Scrub-a-dub-dub: Your Guide to Skin Exfoliation

Aloha :)

First off, I wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes while I was recovering from my wisdom tooth extraction. I was actually able to start solid foods by the 3rd day and when I saw a few friends on the weekend, thy told me my face looked like I had never had surgery at all. Hooray for icing frozen green beans! My bottle of T-3s is still full and sitting on my side table... maybe I'll save those for a rainy day (You never know when you might fall off a cliff or break your arm, right?)

So while I was taking some time off, I was reading through my last post about milia and realized that while I recommended eye creams, I didn't recommend any exfoliating products/procedures. So today, I'm going to let you guys know the inside scoop on skin exfoliation and why it's so important!

Exfoliating your skin is the process of removing the top layer of dead skin cells. It is important to perform a thorough exfoliation at least once a week to ensure that your skin care is penetrating your actual skin and not just sitting on the surface. It also keeps milia, blackheads and whiteheads at bay by ensuring that your skin can effectively release its toxins/dirt/other junk without being blocked by a layer of dead skin. This can be achieved through manual and chemical exfoliation.

image c/o lifefoodnutrition.org

Manual Exfoliation

This process removes the top layer of skin through mechanical forces. Facial scrubs, facial peels (as in the ones you pain on your face and physically peel off), and things like a simple wash cloth fall under this category.

Facial scrubs are like cleansers that have small particles in the formula and gently buff your skin's surface as your gently massage the product into your face. Even if your daily face wash has a few exfoliating particles in it, it is important to perform a deep and thorough exfoliation weekly to get rid of things your daily cleanser can't handle.
When using a facial scrub, massage the product gently into your face with your fingertips or a face brush. DON'T use the palms of your hands (as satisfying as it may feel) to massage the product in because the skin on your face is very delicate and you don't want to aggravate it if you're massaging too hard.
Facial peels are probably my favourite kind of exfoliator. They are usually a thick, goopy consistency in a jar form so you can get into it with an applicator that's usually provided. Like any facial exfoliation treatment, this should be used about once a week as well.
Before you use a facial peel, cleanse your face with your normal cleanser. After that, "paint"/apply the peel onto your face with the paddle or brush applicator that is provided and wait for it to dry. Once it's dry to the touch, gently rub at the edge of the peel and slowly "peel" it off of your face. It's actually really amusing (I find) because I always try to remove my peel in one piece and fashion a weird, skin-like mask out of it. You also get to see all of the dead skin cells on the side of the peel that was against your face. It's really cool!
If you don't have a scrub or a peel on hand, you can always use a washcloth. Just load it with your favourite cleanser and run it under water to lather it into a light foam. Massage the foam into your skin with the wash cloth and rinse away.

Chemical Exfoliation
 Chemical exfoliants come in the form of peels. These peels contain a small amount of acid in them, and when applied to your face in a cleanser/lotion, they slough off the top layer of skin. They are strong but effective. AHA's, BHA's (Alpha and Beta hydroxy acids) and glycolic acid are common exfoliants used in chemical peels.
One example of a really easy to use chemical peel is Philosophy's The Microdelivery Tripe-Acid Peel ($88 CAD for 12 individually wrapped peels, available at The Bay). It comes as individually packaged pads that are soaked with the solution that you gently swipe across your face and rinse off (Kind of like those OXY pads we grew up with as kids). I have a few of these at home that I won from a gift basket and I've yet to try them out. You can definitely expect a review coming up soon!

My Favourite Exfoliators
My skin care arsenal if currently equipped with two exfoliators that I love to death.

image c/o elizabetharden.com

Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Peel and Reveal Revitalizing Mask
This falls under the category of mechanical peel. I LOVE this stuff. It has a gel-like consistency, a gorgeous pinkish colour and it smells like wine (probably from the cabernet grape extract). The rubber spatula it comes with makes it a breeze to apply (It came with a brush like applicator before they changed the packaging. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to apply this stuff with a fan brush).
When I get a bad reaction to a skin care product, (Or when I'm having a horrible skin day) my skin gets really puffy and then it starts to flake (Believe me, it's really unattractive). When I'm at the flaking stage, I apply this mask at night time after I've cleansed my face. I can actually feel it tighten my skin as it tightens while it dries (usually about 15-20 minutes). Once it dries to a shiny skin, I gently peel it off of my face and continue with my skin care regime as usual. Everything goes on so smoothly and my skin just glows after using this. Love it!! ($41 CAD for 50mL available at Shoppers Drugmart, The Bay and Sears).

The Micro Exfoliating Wash

Philosophy's The Micro Exfoliating Facial Wash

I received this product in a gift set I got at Christmas. It's a gel-like cleanser that lathers into a light foam.

When you apply it on your face, it feels like a scrub with small particles gently buffing away at your skin. I've yet to figure out if it is actually beads (I can't see any in the formula, maybe I'm blind) or if it's a chemical exfoliant (I don't see any acids in the ingredients). What I can tell you is that after using this in the shower, my face feels really clean and it softens its texture. Once I get more info on this, I'll definitely do a full review! ($44CAD for 280 mL available at The Bay and Sephora).



