Not too much. The honey is just a medium for the coffee to stick to.
3. Stir.
4. Wash your hands so you don't further contaminate your face.
5. Get some onto your fingers and scrub in a circular motion. Don't scrub too hard. It will overdry your face (making minor rashes and redness) if you do.
6. Wash off.
Next, I used a facial cleanser (Clearasil). I dabbed a small mound onto my pimples and nasal blackheads then applied to the rest of my face. Then I let it set for a minute. If facial cleansers don't work for you, just do whatever works. My skin just needs facial cleansers. Others might not.
For the "topical" drug, I didn't have salicylic acid unfortunately (commonly in aspirin) so I improvised with Amoxicillin instead.
Upon researching more about the drug, I found that it inhibited cell wall synthesis in bacteria and thus acts as an antibiotic so it will still work.
Do not use ibuprofen and Bayer.
Neither have salicylic acid and ibuprofen can actually be an irritant to your skin.
1. Dispense some onto a dish.
2. Use a Q-tip to dab it onto the area of interest. Don't use it all. That's overkill. I did it just enough to see a white spot from afar.
3. It's optional but I also put a small Band-Aid over the spot. This prevents me from accidentally touching the area and contaminating it more!
Another habit I practiced was sleeping on my back, keeping facial contact away from your dirty pillow. The average pillow is so filthy that it must be washed every two days to clean all the oils it accumulates.
Lastly...VITAMINS!!!
If your family is a vitamin junkie (like most Asian families), take advantage!!
After every meal, I used:
These are REALLY good for your skin. Especially B-complex and Omega-3!!!
Vitamin A shrinks your pores (retinol is the best and purest form of A). Vitamin B helps to repair the skin. And fish oil...it seems like omega-3 can't not do anything. Really.
I took Niacin and the GNC one just for the hell of it. Niacin is still a form of Vitamin B but sure, why not?
Just don't ingest too much of Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E especially on a multivitamin. These are the fat-soluble and are toxic to your body at high levels, hence why I didn't use one.
The most important thing is sleep. Sleep is the best medicine for acne. Your body needs sleep to repair everything your poor skin has gone through.
I know this was a long post, but this is seriously everything I did and it worked for me. It went away in two days for me and it was inexpensive. :)
December 17 @ Thursday, December 17, 2009
December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."
eye-opening.
I don't even know where to begin. It was a huge roller coaster ride of emotions. Learning to juggle ASA and 17 credits, adapting to a post-graduation relationship outside of Baylor , handling a relationship when both parties were busy, my internship experience, and thoughts about the rest of my life were the high points.
I learned and realized quite a lot of things in the span of one year.
After spending a whole spring semester and half of fall semester in depression (way to ring in the New Year) about how to deal with making a long-distance relationship work, I finally got my act together. I wanted the best of everything. A perfect, exciting relationship. Perfect grades. Perfect this. Perfect that. I should have realized that I'm only human.
Interning was also only a small part in everything. At the time, I thought it was what I wanted to do but eventually, I rediscovered my passion for teaching.
The most important thing I realized was how to be more independent within a relationship. As weird as it sounds, I started learning more about beauty products, especially makeup as an escape/hobby. It was when I started dabbing into makeup more heavily that I discovered it as a whole new artistic medium and rediscovered my passion for art. Somewhere along the line, that's when I rediscovered my passion for teaching others but also that I am open to learning new things.
In a weird ethereal sort of way, everything I learned was interconnected.
My internship experience led me to believe it was what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like it was the only direction I had going for me. I was very unhappy and turned to Jason for help. But that didn't help as much as I had wanted to. It was only delaying the inevitable: figuring my life out. I started becoming more independent and proactive at dealing with someone not always there. I dabbled into makeup and it made me stop and think of everything I was genuinely passionate about. I don't want to be that person that hates their job like many parents, mine included.
In the end, everything fell in place.
It took me until December to realize that I only get one life and I should spend it doing something I have always secretly loved. Teaching. Yeah. That sounds about right.
eye-opening.
I don't even know where to begin. It was a huge roller coaster ride of emotions. Learning to juggle ASA and 17 credits, adapting to a post-graduation relationship outside of Baylor , handling a relationship when both parties were busy, my internship experience, and thoughts about the rest of my life were the high points.
I learned and realized quite a lot of things in the span of one year.
After spending a whole spring semester and half of fall semester in depression (way to ring in the New Year) about how to deal with making a long-distance relationship work, I finally got my act together. I wanted the best of everything. A perfect, exciting relationship. Perfect grades. Perfect this. Perfect that. I should have realized that I'm only human.
Interning was also only a small part in everything. At the time, I thought it was what I wanted to do but eventually, I rediscovered my passion for teaching.
The most important thing I realized was how to be more independent within a relationship. As weird as it sounds, I started learning more about beauty products, especially makeup as an escape/hobby. It was when I started dabbing into makeup more heavily that I discovered it as a whole new artistic medium and rediscovered my passion for art. Somewhere along the line, that's when I rediscovered my passion for teaching others but also that I am open to learning new things.
In a weird ethereal sort of way, everything I learned was interconnected.
My internship experience led me to believe it was what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like it was the only direction I had going for me. I was very unhappy and turned to Jason for help. But that didn't help as much as I had wanted to. It was only delaying the inevitable: figuring my life out. I started becoming more independent and proactive at dealing with someone not always there. I dabbled into makeup and it made me stop and think of everything I was genuinely passionate about. I don't want to be that person that hates their job like many parents, mine included.
In the end, everything fell in place.
