Beauty on a Dime {Guest Post}

photo (3)Today’s Beauty post is by Michelle from Skana Spa in Upstate New York. She is here to share tips and tricks of her trade! Enjoy!

No matter how busy of a schedule you may have you should always find time for yourself. Every woman loves to get away to the spa for a day of beauty and relaxation but that isn’t always an option. However there are alternatives, with a couple ingredients you probably have in your house you can make yourself a rejuvenating body scrub.

Now And Then the best remedies are those that are the least expected. In the case of skin, one of the most efficient means for cleaning pores is more dirt. Minerals picked up from quarries. Volcanic ash, and sea beds around the globe, cosmetic clay holds a multitude of minerals that nourish the skin and are naturally absorbent qualities help draw out debris, excess oils, remove dead skin cells and even contagions from pores. Applied once a week, a clay mask results in a soft, supple, genuinely clean skin texture.

Mixing cosmetic clay powder with cold, filtered tap water is the easiest method to make a mask, but there can be additional perks by taking advantage of other liquids. Cool green tea produces an additional antioxidant boost that may help slow down the development of fine lines. To soothe irritated or dry skin, try combining the clay with cold milk or heavy cream.

To start off, add one tablespoonful of tap water, green tea, or milk to a small container. Continue to add tablespoons of fine cosmetic clay powder to the liquid mixing to prevent clumps. The resulting paste should be smooth; if it is too thick or runny, add a couple of drops of tap water or a little extra clay to reach the desired texture.

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Cleanse skin thoroughly with facial cleanser and warm water and gently pat skin dry.

Place a warm wet cloth over the face for a minute or two to open up pores before smoothing on the mud mask. This will allow the mud to absorb more oil and impurities in the skin.

Using fingers, smooth the mud mask over the face beginning with sides of the face and brow applying the paste in a thick layer to clean, dry skin. Make sure to keep away from the eyes and lips.

A one-inch paintbrush can be used for an even application. While the mask is drying, sit back and relax. Staying still will make sure the clay does not crack or fall off.

After 10 to 12 minutes, wipe mask off with a very hot washcloth. Periodically run the washcloth under hot tap water, and squeeze out any excess water then press it to the face to soften the clay. Then, lightly wash off the mask in a circular movement. Rinse with lukewarm water.

Pat skin dry with a soft towel and then follow up with a mild toner and moisturizer to soften skin and nourish it throughout the day.

Some types of clay are a mild skin purifier that does not soak up oil, which makes them safe for dry or delicate skin textures. Others types deep clean and remove oils and toxins from the skin, which can help oily skin and minimize the impacts of pollution. For optimal results, opt for one that best suits each skin type.

Refrigerate any remaining mask for up to one month in an airtight container and reapply once a week.

I hope you find this post useful! And don’t forget that I am participating in the Refashion Runway contest! Please vote here, to keep me in the competition and see more of my refashions!

Xo,

Z

PS. Check out the latest Sale on ROMWE

American National Day Sale at Romwe! 06/11/2013 – 06/15/2013 
http://www.romwe.com/manage_activity/Happy-National-Day/

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New Skin Care Favorites/Новые любимчики по уходу за кожей

About a month ago I bought quiet a few new skincare products. We all need to umpf our skincare routine every once in a while. Besides I really got into the whole peel concept, and since I haven’t posted anything under the “Beauty” category in a while, so here it goes:

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1. Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Overnight Peel- $14.99

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- Great packaging – much better than Garnier’s Dark Spot Corrector – easier to get the product out!

- No harsh scent

- Works well when it comes to removing acne scars (that’s the main reason why I buy such products)

- Loosens dead skin cells and helps to better exfoliate skin!

I don’t use this product every night, like it recommends. If you don’t have bad dark spots, just use it a couple times a week, like I do!

2. Alba Hawaiian Facial Mask – $12.95

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- Light gel-like texture

- Hypo-allergenic and pH balanced, plus all of the ingredients are 100% vegetarian

- Smells great

- Papaya and pineapple enzymes help loosen dead skin cells and reveal bright, vibrant skin

- Made in the US!

