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Thursday, May 6, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Treating Acne and Skin Blotchiness
I have been an acne sufferer since my teens. Many times in my youth I went to the doctor's to get some super strong prescription of benzoil peroxide, Retin-A, Salicylic Acid, etc which heaviy irritated my sensitive skin. So it was a trade-off over time, pizza face or super irritated and dry skin (but pimple free!). Over the years of experimentation and clinical advice from my plastic surgeon friend who performs my peels and treatments, I've developed a favored list for skin routine and care.
If you have Moolah to Spend
Obagi Nu-Derm Kit. It's expensive but a fantastic investment. After my chemical peels, I was instructed to use these products religiously. It doesn't irritate my skin, it stays clear. I like the Normal/Dry version, even though I have oily skin, because the chemicals tend to make my skin dry anyways. My favorite is the #3, hydroquinone 4% cream, which evens out the skin tone.
Acne.org 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide tubes. This is my favorite find of all time. It comes industrial sized (you will never find a tube this size in stores) and at the low 2.5% non-irritating percentage. 10% is great for spot treatment but 2.5% is the preventive level which you can smear all over the acne prone areas.
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) Peel from a Plastic Surgeon. Don't ever buy a home kit of this chemical, it's no joke and you can use ridiculous damage to yourself without expert application. It's the standard medium peel, feels like a fireball landed on your face, scab and peel over seven days, and come out with minute pores and smooth baby skin. Absolutely remarkable.
The Budget Version
Acne.org Kit. Cleanser - Moisturizer - 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide. Nice and basic, I've used this too and I have no complaints.
Maxi-Peel #3 Advanced Exfoliant. This has tretonoin 0.025% and hydroquinone 4% all built into one product. Tretonoin is the generic version of Retin-A and rids the acne. Then the double whammy is the hydroquinone.
30% Glycolic Acid Peel home treatment. I use this in between my big TCA peels. It's like the light version of the professional one and keeps the skin glowing as it forces the top layer to renew and peel itself faster than normal, revealing healthier youthful skin below.
If you have Moolah to Spend
Obagi Nu-Derm Kit. It's expensive but a fantastic investment. After my chemical peels, I was instructed to use these products religiously. It doesn't irritate my skin, it stays clear. I like the Normal/Dry version, even though I have oily skin, because the chemicals tend to make my skin dry anyways. My favorite is the #3, hydroquinone 4% cream, which evens out the skin tone.
Acne.org 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide tubes. This is my favorite find of all time. It comes industrial sized (you will never find a tube this size in stores) and at the low 2.5% non-irritating percentage. 10% is great for spot treatment but 2.5% is the preventive level which you can smear all over the acne prone areas.
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) Peel from a Plastic Surgeon. Don't ever buy a home kit of this chemical, it's no joke and you can use ridiculous damage to yourself without expert application. It's the standard medium peel, feels like a fireball landed on your face, scab and peel over seven days, and come out with minute pores and smooth baby skin. Absolutely remarkable.
The Budget Version
Acne.org Kit. Cleanser - Moisturizer - 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide. Nice and basic, I've used this too and I have no complaints.
Maxi-Peel #3 Advanced Exfoliant. This has tretonoin 0.025% and hydroquinone 4% all built into one product. Tretonoin is the generic version of Retin-A and rids the acne. Then the double whammy is the hydroquinone.
30% Glycolic Acid Peel home treatment. I use this in between my big TCA peels. It's like the light version of the professional one and keeps the skin glowing as it forces the top layer to renew and peel itself faster than normal, revealing healthier youthful skin below.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Song du Jour - Sebastian Siegel Green Tea Party Parody
Sebastian Siegel is absolutely hilarious. I met him at Gold's Gym Venice and we clicked immediately. Multi-faceted guy with broad range of success in extreme sports, modeling, acting, directing, and writing.
If you live in West LA, you can fully appreciate this song :)
This is a two part series starting with the East Coast Rap parody. One year later, the war was started and the West Coast parody....
If you live in West LA, you can fully appreciate this song :)
This is a two part series starting with the East Coast Rap parody. One year later, the war was started and the West Coast parody....
East Coast
West Coast
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Poetry for the Ones with Sensitive Hearts
Quoted from a beautiful soul named Ellie, whom I met in LA.
