DIY Facial Mask: Bentonite Clay + Apple Cider Vinegar

I love making my own beauty products. The most important reason is because the ingredients are all natural, and they're also usually cheaper than buying a mask at the store. This mask that i'll show you how to make only uses two ingredients. Super simple to make yourself a fresh mask that works better than one you would get at a spa or from a jar.

What is it?

This mask is a seriously deep cleansing mask that wipes out dirt and oil from our pores using Calcium Bentonite Clay. Clay acts like a magnet to draw out all the junk and leave your skin fresh and clean. 

What's inside?

Like I mentioned this mask includes only two ingredients:

Aztec Secret: Indian Healing Clay
100% Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay

Dry powder inside the tub, mostly odorless. I find mine on Amazon for about 8.00 for a whole pound, which will last me a long time.

Apple Cider Vinegar. I used this kind from walmart, which I found in my pantry. It is definitely better to use organic because it is unpasteurized and still has all of the beneficial vitamins and minerals from organic vinegar. A lot of people wouldn't expect that apple cider vinegar is good for the skin, but it has great anti-bacterial properties which help with acne. It also has malic and lactic acid which help to exfoliate and soften the skin.

You can find apple cider vinegar in any grocery store or if you're buying on amazon, you can order it there too for about 4 dollars. 

How do I make it?

You'll want to add equal parts of dry and wet. I started with dry and slowly added in the apple cider vinegar to make a paste that wasn't too thick.

You'll immediately see a reaction between the two ingredients, causing a ton of bubbles.

This is about how thick my paste was. It will keep bubbling, even as you apply it.

The mask goes on a bright green color, and takes about 4-5 minutes until it becomes really hard. I would suggest leaving it on atleast 10 minutes. Like a lot of clay masks, this one is a little difficult to remove. Take a hot washcloth and lay it over your face to warm it back up, that will help remove it without hurting your skin.

I have pretty sensitive skin so I worry using clay masks, but this one surprisingly didn't leave me feeling red or itchy or tight. My skin felt a lot softer and looked cleaner. I recommend applying a moisturizer after you use it, since the clay can be a little bit drying.

If you DIY a pore cleansing mask it will only run you about 12.00 to start and last you between 6-8 months atleast. Much cheaper than a store-bought mask!

Product Review: Yes To Grapefruit CC Cream

 Let me start (because I can't hold it inside) this off by saying that this is my favorite CC cream EVER. I first heard of Yes To products by way of a Target beauty aisle. I was actually looking in the all natural section that has Burts Bee's and bath accessories when I saw their Yes To blueberry anti-aging makeup removing wipes. I saw they had Yes To blueberry, carrots, tomato, and grapefruit and thought their packaging was super cute and wanted to try something out. After I was pleased by the wipes, I was scrolling through birchbox looking for something to buy with my points and I saw this CC Cream. 

When I first tried this out I honestly didn't like it. The smell at first was weird, different from any other beauty product i've smelled. I was also really turned off by the consistancy: It was pretty thick and seemed weird as I applied it with my fingers.

 

After I wore it around for the day I felt like it was too thick on my face, like my skin couldn't breathe. I didn't go back to it for about a week after until I ran out of a BB cream I was using. I tried using a kabuki brush instead of my fingers and it blended much nicer into my skin this way. The rest of the day wearing it my face felt great and it sat well on my dry/combo skin. I apply it now with a damp beauty blender and it looks even better.

As a CC cream it doesn't have a lot of coverage, i'd say light/medium coverage. I have a red patch on my cheek and it definitely disappears for the most part when I wear this. I feel like all my imperfections were hidden nicely without looking too done up.

I have gone through two bottles of this in a year, wearing this almost every single day. I would wear this to work and it lasts all day without any oilyness or dry patches. 

The top and bottom pictures show from left to right: a bottle I just finished, the bottle i'm currently using, and a bottle still in it's package (I hoard them when they're on sale).

 

What do I think? 

Overall I think that it does the job it claims to on the package, and as long as you blend it out over your face using a brush or blender you should have no wear issues. I also really see a difference in my skin tone after using this for so long. My skin definitely looks brighter and even, especially in my cheek area. During the day my skin feels supple and hydrated while i'm working.

If you're looking to try a new CC cream, i'd definitely give this one a try. You can pick it up at Target in the natural beauty aisle, and also check out the other products Yes To has to offer. Their fruit/vegetable concept is really appealing and makes you think about the idea of "feeding your skin" as well as you should feed your body.

