5 Things That Cleared Up my Acne

Yes folks, I want to congratulate myself that after 6 months, 6 months of frustrations and stress because of my HUGE acne breakout all over my cheeks; and frustrated for trying out A LOT.. I mean A LOT of products from Conzace, Beauche, BP, Tret, Hydroq, Beauche, and a whole lot more..

I am finally clear. (See pics of previous post) I still have minor red scars but that's easy peasy to fade up with Pond's Flawless White. I will post an individual review of each product for your reading pleasure folks, but for now.. let's cheer for them!

Almost all products can be bought worldwide (not sure with katialis)

Hephep Hooray!

As face wash

As night spot cream

As day cream

As sunscreen

For internal cleansing

Ewww before

Yey after with my cousin and blogger yuume bunny

The Truth About Foundations

image taken from Ihascheezburger

Haha.. LOLCatz are so cute. Most of us "kikay" women use foundations. Mostly to cover up acne, scars, or just to make our face look flawless. But do you know most cosmetic companies just give false truths about special properties in their foundation or anti-oxidant blah blahs when they really appear in the last part of the ingredients list. (Meaning the antioxidants are insignificant to work)

I found an article from acne.org by a person who works in the cosmetics industry for a really long time. It enlightened me in so many ways making me more picky in choosing what foundation to use.

Tutorial: Yakult & Mung Bean Mask

Most of my readers requested a step by step tutorial with measurements and pictures on how to make the "Yakult Mask". Here you go *wink*.

For more information on the wonderful effects of the Yakult Mask

Click HERE

Ingredients:

• Yakult (or any lactobacillus drink)
• Mung Bean Powder (I used Mung Bean Mask from Kuan Yuan bought from sasa.com)

Process:

Use around a tablespoon of mung bean starch

Mix everything into a paste and apply on your face just like a mask.

Wait until it is dry, just like this, like a thin film is on your face O_O

Rinse off with water, and water only! :)

Instant Effect: Skin brightening, acne drying

Long Term Effect:: Pore size appearance reduced, redness minimizing, acne gone! :) Glowy skin!

Hope this helps! Thank you so much!

Rice Water Toner

I got this idea from Michelle Phan at youtube and decided to give it a shot. I just do not know when the expiration date is so I throw away the liquid and replace it with a new mixture every 2 days. I also store it in the fridge.

Based from her youtube video, rice has essential vitamins and minerals that can benefit the skin. My grandma also used to  use rice steam to make her skin glowy so I guess it should work. But this is tiring to make and I would just prefer buying ready  made toners at the mall. Haha.

But for those who are interested. Here are the steps:

 

Using organic rice (any would do just make sure it is organic and clean!) clean your rice, mix mix mix and you should get a cloudy water out of this. Oops! Dont throw it away! This cloudy water has the one with the nutrients in it!

Transfer this cloudy water in a clean bottle. I use the one with the spray so I can easily spray it on the cotton pad.

 

There you go! Your own rice water toner. Please make sure to store this in a cool place so it doesnt go bad quickly. I dont rinse after using this, I just pat out and dry the excess on my skin to absorb.

Review: Only used this for a week and I didnt see very visible effects. It did not clean or anything but it did not make me break out either. I'm too lazy to always concoct this mixture so I stopped using it anyway. It felt cool and refreshing on the skin, I think it made my skin  less dull

A Pleasant Surprise: Pond's White Beauty Detox

K: Starting today, I would try and give definition to each ingredient of product I review. I love googling and read what goes on to my face and I think you'd like that too. Minus the task of googling.

I've been hesitant to try Pond's again because of my unpleasant experience with their acne facial wash, which actually gave me acne! But my pimple scars on my chin and nose that have been red for weeks has been bugging me, and yes I got swayed by the ads!

