Mel's Makeup

for now....finally finished off the last of my prerequisites! I have a whole summer to prepare for dental hygiene school and then the madness begins.

I got 4 packages in the mail today! How exciting =D.  I had a reallllllly long day at school and work and it was so nice to come home to all these goodies:

1) Lumiere

2) Loose Lips New York 

3) J.Lynne Cosmetics 

4) Everyday Minerals

I took pictures of the products but haven't had time to swatch them, etc.  The Loose Lips New York sample haul is huge - for $5 I got more than 10 samples.  I'm nervous about trying the products from this particular company because it's relatively new....I'll start slowly.

Anyway, I will have to make another post later.  Today has been exhausting because I only slept three hours last night....never again!

I don't know if it was out of boredom, frustration over my current foundation's lasting power or sheer addiction to buying stuff over the internet...but in the past 3-4 days I ended up purchasing samples from the following makeup companies:

Gel

My quick review:

Hey, ladies! I'm trying to buy a skin primer for my mineral foundation (Everday Minerals) application but I can't figure out which to get!  It's getting hotter in Southern California and my EDM foundation doesn't seem to have the same lasting power as it did in the Fall/Winter. =(

I ordered some blushes and face shimmering highlight powders from The She Space/About Face Cosmetics on April 10 and received them in the mail today (April 21). I got a total of 6 samples and can't wait to do some swatches and share photos with you gals! The shimmering powders look soooooo pretty in the bag.  The blushes I choose look alarmingly pink, I'm hoping they will go on sheer  ^_^.

Hey, guys! I was extremely busy last week, but guess what? I'm on Spring Break! However, my bf and my bffs go to quarter-system schools and I go to a semester-system school...so I ended up making no plans.  I'm just home 1/2 the time ...and my roomie is getting married so I've been helping preparing/sending hundreds of invitations......etc.....but it's so nice to just relax and not worry about school or work.  

So...I decided that I would make a post about my skin regimen.  I realize that everyone is different and this may not work for you..but hopefully it might give someone a chance to try something different.

Here's the quick version of my skin regimen:

I use 1)Target brand facial wipes (their Ponds dupe)

         2)100% filtered Jojoba Oil (clear in color)

         3)2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide

[edit]photos added! =D

Regimen products

5 comments

If you are curious and have time to kill...the long version is as follows:

Here's a little history about my skin.  I started breaking out around the age of 12.  My mother brought me to the dermatologist around the age of 14 because I was starting to get cystic acne that would give me some pretty bad scars.  My skin wasn't horrible, but the acne was noticeable and I scarred very easily.  The Dr. started prescribing me oral antibiotics, topical gels/creams/etc...and finally I settled for what worked for me: Doxycycline, Differin and Clindamycin.  I was on this magic concoction for about two years.  It really worked - my skin cleared up, my scars disappeared, my face was no longer oily, and my blackheads dissolved into thin air!

After 2 yrs, my Dr. decided to take me off the antibiotics and only prescribed me the topical medication.  Three months later, I started breaking out slowly and ended up in the same place that I was two years before. UGH! I was miserable and had to go back to caking on makeup, being conscious about my skin, new scars, etc.  FYI I wasn't scarring from popping my acne.  I couldn't win with the cystic acne - left untouched, it would leave a bump under my skin. Gross, right?

Anyway, to make this long story short (I battled with bad skin until Summer of 2007), I ended up being on and off Doxycycline for pretty much 8-10 years.  It would work, but the doctors would take me off it, then my skin would go back to its old condition.  I finally got sick and tired and decided to  find my own solution without prescriptions.  After trying everything from Proactiv, Mario Badescu (didn't irritate my skin, but too expensive for me), drugstore medications/scrubs, tens of face washes, etc - I found what works for me, is cheap and I am sticking to it!!

I started this regimen last Fall and have been pimple-free since then.  No more cystic acne - nothing except the occassional hormonal zit, and even those are miniscule and are gone after a night (after applying BP). I didn’t expect the outcome to be this amazing, but it has been.

REGIMEN:

Target

 AM: 

*Wipe my face with Target brand facial cleansing wipes (Ponds dupe), rinse with  water.

 *Moisturize with a squirt of 100% filtered Jojoba Oil (HG moisturizer, heaven   sent)

PM: 

*Wipe again with Target brand facial cleansing wipes. 

        *If I feel like I need to cleanse my face more, I use Purpose and very gently wash my face.  I never scrub my face or use Aspirin masks or cleansers with microbeads anymore.  It just doesn't work for me.  As much as I can - I try not to irritate my skin.  I lather the soap and use the tips of my fingers to go over my face for maybe 10-15 seconds max.  I know that may seem short – but I never go longer.  Then I splash my face with water and lightly dab my face dry with a towel – no rubbing.

*2x a week, I put a thin layer of  2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide that I purchased from Acne.org.  

*Moisturize with 100% filtered Jojoba Oil (fyi: colorless, odorless – I’ve never tried the yellow kind but supposedly there is a 'fatty' scent?)

Once a week, when I feel like my skin needs exfoliating, I'll run hot water over a washcloth, 

let it cool a bit, wring the water and place the cloth over my face.  I'll repeat this one more time and then use the washcloth and VERY gently go over my face in circular motions to slough off the dead skin that has been loosened by the steam from the washcloth.  After that, I splash my face with water once and pat dry.

2.5% benzoyl peroxide from Acne.org

That's pretty much it! Cost-wise, here's a rundown:

Target brand wipes=$3.50ish (about 1 - 1 1/5 packs a month - you can cut each sheet in 1/2 to save, but I don't :P)

2.5% BP 8 oz= $16.52 (I bought the old packaging of 4oz for $8.50 5 months ago...still working on finishing the tube, that's how little I use!)

Jojoba Oil 2 oz= $6.80 (this 2 ounce bottle lasts me 4-5 months, again this is used very sparingly)

I have to credit most of the regimen to www.acne.org.  I follow the cleansing + topical gel regimen that Dan recommends pretty closely.  The Jojoba Oil is great as a moisturizer because it mimics the oil your face produces, so your skin doesn't over produce when you apply it because your skin already 'thinks' there is a load of grease on your face, haha.  The jojoba oil goes on 'oily' but is quickly absorbed and doesn't leave you oily AT ALL. 

I hope this can be of help to someone.  I don’t break out anymore, my skin feels softer, my face is not an oil-pot - I'll actually go out without makeup now! I saw a friend the other day and she was shocked at how clear my skin had become.  

I understand that it can be frustrating (and effing expensive..*sigh* it sucks) to find a regimen that works, but to anyone that is struggling - hang in there. Don't be afraid to try new things, be patient for possible purging at the beginning of a new routine (that happened to me for 3 weeks when I started using BP).....heck, took me just about a decade to figure out my regimen.....so just remember that there is always a solution to any problem, so don't give up.

<3