Review: Simple Brand Micellar Water

I caught wind on social media about Micellar water a few weeks ago and was really intrigued on the claims that you can use this in place of tap water and cleansers to wash your face. I picked up this Simple Cleansing Micellar Water at target for 6.99 and wanted to try it out immediately.

So what is micellar water? Micelles are little tiny oil molecules that mildly work to dissolve oil on your skin. Micelles have been used for years overseas and have worked their way over here due to their popularity and effectiveness. Micelles are a great alternative (especially those with sensitive skin) because they can take the place of a harsh detergent.






 
I tested this product out at the end of my workday and was wearing CC cream, concealer, eyebrow tint, eyelid primer and mascara. Following the directions on the back was easy, I drenched a cotton pad in product and began wiping my face in sections. Looking at the cotton pad it had removed a lot of my makeup fast, but I had to go through about 5 cotton pads to really remove all the makeup on my face and I was wearing a pretty light face of makeup.



Claims:

• Perfect blend of multi-vitamins, skin loving ingredients and gentle cleansers
• Cleanses the skin and removes makeup
• Skin is left feeling clean and hydrated
• Gentle enough for sensitive skin

What do I think?

• The ingredients in this product are pretty mild and gentle, meaning that they are perfect for sensitive skin. It includes some pH balancing ingredients and citric acid so it will help tone your skin as it cleanses and help balance your skins acid mantle (see previous post for more on that). 
• Using this in place of a cleanser/makeup remover is a little hard to agree with just because I think it took too many cotton pads to remove everything. It is definitely a better option than rubbing your skin with a facecloth, but not an environmentally friendly one. You'll also be spending more money buying cotton pads.
• I have to say that this stuff leaves my skin feeling SO CLEAN and hydrated. It is such a really overall refreshing feeling that i'm becoming addicted to. This will totally be my go-to product this summer after being in the sun.

Overall impressions would be that I think this is definitely something people should try out if they're interested. There's no harm in using it, and if you're wearing a light face of makeup it will be easy to remove everything.

My routine so far has been to use it on my eyes to remove makeup, use my DIY oil cleanser (which I'll blog about soon), and then go back and swipe the product all over my face to tone, refresh, and remove any remaining makeup. I have noticed my skin is super happy with this routine so I'll definitely be repurchasing this again when I'm out!!

AHA / BHA the low down on facial acids

Inviting an acid into your skincare routine isn't as scary as it may sound; and when done properly can be really beneficial to your skin health. I'll introduce you to two really powerful and useful hydroxy acids that you can incorporate as you need into your collection: Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA's) and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA). 

AHA's
There are numerous AHA's in the world but the ones that are used specifically in skincare products include: citric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid.

What do they do?  
Did you know that healthy skin is naturally acidic? It has a pH of 4.5-5.5. 
If high school chemistry wasn't your thing don't worry here's a quick update: 

 Being so acidic, skin has what is referred to as an "acid mantle" that enables us to be shielded from weather, bacteria or fungal infections and breakouts, also helps delay signs of aging. Every day we do things to our face to naturally disrupt this mantle, like using detergents in our shampoos (ever notice those pesky breakouts around your hairline?) and in our cleansers. See how much higher in pH shampoos and soaps are? I could talk forever about ingredients in products and skincare science (which I have learned completely on my own) but to not get completely off track here; AHA's help restore our natural acid mantle.  

Both BHA and AHA's have exfoliant properties. AHA's exfoliate by sloughing off dead skin cells to stimulate cell turnover and allow new healthy skin to grow in its place. By clearing skin of dead cells they are able to clear blocked pores(minimizing them!) and excess sebum (sebum= waxy oil excreted by the skin naturally) which can help those who have chronic acne or oily skin. Another benefit to AHA's removal of dead skin cells is allowing product applied to the skin after to sink in deeper and therefore being way more effective.

AHA's have their downfalls too; they can be pretty harsh or irritating. They are also best applied at night due to the new vulnerable skin appearing as the acid disintegrates the dead cells. If applied in daytime you'll need a powerful SPF tp protect those pretty new skin cells.

It's also important to remember that you don't have to apply anything to your entire face; don't treat your whole face the same! For example I have a really sensitive left cheek, totally weird, so I know that when I apply something harsh I tap lightly in that area.

