Does the smell of St. Ives Apricot Scrub bring back memories of your teens? Just me? Lol. I remember discovering and using it for the first time and thinking, wow! so shiny and clean!! But life goes on and we need to "put away the things of our youth," as St. Paul tells us. I'm going to make a case for why you shouldn't be using harsh scrubs on your face and offer a few, effective alternatives. Bear with me 😊
What's wrong with St. Ives? It makes my face so clean! Have you ever got a carpet burn or scraped your knee? If you weren't bleeding, you'll notice that that area is swollen and raised. It's called friction. If you apply friction or rubbing to a skin surface, the skin reacts by swelling. When you scrub your face with a rough object, your face reacts by swelling. Granted, you didn't rub enough to cause the skin to break, but that nice, glowy, pore-less look you get after scrubbing your face is caused not because your skin is instantly healthier, but because it's now swollen. And guess what you see less of when your skin is swollen? Pores. But what happens when the skin calms and the swelling subsides? Your pores reappear.
But what about scrubbing all the dead skin off my face? Good point. Dry, dead, flakey skin is not appealing. So you should exfoliate your skin. St. Ives just isn't the most skin-healthy way of doing it. When you scrub your skin with a harsh scrub, you're making tiny tears in your skin that you can't see. What happens to tears when they heal? They become scars. Over time, continual scarring will cause your skin to become rougher. Also, little tears are open wounds, which open your skin to infection... acne and breakouts.
I need to scrub my skin to clean out my pores! Have you looked closely at the size of the apricot seed granules that are in St. Ives? Have you looked at the actual size of your pores? There is no way that those large granules are going to fit inside your pores (no matter how huge they seem to you!) and clean them out. The smaller pore size you notice after using St. Ives isn't your pores being cleaned... it's that your pores look smaller because your skin has swollen. Also, all the moisturizers in the scrub make your skin softer and mask the appearance of pores.
So what. This product works for me. True enough. I get instant gratification as related to skincare. We all want that instant fix. So if you're really sold on this product, or ones similar, I get it 😜 If you're on the fence, keep reading for some alternatives I've found that work even better.
Exfoliating your skin means you're rubbing dead skin off your face and revealing cleaner, fresher skin. You are constantly shedding skin. However, because of the moisturizers, primers, foundations we put on our face, skin turnover is slowed. Then you'll notice dry, skin flakes, enlarged pores, greasiness, and blackheads. Exfoliation also prepares your face to better absorb all the healthy things you're putting on to your face because it peels off the dead skin that keeps skincare products from being absorbed.
There are two types of exfoliation - manual and chemical. Manual means that you're literally rubbing skin off your face. Chemical means that you are using a product that encourages health skin turnover. A little of both can be very effective.
Manual exfoliation:
St. Ives scrub is an example of manual exfoliation. For reasons discussed, it's not one I recommend. Here are a few products and tricks I like to use instead.
First favorite! Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub. You can buy this at Walmart or Amazon for $8.00. I bought one a year and a half ago haven't used it up yet, so I'd say a bottle lasts 2 years with daily use. It's a powder cleanser, meaning that you dispense a small amount on your wet hands, rub it slightly together to soften it, then rub your hands on to your wet face. As you rub, you can add more water to soften the mixture for a gentler cleanse, or you can add less water for more exfoliation. As you rub, the product dissolves into a light foam, which you can then use to wash around your eyes. It's gentle enough that I've never had any stinging or irritation when using on my eyes to remove mascara residue. It also thoroughly removes mascara if you first used an oil cleanser to dissolve mascara. It is also incredibly effective at cleaning out pores. Look at how small a granule of backing soda is. It's much closer to the size of your pores, compared to apricot seed granules. If you really want to cleanse pores and reduce blackheads, this product gently and effectively does the job. I really, truly love this product! It can be as gentle or deep a cleanser as you want, depending on how much water you add. And it dissolves into foam before you can over-exfoliate (rub too much) your face. The only con is the smell. It reminds me of what sweaty horses smell like when you're shampoo-ing them. If you were not in the habit of bathing sweaty horses in your younger years, you may only notice a slightly sweet, baking soda-y smell. Otherwise, you've been warned.
