How to work with oily skin

Hello everyone! Today I would like to focus on those like me who have really oily skin. First I will talk about a few things to avoid. Next I will talk about the various products you can use for your oily skin to keep oil production low without causing damage to your skin.

The number one thing to remember when dealing with oily skin is that it is extra important for us to wash our face, always in the morning, and always at night. This is especially so for those of us who wear makeup during the day. DO NOT sleep with makeup on your face, you WILL breakout. This comes from experience, myself being stupid and thinking I will be fine if I don't wash my face. How wrong I was....

Anyways, back to the subject. Another step that is really important is a salicylic acid based toner. This should go on your face each time you finish washing your face. However, keep in mind that this is better for those on the oily side. This doesn't include those who have oils but when they wash their face it goes away. This step is for those who have oily skin to the point that when they wash their face it takes care of the surface oil, but doesn't really help in an hour or so, due to oil production. This is because salicylic acid based toners dry up the oils that are under the surface sludge, the oils resting in your pores.

After your cleanser/toner it is really really important to hydrate and replenish your face with a non oil moisturizer. For those of you who have really oily skin, I know what you are thinking. I have been there, and no its not counter productive, it is not an oxymoron. It is actually very simple. Why use a moisturizer? Think about it. What did your cleanser and toner do? It removed not only the surface oils but also the oils inside your pores. That means there isn't any oils left, which means what exactly? It means when you don't moisturize with a non oil hydrating substance that you are actually making it worse.

How? If you take all the oils off your face and don't renew and hydrate, your face thinks it is being attacked and over produces oils. This is because oils not only hydrate, but they also protect your facial skin from the elements. By using moisturizer you replace the protective oils with a new protection that acts like oils, without making you oily. Therefore, when washing your oily face clean, please please please moisturize.

Hope I am doing a good job keeping you all informed!! Keep looking for my posts! I am still here, just slow going at times.

Also don't forget to check out my other blog: Makeup Tips By AY, there are some great tips on how to improve your makeup. Check it out!

I will be back soon, with more stories to tell and information to give. Until then!

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10 substances you should not put on your face

Hi all!
I wanted to share this amazing blog by an awesome girl named Rachel Krause that I found. It has a list of 10 substances that you should not use for acne control. It is a great list, because it covers some common household items that I have considered using in the past. Now I am so glad I didn't use them!

Photo: Getty Images

Check out this person's blog: Bad DIY Skin Care

Make sure you read the entire article, as she explains not only what not to put on your face, but also the reasons why. It is a really good read.

That's all for now my friends, see you in the near future!

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Credits: Link to blog posted by Rachel Krause
Photo: Getty Images

What to do about scars

HI! Me again. Today we are going to discuss different things you can do for scars. This means cover up, but also this means ridding ourselves of those pesky facial marks.

Facial scars come in different forms. For example, some people have indents in their face, looking a little like the photo on the left. These are also known to some as "pock marks" for their shape and indented look. They come from popping pimples the wrong way. Some people are known to have a different kind of scarring. These scars look like little red pimples, caused by the acne healing without being popped, but never completely going away, resulting in a scar. What can we do about scarring?

One product I have noticed works very well for any type of scarring is in the Mary Kay line, known as clear proof. It is advertised for people who have acne, but I have notice a big difference in my sister's skin since she started using it. Her scars are almost clear. It really has done wonders for her skin. Also, another great product is their targeted action toning lotion. It tightens skin and clears dark spots. Awesome.

Another thing that is important is to cover up properly with foundation. Some people will also use concentrated concealer for this step, applying it only on scars and dark spots to create an even tone, and using concealer gives your makeup a seamless look. I have witnessed my sister perform wonders with her makeup, which I will be doing an article using some of her techniques in my other blog which goes over makeup tips. We are currently working on a vlog about her and her awesome makeup tips!

I digress....

This is just a little bit of info on scars and what you can do for them. Please comment if you would like to read more about this subject, and I will be happy to comply.