BHA 
Notice that this acid isn't plural? That's because Beta Hydroxy Acid has only one type in skincare use and it's street name is one you've probably seen regularly in the product aisle of any drug store: Salicylic Acid. 

What does it do?
For starters, like AHA's, BHA also exfoliates to slough off dead skin cells. How it differs from AHA's is in it's solubility, or how it dissolves. AHA's are water soluble and BHA is oil soluble so it is able to dissolve any oils from your skin and penetrate deep into your pores to dissolve dirt and oil. Working really great for those who have any range of acne problems from tiny little annoying whiteheads to full blown cystic acne. It is also great for decreasing the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation on sun damaged skin.

BHA is also a little more gentle on the skin, being really effective at lower concentrations.

One last thing that AHA's and BHA share in common are that they are most effective when applied as a lasting treatment. Both of these acids work best in toners, moisturizers, treatments and liquids that you apply and don't wash away (like a cleanser/face wash). Let these take time to skin into your skin and do their magic.


So here's what I use:

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

The only BHA I use in my routine is from Paula's Choice. This product is primarily the BHA acid which I like because I know exactly what it's doing to my skin. I use this sometimes as a spot treatment when a big ugly pimple comes out to play. Using a q-tip I'll apply it all over the pimple area and it is super effective. The pimple will reduce in inflammation after a couple hours and then is usually gone in a couple of days after regularly cleaning and applying the BHA. Other times when I feel like my skin is crawling in little under-the-skin pimples I'll take a cotton pad and apply it on my skin overnight.

 

I use two AHA products, both with glycolic acid as the AHA. I originally bought Paula's Choice AHA gel when I bought the BHA liquid (side note: consistency doesn't make a difference I just really liked the way the gel felt on my skin). I used the AHA gel before I would use my BHA liquid because it would dry fast and allow me to absorb BHA better. I just recently found at cvs these Nip + Fab glycolic pads. These are SO easy to use and kind of fun too. I liked the idea of using a wipe, it reminded me of being a pimply teenager using stridex pads in my parents bathroom. These work wonderful, I find myself using them more frequently than the gel.

The price of both Paula's Choice products might seem a little steep but these bottles have lasted me a little over a year now with regular use and I'm maybe halfway through them.

So that concludes my long entry about acids. I hope I didn't confuse anyone with all this kind of crazy skincare jargon. Actually if anything I hope you learned something! I just think that these are such important skincare staples that are kind of looked over due to their complex lingo. Take some time to really think about what your skin is telling you it needs and try these acids out. If you're looking for more information on products, the Paula's Choice website is great to explore and full of really good science and information to help you out.

Review: Acure Brightening Facial Scrub

I learned of the brand Acure through my monthly Birchbox subscription. They had really great price points on their products for what they claim to offer. Their formulas are all natural so they have no: parabens, PEG's, petroleum, silicone, phthalates, and they're hypoallergenic. If you are curious as to why a brand would opt out of those ingredients I've linked each to a page that will explain. (I love that kind of stuff!)

Like I mentioned I purchased through Birchbox because I had received samples before and trusted that to make a full sized purchase. However they now sell Acure at Target! Who doesn't shop at target? It is so convenient because seeing the product in person is a different experience than shopping online (yea and you buy more too..).

The Brightening Facial Scrub claims to:

• Gently exfoliate using organic sea kelp
• Stimulate new cell growth using chlorella growth factor and argan stem cells
• Work for all skin types (Oily/acne prone to dry/sensitive)
• Remove impurities from your pores using french green clay and organic lemon peel

 

Straight out of the tube comes a sludgy green paste that after reading there was organic sea kelp inside had my mind thinking of nasty seaweed and pond scum....maybe that's just me.

I would apply this to a damp face because it feels a little harsh on bare skin. Once the water was able to dilute it a bit I gently went in circular motions starting at the bottom of my cheeks working onto my nose and up to my forehead. A dime sized amount got a fair amount of product up to my nose, but I applied more for my forehead since that's a trouble area for me.

Rinsing was not fun. I really have an issue with products that take too long to come off my skin because I hate tugging at my skin. This really took awhile to come off. At the end of the whole ordeal I had my arms soaked with water, my sink a mess, my floor wet, and my face a little red.

A piece of advice: Use this in the shower in the morning. It rinses off fine under the jets and is a good way to start your day.

