How to burn your face...and fix is soon after.

To cut a long story short, I used my acne medication (DUAC once daily). Then I put on my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo. Then my Body Shop Vitamin C daily moisturiser.

Yeah, don't layer products that contain AHA's, especially if they're medicated. It hurts. But I did manage to fix it as soon as I felt the burning sensation.

Raw honey mask.

I think raw honey has broken me out in the past, and so I stopped using it for a while. But I had a tiny weeny bit left, so I slapped that onto my face vaguely remembering that I had read somewhere that raw honey helps with soothing burns and inflammation. It did work, and I've recently ordered more raw honey to give it another shot. A daily face mask that soothes and heals and to some is miracle worker? I'm being drawn in again...here's hoping that my skin will one day get itself together!

Cheers,

Kitty  

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REVIEW: Una Brennan Super Facialist Purifying Tea Flower Deep Cleansing Wash and Tea Flower Deep Clean Mattifying Moisturiser

Cleanser

I do like this cleanser. I originally bought it because it said it had Salacylic Acid in it. I can't say that cleansers are meant to do miracles in my opinion, since they spend so little time on my face to begin with. If it's acne cures you want, you are probably looking for a nice gentle cleanser and other products to help you out there.

This cleanser doesn't really foam up, but the gel lathers up quite nicely. I think it's around £7.99, and it lasted for a decent amount of time (two months for me). Even though I'm now trying another cleanser, I wouldn't object returning to this one again in the future.

The Tea Flower range is designed for oily skin, and I can say that as someone with oily skin this cleanser is definitely a nice one. No break outs, and it does the job which is all I want really.

Moisturiser

I can't say this mattifying moisturiser is the mother of all moisturisers, but if your skin is only mildly oily this one will keep you good for all day. (Note: 20/05/2014. I've been using an acne treatment that has made my skin a bit drier so my skin has been doing well with this moisturiser) Despite this moisturiser not being that big, it has out lasted the cleanser. But this is because I've been using other things to moisturise my face and I don't use this one as often as it doesn't really mattify extremely well. It's pretty good, but after an hour or so I can feel the oil seeping through. I never expect any product to be amazing especially since I know how hard it is to keep oily skin in control. I wouldn't repurchase, because it's pretty expensive for a moisturiser at £12.99.

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REVIEW: Solait 50 spf Mattifying Fluid

*UPDATE 14/05/2014* I recently have had quite dry skin due an acne treatment, and this product works so much better! But as it stands, I still would only recommend this product to people with less oily skin.  

I really wished this product was perfect, but unfortunately it isn't. I've got quite oily skin, and this product doesn't really mattify me very well. It works well as a sunscreen and is very cheap, but it doesn't mattify really. I just feel tacky after using this, and throughout the day this tackiness stays. I plan on using in on places where I don't mind a little bit of tackiness in the future (arms, legs etc). I wish this product lived up to it's name, but since it was around £3/£4, I can't say I feel too sad about it.

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REVIEW: Colgate Pro Gum Health mouthwash and toothpaste

To keep things short, the mouthwash is useless. The toothpaste is average.

I have red gums and I previously managed to get them in a better shape than before using Corsodyl daily. I then switched to this mouthwash as it was specifically targeted to lessen the redness of gums.

Used the whole bottle, twice a day.

Nothing. Still red, and I wish I had stayed with Corsodyl. I even think Corsodyl was a bit cheaper!

 I don't think either of these products are really special. Mouthwash doesn't really work, and the tooth paste doesn't seem any different from any other.

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Acne cure?

OK, I'm not really one for curing actually, more like I'll just have to learn to control it. Which is fine, if only I knew how...

Ever since I was 18, small signs of acne turned up and I began to look for ways to get rid of it. Unfortunately, after a large mixture of trying and failing with various acne products, natural methods and a whole loads of other remedies, I haven't been able to control my skin very well. I have learnt a lot about my skin, but in terms of actually getting to the results I want? (AKA clear, blemish free, scar free miracle skin) It's been a no go.

Here's my current skincare routine, with some new products that I've been using or just started to use:

I've just started with the DHC cleansing oil, which I'm quite hopeful about. My previous oil cleansing attempts were pretty good, it was just a pain in the butt with the constant steaming and cleaning of towels. With this oil, I don't need steam, and I'm hoping that my pores will become unclogged.*Update* DHC broke me out like crazy...darn it. Now I've switched to the Effaclar purifying foaming cleanser, and that seems to clean my skin well. 

