Summer's coming. Is your face ready?

Hello everyone!

It's nearing the end of May, for those of us in the northern half of the planet, this means summer. And summer means being out in the sun!

But we all know that sun damage is one of the leading causes of premature aging and skin cancer.  What a killjoy.  But with developments in science, this can be prevented or lessened, with our good buddy sunblock!

Sunblock (especially on the face) is actually something we should be wearing all year, even on cloudy days. The UVA/UVB rays are still getting in through the clouds.  I have also read that even if you are predominantly indoors, wear your sunscreen on your face especially if you work near windows. Yep, those pesky harmful rays can penetrate glass.

I recently bought my facial sunblock for the summer, switching brands this time.  I normally wear Shiseido suncare on my face, but I wanted to go a little less expensive and a little higher SPF.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock Lotion in SPF 110.

This product can be found at most drug stores for about 14$, and on www.drugstore.com for $9.99. I paid almost 40$ for my Shiseido sunblock in the past.

This product contains helioplex, which is a proprietary blend that screens out the burning UVB rays and helps stop the UVA rays (the rays that age skin) from penetrating.  It also claims to be non-comedogenic (not pore clogging), PABA free, oil-free and non greasy.

So, how did I like it? I do not like it. I love it.   It felt as luxurious as my more expensive sunblocks in my past.  It goes on very smooth, a little goes a long way. It feels like a nice facial moisturizer and in about a  minute, it dries to a soft, velvety, near-invisible matte finish.  I also love how it comes in 110 SPF (I am fair skinned so I need all the help I can get) and for those who don't want or need so much I believe it also comes in 55 SPF.   Here's the part where it gets tricky- the smell. It smells like sunblock, and the smell is a little strong. I don't mind it because it DOES go away for the most part, and the smell is still pleasant.  Also, be careful applying this product around the eye area. If you sweat before the sunblock has dried and you have lotion applied near the skin, it may run and it DOES sting.  The best way to protect the skin around the delicate eye area is to wear sunglasses when you are outdoors during the day /or wear a wide-brimmed hat.

Pros: Feels great on, non greasy, high SPF, not very expensive, good as an everyday sunscreen

Cons: stings eyes, strong smell for some, not very sweatproof

Get the airbrush look... With a regular brush!

Hi everyone!

I am a huge advocate for airbrush foundation. I love the stuff, but sometimes airbrushing isn't practical or possible. Maybe you need a lot more coverage. Maybe you want to use the non-airbrush foundation you still have. 

You can do this with a stippling brush like the MAC 187 brush (which I have)

Ain't she a beauty?  The trick here is those white fibers. the black fibers give the brush fullness and keep the white ones evenly spaced which is crucial to the application process.

So how do I "stipple"? 


Stippling is a technique also used in painting, where you lightly dot on the color until you achieve the coverage or design you want.  With makeup it lets you apply liquid foundation without it looking like it (I have seen girls wearing liquid foundation and actually saw brush tracks in their skin, meaning it looked kinda like this in some places)

(A little exaggerated but this is what I mean by brush tracks)

Stippling foundation on allows you to create a light layer of color or more color when you need it. I have not made a video yet but I have found some good ones that show you how to stipple and what it looks like when you do.  The only real con I have about stippling is sometimes you need to use more liquid than you normally would, but not much more. 

Video links:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cquw8OxbAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX7yR4q1Lm0

                                                                                                                                            

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9TbAmtLC-8

I tried these methods for the first time today and I also really like the results! I will take pics of my skin with airbrush foundation and stippled foundation in the future. 

Have a great day and keep coming back!

Aesthe Peptide Skincare Review

Hello everyone-

I was recently sent some samples of Aesthe Peptide Skincare to review.  Aesthe is a Korean brand specializing in anti-aging. I was sent their basic kit which consists of a cleanser, a toner, an emulsion, a day cream and a night cream.

The set looks like this: 

 

Clockwise from upper left: (Sorry for the bad picture) Cleanser, toner, emulsion, night cream, day cream

These products get most of their skin rejuvenating power by being made with special peptides, which are amino acids that signal to skin cells to renew themselves. As we get older, we have less of these in our cells.  Aesthe products created a special peptide called Dewtide which is powerful and water based.  Most of these products are not pore clogging (more on that later).  The packaging is very nice and simple, they come in a box with instructions in both English and Korean.  The products also smell nice, always a plus.

Now to review the individual products!

Step 1: Aesthe Mild Foam Cleanser

This is likely my favorite product of the bunch.  It is a very light, airy foam cleanser and a little goes a long way- 2 pumps max. It comes out like a mousse so you don't need to use a lot.  It is NOT an acne cleanser and contains no medicine or alcohol. It smells great and feels great while using it.  When I am done washing it and let it dry, my skin feels soft and moist, not dried out. 

Step 2: Peptide Toner

This is not like your average toner in the sense that it has more of a gel consistency than a liquid like most toners.  It contains peptides and also a little here goes a long way- 2-3 pumps per use. It feels good on the skin, again alcohol free and does not dry me out. 

Step 3: Peptide Emulsion

Think of this step as a lotion for your face. Also contains peptides and also like the other two, a little goes a long way.  It does not feel heavy on the skin at all and has a nice clean smell like the rest of the products.

Step 4: Day/Night Creams

This is where we get a little tricky with how I feel about it.  These creams are VERY thick, however you only need a really small amount worked into the skin.  This is a better product for drier, mature skin than for "younger" oily acne-prone skin.  You can get great results out of this set with or without it. Sometimes I use it sometimes I don't, depending on the heat and humidity of that day.  After a few minutes the heavy feeling does go away and the skin is silky soft. These creams are more of a protectant that a moisturizer (most of the moisture comes from the Emulsion). 

How did my skin look before and after using this?

Before, my skin tone was a little uneven, dark under eye circles with a little tiny bit of wrinkling under my eyes. After using this product for 2 weeks, my under eye area has been looking a little smoother and a little less dark. My skin tone has also improved and looks more even.  A friend of mine used this also like I have and she got similar results. Her skin (she is Asian) actually became slightly lighter. We both have softer skin as a result as well. 

Where can you get this?  There are two sites that sell these product in English (the rest are in Korean)

www.airbrushskincare.com

www.nuaveworld.com (This one has the cheaper price)

Enjoy and have a great day!