Face It: Foundation

I have been struggling with how to write this post without completely sounding like an infomercial however, it is because of infomercials that I decided to try bareMinerals.  I had been using liquid foundations of various forms because of the coverage they provided.  As I revealed last week, my skin is sensitive and break out prone if I don't take serious care of it.  I remember realizing that after trying so many different things to calm my skin down, the only thing I had not changed was my foundation.  I was still using some form of liquid foundation.

It was around this time that I saw the infomercial for bareMinerals.  I saw the results, and that convinced me to try it.  But in reality what has kept me using it for the past 5 years is that it has incredibly reduced my breakouts.  Another reason why I use it, is because in the past 5 years of using Bare Minerals, I've bought about 4 foundation tubs, 3 mineral veil tubs, and two warmths.  The money is worth it!

I use the original bareMinerals SPF15 Foundation, bareMinerals Warmth, and bareMinerals Mineral Veil.  I started off getting the starter kit.  You get two foundations (in two different colors), a warmth, a mineral veil, and the three main brushes that you need to get the most out of the kit.

By the way, I had this entire side by side comparison of my skin with and without foundation on, and something whacky happened with the lighting.  Basically, I have circles under my eyes because of my fair, thin skin.  I also have some redness on my cheeks, and broken capillaries around my nose.  Once I put on foundation though, my skin looks flawless.

All right, done with my infomercial (but really, its just soooo great!  What types of foundation do you guys use?  What have you found that works the best? 

Also, please know, I'm not receiving any sort of compensation for posting about Bare Escentuals.  If I was, you would know.

Face It: The Oil Cleansing Method

After taking a super close-up picture of my face, I had several comments on my skin.  I thought this brought a great opportunity to discuss my beauty regimen, as it is unique.  This will be a four part series where I discuss various parts of my skincare routine.  Starting with the basics of cleansing and moisturizing, foundation, make up (my favorite!), and finally wrapping it up with body care.

What is the oil cleansing method?  It is exactly that, washing your face with oil.  Trust me, I know what you are thinking, "Ew."  Am I right?  Hear me out.  The basis of the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) is that regular soaps and cleansers strip away dirt and make up, of course, but can also strip the natural oils your skin produces.  This can lead to an overproduction of oil by your skin, causing your skin to be oilier and shiny, as well as causing dry spots or even break outs.  Basically, this is the same idea as using sulfate free shampoo, but this is for your skin.

Up until my mid twenties, I have battled with my skin.  I break out when I am stressed or when I'm not taking care of my skin.  I also would have to be very careful about changing cleansers because my skin is pretty sensitive, or so I thought.  I have very fair skin with large visible pores on my nose, cheeks and chin, with a tendency to break out on my cheeks and jawline.  Dry patches on the sides of my mouth flare up terribly in the winter and often flake and crack.  As a teen, I was on all sorts of medication to level my skin out and continued to struggle with my skin until I officially was well into adulthood.  For years, I used plain Dove bar soap and some sort of heavy moisturizer with a sunscreen in it, because I didn't want to do anything that could make my skin angry.  That was up until about six months ago when I started using OCM.I would love to go into the process more, but there are amazing resources for OCM.  I will however be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Ideally, you would not have to use moisturizers with this method, however, I still do to protect my skin from the sun.  I'm not sure if you have noticed this but I have fair skin and unlike when I was a teenager, I want to keep it that way (unless it is a spray tan, which are a guilty pleasure of mine).  I use Garnier Nurtritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Moisturizer with an SPF 15 sunscreen.  I just started using this stuff, and I really love it.  My skin feels firmer and it moisturizes all of my trouble spots. 

I will have to give a little word of advice.  If you have a skin care method that works fantastic for you, then use it and stick to it.  If you are disatisfied with your skin and want to research some alternative options to cleansers, give OCM a try.  So, ideally, I use OCM at night before I go to bed.  Sleep.  Shower.  Then either before or after I take my gummy vitamins, I moisturize my face.

What do you use?  Anything you have been using for ages?  Something new you have tried?  Questions about OCM?