At Home Chemical Exfoliator - Brighter, Softer, Healthier Skin

spicestationsilverlake

Recently, I've been hearing a lot about peels and chemical exfoliators. You may be familiar with glycolic acid in the form of a chemical peel. Glycolic acid is valued for its ability to penetrate the skin (which is not easy). There are currently many serums, peels, masks, and exfoliators on the market that claim to "brighten" and "renew" the skin and they do this with the use of glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is an a-hydroxy acid (seen as AHA on many skincare products) that when applied to skin, it reacts with the epidermis (upper layer of our skin) to weaken the bonds of the lipids that hold dead skin cells together. To simplify, it loosens dead skin cells allowing the healthier skin underneath to be exposed. What does this mean for you? Brighter, softer, and healthier skin.

Now that we've covered the basic science of it, lets get to the DIY! Glycolic acid occurs naturally in sugarcane (also some fruits). To make your own glycolic mask at home, all you need is sugar and a lemon. (Note: I recommend doing this mask at night because lemon can bleach your skin when it is exposed to sunlight).

What do I need?

• Sugar
• Lemon

What do I do?

• Take about 1 tablespoon of sugar and place it in a small glass bowl
• Add the juice of half a lemon to form a paste. If the mixture is too thick, add more lemon juice, and if it is too thin, add more sugar.
• Next, you want to place the mixture on your skin in small gentle circles. This is a manual exfoliator and a chemical exfoliator in one. Based on my understanding, the lemon helps isolate the glycolic acid in the sugar.
• Once you have applied the mixture, allow it to sit on your skin for 10 minutes. Allow this time for the glycolic acid to work into your skin and break down the dead skin cells.
• When 10 minutes is up, wet your hands in lukewarm water and in gentle circular motions, massage your skin. This is the manual exfoliation that will help remove those broken up dead skin cells. Then simply rinse off the mixture with warm water and pat your skin dry.
• Apply your moisturizer as usual.

I used this mask for the first time last night and I clearly notice a difference in the softness of my skin. Immediately after removing it, my skin was much softer and smoother (and I feel like I noticed some brightness too). This is a mask that helps with consistent use. Because glycolic acid penetrates the skin, it can help reduce previous scarring.

Have you ever tried this mask? Would you like to? Do you use any chemical exfoliators/serums/masks? 

I can't wait to use this mask again!

Things That Have Made Me Happy: #1

Its 12:07am, I am running on 23 minutes of laptop battery life, and I am happy; I want to share my 'happy' with you all in this rather weird and random post! I hope you enjoy these as much as I did :)

Because who doesn't want to watch a cat sing along with an accordion? Key words here: cats, accordion. Seriously adorable.

I don't even know what to call this. Adorable kids, adorable dancing and singing.

17 seconds of awesome. JUST WATCH IT.

Jack Johnson's song Broken.

I hope you enjoyed a few of these bits :) They have definitely made me happy in the past 24 hours. Now to leave you with pictures of my snuggle bugs. Spread your happiness to someone today :)

Empties #1 (Dry Shampoo, Vinegar, and Moisturizer)

Hello everyone! I have a few products I've gone through in the last few months. I think this will be a nice way for you all to see what I've been using, get little reviews on the product, and see what I will and will not repurchase.

Jojoba Oil

If you read my blog or watch my videos, you know I love jojoba oil. It has been my favorite makeup remover for about 6 years now and its still going strong. I buy mine from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods  for around $7 and the 4oz size lasts me 3-4 months. You can see my demo here. I will always repurchase this product!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I am currently on my second tube of this stuff and it is definitely my favorite facial moisturizer to date. I have been using it for about 8 months now and have had wonderful results. I have a quick video review on it on my youtube channel!

Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo

I bought this product several months ago because I wanted a sulfate-free dry shampoo. I really liked the scent and used this product all up, however I didn't feel like it really absorbed oil very well. I probably wont repurchase this product. It was also about $9 which is more than what I'm willing to pay for a drugstore dry shampoo that doesn't work all too well.

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

I finished a container of this product as well however my thoughts on it are the same as for the Aveeno product (above). The only difference is that I disliked the smell of this.

Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

I totally love this stuff! I use it to make shampoo for my dog, I use it to make face masks, I use it for my hair, as an aftershave, and a bunch of other stuff! This is a wonderful product that everyone should have in their kitchen! I adore using this stuff to help with razor burn. Its all natural and works better than anything I've tried.

I hope you guys (and gals :D) liked this post! What have you used up recently?

What's new, Wednesday? Teas' Tea Unsweetened Jasmine Green Tea

Teas' Tea

Today I want to talk about a delicious green tea I have been enjoying for the past several months. 

I haven't yet tasted any other flavor, but I have really been loving Teas' Tea Unsweetened Jasmine Green Tea. Have you tried any of these teas before?

Where can I buy this?

Pavilions

Whole Foods

Amazon
ITO EN

How much does it cost?

I've seen it for around $2 for a 16.9oz/500ml bottle at most grocery stores where its sold. Whole Foods has 2 liter containers which are sold for around $8-10. You can also purchase a pack of 12 (16oz/500ml) from Amazon ($21 free shipping) or from ITO EN (the original source for the tea) where you can get packs of 24 (16oz/500ml) for $36 or a pack of six 2 liter containers for $30 (with $11 ground shipping).

