I love baby products

I am obsessed with skincare. Possibly more so than makeup. I have tried every single drugstore brand there is, as well as some higher end products from department stores. However, a few items consistently make it to my bathroom...

Baby products! Johnson & Johnson makes some of the best baby skincare products out there, and I LOVE (LOVE LOVE LOVE) using these on my skin. They work great and contain the least harsh chemicals (safe enough for a newborn = gentle on adult skin).


Here are some of my favorite products:


1. Cocoa Butter Baby Oil Gel - $4.29

This is comparable to Vaseline's cocoa butter oil gel, but cheaper and in my opinion less greasy. My skin absorbs this stuff wonderfully.

2. Creamy Cocoa Butter Baby Oil - $4.79

The texture of this is kind of like a mix between regular body lotion and the oil gel. It is substantially less greasy than any oil or gel, which may be perfect if you prefer more of a balm.

3. Original Baby Oil - $3.45

This stuff is classic. I love using this on cold/wintery days immediately after I take a hot shower. It locks in moisture and keeps my skin from flaking or cracking. Since it is an oil, it is really runny and can damage your clothes, so apply it before you dress and allow the oil to absorb into your skin a few minutes.

SECRET: For any ladies at home who wax at home and have leftover wax stuck...applying a little bit of this oil will take it all off!

I've tried the Johnson baby brand as well as Walmart and Target generic brands for the baby oil. In my opinion, the Target version works just as well, if not better, than the Johnson brand.

4. Baby Daily Face & Body Lotion, SPF 40 - $9.99

My skin is out of whack every once in a while. Sometimes my skin is just fine with facial sunscreens, but other times, my face blows up in redness. Enter, Johnson's baby product. Baby skin is as sensitive as it gets, so any lotions created for babies are likely to be less harsh than adult skin products. I love SPF 40 because it keeps my skin baby young!

Hope this helps you, beautiful readers!

My HG Acne Cure

Due to stress, lack of sleep, and many other ails of being a young and busy girl, my face has broken out into chaos. It's not just painful...it's really embarrassing.

I was on makeupalley.com reading reviews and came across this mask I had never heard of. DDF Sulfuric Therapeutic Mask is regarded as one of the best remedies for acne. Having received a giftcard to Sephora for Christmas, I decided to give this a try.

I will break down everything as it happened.

Before:
Three inflamed cystic pimples along my noseline. One bleeding but semi-flattened zit on my forehead just about my left eyebrow. Some mini bumps on my chin.

I applied a VERY thin layer all over my face. Directions say to leave it on for 10-15 minutes, but many other reviews had recommended leaving it on for at least 30 minutes or even as long as one hour for good results. I left the mask on for one hour, then rinsed with warm water. Yes, it smelled like sulfur. But my skin hadn't felt this good in MONTHS.

After washing, I applied Thayer's Aloe Vera Witch Hazel toner and moisturized with Night of Olay Firming cream.

Day 1:
WOW. The "open wound" on my forehead was still read, but the three cysts had diminished substantially. The small bumps beneath my chin became popable (ew, sorry) and went away immediately after I cleaned them with the extractor tool. My skin was certainly dry after using this mask, but the moisturizer quickly rectified that. With a little makeup, you can tell I had acne but nothing jumps out horrifically.

I repeated the above regime.

Day 2:
Woke up and my skin was actually GLOWING. The spot above my eyebrow was now completely flat and the redness was decreased by half. Two of the three cysts literally VANISHED. The third one was still there but flat, which meant a little concealer would fix it for the day.

No new zits.

Days 3-7:
I did not use this mask during this time period. Instead, I washed my face with St. Ives Green Tea Acne Wash and Thayer's toner. I avoided touching my face and kept a clean diet.

After one week, my face is completely clear. There is mild scarring from the spot above my eyebrow as well as that third cyst. With a dab of makeup, my skin looks really good!