When knocked off your feet, if your lucky you'll end up with nothing more than a flesh wound. Something a band aid will cover. But some wounds are deeper than what they first appear, and require something more than just a quick fix. With some wounds you have to rip off the band aid, let them breathe, and give them time to heal...
Knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying...
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares...
Be not afraid of growing slowly. Be afraid only of standing still... The expected is what keeps us steady. It's the unexpected that changes our lives forever...
Moments. That's all you get with the people you love... Love is friendship on fire...
At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross...
Live with Passion, Live for today, Don't regret or look back, take it for what it was, learn from it, and move on....
When knocked off your feet, if your lucky you'll end up with nothing more than a flesh wound. Something a band aid will cover. But some wounds are deeper than what they first appear, and require something more than just a quick fix. With some wounds you have to rip off the band aid, let them breathe, and give them time to heal...
Knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying...
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares...
Be not afraid of growing slowly. Be afraid only of standing still... The expected is what keeps us steady. It's the unexpected that changes our lives forever...
Moments. That's all you get with the people you love... Love is friendship on fire...
At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross...
Live with Passion, Live for today, Don't regret or look back, take it for what it was, learn from it, and move on....
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Building Flawless Skin from the Ground Up
Building Flawless Skin from the Ground Up
By. Natalie Minh
Flawless, pearlescent skin. The kind that you see in high street designer ads, with the ingénue model’s face zeroed in for the close-up and the viewer can see every pore. The reality is that flawless skin does not come without effort and must start from the basics of proper nutrition and skincare. Models also benefit from the professional hand of a skilled makeup artist (MUA), which we’ll shed a some light on their best kept secrets so that you too can enjoy the look of beautiful glowing skin.
Nutrition.
Drinking an adequate amount of water on a daily basis is essential for the body to flush out toxins via the kidneys, carry nutrients into the cells, blood circulation, and curb appetite. The body is 90% water… do not deprive yourself of the most important nutrient of life! It is recommended that you drink minimum of 4 liters of water a day to enjoy the positive benefits.
Consume natural, non-processed foods whenever possible. The human body was designed to extract nutrients from foods growing in Mother Nature, not the grocery store point of sale area selling gooey candy bars. Many of us unknowingly experience slight allergies to various preservatives and other added chemicals found in processed foods, which as a result affect our skin. The healthiest way to avoid this is to stick to foods free of these ingredients. The other added benefit is that unprocessed foods are typically less calorie dense and therefore help maintain a trim physique.
Skin Care
Clean skin with a tight pored, acne-free, even complexion is our goal. So with that, our first focus is the cleanser. Dermatologists’ favorite tip when it comes to aggravated skin is to stick to products made specifically for sensitive skin. The perennial OTC favorite such as Cetaphil have been prescribed to acne suffering teenagers and adults alike.
On a regular basis, a facial steam will help open up your pores to enable you to clean out the debris without using excessive pressure. Steaming should always be done to a clean face. If you choose to attack a pimple or clogged pore, invest in a comedone extractor, which can be found in most beauty supply stores. The steaming will open the pore and soften the area, while the extractor will precisely remove the debris without the trauma caused by fingernails.
Proper moisturizer with sunscreen is essential to protecting the skin from long term sun damage, hyper pigmentation, and maintaining overall youthfulness of the skin. Natural sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) photons which, when strike the skin, generate free radicals which damage skin DNA. Over time, this causes sunburn, premature aging of the skin, and is the leading cause of skin cancer each year.
Apricot or fruit acid scrubs are a great way to remove dry layers of the epidermis. In order to obtain the youthful dewy glow of fresh skin, you need to uncover it via a regular regimen of scrubs, which also in turn set the canvas for smooth makeup application.
Makeup
MUAs have developed key techniques over time to balance out the skin tone, bring the focus to the eyes and mouth, shade and highlight bone structure in order to hide the flaws and accentuate the strong points. With a few tricks of the trade, the flawless look is very achievable.
Starting with some concealer which is one shade lighter than your skin, dab under and around the eyes, over blemishes, and around the corners of the nose and mouth. These are typically the areas of the face that photograph darker than the rest of the face.
