Skin Care Update

Hello! It's been a while! For the past few months, I haven't been playing with make-up or buying much of any because I don't have the time and there isn't any reason for me to wear any here! But, I will do an updated makeup routine (just be aware that it is pretty basic) but I thought I would share what I am using out here in this hot weather! But anyways, back to what I wanted to talk about in this post. I have been more focused on my skin care since being out here for many reasons:

I work long hours and I do not get enough sleep! My schedule is pretty exhausting and I get only about 4-5 hours each night until I finally get a chance to catch up on my rest on my day off. And I just sleep the entire day away! So because of that, I know my skin is taking a beating and I don't want to look so tired!

The heat, dust and wind here is brutal! When I'm outside for a while my skin will begin to burn just by how hot it is outside. The sun doesn't bother me much though because my hat protects me from the sun as well as my foundation. So that's no issue! But everything else does take a toll on my skin. Some days when I am outside for only 10 minutes and come back indoors and look in the mirror, my cheeks are bright red and look irritated.

Because I only have one day off, I wear foundation 6 days a week for up to 17 hours each day. I know it's not a good thing for my skin but like I said, I work long hours, so that's why I wear foundation for so long. But by the end of the day, a good majority of it has already sweated off my face anyways. hahahaha!

So I feel pretty bad about my skin after a long day at work. When I get home the first thing I want to so is of course take care it! 

**I just thought to add this! My skin type is dry, sensitive skin. Well, since being here, my skin has been a little oily but just around my T-zone and it's really not that bad. It's just from this heat and occasional humidity. Okay, back to the routine!**

This has been my routine since I've been here (with new additions!). 

**Note: These are the products and steps I take at the end of the day. In the mornings, i just rinse my face with water and then apply the Balancing Softener (mentioned in Step Two). :-)


Regular Routine:

Step one: Cleansing

Shiseido Pureness  foaming Cleansing Fluid: This has been my face wash for a while now (about four months). I have posted about this line before. I am still using it and love it! I am currently using this liquid form, but once I run out of this bottle (which will be soon) I will use the foaming cleanser (which I already have in my locker. Ready to go!) I can't go a day without using this stuff!

Miu Color Facial Cleansing Exfoliate Brush: I use this with the cleanser. This helps to make the cleanser foam up really well and is so soft on the skin! It just feels so nice. I wouldn't say it exfoliates my skin. It just
does a good job at cleaning your face from debri and makeup.

Step Two: Toner

Shiseido Pureness Balancing Softener: After patting my face dry with a towel or paper towel, I put two pumps of this liquid in my palms and pat this all over my face and neck.

Step Three: Moisturizer

Depending how I feel, I will then put on a face mask. I normally use a mask up to 2-4 times a week, depending on how dry or tired my skin feels. I use a variety of masks! I buy a lot my masks from imomoko.com. If you would like me to write a separate job on reviews on different masks, let me know. ;)

Last step: Shiseido Pureness Matifying Oil-Free Moisturizer. I don't always put this moisturizer on. usually after using a face mask, my skin is pretty hydrated, but sometimes my skin needs a little more moisture. It really depends on how dry my skin feels, but more often than not, I do have to put this on before bed. And I have to use a lot! My skin is just so thirsty before bed!



Days I Exfoliate:


I don't exfoliate my skin that often. Maybe once a week and just when needed. When my pores feel so clogged  up or I just feel a build up of dead skin on my face, these are the products I will use:

Freeman Facial Charcoal and Black Sugar Polish Mask: for removing dead skin
Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Clay Mask, Chocolate and Strawberry Mask: for deep cleansing

The sugar polish mask is great for exfoliating your skin! I enjoy it because of how effective it is as well as the fact that I don't break out and my skin does not get irritated. 

The Clay mask smells amazing. It smells like chocolate. No, I have not actually tasted it so I can not tell you if it does taste like chocolate or if it just tastes gross. haha! You will have to try it yourself. hahaha! But I will use this when I need a deep cleaning. It is cooling on the skin and I do not experience any burning. It does clean pretty well and I would recommend using this when you are about to shower to make it easier to wash off. If you don't want to do that, just be very careful when washing the mask off because it is a bit messy and you wouldn't want brown spots on your shirt. hahaha!

So that is my routine! That is everything I have been using for the past three months! I do have two new additions to my skin care family and have started using the products just yesterday!

New Additions:

Left: Shiseido Aqualabel Whitening AC Emulsion (when I bought it, I thought it was a toner. oh well.) I decided to buy this and use it for days my skin decides to break out (usually only around the time I get my period.)

Right: Shiseido Aqualabel Gel Cream. I actually only use this on my eye area. hehe It's super thick!!

I will do a review on these when I have used them for a while. :)

So, what do you think about my routine? Any recommendations? What does your skin care regime consist of?:)

Review: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foam Cleanser

Okay, I only tested this product once. And it's probably not the most accurate review, BUT. I have my reason for only testing it once. Here is a picture of the cleanser that I am reviewing:

I love recycled images, don't you? lol

So I tried this ONCE last week after work in the shower.