I only use it once a week, mainly because I want to make it last! There are only 3 oz of product in the jar :/

3. Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus - $10.48 on Clearance

- Brightens and tones, improves skin tone with enzymes, contained in the Hibiscus flower and Songyi Mushroom.

- It also moisturizes

- Contains a blend of mineral clays that help detoxify skin

The only thing I dislike about this mask is it’s consistency, it seems to be separating (water gathers on top, leaving the clay layer underneath) so every time I use it, I make sure to mix it up before applying it!

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4. Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Facial Mask with Frankincense & Myrrh – $10.48 on Clearance

I am in love with this product! It is absolutely amazing!

- Soft, buttery consistency that melts as it touches your skin, leaving a short tingly feeling behind

- Purifies and softens to improve skins radiance

- Contains anti-oxidants

- Deeply moisturizes and repairs

This mask works better for me than Clinique’s Moisture Surge and Origin’s Make a Difference + put together times 10!

5. Eclos Anti-Aging Serum – $13.99 on Clearance

I didn’t know what to expect when I bought this serum. I was looking for a new anti-aging treatment though, and this serum looked interesting, plus it was on clearance, so I got 1.7 oz of product for a pretty decent price!

- It’s very fast absorbent, I think it’s my favorite part about this product, doesn’t leave your skin feeling too tight or uncomfortable, even if you don’t apply moisturizer right away!

- Has a nice natural scent to it

- Contains plant stem cells that promote cell renovation

- Rich in anti-oxidants, including Green Tea and Turmeric

I am glad I got this product when I did, it doesn’t go on clearance every day! And is still listed at $19.99 on Target’s website. But to be completely honest with you, after having tried this product, I am ready to pay the full price for it!

And that’s it, here are all the products that have been helping my skin stay exfoliated, vibrant and refreshed. I can’t emphasize how important exfoliation is for younger healthy looking skin!

What beauty products have you been loving lately?Do tell!

Xo,

Z

PS. All products have been purchased with my own money

Около месяца назад я прикупила достаточно большое количество новых продуктов по уходу за кожей лица. Иногда нужно сменить или обновить уход за кожей, тем более, я давно ничего не писала про косметику. Итак,

1. Ночной пилинг от пигментных пятен от Garnier - $14.99

- Отличная упоковка – намного лучше чем сыворотка от потемнений на коже – продукт очень легко дозируются с помощью помпы

- Нет резкого запаха

- Отлично подходит для избавления от следов от акне (для этого я и покупаю такие средства)

- Растворяет омертвевшие клетки кожи и отлично эксфолиирует!

Я бы не рекомендовала использовать этот продукт каждый вечер, особенно если у вас нет ярко видимых пигментных пятен. Для пилинга такое средство достаточно использовать пару раз в неделю.

2. Гавайская маска для лица от Alba – $12.95

- Легкая гелевая текстура

- Данное средство гиппо-аллергенно, pH сбалансировано, к тому же все ингредиенты на 100% вегетарианские

- Отлично пахнет

- Энзимы папайи и ананаса помогают растворить омертвевшие клетки кожи и делают кожу ярче и моложе

- Сделана эта маска в США!

Пользуюсь я этим средством раз в неделю, потому что хочу, чтобы мне его хватило на более долгий срок! В банке всего около 85 грамм.

3. Маска с кокосом и гибискусом от Shea Moisture  - $10.48 на распродаже

- Делает кожу ярче, сужает поры, улучшает цвет лица с помощью энзимов, содержащихся в цветах гибискуса и грибах Songyi

- Увлажняет кожу

- Содержить смесь минеральных глин, которые очищают кожу от вредных веществ

Единственное, что мне не нравится в этой маске, это ее консистенция (ну или ее отсутствие), такое впечатление, что маска оседает (вода собирается с верху, а слой глины остается снизу), поэтому перед использованием маску приходится перемешивать!

4. Маска с маслом Ши с Ладаном и Миррой от Shea Moisture - $10.48 на распродаже

Я просто влюблена в это средство! Это чудо, а не маска!

- Мягкая масляная текстура, создается впечатление, что средство тает при соприкосновении с кожей, оставляя лекгое ощущение покалывания

- Очищает и смягчает кожу, придает ей сияние

- Содержит анти-оксиданты

- Глубоко увлажняет и восстанавливает

Эта маска действует на много раз лучше, чем Moisture Surge от Клиник и Make a Difference Plus от Origins!