There you have it, your guide to exfoliating your skin. Let me know if any of you have tried these products, or if you haven't, let me know of your favourite ways to exfoliate your skin!

xox,
ysobel

A-milli-a-milli-a-MILIA?

I got my wisdom teeth removed yesterday morning and I’ve got to say, recovery hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. My cheeks haven’t swelled up like crazy and I haven’t had any pain that is bad enough to merit taking the T-3’s that my doctor prescribed to me. I’m just feeling a little soreness and a tiny bit of swelling in the bottom right side of my mouth, but aside from that recovery has been progressing well. Since I’ll be home for the next few days I hope to be blogging a little more often this week.

Have you ever gotten weird little bumps around your eyes or your face that never, ever, seem to go away? You know for sure they aren’t pimples (because duh, they haven’t gone away), they aren’t black heads or white heads because they look like they look like bumps growing under your skin. You probably got them after trying new skin care products- likely an eye cream or an entirely new skin care regime.

A milia seed.

These, my friends, are called milia. That, is a milia seed that recently popped out of my left eyelid the other morning. Finally- I had been waiting for these babies to pop out of my skin for months now. I got them after using this sample of a luxury eye cream (that will remain nameless) for a few weeks. I probably developed about 7-8 milia bumps on both of my eyelids. Although only one of the 7/8 that I had popped out, it was the biggest one that was bothering me the most. You can see it in this photo here, from my Too Faced Natural Eye Shadow palette review. It’s sitting just over my left eye, closest to the bridge of my nose.

For those that don’t know, milia seeds are small, keratin-filled cysts that form underneath the epidermis (outer most layer) of your skin. They usually form from using skin care products that are too rich for your skin combined with a lack of exfoliation (sloughing off dead cells from the skin’s surface).

My skin is particularly dry, and as much as I want to hydrate it like crazy to keep my lines and wrinkles at bay, being a dry-skinned person I need to remember that I need to exfoliate often and use products that are light enough but hydrating enough for my eye area. The skin around your eyes is especially prone to things like milia because it is much thinner than the rest of the skin on your face. If you’re concerned about the skin on your eye contour, you need to use a moisturizer specialized for the eye that is separate from the one you use on your face because of how delicate the skin is here. Using a face moisturizer in your undereye area might just give you more milia.

What did I do to remove my milia?
After I noticed these bumps over my eye lids, I began to exfoliate like crazy. Removing the skin on top of the milia surface will help your milia pop right out of your skin. Whatever you do, DO NOT POKE AT THEM WITH A NEEDLE. If they are really bugging you, head down to a medical spa that specializes in milia removal and they’ll take care of the problem for you.

What can I do to prevent the formation of milia?
Like I said earlier, make sure you exfoliate your skin regularly so that your skin can properly remove toxins and other gross things from its surface efficiently and effectively. Use skin care that is appropriate for your skin type (first, figure out what your skin type it and what feel best to you). Some of the eye creams that I’ve used in the past that don’t give me any milia problems but hydrate beautifully are Clinique's All About Eyes ($37 CAD for 15 mL) and Biotherm's Skin-Ergetic Eyes ($40 CAD for 15 mL). I’m working on finishing up my jar of Clinique’s All About Eyes, but once that’s gone I’m going straight back to the Biotherm cream.

I think I’ve got a few milia on the side of my face and I’ll probably get those removed the next time I see an esthetician for a facial. I’ll keep you all posted on the status of my milia around my eyelids as they continue to pop out, haha.

Have you ever had milia before? Ever gotten them professionally removed? I'd love to hear from you!

xox,

ysobel

This is me in recovery mode. Yes, those are resealable bags full of frozen green beans on my face.

ESTEE LAUDER/MAC WAREHOUSE SALE

Hey y'all!

So this past weekend was the Estee Lauder/MAC Warehouse sale in Markham, ON. It's a sale that happens a few times a year, where they sell cosmetics at crazy reduced prices. Some of the brands featured this year were Estee Lauder, Mac, Origins, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Coach, Smashbox, DKNY.

My Mom was able to score tickets for the Saturday and Sunday sales, and I just wanted to share my experience with you!

The line up on Saturday morning, taken from the front of the line.

We got there at around 9:30 AM and waited in line for about 45 mins before getting in. That line wraps all the way around the building on the outside too. Crazy! Lucky there were no insane people in line. Everything went really smoothly, I was pleasantly surprised!

Eye shadow table

I actually thought the warehouse was going to be as crazy as an anthill, but surprisingly it was not! Here's a photo of one of the tables holding eye shadows. Most of the setup was like this- a table full of testers that were strategically taped up, and an area to claim what you wanted. Each tester was numbered and a pad of paper and pencils were supplied on each table. You write down the numbers you wanted, and go to a designated area where your selection is bagged for you.

Here are a few more photos of some of the things they were selling. A lot of them we at crazy prices!

