July Favorites.

Nars Light Reflecting Loose Powder- I've been on a hunt to find a good translucent setting powder since my all time favorite one (smashbox photo op finishing powder) was discontinued. Though that setting powder will always be my favorite the nars one is the best alternative I have found so far. I was really hesitant to try this but I am so glad I did. I keeps my face matte through most of the day and doesn't settle into my pores as much as other powders. 

Bliss Fabulips- when I first got this product I through it aside after one use and never really gave it a chance until about a month ago. I think what through me off most was that it was weightless and it's greasy texture. I soon realized I just wasn't used to the texture of a non sticky lip balm. I apply this numerous times a day and before I go to bed. It leaves my lips baby soft. 

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara- this mascara is great for getting your tiny little lower lashes. I feel like it's often overlooked. It has a tiny brush and doesn't smudge throughout the day. 

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray- since my face gets really oily through the day I tend to go a little powder crazy when initially applying my makeup. This is a great product to not only make your makeup dewy and more natural looking but to also keep oil at bay for a bit longer.

NYX Mineral Stick Foundation- this is my new favorite product to contour with. I have the shade caramel and it blends so effortlessly where I put it. 

Smashbox Liquid Halo Foundation- this product was a game changer for me! I bought it on a whim thinking I was going to hate it because I only wore matte, full coverage foundations - I was so wrong! This foundation is like a photo filter in a bottle. It blurs most of the acne I have, is light weight and makes my skin look dewy and healthy. The ONLY downfall I have had so far (I've been using this foundation religiously for about 2-3 months, in summer none the less!) is that I don't like it with my beauty blender. I feel the beauty blender sucks up too much product (it almost has a serum texture to it) so I have been using the sedona lace 928 which is a flat top kabuki and it blends it like a dream. I am so surprised at the staying power of this foundation on my oily skin as well. It has totally changed the way I shop for foundation, no more matte full coverage foundation for this girl! 

My struggle with acne & skincare routine.

Originally written on 7/24/14

Up until march of this year I never truly realized how bad acne could be, sure I've had minor break outs & white heads, but I never got embarrassed by it until I started developing cystic acne. From the research I've done I have found that you have 7 layers of skin. I'm not a professional but from what I understand white/black heads appear on the top surface & cystic acne is rooted deep down in the lower layers. A lot of my friends didn't really understand how different cystic acne was from a typical white head. You cannot 'pop' cystic acne, not only will you probably end up with scarring if you do, but if you do not end up getting all of the stuff out of it the cyst will actually come back with a vengeance meaning it will normally be even deeper & larger. Another downfall that people don't understand is it can be extremely painful. 

It started out with just one tiny cyst and after a few months it was all over my face. I became extremely self conscious & was debating not writing this post but I wanted to help people understand more about cystic acne & what people go through when they have it along with letting others with cystic acne know what I've tried. Next are some pictures of my skin over the past few months, it took a lot to be ok posting them so please be kind. 

This was my right cheek at one of the worst times. 

This is my left cheek, which was by far my biggest problem area. 

This is my left cheek. You can see a lot of the raised cysts are calmed down & I have some scarring. 

I'm not quite sure what caused all this yet but I'm working with different things to try and figure that out. I am also currently on an antibiotic twice a day from my dermatologist. 

Looking back on how I cared for my skin a year ago I'm completely embarrassed & a bit grossed out. Sometimes I would come home after a late night out & sleep in my makeup, lashes & all. I also thought makeup wipes removed everything. I was so wrong about that! 

If I have makeup on I always go in with the Josie Maran argan cleansing oil because going in with your clarisonic right away can stain your brush head. I distribute the oil all over my face & let it sit for a minute, then I wet my hands & massage the oil into my skin further. At this point you can see the oil pulling all the makeup off your skin which is why I prefer the oil over wipes. The oil can also be used on eyes which I do use it on but if I have a stubborn product I go back in with the Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes which is great if you have sensitive eyes like I do. 

I purchased the clarisonic mia 2 a little over a month ago when my skin was at its worst. I've had the drugstore versions prior to the clarisonic but I decided to splurge during their friends & family sale. I started out on the lower setting, once a day, using the First Aid Beauty Deep Cleanser which has been my favorite cleanser to use with my clarisonic so far. I know a lot of people swear by Philosophy's Purity cleanser but I was never a huge fan of it, with or without the clarisonic. After a month of using the clarisonic on the lower setting I switched to the higher setting and I like that one a lot more. Since I am almost out of the FAB Deep Cleanser & have a ton of other cleansers to power through I switched over to Boscia's Detoxifying Black Cleanser which I also really enjoy. 

After I am done with the clarisonic I sometimes go back in with Sea Breeze astringent if I was wearing makeup, just to make sure I got everything off. 

I let my face dry for a minute & then apply the Sephora acne fighting mattifying moisturizer. Though I don't think it's mattifying like it claims I still like using this to hydrate my skin.