5. Анти возрастная сыворотка от Eclos – $13.99 на распродаже

Я не знала чего ожидать от этого продукта. Но, будучи в поисках новой анти-возрастной сыворотки, решилась его попробовать. Выглядела эта сыворотка интересно, и продавалась со скидкой. В итоге я приобрела 50 мл средства за очень хорошую цену.

- Сыворотка очень быстро впитывается, и за это я ее уже люблю. Даже если вы не сразу нанесете увлажняющий крем, она не стянет вашу кожу!

- Приятный натуральный растительный запаз

- Содержит клетки раcтительные стволовые клетки, который способствуют обновлению клеток вашей кожи

- Продукт богат антиоксидантами, включая зеленый чай и куркуму

Я очень довольна этой сывороткой, и рада, что купила ее пока она шла на распродаже. На сайте Target она стоит $19.99. Но если уж говорить на чистоту, то я готова заплатить за нее полную цену, после того, как я ее попробовала!

Ну вот и все, я рассказала о всех продуктах, которые купила, и как вы заметили, они все тем или иным образом удаляют омертвевшие клетки кожи! Не забывайте насколько важна эксфолиация, особенно если вы хотите, чтобы ваша кожа выглядела моложе и красивее!

А какими масками пользуетесь вы? Очень интересно узнать!

Всего хорошего,

Женя

PS. Все упомянутые выше продукты были куплены на мои деньги

Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012

Blogging, just like everything in life comes with it’s own perks. Today I am sharing one of mine – the Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012. I’ve recently received it in the mail. It was sent to me from this amazing website – Influenster.com . I highly recommend that you give this website a shot, especially if you are beauty/skincare/makeup obsessed, or just like free stuff :) Plus the website has a new updated interface, which is way more user friendly, the reviews are easy to find and are honest, because they are written by ordinary people, just like you and me!

So what was in my box?

 

I was kind of upset because I didn’t get a bonus item. Select members got either a Vitabath Fragrance Mist or a Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin. I really wish I would’ve gotten the latter, I’ve been dying to try that line. I guess I’ll just have to splurge and buy some of the products. Thankfully that line is available at Target!

Here is my super cute miniature candle, the box also included a $10 coupon on a 3 wick Bath & Body Works candle, but since I’ve already done all of my candle shopping for the season, I think I am going to hold off on that one! Let me know if you want that coupon and I’ll mail it to you!

 

Another thing that I have tried out of the box, and probably what I was most excited for was this NYC palette, which includes 4 eyeshadows (2 matte, 2 shimmer), a primer and a creamy illuminator. I used it to do my makeup on Friday!

 

I have also tried the EBOOST powder, mixed it with my water and drank it last night! That thing fizzes up!

 

I don’t think I’ll be purchasing this anytime soon, because a box of 20 pouches (single servings) is $28! Airborne serves the same purpose, and is much more affordable! If you are looking for a good Airborne knock-off try CVS brand, I’ve tried that and Target brand and I can definitely say that CVS is much closer to the real thing than Target!

And finally there is a 1.5 oz tube of Not Your Mother’s Smooth Moves Frizz Control Hair Cream, Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit and Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin – I will dedicate separate posts to those two products, though I am kind of skeptical about the pins, maybe it’s the fact that I have rather fine hair :)

So there you have it, my Beauty Blogger VoxBox 2012! Did you get a box? What was in it? What do you like or dislike about it? Do tell!

Zhenya

Treating cystic acne ASAP!

Today’s post is a review on a product that I bought last week, because I started to break out! And the breakouts I got weren’t the regular black heads here and there, I got the really painful bumps that take forever to disappear, and are so deep under your skin, they are impossible to get out. And worst of all, it seems like those things grow roots, because you can feel them from the inside of your cheek with your tongue! Grossed out yet? Well I was! I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror, let alone apply any sort of foundation over them, let alone sell make up looking like I just escaped from some freak show circus. Anyways, cysts suck and we all know it. In my attempt to control them I used everything from vitamins and herbs, to “Badiaga” (a well-known Russian remedy, sort of like a natural peel) and nothing helped! I wanted them to be gone, and I didn’t want to wait!

