Against Animal Testing!

The body shop is celebrating the introduction of the EU ban of animal testing for cosmetics. I love this campaign. I myself am a major fan of animals and I believe animal testing of cosmetics does not give additional information about the effect of cosmetics. Animals' skin is totally different than humans', they have more hair, thicker skin (maybe that's why they don't need coats) and everything we don't have like no wrinkles or acne!.. Absorption and penetration through the skin barrier of animals goes different than humans as well. So whoever invented animal testing of cosmetics is just a mean person :)
So if you like animals or just based on the fact that our skin is so different than animals', please sign the global pledge against animal testing, by clicking here. It will take you 30 seconds.

To celebrate this ban on animal testing in the EU the body shop introduced a limited addition, which is super cute. Click on the picture to check it out!

I need to cover something up

How to withdraw attention from your difficult skin, and focus it on other parts.
Haven't you had before that you have a major pimple, rash or eczema in your face and you just hate it when people look at you, because they might see it. It's so annoying, because people do see it. When you have pimples, it's always best not to cover them up. If you suffer eczema or a rash in the face, you should not cover it up at all.

So here are some tips how to withdraw attention from these skin conditions:
1. Wear a striking lipstick. Try to make someone see more of your lips, then of the pimple.
Colours I would advice are: Hot pink, bright red, orange or dark purple.
Colours I would dissuade: nude, brown, natural/soft pink or natural/soft red.

2. Comb your hair down or side ways:  If you comb it side ways, make sure your hair is on the side of the pimple/rash/eczema. Here are some picture examples. I chose Whitney Port from Whitney Eve as my model.

3. Polish your nails: Drawing attention to your nails is a good way to make people not notice the pimple immediately. Wear a striking colour like green, red, pink, orange or blue. You can also try out some nail art.

4. Wear eye make-up: Try out cat eyes or use colours people can actually see, like green or blue. I am not a big fan of these colours, so I would chose cat eyes. But for those who love eye make-up, it's worth trying green and blue, because they can make your eyes sparkle, instead of making that pimple glow..

5. Wear jewelry: lots of them

You can chose one of these options or combine them.

My next blog will be about vitamins for the skin. I wrote most of this post, but sadly blogger deleted it, instead of saving it. Really annoying, and I am so not happy with Blogger right now. Now I have to start over.

Preparing for summer

Despite it doesn't feel like summer is coming soon, I did some make up shopping this week in preparation for summer.

I puchased a sea blue eyeliner from Collistar. I actually bought this eyeliner by accident. I was shopping on Nelly.com and ordered an eyeliner, which in my head was black. When I received the receipt, I saw the eyeliner was blue. No stress. When I received the eyeliner, I was really happy with it! It's an amazing colour. The blue really brings light to my eyes, and even if I have half asian eyes black eyes it still enlarges my eyes. So, every cloud has a silver eye-lining, although this one is blue.

Then I bought the eyebrow kit from Chanel, which I thought would be amazing. When I opened the eyebrow kit I was happy. The tweezer is very good, but sadly super small. Although the size helps with tweezing downy hair. The powder is great, although not waterproof. But still very good quality. And the kit also contains two brushes, one to bring the eyebrows in shape and one to bring the powder on the skin. Well honestly I hate these brushes, I really don't know why they added them, because they are plastic, super cheap and really really bad quality. So perhaps if you would ever want to buy this eyebrow kit, remember the brushes are bad and you might have to buy new ones.

I also bought a lipstick from Yves Saint Laurent, which I am absolutely in love with. The number is 205. It's deep purple/pink, but if you bring it on with a brush you can create different tones, ranging it from deep pink to deep purple. And you can adjust the lipstick by adding powder to the lips to make a matte lipstick or add gloss to it for a little shimmering. What I love about this lipstick, is that it stays on for a long time, even after eating. And you don't even need to put a primer. So this lipstick I would advice to anyone! Note that in the picture above the cap of the lipstick has flowers on it. This is an illusion since it's just the reflection of my sweater!

Then I also bought BB cream from The Body Shop. This BB cream is amazing! Initially it's white, but when you smear it over the face the colour adapts to the colour of the skin. When I was standing in The Body Shop, there was a billboard stating that every 27 seconds one of their BB cream is sold. And I agree, I have tried different kinds of BB's and this one is by far the best!

And last but not least, I bought a nude lipstick from Catrice Make-up. I love the nudity. Although it's a difficult colour for darker skin. Not everyone immediately feels comfortable in this colour, because it can make you look pale. So the rest of your make up is important to not look like a zombie. Wear black eyeliner and blush. I like the combination cat-eyes and nude lipstick, but since my new purchase I can now make the cat-eye with my blue eyeliner. This specific nude lipstick from Catrice doesn't stay very long, so you would have to touch it up very often. But even though, I am still happy with my purchase!

