HIT OR MISS Product Review: Clarisonic and New Face Cleansers

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a restful weekend. A few weeks ago, I went to Sephora to spend a gift card that I've had for about a year now. Side note: The one thing I can't stand about gift cards is that I always feel like I have one chance to use that money, so I want to spend it wisely--which ends in me holding onto it forever!! Does anyone else get like that? Lol

Anyway, I used it to FINALLY buy myself a Clarisonic!! I've been wanting one for about ohhh maybe 2 years now? Haha but I have been going back and forth about getting one because I wanted to make sure I was going to use it and love it. And I do :)

While I was there, I decided to get a few samples. Okay, I actually went a little sample crazy! I'm sure the lady that helped me was sick of me by the time I got out of there (an hour later), but she was really helpful! (Thanks, Rachel!)

Product Reviews

CLARISONIC Mia 2: This is a HIT! I went with the Mia 2 because it came with deluxe samples for the same price as the Mia 2 by itself ($149). It also came with a travel case. I've been using the Clarisonic for about 2-3 weeks now, once a day, 3 days a week. So far I love it! My skin is very sensitive, so I was afraid that the Clarisonic was going to be too rough for my face. The brush came with the "Sensitive Brush Head," so I felt better about it. I don't use the brush everyday because I don't want it to irritate my skin. I definitely consider it a "deep cleaning" as opposed to a daily cleaning.

• Pros:
• My skin feels very clean and smooth. My face feels refreshed after!
• My skin looks brighter.
• It doesn't dry out my skin, which is surprising, because my face gets really dry and tight in the winter.
• It opens my pores, and therefore my face absorbs serums and moisturizers a whole lot better after I use the Clarisonic.

• Cons:
• The sensitive brush is not as soft and gentle and I thought it was going to be. I would advise that you don't use so much pressure while using it. For me, simply holding it to my face with very little pressure does the job.
• The low speed is definitely fast enough for me! I wish there was one more speed that was lower than that.
• The Clarisonic beeps when you've spent enough time working on each part of your face, then shuts off completely when the entire minute is up. It took a while to get used to this because you have to move it around your face quick enough before time is up! (It's supposed to be 20 seconds on your forehead, 20 sec on nose and chin, and 10 sec on each cheek.)

REN Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk: This is a MISS. I liked this product, but wasn't crazy about it. It is what you think it is: Milky. It's thicker than most facial cleansers that I've tried--kind of creamy. It also has a scent that's hard to describe--it's not bad, but it's not good either. It did do the job, and left my skin feeling clean and moisturized. I say that because some cleansers leave your skin feeling dry right after you use them. With this one, I felt like I didn't even have to put moisturizer on afterwards. It was luxurious and smooth, and worked well with the Clarisonic, but I liked it better just using my hands. However, I wasn't fan of the after-smell and didn't want to use it again after that.

Fresh - Soy Face Cleanser: This is a HIT! It smells and feels amazing. It's pretty light (it's a gel), so I would prefer using it with the Clarisonic as opposed to my hands. It instantly left my skin feeling very refreshed and dewey. One time I used it without using makeup remover first and it removed my makeup pretty well. The soy proteins in it is meant to support moisture retention, which is especially important for me during the winter months! The smell is probably the best part. It smells like cucumber!

First Aid Face Cleanser: This is a MISS. The texture is like a silky foam. It's very light and airy, and I feel it didn't spread well across my face, especially with the Clarisonic. I felt like I kept having to put on more and more to fully cover my face. It also wasn't as moisturizing. I sampled this because it got great reviews, but I wasn't impressed.

Philosophy 'Purity Made Simple': This is a HIT! This is one of the deluxe sample products that came with the Clarisonic. It works VERY well with the Clarisonic or even just with your hands. It has somewhat of a thicker, milky texture, and it goes on very smooth and lathers very well. It didn't dry out my skin. My face actually felt very clean and moisturized afterwards. It has a soothing smell, similar to that of the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, which is nice. Since I got such a large sample of it, I've been using it everyday! It's made to hydrate and tone your face. I didn't realize that you can also clean your makeup brushes with it as well. That's a nice bonus! :)

So that's my scoop. :) What are products that you recommend? I'll be playing guinea pig again with a few more products soon. Gotta visit my new friend Rachel at Sephora and bug her for more samples. ;)

Little Things You Can Do to Help Manage & Minimize Stress

One of my screen names back in the day was "Jess In Stress." LOL I'm such a dork. Compared to my life NOW--I didn't even have a clue what stress was! There is some truth to that name now though, that's for sure. I think many of us can agree that being a parent and working full-time isn't the easiest thing. It's a lot of responsibility in a lot of different places for a lot of different things. Even if you're not a parent, I'm sure you are sometimes required to wear multiple hats, or are faced with difficult situations. It is completely understandable that LIFE can most certainly be hard to manage and a bit overwhelming...and sometimes it feels like we can't manage it at all. And with that comes stress. And that's not good.

