Acne Diary - Entry 6: At the beginning

This is my last entry for my acne diary.
I thank my readers who had emailed me asking for my opinions about acne. I'm not a pro but it made me feel happy that you think my advises are worth something.

As i do my post every week about acne, i've had mixed feelings about it. The "going back" part evokes lots of thoughts about acne & how i should have dealt with it. Of course there's no way that i would be able to turn back the time but i believe that everything is a learning experience & this is something that i would actually choose to experience. Funny,huh? But i really would choose to experience acne rather than not experience it.

Why?
Simply because i learned lots of things about it. What is the probable reason why i break out, how my skin reacts to too much moisture, why is it important to exfoliate, etc. Things like these are the things that i learned through my acne journey.

Now you might ask me these questions

-"is there anything that you regret doing that could have lead to your acne?"

-"what advice can give you me so that my tiny zits won't lead to acne?"

You can take a look at my previous entries to find out what are the thing that i think are the probable sources of my acne & how i dealt with it. The best advice is to listen to your skin. I kept on repeating that over & over because i think not a lot of people know how important it is. Ask for advises from the people who have had acne rather people who got perfect skin. Experience is really the best teacher & i am speaking as a teacher (literally!) & as someone who had experienced it.

Now, since we are talking about acne, i would want to introduce a new product that is meant specifically for acne-prone skin. I am acne-prone but since i don't have acne anymore i had to ask someone who have acne to road test this product.

Presenting Papulex

I can go on & on about what the company says about it & things like that but i don't want to bore you all with stuff that you can find on the net so i will just go straight to the performance of it. I will just make a separate post about each product later on so that we would be able to dissect them one by one but for now i just simply want to show you the before & after picture.

Pls click it to make it larger so that you can see the image clearly. 

I think the picture says it all,no?

'll just be sharing a couple of things about what my brother thinks about it (yes,it is my brother who is  suffering from acne). I asked him to start using all 3 on week 1, so that would also be the time when i started out my acne diary (6 weeks ago). He had a few zits here & there After a couple of days he told me that he started breaking out so i asked him to stop using all 3 & just try to use the anti-bacterial cream. It looks like everything is going smooth because he said that it seems to be working.

Honestly, i forgot to ask what was the progress about his papulex experience but it seems that she stopped using it 2 weeks ago. So he had used it for 4 weeks, but it's mostly just the anti-bacterial cream.

So tell me what you think about it?
Again, pls check back after a couple if days for a better details about Papulex because i feel like if i'm going to include it here, it would take forever for you to finish reading this diary entry. It deserves a separate post so to serve as a product review too.

Well, with this last entry, im ending my acne diary.
Thank you for being with me for the past couple of weeks reading my post. Again, this is part of the Truth Seeker campaign which is made specifically to help us combat acne & banish it to eternity. lol!

Just a couple of days before christmas,sweeties. are you all ready for the holidays?
I am!
hahahaha
I'm all done with the gift wrapping. finally! 

Have a relaxing (though i doubt it because of all the holiday preparations. hehe) Sunday!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Acne Diary - Entry 5:Kicking the Habit

Week 5 already?!
Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies.

As i go along the journey of going back on my acne experience & giving tips & pointers about how to handle it & what you should know about it, i just really thought how harrowing it was to really have acne. I won't go into details about it because sometimes you won't really know it until you had experience it.

Now that i'm really way past the acne period, 1 thing that i want you all to remember is that, even if you know what causes your acne but you did not do something to that then it's just pointless. Once you have traced the root of the problem, the only thing that is clear now is to change your habit.

Kick the old one & start anew.
I did this & i never regretted it.
Sometimes it's just what you need.

Again, i did not follow those so called "SOPs" (standard operating procedures) because it doesn't work for me. So i stopped trying to do the SOPs & i started with what agreed with me. Check out my previous post because it's really more of a kicking the habit-like.

It's the moisturizer for me. It is what doesn't agree with my skin.
I quite using any added moisture on my face & let my natural oils do the job. It works! As simple as that!
No matter how it's been advised that it is a must to use moisturizer, it is just not for me.

Trust me, i know. I have tried tons of them & i just end up ditching them anyway. I use sunblocks & essences but heavy moisturizers are a definite no-no. My oil glands are active so why should i let them quit their work when they're supposed to work? lol!

Honestly, at this point i stopped using beauty soaps for now, as i am doing the duration of my acne diary.
Yes!
For those who read my entries, you know that i am a big fan of 1 soap, but i stopped using it just because i wanted to see if my acne would come back. I have a big zit on my forehead now, but it's nothing alarming because it happens every now & then especially when my womanly thing happens. Aside from that, my skin is doing well. As long as i don't put on moisturizers & i wash my face regularly then everything is going well. yay!

This is something that i learned the hard way.
I know by now how my skin reacts to moisturizers. If you would be able to find out what makes your skin react resulting to acne then good!

One more thing that i want to point out is to not put on make-up when your skin is breaking out. I know that there had been lots of non-comedogenic products that you can use. I also know how badly you want to cover it, but please do not make it worse by clogging your skin.