The Effaclar Duo. I want to buy another tube of this, but is it worth it? When I first used it seemed to work, but with my skin constantly breaking out it wasn't a miracle cure for sure. I think I'll get another tube, and use it in my new routine to make sure.

Una Brennan Tea Tree Mattifying moisturiser. Now, I'm not so sure about this product. When I first bought it and used it with the cleanser, my skin didn't break out. After stopping and using the Effaclar duo instead, I reverted back to this for daytime. My skin has broken out recently, with several whiteheads on my face out of seemingly no where. I can't remember changing my routine or diet drastically apart from going back to this moisturiser, which worries me a little. Having said that, I have head of salicylic acid products breaking people out as in purging, but I'm not sure. But my skin hasn't broken out any more, and when I first used this product nothing bad seemed to happen...purging over?

Good Things Eye Cream. Bought this today! Hopefully I can get some positive results from it!

Turmeric + Cinnamon + Yoghurt = face mask
Lemon + Baking soda = face mask

I'll alternate through a variety of face masks, I just love applying and mixing those things!

Well, that's a long update about my face xD

See ya.

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DIY ACNE MASKS - Cheap, easy, and safe! (Scroll down for easy DIY customisation!)

My acne hasn't gone. I suppose in recent months (during my time abroad especially) I have been more stressed and the different environments have taken a toll, and it has gotten slightly worse. But I'm fine, it's really not that bad.

Here are some easy acne masks that I do quite often, along with some hints and tips at the bottom so you can customise your own masks :)

TURMERIC MASK:

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of natural yoghurt
• lemon juice (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together, and leave on for as long as you like. Bear in mind that it does dry, and may leave a slight yellow tinge if left on for too long. If you do let it dry, it does make a great exfoliator though. Wash off. In order to get rid of the tinge, just wait till the next day and clean with your normal skincare routine.

OATMEAL MASK:

• 1 handful oatmeal

Put your oatmeal in a microwave safe container. Add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the oatmeal. Microwave until it's of a slightly thicker consistency than normal. Wait for the oatmeal to cool and stir. When cooled enough, apply the warm oatmeal to your face, and leave on for as long as desired. It does dry rather hard, but can be easily removed with warm water.

LEMON JUICE AND ASPIRIN (Not for sensitive skin! It buuuurns!):

• 4-6 uncoated aspirin 

(aspirin that comes in a more powdery tablet form, but if you don't have these you can just wash normal aspirin until the coating is removed.)

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (or slightly more, if you want to use more aspirin)

Mix ingredients together to form a powdery paste. Put on a clean face, paying attention to areas with spots and marks. And then feel the BURN! Don't do this is if you have a very low pain tolerance or have sensitive skin. After the mask has dried (bits of aspirin will start falling off) then wash off and apply toner and moisturise as usual.

HINTS AND TIPS:

For anyone who wants to mix and match their own masks, here is a list of ingredients you can keep in a cupboard or fridge so you can make masks any time!

LIQUIDS

• Lemon juice 
• Plain yoghurt (Big cheap tubs of it! I've found that many branded and non branded tubs are basically the same and last for up to a month.)
• Honey (raw is best, but the best quality you can find is fine)
• Witch Hazel (only a dash or too, don't just use this one on it's own with a dry ingredient, try to add another liquid.)
• Water is great too!
• Milk
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Mayonnaise (I've yet to try this one, but Google says yay)
• Egg White

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• Nutmeg
• Turmeric (stains your face yellow, but you can use a cleanser the next day to wash off, so any masks containing it should probably be worn at night!)
• Cinnamon (be VERY careful with this one, only use a bit less than a pinch in masks, otherwise you'll burn your face! Even with a little amount you can feel the slight burn of Cinnamon.)
• Aspirin (2 should do.)
• Banana (on it's own, just mush it up and paste!)
• Papaya (Same as with other fruits, mash and paste)
• Oatmeal (Ground up if you can, if not it's fine to just use it as is)
• Ground Almonds 
• Avocado (Ditto with the other fruits)
• Clay (you can buy it on line, the most famous one is the Aztec Secret Healing clay, which recommends apple cider vinegar in particular.)

The basic idea is this:

DRY INGREDIENTS + WET INGREDIENTS = APPLY TO CLEAN FACE

(If you end up making quite a lot of a mask mixture that contains yoghurt, I recommend keeping it in the fridge so you can use it throughout the week!)

