My Skin Story

Hello friends :)

It has been a long time.
I've been going through some hard times in my life and I lost motivation.
I know my last post talked about me losing focus too, but I believe I'm on the right track now.

Let me tell you a story.
About two years ago, I felt two of my friend's face. They had baby soft skin. I was instantly filled with jealousy, but I didn't know what to do. Of course, I tried a ton of products. Unfortunately, nothing worked. I started to develop dry patches on my cheeks, a bit of flakiness on my nose; chin and cheeks, and my acne became worse. No matter how mild the acne was, I was always left with some form of discoloration after the pimple went away (and that was if I was lucky). If I was unlucky, the pimple left a deep "ice pick" scar.

I had atrophic and ice pick scars. I was horrified.
My skin looked as though it was constantly bruised.

 


I don't have better pictures of my skin because I was ashamed. Acne shouldn't be something that you're ashamed of having, but I was ashamed. I didn't like the way I looked and I tried to hide my skin from others. I preferred to do the peace sign near my face or to cover my cheeks in pictures (the two outer pictures were taken for an event so I couldn't hide my face).

I had accepted the fact that I was going to live with these scars until my aunt showed me the light. She recommended that I go visit an esthetician. She said I should try microdermabrasion ("a non-chemical, non-invasive procedure that uses a spray of microcrystals to remove the outermost layer of dry, dead skin cells and reveal younger, heathier-looking skin" google's definition).
However, when I went to the esthtician she told me that since I had ice pick scars that it would be better to use the SkinPen. (The skin pen is microneedling).

I have gone in for treatments three times as of right now.
I no longer recognize my skin - in fact I was shocked at how bad my skin was. My parents told me that my skin looked so much better, but because it was a gradual healing process I didn't realize that. It wasn't until I right now (yes, I mean it...RIGHT NOW) when I was looking for pictures to show you guys my before picture that I realized how much my skin has improved.

I have created a skincare routine for myself that I have stuck to for the last three months and my skin loves it. There has been moments of relapse when I am stressed, but I don't let those moments keep me down.
(My skin care routine will be in a different post).

Currently, I no longer have to try and use filters to hide my scars...or use my hands to hide them.
My skin isn't perfect, but they are on the way to being much better.

This is a picture of that cheek as of right now. I have some active acne going on so it looks a bit more inflamed than normal. The picture was taken under a harsher light and with much more focus. I'll be honest...the skin still doesn't look good - it doesn't look like those picture perfect and flawless skin, but I love it. I love it because I fought for this skin. I had to fight a long battle to get my skin to even look like this. 

The scars are not as deep and the skin isn't as red as they were back then. In the before pictures you couldn't see, but my skin was extremely inflamed and it wasn't just red. You could see different shades of red and dark purple - it was bruised from me picking at it (...I know...hands off). 

I'm hoping to keep you guys updated on my little journey to a better skin. 

I'm thankful for the chance the change my skin. I am glad that I hadn't gone so far down the wrong path that it was impossible to come back. 

Onward and forward to better skin we go. 

Until next time lovelies...keep your head up and stay strong. 

Udpate and Weekly Masks

So sorry that I've been gone for awhile. I lost focus in my skincare and for that my skin overthrew my happy kingdom and acne ruled. So to combat that I've found my way back to taking care of my skin. I've also upped the amount of sheet masks I use weekly. I use from 4-5 masks a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I live in an area where it can get pretty chilly and windy so my skin loves it when I use sheet masks.

So I am planning on updating weekly of what sheet masks I use all in one post. I did buy another random sheet mask haul, but I'm also starting to lean towards buying 10 from one brand or stuff like that because I can get them for much cheaper due to buying in bulk.

I'm having trouble trying to take good pictures of the sheet masks. Indoor lighting isn't as nice as natural lighting, but it's getting too cold for me to just walk outside to take sheet masks pictures ;(
So...I hope you guys don't mind crappy lighting. I'll probably end up picking out a whole week's worth of sheet masks and taking pictures then in order to get better lighting for you guys.

July 2015 Wishtrend Haul

What happens when I get waaaaaaayyy into Asian skincare products again? I buy a lot of things. So recently I've noticed that my skin has been really dry, though it's not flaky, and I'm getting a lot more pimples...and honey let's not even talk about my blackhead problem. So I went to YouTube for skincare help. I found WishTrendTV (that is a YouTube channel link if you want to check them out). So from that channel I became interested in a lot of products.

I placed my order on July 23, 2015 and because I spent over $129 (USD) I got free EMS shipping. However, you can also get free Registered Airmail shipping if your order is over $69 (USD).
It was a speedy delivery. I received my order on July 29, 2015. I live in the United States so for the package to arrive to me in 6 days is amazing (technically it was 5 days, but I wasn't home to get the package on the 28th so I had to go pick it up on the 29th).