But to my pleasant surprise, after around 4 days of using, I can already see the effects. Im not seeing noticeable skin lightening of course, but the red pimple marks that have been there for weeks,  are visibly lighter, and less visible, and peeling off! I know it is because of this lotion because Im not using other whitening creams and such since last week (yes I'm not using bb creams, Im done with my BB cream phase)

I'm using the lotion variant because it's light on the face, and dries quickly. The cream gives a matte finish for a while and then gives me clogged pores and oily skin a few hours later. It's also very cheap! I got it for 70php for 30ml.

Here's the list of ingredients of the lotion. I also researched what they are for.

Ingredients:

• Water
• Stearic Acid - a fatty acid used as a cosmetic base and emollient.
• Niacinamide - another byproduct of vitamin B, serves as an effective skin-lightening agent. In one clinical investigation, patients with hyperpigmentation applied a moisturizer containing five percentniacinamide.
• Cyclomethicone - a silicone oil used in hair and skin care products to impart shine and/or
  silkiness.
• Ethylexyl Methoxy cinnamate - Provides excellent UV absorption capability. Can be found in balsam of Peru, cocoa leaves, cinnamon leaves, and storax.
• Glycerin - A natural humectant (attracts and holds moisture) derived from vegetable fat. Helps skin absorb moisture and is helpful in pulling oxygen and bringing it into the skin.
• Butylene Glycol -  a humectant that is good for people with oily skin.
• Cyclopentasiloxane/Dimethicone crosspolymer - Derived from silica, this emollient provides a silky, smooth feel. 
• Titanium Dioxide - a full-spectrum sunscreen, which means that it protects the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. It is also used to give opacity to face powder, eye shadow, and foundation.
• Cetyl Alcohol - A solid fatty alcohol used as an emollient and emulsion stabilizer that gives skin a velvety feel.
• Caprilic/Capric Triglyceride - an emollient derived from coconut oil that is also used to disperse pigment incosmetics.
• Sorbitan Stearate -  Used as an emulsifier, a thickener and a stabilizer of essential oils in lotionproducts.
• Potassium Hydroxide - A mild food grade preservative found in cheese, wine, etc.
  Poultice: Plant matter that aids injured or inflamed skin.
• Butyl Methoxy dibenzoyl methane - 
• Phenoxy ethanol 
• Fragrance
• Dimethicone/Vinyl
• Dimethicone Crosspolimer/C12-14 Pareth-12
• Methylparaben
• Tocophenyl Acetate - Vit. E
• Propylparaben
• Disodium EDTA
• Pyridoxine GCI
• Sodium Ascorbyl Phospate - Vit. C

Myth Busters: Eye Drops for Acne Redness

I know ladies here have heard of this "tip"
Using any red eyedrops to your pimple to make the redness temporarily disappear.

I found a bottle of eyemo eyedrops and also for making my eyeshadows last longer or make it as a liquid eyeliner and decided to try it on my fresh fresh fresh acne.


Did it work? Hell no. It stayed the same. The zit is still red. Not even a shade lighter. I even gave it a chance and let it stay for more than an hour, and then applied again.

Still no change. The nifty old concealer did the job.

How about you guys? Have you tried this "beauty tip"? Did it work for you?

DIY : Yakult Mask

Disclaimer: I asked full permission to re-post her testimonial and pictures. Thanks Diceey! :)

 

Testimonial by Diceey - Soompier:

I just thought i would like to share this. hopefully this would help some people out.

I've been suffering from acne for a while now- but it got so severe in the past year. I felt so horrible and it was disgusting to look at myself in the mirror. Acne really hurts self esteem and it just seems like nothing could ever fix my face. I've tried SO many products in hope of fixing my acne but some of them just made it worse. BUT a few months ago, my grandma introduced me to this random and weird homemade mask that was suppose to be miraculous and amazing. and it was ! trust me, when i first heard of it, it was just.. weird. So i've been using this for about 2 months, about 3 times a week and it made a huge difference in my skin. i feel a lot better and less self concious.