You can use as much or as little of the dry ingredients as you like, just make sure to make it like a paste with an equal or less amount of the wet ingredient. 

Here's a a few easy ones that I've done:

Turmeric + yoghurt + lemon juice + nutmeg + dash of cinnamon + ground oatmeal and almonds

aspirin + oatmeal + warm water

Turmeric + lemon juice + dash of witch hazel + cinnamon + nutmeg + yoghurt (my current fave for my acne)

And that's it folks!

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DIY TEETH WHITENING! The Cheap, easy and safe way! (Not Baking Soda!)

Hello! It's been a while, and I have a small tidbit post to get the year rolling ;3

Teeth whitening. I have the wonderful habit of drinking tea in vast amounts, and while my teeth aren't a terrible shade of yellow, they do have a wonderful tinge!

And now here's a wonderful cheap way to whiten your teeth, which doesn't involve lemon juice, baking soda or anything else actually. Just one easy ingredient.

Turmeric.

Yeah. It stains skin, clothes but works wonders on teeth. I discovered this while making a turmeric mask for my acne (1 teaspoon of turmeric to 1 1/2 teaspoon of natural yoghurt, add lemon juice if you wish) and I researched the further benefits of turmeric other than eat and smearing it on wounds and such.

Teeth whitening is not the first thing I thought of. But hey, it works.

HOW TO:

1. Put your normal toothpaste on your brush.
2. Tap the bristles of the brush into your turmeric, just so it covers the top. (Imagine icing a cake with icing sugar, just tap your brush into the turmeric, just enough to layer on top of the paste.)
3. Brush a little more thoroughly than normal, paying attention to all areas including your tongue.
4. Rinse!

Believe me, the flavour really isn't bad - it's not great but it's mild enough to ignore, and unlike baking soda, this method you can do any time. With the baking soda and lemon juice it can been too acidic and damage your teeth if done too often. This? Easy, cheap, and a cheap tube of turmeric lasts for ever!  

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Catchup

Hey guys! (I always act there's more than one of you, haha)

I'm much better now, even though I'm still a little rough around the edges I just need a little time to recover. I promise I'll be back with some things soon, whether they are any like I've ever done before or something completely different, I'm not sure. Either way, something is going to happen :3

Stay well guys!

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Sorry! Dx

Hey guys, I'm sorry for the massively long gap. I'm currently in the USA studying and for the past few months I've been going through some personal issues which has made things a little difficult.

I promise, I will be back.

Many thanks,

Kitty

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Natural spot treatments, natural acne treatment: Raw Honey

SEE UPDATE BELOW

Aaaah, as of late my mind has been all over the place. I have no idea whether my recent crazy breakout is due to the raw honey I've been using on my face lately, or stress. Because for a good 3 weeks my skin loved it. Pores shrank and my face felt awesome. Scares were fading and it seemed like I'd finally found that holy grail all in one cleanser and moisturiser. But for the past few days, my skin has gone NUTS. Whitehead nuts. I'm used to getting one of two whiteheads occasionally, but now I have 5/6 active whiteheads on my face and I'm afraid it may be from the honey! Grrrr! I've looked up that there is a possibility that people could have a sensitivity to raw honey, but really?! 3 weeks in?! For some people it has been a MIRACLE worker, and has worked wonders for very severe acne. Now I have new whiteheads emerging all over my face and they aren't even the small ones, they're big and ANGRY. Oh, and for good measure I've got some nice blackheads too.

I'm wondering if the actual breakout could be caused by stress? I have been very stressed these past few days, and it's not like I have a normal sleeping pattern any more...but while this seems more likely the reason why my skin is like this, I've lived like this before, without these kinds of results. Sigh...

Well, for now I think I may have to lay off the honey. I've been trying and trying with the natural skincare regime and it looks like I might have to start using oatmeal, the MILDEST thing ever, to clean my skin. Perhaps I'll use grapeseed oil to moisturise? Return to the OCM and try that again? It's so frustrating that I can't pinpoint exactly the cause of the acne. The only thing I can do is wait it out and try new things that I couldn't possibly breakout to!