It took me until December to realize that I only get one life and I should spend it doing something I have always secretly loved. Teaching. Yeah. That sounds about right.
Part Deux @ Wednesday, December 16, 2009
December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.
Indian food. I still don't like the smell of some plates but I have definitely become more open to it.
Other notable mentions were: tilapia, Vietnamese food, and gnocchi bread.
I can still taste the gnocchi bread and its savory carmelized onions. Man.
December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
Referring to my permanent residence back home, I spent an entire Christmas vacation slowly cleaning everything out of my room. Sorting through old diaries, Fujifilm photos, scented markers, wooden No. 2 pencils, my art portfolio, and old outgrown clothes sure brought back a flood of memories.
I might pick it up again this break.
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Assisting my cousin in a dental surgery on my uncle on my second day of my internship experience. I did not anticipate that much blood and certainly didn't expect to be able to film it. I couldn't believe how easily a tooth slides out of the gum. I wanted to look away and unsee what I just saw but I couldn't. It was so gross yet cool.
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
I signed up for a free sample of Fair Trade ground organic coffee and a coffee mug, not expecting to get it at all. Seriously? A coffee mug for filling out a form online? Yeah, right. Fast forward a week or so later and I have a parcel key waiting in my mailbox. There sat a gigantic box in the parcel locker.
I guess it goes to show that some things really are free.
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Thai tea. I dread making it now, thanks to AsianFest, but I do love the taste still. I had just about given up on finding a good-tasting tea but my first cup of Thai tea hit the spot.
Indian food. I still don't like the smell of some plates but I have definitely become more open to it.
Other notable mentions were: tilapia, Vietnamese food, and gnocchi bread.
I can still taste the gnocchi bread and its savory carmelized onions. Man.
December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
Referring to my permanent residence back home, I spent an entire Christmas vacation slowly cleaning everything out of my room. Sorting through old diaries, Fujifilm photos, scented markers, wooden No. 2 pencils, my art portfolio, and old outgrown clothes sure brought back a flood of memories.
I might pick it up again this break.
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Assisting my cousin in a dental surgery on my uncle on my second day of my internship experience. I did not anticipate that much blood and certainly didn't expect to be able to film it. I couldn't believe how easily a tooth slides out of the gum. I wanted to look away and unsee what I just saw but I couldn't. It was so gross yet cool.
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
I signed up for a free sample of Fair Trade ground organic coffee and a coffee mug, not expecting to get it at all. Seriously? A coffee mug for filling out a form online? Yeah, right. Fast forward a week or so later and I have a parcel key waiting in my mailbox. There sat a gigantic box in the parcel locker.
I guess it goes to show that some things really are free.
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Thai tea. I dread making it now, thanks to AsianFest, but I do love the taste still. I had just about given up on finding a good-tasting tea but my first cup of Thai tea hit the spot.
Big Love in a Small World @
December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
Going to Soho. New York City is fun but I liked the peace of Soho for a change of pace.
December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
Hanging out with ASA at BW3's to watching Josh Kim and a couple others take on the Blazin' Wings Challenge, which consisted of finishing 12 Blazin' Sauce Wings in under 6 minutes without drinking any water. According to them, it was really spicy and caused a smorgasbord of digestive problems. I'd believe it. It may as well have come in perfume form because it was all I could smell the rest of the day.
The manners exercised in those 6 minutes would make the Queen of England cry.
December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.
Besides the ultra lame Cosmopolitan sex "articles," I don't think anything beat this article that Connie posted a while back.
Yeah...
December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Not necessarily a book, but I started reading PostSecret this year. Late, I know. Nonetheless, it touches me to read some secrets that are so human and real.
December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
Hands down, SXSW. Not only is SXSW the place to be once a year, it seems so once-in-a-lifetime to get the chance to go (for the average broke college student). What stood out the most was the thrill I felt when ST called to tell JW that he gave up 75 to 100 internship hours for two pairs of tickets for us.
A week before, I shamelessly abused Google Maps and my Pawprints to plot out the venues, all walking directions, and multiple copies of maps. Since the main attraction for us was Silversun Pickups (one of our favorite bands), we had to be at Antone's early since they were supposedly one of the more popular bands of SXSW. Screaming out the lyrics and prancing around a few feet away from one of my favorite bands, it all felt so ethereal...until ST said, "OK. We really should go back to the hotel. Now." Bummer.
Oh, and it was worth it. All 0 cents of it.
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
Sadly...no.
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.
Not a blog, but the entire blogging world in general. I never would have imagined it's a lot more different and intriguing than I initially judged it at face value. Oh, how the days of Xanga has changed...
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
I'm going to repost this one for later. In a rush right now.
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Not off this album but worth honorable mention.
December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
My mind goes to euphoria in between Jason's arms. No matter how crappy my week or semester has been, it will always be the best instant pick-me-up.
I'm gonna stop here. In a rush and need to shower.
It's disgusting how much I've ignored basic hygiene to ace my finals.
Going to Soho. New York City is fun but I liked the peace of Soho for a change of pace.
December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
Hanging out with ASA at BW3's to watching Josh Kim and a couple others take on the Blazin' Wings Challenge, which consisted of finishing 12 Blazin' Sauce Wings in under 6 minutes without drinking any water. According to them, it was really spicy and caused a smorgasbord of digestive problems. I'd believe it. It may as well have come in perfume form because it was all I could smell the rest of the day.
The manners exercised in those 6 minutes would make the Queen of England cry.
December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.
Besides the ultra lame Cosmopolitan sex "articles," I don't think anything beat this article that Connie posted a while back.
