My new favorite make up remover

I am completely obsessed with products; it's like a sickness and I always fall for the pretty packaging. I am a marketer's dream come true. I was at my grocery store a while ago and what do my curious little eyes see but Pond's deep cleanser and make up remover; basically it's another fancy name for cold cream. Now whenever I hear the word cold cream I think of like this thick greasy cream that you slather on your face before bed which at first turned me off not to mention that the packaging was very plain, but I was feeling adventurous and decided why not give it a try it's on sale anyway. It took me a while to commit to actually making it apart of my skin care regimen. My main concern was that it would be too greasy for me. I have combination oily skin and it doesn't take much to disturb the delicate balance of having normal ok skin to a huge grease spot that will soon be covered with pimples from my forehead to my chin. With these concerns in my mind I decided to use it to remove my eye make up and help clean up my make up around my eye area. It worked really good at breaking down my water proof mascara and getting rid of all my eyeliner. If I put a teeny tiny bit on a q-tip I could get all my eyeliner off and not have to wake up with those little eye boogies I usually get every morning that lets me know I did an awful job at removing my eye makeup. Well after the success with that I decided why not try all over to help remove my face makeup. It did great and breaking down all my makeup. Although the directions say you can wipe off the remainder of the cream after massaging it into the skin I felt more comfortable washing my face with my normal cleanser but overall it really helped to break my makeup down and made it easier for me to clean off. The best part was that it didn't really make my skin as oily as I feared it would this could be because I washed my face with my cleanser but I checked on the jar and it does promise to not clog pores and it's hypoallergenic as well so that was a plus. Overall I really like this cream and think it's perfect for the person that wears a heavy amount of makeup and wants a good way to help remove it before cleansing your face. They do come in other formulations for other skin types; so if you have dry skin they have a formula that is nore moisturizing than the one I tired and they have the Classic formulation which is perfect for normal skin types and all of the different products are hypoallergenic and are safe to use on sensitive skin. I think it's a great way to remove makeup and add moisture back into the skin at the same time. I have noticed how my complexion has become more radiant and feels cleaner. My grade for this product was an A+.

Winter flakes

This winter has been particularly rough for my skin. The skin on my legs, arms, feet, hands, and lower back are the driest areas on my body, and this winter they have been extra extra dry and flaky. I tried switching lotions and using Vaseline's Intensive Rescue Soothing Moisture Fragrance Free and it did absolutley nothing for my skin. Before the end of the day my skin was back to being dry, itchy, and flaky. I was becoming desperate and really needed to find something that would actually work because the problem was becoming so intense that I actually started to develop scabs on my legs from scratching and the skin was not exfoliating properly. I then decided to give Eucerin plus intensive Repair a try and wow this stuff is incredible! It contains Alpha Hydroxy which helps to exfoliate the dead, flaky skin and made my skin so much softer and smoother. It isn't greasy but very deeply hydrating and my skin stays hydrated all day without me needing to reapply lotion until bedtime. I love to use it right after a take a warm shower and apply it to my skin while it's still damp. It's a wonderful product and has really improved my skin. No more flakes for me!

Fave New Skin Care Line

So I sorta kinda cheated on my aveeno skin care. Which don't get me wrong Aveeno is a wonderful skin care line but I wanted a little something more. Well anyways I started using Hydropeptide which let me tell you I had my reservations. I had not heard anything about this line at all and I was leary but my spa director kept telling me how great it was and how everyone that used it just LOVED the results so I caved and decided to give it a try. I tried the Anti-Wrinkle Exfoliating Cleanser, Anti-Wrinkle Brightening Toner, as well as the Anti-Wrinkle Dark Circle Concentrate. Well after just one use........I LOVED it. I saw an improvement in my skin tone after just using this combo once. My skin felt softer, smoother, and looked so bright and radiant. I became addicted instantly. I can see why everyone loves this stuff. So after the success of these 3 I had to get more and I decided I wanted to give the Polish and Plump a try. It claims to do the job of a microdermabrasion and peel without the side effects that can be associated with getting these facial treatments. I thought no way can if offer results comprable to either of these treatments. Again I was wrong. After one treatment I noticed an improvement in my tone, texture, as well as a slight diminished apperance to an acne scar I have on my chin, as well as after using it the pimples that were starting to form went away. I was amazed and I am continually impressed by this line. It is very simple skin care line but the results are far from simple. The more I discover about this line the more I love it. Not to mention I am getting tons of compliments on how radiant my skin is and I don't have to use as much foundation as I normally would. Just tinted moisturizer and spot coverage on the areas that need it and I'm good to go. My makeup routine is definitely a lot faster now which means more time to focus on eyeshadow my favorite yay!!!!

I am still experimenting with this line and trying out their products on myself as well as seeing how my clients skin is responding as well. I am finding nothing but positive results but this is something I'm going to have to continually keep updating. So far so great!

Brazilians and the Average Girl

Ahhh the infamous brazilian bikini wax, feared by some and pursued by others. It's one of those experiences that seperates the girls from the women. I've been on both side the recieving end as well as the giving end. Both can be awkward let me tell you. When you're getting a brazilian wax you're pretty much out there, completley exposed and at the mercy of one woman and a pot of hot wax. On the other hand when you're giving a brazilian you're basically inflicting pain on a person and they will most likely remember you as a sick wax wielding sadist.

Every person is different but "first timers"  can be the hardest people to win over.They are anxious and skittish and ready to run out the door before you even touch them. With the "first timer" I know I'm in for a bumpy ride. They usually have a horrible misconception of what is going to happen (kind of like the lady that actually thought she could text while i performed the wax yeah right) which creates anxiety and stress and the more anxious and stressed a person is the harder it is for me to do my job. My best advice to those first timers is pop a couple of advil or tylenol,take a shower, wear loose comfortable clothing, and schedule your appointment early on a Saturday morning. This way you show up to your appointment clean and you can get it over with early and not have to worry about it all day. Depending on your wax specialists technique a combination of strip wax and hard wax will be used. Strip wax is applied as a warm thin layer that is removed with a wax strip. It adheres to the hair as well as the skin and is not used over the same area repeatedly. Strip wax is usually used on the upper portion and sides. Hard wax is applied slightly thicker than strip wax and it is not neccessary to use a wax strip to remove and it is used on the lower portions as well as the backside. Also don't be afraid to ask your wax specialist questions before, after and during your waxing. This will help ease any anxiety you may feel as well as ease the embrassment or awkwardness you may experience during the session. I actually enjoy having a dialogue with clients it helps to diffuse the weirdness of the situation as well as establish trust and comfort.

Hopefully after the intial first experience you will find brazilian waxing more tolerable. If not you should highly consider one of two things. 1. Maybe brazilians aren't for you. Just like some people can't give blood because they have a fear of needles maybe the brazilina experience is just not cut out for you. 2. Your wax specialist is not working out for you. I always feel there should be an honest dialogue that occurs with client and specialist espcially since a service is being performed. If you find that your wax specialist is insensitive to your concerns, not adequate at answering your questions or explaining the process to you maybe you should cut your losses and find another person to perform your brazilian. It is already an uncomfortable area to have waxed a person that is cold and uninviting performing your wax makes it even worse.

Overall it's not a complete bad thing and although I have had my bad experiences, which would include me getting kicked at , yelled at , cursed at , and having a person cry on my table, the results were worth the pain. So I hope everyone gives the brazilian bikini wax a chance and the next time you go for your brazilian be considerate to the person that is giving you your wax. It will make the experience a whole hell of a lot better. xoxo K