So there you have it. This is my new favorite mask. I still use yogurt, Queen Helene mint julep, and honey every once in a while. I prefer honey because it is organic. But I think I have found my new HG remedy! I will definitely update if my results change in the future, but I hope this helps all you lovely ladies out there looking for a good fix.

Yes, $40 is expensive for a mask (especially if you are cheap like me and used QH mint julep your whole life). But I have definitely spent more on a facial at a spa, and the results were far less impressive there. Maybe get together with your girlfriends and do a spa night. You can all chip in a little to buy this jar of miracle mask.

apple cider vinegar

Happy new year! Hope everyone had a blast on 12/31/2011. It is now 2012, end of the world, according to the Mayans. We shall see.

This is the year I become super healthy. I mean, SUPER healthy. Eating foods as close to their natural state as possible, such as fruits, vegetables, and barley.

My friends have been trying to convince me to start a cleanse. I have resisted for the longest time, but I finally caved after the new year and have commenced the "apple cider vinegar" cleanse. Read up on the health benefits, which include anti-acne and weight loss. They seem to substantially outweigh the awful taste.

Directions:
I dilute 2 tablespoons of Bragg's organic (it HAS to be Bragg's) in a huge glass of water and drink the whole glass. Use a straw so that the vinegar doesn't erode your teeth (highly acidic). I do this right before bed.

Results:
I've been doing this for over a week now. My skin has completely cleared up--I went from around 6 pimples to zero pimples and no acne scars! People have commented on my bright complexion. I'm never bloated anymore. I feel lighter.

Note: this is just my opinion and not medical advice. Consult a medical expert if you have any health inquiries.

cuticle treatment: which one is the best?

Baby it's cold outside.

I have dry skin. In the winter, that means my hands are flaky and my cuticles are rough. In an earlier post, I discussed a hand model's secret to perfectly moisturized hands. I've been using that secret for a month now, and am happy to report major success.

However, my cuticles still need extra attention or else my nails look terrible. I have tried many products out there so it only makes sense for me to give an objective review. Hopefully this helps you!

1. Sally Hansen Vita Surge Cuticle Gel

source: walgreens.com

This comes in a nail polish-like bottle with a felt tip applicator. The gel is cold and tingles a little when you first apply it. There are red beads that are supposed to be "vitamins" or something but they don't do much except frustrate me when they don't burst. After massaging the gel into my cuticles for about a minute, my nails do look replenished. However, the effect is short-lived and I find myself needing to reapply frequently to avoid dryness. Still, if you work in an office, you may prefer this product as it doesn't ruin your keyboard with oil.

Score: 3/5

2. Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter

source: drugstore.com

This is probably the most widely known/used cuticle product out there. It comes in a tin and you take some on your finger and directly apply it to your cuticles. This is the least messy in terms of application, but leaves slightly most residue/oil than the Sally Hansen Vita Surge Gel. I prefer this over the Gel because it is easy to carry around (tin doesn't spill in your purse; nail polish bottle might).

Score: 4.5/5

3. Sally Hansen Vitamin E Oil Treatment

source: walgreens.com

Like the Gel, this also comes in a nail polish bottle. Instead of felt, it is a bristle applicator. If you've ever gotten a professional manicure before, this is likely the type of product they used. It is a bit messy to apply but once you rub it in, it leaves your cuticles very moisturized and nourished. I usually do this right before bed so that I don't have to touch things. When I wake up in the morning, I can still see the oil but most of it has either absorbed into my cuticles or into my bedsheets.

Score: 5/5

4. Olive Oil

source: strawberryblu.com

For those into home remedies, this is the easiest trick ever. Just dab and massage some olive oil from your kitchen pantry into your nails. Olive oil strengthens your nails and protects your cuticles. It is the messiest to apply, so do this before bed.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep those nails beautiful. You never know when your boyfriend will propose and you will take pictures of them!

secret to beautiful hands: almond oil

 source: dailymail

According to a DailyMail article, hand model Gemma Howorth (who can be seen on hundreds on billboards and ads) keeps her million dollar-making hands flawless by applying almond oil over 30 times a day. We can't all be hand models, but at least now I have a new secret to keep my hands soft and moisturized during the harsh winters!

