Facial Euphoria For Pissy Skin

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

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I don't know about you ladies but this is not, and has never been, an accurate portrayal my facial cleansing regiment. I've tried this glamourous cleansing technique and, well, I will let this ecard explain the rest for me...

Today I want to give insight on one of my most overly sensitive and highly obsessive beauty regiments - my face. I'm not sure if it's just me but I'm terrified of the thought of getting wrinkles and watching my skin age. Everyone around me thinks I'm borderline fit for a straight jacket because I'm convinced I already have a small wrinkle on my forehead. A WRINKLE! I can't, I just can't. Early wrinkle and aging prevention has become a serious journey for me. Serious and not light on the wallet, but worth it. I think.

For years, as along as I can remember, this was my go-to face wash. This and only this...

Those were the days! $8 and my skin was soft and smooth like a baby's bootay.

Cetaphil was always fantastic for me to use because I never wore too much makeup and it was gentle enough to calm my pissy skin.

Pissy skin means skin that hates nearly every product you bring near it. I've got pissy skin like a mo fo. 

All of this began about 2 years ago, at my ripe age of 23, when I really started to look into early aging prevention and such. Much to my surprise, there are a bagillion products on the market that tell you they're going to keep the wrinkles off of your face and, of course, brighten it up like a Christmas tree. Christmas tree face? Sign this girl up!

So, I went out and dropped about $30 for the Clarisonic knock off by Olay.

I should have flushed the $30 down the toilet. It would have saved me the chemical burn that the cleanser gave me. The Olay Professional Pro X line is not meant for us ladies with pissy skin, take my word for it. In addition, if you aren't ready to drop the big bucks on a Clarisonic don't settle for this knock off, just go take your pots and pans scrubber brush and wash your face with it. Your results will be pretty similar and the pots and pans brush may feel slightly more enjoyable.

I then decided I needed to stop being a cheapskate and I did my research. I stumbled upon the Murad skin line and for $40 I came home with their Renewing Cleansing Cream.

I loved this stuff. The smell was great, it felt nice when I'd wash my face with it and I loved how my skin felt after I used it. And then 4 days later my face felt like sandpaper and I had raw spots all over it. Yep... another chemical burn. Awesome. Another $40 I should have put down the garbage disposal.

At this point, I pretty much gave up thinking that I had any hope for fighting wrinkles. I was screwed because my pissy skin hated me and every product out there that wants to help it. That's when I took about 6 months off and went back to Cetephil, which certainly didn't fight off signs of aging and I'm still convinced my little wrinkle came during those 6 months. 

That's when I decided to go out and finally give in to the Clarisonic Mia 2, which you can read more about here, if you didn't see that post. (hint: I'm overly obsessed and in love)

I've been using the Simple "moisturizing facial wash" with my Mia for the most part.

Does it burn my skin? Nope, it's kind to it, just as it states. Does it smell good? Nope, not a scent in the entire bottle. Don't let this product deceive you though... "Moisturizing" is a false word to describe this product. Not to say I don't continue to use it, because that would be a lie, but I always need a ton of moisturizer afterwards because it dries me out like crazy. 

The moisturizer I use is currently my most favorite facial product.

I swear by Say Yes to Cucumbers daily calming moisturizer and I'm thinking I want to try some of their other products out. More specifically Say Yes to Blueberries, which is their anti-aging line.

All of the products seem to be gentle and less invasive than the ones I tried a year ago that caused those fantastic chemical burns, but I'm still nervous. They're not the cheapest products on the market but they're available at drug stores which is nice, for convenience purposes. I'll have to report back on this product once I've tested it. Wish my pissy skin luck! 

Do any of you ladies deal with pissy skin? What products have you found that don't cause chemical burns? I'd love to hear! 

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What's On My Face.

Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Good morning, loves, and happy Tuesday. I have the day off today so I'm spending a little extra time on today's post and I'm sharing a little secret with you all...

So, guess what?

I don't actually wake up looking like this. Shocking, I know. Of course my boo wakes up looking sexy... damn you, men.

I can't believe I'm actually posting this, but this is actually what I do look like when I wake up...

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for nightmares this photo may cause.

Yeah, that's some scary shiz. I know. Those aren't even Louis Vuitton bags under my eyes, guys. Uneven skin, red nose... Surely I'm the cause of any and all nightmares C has. 

So, how do I get from Scary Spice to Baby Spice (yes, dammit, I'm still living that performance)... today I will show you!

First, here is a look at the products I use on the regular, in order from start to finish. 

As far as primers go I'm not too picky, though I am a big fan of the pore minimizers. I got Benefit's Porefessional in a Birchbox so I've been using that sample up lately, but my original choice has always been Too Faced Primed and Poreless.

Once I'm primed I cover my face, blending at my neck, with Revlon's PhotoReady foundation. I really love this stuff which is shocking because I am, sort of, a makeup snob. I apply this foundation with my hands.

Next I take a makeup sponge and apply by dabbing MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer under my eyes and on my nose. 

Before I started realizing my skin was aging I never, ever wore foundation. Only MAC StudioFix. Ha, if only we could all be so lucky now, huh? Nowadays I dust StudioFix over my forehead, nose, and chin (T-zone) just to eliminate shine throughout the day.

I learned of Benefit's highlighter, High Beam, from PinkLouLou a little over a year ago and it pretty much changed my entire makeup regiment. This stuff is face glow in a bottle! I apply it to my cheek bones and right under my eyebrows.

I'm a huge fan of MAC's Mineralize bronzers and blushes. My cheek bones get brushed with pink or very light bronze and I accent them with a darker bronze.