Dry skin

Dry, itchy, peeling skin can be a disaster. It feels as if nothing helps and you'll never smear enough, especially during the winter when the wind is cold and dry, temperatures are low, and there is no sun out for your daily dose of vitamin D.
Cold weather makes it difficult for the skin to produce enough fat to keep the skin moisturized. Low temperatures and dry wind stimulate drying out of the skin. I read an article which stated that lower temperatures alter the amount and the type of fat in the stratum corneum (outermost layer of the skin), which then halts water transport through the epidermis. This means, that your body changes your skin composition in all seasons of the year, with a naturally fat and good hydrated skin in the summer, and a dry and dehydrated skin during winter.
So if you want to help your skin; effective skin care product may contain lactic acid, urea, fatty acids like oleic acid and ceramide, and other oils. Lactic acid, urea, and ceramide, have been scientifically shown to retain water in the skin. Lactic acid and ceramide are endogenous to the skin and keep the skin smooth and hydrated. Urea is not a natural skin product (although it is found in the body), but has shown to penetrate into the skin easily and to attract water into the skin. In contrast to oils which just replace the skins natural fat, but don't hydrate.

Eucerin is probably the best product on the market for dry, itchy, peeling skin. It's save for everyone, it doesn't contain parabens or perfume oils and it contains ingredients those have been scientifically shown to be good for the skin. I love this cream. It really helps me through the winter every year. In Europe it's sold only in the pharmacy, so check out your local pharmacy, and in the USA you will find it at the Walmart, Walgreens or CVS Pharmacy (online) stores!
Another bit of advice is it helps not to shower with soap to keep your skin hydrated. So just use warm water to clean the skin, and when necessary clean the arm pit with soap and the genitalia with special soap. Actually I would recommend the last two options, because you don't want to be dirty and smelly, right?
And for those who really want to shower with soap, you can add olive oil to your soap. Do not add the oil to the flask, but just at a little bit to your soap while showering.
As a home remedy, I would advice to do a full body mask with plain yoghurt once every two weeks, add some honey to it, it's great for the skin. This mask is sticky and creates a big mess, so I think it's advisable to sit down on a waterproof chair in the shower without the shower on. Leave it on the skin for about 10 min then wash it off (no soap).
It is also great for the skin, but not remarkably, to eat fish once or twice a week and other fat containing products like avocado, coconut, almond etc. But these food choices are good for the entire body.

Acne part 2

Acne part 2 will be specifically for woman and men who want to wear make-up to cover up their pimples.
Although it is advisable not to wear make up when you suffer acne. You would mostly just want to cover the pimples and redness up.

There are ways to cover up redness. Use a green concealer over the skin's redness. The green concealer is a very good invention. It works like this example: when you mix red paint with green paint, you get brown paint. Now of course some would think "but I have a white skin." White skin is not exactly white, because you can see the difference between a white wall and a white person. White skin also has a little brown shade. So putting green over the redness in the face would help neutralizing the skin's colour. Of course you have to use a foundation after you used this green concealer. Blend it on the skin with a good foundation and a foundation brush.
I bought my green concealer from Gosh, which was actually very cheap, but fairly reasonable quality.

It is advisable to use brushes and sponges instead of your fingers when putting foundation and concealer on. Like I said in my previous blog, with the hands you can transfer bacteria to your face. But what people also forget is that sponges and brushes can also transfer bacteria to the face. That's why it's very advisable to wash your brushes every day and every time you use them. Buy a set of good quality brushes made with goat hair (for example). They don't have to be over expensive Chanel or M.A.C. brushes, just make sure they are good quality because they last longer. You can treat your brushes like you do your own hair. This means wash them with shampoo, dry them with a towel, and let them dry to air until the next time you use it. Since sponges don't last too long you can throw them away after using them 2 or 3 times.
Brushes you should wash daily are: concealer, foundation and contour brushes. The products you bring on the face with them contain water, and since water is a very good growth medium for bacteria it is advisable to wash them every time you use them.
Brushes you don't have to wash daily, but should wash once every 2 weeks are: blush, powder, kabuki brushes.
I hate washing my brushes, because it's a lot of work. But when in a hurry you can clean them with tonic and cotton. Please don't do this daily, because I'm not sure if this method would ruin your brushes. You can also wash them with shampoo and rub them over a cleaning sponge (use one specifically for your brushes).

Acne

Acne.. Everyone knows what acne is. Although some people are blessed with acne free skin, others (woman per se) suffer from it right before to after their period, and others (every gender) suffer from acne in a more severe way.
Acne is a difficult condition to treat, although there are very good (prescribed) medicines on the market like for example Roaccutane (compound: isotretinoin) or Differin (compound: adapalene).