Because during the holidays, this is what I want most:

source: ehow

newly discovered treasure: trader joe’s beauty section

in all my years of shopping at tj’s, I never browsed the skincare section. I noticed stellar reviews on makeupalley and could not wait to try it.

my new (perfected) winter skin regime:

day:

source: polyvore

product: tj’s enrich facial moisturizer with spf 15. Fragrance free.

verdict: perfect moisturizer without too much shine or grease. Leaves my face feeling smooth and fresh. Even though it is wintertime, the sun is still touching our skin. The spf15 is a nice bonus and helps protect those wrinkles.

night:

source: tjsdeliveryservice

product: Regular face cream (I use olay by night, but you can use any brand) followed by tj’s vitamin e oil.

verdict: I’ve always been hesitant to use vitamin e oil because the oil in the drugstore capsules always causes me to breakout. I decided to go for this after many reviews indicated that tj’s vitamin e oil does not cause breakouts. I’ve been using this for about a week now and am happy to report no breakouts. After using the vitamin e at night, I noticed that my skin is no longer flaky and dry during the day.

Both the facial moisturizer and the vitamin e oil are just $3.99 each! I definitely recommend you check out these products!

baby oil: the best makeup remover!

i talked about cleansing oil to for skincare earlier, and now i have discovered yet another benefit of oil cleansing. i am a freak when it comes to cleaning my face. you risk infections and breakouts if you sleep with any makeup on. i've tried every kind of makeup remover out there, and all of them seem to do the same job. i read raving reviews about using baby oil as a makeup remover and decided i had to try it.

ohhh my gosh. AMAZING. it gets literally every trace of eye makeup without drying out the skin around my eyes, leaving my eyes looking youthful and rejuvenated. just dip a cotton ball with baby oil and gently stroke it over your eyelids. everything will come off!

best of all, you can get a bottle of this stuff at the store for less than $3.

cleansing oil method = asia's secret to perfect skin

when i was in asia, i noticed that all the stores were featuring “cleansing oil” as opened to face wash soaps and gels, which we tend to see here in the states. my local friends told me that asians used oil-based cleaning regimes because it provided a deep cleanse without drying the skin out, which apparently causes skin to look older and duller. i was skeptical at first because i thought that “oil” meant clogged pores (and eventually pimples). however, all the celeb endorsements and advertising eventually forced me to bite the bullet and buy a bottle of cleansing oil.

to use:
pour a small amount on your fingers and rub in circular motions around you face for a minute or so, then rinse with warm water. i would follow up with a gentle toner because the shine and residue may remain.

the results:
soft, clean skin without any dry patches or tightness. no immediate breakouts. most blackheads seem to disappear as well, although i would rotate this with benzoyl peroxide if blackheads are a big problem.

i don't use this every day because i am still paranoid of breaking out. but this product definitely deserves the hype it is getting because it works as well as other cleansers while keeping your skin looking hydrated. 

new obsession: freeman mint and lemon clay mask

for those who love queen helene’s mint julep mask (me), this will be a new favorite product. i was hesitant to even try another mask because i had consistent successful results with QH. however, my friend RAVED about this new freeman mask that she got at ulta. Since it was only $3.99 [ulta.com] (plus the usual $3.50 off $10 ulta coupon), i decided to give it a try.

application:
when you first open the tube, there may be excess lemon juice coming out. after that, the texture of the clay was smooth and consistent. i slathered a thin layer on my face (you really don’t need to coat a thick layer) and felt a mild tingling sensation but no burning or adverse effect. it also smelled the 7 up, which was a nice bonus.

wait:
let the mask sit for 10-15 minutes until the mask is dried. you will notice visibly oil dots all over -- proves the mask is working!

results:
smoother vibrant and baby soft skin with no blackheads! pimples seem to dry up a little, but i would follow up with an acne fighting toner if you have trouble spots.

would i choose this over QH? not sure. but if you ever run out of QH, you can certainly count on this one!