Tatcha Rice Enzyme Powder. $15-$65, Sephora. This is another powder cleanser that I've bought more than once and loved. It works similarly to Biore, with perhaps less foam. If you have very sensitive skin, this might be the item to try because rice is a popular ingredient in sensitive skin products. The main differences are that it doesn't smell like wet horse, and the rice granules do not dissolve completely like the baking soda does. Also, the mini is much smaller and lasts me 2 months or less.
Neogen Bio-Peel pads, Amazon $16.50. These.are.awesome! There are three "flavors." The green tea one is for sensitive skin and it targets acne with green tea and tea tree oil. The wine pads contain resveratrol, an anti-aging, anti-wrinkle ingredient. The lemon ones are packed with a variety of AHAs and work well to clear skin, brighten, and clear acne. (See The Klog article here for more information). Basically, it's a container of little, circular pads that feel like soft scrubbies. One side is soft and smooth, like a wipe. The other side is woven and feels rougher on your face... perfect for exfoliation. The instructions tell you to use a couple times a week, after cleansing and before applying face products. You wipe your face, then rinse. What I like to do is use them every other morning, after cleansing. I only use the rougher side, wiping all over my face, especially around my chin and jawline where hormonal acne attacks the worst. Then I leave it on long enough to brush my teeth and hair. Then I rinse it off with cold water and put on toner. Because I'm a cheapy and because I don't share these pads with anyone else, I put the pad back into the container with the soft, unused side down on the other unused pads. This way, the pad reabsorbs more product, doesn't contaminate the rest of the jar, and I can get several more uses out of the pad. I throw it out when the pad starts disintegrating or looks gross. There are about 30 pads per container and you can so many more uses if you try this trick. Or not 😋
Ye olde towel-oil-tweezer trick. Every so often, my nose starts peeling. It's super annoying because it makes my foundation/bb cream look like crap. When this happens, my go-to solution is to wash and dry my face, then get a wet towel and rub my nose. Looks super red after, but at least no peeling skin. If your skin is sensitive, use a wet towel, but first add a little oil to it. Any facial oil will work. This not only exfoliates, but also moisturizes the already dry area and prevents further flaking. If that doesn't work, I use my tweezers to gently peel off the offending skin. This is very effective. It should not hurt. If it does, the skin isn't ready to be removed.
Gommage. I love writing the word "gommage" because it's such a cool word! Ok, maybe that's just me. Gommage is a type of manual exfoliation that uses a product to exfoliate. I posted earlier about my favorite gommage products. Basically, you use this gel-like product and rub it all over your face (not eyes). As you rub, the product reacts with your face and starts to ball up and congeal. As your rub and the product balls up, dry, dead skin becomes attached to the product. Lots of people think that the stuff you see balling up is your skin. No. But if your skin is really dirty, you will notice the congealed product change color and darken as it removes dead, dirty skin. What's really cool is that you can use this anywhere on your body where you notice an accumulation of dry dead skin, like your legs, knees, elbows, or shoulders. Just do it in the shower (with the water off) because the product sheds all over the floor. After you've rubbed the product until it's dried out, rinse off with cold water. The effect you get from this is very similar to using a scrub. But the difference is that you're not tearing the surface of your face with rough granules.
Cleansing sponges. These are pretty popular in Korean skincare and are gaining popularity here, as you will find them in nearly every beauty aisle. There are essentially two kinds. The konjac sponge, when wet, is very poofy and soft. If you have sensitive skin, but want to add a little exfoliation to your face wash, use this rub it and remove suds. I personally didn't think they did anything for me, although it's really fun to watch them with your kids as they swell up and expand in water. What I do like and use frequently is a cellulose sponge. It's thin and flat and looks like the yellow sponges you use to wash dishes. They can be as soft or rough as you chose, depending on how much water you're using. I use mine after cleansing with soap in the morning, to rub in the suds and help rinse them off. I do suggest using them lightly and gently because I think they're rough enough to cause abrasion and tearing. If you really like the scrubbed clean look you get from St. Ives, this is a good product to try. They're cheap, too.