Let your skin breathe!
I think this is something that doesn't need any scientific explanation,right?
Too much of something is bad, this goes not just for this but over all.

I'll put in some things that you might want to check, this might help you in finding the cause of your acne.

• lack of sleep
• pimple popping
• not cleaning your skin thoroughly
• products that clogs your pores
• not getting rid of excess oil
• products that doesn't suit your skin type

Hope that you would be able to find the cause... stop the old routine & start a new one.

As always, this is a part of the Truth Seeker campaign that is made to help us ward off acne.

Have a happy saturday,hunnies!

^_^

Jaa ne~!

how i get rid of lint on my stamper~

I'm just a newbie in nail art stamping.

I have tried it before but i really can't get it to work for me. It's either i won't be able to pick up the image which happens like 80% of the time or the image will not be complete. I think i have already developed my arm muscles trying to make stamping work for me but it doesn't seem to work at all that i decided to just ditch it & just concentrate on freehand manis.

I have been encouraged by my friends to try nail art stamping once more but the thought of putting much effort without gaining anything at all is just not appealing (of course!). hahaha. I don't really have any plans in doing nail art stamping that is until this....

MJ & FUN Plates

& this...

XL Stamper

...arrived at my doorstep.
Image Plates, baby! hahaha

The IPs were a very sweet surprise because it was something that i wasn't expecting when we had a meet-up together with my sweet "nail art lover" friends. They highly recommend that i try out the XL stamper because it will surely make stamping fun & easy for me so i decided to go ahead & try stamping again.

& they were right!
hahaha!
i can't believe that i am now stamping with ease!

Index & pinkie were stamped images while middle & ring were still hand painted by yours truly.
It's so nice to be able to see stamped images on my nails!
Finally!!!!
hahaha

Ok, enough with that...
i know you can see how exhilarated i am.
I am still practicing stamping until now but there's one thing that i am hating when i do this.
The lint!

Since i would have to clean my plates, stamper & scraper every now & then with cotton soaked with polish remover, there's no helping wit the lint from the cotton being transferred to the plate or stamper then on to my nails. argh! It just ruins the whole process.

I am familiar with lint rollers,of course, but i think that the best way to remove lint completely off a surface is if you use something sticky to lift the lint out. So an adhesive tape is the best tool for removing those pesky lints.

So, here's what i do...
I'll cut up a nice long strip of tape...

Then i usually get rid of too much stickiness off of it by pressing my fingers on the end so that the oils on my finger would transfer to it. It will make the removal of it later a lot easier.

Then roll the ends so that you can stick it to a smooth surface, or even on your working table, where you can easily reach it after every stamp.

Then time for stamping...

Once you have transferred the image on your nails & would want to clean your stamper, then you just have to stamp it on the tape...

... & all the remaining dirt will stick on to the tape!

Easy as pie!
Less effort than cleaning the stamper with cotton balls or spraying it with acetone then brushing it off. In this process, you're sure to get rid of all the remaining lint from wherever you might have gotten them.

Look!
Clean stamper all ready to be used again.

Isn't that super easy?!
Now that i've shared my technique, time to go now.
On to more stamping practices for me. hahaha!
Now i understand why lots of people get addicted to stamping. lol

Hope you all are having a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
by the way, if you wanted to get the same stamper that i have, go check out Myonline Shop.
She got loads of nail art items! If you are new to stamping like me & would want to enjoy the experience all the more, pls get the XL Stamper. I love love love it!

Oh, & this is not a sponsored post,mind you.
^_~

Acne Diary - Entry 4:Putting on a Face

I'm already on my entry 4 for my Acne Diary. How am i doing so far?
If you haven't read my past entries, feel free to browse them HERE.

This time i want to focus on the home remedies that you & I have tried. I'm sure you have tried tons & tons of remedies that most probably didn't work on you,right? The need to look for things that have been passed down from one person (or maybe even generations?) to another is just so irresistible to us. I know because i have been there & i've tried (if not all) almost everything.

Wait, let me try & remember the things that i've used on my face the time when i still had my acne:

• Tomato Mask
• Aspirin Mask
• Oil Cleansing Method (this is the worst!do NOT try this if you have oily skin!)
• Tea Tree Oil
• Toothpaste
• Lipstick
• Apple Cider Vinegar (smells awful!made me nauseous!)
• Calamansi (stings the heck!)

I'm not really sure if i had tried other things as well (i'm betting that i did since i'm all for natural that time) because now i can't quite remember all of it but these are what i can think of right now.

photo credit to diseaseclick.com

I will not say that these home remedies do not work.
Some does!
Tomato mask is something that agreed on my skin. Though i have to say that the preparation for it is time-consuming.. same with other home remedies.

Why would these home remedies actually exist if it doesn't work?
I'm keeping an open-mind to this one. It could have worked for others. Again, everyone had different skin. My skin is different than your skin, this im sure of. If Tea Tree Oil didn't work for me, i'm sure that it worked for someone else. The thing that made people think why home remedies just doesn't work for them could be because they haven't found one that would agree on them.

