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10 ways to get acne free, clear skin- the secret to great skin

Here are ten simple things you can do to prevent and treat acne. Clear, beautiful, acne free skin is a blessing. Genetics play a big part but we can modify what we can control to prevent acne and maintain good skin. One can have acne for years before achieving manageable skin. Here are top 10 ways to maintain clear and acne free skin. For some product recommendations, please visit my post on Acne Product Recommendations.
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1. Clean your face daily with an oil free cleanser
Keeping your face clean is key to having clear skin because it gives the bacteria less chance to grow and clog your pores. Use an oil free cleanser with a small dose of salicylic acid.







2. Exfoliate regularly
Exfoliating your skin with a gentle scrub or glycolic acid help your skin get rid of dead skin cells and generate new ones. This also help keep your pores clear or debris.







3. Use an oil free moisturiser daily
Choose a moisturiser you feel comfortable wearing. For example, use an oil free cream for night time and an oil free gel for day time. For those with acne, choose one with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide in the moisturiser.



4. Deep clean your face at least once a week
Use a deep cleansing, detoxifying or hydrating mask on your face once or twice a week. This really helps to extract all the oil, dirt and debris from you pores that may have accumulated throughout the week. Do not overuse as it may dry out your skin and overwork your sebaceous glands so you may get oilier.






5. Balanced diet with plenty of water
You are what you eat. As cliché as that may sound, the vitamins and minerals from healthy food choices do make a difference in our skin. Drinking plenty of water will give your skin hydration it deserves so that your pores remain unclogged.






6. Wear oil free, non-comedogenic makeup
Your makeup can mask your existing acne but can also make you break out. You may fall into a vicious cycle by masking your acne with acne causing makeup which will cause more acne. Read the labels carefully before purchasing and try the makeup out at the makeup counter, wear it for one day to examine the degree of oiliness on your face and then purchase. Try a mineral based foundation and see which one suits you best through the Mineral Foundation Hype post.

7. Watch out for hands, pillows and hair
An average person touches his or her face hundreds of times a day without thinking. Bacteria can easily spread to your face every time your hands touch your face. Clean your pillows often because the bacteria may spread while you sleep. Keep your hair clean and oil free also minimizes the chance for a breakout.






8. Exercise
Exercising helps your body circulate and skin breathe. Do something active 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes can help improve the texture and clarity of your skin.




9. Beauty sleep
It isn't just a meaningless phrase. A good 7-9 hour rest helps you maintain the regular turnover of your skin cells. This also gives acne-fighting ingredients a chance to do its job while the skin is repairing itself.




10. Be patient.
Acne come and go. It can be triggered by genetics, hormones or unhealthy lifestyle. Try your best to avoid picking it as the bacteria may spread to nearby areas and cause more breakouts. Do not blame yourself as multiple factors come into play. Do what you can to prevent it but visit a dermatologist if your acne persists or becomes severe.

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Halloween NOTD: OPI DS "Mystery" and a Pumpkin Black & Orange Confetti Glitter


Another Halloween mani with the pumpkin polishes.  This time I layered the Pumpkin polish with orange and black confetti glitter on top of OPI Designer Series "Mystery".  The OPI is the most unique color, and so hard to capture on film.  Unfortunately it's been rainy and gloomy out so I couldn't go outside and take a picture either.  The color is a deep purple/almost black with gold micro glitter. 


If I could do this again, I would use a lighter shade underneath because you lose the black confetti in the dark color of the base polish.  Instead, I might choose a similar base shade, but something more purple and less black.   Regardless, the OPI is gorgeous on its own.  Too bad the picture can't capture it.

What is your Halloween manicure going to be?

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Swatches: The Balm Shady Lady "Jealous Jordana"


Today's swatches are of The Balm's Shady Lady eyeshadow in Jealous Jordana.  I received this as a birthday gift as well.  This is my first go with The Balm, although I have heard very nice things about the brand. 

