Winter SOS from the fridge

My skin is so horrible to deal with this winter. It's hot most of the time, itchy, scaly and dry. And since I react to a lot of chemicals, I don't dare to go out and buy a "wonderproduct". My skin needed peeling and something to calm it, right there and then.

Peeling and sore skin is rarely a good combination, but it was two whole weeks since I peeled it last and I could see all the build up and new spots growing on the forehead, yuk. I used a milder sugar scrub then I usually do and it's wonderful (planing on buying an enzyme peel soon, which is great for sensitive skin since it peels without any beads).

Moisturizing peeling
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey (manuka is great)
Dilute with water until desired consistency (I added glycerine and jojoba oil aswell)

Put it on a clean face very carefully. After 30 seconds of smoothing it on, let it sit a minute or two and continue massaging gently. If it feels rough, take another 1-2 minute break and repeat. After you're done scrubbing, you can let it sit for another 5 minutes or so. The honey does wonders to aggravated and dry skin.

After the peeling I used plain youghurt. Organic is preferred. This have a great cooling effect and reduces environmentally red skin for a little while. Yoghurt contains lactic acid, and is therefor also a mild exfoliant. So some of you might experience a tingly sensation. If it hurts, rinse it straight off.

Cooling mask
1-2 teaspoon plain unflavored yoghurt
(you can add some honey for extra moisture)

Use a brush to avoid mess, and apply a nice and thick layer of yoghurt. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, and rinse with luke warm water. Apply a good coat of your favourite night cream or mask, and go to bed! :) I've used this mask 3 days in a row now.

Super cheap, mild for the skin unless you're allergic to some of the ingredients and no bad feelings for the environment. It's also suitable for all skin types, especially acne perhaps because of the antibacterial effect from the honey and yoghurt, plus the lactic acid from the yoghurt.

With that out of the way, I'm actually done with my Christmas shopping! Oh internet how I love the.. I absolutely hate full packed stores, children running wild while their parents are carrying 1786 shopping bags and a stressed face.
Are any of my readers done with their shopping, and how do you feel about shopping in regular stores in this time of the year? Read more

Creams and lotions you don't use

Have you ever bought an expensive cream, serum or whatever that doesn't work for your facial skin? I know I have. So today while I was looking in my cabinet for things to throw out, I found my Jan Marini transformation cream, Jan Marini C-esta serum and Decleor ylang ylang balm. All these are, ngh, not so cheap and so I haven't built up the courage to throw them in the bin yet.

After I had done a handcial, I needed some (a lot) moisture. The nail oil wasn't enough, I didn't bother to start extracting shea butter from the large clump so I rubbed on the c-esta serum and the transformation cream (looove the smell). My cuticles and fingers feels so silky soft now.. If you have creams that is still usable, use them on your hands and feet, they will love you for it :)

I really hate throwing things out when the jars are almost full. I always keep the jars thou, since I mix and make a lot of things myself, i.e I'm going to press shea butter and oil mix in an empty vaseline tin later (cuticle cream of course!). And another tip, if you want to depot your lipsticks or you have lip balms in inconvenient containers, depot them in contact lens containers. This way you can carry two of your favourite colours in one small container.

So I hope this post will remind you of what you have in your cabinet, and that some of it might still be very usable for other things.

Have a great weekend!
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Oenothera dagkrem med spf

(In Norwegian since this will be more or less impossible for international consumers to get).

Oenothera oppbyggende dagkrem med SPF 15 kommer i en veldig praktisk pumpeflaske som gjør det enkelt å få riktig mengde produkt. Innpakningen er veldig god synes jeg, så absolutt. Den gjorde meget godt førsteinntrykk på meg.

Jeg har brukt den nå et par uker, og den er utrolig god og gir mye fukt. Lukten er veldig naturell som er et ord de nevner på flasken, så denne er veldig grei på menn også. Nedsiden er at den trekker litt dårlig inn i huden og jeg får en svett og klam følelse i ansiktet de dagene som er ekstra varme, så denne tror jeg er perfekt for vinteren i påskefjella. Og den inneholder kun 30ml.

Om den har tilstrekkelig UVA beskyttelse vet jeg ikke, men i kombinasjon med jojobaolje og mineralfoundation har jeg ikke blitt solbrent i det hele tatt. Og tro meg, jeg blir sabla fort brent.

