Solving acne: The Easy Way

I've never been shy about my experience with acne. Whiteheads, blackheads, the dreaded cystic. I've had it all and even as an adult, continue to have to deal with these f*ckers.

All my weapons against zits have been topical and over the counter. I've been to a dermatologist, but for my eczema, not for acne, so I haven't gone through the hardcore prescription stuff like Accutane or Cortisol shots, but I have had major struggles. Especially with Cystic Acne and especially when I was a teenager. I have always been willing to try anything to help.

If you've been lucky enough to never have had a cystic acne experience, I envy you, but I'll explain what they feel like. They are hard, start deep under the skin, seem to take weeks to come to a head, they throb and are so painful! There's no head to extract or try to pop or lance; you wish you had a needle because if you could just get that stuff out of there the pressure would ease and give you relief! But just because there's no visible head, doesn't mean they are invisible! Ohhh no! The skin is swollen and raised for what seems like months. Then, if you are able to get it to come to a head and manage to pop it? IT GETS WORSE! The wound takes forever to heal! You try and get all the "ick" out, if you can get the sack you consider yourself lucky; however I've had cluster cystic acne before and let me tell you, no matter how hard you try, you just aren't going to get all the sacks the first time so the infection gets worse and it's just heinous. Blech! 

Topical/over the counter spot treatments can help, but they dry out the top layers of your skin which causes redness and flaky skin, making the acne more pronounced and sometimes more painful.

Sheesh!

I don't get the cystic acne as much as I used to, but I do still get them (and other spots). And now I have a new weapon in my arsenal.

Cut up piece of bandage!

Hydrocolloid Bandages.

What are those???

Hydrocolloid Bandages are blister band-aids! You know, those ones you use on your foot if your shoes are too tight/too loose and you wind up with a blister across the back of your heel? Yeah! Those!

I was watching one of my favorite YouTubers Rachel Whitehurst (she's awesome, but she cusses, be warned) and what she said blew my mind! Apparently she had been alerted to these helpful little beauties via Tumblr.

I immediately went to Ebates.com and placed an order for the Target Brand bandages, went and picked them up at my local Target (YAY site to store pickup!) and gave them a try.

Now, I didn't have a cystic zit at the time, I DID have a whitehead zit that had just surfaced and naturally I didn't take a picture of it. Because I had the dumb that day.

BUT I did what Rachel had suggested, I cut the bandage to fit (I actually made sure that the fattest part of the bandage was on the zit part) and stuck that sucker on there. I left it overnight and let me tell you that white part was completely gone the next morning!

I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!All that was left of that zit was a bit of redness that was easily covered up by my tinted moisturizer! IT'S A MIRACLE!

Ok, peeling off the well worn sticker wasn't painless, it is VERY sticky so it pulls at any teeny hair, but it's easier if you wash your face a bit first, then peel it off, then wash your face like you normally would.

How did that work???

The bandage was made to draw out moisture and any infection from a blister while cushioning the skin and not leaving it dried out. So yeah, it's pretty much the perfect product for acne that is too stubborn to rise to a head but too deep to apply anything topical to kill the infection! Now, the trick is to leave the bandage on as long as possible, that way it draws it all up into the bandage material; but walking around with a weird piece of flesh colored bandage may not be possible. So leave the piece on as long as you can, then peel it off to see if the blemish can be dealt with (extracted or treated topically). If yes, then do your thing, but if you don't want to risk scarring, leave the hydrocolloid on until you get the result you want. I didn't experience any itchiness or anything, and frankly, you know how everyone tells you "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR ZIT" and you still touch it? Yeah, I felt confident that I could touch the bandage and NOT make my zit worse! A FIRST!

There are other options of hydrocolloid bandages available too! 

If you don't want to cut the pieces yourself, you can go to Amazon.com and try the Nexcare or Hydra-Band versions of a hydrocolloid bandage; these are pre-cut into varying sized circles so it's a
"peel and stick" option. I haven't tried those, and frankly the Target brand bandage that I have to cut is so much cheaper I don't mind cutting them to fit the size I need. 

So there! Something new to try that is inexpensive and fairly easy to obtain that won't cause the damage and scarring the old ways of dealing with your acne have been! Let me know if you try it and what your experiences are!

