Battling Breakouts

* This was not sponsored by Origins and I do not work for them. I am just a huge fan of their products. The woe of trying new skincare products is getting a bad reaction. I have been trying a number of new products out because of my beauty box subscriptions. However, some of the products just do not seem to work for me.

My skin type is combination dry. This means that control oil can be too drying for me. This also means that rich, moisturizing products tend to break me out as well. A product that seems to help with both problems is Origins Spot Remover products.

Say hi to Origin’s “ Spot Remover Acne Treatment Pads.”

I use this guy after washing my face and before putting any moisturizer. I guess it can work as a toner/ treatment all in one. It has salicylic acid but doesn't dry out or irritate my face. It has potent enough ingredients to battle blemishes but not too crazy where my skin feels parched. I also like the fact that the pads are dual sided, one side is bumpy for slight exfoliation and the other side is smooth for just plain old application.

If I have a particularly bad break out, I go on to the next arsenal in the treatment, “The Spot Remover Gel.” This is more of a concentrated treatment that you can apply to just the breakout itself, rather than all over. The gel is a bit interesting it kind of creates a film over the blemish. This is really good if you tend to wear makeup most of the time. This way, none of your makeup goes into the already inflamed pimple!

So this guy is my emergency solution for horrendous breakouts.

Sometimes, I tend to forget to moisturize when my skin is clogged and blemished. That is not good! This means the skin will go in overproduction mode and create more oil in parts it feels dry. For combination dry skin, i would definitely recommend Origin’s “Make a Difference Rejuvenating treatment.” This lotion has a gel-like texture but is still really moisturizing. It makes my skin feel comfortable after washing or scrubbing.

The thing I love about Origins products is that they have a wonderful and natural fruit smell. Lots of botanicals to soothe and calm the skin! I truly cannot live with my skin without their stuff.

Is there a specific brand that you prefer to use? Or does it really depend on how the product itself works on your skin? What are your favorite ways to battle skin concerns?

Store Experience

Dear skincare "expert" at Origins Grand Central,



Please don't push products on me or tell me to buy a certain product when I tell you I want a specific item. I know my products and my skin better than you do. If you make me buy something I do not like, I will return or exchange it. Don't give me attitude when I am exchanging a product. Do you not see that I am still using your items? I just want what works for my skin. Thanks!



Tell me about your shop experiences! Good or bad.



P.S. I will do a post on my subscription boxes for September soon.

Sephora VIB

I have finally reached Sephora's VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) status. To reach VIB, one must be a Sephora Beauty Insider and spend $350 within a calendar year. The benefits are VIB only events and exclusive rewards/ benefits. At today’s visit, I purchased Tarte Clean Slate Deluxe Primer Trio, Boscia Clear Complexion Treatment with Botanical Blast, and Fresh Prime & Glow.

The summer has been wreaking havoc on my skin with its humidity and sun. Sun block usually tends to break me out and clog my pores. Hence, the Boscia purchase to decongest said pores. Since I tend to break out and clog, I despise primers. However, Fresh and Tarte are more skin-friendly with their ingredients. Most primers tend to have a silicone ingredients in them, that is pretty hard to avoid. This just means I need to be more diligent using masks and exfoliators.

The VIB good bag has many interesting deluxe samples. Here is the list of what was in it: Stella McCartney's Stella Eau de Parfum 0.05 fl. oz., Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer .25 fl. oz., Benefit's Cha Cha Tint 0.08 fl. oz., L'occitane's Shea Dry Skin Hand Cream .30 fl. oz., Murad's Essential C Day Moisture Spf 30 .33 fl. oz., Algenist's Overnight Restorative Cream 0.5 fl. oz., and Sephora's Instant Moisturizer .169 fl. oz.

I am really excited to try the Benefit, L'occitane, and Smashbox items. Those are classic items that everyone seems to rave about. L'occitane has been my favorite for many years. The hand cream is super rich and has a nice calming scent. I have at least 4 tubes at a time of these. Love, love, and love.

I really need to cut down on purchases for now. Use up the items in my stash first, and then I can go purchase some more. Who is up for an Empties Challenge?





P.S. Reviews of items from my Sample Subscriptions will come soon. I want to finish up the items first before I do a review.

