[The Stranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Woman85 i am hoping someone can help me! i have all these, what i am assuming are whiteheads all over my chin. when i squeeze them white stuff pops out (i know i shouldn't but then i get rid of them, although they come back ). i use a glycolic scrub and cleanser plus the clarisonic, which i thought would elimintae this problem. my diet is pretty good and i drink heaps of water, but theses spots wont go! any ideas??

Can you elaborate on the "good" diet?

[Riskki]

I came across this article and thought I'd post it incase it's useful, for anyone. They think thyme might be good for acne.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...ption-gel.html

Also I have no idea if it's just a coincidence or something but I have been drinking Horlicks light for the last 2 weeks and my skin is 80% better! The stuff is packed with vitamins although fairly high in sugar. Just wandering has anyone else tried it and had any difference?

[Katharrrina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Woman85 i am hoping someone can help me! i have all these, what i am assuming are whiteheads all over my chin. when i squeeze them white stuff pops out (i know i shouldn't but then i get rid of them, although they come back ). i use a glycolic scrub and cleanser plus the clarisonic, which i thought would elimintae this problem. my diet is pretty good and i drink heaps of water, but theses spots wont go! any ideas??

• Cut off dairy for 5 weeks and see what happens.
• Watch your hands: maybe the problem is you're always touching your face and as a result bacteria's having an awesome party on your chin.
• Don't dry out your skin, it'll make matters worse. Moisturize.

[Nikoline]

My skin is having a terrible meltdown, it has never been this bad! Finally it started to get warmer here in Norway, but now the past two days it has gotten colder (it started to snow again today... barf) and early this morning I woke up with my skin burning, incredibly sore and chapped around my nose, mouth and chin. My beloved Physiogel Creme calmes it down a little bit but it still burns and itches like crazy. Any tip to anything that I can buy at the pharmacy tomorrow morning? I tried my moms cold cream from Avéne but that didn't really help.

[TommyGirl]

What do you guys think about Elizabeth Arden`s skincare products, especially Intervene and Visible difference (or something like that) lines? I used to love my Biotherm products, but they are very expensive in here, and I tried to order them from abroad where they are much cheaper (from several netstores), but what do I notice? They don`t deliver Biotherm products to Finland, anything else but not that particular brand. It must be some kind of deal with retailers. So it made me so mad that for example Brits get their Biotherm almost half of the price I must pay here, so I decided to change the brand.

[pavonine]

PEople who generally follow beauty blogs must've heard of BeautyMouth, which is one of the best beauty blogs in my opinion. Caroline Hirons is an absolute star. Her product recommendations have never failed me. She recently did a cheat sheet on skincare, which I think is worth sharing.

Quote:

Cheat Sheet - Top Tips for Great Skin I've noticed doing the Clinic these last two months that I am repeating a lot of the same basic tips week after week. None of which I mind, that's the point of the Clinic - but it did get me thinking that it might be useful to do a quick cheat sheet about basic care and how to get the most out of your skin. Interestingly, most of the tips are based around diet and lifestyle - not particular products - but I will do a follow up of good products too... Obviously everyone is different - but in general - these are your basics if you're wondering where to start.... Cleanse your skin every night without fail - cleanliness is next to Godliness. Double cleanse if you are wearing make-up or sunscreen - which means most of us. I've already written a cheat sheet on cleansing - read that if you haven't already - incorporate the massage techniques here - and you're pretty much done. And a little tip for those of you that say you have no time: either take your make-up off as soon as you get home OR take your make-up off before you take your bra off (if you sleep in your bra then do the first tip!) Cleanse your skin every morning. It obviously doesn't have to be as intense as the night time - but a quick hot flannel and milk/balm/gel wouldn't go amiss to get rid of the overnight shedding. *gross* I know some brands say you don't need to cleanse your skin in the morning. That's OK. They're wrong. If you're body doesn't sweat/shed why do we have to change the bedding? Yeah. that's what I thought. Do not smoke. I won't dwell on this one because its obvious and I've preached before. Unfortunately, in my experience the majority of smokers don't care. They'd rather smoke than have good health. That's really the beginning and end of it. Also - sidebar - they are more likely, again in my experience, to have Botox/fillers/use fad products - like BB creams for example. Why? Because they aren't willing to do the work themselves. Sorry smokers - but in your heart of hearts you probably know it's true. And if you're in the minority who smoke and do everything else organically, you still smoke. Get over yourself. And if you do try and I've offended you, you still smoke. Get over yourself. Get some sunshine. The term 'everything in moderation' really applies here. You will never catch me putting SPF50 on my face. For normal day-to-day use, I get my SPF from my make-up. I would of course use SPF if I was sitting on a beach - but no higher than 20 if I'm honest. Otherwise I wouldn't reapply and I'd look like a beetroot. I don't use skincare with SPF. *gets taken outside and shot by some dermatologists* The fact is that yes, obviously too much sun is damaging to the skin. But so is too much chlorine. And too much pollution. Get out there and get some sunshine. We need it. And in the right dosage it can be amazing for your skin. Some brands would have us all in full burqas and hijabs. That's ok. They're wrong too. Get some sun. Just don't be stupid about it. Sugar. You need to think of sugar as the Devil. And fizzy drinks/soda as Liquid Satan. Empty calories. Drink water. Sugar is the easiest addiction to stop - after a few days you won't even think about that mid-afternoon chocolate. Trust me. One of the best things you can do for your health and skin. Stop eating crap. It's not rocket science. If 'cooking' to you means 'piercing the film', you are not cooking - you are reheating. And eating processed food. Which has no benefit to your health or skin. I'm not going to tell you what foods to avoid. You're not a moron. A tip - if you're a parent and you won't let your toddler eat what you are eating - why are YOU eating it? Consider supplementing your diet. If you have problem skin and don't take fish oil, try it - in large doses. If you are vegetarian try flax - but in my experience its not nearly as powerful. I am big on supplements and have posted a frequently about them - most recently, here. Cut down on dairy. Dairy is designed to take that cute calf and turn it into a 1500lb cow/bull in under a year. And it does a bloody good job of it. I have skimmed milk in my tea. That's about it these days. Yes, I've even cut back the cheese. Watch your alcohol intake. It's extremely dehydrating and again is predominantly sugar. If you are disciplined and can have the odd glass of good red wine, fine. If not, you may want to reconsider altogether - especially if your idea of a good drink is a beer or a Bacardi Breezer. Use quality skincare. I'm not talking about £400 creams, I'm just suggesting you step away from the £2.99 packet of wipes and moisturisers in the chemist/supermarket and step it up a gear. Outside of the organic market - up to around £150 you get what you pay for (in some circumstances - you still need to check the ingredients to see what you are paying for!). After that you're paying for packaging, the rent and payroll and holiday home of the name on the box. I fully get that the majority of us are on much smaller budgets - but honestly - you need to look at the £40-£100 mark for serums and moisturisers if they are hi-tech. Cleansers can all be around the £25 - £60 mark - but it would have to be a bloody good cleanser/larger size to get me to £60. If you want quality skincare and are willing to forgo the hi-tech, you can get amazing quality natural/organic products that are very affordable. A final tip - equate your skincare spending to what you would spend on a handbag or shoes. I'm not saying you should - I'm saying you should be willing to. If you would spend more on a bag than your face - you're reading the wrong blog. I welcome you with open arms, but you are reading the wrong blog.