And then I had an idea, I went on line! Isn’t this how we get better ideas these days anyways? And I saw pictures of the clay that I’ve heard of about a year ago, but since last year at this time I was in Russia, that product wasn’t really available! Anyways I am talking about this:

It’s a 1 lb jar of my salvation! Seriously! The best clay I’ve ever tried, kicks all those Russian clays butts big time. It’s a powder that you mix with either water or apple cider vinegar, to make a paste and then apply it to your face. Below is a picture of what the instructions look like, so if you are extremely curious that one is for you :P

Also, here is a Spanish and French version of everything mentioned above!

Now I decided that apple cider vinegar was going to be so much better for my skin than just water, that’s why I mixed an equal amount of both in a little plastic container. It’s preferable that you don’t use anything metal when preparing this treatment. It was kind of fun watching the whole thing bubble up, but the  smell  stink was just UGH! I also used a cheap Heinz brand Apple Cider Vinegar, maybe after this bottle is all out I’ll splurge and buy an all natural one!

What you see in the picture are left overs from that first batch! I made too much for one facial, so I refrigerated the rest and have used it again once as a full facial treatment, and once as a spot treatment.

So here is how you do it! Start with a clean face (and apparently a dirty mirror :) )

Apply all over your face, avoiding the eye area (as I also mentioned above, you can use it as a spot treatment)

Let it do it’s magic for 15-20 min if your skin is normal/oily, or 5-10 if dry!

You are going to feel your face pulsing, which was pretty cool, but I think a lot of clay based masks have the same pulsing effect. Your face is also going to start looking like a desert surface. And please make sure to watch time when doing this facial. The manufacturer also mentions that redness may occur for about 30 minutes after you wash it off, so it’s absolutely normal, don’t panic. My redness went away real fast btw!

You can see that my skin isn’t perfect and I am by no means saying that this treatment is going to solve all of your problems, it’s just the best I’ve seen so far! And it worked in just one application. The swelling went away, the cysts dried up, there was some dry and flaky skin, but everything can be fixed with a little 7 day scrub from Clinique, right?

So where do you buy this? I had to go to The Vitamine Shoppe, because that was the only place in Minneapolis that I found that sold this, and the price was $7.99 if I am not mistaken. Another thing is – the label says that you will get 10-15 facials out of the jar. So far I’ve gotten 3 – from 1 tablespoon :)

Good luck on your skin care venture, I hope I was able to help!

Doodles,

Z

Review: Origins A Perfect World SPF 25

Today’s post is entirely dedicated to Origins’ A Perfect World SPF 25 Moisturizer. We all want to live in a perfect world, don’t we? Especially if it also protects us from the sun! The brand is rather popular in the US, not so sure about Russia and Europe. This moisturizer usually comes in a packaging like this:

But mine came in a tube, and I got it for free on Earth Day (April, 22) at the Origins counter at Macy’s when I recycled a Physician’s Formula tinted moisturizer.

It ususally retails for $39.50 before tax, but free is better, in my case free turned out to be a pretty good deal, for both my wallet and my skin! It’s perfect for the summer too!

I’ve been using this moisturizer every AM since I got it, it’s not a very good night time product because of the SPF, unless you need SPF at night ;)

It has a light citrus scent, mixed in with the wonderful smell of SPF! It’s easy to apply, it absorbs fast, and it doesn’t create any greasiness. It’s best used if you have dry combination skin (raise your hand if you fall into the same category as me!) As far as I understand, this is a second “edition” of A Perfect World, the first one lacked SPF.

For those of you who don’t know, Origins is paraben, mineral oil, paraffin and other nasty stuff free!

This is what the moisturizer looks like out of the packaging:

It’s really hard to find anything wrong with this product. I do admit, I like having it in a tube more than a jar. I simply believe that it doesn’t come into as much contact with air being in a tube, thus keeping it’s qualities and main features.

I was also rather smitten by it’s expiration date – it’s good for 24 months (that’s 2 whole years), it’s just always seemed to me that such natural products as this one, should last a lot less (compare: The Balm’s expiration date is 6 months after opening).

