Progress

I am not sure how many days have passed 

since I started ''Having My Healthy Skin Back'' mission, 

but there is improvement! 

My acne scars are fading and shrinking. 

I am not sure how they shrink, 

but they can be mistaken with my freckles, 

also my freckles are fading off 

and I look real pale, 

but this is not a big problem for me, 

because I always get freckles 

when ever I go out on a sunny day, 

so I prefer a white flawless skin over yellowish-brown freckles. 

Of course my skin dried 

and it was feeling like I have sand particles on my skin, 

so I used Burt's Bees Citrus Scrub. 

The result....

it was painful! 

Now 

I am using my Dermalogica microfoliant exfoliater 

and 

I use my Olay Pro X tool 

and 

Viola! 

Another good result of medicine+cream+gel is 

I don't get oilly on my T-zone. 

If only I can make it to Day 30 I will be saved. hehe 

XOXO

Lola :)

June Favorites...

Again I was thinking I don't have much to talk about, but I found a lot of things to mention and I think this month I have favorite lipsticks more than anything else.

As for lipsticks...

I love my MAC Speak Louder, and Plumful, 

and 

Guerlain color 120 It's a light sparkly red. 
It is what I was looking for ages. It's expensive but it's long lasting and has a cool packaging.

I love how moisturizing and lustering Rimmel Moist Renew 120 Coral Shimmer and 140 Dreamy.

As far as lip glosses....

This month's favorites are MAC Surf Baby Strange Potion 

and 

Revlon 006 Strawberry Fraise (I adore this color!)

as for lip balms...

I love EOS Summer fruit

As for blushes... 

I love Elf Candid Coral. 

It has tiny gold sparkles. Just perfect for summer!

As for bronzers...

My favorite is ELF Golden Bronzer. 

I use it for contouring and it doesn't make me look like an Oscar statue at all.

As for eye products...

I love my MAC painterly pot as an all over the lid base to hide discoloration

and

I love Physcians Formula black eyeliner

As for mascaras....

I love L'oreal Voluminous. 

(Just apply it slowly and carefuly and dip it in the tube just for once if you don't want clumpy eyelashes and apply it to the outer corner lashes at the end so it won't look so clumpy on your lashes.)

As for brushes...

I love my new Tokidoki Pittura and Siberia brush sets. 
They are not just fun, but also so soft and high quality.

As for nail polishes...

I love Revlon Craving Coral

and

Sally Hansen DVD 

As for hair products...

I love Aussie Hair Insurance which also help to untangle hair

and 

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-in Conditioning Spray

As for Over Night Zit Solution...

I mix a drop of Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and Dermalogica Special Clearing Booster and viola! 

The next day the zit either deflates or pops and starts healing.

As for perfumes...
I love Carried Away from Bath and Body Works. 
It's light and such a nice scent for summer. 


As for antiperspirants...
I love Secret Clinical Strength  it's sweat-proof.


My all time favorites are... 

Sonia Kashuk Concealer Pallette 

and

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Tinted Moisturizer (color Medium) 

and 

Tarte Smooth Operator as a finishing powder.

As for clothes...
I love Old Navy jeans. I got a pair of size 8 skinny jeans for my mom and it fit perfectly, and I love their Tees, they are so soft and durable; colors do not fade nor shrink after washing for million times.

My Human Favorite is... 

Vintage Make Up for following and commenting on almost all my posts. Thanx Girl! :)

I guess that's all for this month.

Take Care,

Lola

XOXO

May Favorites...

I can't believe it's mid 2011.
It's crazy,
but what can we do other than enjoying each and every day...


I was thinking I don't have anything to put it in my May's Favorite list, but actually I do!


I love my Elf Translucent Mattifying Powder
for shine control (I already hit the pan)


I love the smell of Benefit Coralista blush,


I love my Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette
that can erase every imperfection


I love my Hard Candy tinted moisturizer
that can cover up all my blemishes (but not acne scars)

I love my Smashbox Photo Finish Oil-Free Primer
because it has this silky smooth feeling to it


I love my new eye cream from
Origins - A perfect world for eyes
that has a silky smooth & has a long lasting moisturizing effect and it smells great

I like that my new moisturizer
Origins Balanced Diet
calmed my skin and moistured
and I have almost no shine when I wake up or during the day

I love my Watson's Witch Hazel as a toner
that treats blemishes and it's the cheapest most effective toner ever!