Yeah...
December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Not necessarily a book, but I started reading PostSecret this year. Late, I know. Nonetheless, it touches me to read some secrets that are so human and real.
December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
Hands down, SXSW. Not only is SXSW the place to be once a year, it seems so once-in-a-lifetime to get the chance to go (for the average broke college student). What stood out the most was the thrill I felt when ST called to tell JW that he gave up 75 to 100 internship hours for two pairs of tickets for us.
A week before, I shamelessly abused Google Maps and my Pawprints to plot out the venues, all walking directions, and multiple copies of maps. Since the main attraction for us was Silversun Pickups (one of our favorite bands), we had to be at Antone's early since they were supposedly one of the more popular bands of SXSW. Screaming out the lyrics and prancing around a few feet away from one of my favorite bands, it all felt so ethereal...until ST said, "OK. We really should go back to the hotel. Now." Bummer.
Oh, and it was worth it. All 0 cents of it.
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
Sadly...no.
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.
Not a blog, but the entire blogging world in general. I never would have imagined it's a lot more different and intriguing than I initially judged it at face value. Oh, how the days of Xanga has changed...
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
I'm going to repost this one for later. In a rush right now.
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Not off this album but worth honorable mention.
December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
My mind goes to euphoria in between Jason's arms. No matter how crappy my week or semester has been, it will always be the best instant pick-me-up.
I'm gonna stop here. In a rush and need to shower.
It's disgusting how much I've ignored basic hygiene to ace my finals.
Makeup Reviews @ Sunday, December 6, 2009
On my studying-for-finals breaks, I've been reading a lot on makeup and so far it's been very informative. So I'm just going to summarize what I learned here. It's more cohesive here than in casual conversation anyways.
Materials:
You need the right brushes. Period. I can't stress makeup brushes enough!
Sonia Kashuk 5 pc. brushes
I do not recommend this, even if it's for $10 at Target. The mirror is too small, the brush handles are too tiny, hard to maneuver the brushes, and the bristles are rough and hurt! You're just paying for a compact case, really.
The two sets of brushes I own are:
CVS Essence of Beauty Travel Kit for Eyes
A little tiny but I got them because the function of the brushes were labeled on the actual brush and it has dual ends. It sold for $10 at CVS and is definitely worth it. The pouch is also very tiny and portable.
CVS Essence of Beauty Deluxe Duo Set for Face
Again, brushes are labeled which was a plus. It was $15 at CVS. Not only were both sets on sale, but the one-ended individual brushes were from $8 to $10 a piece! So this was definitely a steal. The brushes are so soft!
I don't know if CVS's sale on these two packs are going to last. When I went to the one on Valley Mills (the 24 hour one), I grabbed the last few remaining.
Different Skin Types:
Normal - good complexion, healthy amount of oil; least problematic
Dry
Oily
Combination - oily on the T-zone (forehead + nose) but dry on cheeks
Sensitive - usually very dry, becomes inflamed and irritated easily; most problematic
My skin is flaky and super dry during mid-winter time and very shiny/oily during mid-summer time. On occasion, I'll have signs of both at the same time. Since I have combination skin, I always look for normal/combination formulas.
Onto prepping for makeup...
Before putting on makeup, you need to prep your skin first. Tone (optional), moisturize, apply foundation, conceal, and use primer(optional) in that order. By doing these, it acts as an adhesive base for the rest of your makeup and allows it to last longer.
Toning - Cleans excess sebum and dirt so makeup is not hindered by unnecessary contaminants
Moisturizing - Hydrates the skin and some can give UV ray protection
Foundation - Adhesive base for your makeup
Conceal - conceal trouble areas
Primer - Additional adhesive base for your makeup, particularly eyeshadow.
I like to tone because I actually see that it lifts a considerable amount of dirt off my face but there's a lot of debate as to whether or not it's needed.
Toner:
An inexpensive way is to make your own with organic rice water (Organic is free of pesticides that may irritate sensitive skin).
Different rice have different ingredients so use whichever you choose. Just make sure the water turns murky to extract the nutrients. Now grab a cotton pad and wipe away!
Moisturizer:
Pond's Dry Skin Cream
It's a quick, inexpensive fix (~$6 to $8). The cons are that it has no SPF, contains mineral oil, and contains paraben.
The catch to why this moisturizer is cheap is because mineral oil is a main ingredient. Mineral oil is cheap to refine and it may potentially cause or worsen acne for people with acne-prone skin. Paraben (under the family of benzenes) is another ingredient that is also cheap to refine. Thankfully for most people with normal skin, neither chemical is irritating to the skin but a few percentage of people do experience rosacea (reddening) and contact dermatitis (irritability on contact) because of paraben.
The only problem I have with this is that it has no SPF. I have to rely on my foundation to get SPF 15, which sucks when there's days where I don't want makeup but still want the SPF.
IQQU Advance Sunscreen
It claims that it is makeup friendly, SPF 35 UVA/UVB protection, and best of all non-Comedogenic (meaning causing no acne problems). I'm looking into getting this in the future, though $33 for 40 ml sounds very pricey. I'm a little hesitant so we'll see...
Finding the right foundation...
Undertones:
Besides the intensity of the color, foundations also have an undertone hue.
The 3 undertones are cool, neutral, and warm.
Cool - skin has a pink or rosy cast; sunburns easily
Neutral - even-toned, neutral cast, not too pink and not too golden
Warm - golden or olive cast; suntans easily
I'm a cool because my cheeks tend to be rosy (especially in hot weather) and I sunburn easily.
