As an adult, when you go from nearly life-long clear skin to problem skin in the space of three months, you might panic.
I did. Many ladies and gentlemen did and do. Adult-onset acne is not unheard of and can be triggered by any number of things – commonly hormones, but also environment, diet, and other lifestyle factors. Going from having something work for years to everything being clearly.freaking.wrong for your skin is frustrating!
For the first time in I’m-not-even-sure-at-this-point (18 months? 24? I don’t know anymore!), I’ve had clear skin. Clear, that is, aside from an occasional cycle-related blemish that is minor and goes away on its own. Hallelujah.
If you’re frantically trying to pursue resolution, you might inadvertently have left common sense by the wayside. No judgment; I did. Keep these things in mind when trying to manage suddenly problem skin.
Every time I use my Conair Jumbo hot rollers, I wonder:
Why the hell don’t I do this more often? It is so low-effort for such nice results; definitely gives the illusion that I took more than the 5-10 minutes it takes to put these in.
If we’re being honest, I can spare 5-10 active minutes most mornings for my hair to do itself. I just conveniently forget that when I’m slapping the snooze button.
The Conair Jumbo set isn’t fancy like a Caruso steam set or, “sexy,” like the T3 rollers are. My rollers cost me about $35 when I bought them several years ago. Right now, they’re available on Amazon for around $27 – but also have a $5 off coupon. Be sure to choose the Amazon-exclusive set for the additional $5 off.
Why Hot Rollers
Don’t get me wrong, curling irons and wands can and do provide amazing results, but I don’t have time for them most mornings. They aren’t as forgiving, and the entire styling time is active – you’re sitting there operating the device the entire time. It is also easy to burn yourself!
Once you figure out how to part your hair for your preferred results, you can throw jumbo rollers in your hair in ten minutes (or less if, unlike me, you are coordinated).
I’ve been a Costco member for a few years now and have shared some beauty finds in the past. Costco Beauty is a veritable treasure trove of desirable products at even-more-desirable prices. Arguably, if you have a makeup/skincare/haircare habit, the savings on some of these finds alone more than pays for the membership if you were planning to buy them anyway.
Here are some neat things I came across recently. I haven’t purchased most of these items, but either want to at some point or think they’re probably interesting enough to some people to share.
Amope Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry
The standard Amope Pedi Perfect is the recipient of several consumer awards as well as overwhelmingly positive reviews. Between 4.5 and 5 stars virtually everywhere, the Pedi Perfect typically retails for $30-36 for the device itself with only one head. Costco regularly carries the Wet & Dry variety, which is waterproof and therefore safe to use in the shower, for $40; the Wet & Dry variety typically goes for $50+ elsewhere. Costco’s package includes FIVE replacement rollers heads, which retail for $20 for a pack of two, plus a storage bag. Bonus: You DON’T have to be a member to order this from Costco.com, but there is a non-member surcharge of a couple dollars. This is the best value I’ve found via Costco Beauty to date.
Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum
This popular Murad serum goes for $65 at Sephora and Ulta in the same quantity. Even with a 20% off Platinum Perk or the November VIB sale, it drops to $52…so the $43 price tag Costco has it for is a steal. People have luck fading acne scars, sun spots, and age spots with this.
I was watching this video about using Tarte Shape tape from Stephanie Marie on YouTube and laughed at the, “if you’re NOT A YOUTUBER,” part of the title. (Btw: She’s spot-on with the recommendations on how to use Shape Tape, but more on that from me in another post).
Makeup needed to look, “good,” on camera or film is not the same as what one would wear in real life. Certainly there are occasional intersections, but think about it: such makeup is by necessity stronger, heavier, more dramatic.
Instagram Makeup & Influence
We’ve reached a point where Instagram makeup is so pervasive that people think that those looks are it. Everyone is going hard with concealer-driven under-eye highlights, two tablespoons of highlighting powder, matte liquid lips, and very serious eyebrows.
It’s one thing if a a full-face of Instagram or YouTube-ready makeup is what you like. There’s nothing wrong with that, and there’s definitely a ton of artistry to appreciate. I see incredible, mind-blowing makeup on Instagram and YouTube all.the.time.
…it’s another if you don’t care for heavily done makeup but feel compelled to wear it because that’s what’s trendy.
