Darphynia's Diary

Sorry for the dark image!  The flash just wasn't working out. My skin has been changing; also, the more I stress the more I'm break out.  My go-to product has always been calamine lotion.  I either mix it in my lotion or use it as a spot treatment, but I wanted to try something new.  Sunday Riley has a fantastic(ally expensive) serum, Good Genes , which I love because it works.  I went on to see what else she had.  I ended up buying Sunday Riley's UFO trial pack (no longer available) that included the UFO: Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil and travel-sized Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner in the hopes that my skin would clear up.  The texture of the toner is like a thick water-- definitely more water-like than gel-like.  Martian is lightweight and absorbs fast; smells a bit earthy and medicinal, but is tolerable.  The oil is your typical face oil, but it smells horrendous (to me anyway).  It could be the cumin seed oil coupled w...

Overall, I like the products that LUSH Cosmetics supplies.  Every so-often, there's a product that I can't wait to try, and it totally disappoints.  One of those happened the Full of Grace face moisturizer/serum solid. It's small (fits in the palm of my hand & I have to wear youth gloves, so it's VERY small!) and pricey, both of which I could have cared less about had it worked. Reading the positive reviews, it sounded promising.  Image courtesy of lushusa.com You heat the product up in your hands to soften the bar, then apply it to your face after washing.  The ingredients include chamomile, portobello mushroom, and murumuru butter, among others (I'll have the complete ingredient list at the end).  The bar is moisturizing (though many say it is greasy) and lightweight; pluses!  Full of Grace also contains calamine powder, and I use calamine all the time.  It is especially effective on clearing my skin of any pimples; also a plus....

In the last week I have broken out more than ever before.  Growing up, I didn't have problems with blemishes; maybe the odd one every now and then.  Aging and medications can wreak havoc, and I think my skin is hating life right now.  Stress, lack of sleep, medication, and other issues have caused more breakouts than I care to think about.  It is not, by any means, horrible; it's just not what I'm used to.  I digress... Image courtesy of carolinechu.com Caroline Chu (I've loved her skincare for years!) released Look&Feel , and was kind enough to send me the system to try.  It is a fool-proof, two-step process for clearing up breakouts in order to reveal your skin's true beauty.  The natural clay, tea tree water-infused, non-foaming face wash helping to gently clarify the skin.  Just take a pea-sized amount and apply it to moistened skin in circular motions.  Make sure to pay more attention to problem areas.  I use it with th...