Finding the right undertone can be a little frustrating but don't skimp. It makes a huge difference. Cool undertone depends on a yellow hue while warm depends on a brownish hue. If you're not sure, open the bottles in store and blend some on the underside of your wrist. If it disappears, that's the right shade for you.
Basics of foundation:
Now pick a foundation based on your skin type.
Oily skin - opt for a powder foundation
Dry skin - try liquid foundation
Normal/combination - get a normal/combination formula
If you use the wrong form, you will either look like a walking greaseball or have embarassing patches of flakes on your face!
SPF in foundation:
15 is minimum. 35 is optimal. It should also block both UVA and UVB. SPF contains light-reflecting particles so this means that in pictures, it will reflect more light in flash photography making you look more ghastly white. If you know there's pictures involved, use a non-SPF foundation. For this reason, I always carry one SPF and one non-SPF foundation.
Terminology:
Light coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Medium coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Heavy coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Matte finish - just the color; no shimmer or glitter
Dewy finish - refers to mimicing the look of wet, fresh dew drops on the face; shiny but subtle
Satin finish - sheer and glowy
I'm afraid of light coverage being too light and heavy looking too obvious so I use medium coverage. I'm not a big fan of glitter so I use a matte finish.
Applying foundation:
Always blend in downward motions.
As a general rule of thumb, blend downward whenever and/or towards your hairline.Don't forget your neck!
These 5 areas tend to have redness. Don't neglect them.
Dark Circles
Be sure to apply foundation on your dark circles as well.
I like to tilt my head down to easily spot the circles. Then I apply foundation with a brush. Or you can use the ring finger and dab it in a rolling motion from inner to outer corner.
Don't tug at your skin, especially at the dark circles; this will cause premature sagging and wrinkles.
General Foundation Tips
- Do NOT use concealer before foundation! Concealer corrects what foundation doesn't but foundation will not correct concealer.
- Pouring liquid foundation (among other things) on the back of the hand is a lot better than pouring it on the brush.
Recommendations:
Almay Line Smoothing Foundation (Liquid)
This foundation is a good starting point for anyone new. It gives light coverage, smooths out lines, and gives a dewy finish. Good for dry skin.
Almay Pure Blends 97.4% Natural (Liquid)
Super light coverage! All natural ingredients come from plants. Good for sensitive skin.
L'oreal True Match
If you ever decide to buy from L'oreal, buy this line. L'oreal True Match has a huge selection! I was so surprised. It comes in both powder and liquid form. It's a medium coverage but to me, it feels pretty light (especially in powder form). The good thing is that they have a huge selection for each shade and all the undertones.
Revlon ColorStay
This is my current favorite foundation in medium coverage. I'm really really surprised how long it lasts and it lasts longer than the powder form of L'oreal's True Match. But it's pretty difficult to blend without a brush. It looks pretty concentrated so I use a dime-sized amount for the entire face. It felt gross at first but if you use a small enough amount, it feels closer to light but still covers closer to medium. They cater to a lot of skin types which was a huge plus.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Antioxident Liquid
Coverage is light to medium with SPF properties. Good for normal to oily skin. Bad for sensitive skin. Stay away!
Sally Hansen Airbrush Spray Makeup
Light to medium coverage with satin finish. Paraben free and hypoallergenic! It has some fragrance which could be a deterrent for some. Otherwise, it feels light.
Brand Insight
- Almay makes good foundations for sensitive and dry skin.
R- evlon and L'oreal are good for all skin types because they tend to cater to every skin type.
- L'Oreal's powder form of True Match feels like it doesn't stay on nearly as long as ColorStay but I still like it.
- My favorite is definitely Revlon ColorStay at the moment. The only issue I had was that the SPF reflects light a lot more than I thought. It made me horribly ghastly white in pictures even though I matched the hue just fine.
Concealer
I'm not really an avid user of concealer since I only use it to conceal dark circles. Again, tilt your head down to locate dark circles. Dab with your finger in a rolling motion or sweep with a brush. The point of concealing dark circles is to make them less obvious and NOT to completely hide them. Unless it's really important, I don't use concealer on pimples so as to not make them worse.
Primer:
I haven't used primer but Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion is said to have been one of the best. It costs $17 at Sephora.
Applying mascara:
No brainer, but I like to use a business card to shield my eyes from the mascara messing up my eyeshadow and for equal coverage. Just take one, gently pull back the eyelids, and maneuver!
Mascara Recommendations:
Maybelline Great Lash
I HATE this mascara. There was nothing great about it for me. It was a very high-maintenance mascara. You have to keep retouching it every half hour to hour. It's terrible at volume and length. It clumps together. It sucks at separating lashes. The brush is horrible quality. Not to mention, the packaging and colors are an eye sore. It is the most overrated mascara out there and not worth the $7 or $8. Seriously, go for better. This mascara needs serious reformulation.
L'Oreal Double Extend
This was the second one I ever used and this one also sucks. It was only a little bit better than the Great Lash. It does not give enough volume and lengthens only a fair amount. You have to really slather a lot of this on to even get a noticeable amount of volume. Without the volume, it makes your eyelashes just look like isolated hardened sticks coming out of your eyelids. Don't give into the dual volume/lengthen promise. More like Double Disappointment.
Bourjois Maxi Frange
I shelled out $20 for this at Sephora and I can honestly say it's decent but not worth the money. The white end is supposed to add volume and the black end lengthens your lashes. The white end did not give the amount of volume I envisioned and the lengthened lashes makes it look awkward. In the end, all I got were half-assed lengthened lashes that weren't even voluminous. It lengthens a decent amount but don't pay extra for the volume they claim to give. It won't.