This covers manual exfoliation. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll be discussing chemical exfoliation and good uses for St. Ives scrub that don't include your face 😉
Showing posts with label pores. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pores. Show all posts
Favorite wrinkle product! Bye Bye Lines Serum - It Cosmetics review
Wouldn't it be just wonderful to use one product and make all your facial woes disappear? I'm still looking.... Unfortunately, I don't think it exists. In order to fade scars, reduce wrinkles, or get rid of acne, you have to invest time and money in a facial routine that targets your concern area. Even then, realistically you aren't going to have the face of a three year old... hello aging!
But there are a few products I've found that, when coupled with a good facial routine, do instantly improve your overall appearance. It Cosmetics' Bye Bye Lines Serum Advanced Anti-Aging Wrinkle-Smoothing Miracle Concentrate (try saying that fast!) does a wonderful job of instantly smoothing wrinkles, masking discoloration, and overall brightening your face. It's also a great primer for foundation or a coverage product.
I tried this product out a month ago at Sephora and bought it despite its not insignificant price tag because when I put it on in the store, I was like, "oh, where's my eye wrinkles??!?" Not a bad reaction for a first time use.
What it is
This product is a hybrid primer / treatment / moisturizer. A primer is a product you put on after moisturizing and before foundation. It fills pores and wrinkles and helps foundation to set better. A treatment is a product that treats particular skincare concerns, like wrinkles, pores, acne, or dullness. A moisturizer is a product that keeps your face from drying out. This product does all three. Although it lists a hefty number of vitamins in its ingredients (A, B, and C), I think it's primary benefit is as a primer. I am not typically a fan of primers because they're heavy on silicons, which temporarily fills and mask pores, but on me, dry out my skin throughout the day. This product has enough moisturizers in it that instead of making my skin feel powdery, it feels smooth and soft. The product is white, the consistency of heavy whipping cream, and doesn't have much of a smell.
How to use
According to the Sephora website, you use it before or in place of your moisturizer, morning and evening. I use it only in the mornings, and I put it on after my moisturizer because it makes a great primer and makes my BB cream go on more smoothly. I use a small amount, about the size of your smallest finger nail, pat it between both hands, and smooth it over my face, focusing on my eyes (because that's where my wrinkles are the most obvious).
What it does
As I said, there are no magical products that make you look 16 again, but this one does an instant job of softening wrinkles, moisturizing skin, and overall smoothing your face. While it claims to have long term benefits, I've mostly found that it makes your face look nicer for the day, not forever.
Cons
It's $58.00 for 1 oz., which isn't cheap. I suspect it will last me 3 or 4 months based on how little I need to use. Would I buy it again? Unless I find another primer-y product that I like better and is cheaper, I probably would. This doesn't break me out or clog pores, and I do love the results. However, another downside is that the ingredients are not remotely natural and contain several silicon-type fillers (hence the instant smoothing). I normally try not to use things like this, but since this one does a lot for me and hasn't caused any bad reactions, I don't mind.
Take-away
If you have reasonably good skin already and just want to make it look a little better, especially if your main concern is wrinkles, this is a great item to try! Or if you want to improve your coverage application, especially in the dry winter months, this is a great moisturizer to wear underneath a bb cream or foundation that never feels greasy. You can ask for a free sample at Sephora, or you can buy it and take it back used for a full refund (with a receipt) or for store credit (without a receipt) up to a year at Sephora.