Now for the part we're all waiting for: THE HAUL! This post is picture heavy!

I bought 6 items. 

The first item I bought was a toner. I have never used a toner before and decided that it was a good time to start using one. 

I bought KLAIRS Supple Preparation Facial toner $21.99 (USD) can be purchased here. My initial reaction was that it is smaller than I imagined. It contains 150 mL which means I can at least get a lot of uses from it, but for the price I don't know if I want to buy it again.  I do notice that after using it my skin does absorb my serums much better.
I give it a

It only received 4 and 1/2 hearts because I feel like I want to try other toners instead of just sticking to this one. It works well and doesn't break me out, but the price is a bit too steep for me to be buying continuously.

The next item that I bought is

The amazing Honey Mask from the brand I'M FROM. I bought this item for $28.43 (USD) and it can be purchased here. Remember what I said about me having dry skin? Well...this is an item that I bought with hopes of turning my skin around. This item contains 38.7% of real honey inside. 

You can read my review of the product here. 

I had given it a 

My next item is

C20 Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. This item is on sale for $14.99 (USD) and can be purchased here. I chose this serum because it claims to lighten acne scars, and hey who doesn't want a more even skin tone without those scars. A lot of reviews online has also shown its effectiveness. 

Unfortunately, I haven't used it yet to do a good review on the product. I won't be able to use it for at least another two weeks or so because right now I just added Klairs toner and I'M From honey mask to my skin routine and if I overload my skin...I will probably break out. I will link my review for this product after I use it. 

I bought another I'M FROM product! 

It is the I'M FROM Vitamin Tree Water-Gel. I bought it for $28 (USD) and be purchased here. For that link you need to choose from the option "Only Vitamin Tree Water-Gel" otherwise you will end up buying other things besides the Water-Gel. 

I found this product through WishTrendTV. Eunice said that by using this product with the C20 Serum the results will appear so much quicker. 

I was running out of my moisturizer anyways so I decided to pick this little baby up. I am in love with the consistency. Since it is summer my skin doesn't enjoy heavy cream; it would make my skin get all oily and then break out. So this product looks light enough to be using in the summer for me. 

No ratings for this little guy yet because I don't want to overload my skin with new products yet. 

Remember those stupid blackheads that I mentioned before and how there was an overpopulation of them on my nose now? I found COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid while browsing the site looking at all the stuff available. 

The product is selling for $14.80 (USD) and can be purchased here. I like that the product comes with a pump. I feel like that way I can decide how much I want to use. No reviews yet about this product. 

My last item

this product is COSRX Centella Blemish Cream. It is suited for acne prone skin and is supposed to control blemishes. It is also suppose to "reduce the size of scars" (wishtrend). The cream looks a bit heavy so I don't think I will be applying this all over my face. I will probably be using it as a spot treatment. Applying it only on spots that I get acne or have acne scars. 

Now onto one of my favorite things about ordering Asian beauty goodies. FREE SAMPLES! Wishtrend will give you free samples even if you only buy one item. 

The pink mochi wasn't a free sample, but it is a code I entered to get it for free.
Wishtrend has a free code for an extra sample and a discount code that changes every month. I will add August when they update it.

Sheet Mask Weekly 1

HELLO HELLOWWW!

My last post detailed said that I will be doing a review of my sheet mask weekly. This is the first one. Let me know if this sort thing interests you guys and what else I should include in my review.

As I started this blog on a Friday...or so I will only be able to review one mask.

The mask that I'm reviewing this week is by innisfree.

Innisfree markets themselves as a natural company. A company that uses natural ingredients. They say that they use ingredients from Jeju. They are also trying to help the environment by reducing carbon emission and recycling.
They claim that their skincare uses 70% natural ingredients.

I like that. Whenever possible I would rather be using natural ingredients on my face versus chemicals.

So the mask for this week is innisfree tea tree. I had it refrigerated for about an hour - two before using it. TIP ALERT: Refrigerating your mask before using it can also help reduce redness.

Benefits of tea tree

• curing acne 
• it is antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal 
• which means that it can get rid of the bacteria that is causing acne (*cough cough* every time you touch your face with your hand you are adding germ onto your face) 

Mask itself

• it didn't have as much serum in there as I thought 
• there was a good amount, but there wasn't a bunch of excess 
• I left it on for 30 min and it was interesting to see...my mask was actually starting to dry. I don't usually see them dry after 30 min. So I was disappointed. 
• mask didn't rip when I opened it (I have yet to use a mask that rips when I use them though) 

The Results

I wasn't disappointed in the mask after seeing the result. I removed the mask and patted my skin softly for the serum to absorb. (Don't wash the mask off unless the direction tells you to do so) I definitely noticed that my face was less red. The swelling of some of my pimple went down. I noticed that my skin was brighter and looked much more moisturized. 