How many sicknesses can you think of that are tied to stress? A lot. And sadly, many times, stress can make the sickness worse and even fatal. Our bodies and minds do not work well with stress, which makes it so important to manage it appropriately. Let's face it, we can't avoid it. Shit stuff happens. The challenge is not letting it ruin you.

Over the past year or so, I've realized how much stress affects my everyday life. I was challenged to deal with so many things that were out of my control--from health problems, to relationship issues, challenges with a new job, expanding my family, learning to live in new places and in new ways--at the end of each day, I was deteriorating. My "fuse" became shorter and shorter, which made my life harder and harder. It put me in a bad mood. And I'd have a bad attitude. And who would see that? My kids. And people who I loved. And who loved me. I let my stress destroy me and I let myself destroy those around me. I made a promise to myself this year to change that.

So I googled "how to manage stress" and found tons and tons of articles about eating right, exercising regularly, breathing exercises, drinking water, yoga, blah blah blah....I get it. Scientifically all those things help, but realistically??? Doesn't work for me. I drink water and try to maintain a healthy diet but let's be honest...I don't have time to meditate. Or do yoga. There is no quiet place in my house (until we all go to bed). I don't have time to cook all the time and prepare healthy meals, so yeah, McDonalds is on the menu some nights. (I have no shame. Sue me.) Then it dawned on me. Most of my stress is tied to my time, and always feeling like I have none.

So here's the big idea: Minimizing my stress requires me to maximize my time. No more procrastinating. No more putting it off. Be more prepared. Be better prepared. Here are some of the things that have helped me minimize stress, and I aim to continue to add to this list.

1. Putting out my clothes (and the kids' clothes) for the next day. I distinctively remember my mom trying to ingrain this habit into my head when I was little. I never picked it up. But now that I do it, IT CHANGES EVERYTHING!! I know I normally take long to get ready...well, according the Mr. in my life. But who would've thought this little move would cut down almost half an hour off my morning routine?! It doesn't take me half an hour to pick out my clothes the night before, but the reality was--it took me that long in the morning. Why. Maybe because I'm half asleep and yet I have to put so much thought into what I'm wearing for the day. Doing it the night before is so much easier, and chances are, you are more awake and aware of what you're picking out...so you won't go to work with one black sock and one blue sock. Just sayin.
2. Making sure there's always gas in my tank. Someone told me to do this long time ago, and I'm glad I'm just now starting to listen. :) This is a big one. How many times have you found yourself running late in the morning, only to get in the car and find that you're on E? Yeah. Keep your tank filled. Those few extra minutes and having to make that extra stop during your morning commute is a real time suck when you're already rushing.
3. Packing everything the night before. The baby bag. My gym bag. My lunch. I don't have to say much here. Those three bags alone can take me half an hour to pack in the morning and...ain't nobody got time for dat.
4. Waking up 15-20 minutes earlier than everyone else does. As I said earlier, the only time my house is quiet is when everyone is sleeping. I try to get up a little earlier so that I can wake up and have a few minutes of quiet time to myself. Doing this allows me to 1) Get up and wake up, and 2) Not wake up to crying/half awake-half asleep toddlers while I'm still half awake-half asleep myself. I'd rather avoid the "I just wanna crawl back under the blanket" moments when I have to get up and get ready for work.
5. Keep a bag of snacks in my room. LOL I just realized how that sounds. IT'S NOT FOR ME. It's for the kids. One of the things that stresses me out most is trying to get ready while my kids are screaming for me (mainly the baby). I feel rushed and I feel like I'm neglecting him, and ultimately, I spend MORE time getting ready because I'm trying to entertain him at the same time. So for the days that I am not able to get that extra time to myself in the morning, I have an emergency snack pile (or bottle, when he was a baby) that I can pull from so I can buy some of that time back. Other distractions are his favorite toy, or TV, but he's not really interested in those things when he wakes up. Just wants Mommy or food. Lol that's my child.
6. Keep my cell phone charged. Because I use it for everything. Like an alarm. And God-forbid my alarm doesn't go off......
7. Maintain a clean household. Now I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the neatest, and I'm not talking Martha Stewart clean here. But coming home to cluttered, messy home with nowhere to lay your head or kick your feet up when you get home after a long day at work is not the easiest thing to come home to. For me, all I see when I come home to a house like that is more work to do...and that adds to my stress.
8. Keep a to-do list. Because I find it therapeutic to cross things off. I'll even write down things I already did just so I can cross it off. :) Also, keeping a to-do list by my bedside allows me to take all of those things that are keeping me up at night--what I have to do tomorrow, where I have to be--and organizes it into a simple checklist. Sometimes when all your thoughts are there on paper looking back at you, it doesn't seem as bad.
9. Take advantage of the drive to and from work. This is another time that I can actually get quiet time because the kids normally fall asleep in the car. I have experienced both living really close to work, and living about half an hour away from work, and I can honestly say I like the commute. I like having that time to wind down before and after work. It helps me to reset.
10. Find a routine and stick to it the best I can. One of the articles I found suggested to "Rely on Rituals," and said that our bodies naturally like routine and sometimes turning to a comfortable routine in times of stress can help because it allows us to take back control over a part of our day when we feel powerless because of stress and tension. Makes sense to me! I do feel better when things are "going as planned."