But there are a few products I've found that, when coupled with a good facial routine, do instantly improve your overall appearance. It Cosmetics' Bye Bye Lines Serum Advanced Anti-Aging Wrinkle-Smoothing Miracle Concentrate (try saying that fast!) does a wonderful job of instantly smoothing wrinkles, masking discoloration, and overall brightening your face. It's also a great primer for foundation or a coverage product.
I tried this product out a month ago at Sephora and bought it despite its not insignificant price tag because when I put it on in the store, I was like, "oh, where's my eye wrinkles??!?" Not a bad reaction for a first time use.
What it is
This product is a hybrid primer / treatment / moisturizer. A primer is a product you put on after moisturizing and before foundation. It fills pores and wrinkles and helps foundation to set better. A treatment is a product that treats particular skincare concerns, like wrinkles, pores, acne, or dullness. A moisturizer is a product that keeps your face from drying out. This product does all three. Although it lists a hefty number of vitamins in its ingredients (A, B, and C), I think it's primary benefit is as a primer. I am not typically a fan of primers because they're heavy on silicons, which temporarily fills and mask pores, but on me, dry out my skin throughout the day. This product has enough moisturizers in it that instead of making my skin feel powdery, it feels smooth and soft. The product is white, the consistency of heavy whipping cream, and doesn't have much of a smell.
How to use
According to the Sephora website, you use it before or in place of your moisturizer, morning and evening. I use it only in the mornings, and I put it on after my moisturizer because it makes a great primer and makes my BB cream go on more smoothly. I use a small amount, about the size of your smallest finger nail, pat it between both hands, and smooth it over my face, focusing on my eyes (because that's where my wrinkles are the most obvious).
What it does
As I said, there are no magical products that make you look 16 again, but this one does an instant job of softening wrinkles, moisturizing skin, and overall smoothing your face. While it claims to have long term benefits, I've mostly found that it makes your face look nicer for the day, not forever.
Cons
It's $58.00 for 1 oz., which isn't cheap. I suspect it will last me 3 or 4 months based on how little I need to use. Would I buy it again? Unless I find another primer-y product that I like better and is cheaper, I probably would. This doesn't break me out or clog pores, and I do love the results. However, another downside is that the ingredients are not remotely natural and contain several silicon-type fillers (hence the instant smoothing). I normally try not to use things like this, but since this one does a lot for me and hasn't caused any bad reactions, I don't mind.
Take-away
If you have reasonably good skin already and just want to make it look a little better, especially if your main concern is wrinkles, this is a great item to try! Or if you want to improve your coverage application, especially in the dry winter months, this is a great moisturizer to wear underneath a bb cream or foundation that never feels greasy. You can ask for a free sample at Sephora, or you can buy it and take it back used for a full refund (with a receipt) or for store credit (without a receipt) up to a year at Sephora.
 |
| image taken from sephora |
Best face forward - The BB Cushion
No matter how great your natural face looks, a properly applied coverage product is going take everything from "nice!" to "great!" My guiding principle with makeup application is to think of it as enhancing your face, not making it disappear. That's why I'm such a fan of Korean cosmetics - because they stress first taking good care of your skin, then lightly applying natural-looking makeup, so you look like yourself, just... cleaner. 😊
I've loved BB creams since they hit the US market. They have a similar coverage to tinted moisturizers, but they are also full of skin care ingredients. Win-win, right? But what I've realized in using BB creams is that how you apply it makes a huge difference. Rubbing the product onto your face is not the way to go. Using a beauty blender sponge (damp) definitely improves the application. Instead of the cream sinking into your lines and creases, or clumping up on dry skin (yuck!), you get a more uniform and smooth look. Then Korea upped its game and created the BB Cushion, which combines the best of BB creams and foundations into a very user-friendly product.
A BB Cushion looks like a powder compact. It snaps shut and has a mirror, sponge, and cream on the inside. Instead of being dry, however, the cream is contained in a sponge or comes in the form of a solid state foundation.