Sephora Beauty Insider 500 points

I finally decided to redeem my 500 point Beauty Insider gift at Sephora. Some of the past sets I have seen were not that exciting. The past one was a Sephora brand set with eye makeup and remover, a bit boring and not worth wasting points on. The set I got to grab was Caudalie's Beauty Essentials.

Pretty exciting, I have to say. This brand tends to be pricey and getting to try a couple of their products in deluxe sizes for free is awesome. Technically not free since you had to spend such and such money to get to your 500 point status. I will put up a review once I have had a chance to either use it for a while or finish it up. Stay tuned.

Please stare at these wonderful deluxe samples in the meantime.

My Review of Tea Tree Water

Originally submitted at LUSH USA

Ah the wonders of tea tree – it's mostly known for its cleansing properties, but is also great for soothing troubled skin. We add a bit of juniperberry and grapefruit to the tea tree to refresh and tone your skin. It won't leave your face feeling tight and dry because we don't use any a...

Tea Tree Water

Refreshing

By Jane from NY, New York on 8/9/2012

 

4out of 5

When you survey your stash, you label this product: Cult Classic

Pros: Tones, Soothes Skin, Refreshing

Best Uses: Enlarged Pores, Sensitive Skin, Reduces acne, Daily Use

Describe Yourself: Beauty Expert

Skin Type: Combination

Age: 16-24

In the summer, I like to keep a small bottle of this in the fridge. It helps reduce acne and also cools down my skin. If my skin need a bit of moisture or refreshing, I just spritz a bit on my face. The smell is not offending but I think it won't be everyone's cup of tea. The tea tree scent is a love/hate scent. This is great enough that my brother always seems to steal this from me.

(legalese)

Beauty Box Subscriptions

So I had subscribed for Beauty Boxes. I first joined Sample Society at Beautybar.com and then Birchbox.

The August 2012 box from Sample Society is AMAZING. The sample I was most excited about and pleased to see was a FULL-SIZED Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in the Color Private Dancer. It is a gorgeous amazing purple with iridescence.

The other samples in the box were decent too. There was a Jane Iredale Longest Lash Mascara. The packaging is a squeezable tube, which makes the mascara more versatile. You can control the amount you want on the brush. I think I will be enjoying this sample too.

I love natural skincare as well. So the sample of Elemental Herbology's Moisture Milk was great to get as well. The packaging says the lotion is ultra-light. I really hope this does not break me out. I took a whiff of the lotion too. Smells quite like natural lavender, kind of reminded me of Steam Cream and Lush's Dream Cream.

I tend to dye my hair often and need to use masks and oils. Not that my hair is highly damaged or anything. I just like taking preventative measures. There was also a small sample of Phyto's phytonectar oil. The only other oils I have tried for my hair are Moroccan oil and Wen's Sweet Almond Mint Replenishing treatment. I shall compare these items and review eventually.

The box also contained a toner from Arcona. It says its a cranberry toner. It doesn't excite me that much and there seems to be a weird iridescent shimmer in the toner and the pink color bothers me. This item seems like it might irritate my skin because of the unnecessary additives.

My least favorite sample was Malin+Gotez Vitamin E Face Moisturizer. It was just a teeny tiny packet. Whish they sent more of it at least.

Here is a picutre of the awesome sample society box for August 2012.

Time to blog

Too many beauty and fashion items but no blogging as of yet. I need to motivate myself to actually write more these days. Natural skincare products are my favorite types.

The summer weather tends to wreak havoc on my skin. Times like these, it doesn't matter if I am using natural skincare or regular skincare.

What is your summer skincare routine? Do you tend to exfoliate more? Maybe apply a mask twice a week? How do you guys battle blackheads and blemishes?

Things I tend to use:
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Lush Tea Tree Water
Lush Grease Lightning Spot Cleanser
Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask
Origins Super Spot Remover
Boscia Luminizing Black Mask
Aztec Healing Clay
French Green Clay

These are the beauty products I deem necessary in the hot summer times. I don't necessarily use all these at once. I tend to get bored of using the same things every week. I also feel like my skin gets used to some products if I prolong the usage of it.