Clinique 3 Step System

Ever since 4th grade I have suffered with acne. It wasn't until 8th or 9th grade that I started to use drugstore cleansers on a daily basis every morning. It wasn't until 10th grade year that I started washing my face twice a day while still using drugstore products. They did help with getting rid of some pimples but my skin was never really clear. About two weeks ago I bought Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Scrub and hated it. I now figure drugstore products aren't working for my skin and its time to step my skin-care-game up. The first thing that popped into my head was 'Clinique'.
So on Friday I went to Dillard's and walked straight to the Clinique counter. The lady took a quick glance at me and told me I had oily skin. I never knew I had oily skin. I actually thought I had normal skin, then I thought I had dry-combination skin but apparently I have oily skin. Any who..I left the Clinique counter because I didn't want to pay $41.50 for some facial soap. After that I continued to walk into the mall and stopped at Wet Seal and spent about $30 on clothes. It wasn't until I woke up the next day and realized that I spent almost the same amount of money on clothes as I should have spent on the Clinique. I sat at the computer and Youtube'd 'Clinique 3 Step Review'. Juicystar07's video about her experience with Clinique was the first and last I watched before I made my decision. Not because she used it and liked it, but because she said something that made me think. She said: "My skin is something I'm willing to invest in". Ever since I've gotten my job at Target, I've spent a lot of money on clothes. If I can spend $12 on a shirt, couldn't I spend the same amount to better my skin?
That same day I bought the Clinique system. I got the bar soap (you can choose bar or liquid- the bar costs less but you get more), clarifying lotion #3 and the dramatically different moisturizing gel. I haven't used it for that long now but I can form some opinions on it.
1. I don't like the clarifying 'exfoliating' lotion. I always thought exfoliation had to be a scrub, but this is more like a toner. It smells terrible (like witch hazel) and stings even worse.
2. The moisturizing gel doesn't moisturize enough. I always have to use another moisturizer afterwards so my skin won't feel so tight.
3. Using a bar soap doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Especially since it comes with a soap dish.
As far as how well it works and a review on it, that'll be coming later but so far it's okay I guess. Even if I hate the toner, I'm still happy I bought the system. I feel the same way as when I bought the Silk Elements. I mean, even though Silk Elements didn't work out for me very well, I felt like I was taking the first step in bettering my hair care and was on the road to a new journey and chapter in my life. The same way I feel about my skin care. :)

Clinique Facts:
1. they say your skin will get worse before it gets better because it's pushing all the 'gunk' out of your face, so whiteheads might appear. Yuck!
2. It's sold at department stores. (Macy's, Sephora, Dillards, ect.) Also sold at kiosks in the mall.
3. It's allergy tested. (They test 600 people 12 times before the product goes on the market. If one time one of those people have an allergic reaction, they reformulate their product--that's 7200 applications!)
4. No Fragrance is added to it.
5. There are 4 different 3-step lines which you can choose to match your skin. (Type 1= very dry skin, Type 2=dry combination, Type 3= Oily combination, Type 4= Very Oily)
6. They also make makeup, sunscreen, fragrance and a lot of other stuff.

For more information visit Clinique.com

Bantu Knots and Pink Grapefruit Review :)

Last night I detangled my hair and did 8 bantu knots in my hair. I haven't done these in a while so I wanted to revisit them. Thank goodness I did, because I actually like my hair today and got a lot of compliments on my curls. I used to do 3 bantu knots- one on top and two in the back, but last night I did eight and that could have made a difference in why I like these better. I've still been using the GF leave-in conditioning cream to moisturize and seal and my hair has been SUPER soft!

I said a few months ago that I would go on a 'skin journey'. I stuck to a regimen for a while, but not much has changed. So last week I bought a new product: Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash with Grapefruit. I decided to get the scrub since I know how important exfoliating is for clearing acne. First off- the smell is delicious. It smells exactly like a grapefruit, which is good, but honestly I don't really care what my face smells like. I've used it for almost a week now and this crap made my skin SO dry. I'm not sure how well it works for acne, because I haven't used it for that long and don't plan on it! I'll continue to use it as a weekly exfoliator, but as for washing my face twice a day, it won't do. I will NOT be repurchasing.

 

skin.. and Boots Botanics (bb) rosewater toner review

Boots Botanics is back in stock at target but i'm ify on weather or not i should buy it b/c:

1. i tried BB toner and it might've broken me out worse

2. its 8.99 for a really small bottle (expensive!)

3. a few people say its watery.

but a lot of people say it work really well so i really want to try it, maybe next pay check. now i got my eye on my old fav facewash (clean and clear blackhead eraser scrub), and clearasil stayclear pore cleanser.

I've never tried the clearasil one but i read a lot of reviews and most people liked it.

but still, a lot of people said they really like the BB one, i still want to try it.

REVIEW: Boots Botanics Organic Rosewater Toner- $7

Last week i used BB organic rosewater toner after i washed and before i moisturized. (CTM- cleanse tone moisturize) I liked the way it made my face feel- soft and clean. I used it for a few nights then i noticed all of a sudden i've been breaking out terribly along my chin and cheek area. (i stopped using biotin and haven't used any other pills). I want to clear my skin and then figure out if it was actually the toner- b/c i paid $7 for it and i want my money's worth.

Biotin for Skin

I've been using biotin for my nails to be stronger and also for my hair to be stronger. I also thought my skin would clear up a bit. However, when i started taking biotin, i didn't notice any difference in my hair or nails, but i did notice my skin became WORSE! And i mean my skin looks terrible right now. (that's why my skin looks so bad in my pictures in my last blog) If you look up what biotin is supposed to do for skin, a lot of different websites say its supposed to help skin. If you look up people's experiences with biotin, a lot of them will say it broke them out. I don't have sensitive skin it doesn't break out easily even though I've tried a lot of different products. Now my skin is terrible.    -_-

So Instead of continuing biotin pills, I'll just use 'Hair, Skin and Nails' pills. (although they do contain biotin, they also have a lot of other vitamins and minerals)

Biotin may work for nails and hair, but I'm not going to continue to use it to find out.