Review : Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque

This is quick review for Dermalogica's Skin Hydrating Mask. As you know doesn't matter what kind of skin you have, you need to hydrate is as much as possible and there are so many different masks you could try which have different combinations.

I, personally try to use this mask twice a week after I remove my clay mask. This hydrating mask comes with a 40 Euros price tag, and Dermalogica is a very good brand. Therefore I have high expectations but the mask fails to deliver those expectations.

It is a gel like, transparent formula that you put on your face (even around the eyes) and remove it after 10-15 mins.

Don't get me wrong, this mask does deliver what it needs to deliver but not with the quality you'd expect from Dermalogica. I think there are much better and cheaper options than this one. I don't see myself repurchasing this again.

When I'll be finished (god knows it will take a long time) I want to get full size of either Sisley's Express Flower Gel (gel express aux fleurs) or Origins'

Drink Up Intensive Mask. 

Review : Alpha H Purifying Clay Mask with vitamin A

I have a combination skin, I tend to get oily on my T zone and normal to dry (depending on the season) on my cheeks. And I have blackheads over my nose. Yea, disgusting.

today i finished the 50ml tube (mind you half of the retail size) it lasted quite some time though.

I really enjoy clay masks to get rid of the gunk in my pores and help with my blackheads. I need to say this clay mask of Alpha-H is pretty different than the conventional ones. It has vitamin A, the source of retinol and the consistency is more gooey and less drying than a conventional clay mask. It still does the job with an added benefit: when I take it off it looks like it helps with my complexion. Less drying effect is always a plus.

Today I squeezed the last bit of the 50ml tube which is the half size of the original one. I would definitely advice this mask to those who have combination to oily skin. Don't forget to slap on a moisturising mask though. It's never good to leave your skin dehydrated. 

What is your favourite clay mask?

My story with acne and medication. A happy end.

Hello people,

The reason why I started this blog was because of the fact that I was struggling with my skin condition. I have combination skin and I only remember having a few spots in my teenage years. Nothing troubling. Actually, I've never had the necessity of wearing a foundation in my life until a few years back.

Long story short, here, in the Netherlands, my GP gave me wrong type of medication what stimulated androgynous hormones and I was left with horrible acne on my face and back and hair loss(click here if you wanna have a glimpse).

I remember avoiding going out cause I looked like monster, never went on dates. I only met people in the evenings because even after hours of make-up trying to cover my spots was insufficient.

After 4-5 months of being off the medication, my acne was slightly better but still looked horrible and my face was hurting. This photo that you've seen here is actually taken 4 months after being off the medication.

After 6 months, I went to a dermatologist in Turkey and he advised me to use Accutane, I refused after reading all these side effects. I agreed to be put on Diane 35 for 6 months. It's a special blend of hormones specifically prescribed for acne sufferers.

I only could have bore it for a month! It was too powerful, too much sensitivity of my breasts made it impossible to sleep on my side or even wear a bra. Made me feel very depressed and all that jazz.

This is where it all becomes better. I came back to the Netherlands, met a lovely Swedish girl who had gone through the same trouble told me to use Tetralysal. Unfortunately, it's a very expensive medication and it's not sold here. It's a antibiotics and very different than Accutane.

So, I found a new GP, this time (knock on wood) a great dude, he prescribed me Doxycycline 100mg. Doxycycline 100mg has an active ingredient of doxycycline (clever, eih?) and Tetralysal has an active ingredient of lymecycline. Those two active ingredients are from the same family of tetracycline antibiotics family.

1 month of Doxycycline use, and kaboom, acne is gone. I think this medication (or antibiotics family) is a great alternative to try in place of Diane 35 or Accutane. Don't get me wrong, this medication is drying your skin, eyes, lips and your body heals really slowly. For instance I had the flu and I was in bed miserably for almost 2 weeks. 2 weeks! I noticed that my hair grows a lot slower, I have bloating problem (I use strong probiotics now), stomach pain, terrible headache... But it's all worth it considering that you only need to use it 1 to 3 months.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Coming Soon : Bergman Beauty Skincare Review

I splurged recently on a few products from this luxurious skincare brand called Bergman Beauty Care.

I can't wait to show you about my hits and misses.

Review : ORIGINS Clean Energy Gentle cleansing oil.

Hello people, as you know we should double cleanse our face in the evening if we wear make-up and/or sunscreen. This post is a review about Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleansing Oil.

I could write a long post about it but I'll save you the time : Just go and buy it. 

This oil blend of olive, safflower, sesame, sunflower, grape, macadamia, kukui, sweet orange, lavandin, lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, patchouli, cedarwood, clary sage. rosemary, sandalwood,  geranium and australian sandalwood oil mixture emulsifies with water and gets all the grime out of your pores.

The only two negative things I could say about this product is the not-so-reasonable-but-i-love-good-stuff-on-my-face price tag and having to purchase the pump separately (no, I haven't)

When you have your make-up on and your face is dry, you have to take a lil bit of this oil onto your palm and massage it gently until you have all the grime melted. Then, either you take the oil of with a damped flannel or muslin cloth or wash it away with lukewarm water. Voila. A little spa experience with all this wonderful smell of essential oils. Of course it might put you off if you're sensitive to unusual odours,

I find this cleansing oil for removing the make-up or cleansing my face (as the second cleanse) and a quick fix in the morning. It doesn't strip your face's natural oils nor leaves your face oily as some of you might fear.

Please don't hesitate to ask me questions if you have any.

Review : Lush Ultrabland

I use homemade cleansing balm normally; I put jojoba oil, beeswax, rosewater and honey in it. Now that I am on a vacation and I ran out of my cleansing balm, I decided to get Lush Ultrabland as a temporary replacement.

What a mistake it was. Even though I was taking the product off of my face with a warm flannel, after just 2 days, I woke up with loads of bumps under my skin. Now, I use it as hand cream.

Weird that I have no type of allergy so far and no product made me break and I genuinely like Lush. I think the peanut oil was too reach for me. Maybe it'd be more suitable for dry skins.

Review : MBR Medical Beauty Research Beta-Enzyme

A young lady at Douglas gave me a sample of this product when she heard me ranting about my skin condition.

I used the sample for a week then went to the store to purchase this.

size of the bottle next to a fat cat.

This is the type of product that you need to use at night time. After cleansing, you let it sit on your skin for 15 mins, then remove it off and go ahead moisturise. I've seen a result only in 2 nights. Not only my overall skin tone has improved (I have severe pigmentation on my cheeks and my jaw line), I also noticed that the pimples dried out a lot faster. They didn't aggravate at all. I think that this product is fastening purging process of my whiteheads. Now that I have the 30ml/1oz bottle, I can't wait to see more improvements.

This is an excerpt from MBR's website:

High-end active product with hydroxy acids combined with hightech enzymes. Supports the loosening of excess cornified cells, thereby promoting the skin‘s regeneration process.

• removes cornification and sebum and lipid deposits

• removes the intracellular cement structure

• protects and soothes the active cell layer

• optimizes the absorption capacity of subsequent products

Directions

After Cleansing (Two in One Cleanser), apply once daily, in the evenings, to face and let it penetrate for 15 minutes. Then, rinse thoroughly several times with luke-warm water and apply the appropriate product.

I would definitely advice this serum to all who suffer from acne, pigmentation and whiteheads (little nasty bumps under the skin). Please don't hesitate to leave any comments.