Ingrediensene er det ingenting å si på. Og når vi først er inne på emnet kviser, så har jeg sensitiv kombinasjonshud med rosacea og har et utbrudd med perioral dermatitt som jeg jobber med å bli kvitt uten antibiotika, og jeg reagerer raskt med kviser om jeg tar på noe huden ikke liker. Enkel hud ikke sant? Jeg reagerer ikke i det hele tatt på denne kremen, så et definitivt gjenkjøp for meg. Huden føles veldig god ut for å være ærlig. Kan jeg få si, for et fantastisk produkt?

Her er hva de sier selv på hjemmesiden:

"Kremen er fremstilt med tanke på å kunne brukes av den aller mest sensible hud. Den kjennes lett ut på huden, men gir god næring og tilførsel av fukt. Naturlig solfaktor beskytter mot UVA, UVB og UVC stråler. Kremen er tilsatt bisabolol som virker dempende på hudirretasjoner, og vitamin A, som har en gunstig effekt på hud med acne."

Og på Krem fresh:

"Essensielle fettsyrer Havtorn, svart vinbar, jojoba og nattlys bidrar til næring og beskyttelse og en styrket hud.
Silkeprotein og vegetabilsk glyserin er tilsatt for å binde fukt i det ytterste hudlaget.
Soyaprotein gir økt cellemetabolisme og øker den fuktighetshelende prosessen i huden.
Bisabolol bidrar til og dempe iritasjoner.
Retinol palmitate/vitamin A motvirker rynker og acne."

Kan kjøpes her eller her for 405NOK.

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Does aloe vera clog my pores?

No, pure aloe vera (e.g gel 98%) will not clog your pores. You should aim for 96% + aloe vera gels if you want it pure. Better yet, an aloe vera plant.

What does aloe vera do for my skin? It can enhance scar recovery, you know those damn red spots.. It can calm your skin (it can aggravate if you react on it) and reduce redness. I also use it on, sorry for the direct language, open zits. You know the ones that seems like they will never stop pushing out liquids? Put a thick dot of aloe vera on the spot and wait 30min before you apply your moisturiser. It will make sure the yukky liquids don't run down your cheek in worst case scenarios.
I do not recommend using aloe vera alone on the entire face, this can be very drying for some. Apply a very thin layer and let it soak in, then apply a moisturiser.
The thicker the better? No. Thick layers will be much more drying then thin layers. Test it yourself if you want to.

If aloe vera makes you break out, it's because your skin reacts negatively on it.

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Avoid acne, 10 tips

Since I've been struggling with acne since I was 12-13 years old, I've had time to snatch up tips on how to avoid them as much as possible. I look bad now, but it's mostly the red scars that makes my skin look like crap.
You will experience breakouts through your life, and the few amount of people with normal skin can experience the skin changing and get adult acne too.

1. Do not use harsh products on your skin (toothpaste, rubbing alcohol, mouth wash, exfoliating every day, often use of benzyl preoxide etc). You're most likely going to end up with a very unbalanced and perhaps even sensitive skin over time. The zits might dry up in the beginning, but it won't solve all the underlying problems.
2. Always read the labels on your moisturisers and check online if any of the ingredients are pore clogging (comedogenic). You can choose products that says "non-comedogenic", but this doesn't mean all the ingredients are good for you. Research is key. Even if you have oily skin, you will benefit from a good moisturiser. High oil production - more pores clogged. Moisture added from a cream - lower oil production - less impurities.
   
3. Change your pillowcase every 3 days or so. You sweat during the night and rub off lotions etc, so it's bacteria heaven.
   
4. Change you face towel every 3 day as well, for same reasons. Remember to pat dry, if you wipe or rub, the chance of spreading bacteria's from infected areas is very high.
5. Do not exfoliate when you have mature zits. This will also spread the bacteria if you happen to pop it while scrubbing. But remember to exfoliate once a week to remove dead skin cells. Dead skin cells - clogged pores.
6. Check with your doctor if you have any allergies or candida. Eating things you're allergic to can show off on your skin, very badly. Eating healthy is important no matter what troubles you have or don't have, but try to avoid white and fast carbohydrates. High amount of sugar can also kick out on a lot of people.
7. Do not touch your face! Stop picking! You have the power to stop damnit! During the day, you are prone to have more bacteria on your fingers then on your toilet. You wouldn't rub your face against the toilet, would you?
8. Avoid getting dirty hair in your face. Pin away your bangs when you sleep.
9. Exercise and fresh air never hurts.
   
