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skin

Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

July 31, 2017

I was super stoked to try Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. Having read about these quite some time ago, when I went to Ulta recently I was so excited to see them. They are heralded as a “celebrity favorite,” therefore sending them directly to the top of my list.

Skyn Iceland is also free of parabens, formaldehyde, and all the other chemicals I can’t pronounce or spell. Best of all, they’re vegan and cruelty free. Score! And Rachel Zoe loves them. Did anyone else watch that show? Bananas ????

Rachel Zoe is the only celebrity listed under those who love the product, but it has been featured on Rachael Ray, Good Morning America, and a whole host of other relatively well respected TV shows.

Introduction

The packaging is simple and clean, just the way I like it. Had I not seen this in a magazine previously, I would have been attracted to the packaging on the shelf for sure. At around a $24 price point I feel like it’s a tad expensive, but there are four pairs of eye gels to a package so it’s not entirely unreasonable.

Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels look like little wings. Or spatulas. Or weirdly shaped guitar piks. Oh, and look, you can see where I ruined the coffee table with nail polish remover to the left of them. Shhh, don’t tell husband.

The instructions state to stick on the Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels under your eyes and leave them for 10 minutes. The package promises they will firm, de-puff, reduce dark circles, and prevent future damage. I am excited. They have CoQ10 in them, which is generally taken in vitamin form to help prevent a whole host of maladies including heart failure, cancer, and muscular dystrophy.

Experience

As I take the eye gels out of the package, they feel pretty much how you might think – soft and cottony on one side, a little gooey on the other. I peel them off, stick them on and set off to make my kettle corn, aka dinner while husband is away.

Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Gels — Every time I take one of these, I realize how badly I need to wax my eyebrows

They’re kind of itchy, to be honest. But they feel like they’re working. And when I say “stick them on,” I mean it. These things stick. I tried to kind of adjust after I slapped them on my face, but they were not budging.

I think I put them too close to my eyes, which is why I was trying to kind of move them. So they’re kind of uncomfortable. But I pour myself a glass of wine and deal with it.

After the 10 minutes are up, I gleefully ran to the bathroom to remove the gels. They peel off easily, which is a relief because after not being able to budge them, I was a little afraid. I look in the mirror and feel…confused. There is no discernible difference. I pat my under eye area gently, thinking it might be like a face mask and I have to pat in some sort of serum, but there is nothing there.

Now, this may not be the case for everyone. Perhaps I don’t have the right problems for the Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels to fix. My under eye area is plagued by dark circles, but I seldom experience puffiness. I’m starting to get fine lines, but they’re not terrible. And I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing can help the expression lines when I smile. That’s just part of aging.

Cost and Where to Buy

You can find Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels on the Skyn Iceland website for $30. Ulta has them for the same price. Walmart has them for $23.87.

Summing Up

The Skyn Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels have great reviews on every site I’ve visited. I think perhaps I’m not the correct audience. Or perhaps tomorrow, I’ll wake up and something miraculous will have happened overnight. For now, I don’t really see a difference.

Have you tried the Skyn Eye Gels? Leave me a comment or message me here and let me know what your experience was!

Beauty, Skincare

Top 10 Ways You’re Aging Your Skin

July 19, 2017

Top 10 Ways You’re Aging Your Skin (Prematurely) (and how to avoid it):

Nobody wants their skin to look older, especially before it’s time. And if you’re like me, you’ll do just about anything to preserve your youthful glow for as long as possible. Unfortunately, most of us engage in habits every day that can contribute, and even quicken, the aging process. Here are the top 10 ways you’re aging your skin, possibly prematurely, and how to avoid doing it.

Sun Exposure

Look, I live in LA. I was a lifeguard for seven years growing up. I went tanning. A lot. Before that, I would often look at family vacation videos and think, “Who is that really tan child?” before realizing it was me. But the sun worship has to stop sometime.

So stay out of the sun as much as possible. Wear sunscreen, at least SPF 15, higher if you can. And for god’s sake, do not go tanning. I don’t even understand why these things exist anymore. If you need color, get a spray tan or apply self tanner. Just as effective, and you won’t wrinkle at 25.