BB Cushions have become my favorite form of coverage. They're light, full of good ingredients, good SPF, are easy to apply, stay on all day, and are easy to remove with an oil cleanser. I've tried several and I'll review them below.
Age 20's Compact Makeup Premium Foundation
This is my favorite cushion and one that I'll definitely rebuy because it comes in my skin color. It's medium coverage. It feels soft and moist after you put it on. It's very hard to find Korean foundations for darker skin, as fair skin is the Asian ideal. So if you're light skinned, you're going to have a very easy time matching your tone. This one comes in 4 shades, ranging from very light to medium dark. I use #25, for reference. This compact comes with a compact and a refill, so you're really getting two for the price. It usually takes me 6 month at least to use up one of these. This thing is so nice to use! You apply it by gently pressing the sponge onto the compact and then gently tabbing it on your face. You can go over an area more than once to build up coverage. I use it on my eyes (which have horrible dark circles) and it doesn't irritate them. I've never broken out from using this. I apply it after putting on moisturizer, after the moisturizer has settled in and isn't tacky.
Laneige BB Cushion
This is another easy to use BB cushion that you can buy at Target or Sephora. I use it and like it, but it's not my favorite because it's very fragranced. Granted, I haven't broken out from it or noticed any irritation, but I'm not fond of fragrances in face care products. I'd call this a heavy coverage compared with Age 20's, although it still lighter than a traditional foundation. It feels a little heavier and greasier than Age 20's. It pretty much erases any blemishes or dark circles you make have, while Age 20's blurs them. The other reason I like this one less is the color selection. The Target collection has less colors than the Laneige line itself, and I've only used what they have at Target. I tried Medium-Light, which was a tan color with strong yellow undertones. It was a little too yellow for me. The next lighter shade was Light, and that was too light and pink for me. If you're fair with pink undertones, this is worth a shot.
Iope Air Cushion
I picked this up at a K Beauty store in Phoenix. It's advertised as a very light, summer-use cushion. I love the almost damp, watery feel it has on your face, but the darker shade was way too light for me. I use it as a highlighter, over my Age 20's cushion. Again, if you're fair and want a very light, soft coverage that feels lovely, this is a good one for you.
If you're interested in trying a coverage item that makes you look like yourself, with a better complexion, a BB Cushion is worth a shot.
I've loved BB creams since they hit the US market. They have a similar coverage to tinted moisturizers, but they are also full of skin care ingredients. Win-win, right? But what I've realized in using BB creams is that how you apply it makes a huge difference. Rubbing the product onto your face is not the way to go. Using a beauty blender sponge (damp) definitely improves the application. Instead of the cream sinking into your lines and creases, or clumping up on dry skin (yuck!), you get a more uniform and smooth look. Then Korea upped its game and created the BB Cushion, which combines the best of BB creams and foundations into a very user-friendly product.
A BB Cushion looks like a powder compact. It snaps shut and has a mirror, sponge, and cream on the inside. Instead of being dry, however, the cream is contained in a sponge or comes in the form of a solid state foundation.
BB Cushions have become my favorite form of coverage. They're light, full of good ingredients, good SPF, are easy to apply, stay on all day, and are easy to remove with an oil cleanser. I've tried several and I'll review them below.
Age 20's Compact Makeup Premium Foundation
This is my favorite cushion and one that I'll definitely rebuy because it comes in my skin color. It's medium coverage. It feels soft and moist after you put it on. It's very hard to find Korean foundations for darker skin, as fair skin is the Asian ideal. So if you're light skinned, you're going to have a very easy time matching your tone. This one comes in 4 shades, ranging from very light to medium dark. I use #25, for reference. This compact comes with a compact and a refill, so you're really getting two for the price. It usually takes me 6 month at least to use up one of these. This thing is so nice to use! You apply it by gently pressing the sponge onto the compact and then gently tabbing it on your face. You can go over an area more than once to build up coverage. I use it on my eyes (which have horrible dark circles) and it doesn't irritate them. I've never broken out from using this. I apply it after putting on moisturizer, after the moisturizer has settled in and isn't tacky.
