Quick At Home Remedies for Acne.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to spend a lot of  money for a good acne treatment.  In fact, some of the best can be found in your kitchen!  The first one has been a tried and true favorite of mine, and that is...Apple cider vinegar.  There are 2 common methods for this: Using it as a toner (at night so you don't smell funny), or (brace yourselves) drinking it.  Now hear me out, there are way more pros than cons with this method.  If you get true apple cider vinegar (I use Spectrum's) then it will contain Mother of Vinegar.  This has amazing benefits for your over all health.  It can increase you metabolism, balance high cholesterol, and  help with both sinus and bladder infections.  It's also great for you girl (or guys) out there with oily skin and hair.  This is a simple and inexpensive method, and it works wonders.  Yes, I have done several hair washes with it during the times when my hair was at its oiliest. Followed by shampooing of course. (Smell again)

The next method is a little messy. A turmeric face mask; I will warn you that it may give your skin a slight orange tint for a few hours (not my personal experience).  You'll need two ingredients:  Greek yogurt, it has a thicker consistency than normal yogurt, and turmeric.  All you need to do is mix the two in a bowl (about 1 teaspoon  or so of turmeric and a big spoon full of yogurt)and apply it to your face (always test it on a discreet part of your face first , just to make sure you won't end up looking like Snookie XD) let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. I've only tried this a few times, but both times it gave my skin a healthy glow, and improved the texture.  This is also great for fighting free radicals, which cause aging in the skin.


The last one is an exfoliator.  This is one of my personal favorites.  You will need: green tea bags, sugar, and lemon juice.  Again you can tweak this depending on your personal preference.  Start by brewing the tea in 3 oz. of water, you want it to be strong.  While it is steeping, mix 6-7 tsp. sugar and a small amount of lemon juice (1/4 to 1/2 a tsp. should do it) in a bowl.  Once your tea has cooled, mix it in until you get a slightly runny but still grainy consistency.  Now, with clean fingers apply this to your face, and scrub. I scrub for 1-2 min.  You know your own skin, use your own judgement on timing.   Then rinse off with warm water. Use the left over green tea as a toner (waste not, want not!).  You can also blot the tea bags under your eyes to help with dark circles.  Apply a moisturizer and you're done! :)  This makes my skin feel a lot softer, and just gives it an over all healthy look.  Just a side note: I occasionally have to do this twice just to get all the dead skin off, if you have to do this, make sure you wait a day in between so as not to irritate the skin.  


If you have any questions or requests please leave comment.

-Caitlin

Dollar Store Dupe's.

About a year ago I fell absolutely in love with Urban Decay's "Gash" eye shadow.  I had seen it many times on musician, Gerard Way and loved the rusty red color.  After finding out the name and brand I quickly went to their website, only to find that they no longer sold it.  I checked other websites (Amazon, e-bay, etc...) but still couldn't find it.  Disappointed, I gave up the search.  Then a few nights ago I began to look for a dupe; the two most popular results being, NYX's "Rust", and MAC's "Cranberry".  I looked at swatches of the eye shadows, and decided that NYX's was a bit closer to "Gash" than "Cranberry".  A few minutes later when I was digging through some of my old makeup, I stumbled across an old pallet.  When I picked it up, I noticed it had 2 red colors.  To my surprise one of them was the exact same color as "Gash". Ecstatic I looked up the website for the company on the label, and located the palette on their website.  It is called the "Color Me Glow" palette, and it comes in 8 different color variations. I have option number 2.  And the price of this palette? $1.49!  It is an amazing price for a great product.  It has very good pigmentation,staying power, and great consistency(not chalky at all)  also the company is cruelty free.  I highly recommend these palettes.

Note: the darker red (middle row, far right) is the dupe. It also looks good if you mix the two red colors.

Links:

  http://www.profusioncosmetics.com/colour-me-glow-12-shadow-palette-p-156.html        

L.A Minerals review.

 Let me start by saying this, L.A Minerals "Valley Girl" foundation is by far the best foundation I have ever used. It's just an amazing brand.   Not only is it affordable, but it also lives up to its description.  It really is made from 100% pure minerals.  It is talc free, non comedogenic, non irritating, and long lasting.  Also they do not test on animals (yay!).  Their other products are fantastic as well.  They have 3 foundation formulas.  The first is "Hollywood", this formula is designed for those with dry/normal skin types, it has light reflecting properties, and has medium to full coverage.  "NoHo glow" ( North Hollywood) is very similar to "Hollywood", although this formula is for those with "dull/lifeless" skin, it is made to give (as made evident by the name) a glowing effect.  Their 3rd formula is "Valley Girl", this is made for people with oily, acneic, or scarred skin.  I can personally vouch for this one by saying that it has worked wonders for my skin.  It has full coverage, and has actually helped my skin clear up.  This formula has a matte finish, and does pretty well at keeping oil at bay.  One of the awesome things about this foundation is that it can be made into a liquid-like foundation, or even a tinted moisturizer by simply mixing it with a moisturizer.  This is how I personally wear it .  Two added bonuses for this foundation: It is such a light formula that you don't feel like you have on foundation, and 2, it does not turn orange.  I had this problem with all the foundations that I used before this, and was thrilled to find that this one did not.  All in all I give this product 5 out of 5.  I highly recommend this brand.

To learn more visit there website

http://www.laminerals.com/ 

Note: I was not paid in any way to do this, all of these are my honest opinions.

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Wisdom from Shel Silverstein.

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” 
― Shel Silverstein

Hello!

My journey started with acne. Oh how I HATED it! 11 years old with a face full of acne. Not just pimples, but these little red dots, thousands of them.  And the worst part, they just wouldn't go away! I tried everything, from drugstore brands, to Proactive, to prescription grade "cures", but none of them worked (not for long anyway) My skin had a tendency to build up an immunity to everything.  Not only was my acne like a giant blinking sign all over my face, but it was also a constant reminder every time I looked in the mirror, a reminder that screamed, "You're hideous!" After years looking for a solution I finally found one...makeup! At the age of 14 my parents permitted me use of what I then saw as the ultimate solution for my curse.  The one flaw with this, it only made it worse! Tired of my plight, my makeup quickly got darker and heavier, as my hatred for my acne turned in to deep self loathing. It became my way to say to the world, "Back off, and don't look at me!!"  Thankfully I had a network of people who encouraged me to not let the acne define who I was.  Continuing my search, I turned to YouTube and Google.  I began researching different kinds of foundations and products which could help my skin heal. Along the way I discovered a passion for  finding makeup with ingredients that would both cover and repair my skin, and helping other girls who suffered from the same things that I did.  I would spend hours perfecting looks, and realized healthy skin IS beautiful skin, even with a little acne :).  Over the next 2 years I found the products which slowly but surely allowed my skin, and self confidence to heal.  Now I'm taking my knowledge from my 5 year journey, and writing it here for whomever may benefit from it.