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Find these great products on my Mary Kay website!

What to do for breakouts

Hi there! Today I want to go over what to do and also what not to do in the event of a break out.

There are several reasons for breakouts in women, the first and foremost of course being the monthly cycle. However, this is not the only reason. Lets first go over some common reasons for break outs, then we will go over what not to do. After that we will go over what to do.

1. The period break out.
As mentioned already, this is the most common reason for a break out. These break outs can be anywhere, but I have experienced them being the giant red cheek pimples that you just want to pop! I will say that this urge MUST be fought. Popping these leads to scars, which are long lasting and cause not only self esteem problems, but also facial complications. Another not to do: Do not over wash your face at this time, or miss your normal routine. Both options can make your face worse.

2. The "food" break out.
A misnomer, this is actually not because of what we eat so much as not washing our hands after we eat something such as IE: potato chips. These break outs normally surface in our t-zone on the face, as well as areas of our body that we tend to touch more often. The obvious what not to do in this scenario is just don't eat the food. However, most of us don't have strong enough will power. Other wise what not to do is: A. pop and B. touch the affected area.

3. Dirty pillow break out.
This break out happens when you either don't change your sheets often enough or you don't wash or replace your pillow often enough. Not to do's: continue sleeping on either the pillow or the pillow case.

OK, I think thats enough about the break outs. Let's discuss solutions.

Break out 1. I know this is hard to do, but with period break outs the best thing to do is leave it. Don't touch it. Don't add anything to your routine. It will go away on its own. If it is really bothering you, consider seeing an extraction specialist around the same time every month.

2. First, wash your hands after eating any greasy foods, or foods that are eaten with hands. This will prevent a lot of food breakouts. Also, if you eat a lot of greasy foods, or fatty foods, cutting down on those foods will help.

3. This one is pretty simple, change your sheets once a week, get a pillow protective case, and wash/change your pillows out more often.

Thanks! I will be writing again soon! Stay tuned!

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Tips for a Good Routine

I'm back!

Im here to tell you how to get your skin care routine going. I have 3 tips to get you started, all that I learned from my own experience. They hopefully help you get going on that new routine and help you off to a good start!

1. Always Follow Directions
This step is important. If you buy a facial cleanser and it says use twice a day, use it twice a day! There is a reason it says that, its more effective when you use the product properly.

2. Never Skip a Step
The general steps to a face care routine is as follows:
1. Cleanser
2. Toner
3. Moisturizer
Depending on if you are more oily like me you will not have step two in your routine. However, you should not leave any steps out. Here's why: If you use toner and you skip that step, you are bound to get more oily after using the moisturizer. If you use toner and you skip the last step, you are also bound to get more oily. Why? Moisturizer replenishes your face. Toner cleans the bad oil off. Lastly, never skip washing your face, as this often leads to not keeping your skin care routine.

3. You Must Have Good Products
If you buy good products such as Mary Kay, Lush, and so forth, then you are assured quality care for your face. If you buy drug store brand such as say for example, clear right aid brand, you are getting what you pay for. Many drug store cleansers and skin care options are very harsh on the skin and can actually cause breakouts. They did for me.

Obviously, if you are allergic to the products I already mentioned then you would want to find something else. However, just because you have allergies does NOT mean you cannot find something that works for you. Keep trying!

My Routine

Hi Everyone!

I promised a look into my skin care routine, and here it is!

First off, lets go into some background on my skin and what it was like before I found and started a regimen that works for me. 1. I had zits, not necessarily acne, but headed in that direction. 2. I had major grease, or oil production. Probably from not washing consistently and from the lack of moisture getting to my face. 3. I had tons of black heads in my t-zone. They wouldn't go away!

My skin care routine is a but much for some people, especially if you are new at it. After all, a habit doesn't form until 21 days of the same thing. That's when it becomes a routine. It was hard! it took me about 4 months to get on an actual routine, and I have only been on a skin care regime for a total of 6 months. Its not easy to find what works for you.

