My Updated Skincare Routine

I've been using this skincare routine for a few months now and it has been working pretty well for me. This routine is gentle enough for normal acne-free skin, and yet strong enough to treat acne:

1. Remove makeup: I use Clean & Clear's Makeup Dissolving Foaming Cleanser. It gets off all of my face makeup, and most of my eye-makeup. See my full review of this product here.

2. Cleanse: On most days, I use Biore's Ice Fighting Blemish Cleanser, which contains 2% salicylic acid (I reviewed it in my 2009's best skincare products post.

2.5. Exfoliate: About 3x a week, I substitute the Biore for my LUSH Dark Angels. Exfoliating with a charcoal-based product has revolutionized my skin by making it softer, brighter, and almost entirely acne-free. I've posted about it here.

3. Tone (when I'm not being lazy): I like to use Olay's Refreshing Toner with witch hazel (which is not only great smelling, but also a total bargain for around $4!)

4. Treat/Prevet acne: I apply LUSH Grease Lightning to my cheeks, where I tend to break out the most. See my review on it here.

5. Moisturize: Skin MD's Shielding Lotion is the perfect night-time moisturizer in my opinion. It goes on light, gets absorbed immediately into the skin, has no scent, and I wake up with a supple, smooth face every morning. I'll be posting a full review on that very soon.

I do all these steps at night, but in the morning, I use just the Biore cleanser, and then jump to moisturizing. Overall, I think this routine has been very effective for me. I think the only product I'm not completely satisfied with is the C&C makeup remover, so I will be trying something else once this runs out. All of the other products are amazing and staples in my collection! 

FTC Disclaimer: Skin MD's Shielding Lotion was sent to me to review. I was not paid to review it and this is my honest opinion. All of the other products mentioned were bought with my own moolah.

2009's Best Face Forward

As you all know I believe that beauty starts with clear skin (hence my blog's name, Clearly Beautiful. Get it get it? ok moving on...). Ever since my first pimple at the age of 13, I've been devoted to trying out everything the skincare industry can throw at me with the promise of acne-free skin. Now that I'm in my mid-20s, I'm not only concerned with combating adult acne, but also preventing visible signs of aging. So for 2009, these were the products that delivered on their promises. Although I still suffer from breakouts, several problem zones of my face have been completely acne-free for a while (like my forehead and temples). So although the battle is only half-won, here are the VIPs of the year:

Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser: the active ingredient here is salicylic acid. This face wash is to be used after you've removed your makeup. I love how it has a non-foamy consistency, a refreshing cucumber smell, and a cool tingling sensation as you massage it in.

Olay Regenerist daily thermal mini-peel: the powerful combination of glycolic acid, thermal action, and microscrubbers combats both acne and dull skin (which contributes to an aged appearance). I adore anything containing glycolic acid, because I really see results overnight. Love this peel.

Lush Dark Angels: Honestly, please go buy this. Yes, charcoal-based products are a pain in the a** because they make a huge mess in your sink, but your skin will thank you for the effort. I love using this on particularly oily, icky skin days. The charcoal, rhassoul mud and black sugar make for a super duper exfoliator. I feel like I've had a microderm abrasion Lush-style.

Lush Grease Lightning: I gave my benzoyl peroxide the pink slip once I started using this serum every night. It prevents new break outs and quickly dries out blemishes. Best of all, it does not dry out my face like benzoyl peroxide did. And the tea tree scent is wonderful.

Aspirin: If you have nothing else in your arsenal for acne, keep a bottle of uncoated aspirin tablets around. Whenever I get a breakout, I mix 2 dissolved aspirin tablets with a cream cleanser and spread it on my face. After 30 min, I wash off, and presto, my blemish is zapped in no time. I call this my bazooka because it definitely works, but dries me out.

Mario Badescu Strawberry Face Scrub: Ok ok, I know I have used only a sample of this stuff, and only for 1 month. But I'm so impressed with it that it's made it on this list. This scrub not only exfoliates away dead skin cells, but brightens my complexion so I look a couple shades lighter. I absolutely love the texture and luxurious experience it delivers.