Sorry for the ragey post guys, see you next time :D

*UPDATE* 30/09/2013: Sorry for the long gap guys, I'm currently in the USA and I've been studying like nuts. I've recently tried a few acne products from CVS and whichever one it is (the cleanser, toner or the two moisturisers I bought, or the other cleanser or the serum or the - the list just increases in length, and my bank account is quietly shrinking Dx ) has made my face so much worse! (Intense chin acne with white heads and blackheads invading areas that I didn't know could break out anyone?I think it's due to overuse and trying out too many different things at once! Darn my impatience!) I recently returned to honey, and within 2 days my skin is getting better, along with the help of a peel off mask I recently purchased. I think at the time when my skin broke out when previously using honey, my stress and health in general weren't in check, and therefore, the breakout. Raw honey seems to be saving me right now, the only regret is that I decided to experiment with a whole host of new products that pretty much ruined my skin! Ah well, I'll keep going with the honey, and hopefully the guilt of spending so much on products that don't work will eventually fade Dx Cheers guys!

*FINAL UPDATE* 11/10/2013: Sorry for the long gap once again guys - unfortunately the honey cleansing didn't work. I kept breaking out with the honey and the honey gave me a few cysts as well! Lots of scarring here, but I am glad I tried the honey, even though it worked then stopped working, it's not entire loss since I can just eat the honey :) I might try it again in the future, but for now I'm laying off it :)

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REVIEW: Body Shop 4 Step Smoky Eye Palette

Phew! Sorry for the long gap guys - my life has been a little hectic lately, but here's a review nonetheless! I bought this palette quite a while ago on sale at my local Body Shop, and it was reduced to £5 from £15! I generally don't buy things from the Body Shop - I do love the whole natural ingredients only hype but it's certainly not cheap! Most of the stuff is cleansing related anyway, and there's only so much skincare a person can use. Their make up isn't bad either, but I can find cheaper stuff in Superdrug and Boots along with more variety. Anyhow, I'll try to keep the review short and sweet!

Wow, I'm surprised my camera actually took the pictures well lol. As you can see, there are 4 neutral colours. All of them are frosted/shimmery and pretty pigmented. Not the most intense things I've ever come across when applied but nice nonetheless. If you dislike shimmer and are more a matte person (a bit like me) then you may want to avoid this palette. I wish there was at least one matte colour here, but ahh well. 

A great thing about this palette are added brushes. OK, the brushes themselves are not amazing by any means, I definitely recommend getting your own in the long run, but if you haven't got any of your own in the meantime, these will do fine. The round brush does well for patting and pressing the eye shadow, but the angled brush in my palette wasn't really as nice as I'd hoped. I wasn't expecting anything great but the brush wasn't as thin as I would've liked, and would probably have been better suited as a eyebrow brush as opposed to liner. I like thin liner, especially when using eye shadow so I can smudge upwards a little. I supposed I can try to flatten the brush myself by wetting it and pressing it down, but I'm still a little -_- (sorry I can't think of the right word for that expression lol) about having to do it.This is all personal preference though.  

What can attract a human more? Those little reduction stickers can make any shopper happy! I obviously overlooked the fact that the palette is "meant" for blue eyes. I understand that there were other palettes for other eye colours, but there weren't any for brown eyes when I checked the sale section. Like it matters :P anyone can wear neutrals! And I'm calling Body Shop out on the cover picture lol, the eye shadows are NOT that pigmented xD. (Still nice though!)

Problems?

It's lovely  how they give instruction on how to use the palette, but there lies on big problem for me in the instructions. They are for Western eye shapes! I'm Asian, so when I tried to use the palette as instructed it didn't work, and for a small amount of time I wondered why and then finally realised! This isn't a major problem and obviously isn't the Body Shop's fault, and there are many tutorials and blogs who help out with this dilemma. All I need is a quick google search and hundreds of hits will come up. 

Final thoughts?

A nice palette, especially for the price! 4 eye shadows from the Body Shop at £5 is a steal, even against other cheaper brands. If I went to wards Rimmel, Maybelline or any other high street brand of decent quality I could probably at most only buy one eye shadow. Am I happy? Yes, there aren't many problems with this palette, and the ones that do exist can be easily rectified.

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REVIEW: Brow Kandie Eyebrow Stencils

I recently bought these eye stencils out of curiosity at Superdrug. I've always found my brows annoying to shape and when I think they look OK the next minute a photo is taken they look ridiculous! I'd known about eye brow stencils for a while, but I'd never bothered searching for them with all the youtube videos that teach you how to do brows anyway. But I found these by chance, and at £4.99 (bit steep for what you get really) I thought it might be worth a try.

