| About Me: |
I'm 27, and work full-time as a member service rep in a credit union. I'm trying to get my life on track after a financial set-back, but things are finally starting to look up. I'm neurotic as my fiance loves to point out, and I'm Miss-Worst-Case-Scenario, but I'm trying to fix that too and making amazing progress. For all my worry-wort tendancies it's amazing that I don't have wrinkles or worry lines yet, so wrinkle prevention is becoming a concerning for me. I've developed a recent sleep problem (it just doesn' t happen any longer!) so bags are becoming somewhat of a concern for me. And the acne! It's never gone away, although it's gotten better over time. I've learned what works for me and what doesn't, but I have hormonal acne that I just can't seem to kick no matter what, and my skin tends to hold the pigmentation, which is my biggest issue. The cystic acne is so embarrassing too- sadly, I feel like I've come at an impasse in life, where I'm adult enough to be establish but my acne keeps me looking like a kid, so therefore I tend not to be taken seriously by pretty much anyone- I'm tired of being brushed off because acne= youth and immaturity. I'm trying to come to terms with that, but it seems so unfair, and I've tried everything short of accutane (I refuse) with minimal results. It really is an ego blow. I have blue eyes that I love to play up, and although I wish I had more time in the morning to play with eye make-up, that's rarely the case, but collecting eyeshadows and liners makes me happy nonetheless. I stick with mineral make-up and as natural as possible skincare because that's what works best for me, but I'm still going to go on record as saying Covergirl's Lash Blast mascara in brown/black is truly the most amazing stuff in the world. |
| Age: |
27
|
| My Drink: |
Coffee
|
| City/State: |
Alloway, NJ
|
| Country: |
USA
|
| Zip/Postal Code: |
08001
|
| Makeup Style: |
Just Enough
|
| Eye Color: |
Blue
|
| Skin Type: |
Normal
|
| Skin Tone: |
Ivory
|
| Special Skin Characteristics: |
Sensitive
Acne
|
| Hair Color: |
Blonde
|
| Color Is: |
Natural
|
| Hair Type: |
Curly
|
| Hair Texture: |
Thick
|
| Special Hair Characteristics: |
Frizzy
Split Ends
|
| Vices: |
Shopping
Coffee
Eyeshadows
|
| Desert Island Items: |
Silk Naturals foundation
Covergirl Lash Blast mascara in brown/black
PCA skin blemish bar
|
| My Beauty Secret: |
Oils are a must-have. They make the perfect moisurizer, and some, such as jojoba oil, also help address acne issues. Just make sure to apply them to damp skin, because oil itself does not provide moisture; rather, it seals in moisture and prevents it from evaporating. My facial skin is too sensitive to handle much other than jojoba oil, but my body can and does tolerate most oils well. Garden of Wisdom makes the most amazing after-show body oil blend, Put Da Lime In Da Coconut, and as an added bonus, it helps prevent razor bumps! |
| My Routine: |
Wash with natural soap- I stick with Chagrin Valley or Nubian Heritage soaps, although I do like African Black Soap on occasion, but it tends to be quite drying. Most nights, I soak in the tub with PCA's pigment bar lathered on my face, because it really helps heal acne and deal with the pigmentation that my skin is so prone to. It does tend to be drying as well. After that, I use a homemade toner or just skip to spritizing my face with Aloe (natural aloe is a liquid consistency, unlike what we find in drug stores) then spritz with Na-Pca for moisture and while skin is still damp, apply a few drops of Garden of Wisdom HA serum mixed 50/50% with jojoba oil to help seal in moisture and encourage it to penetrate deeply. In the morning I mix AcneFree BP directly into the HA/Jojoba mix before smoothing it on, and in the evenings I use PCA's acne gel instead. Once or twice a week, usually on weekends, I skip the acne products to give my skin a little time off from the harsher chemicals. Every work day, I spend about 10 minutes doing my face make-up- usually a dusting of my homemade primer, buff in my MMU, then another light dusting of my homemade primer, which doubles as a great finisher. If I have a few extra minutes (usually not) I'll sweep on an eyecolor that really makes my eyes pop- rarely do I have time for a 2 or 3 color look, so usually it's a shade I apply dry as a highlighter/base, then apply damp on the the lids for extra "pop"- followed by a swipe of mascara. My biggest am time-waster is straightening my hair. It's thick and curly, so I wish it every other night, and blow-dry at night, but have to run the straightener through it in the am because a few areas like to flip out and have a mind of their own no matter what. On weekends, when I decide to get glam, I go all-out- blush, liner, 3 to 4 shade shadow looks. It can be a process! |
| My Horror Story: |
My mom had the stylist cut my hair in a she-mullet when I was a kid. I would cry every time! |
| My Celebrity Look-a-like: |
Lauren Bacall, in her prime. Does it get any better than that???? She was such a beautiful woman and a style icon in her heyday! |
PCA Skin pigment bar
This is the most amazing cleanser ever. Not only do I break out fairly easily, but most of my acne is cystic and the redness/pigmentation never goes away even after the acne is "healed." After a month of usage, almost all of my pigmentation was erased. I could even go without wearing make-up, which was very exciting for me since I haven't been able to do that in the past 14 years, more than half of my lifetime! On the downside though, this soap is very drying, so you need to increase moisurization while using it, and after discontinuing use, if you're acne-prone and tend to "scar" like I do, you will need to continually come back to this.
Garden of Wisdom HA serums
My acne-prone skin tends to be very dehydrated, which means that despite being oily enough to have plenty of acne, I suffer all the symptoms of dry skin. It turns a very angry red in the cooler months, and gets flakey and raw. As long as I keep GoW's HA serums on hand, however, the dryness is a thing of the past. I didn't list a specific type, because so far i've loved every single one of them other than the pineapple one. Applied to damp skin along with a drop of jojoba oil, the combination really helps the moisture penetrate deep, where it's sealed in.
Biggs & Featherbelle Soul Kiss Lip Balm
This is hands-down the best lip balm I have ever tried. Most lip products cause me to break out in acne all around my lips- chin and upper lip up to my nose included. Not B&F's Soul Kiss lip balm though. Aside from the fact that it instantly heals and smooths dry, chapped lips, it has a wonderfully spicy, warm scent and is all-natural and pure. This is a product every woman needs in her purse.
From within bottles, jars, compacts and tubes.*