Rimmel Glam Eyes
I absolutely love this mascara. It gives just the right balance of volume without skimping on length and vice versa. The problem with other mascaras I had was it would give too much of one and not enough of the other, but this one I felt knows where the happy medium is. I was really shocked at how much it can really lengthen your lashes while still giving a noticeable amount of volume. It lengthens more than adding volume but it does lengthen by a lot. The only thing I don't like is that it sucks touching up (really dry). But I'll definitely keep using this. It cost $8 at Wal-Mart.
Oh, and stay away from Rimmel's eyeshadows. I'm not impressed. They are hardly pigmented!
Maybelline XXL Mascara
I haven't tried this but I did almost get it in place of Rimmel's Glam Eyes. The interesting thing about this one is that one end is a primer and the other lengthens. I read that it won't give too much volume however.
Eyebrows
No matter how pretty any face is, eyebrows shape the face.
Her eyebrows draw in attention to the eyes but when you take them away...
the absence of them are all you can focus on instead of the eyes.
Anatomy
There are a lot of eyebrow shapes out there.
In any case, your eyebrow has 3 main points.
Notice how the eyebrow begins and ends with the inner and outer corner of the eyes.
Redefining
The shade that you use differs on hair color.
For light hair colors, go two shades darker. (i.e. light brown for blondes)
For darker hair colors, go two shades lighter. (i.e. dark brown or brown for black hair)
Some eyebrow pencils can cost a surprising amount ($20!) but you don't necessarily need an eyebrow pencil to have good eyebrows. I actually use dark brown eyeshadow with an angled brush.
Using an angled brush, dab the eyeshadow in and lightly tap any excess. Start in the middle of the eyebrow and redefine outwards. Use the leftover powder to redefine the inside. Using a comb or brush, gently brush the eyebrows from inside to outside. The eyebrows should be darker on the outside than the inside since there is naturally more hair inside than out.
Rounder eyebrows are used to draw attention away from the eyebrow area. Arched eyebrows bring attention in to the eyebrows and eye area.
Arched eyebrows are especially great for accentuating cat-eye looks and smokey eyes.
Recommendations
Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil
I haven't tried this but it seems to have gotten good reviews. The duo brush is also pretty nifty.
Blush:
Identify cheekbones
You can either...
1. Shift your lips to one side and suck in your cheeks.
2. Or just smile (closed or open mouth) and apply.
Applying blush
Using a blush brush, apply at these areas shown.
Applying a subtle amount of blush at the jawline is completely optional. Its only purpose is to sharpen and define the jawline even more.
I notice a lot of girls dab blush on their actual cheekbone. But I purposely like to apply it a little under the actual cheekbone. By doing so, this creates the illusion that your cheek bones are higher than they really are.
NARS Blush (Color: Orgasm)
I don't own this but I've tried it twice in Sephora and loved it. I was super impressed how long it lasted (~4 hours) without having used foundation! It has shimmer but it's subtle enough. I am definitely planning on owning it in the future. It retails at Sephora for $25.
NARS Blush (Color: Super Orgasm)
I felt like this was way too shimmery and way too pigmented. It is hardly subtle at all. I quickly removed it.
Lip Gloss:
Be sure to use Chapstick underneath your lip gloss. This acts as an adhesive base for your lip gloss.
Stila Lip Gloss
This was my first lip gloss ever and I absolutely loved it. It had a good amount of staying power and I was genuinely impressed. It's also pretty neat that if you twist the end, the pen secretes more lip gloss onto the brush. I love the fact that it comes in a brush form to get every crack and crevice as opposed to a tube. Sadly, I had this confiscated at the airport because of the liquid rule and I've been sad ever since about losing it. I highly recommend this, especially because Stila is a staple in the makeup industry. (Along with Bobbi Brown, NARS, MAC, and Smashbox)
Lancome Juicy Lip Gloss
This was my first lip gloss set ever and I love it. The staying power is incredibly amazing. Two of the tubes have shimmer while one doesn't. The shimmer also isn't overpowering.
Beauty Rush by Victoria's Secret
This is my current lip gloss and I also love it. It has an impressive amount of staying power and the glitter is also cute. It's a little bit much though if you use a more red pigment coupled with glitter. It even tastes and smells good. I highly recommend this.
-----
I've tried most of the products so they're my own personal opinion. I wrote this purely to help with a comprehensive general make-up how-to, background information, and some products I liked/disliked. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and methods. These are just my own that I've learned.
Materials:
You need the right brushes. Period. I can't stress makeup brushes enough!
Sonia Kashuk 5 pc. brushes
I do not recommend this, even if it's for $10 at Target. The mirror is too small, the brush handles are too tiny, hard to maneuver the brushes, and the bristles are rough and hurt! You're just paying for a compact case, really.
The two sets of brushes I own are:
CVS Essence of Beauty Travel Kit for Eyes
A little tiny but I got them because the function of the brushes were labeled on the actual brush and it has dual ends. It sold for $10 at CVS and is definitely worth it. The pouch is also very tiny and portable.
CVS Essence of Beauty Deluxe Duo Set for Face
Again, brushes are labeled which was a plus. It was $15 at CVS. Not only were both sets on sale, but the one-ended individual brushes were from $8 to $10 a piece! So this was definitely a steal. The brushes are so soft!