Other things I do to minimize stress (apart from maximizing my time):

1. Find a healthy distraction. For me it's Pinterest. There's just too many interesting things on there that can easily take my mind off the negative.
2. Keep a book on hand. I'm getting better at this. I've never been a reader. But I've learned that getting lost in a story can easily pull you out of a funk.
3. Keep a journal by your bed. To get all those lingering thoughts that's keeping you awake off your mind and onto paper.

I've adopted most of these actions into my life already. Some I'm getting better at, but progress is progress right? :) I can say it is a positive rolling effect because once you start seeing changes in yourself, you start to feel better about yourself, and when you start feeling better about yourself, you're inclined to make more changes and continue along that path. Then before you know it, situations improve, relationships improve, your health improves. The mind is a powerful thing and you have to protect it at all times!

What do you guys do to alleviate stress? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

 

Mama on the Go! My 5-Minute Morning Makeup

Hello and happy MLK day! One of the greatest challenges I find as a Mom is finding time for yourself. I realize this every morning as I scramble to get up out of bed and ready for work, or church, or just to get out of the house. Hence, why...if you notice...my last few posts have been around 10 or 11 o'clock at night after the kiddies go to bed. Anyway, on an average day, I'll have about 30-45 minutes max to get up and get ready before the kids either hear me and wake up or wake up on their own. So today I thought I'd share my 5 minute morning makeup routine.

Those who know me know that I do NOT like to cake on makeup. For special occasions, YES, definitely. But not on an everyday basis. It's not that I don't like a flawless face...I mean, who doesn't want the illusion of perfect skin and big bright eyes at 5 o'clock in the morning? I just don't have time to paint on that look every morning or to erase it off my face every night!! So I had to find ways to do the bare minimum in 10 minutes or less (and that includes hair time).

My focus is on my face (under the eyes, cheeks, skin). I have bags and dark circles for days. Over the past two years or so I have greatly upgraded my skin care regimen (meaning I started one, finally.), and that has helped TREMENDOUSLY. Those that know me also know that I am a freak about having good skin care products nowadays. More posts to come about that in the near future. Anyways, my main goal when putting on makeup on the fly is to cover the flaws on my face and brighten it up a bit. I want my everyday makeup to look as natural as possible.

Below is a snapshot of the products I normally use.

Benefit Erase Paste: You can call this product my best friend. I use it to cover the dark circles and bags under my eyes, blemishes, and other small imperfections. It goes on light pink but blends nicely with my skin tone. It also serves as a bit of a highlighter since it brightens up parts of my face (mainly under the eye/just above my cheek bone) as it covers dark spots. ;) The shade I use is Medium.

"Hello Flawless!" Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation: I use one shade lighter than my skin tone to achieve a quick and easy brightening effect. I only use it on the center of my face--one swipe under each eye/above each cheek bone, one swipe down my chin, one swipe up the bridge of my nose and on top of each brow, and one subtle swipe down my nose. Then I blend it all in starting from the center of my face outward. It's a very light foundation, blends great, and doesn't start feeling cakey and clumpy if I sweat (great for when it's hot outside or when I go to the gym). This foundation also contains Vitamins C and E, and has SPF 25. The shade I use is "'I'm So Money!' Honey."

Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder: This powder is quite costly but I don't care, I will spend the money for it!! It is an anti-aging powder that has minerals that hydrate and revitalize your skin as you wear it. This powder is amazing. It makes my skin look so smooth and effortless. It's lightweight, and you don't need much at all to get the flawless effect that you want. Let's say I don't have five minutes, I have more liiiike....one. Yanno, it's like that sometimes. I wear this powder by itself and it does the job! The shade I use is Medium.

e.l.f. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder: So I came across e.l.f. products when I was in a rush to get to a dinner after work and I needed blush and bronzer. I stopped by Target and had picked up anything that was cheap and it turned out to be this. I love it! It provides a soft, subtle touch of color to my face, which is all I need for work and my everyday look. It's not my go-to blush for going out (I like UB Naked Flushed), but it gets the job done and it doesn't hurt the bank. :)

Urban Decay Naked Palette: I love the UB Naked Palette because it has a good collection of neutral shades that complement my skin tone. It's very well pigmented so I don't have to use much to get the effect I want. I normally use only 3-4 colors out of the entire palette for my everyday look (I should really just get Naked Basics and call it a day). I go with a dark color (Darkhorse or Creep) on the outer lid and crease, a light color (Virgin) on the inner lid, and a gold or shimmery color (Half Baked or Sidecar) on the middle lid, then finish with black eye liner. If I am REALLY in a rush, I don't spend too much time on my eye shadow. Instead, I'll just put a little extra eye liner on my outer lids and smudge it to create a very subtle (and quick) smokey eye! Easy-peasy.

Lastly, I top it off with Burts Bees lip balm and call it a day! --P.S. my kids (and my man) love that I don't wear lipstick all the time because it doesn't leave red kiss marks all over their faces when I kiss them good-bye! Lol :p

Here's a few shots I took of my natural, subtle, 5-Minute Makeup for the Mama on the Go.

...Excuse my Kim K. cheek bone pose at the end. I had to do it. ;)

    

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday!

My Solutions for Dry Skin and Eczema

It's official. The winter weather is upon us...at least those that live on the Northeast coast of the United States. It has been fah-reezing outside!! And with the cold weather comes dry air and dry skin--the two main reasons why winter is not my favorite season.

So I have eczema, and for those that have it or are familiar with it, you know that there are some good times (ok, not really) and some really really bad times. EVERY winter is a really really bad time for my eczema, and unfortunately, I passed that gene along to both of my kids.

Out of all of us, the baby has it the worst. Since he was born, he had inflamed, infected eczema all over his body. From 2-6 months he also had infected cradle cap down the sides of his face. It didn't help that he was born in late October, right before the cold weather came. That only made it flare up more, which prompted him to scratch more, which in turn made it more infected. It was a vicious cycle.

Anyway, we turned to doctors and eventually dermatologists, and no one could find a long term solution for his eczema/dry skin. We all have used hydrocortisone, other stronger steroid creams and ointments, non-steroid creams, oatmeal baths, Aquaphor, Cetaphil, Eucerin...you name it, we tried it. We even tried putting Crisco (yes I mean the cooking grease) on his face (per recommendation)! Believe it or not that actually worked!

Everything was temporary until, thanks to a good friend of ours, we finally found something that worked--Cetaphil Restoraderm Eczema Calming lotion. I LOVE this lotion. I'm guessing a lot of people do, because it's always sold out in the Targets and Walmarts near me. It's about $12-$14 a bottle, but trust me, it's worth it! It cleared up my baby's skin within a week, and I started seeing and feeling results almost instantly.

What was great about this situation is that since Jacob is a baby, his body heals very fast. It's sooo great that babies' bodies can heal minor cuts, bruises, and scratches so fast!! That helped speed things up tremendously. We would put the lotion on him every night, before we left the house in the morning, throughout the day as needed, and ESPECIALLY right after his baths, when all his pores were open. The healing effect it had on his skin was immediate and long lasting. I started using it on my skin as well instead of the hydrocortisone because I prefer non-steroid ointments as much as possible.

Below are links to the Restoraderm products. I've only tried the lotion but I heard the body wash works good as well, and I plan on trying that next. If you see a dermatologist, see if they have coupons for it. Mine gave me a few $1 off coupons for some of the products. :) I have to thank my good friends Jaz and Dave for this one! You guys have really saved my household this winter!! :D