I start with MAC's Nylon eyeshadow every single time I do my eye makeup. I've loved this color for as long as I can remember and it is the perfect shadow to highlight the inside corners of the eye. Also great for the brow bone, under your eyebrows.

For everyday shadow, I use half baked and snake bite from Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette. I plan to make another post, one of these days, on my eyeshadow application, stay tuned!

This is liquid eyeliner by L'Oreal and another drugstore product I swear by. I've been using this eyeliner since I was a competitive dancer. It makes perfect lines without bumps or flaws!

 And lastly, as I posted a little while ago... MAC's False Lash is the only mascara for me! 

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Giveaway WINNER + Friday's Letters

Friday, 10 August 2012

First thing's first... I am really excited to announce that the winner of my Woozie giveaway is a lady whose blog I CAN NOT get enough of.

CONGRATULATIONS to this bun wearing cutie pants, MELISSA from Scribble n Dash!!!!

We're gonna have matching Woozies, girlfriendddd!! <3

Proof. Just in case you needed some. ;)

And now I will continue on with my Friday posting by writing some letters.

Dear Boyfriend, thank you for grilling out for me last night because I was craving your ribs. They were delicious as always. Also, thank you for those sexy, beefy arms of yours. Meow. Love, me.

Dear Pick Your Plum, I've now started ordering the most random things from you, like these cute straws. I legitimately have no use for them but I couldn't sway myself from the $3 price tag. I don't hate you but, damn, you make it so hard to stay away. Mama needs to go make more monies to afford you. GroopDealz, Very Jane, and Jewlery Nut Auctions this goes for you three, too. 

Dear Mama, I'm really glad you are cool enough to appreciate my giving you a case of Cupcake Chardonnay for your birthday. I was slightly nervous you were going to think it was a cop out, but really I just wanted to shower you in delicious vino.

Dear High Buns, please don't go out of style soon. You're too easy and cute. I think I love you.

Short and sweet today. So happy it's Friday! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. 

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Hello, I have bloggers block.

Tuesday, 7 August 2012

It's 11 o'clock and I've yet to post anything on this blog today. My bad. Bloggers block is a female dog, ya know?

I figured I'd show off this pretty spectacular thing I got when I was in Key West called a Woozie, for those of you who haven't been introduced to said item yet.

{via}

So this, my friends, is a dream come true and I'm the wineo who is a new home to one. It's a coozie for your wine glass. Hello? WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS?! I love coozies. and wine.

Ridiculous. Cool. Awesome. I've been using it every night since I made the purchase and it's genius. I would like to meet the creator of this little invention and hug them. And maybe be their best friend.

And to continue on with subjects that I'm fairly certain will never end up on my bloggers block list - online shopping. Today Very Jane is going to make me go broke. I am obsessed with sites like this lately and today this one is killing me with the cute. Here's what I'm most likely going to end up ordering today.

How cute are these little alphabet stamps? I feel like they'd be fab for Christmas pressies! 

You can customize those headbands with so many different colors and even if they're meant for children I'm going to squeeze my adult sized head in to one. Fo shiz.

I need a new wallet... these are handmade and come in adorableeeee fabrics. NEED!

Am I the only one on the GroopDealz, VeryJane, Pick Your Plum wagon lately? I can't get off! 

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Weekend Escapades.

Monday, 23 July 2012

Here we meet again, Monday. Let's hope this week goes by fast, I'm ready for my birthday festivities to begin and they start on Friday! Ok, must stop dreaming. Let's talk about last weekend, shall we?

Friday night was fairly low key. Ok, really really low key. We went to Outback for drinks and a little din din and then we came home and relaxed. It may sound a little lame-ville USA but I was so down with laying low this weekend. Really, it was fantastic having little to no plans. 

This is the only picture I have from Friday night... My bad.

Saturday morning we woke up and decided to head to a little breakfast spot, which happens to be a staple in the little city that we live in. Seriously though, chickens just roam around this place like they own the city. It's real country and real delish. I tore up some biscuits and gravy... which I later learned was a huge mistake once the boyfriend suggested we hang by the pool for a little bit. Oops.

This little beauty showed up in my mailbox on Saturday, which was such a fab surprise! I ordered this case off Etsy a few days ago and it is just as stunning in person as it was online. Love my monograms. L-O-V-E my monograms.

Here's the Etsy store I ordered it from. So many adorable things in that shop!

We ordered Chinese food delivery Saturday night. If you don't know how happy this made me, let me explain that I love nothing more than a relaxing night in with my boyfriend, Chinese delivery, and some boxed vino (don't knock it til you try it).

This would be the fortune that one of us got in our cookie which caused one of our heads to grow too large to fit in our house. (hint: one of us isn't me) ;)

We also snuck in a little season 1 Jersey Shore marathon that was happening on MTV2. Guilty pleasure. Don't judge. 

Yesterday I got to play cheerleader while I watched my good looking boyfriend in his softball game. Who would I be if I didn't do my nails up for the occasion?

1...2...3.... awwwwww! LOVE!!

Ok, done with the obnoxious girlfriend thing... for now. 

PS. How funny is their team name, Pitch Please!? 

Nail polish lovers alert!! Walgreens has Sinful Colors polish on sale for $0.99 this week. Go get your sale polish on... 

I tore it up last night.

Alright, time to pretend I'm a productive employee for another week. Come onnnn, Friday. I'm ready to party like it's my birthday. Because it is, duh. Ok, lame. Sorry. I need to stop now. 

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