I don't know if CVS's sale on these two packs are going to last. When I went to the one on Valley Mills (the 24 hour one), I grabbed the last few remaining.
Different Skin Types:
Normal - good complexion, healthy amount of oil; least problematic
Dry
Oily
Combination - oily on the T-zone (forehead + nose) but dry on cheeks
Sensitive - usually very dry, becomes inflamed and irritated easily; most problematic
My skin is flaky and super dry during mid-winter time and very shiny/oily during mid-summer time. On occasion, I'll have signs of both at the same time. Since I have combination skin, I always look for normal/combination formulas.
Onto prepping for makeup...
Before putting on makeup, you need to prep your skin first. Tone (optional), moisturize, apply foundation, conceal, and use primer(optional) in that order. By doing these, it acts as an adhesive base for the rest of your makeup and allows it to last longer.
Toning - Cleans excess sebum and dirt so makeup is not hindered by unnecessary contaminants
Moisturizing - Hydrates the skin and some can give UV ray protection
Foundation - Adhesive base for your makeup
Conceal - conceal trouble areas
Primer - Additional adhesive base for your makeup, particularly eyeshadow.
I like to tone because I actually see that it lifts a considerable amount of dirt off my face but there's a lot of debate as to whether or not it's needed.
Toner:
An inexpensive way is to make your own with organic rice water (Organic is free of pesticides that may irritate sensitive skin).
Different rice have different ingredients so use whichever you choose. Just make sure the water turns murky to extract the nutrients. Now grab a cotton pad and wipe away!
Moisturizer:
Pond's Dry Skin Cream
It's a quick, inexpensive fix (~$6 to $8). The cons are that it has no SPF, contains mineral oil, and contains paraben.
The catch to why this moisturizer is cheap is because mineral oil is a main ingredient. Mineral oil is cheap to refine and it may potentially cause or worsen acne for people with acne-prone skin. Paraben (under the family of benzenes) is another ingredient that is also cheap to refine. Thankfully for most people with normal skin, neither chemical is irritating to the skin but a few percentage of people do experience rosacea (reddening) and contact dermatitis (irritability on contact) because of paraben.
The only problem I have with this is that it has no SPF. I have to rely on my foundation to get SPF 15, which sucks when there's days where I don't want makeup but still want the SPF.
IQQU Advance Sunscreen
It claims that it is makeup friendly, SPF 35 UVA/UVB protection, and best of all non-Comedogenic (meaning causing no acne problems). I'm looking into getting this in the future, though $33 for 40 ml sounds very pricey. I'm a little hesitant so we'll see...
Finding the right foundation...
Undertones:
Besides the intensity of the color, foundations also have an undertone hue.
The 3 undertones are cool, neutral, and warm.
Cool - skin has a pink or rosy cast; sunburns easily
Neutral - even-toned, neutral cast, not too pink and not too golden
Warm - golden or olive cast; suntans easily
I'm a cool because my cheeks tend to be rosy (especially in hot weather) and I sunburn easily.
Finding the right undertone can be a little frustrating but don't skimp. It makes a huge difference. Cool undertone depends on a yellow hue while warm depends on a brownish hue. If you're not sure, open the bottles in store and blend some on the underside of your wrist. If it disappears, that's the right shade for you.
Basics of foundation:
Now pick a foundation based on your skin type.
Oily skin - opt for a powder foundation
Dry skin - try liquid foundation
Normal/combination - get a normal/combination formula
If you use the wrong form, you will either look like a walking greaseball or have embarassing patches of flakes on your face!
SPF in foundation:
15 is minimum. 35 is optimal. It should also block both UVA and UVB. SPF contains light-reflecting particles so this means that in pictures, it will reflect more light in flash photography making you look more ghastly white. If you know there's pictures involved, use a non-SPF foundation. For this reason, I always carry one SPF and one non-SPF foundation.
Terminology:
Light coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Medium coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Heavy coverage - how heavy it feels on your face and the amount it will cover
Matte finish - just the color; no shimmer or glitter
Dewy finish - refers to mimicing the look of wet, fresh dew drops on the face; shiny but subtle
Satin finish - sheer and glowy
I'm afraid of light coverage being too light and heavy looking too obvious so I use medium coverage. I'm not a big fan of glitter so I use a matte finish.
Applying foundation:
Always blend in downward motions.
As a general rule of thumb, blend downward whenever and/or towards your hairline.Don't forget your neck!
These 5 areas tend to have redness. Don't neglect them.
Dark Circles
Be sure to apply foundation on your dark circles as well.
I like to tilt my head down to easily spot the circles. Then I apply foundation with a brush. Or you can use the ring finger and dab it in a rolling motion from inner to outer corner.
Don't tug at your skin, especially at the dark circles; this will cause premature sagging and wrinkles.
General Foundation Tips
- Do NOT use concealer before foundation! Concealer corrects what foundation doesn't but foundation will not correct concealer.
- Pouring liquid foundation (among other things) on the back of the hand is a lot better than pouring it on the brush.
Recommendations:
Almay Line Smoothing Foundation (Liquid)
This foundation is a good starting point for anyone new. It gives light coverage, smooths out lines, and gives a dewy finish. Good for dry skin.
Almay Pure Blends 97.4% Natural (Liquid)
Super light coverage! All natural ingredients come from plants. Good for sensitive skin.
L'oreal True Match
If you ever decide to buy from L'oreal, buy this line. L'oreal True Match has a huge selection! I was so surprised. It comes in both powder and liquid form. It's a medium coverage but to me, it feels pretty light (especially in powder form). The good thing is that they have a huge selection for each shade and all the undertones.