I give this mask a 

It works, but because the mask started to dry out before 30 min was up I didn't really enjoy that. It did work though so maybe it is a mask that is more for sitting on the face for 10-20 minute. 

Sheet Mask Weekly

Hello again!

I think I will create a weekly sheet mask used posts...each week. I use sheet mask 2x a week and this is a good way to keep track of what worked for me and what I thought of each sheet mask. I buy my mask in a random lot by brand so I have a better guarantee that my masks are random. Let me know which brands you want me to try out.

I have 21 masks at the moment. I am buying more once I return from my vacation. In my weekly skincare routine I use sheet masks on Wednesday and Sunday after deep cleaning my face with a clay mask. 

Wednesday clay mask is Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque 

Then on Sunday I use GlamGlow Supermud clearing treatment 

As you can see both masks are well loved and are hitting near bottom (T.T) 

By using a deep cleaning mask before my sheet mask I feel as though I am removing all the gunk from my pores beforehand and then once I put on my sheet mask my skin can absorb the nutrients from the sheet mask much better. 

I'M FROM Honey Mask Review

Quite recently I made a Wishtrend haul. (Click here to browse Wishtrend. It is an affliate link). I was starting to fall in love with Asian skincare products again. An item that I picked up in that haul is the Honey Mask by I'M FROM. It has amazing reviews and was sold out for a long time....which meant I wanted to try it.

The product says that it contains 38.7% real honey, which means not diluted honey. Honey is great for your skin. Honey is antioxidant and it is able to retain moisture. If you've ever made any skin care mask DIY or looked up any, a lot of them will include honey in it.

This product is selling for $28.43 (USD). There is free shipping if you spend over $69 (USD)

I have normal skin type that is acne prone. So let's get reviewing this product.

So the container that it comes in is simple and has a honeycomb patter embossed onto it (click the picture to enlarge to see the detail). I like that it is simple. It makes it seem more like something vintagey....lol if that's how  I want to describe it. It has the details of the products on the other sides, but I can't read Korean so they were useless to me. However, I bought this item from Wishtrend and they described the item quite well. The container included a spatula (not pictured) for easy product removal. I don't believe I will be using it too often. I use up my masks fairly quickly and reusing the spatula without disinfecting it between uses will end up creating more bacteria anyways. 

The container is also simple and although not eye catching, I enjoy the simplicity of it. The jar reminds me of a container that I can actually store honey in. (If you haven't noticed yet, I really appreciate the simplicity of things). 

The consistency of it reminds me of honey. It looks quite gloopy and unappealing, doesn't it (T.T), but when I mixed it up (with a chopstick in order to stir up the product at the bottom too) and applied some on my hand to try it wasn't bad. The consistency is smooth and when I washed it off it felt as if there was a barrier protecting my skin. 

The scent didn't really appeal to me at first. I read a lot of other reviews that said that it smells like honey...uh uh honey...(did you see what I did there! lol) don't kid yourself. It doesn't really smell appealing at all. It was a bit off putting and made me not want to put it on my face. However, after awhile I got used to the scent I decided that it wasn't as offensive as I had thought previously. 

After I applied it on it looks like a clear film was on my skin. (I choose my worst side to show you guys because this is the side that I want to look better and for my scars and acne to heal). It was easily applied. Before applying this mask on I had cleansed my face with my foam cleanser and with a damp face I applied the product on. I applied it thinly and evenly all over my face, avoiding the eye area and mouth. I left it on for about 30 mins, but you can leave it on for an hour if needed. 

I was terrified that when I washed it off it would be hard to remove, but it was an easy process. I used lukewarm water and washed it off. The more you wash it off the less it felt like a film was covering your face. 

SKIN TIP: avoid scrubbing your face or splashing the water onto your face. Instead cup the water in your hand and pat your face softly to remove the product. Imagine that your face is a newborn baby. You wouldn't splash water onto your baby like that. By gently removing the product it avoids overstimulating the skin. 

My skin before and after (photo isn't edited.) There was a HUGE! difference. My skin is less red and you can see that the acne spots appear to be much calmer than before. This picture is taken right after using the mask and patting my face dry. I didn't do anything else to my face after that. 

Using a toner after this mask removed the remaining products that I missed while washing it with just water. My face looked amazing afterwards. 

I give this product a 

So far I would buy it again. It is moisturizing and it made my redness go away and calmed my skin down. The next day my skin felt smoother and much nicer. 

You can purchase this product here. 

Quick disclaimer: I bought all these products with my own money and I am not getting paid to review them. My opinions are my own.