10. Cleanse and moist the skin twice a day.
    

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The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)

Today I got my package from iHerb. I got castor oil and jojoba oil. For a year or two I've been reading about the oil cleansing method which seems to good to be true. Here's a site with more information http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ .

So basically, it's supposed to loosen all the dirt and oils off your skin without stripping your skins natural oils. I ended up mixing (was supposed to mix 25/75% castor/jojoba oil) pretty random squirts into my container. Guessing on the feeling I had on my skin, I think it was about 35/65%. Little to cleansing for my winterdry skin. If you haven't got that yet, the castor oil is the cleansing oil, it makes the impurities pop out, and the jojoba oil, well yeah. Jojoba oil is used by many girls all over the globe. It's very moisturising as it's very similar to the skins own sebum.

What I did was filling the clean sink with some hot steamy water and placed my washcloth in the water. Then I massaged the oils into my dry and clean palms, then massaged it on my dry but not cleansed face. Kept massaging for a couple of minutes, firm but light strokes. The more you massage, the deeper the oils will go, but not clog (for me this almost ended up as a exfoliation since some of my blackhead came out).
Then I pressed the water out of my cloth, aircooling it a few seconds since I have rosacea. And if you have this skincondition to, be aware that we can react badly to very hot things, both external and internal. Then place the cloth on the face, lightly pressing it all over until it starts to cool. Then wipe some of the oil carefully off, and rinse the cloth in running hot water. Repeat this step until you feel satisfied. Think I did it four times or so.
Finnish it off by rinsing the cloth in cold water, then place the cloth on your face until it starts to get to room temperature. This will close your pores.

The skin feels sooo amazing straight after this. I was almost shocked. But after a few minutes, my skin drank all the oils. So I took a drop or three of jojoba oil in my hands and patted it onto my face, then followed up with Jan Marini Transformation cream. This is because my skin is dehydrated. If your skin is not dehydrated but only dry, the oil would be enough I think. I will not use this method every day. More like once or twice a week.

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New skincare routine

I'm trying out Jan Marini. My skin is a failure, combo, acne-prone rosacea, sensitive, dehydrated urk..
Anyway, been using JM's products for two weeks now. So far i highly recommend them. The first week I didn't really feel any difference, but now I can really see and feel it working. Below are some pics and how they work for me.


This cleanser contains AHA acids, glycolic Acid to be exact. It really makes all your impurities purge out of the skin, and gives a smoother surface. It doesn't really clean the dirt away, so if you wear makeup i recommend a makeup-remover before this one.
I use one pump and massage it in damp hands until white. Then massage it onto the face until the white goes away. If you have sensitive skin, you can leave it on for 5min once a week for a more peeling effect. Remember to be careful with this in the start, only use once a day if you're sensitive.



This serum smells like a piña colada. All the smells can be very overwealming at first, but after a few days you most likely will enjoy it, or have learnt to live with it. In the beginning I didn't quite get what this was supposed to do. It felt like expensive watery lotion. But now it feels like my skin is thicker, and more resistant. Shake it well, and pump the serum in and out of the dropper a few times, otherwise it can get yukky and brown. I vary between two or three drops. Depends on how thirsty my skin is.


Not much to say about this. One of the best SPF's for the face I've tried. Don't worry, it won't clog your pores. I use the untinted version.



Transformation with a big T. Like the serum, I didnt know in the beginning about this one. It didn't feel hydrating enough, and it didn't show off any immediate results. As the past two weeks have flown by, I can truthfully say it has in fact transformed my skin. It makes the red scars, you know those bastards that use like a year to heal, fade away faster. They're still very red, but the skin is more even. It also calms my skin down, the redness after the face wash, and the hot feeling fades away. It is very expensive, but damn I love it.

I also use this one;

This is Decleor's cleansing water. It suits sensitive skin very well (not if it's essential oils you mostly react on). It's a cleanser and toner in one, and no water is needed. Perfect for lazy days, after squeezing yukky stuff off your face, or if you're no way near water. Just pour some on a cottonball or pad, and swipe it over your face. It's also good as a makeup-remover. Honestly a HG. From time to time they sell these in 400ml at FeelUnique for a bargain price.

I recommend buying Jan Marini at PrettySkin4Less, or Ebay. (I bought from the seller brandnameskincare) Read more