So there you have it, my favorite skincare goodies for 2009. These items will definitely be permanent pieces in my vanity. However, you may notice that I haven't raved about any moisturizers or makeup removers here, because nothing I've tried has blown me away enough to give it this recognition. Hopefully I will soon hit upon some gems.

If you have any suggestions for great moisturizers and makeup removers, please let me know!

I Hit Pan!

Eliza tagged me to list 6 items that I have hit pan on, and have or plan to repurchase. This can be makeup, skincare, haircare, bodycare or scent. Given that there are 5 categories, I'll do 2 makeup, and 1 each for the rest!

1. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation: even before becoming a beauty junkie, I knew this gem was a keeper. I've repurchased twice, and will continue to do so forever and ever.

2. C.O. Bigelow Lipgloss (Bath + Body Works): Genius. Great color, shine, taste, smell, applicator, everything. It's the Godfather of lipglosses.

3. Biore Ice Fighting Blemish Cleanser: lovely smell and highly effective at getting that squeaky clean face feeling. I love how it feels cold and tingly as I lather it up.

4. Organix Shampoo and Conditioner: my hair feels so thick, healthy, and shiny when I use this stuff. Love.

5. Johnson + Johnson Baby Lotion: great smell, cheap, super moisturizing, and even works on my face in a pinch because its so pure that it won't break me out (also I love smelling my hubby when he uses baby lotion.)

6. Scents: I've never repurchased a fragrance because by the time I finish a bottle, its been so long that I'm dying to try something new (I'm a serial monogamist with my scents. Wierd, I know.). But here are 3 scents I've hit "pan" on: Chanel Allure (feminine, enduring, romantic, garners LOTS of compliments), Lacoste (clean, smells high end, very preppy), Banana Republic Classic (clean, citrusy, perfect for daytime).

I tag all my followers to do this tag! Would love to hear from you guys!

Review: Biore Skin Preservation Moisturizer

Good for summer, bad for winter. That should be Biore's disclaimer for the Skin Preservation Moisturizer ($12.99 @ Target), which is for "transitional skin", that is to say skin that is past teenage acne but not yet dealing with wrinkles. The bottle has a dual pump that dispenses moisturizer and SPF 30 separately. According to Biore, keeping the two fluids in separate chambers preserves each one's potency, but I'm thinking that might just be a marketing gimmick.


I must say, I adore this product's consistency and scent. It's kind of thicker than Clinique's Dramatically Different moisturizer, which allows the product to sink into the skin in like 5 seconds. The scent is a mild cucumber/soapy smell, which fades quite fast, so the experience of putting it on is nice, but you're not in danger of smelling like a cuke all day. Also, the SPF 30 does not make my skin look super white and goes on smoothly, not greasy at all. For the summer, this is drugstore perfection.

The first negative is is the tricky packaging. The dual pump does not initially dispense equal amounts of the two fluids. You have to 1) tap the bottle hard on a surface, and 2) pump 7-9 times before both fluids come out! Hello, that's a lot of wasted moisturizer! I put the excess into a an empty sample jar from MAC.

The second negative is that this does nothing for dry, flaky skin. Its already quite cold where I live, and my skin has gone from needing blotting sheets to being flaky dry (lucky me right?). I found that just a few minutes after putting on the moisturizer, I had dry patches around my mouth. Even two pumps right after a warm shower wasn't doing the trick. So its pretty simple, this is a wonderful drugstore moisturizer in the summer, but in the winter, go with something thicker.

Final grade: A-

Biore and Burt's Bees Haul

As the weather turns cold, my acne-prone skin gets quite dry. So I run into the dillemma of needing intense moisture while at the same time not clogging my pores and getting more breakouts. So I bought two things the other day: The first is Biore's new moisturizer with the dual pump thingy that reminds me of an epoxy gun. I love Biore's Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser, which I've repurchased twice, so I wanted to try their moisturizers too. This product is for women that are past teenage acne but are not dealing with wrinkles yet. So its just prevention: 1 part moisturizer, 1 part SPF 30. I've only been using this for about 3 days and so far so good.

