A.C.E. IT !!!!

as you may know if you have been reading my blog I've been suffering from acne for exactly a year and a half now...i was really against going to a dermatologist because i didn't want to take any antibiotics or go on "the pill" but 5 weeks ago my face became EXTREMELY irritated, my pimples were inflamed and there was sever itchiness and even burning...so i couldn't put it off any longer...i finally went to a dermatologist that a friend of mine recommended to me since i first started breaking out...she did put me on antibiotics so the inflammation can go away..but she also informed me on the significance of Vitamins for your skin..

The dermatologist recommended i take Vitamins A+E twice a day for two months as well as my Vitamin C.
She insisted that Vit A+E will help my skin transform from super oily to a normal skin type... at first i didn't really believe her but 5 weeks later i am so suprised with the results...

i still use exactly the same products on my face i used before taking the Vits and now i hardly need to powder my face by noon ...while before ..2 hours after applying my make up you could slip and slide off my T-Zone...

of course i am not a doctor and i can't recommend anything for you to take but if you suffer from super oily skin that breaks your confidence and skin care products just can't control it ask your doctor or pharmacist if it's safe for you to take Vitamin A+E for a few months...

some people can eat crap all day and go to bed every night with make up on their face and just never ever get a pimple...but for most people what they put inside shows up on their skin...thats why you have to combine good skin care products with Vitamins, lots of water and green tea...and really examin what foods can cause you to break out..

do you take any vitamins or supplements for you skin?

ReViEw: Murad Acne Complex

My Night Time Skin Regimen

i think it's about time i give my honest review on the Murad Acne Complex Kit given that  I've been using it since the beginning of September... that's five whole months giving this product a chance...sticking to the routine... and finally admitting that this is a horrible product for acne skin.

when i started using this product my acne was mild at the time...(if you consider that the past three months i was swimming in the beach everyday...and sea water always clears my skin...as opposed to pool water which breaks me out)....but i wanted a new skin routine for autumn to help control any new breakouts i might get...

i researched on line and found out that products with glycolic acid are great for acne prone skin..i was already using salicylic acid so i thought i would give G.A. a try...i discovered the Murad kit had  both G.A. and S.A. in it's ingredients..Plus i liked the fact that this was supposed to be a 30 day product.. i figured I'll use this for a month...my skin will get even better..and then i can focus on a few scars i had on my right cheek...i was mistaken..

I knew there would be a "purging" period but i didn't know it would never end...

it claims to get all the bad things out of your skin for the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks your acne will disappear.. well I've been using it for five months and my skin keeps getting worse..

The Clarifying Cleanser and the Skin Perfecting Lotion are GOOD products.

The cleanser is only 2.0 fl. oz. I've been using it twice a day for 5 months and i still have some left..

it's a good cleanser, makes your skin feel very clean and tight.

The Skin Perfecting Lotion is an oil free moisturizer..i think it will work great on people who have acne AND dry skin..but not for me since i am oily..

now for the bad products...

The Exfoliating Blemish Treatment Gel and the Blemish Spot Treatment.

The Spot Treatment didn't do anything for me..it doesn't get absorbed by the skin..in the morning the treatment was dried around the pimple ...but the pimple was not at all dried.. even after a couple of days on the same spot..nothing...this was the only product i used up in 30 days.

The Treatment Gel was supposed to clear clogged pores of bacteria, to control acne and restore clarity. All it did is give me huge cysts...i really wanted this product to work..i tried using a little bit, i tried using a lot, i tried it as a spot treatment...i couldn't use it during the day because it contains Hydrogen Peroxide which is an oxidizer used as a bleach apparently..not a good idea for a warm and sunny climate... plus it's difficult to apply make up over it. But the worst side effect is that it severely scared my skin...and i think it made me look a bit harsh..like it takes away your youthful glow...

I know for a fact that it's the treatment gel irritating my skin because i wanted to stop using it for a while  before this review....well for a week now i only use the oil free moisturizer and The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil on my problem areas...<it's one of the products i bought a while ago and never used>

My skin is a lot less irritated and i hardly had any new spots.. But a full review will come on that in at least a month!

A final thought: I'm not bashing Murad this is my honest opinion.. i do like Murad as a brand. I use their Oil-Free Sunblock SPF 30 everyday for the past year now and it works great... i also really want to try their Vitamin C Infusion Home Facial Kit....but something went wrong with this Acne Complex Kit....

Have you tried the Acne Complex Kit? did it work for you? what about Tea Tree Oil?

CoFFee BrEaK???

OK so I'm proud to say that for almost a month now i haven't had a sip of coffee!

this coming to you from a girl who just wasn't happy if she couldn't have her ice caramel latte from Starbucks... so obviously this wasn't an easy decision to make...

"Coffee has a high amount of caffeine (as do many sodas, chocolate, etc..). Caffeine causes the increases release of cortisol, which is the stress hormone and cause sebaceous glands to become overactive."

Basically many doctors believe that coffee/caffeine can be linked to acne breakouts...

I replaced coffee with: a cup or two of organic green tea + lots of water..

The water bottle you see in the pictures is actually the ice tea bottles you get at Starbucks.i much prefer it than plastic bottles. i try to fill the bottle up with water at least 4 times during the work day.

that's about 2 litres.

Some argue that if you're suffering from acne you should also eliminate tea from your diet as it contains caffeine as well. But a cup of green tea contains half the caffeine a cup of coffee contains...plus green tea has a high content of antioxidants and nutrients.

  

The first Monday morning it felt weird making tea while everyone else got their coffee fix..

But strangely enough making the decision was a lot harder than keeping it...

Every time i felt a bit tired or sleepy throughout the day I'd just have another glass of water... 

OuTcOmE:

• An unexpected benefit was no more insomnia for me!!! I've always had a very hard time falling asleep since i was a child...it doesn't matter how tired i am or if i was awake for 24 hours...i always needed at least an hour in bed before i could fall asleep.. Now even though i had a lot more energy during the day i was in bed sleeping by 10:30 for a whole week straight..I never woke up in the middle of the night either which i used to do all the time..
• Also something i heard might happen but didn't expect was slimming down around my waist area. I'm an apple shaped girl all the way (skinny legs, if any fat in the stomach area) so i was so excited not to feel as bloated as i used to...
• energy levels are a lot higher than normal! i also hardly ever had my afternoon chocolate treat

overall my skin has not cleared up but I'm very much enjoying the benefits of green tea + water so i won't be straying any time soon....