Laneige BB Cushion
This is another easy to use BB cushion that you can buy at Target or Sephora. I use it and like it, but it's not my favorite because it's very fragranced. Granted, I haven't broken out from it or noticed any irritation, but I'm not fond of fragrances in face care products. I'd call this a heavy coverage compared with Age 20's, although it still lighter than a traditional foundation. It feels a little heavier and greasier than Age 20's. It pretty much erases any blemishes or dark circles you make have, while Age 20's blurs them. The other reason I like this one less is the color selection. The Target collection has less colors than the Laneige line itself, and I've only used what they have at Target. I tried Medium-Light, which was a tan color with strong yellow undertones. It was a little too yellow for me. The next lighter shade was Light, and that was too light and pink for me. If you're fair with pink undertones, this is worth a shot.
Iope Air Cushion
I picked this up at a K Beauty store in Phoenix. It's advertised as a very light, summer-use cushion. I love the almost damp, watery feel it has on your face, but the darker shade was way too light for me. I use it as a highlighter, over my Age 20's cushion. Again, if you're fair and want a very light, soft coverage that feels lovely, this is a good one for you.
If you're interested in trying a coverage item that makes you look like yourself, with a better complexion, a BB Cushion is worth a shot.
gommage facial exfoliant
The first time I saw that word, I thought, "French food?" Yes, I'm woefully ignorant of French. Gommage is a type of exfoliant that Koreans use in place of facial scrubs - the idea being that facial scrubs can be damaging and scarring to your face. A gommage is a physical exfoliant that has chemicals that when rubbed on your face, pill and ball up, gently pulling to them dead skin, dirt, and other unpleasantries from your face. It's a common mistake to think that the pills you see when rubbing is actually your skin coming off. It isn't. It's the product itself reacting to the friction on your skin. The end result, though, is lovely. It takes about 3 minutes, tops, and after rinsing, your face looks so fresh, soft, and clean. It's also much more gentle than using a pore scrub. It also works wonders on dry body skin, like on your legs, knees, elbows, or arms. I apply it to dry skin, stand in the shower (because it flakes off), rub, and then shower.
Favorite Cleansers
The first step of any skincare routine is cleansing. I follow a 2-step routine to remove makeup, wash my face, and get it ready for the application of skincare treatments. After oil cleansing, I follow with a normal soap cleanser. Following are reviews of a few of my standby facial cleansers.
Neogen Bio-Peel
Product ProfileAvailable on Amazon, Sephora, and Soko Glam
$17.00 for 30 pads
Uses: Brightening treatment, pores, mild exfoliant
Pros: Easy to use, gentle on skin, instant brightening
Cons: Expensive if you use only once
Ever heard of AHAs? That's alpha hydroxy acids and there are several of them - glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, to name a few. If you've ever found yourself googling, "how to fix everything about my face" (just me? ok 😜), you'll see them. Together with BHAs, these acids are little wonderworkers that clear acne, shrink pores, encourage healthy skin-turn over, get rid of whiteheads and blackheads, and soften wrinkles. If you want to read more about how they work, check out this article and this article from The Klog.
Anskin Cool Ice Modeling Mask
Quick Notes
Price: $9.00
Available: Amazon
Reviewer Rating: Amazing
Will buy again? Yes
User effort: Moderate. Have to mix it yourself and it's not the easiest to apply.
Uses: Pores, Calming, Redness, Acne, Soothing, Cooling
Cons: The edges stick to your face, so you have to rinse and use a towel to remove
Ingredients: Diatomite, Glucose, Sodium Alginate, Calcium Sulfate, Betaine, Zinc Oxide, Peppermint Extract (1%),Tetra Sodium Pyro Phosphate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Licorice Extract, Allantoin, Hyaluronic Acid, Cl 45410.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)