Not Drinking Enough Water

If you dehydrate your insides, you can bet that your outsides will suffer as well. The old adage of eight glasses of water per day exists for a reason, and you can bet your skin will thank you for it. Plus, you might even feel better. Dehydration can cause all kinds of problems, including poor digestion, moodiness, and exhaustion. Chug some water. You’ll thank me.

Sleeping in Your Makeup

When I look back on my teens and college years, I cannot believe that I did this. I can barely stand to wear makeup for an entire day now, let alone sleep in it. When you sleep in your makeup, it increases your exposure to free radicals, which leads to collagen breakdown, which ages your skin faster. Plus, sleeping in makeup just feels gross. You can get eye infections. All kinds of yucky stuff. So just don’t.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

We have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives. I’m an insomniac, and I can definitely tell when my bouts of this glorious disorder are happening. I look at least five years older than I usually do.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your skin doesn’t repair itself. It messes up your pH levels and causes dehydration (see above). You get dark, puffy circles under your eyes that no amount of coffee can banish.

Now, I believe the term “enough” is relative. Enough sleep is different for every person. I need around nine hours; my husband needs five. But whatever your body needs, listen to it. Your skin will thank you.

Smoking

You guys, we all know smoking is bad for you in about a million ways. We know. But I still get it. As a former smoker, I understand why people smoke. But it will age you faster. There is no doubt about it. Smoking causes wrinkles; dull, sallow skin; and again, dehydration.

I’d love to say I don’t smoke anymore for my health, but to be honest, I think it’s more out of vanity. I don’t want to age any faster than I have to. So if you smoke, stop, or your skin will pay the price.

Not Exercising

I have friends who swear by not exercising, and I don’t understand this. I’ve always needed it, if not to regulate my weight and combat the many, many marshmallows I consume, then to regulate my moods. I suffer from depression and insomnia, and damn, can I feel it when I don’t exercise.

Since exercise literally gets your blood pumping faster, so it improves circulation, giving your skin a more youthful appearance. I believe that a good sweat session can help clear impurities from pores, but I don’t think that’s been scientifically proven. Again, your body will thank you.

Being Overly Rough While Cleansing

This is a tough one, especially in the advent of the Clarisonic brush and the many exfoliating sponge-like things I see floating around. I bought a facial brush convinced that it would clear out my pores, only to have my aesthetician tell me a year or so later that those brushes can cause tiny tears in your dermis, damaging your skin more than helping it.

Roughly cleansing your skin can cause irritation, which can cause premature aging. It’s enough to simply cleanse gently to remove pollution, makeup, and dirt. You don’t have to take a layer off while doing it.

Making Repetitive Facial Expressions

I mean, look, you can’t stop your face from expressing. It’s life. It’s what makes us human. Short of getting Botox to freeze your face, it’s difficult to train your eyebrows to stop jumping up at a moment’s notice when something is funny or surprising (trust me, I’ve tried). If Botox is your cup of tea, that’s one way to go. I have a thing with needles, so I haven’t tried this avenue.

But there are things you can do, like wearing sunglasses when it’s bright so you aren’t squinting all the time, or being cognizant of frowning while working and avoiding the dreaded “11s”. I am guilty of that and have to constantly think about relaxing my face while I work.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Again, I get this one. I like my wine. But we’re living in a time where I see increasing articles about women over-indulging in alcohol. Going home and having a glass of wine after work sounds like a great idea. Why not make it two or three? Next thing you know, you’re half a bottle in. It’s easy.

But alcohol is dehydrating. It’s rough on the skin. It doesn’t do your pores any favors, and if consumed really excessively can cause broken capillaries on the face. So maybe just pay attention. “Excessive alcohol” is generally classified as more than one drink a day on average for women, two for men. Plus, if you overindulge in alcohol, you tend to make poorer food choices. And no amount of Khloe Kardashian’s skincare routine can repair that.

Eating Junk

Which brings me to my next point: healthy eating. I like my junk food as much as the next person, but it’s important to consume the fruits and vegetables that will give your body the nutrients it needs to function at its best. And you can take a multi-vitamin, but experts agree it’s better to get these nutrients from food.