First thing to note - these stencils are for Western shaped brows. If you don't get what I mean, in Asia brows are far less arched and tend to be thicker and fuller for a more youthful effect. The "Korean Brow" , which is basically a thicker straight line is very fashionable right now, but this trend hasn't transferred over to the West.  Being Asian, I tend to find that arched brows and straighter brows are both fine, but I prefer thicker brows for the youthful look and my brows are pretty full anyway. The stencils in the pack are all pretty arched and either start off thin and end thin, or start off thick and end thin. I ended up going for the thickest one, and even then it's pretty thin! Let me show you.

They come in a plastic packet like this.

And here are the instructions:

 Basically, put the stencil on your brow and fill in your eyebrows as normal. Remove the stencil and then pluck out any hairs that don't "fit" in the stencilled shape.

 As you can see, I didn't exactly do that. I opted for black eye shadow (something you should never use for eyebrows, even if they are black, always go for a shade or two lighter.)  just so I could see the shape. Even though I hadn't plucked my brows for a long time, the stencil fitted pretty well. The only problems I had were that my brows are naturally shorter than the stencils, so no matter what I do my brows need to be extended anyway.

My Zoeva angled liner brush did the trick in filling my brows.  After using the stencil on one brow all you need to do is flip it over onto the opposite brow - which is exactly what I did. Here's the final result!

 Sorry for the dodgy picture, I actually think the picture is a little misleading with the way I've angled it. My brows actually match a little better, and as you can see they are full and short.

Final thoughts:

- I originally was disappointed with the pack when I opened them. All of the stencils were far too thin for my taste, but I worked my way around that simply by allowing a little more room around the stencilled shape. But honestly, some of these stencils are so thin I have no idea who would want them to look that artificial.

- The plastic the stencils are made out of isn't particularly strong, if you cut it it's easily tear able. I understand that the stencil needs to be  flexible but I feel that they could be a little sturdier! They should really make these a bit cheaper - £4.99 for something so easy to break makes my wallet cry a little.

- Out of the entire pack, I only used ONE. That means 9/10 of the stencils have gone to waste (unless I'm dressing up for a particular look) so that £4.99 only paid for one useful item.

- Would I repurchase? Not really, I think I could live without these. I did end up liking them quite a lot after I had finished using them, but for £4.99 I think I could spend that money elsewhere. If you are completely clueless about brows and can't do them freehand, these could be super useful though.

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Natural spot treatments, natural acne treatment: Bicarboante of Soda as an ex foliator/ Baking Soda scrub.

Hey guys - now this ex foliator is definitely worth writing about. It's so cheap and it really does scrub!

My teensy weensy jam jar (taken from a scone serving at Valerie Patisserie wahahahaa) filled with baking soda. It's so cute! xD

Despite the powdery texture of the soda, it really is gritty stuff. A large pinch of it in the palm of your hand with a little warm water and a wet face and it really feels like a a tough scrub. I've never felt anything so gritty. Not unpleasant gritty, like a tough sand if anything. This stuff is so much better than other ex foliators, those have zero exfoliation powers in comparison to this stuff.

Has it got rid of black heads or cured any of my skin issues? Not that I can see, as of yet. I'm using it in conjunction with the OCM Method, It definitely is getting of dead skin, and I look forward to see what long term effects it will have. One thing I've been very bad at is that I think I've recently over ex foliated my face, which has made my skin a little rough. I'll let my skin heal for a week and see how it goes. But on the whole, this stuff is natural, cheap and is really great so far.  

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REVIEW: Holland and Barrett PUKKA Castor oil & REVIEW: Miaroma Grapeseed Oil

Hey guys, just wrote another post about the oil cleansing method and here are the products I'm using for it! Just two oils, and that's all ya need for the method anyway.

I ordered both of these on line, and I think because my cart went over a certain price the shipping was free. 

PUKKA Castor oil &  Miaroma Grapeseed Oil

I think the price for both of these are just over £10, and considering how much you get and how much you need they really will last a long time. A scrub nowadays costs roundabout £5 anyway, so two of these together I wouldn't consider expensive. 

PUKKA Castor oil: One thing about Castor Oil. IT SMELLS. Now, I don't know whether it's just this brand,  because I've googled to see if it was just me dying from the smell and it seems that the internet disagrees since others have said that there shouldn't be a smell or that there wasn't one to begin with. This leave two options a) It's the brand I'm using b) My bottle has gone bad. I know it's not b), since the expiry date is about 2 years, and the bottle was sealed when I got it. So I guess it's just this brand. I'll write down below how to deal with the smell. Other than the smell "problem", the oil is thick very thick, and is a very, almost clear, pale yellow. It seems to be doing its job with the cleaning, and at 250ml it's a good size. The bottle is made of glass, which will be a pain in the butt for me since I don't want to take it overseas. Then again, I could just buy Castor oil when I go the USA as all the gurus who use the method are from the US anyway. (Also, this oil is cold pressed and organic, which is the ONLY type you want.)