Overall I think this scrub is fantastic because after using it for a couple weeks I feel like it helped me shed my dry skin cells and has made the tone of my skin a tad brighter. For an exfoliate this is something I would recommend to anyone. It is only 9.99 and is full of amazing ingredients that wont hurt your skin.

9.99 for 4oz I cannot get over how cheap that is; and their other products have seriously crazy low price points too! So the next time you're at target (aka tomorrow) check out the Acure section and see what else you might be into.

Four Tips on how to keep you breakout free

The keyword here for this post is: CLEAN! It is so easy to blame a product for causing you breakouts, but have you thought about the way you apply the product? You might be causing yourself to break out and you don't even realize it.

TIP ONE:





#cleanyoself, It's just that simple. The first step to washing your face should be rinsing your hands (and under the nails!) of all the bacteria and dirt that could be on them. I would especially scrub if you were just doing something you know is dirty. Of course there are times I forget, but if I'm having issues with breakouts I generally never skip.









 




TIP TWO:

Breakouts on your body can occur just as fast as your face when around a ton of oil and bacteria. I generally use my towels twice and then switch to a clean one. If you go for longer than that you can be reinforcing breakouts from the mildew and bacteria that thrive in moist environments. Make sure that when you hang a towel it isn't scrunched up and that most of it is able to dry completely.

This rings CRAZY true for facecloths. You should only be using them ONCE! I usually only use one at night when removing makeup or a mask/scrub. In the morning I wash my face in the shower, but if you don't shower in the mornings just use your hands! (Clean ones!)

If you need to put your facecloth down in between using products, make sure the surface is clean too, bathrooms are dirty!





 

TIP THREE:

Clean your brushes! If you're using your makeup brushes every day you should try to clean them once a week. It seems like a lot of work but those things pick up oil and bacteria from your face (and airborne types of bacteria!) every day and then store them on these brushes. Some of you are probably thinking "yea ok but they'll die off" and that's the worst of all! You're right, only the strong survive so they can be mixed onto your face again the next day! Ew.

                                       

Here is how I quickly wash my brushes:

        *RINSE*

If you own a Beauty Blender, you need to clean this more than you clean your brushes. Why? Well you wet the sponge before each use so that it bounces across your skin and blends makeup. Its a sponge so it is a harbor for bacteria and mildew just like a towel.

Me? I clean mine every couple days by taking a pump of my makeup remover, smearing it all over the sponge, and rinsing under the faucet until makeup doesn't squeeze out any longer.

I tried the Solid by beautyblender brand and my first impressions were that I didn't like how it was basically a bar of soap and I didn't know where to put it so I could avoid bacteria contamination. I like using a pump of makeup remover much better.


 

TIP FOUR:

Wash your pillow covers. When you sleep, you sweat. This oil becomes absorbed by your pillow covers, and even your sheets, and can break you out if they aren't washed. I say this because most people wash bedding every other week or even once a month, but pillow covers should really be washed more frequently. If you don't want to wash them that much then get an extra set and change them out more often.

 I would also consider what detergent you use if your skin is acting up and you feel like you've changed everything in your routine. Try something more natural, even if only for your pillow covers and towels. It could help calm your skin and fix the problem.


Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips that you don't see here or would like to add to anything.

Glossier Review

After months of reading reviews on the new Glossier skincare I decided to cave. This brand has been getting a lot of attention on social media and it kept popping up all over my instagram feed. At first I saw the price and was turned off, like 80 bucks for 4 items? I didn't know enough about the brand to take the dive. With that said I started reading Into The Gloss which is a blog that Glossier was created from. I am a total skincare junkie so it was right up my alley. I found a ton of great beauty tips and was obsessed when they interviewed my girl Kim Kardashian. 

Personally my skin had taken a huge beating this winter and went through spells of being dry to greasy to sensitive. I have battled combo, sensitive skin that has been breaking out on me to top it all off. Never have I had problems like this, so I knew I needed something natural that would do the job. I went and bought Glossier's Phase One set in "light".

Soothing Face Mist:

 This is my favorite piece of the set. I use this spray constantly: After I cleanse, when my skin is feeling tight, if I'm overheated, and basically every time I walk by my vanity. Rose water is so good for your skin, and yes I mean YOU, everyone. The rose water and aloe work to hydrate and radiate dull dry skin. Combined with citric acid it works to calm and pH balance for oily/acne prone skin, and if you have "normal" type skin (is that even real?) you will just beam. I have used another rose water spray in the past and I have to say this really keeps me feeling fresh and that perfect "just enough" hydrated. On its own the soothing face mist is $18 for 4fl oz and that is a steal. You need this in your life.