There are small tips which can help with acne, it won't prevent or stop the acne, but just help..
Comedons (blackheads/whiteheads) become pimples (the infected white heads with pus) when bacteria on the skin infect the comedons.
So hygiene is a good way to prevent bacteria from being able to infect a comedon.
Wash your face once a day with soap. Don't do this more then once a day, because using soap removes the fat layer on the skin. If your skin becomes dry your sebaceous glands will produce more sebum to make the skin fat again. Which makes an infection easier to occur.
Also washing your hands is a good way to prevent bacteria from being everywhere. People have the habit to touch their face often. For example when some are thinking or day dreaming they touch their face. If the hands are dirty at that moment bacteria can come on the facial skin. Also, touching your face less can help...
Don't wear too much make-up or chose one specifically for oily face. Some make-up can worsen acne, so be careful. If you see your skin responds badly to a make-up brand, stop immediately.
Only remove comedons when they are actually white heads with pus. Don't try to remove papules/nodules (pimples without visible fluid or pinheads), you can really damage the skin.
Over the counter products those have an effect on acne can contain: benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycol acid, lactic acid or sulfur.
Indulge your skin once a week. Start with a 5 - 10 min steaming bath, followed by scrubbing for 2 - 3 minutes, a facial mask and end with a good facial massage with good oils (like olive, argan, coconut or almond oil).

Honey, yoghurt, coffee mask

Here's a facial mask I love. It is made with 1 tablespoon of honey, 4 table spoons of plain yoghurt and one tablespoon of ground coffee.
If you are not a fan of coffee don't use this mask, because it strongly smells like coffee.
Honey is added because of its great advantages for the skin
Yoghurt is also good for the skin; it contains lactic acid which absorbs water into the skin and helps reducing scars and dark spots.
And coffee (caffeine) is used to wake the skin up.

I first warm the bowl to make the mask warm, body temperature, since yoghurt is stored in the fridge.
Add 1 tablespoon of honey to the warm bowl and stir it to make its consistency less thick. Then add 1 tablespoon whole yoghurt and stir it while the bowl is still in the bowl with warm water. Take your bowl with yoghurt and honey out. Add the other 3 spoons of yoghurt and stir well. Then add 1 tablespoon of ground coffee and stir. The resulting mask will look like chocolate chip ice-cream :)
Put the mask to the face (avoid eyes and mouth) and the neck and leave it until it dries.
The mask is a little rough so you can also use it as a scrub.

Honey olive oil scrub

My last post mentioned a lot of good things about honey, so I will let my first tutorial include honey.

Honey olive oil scrub
This scrub is really easy to prepare and actually very good for your skin, especially acne prone skin. I like this scrub because it doesn't make you skin dry when you're done scrubbing. When you wash the scrub off, your skin feels soft and moisturized.

First boil water and put some in a big bowl. Put a glass or bowl in the bowl with water, make sure inside the glass doesn't become wet, because you will use salt as scrub particles and salt dilutes in water. Add 2 table spoons of olive oil and let it warm in the glass/bowl. Then add 2 tablespoons of honey and stir. You will notice the honey doesn't dilute in the oil, but that's fine. Take the glass out the bowl with water and stir. I transferred the mixture from the glass to a bowl, because it was easier to stir in it. I made sure that bowl was also warm and that inside the bowl was dry. Then add salt as much as you like and stir.. When you stop stirring again you will see the oil separating from the honey, so right before you use the scrub you should stir well.
Scrub for about 2-3 minutes. Wash the scrub off with warm water (body temperature) and dry your face with a clean towel. Feel your skin, it will be really soft.
After scrubbing you can also leave the mask on your face for a couple of minutes. You will see the oil part from the honey while on your face. But that would not cease the healing powers of both olive oil and honey. 

Honey is a panacea

Honey is a very common product. You can eat it with bread, drink it with coffee or thee. It's actually very delicious! But do you remember your grand mother's tip, which was take a spoon of honey when your throat feels sore? Why do people even say it? Is it the consistency (thickness) that makes the honey great for your sore throat or is there more behind that story.

Honey is known for its strong wound healing capacity and strong antimicrobial activity. It has a good capacity to healing wounds, although not very often used as a drug for wounds because it's sugary and thick to apply. The strong antimicrobial activity is also the reason why people advice honey for a flu or a sore throat. But behind the strong antimicrobial activity, there are ingredients those give honey these properties.
Honey contains of proteins, vitamins, enzymes, hormones, minerals, sugars and other substances. Because the concentration of these ingredients are really high, the healing properties of honey are really high.
Now honey for the skin:
It has been shown that honey is good for sensitive skin, acne prone skin, dry skin, oily skin, normal skin and the hair scalp. Honey has even shown to improve hair growth, stop or reduce hair loss, treat dandruff and other scalp disorders. So yes honey truly is a miracle cure !
You can actually buy a bottle of honey and apply it to your (for example) acne prone skin and it would heal it.
Well the disadvantage is that honey is very very sweet, it contains a lot of sugars and that's also the reason why it's so thick and difficult to smear on the skin.