Now, don't get me wrong on this & scour your kitchen right after reading that one,ok?
Because one thing that i wanna point out is that by the time that you most probably had found the home remedy that could (take note, i'm using the word COULD) work for you, chances are, your acne might have already escalated from bad to worse! No one wants that!

If only i had someone telling me this the time that i had acne, i would have been able to prevent it from getting worse. Sometimes, finding a remedy that could work for you is just not worth it. Especially the time that i used the OCM method. argh!

Every time i remember how my skin reacted to it i can't help but feel the remorse coursing in my veins because it just made my acne worse. It went from stage 1 to stage 5!

Please, spare yourself that by not giving in to EVERY THING that you have been reading. Again, im NOT saying that they won't work. It's just that using it alone might not be the best thing for the meantime.

I don't want to sound a hypocrite by boycotting home remedies because i have used it & some worked on me. I just want you to be aware of things that you have to consider when you decide to do it. I would highly suggest that you use at least 1 clinically-proven product together with it so that you will at least have something to counteract a bad reaction that you might get from the remedy that you have chosen.

Take for example the time when i used OCM (i still can't get over this!haha).
I know i am applying raw oil on my face, i'm aware of that, i just do not know the danger of it. I should have really made sure that i completely stripped my skin off of the oil by using an anti-bacterial soap afterward. There's nothing wrong with taking an extra step just to make sure that i got my bases covered,right?

But no, i just followed it exactly how they said i should be doing the OCM. The awful thing is that i use it 2x a day so just imagine how suffocated my skin had been. I'm already oily to start with (plus the fact that i live in a hot country) & i just had to add more oil on it. How stupid did i get?!
*sigh*

Oh well, now i know better.
So i am also telling you, hunnies, that you have to choose wisely if you really are planning on doing home remedies.

Do not just decide on something because someone said it worked for them. Do your research. Consider your skin type. Think hard on the logic behind it. Do not be swayed by what you read on the internet. You can test it first on a small patch of your skin prior to fully doing it. It may be natural but be aware that you are applying something raw on your skin.

I know for a fact that i got rid of my acne by NOT using home remedies. So do not be totally dependent on it. An actual product with proper ingredient is still needed to put acne away effectively (based on a quote that i got it from) because it's true!

Clinically-proven kits could be effective provided that you know what ingredients it has & you know that it worked for you. I have tried lots of acne-fighting kits but not all of them worked. I know that they have been formulated especially for acne but for some reason they just didn't work... or am i just freaky this way? lol!

There are hundreds of home remedies out there. Just do not try all of them Be on the realistic side because not all of them will work on you. Trust me on this. Natural is good, but sometimes it's just not worth it.

I am enjoying this blog campaign that i am in right now which is the Truth Seeker. I'm glad that people appreciate my acne diary. the time & effort it takes to write every single post is well-worth. Let's all fight acne. You can get rid of it with proper know-how & guide.
^_~

Well, i'm off to enjoy my weekend.
Hope you will too!
Have a happy one.
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Born Pretty White Matte Round Glitter Review

This entry is a way overdue post...
What am i thinking forgetting about this one when i mentioned before that i had come across this matte glitters?!
Better late than never,no?
hehehe

You all know that i love to franken polishes.
In fact, i like frankening polishes better than doing my nails these days. I can't even remember when was the last time i really did make a nail art.

I have been looking high & low for matte glitters. I have wanted to use it for making a unique glitter polish. I want something that will not bleed. So when i was given a chance by Born Pretty to try out their glitters i immediately choose this.

Isn't this unique?
So different from the usual glitters that you can see at the bookstores.

I think it's made from polyester which is why it will stay true to its colors & will not bleed.
I'm sorry but i do not have an idea what is the size for this one is but this picture might help.

They're a bit big.
Maybe you're wondering how it holds up if you are going to use it on a polish.

Well, this is a bit tricky though....
Of course, it won't bleed but then i think it's too thin that's why it ends up curling a bit.

See how they curl?
Hmm... I'm not really sure if i could use this for frankening but i may be able to use this for just creating nail arts like this one.

I have to say that i am liking this one.
Really easy but is so funky & very eye-catching!

I said that they are quite thin so you won't really have a problem with it once they are on your nails already. They won't stick out as much compare with other glitters. Just make sure that you seal it with a thick coat of top coat.

I'll try to use this in frankening once i got some more matte glitters that i can find. So the search for matte glitters is still ON.

If you are interested in this product, you can go over this LINK & you can use the code PRJ61 to get a 10% off of your purchase.

I'll try & use this glitter for some nail arts that i might be doing in the future.
Maybe something for this christmas..hmmm...let's just wait & see if i'll be able to have any idea about christmas designs.

Speaking of Christmas, how are your holiday preparations going along?
Mine is doing pretty well hence i don't get to blog that much.
hehehe

Hope you all are having a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.