Beauty, Charm & Style

I remember when I first realized I needed to take better care of my face and skin.  When I was eight I just scrubbed my face in the tub and went about my day.  But when I was eleven, and a burgeoning woman, with puberty looming over my head, I realized I needed to step up my game.

Going strictly off my commercial watching and TEEN magazine advertisements, I decided makeup remover pads, astringent and my mom’s face lotion was the perfect skin care combination for me.

Following a good face scrub, I wiped the damp pad across my face and tossed the pad in the trash.  Then I soaked a cotton ball in astringent and spread the alcohol laced, sterile smelling potion all over my face.

And then my face began to burn. Beauty is pain, right?

I smoothed over some lotion and looked in a mirror and my face was RED!  Eek!

I ran downstairs, found my mom, she laughed at my red face and I instantly began to cry. After calming me down, she lathered on some super strong lotion and told me to go rest.

I canceled my very important evening plans of a pizza party and a sleep over, and hit the hay early that night, sulking all the way to slumber.

After a good night sleep, the lotion sank in and my when I awoke, my face was back to normal – more or less. It still took about another day to completely heal, but my skin is resilient and it returned to its normal, pre-pubescent state.

The important lessons learned here were that I have sensitive skin, I shouldn’t use alcohol-based products and that my face takes a long time to de-redden.  Luckily, I’ve come a long way since this red-faced revolution and have a better knowledge of what my face needs and what works well with my system.

My mother, my sister and myself (upper right) before I realized the importance of propper skin care.

I remember when I first realized I needed to take better care of my face and skin.  When I was eight I just scrubbed my face in the tub and went about my day.  But when I was eleven, and a burgeoning woman, with puberty looming over my head, I realized I needed to step up my game.

Going strictly off my commercial watching and TEEN magazine advertisements, I decided makeup remover pads, astringent and my mom’s face lotion was the perfect skin care combination for me.

Following a good face scrub, I wiped the damp pad across my face and tossed the pad in the trash.  Then I soaked a cotton ball in astringent and spread the alcohol laced, sterile smelling potion all over my face.

And then my face began to burn. Beauty is pain. I smoothed over some lotion and looked in a mirror and my face was RED!  Eek!

I ran downstairs, found my mom, she laughed at my red face and I instantly began to cry. After calming me down, she lathered on some super strong lotion.  I cancelled my evening plans of a pizza party and a sleep over, and hit the hay early that night.

After a good night sleep, the lotion sank in and my when I awoke, my face was back to normal – more or less. It still took about another day to completely heal, but my skin is resilient and it returned to its normal, pre-pubescent state.

The important lessons learned here were that I have sensitive skin, I shouldn’t use alcohol-based products and that my face takes a long time to de-redden.  Luckily, I’ve come a long way since this red-faced revolution and have a better knowledge of what my face needs and what works well with my system.

Philosophy: The great mystery is the great debate. People ask “how” was the universe created, the more important question is “why” was it created at all.

What an amazing statement to read while standing in my bathroom, wearing my old bathrobe, doing a simple daily facial.  Really makes me think, makes me ponder my own existence.  Why am I here? How big is the universe? What purpose is being?

My head hurts.

Philosophy’s the Great Mystery One-Minute Daily Facial will heal me.

Philosophy Great Mystery Facial

Really, the great mystery is how did philosophy manage to create a spa quality deep cleansing facial of this caliber in my bathroom. As I slather the paste onto my skin, the aroma fills me nose, I’m instantly relaxed and my head has stopped hurting from thinking about existence.  Rather, I’m calm.  I’m breathing better and deeper.

After massaging the cleanser into my face for a minute, I rinse with cool water and pat dry. Deep cleaning, exfoliating and purifying my face in a record speed, my skin is tight, crisp and clean.  It acts fast, so I don’t feel like I’m selfishly wasting my time being vain.

The Breakdown:

• 5 oz bottle
• $25 each
• Contains sea salts for natural, therapeutic exfoliation
• Smells like lavender

Tips:

• Use every day, once a week, or on special occasions – you decide.

today I am going to talk about POND’s new Clean Sweep Micro Dermabrasion Cleansing Towelettes – micro dermabrasion in its softest and simplest form.

Pond's Clean Sweep

I started using these towelettes while traveling across the country for a wedding last week.  Waking up outrageously late for my outrageously early flight, I barely had time to put on clean pants, let alone thoroughly wash my face.

Anyway, when I hit my first layover, I found the ladies room and decided I need to wash my face and not look like a tired old hag.  And lucky me, I had thrown a new pack of POND’s cleaning towels in my purse the night before figuring I’d use them rather than the harsh soap provided by the hotel. So I take out a towel, and I feel the tiny green beads, and start to rinse my face.  Here we go.

Working like a charm, the toweletts removed my leftover makeup, even the waterproof mascara from the night before, and restored my face back to normal.  And since I don’t use any water, and it relies on the cleaners within the towel, I don’t have to worry about using toner or disrupting my skin’s pH balance.  Rather my skin is soft and smooth.  I pull out my moisturizer stored in my quart sized Zip-Lock bag.  And wha-lah – my face is so fresh and so clean.

Those tiny little micro beads on the towelette work the same as any harsh microdermabrasion kit, lotions, gels and serums.  Using the POND’s Clean Sweep Mircodermabrasion for 2 weeks will gently give you the same results as a spa microdermabrasion treatment.  And this is way more affordable.

The Breakdown:

• $6.00 / 30 pack
• Green tea is soothing, cucumbers reduce puffiness and aloe makes skin so soft
• Mirco beads non-abrasively clean skin to help improve dull, clogged complexions
• Hypoallergenic
• Safe for all skin types and contact lens wearers

I’m not much of one to use tools when it comes to my personal maintenance; I prefer my own delicate touch and the caress of my fingers.  But I’ve been using an electric toothbrush for a while now and I think I ready for the leap. I’m going to try DermaNew Facial Rejuvenation System.

DermaNew Facial Rejuvenation System

Simple to use, I put the batteries into the Resurfacing Tool and stick the applicator to the LOW side.  I’m hesitant to use the HIGH setting till I see what this baby can do.  Washing and drying my face and pulling back my hair, I dab the cream onto the applicator pad and then dot onto my forehead, cheeks, chin and nose.

Here we go.

The vibrating sensation feels nice on my skin as I rub the cream in small upward circles.  I gently move across my face, careful not to put too much pressure on my skin and not miss a single spot.  A minute later, the bell has rung (literally, there’s a timer on the tool) and I splash warm water on my face to rinse off any remaining residue and I pat dry.

After applying my night cream, my face looks fresh, alive, clean and radiant!  My skin feels soft and supple, like when you leave the spa after a nice facial.  And I’m glad I tried something new today, a little risky behavior has paid off.   The proof is on my face.

The Breakdown:

• 5 piece system includes, Dual Action Resurfacing Tool, Teardrop foam applicator, Sensitive Formula Microdermabrasion Cream, Body Foam Applicator and Polishing Brush.
• Batteries ARE included
• $70.00
• Suitable for Normal and Sensitive skin types

Tips:

• Use twice a week to keep skin rejuvenated
• Use body applicator pad to bring new life to your chest, neck, shoulders, arms, elbows or any other part of your body that needs a little resurrection.

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