Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Review: Biore Pore Strips



Description of the Product


Cost: $8 for 14 strips

Pore strips: some people love them, some people don't see the point. Pore strips are meant to clear your clogged pores from blackheads, dead skin cells, and oil all at one time. Biore Pore Strips are the most popular brand of pore strips on the market and easiest to find in your local drug store.

Using the Product

1) Cleanse your skin. You can exfoliate your skin beforehand if you wish.
2) Wet the skin on your nose (or forhead if you are using the face strips). Your skin needs to be very wet for the strip to work.
3) Spread the strip on your nose and press down. Don't leave any air bubbles.
4) Wait 15 minutes. The strip will be hard and stiff when it's ready to be pulled off.
5) Pull off slowly. It may hurt a little, but shouldn't hurt a lot. If it does, wet the strip lightly.
6) Look at all the gross stuff that was clogging your pores!!!

Review of the Product


These strips have been effective for removing blackheads from my pores, or at least that's what I gather from all of the material stuck on my pore strip after the entire process. In all seriousness, I can see that my pores are now clear. Using the product doesn't prevent new blackheads from forming-only proper cleansing and exfoliation can do that. While I don't think that over time they make your pores look smaller, I do think that they are great for a rapid clearing of blackheads. In fact, I'm pretty convinced that pore size is genetic and there is probably nothing you can do about it, but that may be left up to another product review...

Even if you don't need serious blackhead patrol the strips are pretty fun to try at least once.

Recommend (y/n): Yes, unless you have extremely sensitive skin.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Best Moisturizers For Every Occasion

Why am I an expert on moisturizers? Well let me tell you. Since I was a kid I had eczema, which is an inflammatory skin disease. While everyone's eczema is different, I had these itchy red bumps on my thighs, knees, and elbows. In elementary school most kids assumed I had poison ivy all the time and wouldn't believe me when I told them different. Overall the whole experience was horrible but I mostly grew out of it (which most people do), but it comes back if I don't use the right body wash or moisturize every single day. Therefor, I have tried and tested a lot of moisturizers on the market and I'm going to share my extensive knowledge in a few short reviews!

For every day...

Jergens Naturals Moisturizer



Simply put, I love this stuff because it does what you need it to do for an every day moisturizer. It moisturizes skin for 24 hours (or until your next shower, which I hope is in 24 hours), it isn't too runny or too thick when applying, and it has a light scent that won't interfere with your perfume. I also love it because it's made of 93% naturally derived ingredients and doesn't use parabens. I've talked about parabens before, but they are preservatives used in cosmetic products that are highly linked to certain types of cancer. Sometimes when you are using all-organic or all-natural products they don't perform as well as traditional cosmetic products so this is a nice compromise.

For the all-natural girl....

Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Lotion


All natural and lasts for 24 hours. While I don't think this goes on as smooth as other lotions, it smells nice and moisturizes properly. You can buy it in multiple sizes (small for travel, big if you use it every day). They also sell fragrance-free moisturizers if you don't like this particular smell.

If you want to smell yummy...

The Body Shop Body Butter


Creamy and nicely scented I love this stuff. It's thick and creamy but absorbs quickly and doesn't make you feel sticky. With over 20 scents ranging from Olive to Hemp to Blueberry, you can easily find something for you. Almost all of the scents are so delicious that you want to eat the body butter instead of spreading it on your skin. Unfortunately, it usually runs around $16 a container and it can go quickly. If you want to try out new scents you can usually buy the smaller containers at 2 for $10.

For really dry skin....

Eucerin Original Moisturizing Lotion


Every doctor I've ever seen for my eczema has recommended using Eucerin lotion every day, immediately after I shower. This stuff is super thick but it will repair your skin until you can get it back to normal and can use other daily lotions. Eucerin makes other formulas which may not be as thick, so keep this brand in mind when your skin needs serious repair.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Self Tanning Lotion: 2 Ways

For this post I'm going to write 2 short reviews of 2 different self-tanners, both of which you can purchase at your local drugstore or superstore. While professional spray-tans have improved since they first came out (does everyone remember how they literally turned people orange at first?), they can be costly and only last 7-10 days per session. While you can get do-it-yourself spray tanners, I'm always afraid of missing a spot. Gradual self-tanning lotions are great alternative if you want to skip the sun damage or you don't want to look like a ghost when you arrive at the beach. They allow you to build color slowly so that if you miss a spot one day, you will probably get it the next.


Dove Energy Glow Gradual Tanning Body Lotion

I use the bottle for fair to medium skin tones because although I tan, my natural skin tone is not that dark.

Upsides: Does a good job at gradually tanning your skin and smells great. I had a guy in college constantly say I smelled good whenever I used this stuff. It also makes your skin really shimmery, which is awesome for summer.

Downsides: It didn't provide enough moisture for my skin so I had to use it every other day, alternating with my normal daily lotion. I have eczema and if I don't use the right lotion my eczema will come out. This problem depends on your skin type though, so if you have dry skin you might run into a similar problem.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer


Again, I chose the bottle for fair to medium skin tones. One of my friends used this so I thought I would give it a try!

Upsides: Tans your skin pretty quickly and provides a thick layer of moisture.

Downsides: Smells like an old-school self-tanning lotion. I only use this stuff if I take a shower before bed, put it on, and then shower in the morning as well. While the smell isn't that bad and may be only noticeable by the wearer, do you really want to be thinking about how you smell all day?

Who wins?: Dove