While I was in the shower, I just put one pump of the cleanser in the palm of my hand and started washing my face with it with my hands. The first thing I noticed was the smell. It has a very strong fragrance (I am not too familiar with the smell of tea tree oil but to me, I am not a big fan of the smell.)

I also noticed that it wasn't that great at lathering up. I did start to use a facial brush to further cleanse my skin and it did do a good job washing my foundation off, but the cleanser itself does not last long and deteriorated after a minute or two. I guess the one good thing about that is it is easy to wash off, but there really isn't much of the cleanser left once I am done scrubbing the foundation off my face.

My skin did feel clean afterwards, but I felt that the cleanser was too strong for my skin. My skin was not burning, but it did feel minty. I mean if I put toothpaste all over my face that's how it would feel. The feeling did not go away for a while and I did not notice a difference in the redness in my skin. The redness was the same. 

I felt like my skin did not react so well to the cleanser because it was still tingling after ten minutes past and was not calming down. The two zits that I have on my left cheek were pounding! The first thing I thought to do was put a face mask on to calm it down. I wore it for a good 30 minutes.

After taking the mask off, my face just did not feel right. It did not calm down and I could tell my skin just did not react well to the cleanser and The face mask did not help.

The next morning I noticed the two zits on my cheek doubled in size and was even more red.  They looked so angry! And my cheeks felt super sensitive for the rest of the day. (My cheeks are my most sensitive areas of my face.) I was upset that my skin did not take too well to the cleanser.

That night, I decided to go back to the Shiseido cleanser and see if it would make a difference. The next day the zits completely calmed down and shrunk in size! I was surprised and very relieved.

So in conclusion: I HATE THIS CLEANSER!!!! I was thinking that maybe my skin was reacting in that way because it was "purging". But honestly, I do not believe in that at all. Either my skin likes a certain product or it does not. I did not want to take a chance in using something for a couple weeks and then hoping that it would eventually clear up because my skin takes a long time to heal. So NO, THANK YOU! 

I was upset at the fact that the cleanser states that it is suitable for blemished skin and it supposedly is supposed to give you clearer looking skin. Oh well. I have heard great things about Tea Tree oil working for blemishes, but I guess it's not for me! Maybe it could just be this product. I will have to do more research.

Have any of you tried this product? Would you try this product? I feel like people with sensitive skin should steer away from this product at all costs. LOL! Maybe those of you with oily or normal skin could give this a shot though! I would not really recommend the foam form of this product though. There is a gel form of this face wash and I think it would work better at cleansing the skin. 

Mini Skincare Haul!

I just wanted to share with you guys a few items I just bought today!

I decided to stop at the BX today check out some skin care stuff. (Yes, I am currently obsessed with skincare stuff.) Soo, I am having an issue with my skin at the moment. Even though the Shisheido did calm down some of my previous acne, it created two more big pimples on my cheek yesterday. I still used the face wash last night and I wanted to see if my skin would get any better. But no, it just got bigger and they both are red and hurt! I am wondering if my face is just detoxing right now and then my skin will eventually get better the more I use the cleanser? I'm not quite sure. I will have to do some research! But nonetheless, I went to the store and picked up a back cleanser LOL.

I have been hearing a lot of great things about tea tree oil calming down acne. This is what I picked up:

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser. "Suitable for Blemished Skin" $9.60

I like that it is a pump and I wasn't too enthusiastic about it being a foam cleanser, only because I don't really use foam cleansers, but I thought I would give it a shot.

This is less than half a pump on my palm. Just wanted to give an image of how it looks pumped. One pump does give you a good amount and I feel like one pump is all that is needed to cleanse the skin.

Will give this a review when I start using it! I am hoping for a miracle right now. LOL!

Another item that I bought is also by The Body Shop. My skin really needs a boost because I am exhausted from work and I can see it in my skin!

Vitamin E Face Mist $12.80. 

So I am curious to see how my skin reacts to this product! If my skin loves it, I might just keep using this and stop buying the Urban Decay Vitamin B6 spray! This spray would be much friendlier to my wallet. LOL

Last Item!

I haven't been able to find any beautyblender sponges in TJ Maxx. Every time I stop by the store I never see any. But while wandering around the BX, I did spot this little guy! Earth Therapeutics Sponge for $4.95.

Here's a comparison picture of my current one vs my new one. The left one is bigger because it is still damp from when I rinsed it this morning. I might still continue using it until it's completely falling apart. LOL But I don't know...how long do you use your blending sponges for? When is a good time to throw them out? Mine has some battle wounds but it still works great! I'll just continue using it until it completely pulls apart! LOL! poor lil guy.

First Impression: ShiseidoPureness deep cleansing foam and Balancing Softener

I couldn't resist using these products! I was going to use them once I left but I really wanted to give it a try! 