Here's my haul for the two days I went:

Saturday Morning Haul

From L-R: Clinique A Season's Worth of Pretty palette (containing 5 lip colours, 5 eye shadow colours and 3 cheek colours), Clinique Bold Eyes to Go set (Full size bottom lash mascara, eye shadow duo, travel eyeliner and travel High Impact Mascara + makeup bag), Smashbox Try It Kit containing Travel sizes of the Photo Finish Foundation primer, Photo finish eyelid primer, limitless eyeliner, full exposure mascara and lip enhancing gloss), Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara, Clinique Repairwear Eye cream, Clinique moisture surge extended thirst relief cream, Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey and Mac Lip Glass in Entice.

Sunday Afternoon Haul

From L-R: Ojon Conditioner, Ojon Leave-In treatment, Michael Kors for Estee Lauder kit (Full size lipstick, travel lip gloss, sumptuous extreme, eye liner, nail polish and full size blush bronzer duo in a coordinated MK makeup bag), Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, and a Clinique Shaving set for Ronnie boy.

Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow

After checking out, you're asked to surrender your ticket. In return, we received a full-size Mac Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Always Sunny. Also, if you donate $5 to breast cancer research, you receive another gift! Two full-size Mac Mineralize Eyeshadows and a Mattene Lipstick. Here eyeshadows are pictured in Pretty & Prim (pink and burgundy) and Heaven & Earth (Teal and black) and the lipstick is in Nocturnal Instincts.

So that was my awesome EL/MAC haul! You can look forward to future reviews on the products I bought (Probably while I'm sick in bed recovering from my wisdom teeth removal). Until then, let me know about your favourite EL and MAC products and your experiences at past cosmetic warehouse sales. Comment below!

xox,
Ysobel

Make-Up Repair Tutorial

Good morning all!

Here is the long awaited broken makeup tutorial! Here's a reminder of what happened last week....

So I dropped my entire makeup bag on the ground and my bronzer basically died. Fear not! Here is a simple tutorial on how to go about fixing your broken makeup while keeping the colours as separate as possible!

(A) Gather your materials. You'll need:
Your broken makeup, rubbing alcohol, a skewer, an eye shadow brush and a medicine dropper (not pictured here but seen in later shots). Also grab a piece of paper and a small flat object (Similar to a USB-wall adapter).
(B) Here's a photo of the broken compact once again.
(C) Fill your dropper with rubbing alcohol. Targetting the top right section (The broken one that's still the most intact), drop the alcohol on the cracks and gently push the pieces together using your skewer. Continue to shape the section until it returns to its original shape (or as close as you can).
(D) With your first section entirely intact, continue to crush the next segment into smaller, more manageable segments with your skewer, until it reaches a consistency close to the one above.
(E) Using your medicine dropper, add a few drops of alcohol and mix with the pigment until it forms a paste. Try not to add too much alcohol, you don't want it to be too liquidy because it'll be difficult to work with.
(F) Using an eye shadow brush, gently sweep any loose pigment into your big pile of pigment goop. Proceed to spread the goop with your skewer. Try to get right to the edge of the pan.
You can also place a few drops of alcohol wherever the makeup has separated from the pan. Use your skewer to push these pieces back into place. Allow to dry for 1 HR.
(G) Using a piece of paper and a small, flat object, flatten the makeup to create an even surface. Place a piece of paper on top and gently maneuver it under an object with a flat side. I picked the adapter because it was small enough to fit my pan and had the curved corners to match the edges of the pan. For some reason I picked a receipt I had on the table from a coffee I bought earlier that day... Don't worry! None of the ink transfered!
(H) Allow your pressed makeup to dry for a full 24-48 hours until you use it again.

VOILA! Your makeup has been restored. When doing this, keep a few things in mind:

(i) Don't douse your makeup in alcohol. If you put too much alcohol on it, your makeup will have cracks in it as the alcohol evaporates. If you accidentally added too much alcohol, gently press your makeup further into the pan using the paper/adapter method every 4 hours or so.
(ii) If you didn't use alcohol on the entire thing (like me), the "water mark" (from the alcohol between a wet and dry segment) may not completely disappear when the makeup dries. Not to worry, it won't affect the pigmentation of your makeup.
(iii) If you're really in a pinch and you don't have rubbing alcohol, try a toner! My friend actually did this with one of her bronzers that broke because she didn't have rubbing alcohol on hand and it worked!

I'm so happy because my favourite bronzer's back in my makeup bag and I don't have to keep using another gross ashy coloured one anymore haha.

Have you tried this method before? I'd love to hear your makeup rescue stories!

xox,
ysobel

Coming Soon...

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to apologize for not making my 48HR promise on the tutorial. I have just been so unbelievably busy the past few days I haven't even gotten the chance to upload the photos from my camera! Stay tuned, because I have a few things coming up in the next few days for you.

(1) I'll finish my tutorial on broken make up
(2) My Mom got tickets to the Estee Lauder/MAC Warehouse sale this weekend so I'll be sharing my experience from that too!

So keep checking back everyone! Hopefully I can get this all done within the next few days (Mom's Bday and my graduation are coming upnext week! Need to get these done by then).

xox,
Ysobel