[rayoflight]

Those are some great tips I agree with!
It's just... I'm not sure I agree with those sunscreen habits though, just my personal preference and observation, since I switched from crappy unstable natural zinc sunscreens (which may be great for some people) to hi-tech filter sunscreens (or chemical soup, as they are called by some) last year, my skin has "recovered" and some of the sun damage (line lines, crosshatching around cheekbone/eyes etc.) has gone away and my face is same color as the rest, proof to me which type of sunscreen is more reliable at protection. Just like that, no lasers, no acids or whatever.
I'm not sure what exactly she means with "we need [sunshine]" either, but if she means vitamin D3, then I'm still sticking with SPF 50 sunscreen for face and exposing some other body parts. Facial surface is too small to provide enough vitamin D3, according to researchers (Holick, Fuhrman), at least 20-25% of one's skin needs to be exposed to sun's rays for body to get enough vitamin D3. Face makes up ~5% and getting wrinkly, saggy skin traded for that tiny amount of vitamin D3 just doesn't seem worth it for me. Besides, there are supplements and fish oil too.
And since I'm someone who often wears 'very water resistant' sunscreen, double cleansing kinda seems superfluous to me... I used to do that in the past, but in the end I just ended up with one realization: if I need to double cleanse on daily basis then my cleanser just isn't good enough. Simple solution, found a cleanser that is gentle enough for daily use, yet gets sunscreen off (mine is tinted, so it'd show up as yellow dirt on a white cotton pad if there was some left on skin after cleansing).

[tigerrouge]

Quote:

but honestly - you need to look at the £40-£100 mark for serums and moisturisers if they are hi-tech.

As far as I'm aware, by UK law, no cosmetic product sold 'over the counter' can have anything more than a superficial effect, or else it has to be reclassified as a pharmaceutical product and made available on prescription. Therefore, it doesn't really matter whether you walk into a store and spend £5, £50 or £500, because legally, the products aren't allowed to make any truly significant difference to your skin in the long-term.

And as long as the cosmetic companies comply with their products and word their advertising in the right way, they're not creating any reason why consumers would need reminded about the legislation, and the business of selling dreams can continue unhampered.

I'm all for advice about healthy living, but when people start talking about how higher-priced skincare is 'worth it', I start looking for how they're sharing part of the profits that come with dispensing this wisdom.

[poptheglock]

i've got one question for you guys! if you use a serum, do you let the serum "sink in" before you apply your moisturizer? for how long? i've always applied my night cream right after the serum, but is that right or wrong? should i wait one minute (or 20)?

[diesanni]

I'm not using one right now but the serums I've tried were always absorbed very quickly so I didn't have to wait. I think it depends on your skin type and how heavy the formula of the serum is.

[rayoflight]

I don't like wait times. After I cleanse skin there is some water left on my skin and I fight hard to keep the water there instead of letting it all just evaporate, so I just slap everything pretty on quickly as to seal the moisture in. It makes a huge and positive difference on my skin.
In the past I have tried waiting like 15-20 minutes allowing serums to "work", but that somehow never produced better results for me, so I didn't feel like wasting my time.

[TommyGirl]

^That is good to hear, I never have time to wait either, not in the morning at least. I need that teeth and hair brushing time for the actual moisturizer to sink in before putting make up on, I have a minute schedule in the mornings

...and when I have time to wait, in the evenings, I haven`t noticed that much difference. But my serums have been pretty fast anyway, so agreed that it depends on the formula of the products, too.

[Party_Vixen]

^ TommyGirl I have a minute schedule in the morning too .

And I don't wait for my serums to sink in either. I've never found it to make a difference plus I really don't have the time.

[sabrina2]

That cheatsheat from BeautyMouth is sooo right on, thank you for posting! I have had huge improvements with cutting way down on sugar and dairy, taking lots of fish oil pills, and quality topical products.

[Party_Vixen]

Does anyone here take cod liver oil? I'm thinking about trying it. I've taken fish oil (which I think was sardine and anchovy ) in the past and found it did nada but I've read really good things about clo...