Revlon ColorStay
This is my current favorite foundation in medium coverage. I'm really really surprised how long it lasts and it lasts longer than the powder form of L'oreal's True Match. But it's pretty difficult to blend without a brush. It looks pretty concentrated so I use a dime-sized amount for the entire face. It felt gross at first but if you use a small enough amount, it feels closer to light but still covers closer to medium. They cater to a lot of skin types which was a huge plus.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Antioxident Liquid
Coverage is light to medium with SPF properties. Good for normal to oily skin. Bad for sensitive skin. Stay away!
Sally Hansen Airbrush Spray Makeup
Light to medium coverage with satin finish. Paraben free and hypoallergenic! It has some fragrance which could be a deterrent for some. Otherwise, it feels light.
Brand Insight
- Almay makes good foundations for sensitive and dry skin.
R- evlon and L'oreal are good for all skin types because they tend to cater to every skin type.
- L'Oreal's powder form of True Match feels like it doesn't stay on nearly as long as ColorStay but I still like it.
- My favorite is definitely Revlon ColorStay at the moment. The only issue I had was that the SPF reflects light a lot more than I thought. It made me horribly ghastly white in pictures even though I matched the hue just fine.
Concealer
I'm not really an avid user of concealer since I only use it to conceal dark circles. Again, tilt your head down to locate dark circles. Dab with your finger in a rolling motion or sweep with a brush. The point of concealing dark circles is to make them less obvious and NOT to completely hide them. Unless it's really important, I don't use concealer on pimples so as to not make them worse.
Primer:
I haven't used primer but Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion is said to have been one of the best. It costs $17 at Sephora.
Applying mascara:
No brainer, but I like to use a business card to shield my eyes from the mascara messing up my eyeshadow and for equal coverage. Just take one, gently pull back the eyelids, and maneuver!
Mascara Recommendations:
Maybelline Great Lash
I HATE this mascara. There was nothing great about it for me. It was a very high-maintenance mascara. You have to keep retouching it every half hour to hour. It's terrible at volume and length. It clumps together. It sucks at separating lashes. The brush is horrible quality. Not to mention, the packaging and colors are an eye sore. It is the most overrated mascara out there and not worth the $7 or $8. Seriously, go for better. This mascara needs serious reformulation.
L'Oreal Double Extend
This was the second one I ever used and this one also sucks. It was only a little bit better than the Great Lash. It does not give enough volume and lengthens only a fair amount. You have to really slather a lot of this on to even get a noticeable amount of volume. Without the volume, it makes your eyelashes just look like isolated hardened sticks coming out of your eyelids. Don't give into the dual volume/lengthen promise. More like Double Disappointment.
Bourjois Maxi Frange
I shelled out $20 for this at Sephora and I can honestly say it's decent but not worth the money. The white end is supposed to add volume and the black end lengthens your lashes. The white end did not give the amount of volume I envisioned and the lengthened lashes makes it look awkward. In the end, all I got were half-assed lengthened lashes that weren't even voluminous. It lengthens a decent amount but don't pay extra for the volume they claim to give. It won't.
Rimmel Glam Eyes
I absolutely love this mascara. It gives just the right balance of volume without skimping on length and vice versa. The problem with other mascaras I had was it would give too much of one and not enough of the other, but this one I felt knows where the happy medium is. I was really shocked at how much it can really lengthen your lashes while still giving a noticeable amount of volume. It lengthens more than adding volume but it does lengthen by a lot. The only thing I don't like is that it sucks touching up (really dry). But I'll definitely keep using this. It cost $8 at Wal-Mart.
Oh, and stay away from Rimmel's eyeshadows. I'm not impressed. They are hardly pigmented!
Maybelline XXL Mascara
I haven't tried this but I did almost get it in place of Rimmel's Glam Eyes. The interesting thing about this one is that one end is a primer and the other lengthens. I read that it won't give too much volume however.
Eyebrows
No matter how pretty any face is, eyebrows shape the face.
Her eyebrows draw in attention to the eyes but when you take them away...
the absence of them are all you can focus on instead of the eyes.
Anatomy
There are a lot of eyebrow shapes out there.
In any case, your eyebrow has 3 main points.
Notice how the eyebrow begins and ends with the inner and outer corner of the eyes.
Redefining
The shade that you use differs on hair color.
For light hair colors, go two shades darker. (i.e. light brown for blondes)
For darker hair colors, go two shades lighter. (i.e. dark brown or brown for black hair)
Some eyebrow pencils can cost a surprising amount ($20!) but you don't necessarily need an eyebrow pencil to have good eyebrows. I actually use dark brown eyeshadow with an angled brush.
Using an angled brush, dab the eyeshadow in and lightly tap any excess. Start in the middle of the eyebrow and redefine outwards. Use the leftover powder to redefine the inside. Using a comb or brush, gently brush the eyebrows from inside to outside. The eyebrows should be darker on the outside than the inside since there is naturally more hair inside than out.
Rounder eyebrows are used to draw attention away from the eyebrow area. Arched eyebrows bring attention in to the eyebrows and eye area.
Arched eyebrows are especially great for accentuating cat-eye looks and smokey eyes.
Recommendations
Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil
I haven't tried this but it seems to have gotten good reviews. The duo brush is also pretty nifty.
Blush:
Identify cheekbones
You can either...
1. Shift your lips to one side and suck in your cheeks.
2. Or just smile (closed or open mouth) and apply.
Applying blush
Using a blush brush, apply at these areas shown.