Miaroma Grapeseed Oil: At 118 ml, this plastic bottle helpfully comes with a lid that you can squeeze oil out in drops. Still causes a slight mess, but it's better than the Castor which is just a screw on lid. A pain in the butt when you only need 3 drops! Anyhow, the oil is much thinner and is a yellow colour, very easy to distinguish both oils from each other so I can never get them mixed up. This oil doesn't really have a strong noticeable smell, and the only tiny tiny issue I have is that I'm not sure if Grapeseed oil in general should only be used if organic. If so, I can't tell with this one. The ingredients only say Grapeseed oil and vitamin E. Neither are bad for you, and the oil doesn't seem to have a negative effect even if it isn't strictly organic. 

Solving the smell and quantity issue! I recently bought these two joys from Ebay. Two glass 10ml droppers. One for Castor and one for Grapeseed Oil. This solves the smell problem with the Castor as I only need to open the droppeR and squeeze 3 drops onto my hand. This minimizes the strong smell and the only time you smell it is when you rub it on your  face. You have to squeeze the dropper quite hard on the Castor oil to get the oil into the pipette, but it's doable. Before getting these droppers I was pouring the oils into a small shallow plastic jar, which wasted SO much oil and made it so hard to measure. I would have to pour the oils into a spoon trying to get the right quantities and then pour them into the jar. Annoying as heck, especially with the extra cleaning you had to do all the time. These droppers also make measuring SO much easier, 3 Castor drops to 7 Grapeseed Oil crops. Mix, and rub it on ma face! Love these two, and using them is actually quite fun. Kind of like having vials of chemicals that you need to scientifically measure wahahaha. Vials are always cooler, they seem like fun old school chemistry that you see in old books. The droppers were relatively cheap by the way, when buying from Ebay only look for them sold in pairs, buying one on it's own isn't really worth it.  

Grapeseed Oil left (the oil is actually much more yellower in real life), Castor Oil right.

My review of the OCM:

http://thesilverpocketwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/natural-spot-treatments-natural-acne.html

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Natural spot treatments, natural acne treatment: The Oil Cleansing Method! OCM Method

Hey guys - as said in a previous post I said I would try the oil cleansing method. Well, I have, and so far it's been...good?

I add the question mark because I'm still using it and despite having used it for a while I've read that the method does take a few weeks to work its magic (and I think in general skincare products take 6 weeks to work, and I don't think I've used this method that long as of yet) so I will persevere. Having said that, I have noticed a few changes to my skin, so good, some not so good:

- The blemishes on the top of my cheeks and under my eyes have gone completely! My skin used to have a constant strip of tiny bumps and now they've been replaced with smooth smooth skin! Great stuff.

- My overall face has feels smoother and cleaner, despite what it looks like (more on that in a sec.)

- Some big pores that were bothering me have definitely gotten smaller or have gone completely. Another thumbs ups.

- OK, now onto the "bad" stuff. I say "bad" because the method has caused me to break out. Not major terrible breakouts but there have been a number of small white heads and recently there was a very large white headed on my chin, which is still healing. From what I can see the white head wasn't made from one big white head but a few small ones together. It's mostly gone, but there's still a spot and it will definitely make a mark afterwards. Hopefully it'll clear up soon.

- Blemishes have appeared elsewhere. For some reason very recently above my left eyebrow a group of spots have emerged - not big angry ones but little ones. Not even spots really, blemishes. Maybe they like that eyebrow for some reason. Also, my cheeks. Both cheeks have blemishes and they are pink and noticeable. Not big angry spots, but it sure is annoying. I hope these will clear up too since they are appearing in places where I don't normally have spots.

- Blackheads. When I talked about some of my cheek pores getting smaller, I'm sure it was my pores getting clean. My chin and nose however, haven't had massive changes. I know I have a deep suspicion that I will always get blackheads, so this isn't that big of a deal. I think some of my blackheads of risen to the surface a little and some have gone, but it's not been a magical change.

- *NOTE* I want to point out that I have recently (I think) over ex foliated my face. Two days in a row of ex foliating and I think I've caused a mini breakout or made more spots appear. These recent spots are VERY recent, so I will report back in the long run since I'm not sure if it's the ex foliation of the oil doing its work.