Jealous Jordana is a deep almost black green with evergreen shimmer.  This can be used as both an eyeshadow and an eyeliner.  The consistency is very smooth and silky.  The blending power was very nice as well.  Pigmentation is also nice, but to get the most out of it I would definitely suggest using a primer.  Using something underneath the shade really makes the color pop.


Swatched below are with (left) and without (right) primer.  I used the LA Splash Eyeshadow Primer/Sealer underneath and got really nice results.  I think if you used one of the UDPP in Greed or Sin you would get a really nice amplification of the shimmer.  It really depends on what type of look you are going for.


The Balm can be found online or in store at Sephora.  The eyeshadow singles retail for $16 a piece, but they do have sets quite often that are even more affordable.

Have you tried the Shady Lady shadows?  What about any other Balm products?

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Swatches: Maybelline Limited Edition Blushes in Stage Glow, Pressworthy Pink and Ravishing Rouge


I think I mentioned a while back that they were renovating the Walgreens near me.  Well, while doing so, I was wandering through the aisles and found a section of clearance items.  These weren't just old products, or broken products, these were perfectly good products that were marked down substantially.  Case and point:  Maybelline's Limited Edition Fall 2011 blushes below...marked down to $1.75 a piece, and then Maybelline was BOGO50% off, so I got one of them for $0.87!  The moral of the story?  Go check out the clearance!


The three I found were Stage Glow, Pressworthy Pink and Ravishing Rouge. 

First, Stage Glow.  This is a beautiful highlighting shade.  The palest of nude pinks, there is beautiful pearl shimmer throughout. 


Pressworthy Pink is a true bubblegum pink.  There is also shimmer in this blush, but not as much as the Stage Glow.  The shimmer is a bit more silver as well, or it could just be because it is against the pink so it stands out more.


Ravishing Rouge is a deep brick/plum shade with a slight pink shimmer.  Yes, this is probably a bit dark for me, but I'm hoping with a light hand and a light brush, I can pull it off.  Otherwise, this is going to my sister.


All three swatched below - natural light, no flash.  The Stage Glow is just beautiful!  The textures are creamy, not chalky at all.  They blend very well into the skin and the shimmer left behind is a really nice glow in the cheeks. 


Have you tried any of these LE shades?  How about finding some great bargains like this in your local clearance?


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NOTD: Pumpkin Chunky Glitter (bronze and silver)

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of the pumpkin polishes I found a few weeks back.  Today is called Chunky Nail...actually I think all of them are called that!  This is a dark gray jelly base with tiny bronze microglitter and silver hexagonal chunky glitter.  As you layer it, the hex glitters look a bit more bronze, but they are truly silver.

(natural light)

(Flash)

This is two coats.  The polish covers like a dream - two coats was definitely enough, but you could apply a thin coat on top of a darker shade to add the chunky glitter effect.





What color did you pick up in the pumpkins?  Remember, snowmen are around the corner!!

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NOTD: L'oreal Owl's Night from the Project Runway Collectioni


New from the L'oreal Project Runway collection is Owl's Night.  This is a deep olive/black base with golden olive shimmer.  Depending on what type of light you are in there is orange, gold and green as well...especially in the sun.  Gorgeous.  That's all there is to say about this one. 

Two coats below.

Artificial Light

Sunlight

Sunlight

This is one of those colors I know I won't get tired of this fall/winter.  Any type of golden shimmer will look gorgeous over the top as well. 


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EOTD: Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Mingling, Fyrinnae Otherwordly, and Aromaleigh Solange


An icy blue EOTD for this rainy day today!  I saw my Milani Baked eyeshadow laying lonely in my makeup drawer, so I thought I'd put a little look together around it.  Here it is...