Multiple Routes
There’s more than one, “right,” way to wear makeup. In my opinion, artistry like Lisa Eldridge’s is woefully underrated. Alone, Lisa has taught me more than a dozen gurus with the same IKEA vanity setup (only a little shade because tbh I kind of want one too, Alex drawers and all) have combined. Recently, I read a comment on one of her videos that said something along the lines of:
I believe that in twenty years all those Kardashian-inspired looks trending on social media will be a butt of a joke as much as eighties New Romantic look is now.
Struck a chord with me, really. I enjoy a bit of everything for the most part, but have a realistic approach to, well, real life.
The Bottom Line
What do you think of Instagram makeup for everyday wear? Are you on-trend, or do you prefer more timeless looks?
I made a typo when I was writing out the title of this post – I accidentally wrote, “April 2015 Favorites.” Yeah, right.
I’ve moved on from Blond Brilliance. Priced similarly for way more product, Sally Beauty’s GVP line has what is apparently an excellent dupe of Clairol Shimmer Lights. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t tried Shimmer Lights, but what I do know is that this stuff is glorious for preservation of blonde.
It’s back! My cuticles are a mess since the manicure that blew my no buy. They did a fairly shoddy job, and now my fingers are worse off than before. This is the universe’s way of getting me back, ha. To help protect them, I’ve been slathering the Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage cream into them a couple times a day. I’m almost all fixed up.
I’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Shape Tape is a really great concealer. It isn’t some godly ambrosia perfect for every situation as the masses on YouTube would have you believe, but it is pretty solid.
I’m using Cabana Tan on my legs, but my arms (which take color at a comically rapid rate and do not suffer aggressive exfoliation from shaving) are getting a gradual sunless tanner for now. I’ve used Jergens with success but wanted to try L’Oreal Sublime Glow for fun and bought it over the winter – I like how it smells a bit more than the Jergens, and it seems as effective. Bonus? This has a small bit of fun, non-distracting, non-tacky shimmer – just enough to highlight the skin ever-so-faintly and give it a bit more life. I use medium. Note: This isn’t Sublime BRONZE, which is their more aggressive sunless tanner. This is the gradual one!
I’ll be the first to admit I have a Febreze problem. I have since as long as I can remember. Back in the day, it was Meadows and Rain. Then, Thai Dragonfruit, Allergen Reducer (smells surprisingly nice and I still use it). Next (and also currently), the Tide scented one since that’s my husband’s laundry detergent preference. I’ve tried and liked many more. Then, Febreze came out with their refillable Febreze One product and I immediately purchased it. It’s a fabric refresher and air freshener in one. It’s non-aerosol, and you can buy refill cartridges rather than whole new bottles. The Bamboo scent reminds me of something between Tide and Meadows and Rain – it’s clean, but not nauseatingly so. There’s a distinct, crisp Ozone note that I can’t.get.enough.of (its what I love about Yankee’s Margaritaville Mother Ocean candles!) Anyway, then BzzAgent sent me the other two scents which are quite lovely as well. I love that they’re lower-waste and that it’s a multi-use product. Couch? Curtains? Bathroom? Office? Handled.
Protecting your skin is a recurring theme on this blog. Before my mom’s initial melanoma diagnosismy dumbass was a tanning salon client. That abruptly stopped, and I’ve been slathering on sunscreen ever since.
A sunscreen-related question I used to ask was raised in the comments recently that I think warrants its own post. What better a time than Melanoma Monday? In essence, it was:
If most sunscreens must be reapplied every two hours or so, how does one reconcile reapplication with makeup usage? Do you need to remove your makeup, reapply sunscreen, then reapply makeup? How does that work for people who, you know, work?
Sunscreen for Desk Jockeys
Rejoice! You don’t need to literally reapply every two hours unless perhaps you work next to a window (through which UVA rays can penetrate). For those of you with cubicles or windowless offices, this means you can apply in the morning, commute, work, and not need to reapply for a lunch our or your commute home.
Chemical sunscreens aren’t time-released; they don’t have an expiration timer that starts from when they get massaged into your skin. The two-hour estimate is based on the photostability of the chemical components that protect your skin; subject to sun exposure, they gradually break down and become ineffective.
So, the TWO HOUR sunscreen reapplication guideline is two hours of EXPOSURE, not on a stopwatch.
Amope Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry
Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum
I was watching 