But I AM smiling!

Serums, Oils and Oils!

My daughter Claire and I went to a monthly craft show called PopShop this weekend. There were some really cute handmade local stuff from vendors, food trucks, plus vintage/second hand stores on each side of the parking lot. We finally had a chance to try Common Bond Bakery, a French patisserie that seems to be closed when we drive by.

 The bakery was bright, sunlit and perfect for photos, which brings me to the point of this post, which isn't about my love for pastries.

It's about my resting bitch face. 

I have the brow furrows, the labial-nasal fold, the crinkles below my mouth... the whole fabulous grump package. I used to go through my pics and remove them until I found this great Beauty Booth app which just blurs skin texture and leaves you looking radiant but still textured. I have been reviewing several skin care items lately and all rate effective in their own way but let me tell you, BUY THE VITAMIN C SERUM. NOW. I have been using the Radha Vitamin C Serum 20% for over two weeks and found it superior to my prior brand in consistent results. I wash with my Wasabi clarifying wash in the AM, then follow with the Vitamin C serum from my forehead hairline down, really working it into the eye area and my "angry 11s" between the brows, which have really softened with use. 

 I have been embarassed over my large pores and acne scarring between my nose and cheek, that wonderfully named "labial-nasal fold", and this Vitamin C serum has added a softened, hydrated effect that is so visible. Sometimes I don't even use my beauty filter! I let it sink into my skin, though I do skip my nose as it is very sensitive to anything I attempt to use. I massage the serum over my neck and onto my chest/decolletage and the softening effect has also happen on my bustline. It is not greasy, my skin drinks it in quickly and within minutes I can apply concealer and foundation over the area without any makeup sliding or oxidizing. I prefer it to a BB cream or primer, frankly.  When I get a pimple that leaves a scab or dry skin behind, the Vitamin C softens it and it peels off easily. Extractions are also much easier and my face is much less red after using my salicyclic wash. 

My daughter Claire has some blemishes but nowhere near the blackhead and acne scar issues that I have. She has started oil cleansing in the PM and adding the Vitamin C serum as well. She has no breakouts and no stinging, which can be an issue with some sensitive users. She is eighteen, I am forty four, so I have been encouraging her to care for her skin with anti-aging products NOW.

 I was given a generous sample of Radha Beauty's 100% Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil and wish I could say that I love coconut oil as much as I enjoy vitamin C serum and their 100% pure organic argan oil. I found the coconut oil too heavy for my facial skin, and its high comedogentic rating keeps me from trying it anywhere else but my feet, where it does a nice job post-shower with socks to cover. I DID make *fabulous* fried chicken with it last night, my family said it was the best I'd ever made. Super crisp batter, never smoked or had that burnt taste the last few pieces tend to get. Definitely worth a splurge for cooking, still undecided on whether I'd recommend it for oily/acne prone skin like mine. I'm preparing to bleach Claire's roots and heard it makes an effective protectant in that case, that you can bleach with the oil in the hair during processing and it still lifts but doesn't damage. Their Radha 100% Argan Oil is in a HUGE cobalt bottle with glass dropper, very low scent and wonderful on my hands, awesome for client hand massages during heat treatments.

 Lastly, Radha Beauty also gave me a sample of their Intensive Youth Eye Gel. It feels very rich, almost like a dense lotion when it comes out of the pump but it absorbs quickly and I can use it under my eye makeup without issue. I have a horrible sunken ridge under my eyes, with a yucky swollen poof over it and using this every night has really kept that puffiness down. I did get a small red spot under my eye, a sort of blemish, when I used the product for about the third time, but it resolved itself within a day or two, probably just the super hydration of the product. Definitely worth a try if you're looking to prevent eye puff and wrinkles. Let me know if you try the chicken!

  

 It's difficult to get a clear selfie of my eye but you can see the redness and bagginess. *sob* The Radha eye gel really smoothed them out as seen in the more flattering above pics.

*Sponsored by BrandBacker*

Argan Oil, Truth or Fiction

Argan Oil, Miracle? Or Just Marketing?

 Argan Oil: the hot new beauty cure-all found in everything from hair care to skin care to nail care. Usually when one product claims to help EVERYTHING, it actually helps... well, it may help a little but in more of a "better than nuthin'" way. I have clients who swear by it and clients who ask my opinion on it and, like any beauty professional, I want to stay on top of the hottest trends and technologies and maybe bust a few beauty myths along the way.
 I was given a bottle of  Foxbrim 100% Pure EcoCert & USDA Certified Organic Argan Oil in exchange for a non-biased review. In a world of trending products, you have to be *certain* that you are buying the purest form such as Foxbrim's Argan Oil, not whatever processed junk might be tacked on to cheap hair/skin products trying to catch your eye. Foxbrim promises NO additives, parabens, fillers, silicones or fragrance to irritate your skin or plug up your pores. Since I have skin that looks like a moonscape full of blackheads and acne scars, argan oil's non-comedogenic rating of zero on a scale of 0-5  is extremely important. I have enjoyed a few moisturizers recently that gave me painful, red bumps by the next morning and made my blackheads worse, though they were touted as being great for problem skin. Read your labels!

  I am really satisfied with my Foxbrim Argan Oil, especially as I had doubted the claims that it is non-comedogenic and appropriate for skin/hair/nails in the manner so many sites rave about. My polish in these photos is Margit by Julep, I just can't stop repainting with this shade! 

 Argan oil is much less dense than the Vitamin C serum I've been working with recently. The texture is fluid and feels best when you heat a few drops in your palms before application. I wash with my Derma MD Wasabi cleanser and leave the skin damp, as argan oil absorbs better on moist freshly cleansed skin. I put about three drops in my palm, rub briskly, then use my clean fingertips to work the argan oil from my hairline  (and even into my hairline) to my eyes, using circular motions to really work the oil in as it wants to flow downward. I work the oil into my eyebrows, which I'm hoping will fill in as claimed on some argan oil enthusiast pages. I work the oil between my eyes onto the dreaded frowny lines, which have really been softened by my Amara Vitamin C serum but you can use both argan oil and serums in the same skin care routine without issue. I rub the oil in the orbital eye area, especially at the temple and outer eye. Some women use argan oil to remove eye make up, but I'm doing fine with Lush's 24/7 for now. Keep on working that oil down into the labial-nasal fold, softening up the acne scars and the general age lines as well as the lines appearing around my lower lip and chin area. I even run a bit over my lip line. I do avoid my nose right now, as it's recovering from a whitehead explosion due to the overly rich moisturizer I used days ago. Ugh, ageing blows but THIS really takes the edge off my rough facial skin and gives a hydrating plumpness without aggravating my acne.

  I finish my facial treatment by rubbing my palms all over the backs of my hands where all the spidery lines are and I saw immediate and lasting results, especially up between the knuckles. If you have to wash your hands a million times a day at work like I do, you will appreciate the tenacity of the softness, I will try argan on my legs and feet next. Not sure about using on my hair yet as it is very fine and I'm concerned that the oil might interfere with the semi-permanent color. 

I will be reordering Foxbrim's Argan Oil. 

Do YOU use ARGAN OIL? Have any tips for me?