Overall, this moisturizer is getting a 4 out of 5 stars in my book! And hopefully Origins will have more products like this for other skin types. Have you tried it? What do you think?

Cheers,

Z

Сегодняшний пост хочу посвятить увлажняющему крему для лица с экстрактом белого чая от фирмы Origins. Я не знаю известна ли эта фирма в Европе и России, но она достаточно популярна в США. Сам крем обычно идет в банке.

Расскажу почему мой в тубе и как он мне достался! В прошлое воскресенье, 22 апреля, отмечался День Земли — Earth Day, и фирма Origins проводила специальную промо-акцию — раздавали полноразмерные крема в обмен на пустую тару от любых косметических/уходовых средств.

Розничная цена — $39.50 без налога, но на халяву, как говорят, и уксус сладкий — в данном случае «уксус» оказался самое то! А уж тем более на лето!

Этим средством я пользуюсь уже неделю, наношу его на лицо и шею каждое утро (в роли ночного увлажняющего средства ни производитель, ни я его не вижу — SPF 25 вряд ли кому-то пригодится после захода солнца   )

У крема легкий цитрусовый запах, смешанный с запахом солнцезащитного средства, куда же без этого! Наносится легко, впитывается очень быстро, ни пленки, ни жирности. Лучше всего подходит для комбинированной кожи (у меня именно такая). Кстати это уже вторая версия A Perfect World, первая шла без SPF фактора.

Хочется также отметить натуральность фирмы Origins, сзади на тубе перечислены все ингредиенты, а также упоминается то, что вся продукция данной фирмы производится без mineral oil, парабенов, парафинов, и т.д.

Цвет крема белый.

Увлажняет хорошо, даже не знаю к чему придраться. Честно скажу одно — упаковка — банка — нравится мне меньше, чем туба. Я считаю что находясь в тубе, крем контактирует с меньшим количеством воздуха, нежели будучи в банке, тем самым хранится дольше и сохраняет свои свойства лучше!

Немного смущает то, что срок годности — 24 месяца, после открытия упаковки, почему-то казалось, что у такого натурального средства, он должен быть меньше   (сравниваю с The Balm — у них срок кремов — 6 месяцев).

В итоге ставлю средству твердую 4, и надеюсь фирма Origins выпустит нечто подобное и для других типов кожи!

Всем отличного дня!

Xoxo,

Z

 

Estee’ Lauder Idealist

I did it, I fell a victim to the spell of EL and the Idealist, but I didn’t get the Even Skin Tone Illuminator, I got the Pore Minimizing one instead! It looks like this:

So, what does it do?

This fast-acting serum delivers our most dramatic skin resurfacing benefits-more efficiently than ever before.

With Idealist, your skin looks and feels like your ideal skin:

Virtually poreless.

  • Pores appear 1/3 smaller-instantly.
  • See a 69% reduction in the look of pores in just 4 weeks.

Unbelievably soft and smooth.

  • Repairs the look of uneven skin texture,

flakiness and roughness.

  • Smooth it on and instantly enjoy that soft, seamless, silky feeling you love.

Incredibly clear and even-toned.

  • See more clarity and luminosity.
  • Gives skin an overall more even tone.

(description from EL website – there is a description in Russian below which is more detailed and explanatory – and I personally like it more, if you can read Russian go see for yourself :) )

Now I have tried this one on many times while bored at work ;) and decided to splurge on a product that I knew worked and that I needed, especially with summer right around the corner!

And thanks to my Macy’s discount I got the large one for the price of small one! I  can’t pick mine up until tomorrow, but the post just couldn’t wait!

Have you splurged on anything lately?

Cheers,

Z

Я пала жертвой Эсте Лаудер и заказала себе Идеалист! Правда я не стала заказывать себе тот, который выравнивает цвет лица, я заказала тот, который сужает поры! Выглядит он немного по-другому (см. фото выше).

Что же делает это средство?

Сыворотка Idealist выравнивает тон кожи, уменьшает видимость черных точек, закупоренных пор и “микротеней”. Кожа светится здоровьем и выглядит помолодевшей и сияющей.