Anyways, my routine has two parts: every day, and every week. Here is the products I use every day: 1. MK Time Wise Miracle set

This set consists of three steps. I know your thinking: but there are four bottles! Just wait, we will get to that part. Let's first go over each product in this set and what they are for. Here is my morning routine:

1. Time Wise 3 in 1 Cleanser
What does it do? Put simply, it gets the oil, dirt, and makeup off your face. And it works!! It cleanses deeper than I expected, while being gentle on the skin.

2. Time Wise Age Fighting Moisturizer
This one is pretty basic; it gives your face the moisture it needs, while not over greasing your face. It is light and refreshing on your face.

                                         3. Clear Proof Toner

This is actually not part of the miracle set, I add it for extra oil help.

4. Time Wise day Solution Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 35
This product is a little bit oily, but when combined with the oil mattifier it really helps protect your skin from harmful sun rays.

My night routine is similar, I just switch out step 4 for the following product:

5. Time Wise Night Solution With Retinol
This stuff feels really good. I don't know how effective it actually is for anything other than moisturizing, but it does a good job.

Once a week, usually on Saturdays, I change it up a bit with this product: the Microdermabrasion set. This set is only two steps, plus step one of my daily routine. It goes as follows:

1. Microdermabrasion step one: refine
This really helps get the extra dirt that builds up a little bit. We can cleanse but what we can only do so much with a daily cleanser.

2. Microdermabrasion step two: replenish
This helps make my face soft and clean feeling. It also moisturizes pretty well.

My results? no more black heads, minimum break outs, and so much less oil residue.

Now you know about my skin care routine, time to think about yours!
 I know that to some, this may be a lot to take in. Trust me, going from no routine to this many products doesn't happen over night. However, it is really important to take care of your skin. After all our skin is the biggest organ, and it protects us from the elements. We should want to take care of it.

Tune in next time for the details on how to get your routine going, and some tips to help you kickstart your routine!

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Skin Care...Or?

Hi! My name is Amanda, and I am here to talk to you about your skin care routine!

Some of you might have a skin care routine already in place, and thats great! Way to go. Later we can talk about what more you can do to improve your skin care routine, particularly the one for your face. Right now, I want to address the fact that many people do NOT have a skin care routine. However, this is not surprising. It can be hard to know what products are the right to use, and sometimes it is just outright frustrating. Many people give up trying to find what works for them.

Thats where I come in. I come from someone who had literally no routine, i didn't even wash my makeup off (when I wore it) before I went to bed! This is so bad for our faces.

Enter my Mary Kay consultant: now keep in mind, I had absolutely no routine going. Also, I was very skeptical of any Mary Kay products, seeing as the single Mary Kay party I had been too resulted in a minor rash. Another thing I hated was I could feel the makeup on my face. One mistake many Mary Kay consultants make is not explaining that the company is in skin care, not necessarily makeup....

But I digress. Back on topic: What did my consultant do for me? She gave me a free facial, one on one time. This helped her help me find the right products for my daily routine. This is important! This made me feel like all the work was done for me, and that really helped me accept my new routine.

All in all the point I am trying to make is: is a skin care routine (for your face) important?? The answer is yes!

Why? I often think about what my skin was just 6 months ago, before I had a skin routine. I had numerous breakouts throughout the month, almost weekly. It wasn't full acne, but it was definite breakouts. There were clusters of pimples, usually on the cheeks, that left me feeling gross. There was also grease, I mean like after bacon cooking leftover in the pan grease. Eww.

What happened when I started my routine? Pimples gone, except for that one or two days a month when I would have a cycle. This is the big one for me: 80% to 90% less grease. Wonderful! Also, my skin felt refreshed and happy. It felt crisp and tight and I know we all love feeling that way!

In conclusion, a skin care routine has really benefited me. I want to share that with all of you out there. Thats what the point of this blog is.

Tune in for my post next time about my skin care routine and the products I use.

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