What are the benefits?
This tea contains catechins which are a naturally occurring antioxidant. "Among the many known health benefits of tea catchines "count anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, as well as effects on the regulation of food intake" (Tea Catechins). It is also very high in vitamin C (110% of daily intake) which is definitely a benefit in my book.

Pros:

Ingredients - This is where its great, there are minimal ingredients, no extra unnecessary ingredients; just purified water, jasmine green tea, and absorbic acid (good ol' vitamin C!). This tea contains 110% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. Woohoo!

Taste - This tea is so tasty! That's the whole reason I'm writing this post! I actually have a bottle of this next to me, as I am typing. I am a huge tea lover and jasmine is one of my favorites; I get my jasmine tea from

Cons:

Nada! Well...except I wish it was cheaper...but to be honest its totally reasonable, I'm just being annoying :P

So what's the verdict? Do you like it?

I love this tea! Its refreshing and satisfying without being sweet and overwhelming. If you are a fan of tea then you must try this! It is the most true-to-taste bottled jasmine tea that I have tried. And its so high in vitamin C! Just another added benefit :)

Try It Out Tuesday: Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser

Where can I buy this?

Sephora (online and in store)
Amazon (for some reason its twice the price so I don't recommend purchasing from Amazon)
Boscia

How much does it cost?

$28

Pros:

Price - Although not as cheap as drugstore cleansers, this product is not too expensive. For a natural product free of preservatives, the price is reasonable.  

Ingredients - This is a non-GMO product that is also gluten-free, cool! It doesn't contain preservatives which is awesome in my book, one less thing to worry about. It also has charcoal in it which draws out impurities from the skin and helps to detoxify.
Size - This is a 5 fl. oz. cleanser which is quite a lot. One pump is the perfect amount to cleanse my skin and I see this lasting me several months.
Packaging - I love the sleek black packaging with the pump. It keeps everything clean and gives the perfect amount of product to wash your face with.
Scent- I love the herbal and hint of floral scent that this product has

Cons:

At this point, I have no negatives about this product! Some people might dislike the fact that it doesn't lather well, however lather is not a sign of a good cleanser and it in no way makes a cleanser do a better job; so for me this is not an issue but some may not like it. I do want to add that when using this with the Clarisonic, it is a little difficult because there is minimal lather however I just make sure to work it well into my skin.

So what's the verdict? Do you like it?

I really love this product so far! It doesn't strip my skin of oil, it just cleanses it. I have to keep using it for a few weeks to see a difference in skin brightness and the detox effect but so far I am loving it! I will do an update in a month to let you all know if I'm still sticking to it :)

Whats New, Wednesday? Xylitol Gum

Hello all! I wanted to start this series as a way to introduce new products to you all. These will include all sorts of stuff, food, drinks, clothing, you get the gist. This will not however include skincare or makeup because those are things I usually devote more time to testing/trying out. Come back on Tuesday for a series on new products and skincare recipes I am trying out.

Today's product is the Epic Xylitol Gum in spearmint.

Where can I buy this?

Amazon
epicdental.com

How much does it cost?

You can get a box of these containing 12 packs of gum (12 pieces in each pack) for about $15

What are the benefits?
Check out this page to learn about the benefits of xylitol for oral hygiene. 

Pros:

Price - Super inexpensive gum and it does what gum should do...that's a plus!

Ingredients - This is a non-GMO product that is also gluten-free, cool!

Taste - I LOVE the taste of this gum! Its better than any other spearmint flavored gum I've tried. Since it uses natural sweetener, it doesn't have that terribly sweet taste that "sugar-free" products have.

Cons:

Lasting Power - Okay...this is where it fails to impress. The flavor of this gum lasts 10-20. However check out what the company has said about this, I think you will agree with me that this is much preferable to artificially enhanced flavors:

Simple and effective, the flavor in one piece of Epic gum last about 10-20 minutes. We could artificially enhance the flavor to make it appear more flavorful, but we prefer a small list of natural ingredients that make us feel safer and more secure.

Packaging - Typical gum packaging. Easy to remove individual pieces.

So what's the verdict? Do you like it?

I totally love this gum and recommend it. Even though the flavor doesn't last long, it tastes so good that I honestly don't mind. Its also so cheap that you can just replace it once it loses flavor. I recommend you try this gum out. Its a step towards maintaining good dental hygiene.

Thanks for reading! I hope it wasn't too weird that I did a review on gum...what'd you think?

Follow Up on Daily Goals

Dealing with work and school has kept me from following up on my goals thus far, however I am here today doing just that! So I did a blog post on my Personal Daily Goals a short while ago and I am happy to say I completed them! A good friend told me that instead of making daily goals, she makes weekly goals. I thought about this and decided to give this a try because it gives a little bit of leeway. so far, this has been helpful for me. I feel more accomplished because I am getting things done. Although they might be small goals, it still feels great to be able to complete them. I usually give myself a million things to do and basically set myself up for failure. I forget that I'm not Superwoman. I forget that there are only 24 hours in a day.

This was just a short follow up to let you know that so far, I am doing pretty well with my goals. How are you coming along? Has your method of setting goals been working for you thus far?