Всего через 4 недели самые передовые и быстродействующие ингредиенты обеспечивают великолепный результат, значительно уменьшая видимость пор и даря ощущение мягкости и гладкости – кожа выглядит здоровой и ухоженной.

  • Улучшает текстуру кожи, исчезают шелушение, краснота, неровности. Заметно улучшает цвет лица, со временем кожа приобретает безупречный, ухоженный вид.
  • Тройное содержание глюкозамина и эксклюзивный экстракт каштана мягкого действия помогают коже избавиться от сухих, тусклых, омертвевших клеток. Глюкозамин – производное сахара, обладающий уникальными отшелушивающими свойствами. Этот компонент ослабляет межклеточные связи, помогая коже естественным образом избавляться от омертвевших клеток.
  • Уникальный разглаживающий полимер мгновенно делает незаметными несовершенства поверхности кожи – морщинки и огрубевшие участки. Легкая текстура позволяет сделать поры совершенно незаметными, при этом не забивая их.
  • Экстракты морской водоросли и карликовой пальмы контролируют выделение жира на поверхности кожи.
  • Запатентованная технология Bubbles TechnologyTM создает необыкновенное ощущение при нанесении: Idealist скользит по коже и обеспечивает ей ощущение свежести по мере того, как микропузырьки преобразуются в воздушно-бархатистую текстуру.
(Русское описание взято с русского сайта компании Estee’ Lauder – как вы можете понять – оно отличается от английского, более детальное и понятное!)
Я несколько раз пробовала это средство на работе (от скуки) – и в конце концов решила на него раскошелиться!

Ну и ко всему прочему, с моей скидкой и специальной акцией в Macy’s я купила большой флакон этого средства по цене маленького! Ну и моя подруга как обычно добавила мне пробников, но о них в другом посте!

А на что вы раскошелились в этом месяце?

Всем отличного дня!

Z

Vitamins – is it all what it takes?

My dear blogger friends, I know I have abandoned you, and I feel so so sad about it! Yesterday I was trying to upload a post through my phone, but it wouldn’t add the pictures right, so I gave up and decided to wait till this AM!

I finally have a morning off to sit down (well actually sit up in bed) prop myself with a pillow and start writing.

I am going to talk to you about vitamins today, and why I take them. If you are my friend on Facebook, you’ve probably seen this:

I am sure some of you have been wondering about this picture, and yes, I know the printer in the background is very attractive, we are going to leave my old HP alone today.

Now I am going to say it upfront  - this post is my opinion and my alone, I won’t be convincing you to do anything, buy anything, take anything – I am just sharing my experience, that’s all.

I’ve been taking vitamins for as long as I can remember! My grandma was a doctor, so she would always give me vitamin C – in Russia it came in a little yellow ball – I think it still does – well, those vitamins were like a treat to me, almost some sort of candy. No wonder that I later snuck into the cabinet and ate the whole jar, which of course caused a rash and a lesson learned for life ;)

I later found out from a friend, whose parents were also doctors, that it takes like 20 of those to fulfill the daily dosage of Vitamin C in your body, go figure!

When I started coming to the States, all these One a Day’s were becoming more and more popular. Almost like the Gummies for adults are popular now. So I’ve taken those as well.

Basically you name it – I’ve tried it – Calciums of all sorts, Multi’s, liquids, soft gels, chewable (I went through a fiber stage, I admit), extracts…

I did take a brake for a while, I haven’t taken anything since last December I think. So what happened? Why now?

You guys it all goes back to my skin – I am not happy with the way it looks, and drinking a lot a lot of water wasn’t cutting it for me, neither were all the products I’ve been using!

So I turned to Gillian McKeeth for advice -

 Yes, her, she knows what she is talking about, right?

Anyways, she connects breakouts on your face to your intestines or liver, or other internal organs, and I am sure she wasn’t the one who came up with that, so I boldly followed her advice, spent $40 bucks on all of this (Thank you CVS for BOGO!)

Now what the heck is all this again for? Oh that’s right – to get better looking skin and get rid of blemishes!

So we’ll start with the teas first – Mullein Leaf (God knows what it’s called in Russian – never saw it there, probably never will) and Dandelion tea – now the one I have here is the Detox one and it contains the same organic dandelion root as the other one, but tastes so much better! The regular dandelion is just – UGH! Even with honey and sugar and lemon, it’s still UGH! Mullein is better, a ton a ton of better – and there is more tea bags in there too – 24 vs. 16! Good thing I have coupons!