WHICH COLOR?? Why choose just one??

 

  Last night, I decided my nails needed a color change. So I dug into my collection* (I have way waaaaaay too many nail polishes, I had to get a storage system...) and started grabbing colors. I ended up with 5 in the same color family and the same brand.

Butter London lacquers are fantastic, they go on beautifully, (I put on 3 coats of each just to have complete coverage) and I've never had a problem with any of them.

The list of colors, from pinkie to thumb are:

Snog, Trout Pout, Dahling, MacBeth and Jaffa.

My entire nail routine is as follows: Melt-Away Cuticle Eliminator by Butter London, then I push back my cuticles (gently!) and nip them with the Mini Nail Rescue Kit by Tweezerman from Ulta.com, then I use OPI Chip Skip to clean my nails. Then I use OPI Original Nail Envy to treat my nails, since they tend to bend and peel on their own. I use Orly Bonder rubberized basecoat, it's the best one I've tried, it helps me keep the polish ON my nail instead of all over my finger. Two or three coats of my chosen color, then this amazing topcoat Glisten & Glow fast drying topcoat which works even faster than the Seche Vite topcoat but without the "pulling" on the polish (when the polish pulls back from the tip and exposes the nail underneath). And it's incredible! It dries fast enough that I can paint all 10 nails, then go straight to bed. I love it! 

My nail polish usually lasts 4-5 days, if I'm not impatient and change them first, which is nearly always the case!

The lacquers were purchased by me via EBATES and Ulta.com, and the topcoat was purchased at Glisten & Glow. 

HAIL TO THE LIPSTICK QUEEN

  

Does anyone else remember the "mood" lipsticks? They came in bright primary colors and turned a much different color on the lips? They looked cool, but they were terribly dry and waxy on the lips.

BEHOLD! 

Lipstick Queen has brought back the concept with Frog Prince. Bright Kelly/Emerald green in the tube, this super emollient lipstick feels more like the best lip balm you've ever had and gives you a flattering rosy hue, specific to your body's ph level. Because SCIENCE!

What the brand says:

"Get heads turning with Frog Prince, a remarkable emerald green lipstick that transforms into magical rosebud upon contact with the lips. Don't be fooled by the deep green hue of this semi-sheer lipstick - the green reacts with the warmth of your lips turning them an intense, fairy tale rose. No two pairs of lips will look the same as it adapts according to your pH and natural coloring, appearing entirely different yet beautifully flattering on everyone. Vitamin E and Shea Butter keep lips soft, hydrated and deliciously kissable. And just like true love itself, this enchanting shade was made to last. Lips remain their blissful pink all day long from just one lingering, magical Frog Prince kiss.

• Moisturizing Shea Butter and anti-oxidant Vitamin E soothe and protect
• Glossy, wet formula wears into a gentle, flattering and long-lasting pink tint
• Unique to you – Frog Prince adapts according to your pH and skin tone to create your most flattering shade of pink"

What I say:

Yeah! I would have to agree with them! The formula can't be beat when it comes to hydration. The product is sheer, but turns the skin an opaque color, which works like a stain so it gives you super long lasting color payoff! 

Below, you can see the original tube, the green product with the rosy pink packaging. The packaging is a pink metallic with a rubberized grip around the sides. It's very pleasant to the touch and easily found in a makeup bag! The top right pictures is me putting on the product, then directly under is a few seconds after, you can just make out the color starting to turn! 

I gave the product time to fully develop, about 15 minutes, then took another picture. Voila!

The color deepened, I'm not wearing any lip liner or gloss, and I'm loving it! Though the color isn't coming out in the picture, like I'd like. But that could be user error with the green background, you get it though, right???

I purchased the lipstick via EBATES and Ulta.com.

I really enjoy making money back when I use ebates, use the link above (yes I get credit) and sign up! Especially when the lipstick is $25 (US)! So sign up, you'll see what I mean!

Eye've been busy - but here's a Two-Fer!

Terrible pun, but still.

I've made some purchases lately that I wanted to share. Both concerning eyes.