- *NOTE* For those who are unfamiliar with the oil cleansing method, there will be a detailed run down below. The reason I haven't stopped this method even with breakouts is that the method takes a lot of time to work. Also, I believe that the process I am going through with the breakouts is called "purging", as in my skin is getting rid of the impurities and pushing them out, hence the breakouts.

*UPDATE* 10/08/2013 Hey guys - I recently decided to stop using the oil cleansing method. For a short period of time I stopped using the method due to laziness and when I resumed using the method I broke out. I decided to persevere for a little longer but after another week or two I decided dealing with the breakouts really wasn't worth it. I'm not entirely sure if my skin was going through another purging stage or if my skin was rejecting the method entirely. Either way, I decided to stop. I have recently started using another natural cleansing method, and somehow that's backfired on me too -_-.


THE METHOD:

Now, I have read far better blog posts on the OCM method with much greater detail and easy instructions I have followed with no problem. I'll an excellent one here so I don't have to write a mediocre one in comparison:

http://www.crunchybetty.com/nitty-gritty-on-the-oil-cleansing-method

Scroll down to "What oils are best for your skin?" And read from then on.


Follow those instructions well, and see how it goes! I have to point out that the method DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE. As with every skincare routing it never works for everyone, but this method does take time to work and does cause breakouts, making it even harder to tell whether or not your skin is liking it or not. Only experience can solve it I'm afraid.

See ya soon! (Expect reviews on cleansing oils next!)

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REVIEW: Babyliss Ceramic Straightening Brush

Hey guys, quick review on something I bought the other day. I've been interested in getting one of these since I saw Lisa Eldrige talk about it on one of her youtube videos about her favourite hair styling tools and products. Whenever I wash my hair I tend to leave it wrapped up in a towel for a  good while while I put lotion and moisturiser on, and by the time I take the towel off my head my hair has dried to the damp stage. I have a big habit of tucking my hair behind my ears, so whenever I do this with my wet hair I get a gigantic fabulous kink when my hair has fully dried, even after using the hair dryer.

So I bought this! 

Here's the brush open and closed normally.

It's really easy to use, and the little vents on either side of the brush allow hot hair to easily pass through.

And it comes with two sectioning clips as well, though I don't use those.

I have to say I really like this product. When I use it I brush my hair through first to get ride of knots, then I divide my hair into two, and clamp individual sections with the brush and bring the brush down slowly while passing hot air through the length of the vent. Here are my results:

Pretty happy with the results. Bear in mind that my hair is naturally straight and the front part of my hair was cut so it would feather towards my face. 

I very rarely do anything to my hair - I wash, dry and that's pretty much it. But this method I think will help me not get the gigantic kink from putting my hair behind my ear. I'm sitting here typing this now and I haven't been tempted to put my hair behind my ears, since my newly dried hair isn't really moving or getting in my face. 

Pros:

- Less than £10 for the brush, you could get these instead of straighteners if you wanted.

- Works, and is easy to use.

Cons:

- I wish the brush came with a case so I could put the brush in a case with the clips. I'm afraid that I'll one day I'll need the clips for some reason then realise I can't find them. Right now I'm just leaving the brush and the clips on the floor next to my hair dryer.

- Some who prefer super perfect hair may find that these don't create the perfect straight hair in comparison to straighteners.   

Overall:

I really like this, I'll probably use it quite often whenever I wash my hair. 

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How to get rid of Keratosis Pilaris

Aaah, keratosis pilaris. I didn't know it existed till I accidentally come upon it when I was watching a random beauty guru on youtube talk about her "chicken skin" on the back of her arms and how she managed to get rid of it. That's not to say I've never noticed my KP on the backs of my arms, heck from a short while I would just sit there at my desk and pick away and ease out all of the ingrown hairs (OK, gross, but it's not infected or gross, it's just like picking off dry skin) as a form of terrible procrastination. When I realised I had it, I was somewhat relieved and surprised that it was actually a thing. I haven't fully removed my KP, and even though I have made excellent progress I know the parts I picked at will leave a red scar for a long, long time. Anyhow, here's how I've managed to reduce my KP.

1. Exfoliating gloves. Ordered from Ebay for less that £2, and these gloves can be rough if you're too harsh with them. Gentle buffing motions guys.

2. Whatever shower gel you like. Being cheap and Asian I naturally gravitate towards the cheap gels, I'm currently working my way through a bottle of Palmolive something or other.