Now the vitamins – all are supposed to help get rid of blemishes and make your skin perfect. Today is Friday, I’ve started taking all of these guys on Tuesday, my skin is still not perfect :/ I guess I’m just going to keep on taking them!

Doodles,

Z

PS. A certain portion of sarcasm has been used in this post, please beware!

 

So what’s Clinique’s 3 Step Really Like?

It’s nothing like Pro Active or any of the drug store 3 step kits…

Yeah, you’ve heard it all before, probably from all kinds of people, including us – Beauty Advisors.

But what do we really think of Clinique’s 3 step? That’s the big question!

Let me share what I think, and how my skin feels. Bur, first of all, let me make it clear – I got my 3 step for FREE, I work for Clinique, so there you have it!

During my hiring process (trust me it was very long – took about a month) I was skin-typed by the Clinique counter manager, and ended up being Skin Type 2 – Dry/Combination – which basically means, I have dry cheeks and a T-zone. If you get skin-typed in a store, you will probably see one of those:

Or an iPad (we have one in downtown Minneapolis, it’s just been sent into repair, because it wasn’t charging!)

You can also skin-type yourself on Clinique’s website! That’s especially appealing to those, who don’t feel comfortable talking to a Beauty Advisor (but we are not as scary as you think!)

My 3 step came with a bar-soap, a purple clarifying lotion (2) and the dramatically different moisturizer without pump. I remember back in 2008 my friend Bri swore by Clinique’s bar soap and said that it really helped her skin clear out. Well, if I had a choice, I would’ve rather gone with liquid soap, but it is what it is. Now do Clinique’s products really have no fragrance? No, they do. The soap and the lotion aren’t as bad, because you wash the first one off, and the other one is absorbed by your skin. But the clarifying lotion smells like witch hazel (duh, it’s one of the ingredients, and menthol – also on the list). Oddly enough, clarifying lotion is my favorite product. I’ve been skipping this step for over 2 years now, and oh boy did it feel good coming back to it! It leaves my skin squeaky clean and if i give it a few moments, I can feel the cooling effects of menthol!

Now back to step 1 – the soap. It’s fine, really, it’s just the next time I am definitely getting the liquid soap! If your skin is combination, but tends to get very dry, I’d recommend trying the extra-mild liquid soap. I know people who’ve done it and love it! Another interesting thing I heard from the customers – substituting the soap with this foaming cleanser:

Heard that it works like a charm as well, though I personally wouldn’t recommend it for oily skin. I also know that a lot of people use this to remove their make-up!

Now last, but not least – the moisturizer (skin type 3 and 4 – you get the gel – less oily!). Yes, it does have the mineral oil in the ingredients. If you don’t know what it is, here is some quick info -

Most often, mineral oil is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum-based products from crude oil. A mineral oil in this sense is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes and cyclic paraffins, related to petroleum jelly (also known as “white petrolatum”). It has a density of around 0.8 g/cm3. Mineral oil is a substance of relatively low value, and it is produced in very large quantities. Mineral oil is available in light and heavy grades, and can often be found in drug stores.

Cosmetics

Mineral oil is a common ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and cosmetics. It is a lightweight inexpensive oil that is odorless and tasteless. It can be used on eyelashes to prevent brittleness and breaking and, in cold cream, is also used to remove creme make-up and temporary tattoos. One of the common concerns regarding the use of mineral oil is its presence on several lists of comedogenicsubstances. These lists of comedogenic substances were developed many years ago and are frequently quoted in the dermatological literature.

A study reported in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2005) found that the type of highly refined and purified mineral oil found in cosmetic and skincare products is noncomedogenic (does not clog pores).

So it’s not as bad as a lot of people make it sound! I use it and love it! I do wish it came with a pump though (it does, mine just didn’t ;) )

And I do recommend that you try it! If you live in the Twin Citites area, come see me at the Clinique counter in downtown Macy’s, I’ll be more than willing to help you, sign you up for events and make-overs!

 Doodles,

Z