Next, lightly apply a rose hued blush on the apples of the cheeks and thoroughly blend along the cheekbones. Use a high quality eyelash curler such as Shu Uemura or Shiseido and apply two coats of black mascara on the upper and lower lashes to open up and draw emphasis to the eyes. Applying a sheer or tinted lipgloss livens the face without appearing heavy or overdone. Sweeping a matching face powder over the entire face further evens out skin tone without the heavy appearance of a liquid foundation. Finally, using a shading powder 2 shades darker than your skin tone, accentuate the line below the cheekbone and blend under the chin, along the sides of the nose and hairline. MUAs also apply a highlighting powder to the bridge of the nose (which gives it a more aquiline appearance), middle of the forehead, the area between the cheekbones and undereyes, and lightly brushed on the chin. After this is well blended with a fluffy brush, the flawless look is yours.
By. Natalie Minh
Flawless, pearlescent skin. The kind that you see in high street designer ads, with the ingénue model’s face zeroed in for the close-up and the viewer can see every pore. The reality is that flawless skin does not come without effort and must start from the basics of proper nutrition and skincare. Models also benefit from the professional hand of a skilled makeup artist (MUA), which we’ll shed a some light on their best kept secrets so that you too can enjoy the look of beautiful glowing skin.
Nutrition.
Drinking an adequate amount of water on a daily basis is essential for the body to flush out toxins via the kidneys, carry nutrients into the cells, blood circulation, and curb appetite. The body is 90% water… do not deprive yourself of the most important nutrient of life! It is recommended that you drink minimum of 4 liters of water a day to enjoy the positive benefits.
Consume natural, non-processed foods whenever possible. The human body was designed to extract nutrients from foods growing in Mother Nature, not the grocery store point of sale area selling gooey candy bars. Many of us unknowingly experience slight allergies to various preservatives and other added chemicals found in processed foods, which as a result affect our skin. The healthiest way to avoid this is to stick to foods free of these ingredients. The other added benefit is that unprocessed foods are typically less calorie dense and therefore help maintain a trim physique.
Skin Care
Clean skin with a tight pored, acne-free, even complexion is our goal. So with that, our first focus is the cleanser. Dermatologists’ favorite tip when it comes to aggravated skin is to stick to products made specifically for sensitive skin. The perennial OTC favorite such as Cetaphil have been prescribed to acne suffering teenagers and adults alike.
On a regular basis, a facial steam will help open up your pores to enable you to clean out the debris without using excessive pressure. Steaming should always be done to a clean face. If you choose to attack a pimple or clogged pore, invest in a comedone extractor, which can be found in most beauty supply stores. The steaming will open the pore and soften the area, while the extractor will precisely remove the debris without the trauma caused by fingernails.
Proper moisturizer with sunscreen is essential to protecting the skin from long term sun damage, hyper pigmentation, and maintaining overall youthfulness of the skin. Natural sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) photons which, when strike the skin, generate free radicals which damage skin DNA. Over time, this causes sunburn, premature aging of the skin, and is the leading cause of skin cancer each year.
Apricot or fruit acid scrubs are a great way to remove dry layers of the epidermis. In order to obtain the youthful dewy glow of fresh skin, you need to uncover it via a regular regimen of scrubs, which also in turn set the canvas for smooth makeup application.
Makeup
MUAs have developed key techniques over time to balance out the skin tone, bring the focus to the eyes and mouth, shade and highlight bone structure in order to hide the flaws and accentuate the strong points. With a few tricks of the trade, the flawless look is very achievable.
Starting with some concealer which is one shade lighter than your skin, dab under and around the eyes, over blemishes, and around the corners of the nose and mouth. These are typically the areas of the face that photograph darker than the rest of the face.
Next, lightly apply a rose hued blush on the apples of the cheeks and thoroughly blend along the cheekbones. Use a high quality eyelash curler such as Shu Uemura or Shiseido and apply two coats of black mascara on the upper and lower lashes to open up and draw emphasis to the eyes. Applying a sheer or tinted lipgloss livens the face without appearing heavy or overdone. Sweeping a matching face powder over the entire face further evens out skin tone without the heavy appearance of a liquid foundation. Finally, using a shading powder 2 shades darker than your skin tone, accentuate the line below the cheekbone and blend under the chin, along the sides of the nose and hairline. MUAs also apply a highlighting powder to the bridge of the nose (which gives it a more aquiline appearance), middle of the forehead, the area between the cheekbones and undereyes, and lightly brushed on the chin. After this is well blended with a fluffy brush, the flawless look is yours.