Priming Moisturizer: 

I apply this moisturizer after the rose water spray has evaporated into my skin. A little amount of this goes a long way, and it comes out super easy from the tube so be careful when you're squeezing. (when I squeeze too much I just lather my neck in it) As a moisturizer it feels great on my skin, absorbs relatively quickly and doesn't leave me all that greasy. If you were going for a matte look I would use a matte primer over this because it leaves me quite dewy when I use it as a stand-alone primer. The ingredients include great emollients but also include beeswax and Trisodium Ethylenediamene Disuccinate which to a small percentage can aggravate sensitive skin/allergies. On it's own the priming moisturizer is $25 for 1.7fl oz.

Balm Dotcom:

 This product is claimed to be a "universal skin salve" because you can basically use it wherever on your body you need some extra moisture. I wouldn't recommend using it on your face during the day because it is greasy, think Vaseline-type of hydration. I use it on my lips during the day and the skin near my thumbs that gets dry patches constantly. At night I use it on my face under my eyes to hydrate. I have "chicken skin" in my under eye area that I noticed more this winter due to dryness and when I apply Balm Dotcom overnight they are faded almost 100%. Nothing, and I mean not even coconut oil was helping to diminish them. On it's own the balm dotcom is $12 for .5oz which seems like an ouch, but is very worth it.

 

Perfecting Skin Tint: 

 This product claims to fall between bare skin and makeup, essentially a pigment with some shimmer called "diamond powder". I absolutely love the concept of this being that I take pride in letting my skin breathe and try to stay away from heavy foundations. I love a light feeling fresh looking face but I just WISH SO BADLY that there was some SPF in here. I haven't tried using this over a facial sunscreen so maybe I am just being dramatic but this would be perfect if it were 2 in 1. Beyond that hurdle I absolutely love the glow you get from this. When used in conjunction with the other items in the phase 1 set your skin feels and looks supple and gorgeous. It definitely doesn't cover any imperfections, maybe diminishes pores a little, so if you have redness or acne you might want to blend out some concealer, cc cream, or whatever you use to keep red tones down. I usually apply this by dropping out 8-10 drops and sweeping them up with my damp beauty blender and it will cover the majority of my face. I go over any target areas and build a little, it wont build a lot but it works for me. 

My favorite way to wear this is after I apply my priming moisturizer I apply Loreal Magic Lumi primer with my damp beauty blender, then I blend out the skin tint and wow I am GLOWING. I mean like beaming radiant glow, it's so gorgeous. 

I have tried to layer it over my Yes to Grapefruit CC cream (still using a damp beauty blender) and I saw that it kind of sunk into some fine lines. I am still working at it to see if its the CC cream or the skin tint though. 

On it's own the skin tint sells for $26 for 1fl oz making it the most expensive of the set. I don't know if I would buy this on it's own just yet.

Below you can see how the skin tint blends out using my fingers on the back of my hand. I love the look of the finish, the diamond powder gives it a nice glow. 

 

Now for something that is NOT apart of the Phase 1 set..

Mega Greens Galaxy Pack:

Glossier had me at "a juice cleanse for your face" and I thought "oh perfect I know juice cleanses are great and I never try them because I'm lazy and now here this might make me feel better". It totally did, and the press for their skin masks on their instagram was super attractive. When I decided to take the plunge and get the Phase 1 set I had to tack on atleast one mask. I chose this one because the hydrating one seemed like overkill and I already had a mess of a million hydrating serums/moisturizers/night creams at home. The mask is full of really great ingredients; antioxidants, green veggie extracts and phytonutrients that attribute to the juice cleanse claim, and biter orange peel that is in the mask to exfoliate gently. I love this mask because it just makes me feel fresh and thoroughly clean. My skin feels happy and rejuvinated and like I really detoxed...maybe all of that is just in my head. It stings a little when I apply the mask to my face but that fades almost immediately as the soft kaolin clay begins to sink into my pores and dry. I noticed in areas where there looks to be a breakout moving in fast, it is calmed after using the mask, and for a couple occasions stops the breakout in its tracks. The mega greens mask is sold for $22 for 3fl oz and is worth every penny.