First off, let's talk about my skin. I have very sensitive, acne prone skin and hyperpigmentation. Any product with alcohol or benzoyl peroxide or sacylic acid (basically anything with strong chemicals) makes my skin breakout. After a pimple has died, it leaves a red scar on my face that will take months to completely go away. I normally have dry skin in the winter that flakes, but lately, it  has been starting to get warmer and my skin is starting to feel less dry and more normal.

With all that being said, it is difficult for me to choose new products to use on my face. I am weary when it comes to new products because I do not want any more new breakouts. But after looking at several reviews on these products, I decided to give them a try! (Especially since I am starting to become desperate for a solution for my skin.)

I tried the foam last night in my shower. I just took a small pea size amount on my hand. With just a little bit of water it foams up quite nicely. You really don't need a lot of the product. 

Just a small amount will do!

Lathered up. 

While cleansing my face with this, my face instantly just felt so clean. I kind of have that feeling you get when you apply a product with mint in it on my face, but it was very subtle. After rinsing, my skin just felt like it could breathe and felt refreshed. It did not irritate my skin at all like cause any stinging or make my skin turn red. It is a very gentle face wash. And the smell is very lovely!

After showering and patting myself dry, I applied this softener. It is just a clear liquid. Again it smells so good! No chemical smell at all! I just put one pump (yes, it has a pump! :) ) in my palm (I did not take a picture because it just looks like water in your hand) and rub my hands together to spread the product evenly on my hands. Then I just patted/pressed the product on my face. The directions say you can use a cotton ball but I feel I get a better application by pressing it into my face with my hands and I also do not feel the need to use a cotton ball to assist with removing any makeup that did not get picked up because I washed my face in the shower and did not wear any makeup yesterday.

This did not sting or cause my skin to turn red as well. It smells lovely and again, made my skin feel refreshed. This was also very gentle on my skin.

Please Note:
Cleansing Foam: I have only used this product once (last night) and have not noticed any new breakouts on my skin. Also, it does not leave my skin dry after use!
Softener: I have used this product for the second time last night before bed.

Results so far:
I have two large red pimples on the right side of my face. And I had a large one the left cheek. I have noticed after using the products that the pimple on my left cheek is completely gone (flat)! The other two pimples have reduced in size and I feel that after a day or two they will be completely gone as well! I have also noticed that my skin isn't as red anymore! My skin looks more calmed down.
When I woke up this morning, I also noticed that my skin does not feel dry and isn't flakey. It looks quite normal (ph balance wise)

I wish I took some before and after pictures, but I will show you images of my skin as of today! And then in  a couple weeks I will take another picture to show you all the results! :)



So I do plan on continuing to use these products because my skin does agree with them and I am seeing results!

What skincare products do you use and would recommend? What about what are your thoughts on these products?

New Skincare! Shiseido & Elizabeth Arden

So, I decided that since I will be moving into a new environment soon that I should pick up some new skincare products! I currently live in Utah which is very dry. My skin since I have been living here has been so dry and flaky and I also have sensitive skin. I will be moving into more humid and hot weather and possibly polluted, SOO! I KNOW for a fact that my skin will go crazy!!

What I mean by crazy is, that my skin will become oily and I will breakout A LOT. I have lived in humidity and hot places my entire life and my skin always broke out and never got better. When I moved to Northern California a few years ago, my skin instantly just calmed down because it is more dry over there. Moving to Utah was not a big issue for my skin either. So I have come to know my skin so much better since I have lived in different environments and I just know that my skin will freak out soon! ugh!

Since I have been paranoid about that for the past couple weeks, I have been thinking about what I should buy to get myself prepared. I decided to pick these up!

From the Shiseido Pureness Line:

• The Deep Cleansing Foam
• Foaming Cleansing Fluid
• Balancing Softner alcohol-free
• Matifying Moisturizer

I can't wait to try these! :)

I also picked up two Elizabeth Arden Products:

Elizabeth Arden Good Morning Skin Serum. I have tested this on the back of my hand. I am not too fond of the scent, but it is very light. It feels like a silicone and on the box it states that it is good as a base/primer for makeup. I don't know if I will be using this in the morning because I am not fond of the texture, but I guess I should give it a go! I do like how it felt on the back of my hand. I rubbed it in and it made my hand very smooth and soft.

And then I have the Overnight Success Skin Renewal Serum (I am not playing games when it comes to my skin. LOL) I do like how this one smells. It has a light scent similar to the Shiseido scent. The serum is not silicone, but it is a little thick and it is not sticky but it just feels like it does a good job moisturizing the skin.

Yay! So that was all I wanted to talk about! I am excited to try these products! But I will not be using the products until I move. I still have a little bit of my current skincare products left and I don't want those to go to waste. They do work for me here in the dry environment but I know I will need some help once I move. LOL My poor skin!