I am in love with Boot's No.7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser that makes me face super clean


I like Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub
that makes my face super soft and moistured
but kind of harsh for my sensitive skin


I like my Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant scrub
because it's so soft and gentle on my skin

I love Mario Badescu Whitening Mask to erase acne scars and smells A-MA-ZING!


I like the smell of Neutrogena oil-free dry sun block


Non-beauty related May Favorite....

I love Panera's decaf coffee
and I don't even drink decaf. Imagine that!
(I'll miss it like crazy when I go back home :(  )

Shame On You, Dermalogica!

I bought Aveeno Brightening Exfoliater recently,

because I needed something for the skin on and around my nose area.

Although, I love Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 

it is not strong enough for the dead cells on my nose.

However, I want to return Aveeno and get No.7's exfoliater,

because so far I am amazed with No.7 products,

and I don't want to cheat on No.7 with Aveeno. LOL

Oh by the way I hate to tell you what Dermalogica did!

Few months ago I purchased few products from Dermalogica USA's website.

I chose their website over Ulta,

because you can get samples of other products 

and a relaxing candle from the website for free.

Then, recently they wanted me to review the products I purchased and I said why not!

So, I reviewed it, and at the end I got the message saying that my review might appear on the website if it is approved by the company.

I was fine with that, although I don't like this kind of policy,

because the results can be biased.

Then two days later I got an email for each of the review I made,

saying my review is rejected.

I didn't say anything bad!

It was my honest opinion,

but because I made a comparison and said the exfoliator was not strong enough for stubborn dead skin cells,

they didn't approve my review.

I was really upset and disappointed with the company.

A day after that they approved one of my reviews,

but still grow up Dermalogica!

If you look at their product reviews,

all the products are either four-star or five-star.

This is so disgusting!

It means that they don't allow unhappy customers to talk.

Fleur DeForce mentioned in her video that she had a terrible reaction to Dermalogica products,

so if she wanted to say it in her review on Dermalogica's website, 

I guess they were not going to let other customers know that.

You cannot do that!

People should make their mind on their own!

They make good products and they are quite expensive,

but what they are doing when it comes to customers' freedom of speech is really disgusting!

Although I want to try other Dermalogica moisturizers I don't think I will be ordering it from their website.

I don't want to deal with them any more.

I will be going to Ulta from now on!

(Posted on May 5, 2011)

Would You be My Moisturizer?

I was using Dermalogica Skin Smoothing cream as my moisturizer and every one was telling me that it's too heavy for my age. 

Well I just look 20, Honey, I am not 20!

Besides, nobody understands what I had been through because of this harsh weather during winter. 

My skin looks its best in California, so figure it out.

I survived this winter quite well, but the previous two winters...oh boy it was just a night mare! 

My eyelids were bleeding and my face was literally peeling off because my skin was dry as a piece of paper and my moisturizer DDF nor Neutrogena was not helping me at all.

I finally got used to the weather a little bit and I used more intense moisturizers this time.

However, last winter I was also using an intense moisturizer; combination of two creams that my beautician at home suggested, but I forgot to switch it to something light in the spring and my skin just gave an 404 error message; I broke out like a 13 year-old!

Dermalogica MediBac products helped me to cure my skin in two months or so, 

but this time I ended up having terrible blemishes as if I used my blush for contouring my face. 

This time my mission was to get rid of blemishes and acne scars, and 

I found about Mario Badescu Whitening Mask just in time! 

It's basically a white extremely nice smelling  miracle in a jar! 

...and Dermalogica Skin Smoothing made its magic after using it for a month and it really improved the texture of my skin, which was damaged because of acne.

However, I still need to use a light moisturizer! The weather is still really cold these days. So, I can still use my Skin Smoothing Cream, and in mean time I am testing different products.

I found out that I am also allergic to glycolic which was something I was really excited about, because glycolic exfoliates your skin on its own without you needing to do anything, but it was a harsh exfoliating for me. 

Although, my skin was soft afterwards and I could tell it was well moistured, 

it stung my face after I put on the cream. 

So, I tried it for two different times and had to return Thomas Peter Roth Glycolic Acid 10% Moisturizer . 

Sorry Tom, it's not you it's me! LOL

So, I also also had to return my Mario Badescu Glycolic Eye Cream to Ulta. 

After I stopped using that cream, the extreme sensitivity on my eyes and discoloration just disappeared. 

Can't believe I tortured my eyes for more than a month with something I am allergic to.

Then I used Fresh Umbrian Clay Face Lotion. 