Once again, it’s an inside out thing. We’ve all had those friends who can eat boatloads of sugar and dairy and carbs and stay thin and have skin that would make Sleeping Beauty jealous. Good for those people. I’m not one of them.

Bottom line here is good skin, for most of us, takes some work. Take care of your insides and your outsides will show it. Protect your skin and care for it. ????

Got a top 10 you want me to do? Leave me comment or message me here!

Gadgets, Skincare

Micro Rolling for Anti-Aging

July 6, 2017

I am an adventurous person when it comes to skincare, haircare, pretty much anything related to beauty. Trying new products gives me a special thrill. So when the micro rolling trend started popping up on a bunch of my friends’ profiles who were selling Rodan & Fields, I was curious.

And seriously, talk about something that’s taking the skincare world by storm; I feel like I woke up one morning and 80 percent of my Facebook friends were peddling the R+F products. Spread faster than Kool-Aid at a cult. And the results these women were posting were amazing. Nothing short of miraculous was happening to their subjects’ skins, and I wanted in.

So I started doing my own research.

Since I wasn’t feeling particularly in need of completely changing up my skincare regimen, I began looking at some of the specific products. The micro roller caught my eye. Micro rolling for anti-aging has been used by aestheticians in offices for a while. But it wasn’t until relatively recently that these handy products became available to the general public.

Now, I should pop in a disclaimer here. The effects of micro rolling or micro needling or dermarolling or whatever you want to call it are heavily debated by dermatologists. Many say that the needles that are sold for public consumption are not effective, and that the only way to see real results is by having it professionally done. Others say that it’s dangerous to do at home, and to stick with having a professional do it.

Never one to shy away from a skincare tactic because it’s dangerous, I decided to go ahead and try. As I’ve said in previous posts, though, my skin is pretty tough. When I was in high school I sometimes used rubbing alcohol as astringent. So those with fair skin, be forewarned.

There are many different sizes of micro roller for anti-aging that are available to purchase. This website does a really great job with charting the uses, safety precautions etc. But I’ll outline them below as well.

Sizes of Micro Roller

0.2 to 0.5 mm rollers are the smallest available for home use. These are used to thicken the top layer of the skin, stimulating collagen. They help with large pores, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and shallow scars. Said to be mildly to moderately painful, with no to minimal bleeding. These rollers can be used daily, but can cause redness, dryness and irritation. With 0.5 mm rollers, care should be used not to overdo use.

0.75 to 1.0 mm rollers are the mid-level players. They work in the same way that the smaller rollers do, with the added benefit of helping with deep acne scarring and stretch marks. Said to be slightly to moderately painful, with possible slight to moderate bleeding. These rollers are good for all skin conditions. They should be used anywhere from four to seven times per week, and should be monitored closely.

1.5 to 3.0 mm rollers are the real heavy hitters. These micro rollers are not for use on the face. They can be used for severe scarring

or stretch marks, and are generally used only in dermatologists/aestheticians offices or for use on the body. Said to be very painful, with bleeding occurring. Six to eight weeks is the optimal recovery period for these rollers.

Personally, I went with the 1.0 mm micro roller.

As I said, I have pretty thick skin (purely externally) and I didn’t think the 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm would do much for me. My suspicion was correct.

There is a specific technique to micro rolling. The roller should be used horizontally, vertically, and diagonally over the whole face (avoiding the eye area) for a maximum of two minutes. I usually go around my whole face horizontally, then vertically, then diagonally. Generally, I roll back and forth a couple times in about one inch sections all over my face. There are YouTube videos on technique if you need instruction. I did. I watched a YouTube tutorial.

Now, I’m not going to lie. It hurts a little. Not a lot, but it doesn’t feel like a nice massage in the way some other skin treatments do. It pretty much feels like you’re running little needles over your face. But the results are worth it.

The idea with micro rolling for anti-aging is to use the roller, then apply your serum or treatment so as to achieve better absorption. For my regimen, I used the roller, then my trusty ice, then applied serum or moisturizer.