Of course, i'm also using products to wash my face and such- ( that also helped a lot! ) (: I did also use the clinique three step acne kit... it wasn't that great, but it did stop my acne for a while. I have really really oily skin and that kit just basically took all the oil out of my face and made it completely dry (but i didn't break out). I sort of liked the kit but it ran out really fast and the moisturizer really stung my face. I guess I just had really sensitive skin. I just gave up on that since it was a bit too pricey for only 2 month's worth. So i've switched to neutrogena deep cleanser and been using it for a month. it is AMAZING. <3 it just cleans all the dirt and oil out of my pores and my skin never felt so clean and smooth. i dont know if this works for all skin types though because when i checked online, there were a lot of mixed reviews but i think its definitely worth a try. and i've also been using witch hazel as a toner-- it smells really bad at first though; but it's gentle and doesn't irritate my skin at all.

but basically, the most important thing is: dont pop those pimples. dont scratch, or touch your face no matter how much you would like to, it'll leave scars and spread the bacteria. and of course, drink a lot of water (: eat healthy and lay off the chips. those things would definately make a huge difference.

okay, im starting to ramble on and on-- so i'd like to post some pictures and show you the difference!

OH and if anybody's interested, the ingredients to the masks are simple. I live in an Asian community so the ingredients are easily purchased. I dont know the exact amount to mix in since I just eyeball it, but basically you would want a paste-like substance.

all you need is two ingredients: yakult and mung bean starch/flour ( sorry, i dont have a picture of the packet ): but i think it could be purchased at any asian market. )

KC -> For those who cannot find the mung bean flour, I order mine at Sasa.com or Bobodave.com

Or if you cannot buy online, I just drink some yakult and then the left over poured on a cotton pad.. and used as a liquid mask instead ;)

okay, here comes the pictures! sorry if it's .. really disgusting.

it started clearing up eventually. and now, these are the most recent pictures.

Myth Busters: Ice and Lipstick

Cause of Acne: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation
I have terrible chin acne :( and I really do not want to use OTC products.. seasalt works well only if your pimple has errupted already.

So I tried 2 of the "acne busting" myth that I've been hearing about since I was a kid.

Ice, and lipstick.

For the ice part, any block of ice would do (clean please) and for lipsticks, I heard that the regular kind works well. (not those with complicated formulas). So I used my NYX in strawberry milk so my chin wouldnt look so red.


ICE - place ice on inflamed skin for 15-20 minutes.

Did it work? Sadly no, it just made the aching pain go away. Nothing happened the following day as the redness and inflammation still exists.

MYTH BUSTED!

Lipstick - Apply lipstick just like any spot treatment and leave overnight. 

Did it work? Much as I wouldnt like to admit it, but surprisingly it did! I did this for 2 consecutive nights though. 1st day, they were swollen, about to pop out. 2nd day, they popped out and dried completely. Now my chin acne has some redness but it is "dead" so we say

MYTH UNBUSTED!

Sea Salt Treatment for Acne

*Disclaimer: I only use this as spot treatment and not to the whole face. Please check if you have allergies.

Oops! Don't pop that pimple yet!

I have been sharing this tip to friends, relatives, and acquaintances at message boards, and I would like to share this to everyone! :) It is the cheapest, yet most effective acne spot treatment that I have tried!

What?
Do you notice that everytime you go to the beach and take a swim, after rinsing out your skin looks smooth glowing and fresh? It's because pure sea salt have essential minerals for the skin that sometimes is put in expensive creams.

How?

1. You need the following:

• Sea Salt - Please use only sea salt, not rock, not iodized.
• Purified or Mineral Water
  
• Mixing Dish or Cup - Preferably ceramic, and CLEAN
• Q-tip/ Cotton Swab

2. Mix in 2 tablespoons of sea salt and 1  tablespoon of water in the mixing dish

3.  Dip in your q-tip in the salt water mixture

4. Apply to spots, with slight pressure, careful it stings a little!

5. Leave overnight

When you wake up, your pimples should have dried. And when it is healed, it will leave no scar.

;)

Leave in your comments if it also worked for you!