UDPP Greed
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Milani Baked Eyeshadow "Mingling" - inner corner
Fyrinnae "Otherwordly" - blended between inner corner and crease shade, wet lower lashline
Aromaleigh "Solange" - outer corner, crease
Milani "Lily White" - highlight
Lancome Artliner Eyeliner "Starshower"
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara - black


 


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Spotted at Meijer: The Snowman Nail Polishes


It's amazing to me how every year, the Christmas items seem to come out earlier and earlier.  Well, right past the Halloween items at Meijer (including the pumpkin polishes), the North Pole and Christmas are starting to pop up.  The aisle that has racks and racks of little knickknacks and stocking stuffers had one lone bin full, and it was full of Snowmen Polishes! 

What fun!  I overlooked these last year, so this year I picked up four glitters.  I'll post pictures and swatches closer to the time - I still need to post my pumpkins!

Happy Holidays (in October)!

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EOTD: Fyrinnae STFU, Aromaleigh Amarante and Sassy Minerals Witty Banter


Today's EOTD is another mix of Fyrinnae and Aromaleigh and Sassy Minerals.  This one is a mix of golds, bronzes and olives as well, but I did it a little backwards.  

Face:
Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten in Fair and Porcelain
Laura Geller Bronze 'n Brighten
Milani Baked Blush Dolce Pink

Eyes:
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Sassy Minerals Witty Banter - inner corner
Fyrinnae STFU - middle of lid blended into Witty Banter and lower lashline alone
Aromaleigh Amarante - outer corner blended into crease
MAC Phloof - highlight
Boujouis Clubbing Liquid Eyeliner
Loreal Voluminous False Lashes Fiber Mascara

Lips:
Too Faced Lip of Luxury Lipstick "Celebrity Meltdown"


Here's the whole deal.  Again, I can't rave enough about the Too Faced lipstick I got.  It's such a pretty warm berry shade!

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Review of Lancome`s Top 3 Best Selling Mascaras

Lancome has grown in popularity for the past decade. Beauty gurus such as Michelle Phan, the online spokesperson for Lancome, trust and believe in Lancome. Out of all of their products, Lancome is most notorious for their mascaras. Here I will review three series of Lancome`s most popular, and what I consider to be their top mascaras.

1. LANCOME DEFINICIL  (including Definicil Precious Cells and Definicil Pro)
If you want: Long, defined, separated lashes

Definicil helps to achieve clean, defined eyelashes. With its rather slender wand, this mascara is very buildable and does not clump most of the time. Definicil precious cells helps to also nourish and strengthen lashes which is a great added benefit. My favourite Lancome Definicil mascara is the Definicil Pro which achieves incredible length, curl, definition and separation with its unique curved brush and deep black pigment formula.

2. LANCOME HYPNOSE (including Lancome Hypnose Drama, Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes)
If you want: Dramatic, thick, voluminous lashes

The name says it all. Lancome Hypose is supposed to deliver dramatic lashes that make eyes appear hypnotizing. Many consider this mascara to be their holy grail mascara as it delivers instant volume to lashes. One downside is that it does clump when you apply multiple coats and does not separate or lengthen as much as the Lancome Definicils. The new Hypnose Drama is more intense than the original Hynose as it promises instant drama with one coat of application. The new Hynose Doll Eyes is the new hype as it claims to achieve volume, length, curl and falsies effect in one.


3. LANCOME OSCILLATION
 (including Lancome Oscillation mascara and primer)
If you want: Well separated, curled, lengthened and full lashes

This mascara works on an built-in battery which makes the wand vibrate at a high frequency. I love this mascara because it delivers a generous amount of product at the base of the lashes, which creates the illusion of thicker, fuller lashes. The plastic wand also does a fairly decent job of separating, lengthening, and de-clumping. The biggest plus in this mascara is that the oscillation technology can help to accentuate a curl if you use the wand correctly. The Lancome Oscillation primer does a great job at prepping and nourishing the lashes. For those of you who want to grow your lashes out, read my review on the Rapid Lash Review- the ultimate lash grower. The only downside to this mascara is that the battery becomes progressively weaker but I find that I can use this mascara without the vibration and it still gets the job done.



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