I had oilyness on my T-zone that I didn't have with Skin Smoothing Cream and I started to break out. 

So, it was time to break up with Fresh as well!

Then I got Philosophy the Supernatural. 

Actually, this is not a moisturizer. 

This is a tinted face primer with moisturizing effect, it works quite well I think! 

I loved the texture of it; it's like a mousse, but smells horrible as all other products on the market.

I think Supernatural is enough for me, because after I wash and tone my face in the morning, I used to moisture my face and do my make up and I like to use a primer to apply my make up easily.

Now, I don't need to wait for my skin to absorb my moisturizer before doing my make up.

The coverage is not enough of course, but because it's tinted it makes my job easier I think. 

I use less product for coverage.

So, I guess finally I found my Spring+Summer moisturizer. 

I can use this at night as well, 

it shouldn't clog my pores 

and it's always good to look a little polished 

even when you are staying at home, 

but I might try finding a night time moisturizer for Spring+Summer.

Sometimes I miss my skin before using Bare Esentuals Mineral Loose Powder. 

After using it I broke out at the age of 21 like a teenager, 

because of a bad reaction to Bismuth Oxychloride, an ingredient in the product.

Anyways never cry over spilled milk! 

(Posted on April 20, 2011)

Pamper Me on April Fools...

Nobody made April Fools joke to me, thank God, 

because I so do not like jokes and picking on people on April 1st. 

Instead I spent my April Fools day pampering myself.

I was cleaning my apartment and I came across this Dermalogica facial treatment discount coupon from Ulta. 

I realized the coupon was going to expire on April 2nd and I couldn't miss it, 

it was a 50% off if you purchase a Dermalogica product coupon, 

and if you get a MicroZone (20mintues for $20) the second MicroZone was free!

So, I immediately called Ulta in my neighborhood, but they were booked for both days, then I called the other Ulta and they had an opening for 7:15pm. 

I never have facials so late, but that was the only time they had.

Then I checked to see how far it is from my place. 

I was thinking it's 10 minutes away, 

but I was so wrong! 

It was almost 20 miles away, 

but hey when you have a deal for a facial you cannot miss it! 

So, my experience...

It was not my first Dermalogica experience. 

I always get Dermalogica facials when I am home, 

so my expectations were high.

It's been so long since I had a facial, 

because I do not trust the salons in where I live. 

It's my face, no joke. 

If they are not experienced enough they can burn my skin or cause break outs with the products they use. 

I take care of my skin, but it's not the same, 

plus I really relax when someone else is working on my face.  

So, she suggested me to get MediBac facial treatment, because regular facial does not involve extracting. 

To me, this is just a scam to get more money. 

When I get facials in Europe they involve everything except (apple acid) exfoliation, because it's something you don't need every time you get a facial, 

especially if you have sensitive skin like mine.

When I am taking care of my skin myself I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. 

It's the only thing that keeps black heads away and doesn't hurt my skin at all.

So, at the end it turned out that I didn't really need extracting. 

My skin is mostly irritated, because of Dermalogica acne clearing kit that I used, 

and I didn't really have black heads, and the ones that I had she couldn't get them.

So, I paid extra for no reason. 

It was good getting a facial, but the towel they give you to wrap yourself up had hair on, and it was smelly. 

The relaxation music was too loud, and not relaxing at all. 

Last, but not least she had no idea how to massage. 

She couldn't press the right spots on my face or head and she wasn't applying enough pressure, and the light in the room was too bright. 

You don't really need a well lighted room, 

the facial specialist only needs a lamp when she's extracting that's all. 

When I came home I saw that she left a chunk of mask in my hair, on my scalp and inside my ears, and had eye cream particules under my eye and all over my eye lashes.

Overall, sorry Ulta but your specialist sucked at Dermalogica facial.

The Dermalogica salon I go at home has nice smelling smudge sticks and candles, a dim lighted room and a real relaxing music, and a half body massage included that I fell asleep almost completely for the last two times.

As far as MicroZone treatment...

I got the eye treatment.

Although I am too young to get wrinkles, my eyes were extremely tired and when I am tired I get saggy eyelids not puffy eyes like the rest of the population. So, I told MicroZone could save my eyes. 

Beautician first said she doesn't have time for a facial and a MicroZone treatment, but then she figured that while she's working on my face she can also work on my eyes.

What a smart woman, huh? 

My opinion on MicroZone eye treatment:

My eyes felt awake and looked bright, but eye lids were almost saggier than before.

Figure out yourself...

(Posted on April 3, 2011)