Method:

1. Put on the gloves and wet with warm water. I normally do this in the shower to kill two birds with one stone.

2. Squirt some shower gel onto the palm of your gloved hands, then rub both palms together to get the foam going.

3. Whatever area you want to exfoliate  buff in circular motions for a minute or two. Don't be harsh and over do it, the skin will look way worse afterwards.

4. Rinse off. After this ex foliation  I use excess oatmeal from my facial cleansing routine and rub it on my arms and legs. For more info on that click HERE. Then I get out, towel dry and use a body lotion as normal. Make sure to wash out your gloves so no shower gel dries up in them.

And that's it! The effects are eventual, but believe me, the skin will be so much better. I use this method every time I shower, if you shower everyday religiously, then that's fine but just be gentle. The eventual process should end up with smooth skin. I have been using it for a while, and there are still bumps, but there are definitely a lot less than before.

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REVIEW: Rimmel Fix & Perfect PRO primer 002

Hey guys - I've had this primer for a while now and when I first bought it I bought it with a few Rimmel products. I originally though I was allergic to Rimmel products because all of the products I used seemed to burn!! However, looking back I think it's because when I was using the products I scrubbed my face WAY too hard before hand so my skin didn't react well to the products.

This primer claims to be a "Skin- perfecting" primer for "5 in 1 results: smoothes, resurfaces, brightens, mattifies and protects. Prolongs foundation wear."

Well, I have to say that it actually does those things, to a certain extent. Bear in mind I have OILY skin - even the best mattifying products don't last for too long on my skin. This primer does certainly smooth my skin, (not so sure about brightening, can never really tell and I'm kinda pale but brightening has never been a priority for me anyway) and in terms of resurfacing my pores do seem a bit smaller and as for protection I can't really tell either, since I haven't been placing my skin under any adverse conditions. (It's exam season, so I'm in my room 99% of the time.)

But all in all, it does mattify my skin for a few hours, possibly 2/3 hours then my oil begins to seep through. If you have normal, dry or only mildly oily skin I think this primer is pretty good, my skin certainly feels wonderfully velvety after applying this.

White, gel like texture. Blend very nicely on the skin, lovely velvety finish.

Pros -

- Feels great and velvety on the skin, certainly makes my skin feel smoother
- Pores seem a bit smaller
- Light
- Not expensive, around £6
- Did reduce my redness a little on my face.
- You only need a little, so quite long lasting.
- You can wear it without foundation, the gel blends out clear.

Cons -

- If you have ultra oily skin, this won't be a miracle product by any means. But if you've got a nice mattifying foundation or have other ways of controlling oil then this could work in combination with other products I guess. (But then again, if you have oily skin then I don't think there is one holy grail product that takes away all oil forever! Good skincare, a good foundation for oily skin and milk of magnesia will probably do the trick for long lasting oil control though. Oh, and a good powder too.)

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Sorting myself out: Cleansing the inside and out!

Hi guys~

Just wanted to write a quick post to remind myself that I need to seriously start taking care of myself before I go overseas! I plan to start consistently exercising, eating more fruits and veggies and cleansing my skin more to get rid of the breakouts and blemishes. Adapting to a new consistent lifestyle is never easy, but none of these changes are particularly drastic anyway, I think.

My To - Do List:

- Eat a box of tomatoes mixed with cucumbers and lettuce every weekday (from my lunch hall at uni)
- Exercise everyday if I can, for one hour. If not, I want to exercise at least three times a week.
- Start cleansing my face everyday consistently with the OCM method and moisturising consistently as well.

Hopefully by the time I leave for the USA I can be healthier on the inside and out, and hopefully a bit fitter too! I know being in the USA for a while will be great fun and it actually contributes towards my degree, so it's win win really. Gotta try to stay healthy and exercise though! Hopefully my new room mate won't find my hips thrusting really weird lol. Heck, I hope they join in.

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Easy salad dressing - lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper!

I'm currently in a catered hall at the moment, so the healthy food I can get is mainly reduced to salad. Tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce. Sometimes one of two the options run out, so I only end up eating one of the three. Recently I've been taking a tupperware box and filling the salad into that, then taking back to my room where I can eat it in my own time. It's been a little bland lately, so I use this super easy dressing to make things more interesting.

 - Olive oil (extra virgin if you can)
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper

It's up to use how much you use of each, but generally I use more olive oil than lemon juice, then I put in the salt and pepper and whisk it all together with a fork then pour it onto the salad.

Happy eating!

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