Applying a subtle amount of blush at the jawline is completely optional. Its only purpose is to sharpen and define the jawline even more.
I notice a lot of girls dab blush on their actual cheekbone. But I purposely like to apply it a little under the actual cheekbone. By doing so, this creates the illusion that your cheek bones are higher than they really are.
NARS Blush (Color: Orgasm)
I don't own this but I've tried it twice in Sephora and loved it. I was super impressed how long it lasted (~4 hours) without having used foundation! It has shimmer but it's subtle enough. I am definitely planning on owning it in the future. It retails at Sephora for $25.
NARS Blush (Color: Super Orgasm)
I felt like this was way too shimmery and way too pigmented. It is hardly subtle at all. I quickly removed it.
Lip Gloss:
Be sure to use Chapstick underneath your lip gloss. This acts as an adhesive base for your lip gloss.
Stila Lip Gloss
This was my first lip gloss ever and I absolutely loved it. It had a good amount of staying power and I was genuinely impressed. It's also pretty neat that if you twist the end, the pen secretes more lip gloss onto the brush. I love the fact that it comes in a brush form to get every crack and crevice as opposed to a tube. Sadly, I had this confiscated at the airport because of the liquid rule and I've been sad ever since about losing it. I highly recommend this, especially because Stila is a staple in the makeup industry. (Along with Bobbi Brown, NARS, MAC, and Smashbox)
Lancome Juicy Lip Gloss
This was my first lip gloss set ever and I love it. The staying power is incredibly amazing. Two of the tubes have shimmer while one doesn't. The shimmer also isn't overpowering.
Beauty Rush by Victoria's Secret
This is my current lip gloss and I also love it. It has an impressive amount of staying power and the glitter is also cute. It's a little bit much though if you use a more red pigment coupled with glitter. It even tastes and smells good. I highly recommend this.
-----
I've tried most of the products so they're my own personal opinion. I wrote this purely to help with a comprehensive general make-up how-to, background information, and some products I liked/disliked. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and methods. These are just my own that I've learned.
Acne @
Acne Control
I've tried so many facial cleansers to find that right one, so this is all by my own personal experience and therefore my own personal opinion. By brand,
Of all the Dove products, this is the product line I used most. I used one formulated for normal to combination skin. I've found that Dove is very good for dry skin because they inject moisturizer into literally every product. It's also a very gentle on the skin which is what I especially need during the colder months so I always switch to Dove come Fall. The only issue I have with it is that sometimes it's too gentle to rapidly get rid of acne that's already there; otherwise, it's gentle enough to prevent my acne yet moisturize at the same time.
Neutrogena:
I absolutely love Neutrogena. I'm a long-time user of this specific product, especially during the summer months when my face is oily. It exfoliates so well and it's strong enough to prevent acne yet quickly get rid of already-existing acne. The only issue with it is that it could definitely be overpowering for sensitive and dry skin types so stay away if so.
I was severely disappointed by this product when I first tried it. Even though it has salicylic acid (the best ingredient for acne prevention), it was stil too mild for my skin type but I can see it being great for oily skin types. It did not get rid of my already-existing acne and did not help to prevent mine. Maybe they didn't put enough salicylic acid. This is great for oily skin and sensitive skin.
I was also disappointed by this product. It was only a little bit than the one before. I guess it was OK but I don't recommend this for normal/combination. This is also good for oily and sensitive skin.
Don't get this. It is a waste of your money. It didn't even exfoliate or do anything. It just feels like it vibrates your skin. I returned it quickly.
I haven't personally tried this but based on reading a lot of reviews, it seems like it's a handy tool but not essential. It seems to be only a little bit better than foam facial cleansers so probably not worth the money. It's worth a pretty shiny penny seeing as it's from Sonicare brand.
I'm tired of facial cleansers so I'm moving on to makeup.
I've tried so many facial cleansers to find that right one, so this is all by my own personal experience and therefore my own personal opinion. By brand,
Of all the Dove products, this is the product line I used most. I used one formulated for normal to combination skin. I've found that Dove is very good for dry skin because they inject moisturizer into literally every product. It's also a very gentle on the skin which is what I especially need during the colder months so I always switch to Dove come Fall. The only issue I have with it is that sometimes it's too gentle to rapidly get rid of acne that's already there; otherwise, it's gentle enough to prevent my acne yet moisturize at the same time.
Neutrogena:
I absolutely love Neutrogena. I'm a long-time user of this specific product, especially during the summer months when my face is oily. It exfoliates so well and it's strong enough to prevent acne yet quickly get rid of already-existing acne. The only issue with it is that it could definitely be overpowering for sensitive and dry skin types so stay away if so.
I was severely disappointed by this product when I first tried it. Even though it has salicylic acid (the best ingredient for acne prevention), it was stil too mild for my skin type but I can see it being great for oily skin types. It did not get rid of my already-existing acne and did not help to prevent mine. Maybe they didn't put enough salicylic acid. This is great for oily skin and sensitive skin.
I was also disappointed by this product. It was only a little bit than the one before. I guess it was OK but I don't recommend this for normal/combination. This is also good for oily and sensitive skin.
Don't get this. It is a waste of your money. It didn't even exfoliate or do anything. It just feels like it vibrates your skin. I returned it quickly.
I haven't personally tried this but based on reading a lot of reviews, it seems like it's a handy tool but not essential. It seems to be only a little bit better than foam facial cleansers so probably not worth the money. It's worth a pretty shiny penny seeing as it's from Sonicare brand.
I'm tired of facial cleansers so I'm moving on to makeup.