The second purchase is the Burt's Bees Radiance Healthy Glow Kit. The Radiance line's main ingredient is royal jelly. This sample kit comes with 7 Burt's Bees products, which is awesome as I've been really curious to try out all-natural skincare products. I will say that I am glad I bought this sample kit. It's been a lot of fun getting to try so many things at once. I've got that haul-high all week long. Yaaay for samples! Ok here's what you get

•  Body lotion: contains natural mica to enhance skin tone
• Creamy body wash: infused with oil beads to moisture while it cleanses
• Soap: cleanses and exfoliates to smooth and even skin tone
• Day and Night creams: increase radiance, firmness, and minimize the appearance of fine lines
• Eye Cream: reduce fine lines and natural lip shimmer  
• Lip shimmer (not shown cuz its currently tucked away in my purse)

I'll do in-depth reviews of both the Biore and Burt's Bees products once I've used substantial amounts of both. Till then, I'm enjoying my haul high!

Tag: Top 10 Drugstore Products

Fafinettex3 did her top 10 drugstore products the other day on YouTube, so I thought I'd chime in with my two cents.It's probably useful to first explain my skin. I'm an NC45 with a South Asian background. I have combination skin. I get oily on my forehead and cheeks, but always dry on my nose and chin.

1.Maybelline Define-A-Lash: this product does exactly what it claims. It defines and lengthens every single lash without clumping. It does not volumize though, so if you're happy with your lash length, go for this one. I also love the waterproof formula and how it holds a curl all day long.

2.Soft Lips: This works so wonderfully well. The consistency and non-greasy moisture is way better than Chapstick.

3. Tresemee Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray: I have to either blowdry or straighten my hair every day, so I know I'm protecting it by using this before doing all that stuff. Ooh and it smells good too.

4. Goody StayPut Elastics and Hairbands: These elastic scrunchies and hair bands are amazing. They are nonslip, grip really well, and don't pull out my hair when I take em off. I use the headband when I workout or play tennis--not one hair outta place.

5. Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser: I've bought this for the 2nd time now and love it even more. I've written about it in an older post.

6. Oil of Olay Refreshing Toner: Wonderful smelling stuff, and it contains witch hazel. You're better off buying this over the expensive department store toners. Again, blogged about this before. 

7. Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion: This is so much to love here. It's gentle, quick absorbing, nice smelling, super moisturizing and non-greasy. It's good in the winter and summer times. Not to mention the price! Seriously, I used to buy stuff from Bath and Body works, but its so greasy, over-perfumed and hard to absorb, that I am just gonna stick to this forever.

8. Uncoated Aspirin: This stuff is the cheapest and most effective exfoliator/face brightening mask. I mix it with honey, yogurt, random cream cleansers or masks, and I have a great weekend treatment.

9. OPI nailpolishes: sigh how can you not love these beauties? Their color selection and staying power are BEST, I just wish that I could find these somewhere for a better price!

10. Random brand Eyelash Curler from Target: I haven't tried any other eyelash curlers, but this one works great for me.

What are your top 10 drugstore products?

3 Day Drugstore Acne Cure

This night-time regimen will eliminate or substantially reduce your breakouts in 3 days. Do this treatment only on an as-needed basis because it will 1) dry out your skin (but clear it up), and 2) you don't want your skin getting used to it.

1. Remove makeup using an oil-based cleanser. I'm loving the St. Ives Olive Cleanser. Massage 2 pumps worth of product into the face for 10 sec, and wash off. Concentrate your massaging on problem areas.

2. Wash your face with an oil-free cleanser that contains salicylic acid. I'm loving Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. Massage 2 pumps of product onto your face for 30 sec. The coldness of the cleanser is great for your skin. Wash your face and pat dry with a towel.

3. Using a square cotton pad, apply toner. I highly recommend Oil of Olay Refreshing Toner 

4. Apply a 10% benzoyl peroxide treatment to your zits and surrounding areas. I'm using Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Treatment Cream. Benzoyl peroxide works even better if its refrigerated.

5. Fill a small Ziplock bag with ice cubes. Place the bag on your zits for no more than 5 sec at a time. Do this for 10 min, then throw away the ice and keep the ziplock bag for future use.

Once your acne has cleared up, maintain good skin by following steps 1-3 at night, and 2+3 in the morning. In the morning, follow up with a good oil-free moisturizer.