The results are pretty insane. I swear I can see a different in my skin’s texture after one use. Suffering from a little residual acne scarring from my teen/younger adult years, I’ve tried everything from microdermabrasion to lasers. But this roller works. My skin is slowly progressing towards no-makeup status, which for me would be heaven.

As far as I understand, there are no scientific results to back this up.

However, my results have been fantastic. I will continue using the micro roller a couple times a week for the foreseeable future. It’s a quick, easy, inexpensive step to throw into any beauty routine.

I would suggest doing research to decide which roller is right for you. Overstock has this nifty little four-in-one kit with different sizes, which might be good for experimentation. I found mine on Amazon, which has about a million of them.

Random Thoughts

Micro Rolling for Anti Aging - Beauty Chaos - Moonie — Moonie

Micro Rolling for Anti Aging - Beauty Chaos - Kiki — Kiki

As for my life this week, the foster kitties, Kiki and Moonshine, have had an application and a visit with a potential new family! So we might be down two kitties in the near future. Also, the pool is finally ready, so I’ve been spending some quality time floating around in there — usually after work and before I write. Since I’ve been fighting off this cold, I’ve also been doing water aerobics, which I used to think was just for seniors but I’m finding quite enjoyable.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Compliments? Comment or message me here! And if you like my writing, please subscribe! I’d be eternally grateful and maybe even invite you over for a swim.
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Beauty, Skincare

Cherioll Suck Out Blackheads Face Mask

June 12, 2017

So I’m very, very excited. Despite still grappling with this hideous cold, while I was in the shower this afternoon my Amazon package came! And that means delivery of my first-ever charcoal mask. I can’t remember where I heard about the Cherioll Suck Out Blackheads Face Mask (loving the name, BTW), but if it’s on my Amazon Wish List, I probably read about it in a magazine.

I have been just jonesing to try one of these. Especially one where the packaging makes little sense in English. This mask says, “Penetration ability and stubborn blackheads pores absorb dirt, astringent improve dull rough skin.” Yep. Amazing.

As you can imagine, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this package since I ordered it on Thursday. Seriously, what did I do before Amazon Prime? Now I’m so spoiled, when I order stuff from anywhere else it feels like it takes forever. Plus, my copy of “American Gods” is in the package and I need to get a jump on it because I’m hosting book club in a couple weeks.

That’s right. Crazy cat lady and book club? How much sexier does it get?!

First Impressions

Other than the labeling is amazing, my first impression is that this stuff is black. Like, staring into space black. When I open the tube it immediately starts oozing out of the package, so I frantically start scooping it onto my face. It smells kind of like the peel off face masks I remember from my teen years…I think they were orange flavored or something. Not entirely unpleasant, but it does feel like I’m slathering latex on my face and need a pair of leather pants and possibly a whip to complete my ensemble.

As I write this, I am sitting waiting for the mask to dry. The package says to wait 15 to 20 minutes, peel off, then rinse with water. I will follow with my 30 seconds of icing and light moisturizer.

Experience

Peeling the Cherioll Suck Out Blackhead Mask is a little bit gross, but a little bit satisfying. For the most part, it comes off in a sheet. Although at some moments it feels like it’s taking my skin with it. I rinse my skin and assess. Unfortunately, the mask seems to have done nothing except tighten my pores slightly. Any blackheads that I hoped to get rid of are still regrettably intact.

Cost and Where to Buy

If you’d like to try the Cherioll Suck Out Blackhead Mask for yourself, Amazon has it for $13.98. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else.

Summing Up

Unfortunately, I didn’t really like this product. I’d give it a 4 out of 10. Not only did it not do what it promised, I now have black stuff all over my towels. I hope it comes off with a wash. I don’t think the peel-off mask did anything to necessarily harm my skin, but I probably won’t be breaking it out and slathering it on again. If you decide to try it, I suggest cleaning up with a towel that you won’t miss, just in case the black stuff doesn’t come out in the wash.

And now, your blog-ly dose of cuteness.

Got a comment? Question? Suggestion? Shakespearean insult? Comment below or message me here!