Photo from shueumura-usa.com

 

 

 

Firstly, the new eyelash curler from Shu Uemura via the Ebates.com site, New Generation Eyelash S Curler. This oddly shaped curler is reminiscent of a Tweezerman for Laura Mercier curler from awhile back; the surface area is at least 1/3 of the size of a normal wide-mouthed curler and has a definite learning curve when it comes to use. 

Just like the "Bite Bite Bite" method from my previous post; start at the base or as close as you can maneuver the curler, you can use the top white pad as a guide (when you feel it touch your lid, stop!) or just eyeball it. Squeeze with a firm but slow pressure, then release softly, tilt your wrist up (thereby tilting the curler) slowly and do another short squeeze and repeat at least twice. You get SUCH a deep curl out of the S Curler! Because the actual surface area is smaller, it also allows for more precision which also translates into take your time when using this curler. Do NOT rush it! Yes, you can get into the inner and outer corners and curl just about every top eyelash you have, but if you rush you risk yanking out lashes in sections.

The Shu Uemura New Generation Eyelash S Curler retails for $24 US.

On to the next!

PHOTO FROM INGLOTUSA.COM

I've been searching for years, YEARS I TELL YOU, for polymer wrapped Tight-Lining product to NO AVAIL. 

Until now!!! This little beauty is the INGLOT AMC Eyeliner Gel in 77. It's a deep, DEEEEEEEEEP black with a putty-like look but an INK-LIKE texture! It's FANTASTIC! I was first turned on to it by YouTube User AnneThenSheSaid during one of her tutorials. She used it to make a fierce cut crease and by the look of it, I WANTED IT! I commented her video and asked if it was good for Tightlining (demonstrated in my previous post - How to Tight Line) and she told me it was GREAT and SHE WAS SOOOOO RIGHT!!!

I was STUNNED at how BLACK the eyeliner is and how creamy and easy to apply in the lash line! And let's have a half-second to talk about the price, on the INGLOT website, it retails for $12 US...I'm sorry, are those angels singing???? That's $12 US for 5.5g of pure black inked amazing-ness.

My only concern: it's really really inky. And you need an oily remover to get it off. Of ANYTHING. It took me a good 5 minutes to clean it off my hand and brush. It sets like crude oil. But I LOVE IT!!!

Below is a picture I took of my eye this morning, (sorry it's so yellow. I couldn't get the light to adjust right) I'm wearing the tiniest bit of eyeshadow (mainly because I accidentally pushed through my lashline while tightlining and COULDN'T GET THE SMUDGE OFF), the Inglot liner and mascara after curling my lashes with the S Curler. 

You can see, the curl is DEEEEEP y'all. The liner is solid and tight. And I fully expect all of it to stay that way ALLLLL DAY. 

(I also have my brow stuff on, but that's another post)

  

Has anyone else tried the S Curler or the Inglot Liner? I'm curious. There's 16 shades of liner on the Inglot site, including the most gorgeous red I've ever seen...obviously not for the faint of heart; also warm and cool purples, a teal that I'm drooling over and more!

Now this??

Ok, this is going to sound like a commercial...and it almost is.
I signed up with Ebates guys, and do you know what?
SEPHORA AND ULTA AND AMAZON AND TARGET are ON THERE!

I can't even tell you how dumb I feel having shopped directly from sites in the past. ALL THIS TIME I could have been racking up money and getting paid part of it back!! I FEEL LIKE SUCH A FOOL!!

When I first saw the commercials for Ebates.com, I thought "What a scam! It's probably for super obscure websites that I would NEVER shop." I'm gobsmacked, just about every online purchase I've made in the past year, I could have been earning part of my money back if I'd used Ebates.com.

I just barely signed up myself, but NOW IS THE TIME, they pay out quarterly, so you can start banking your bucks now! Also, you can have them send you a physical check or submit to your paypal account, love the options!

Anyway, here's the direct link too, it's my referral link so if you click and sign up (WHICH IS FREE AND SO SIMPLE IT'S ALMOST STUPID) that would be nice, there is a referral rewards program: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=gzzJ6d7juT1HBVaoQmmnaQ%3D%3D

I know, this isn't a product junkie post, but dudes...seriously??? MONEY!!