skin care update and favourites

last month's aforementioned visit to the spa inspired me to get thinking about my skin. if you have a flawless face, stop reading, and while you've got some free time, slap yourself around a little (can you say jealous?!). but if you're like me, and you get to enjoy the monthly joys of bumpy skin (okay fine, zits), you know that it bites and you're probably ready to say goodbye to your hormonal face.

so late one night i decided to take my problem to the all-knowing internet. i'd tried many pills (diane-35 made me crazy and i didn't want to be a slave to antibiotics) and topical remedies (like differin, which gave me itchy, puffy eyes and all-round irritability), but i was looking for something easy ... that worked.

the wild world of online forums led me to something called the regimen. at the risk of sounding like an ad, a month in, it's really working. here's my version of the program:

night...
step one :: wash my face with a mild cleanser - i use skoah kleansing lotion - pat dry.
step two :: use a generous amount of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide - i use panoxyl aquagel - and spread onto affected areas gently until it feels tacky. wash hands and let dry.
step three :: use a thick moisturizing cream on my eyes and then a fragrance-free moisturizing lotion on the rest of my face - i use dormer 211 cream and cetaphil lotion - let dry.

day...
step one :: wash my face with the same cleanser (be careful with your towels - dry your face with an old one so the colour doesn't bleach out).
step two :: tone and moisturize with skoah turbo tonik and face skotion lite.
step three :: apply makeup - i sacrificed my pocketbook for my face and splurged on jane iredale mineral makeup.

trick or tip!
i wash my pillowcases every four days (never sleep on the same side twice). i have the luxury of an in-home washer-dryer, but if you're a slave to the laundromat or scary basement coin-operated machines, once a week will do.

this month's faves


gloss :: smith's lip balm in "minted rose"
what's the story? i've long been a fan of makeup artists' favourite, rosebud salve, but to be honest, it's always been a bit too "rosy" for me. this one's the perfect multitasking gloss for me.


fragrance :: demeter spray in "pink lemonade" & "dulce de leche"
what's the story? famous for dirt and other offbeat scents like laundromat and sex on the beach, demeter fragrances are the perfect little single-note pick me ups - not overly fragrant (a.k.a. you can enter a crowded elevator in good conscience) and fun. i use pink lemonade when i want something fresh, and dulce de leche when i want something a little deeper. note: i hear men love food smells on women. brownie fragrance, anyone?


hand lotion :: bath & body works in "vanilla bean noel"
what's the story? my friend julia has this and every time i go to her apartment, i slather it on. thankfully, like my seasonal friend the low-fat egg nog latte, bath & body works' holiday collection is back. it's time for a road trip to bellingham!

a smashbox steal

it's friday night in sleepy dunbar. after a fabulous apres-work pedicure and taco platter with the girls, shelby and i walk to the video store to check out the foreign fare. but along the way we're drawn in by the shopper's drug mart beauty boutique. and $70 later, it's the most expensive walk to the video store we've ever had.

but we've decided not to let the guilt take over because we managed to save ourselves over $100.

here's how...
after coveting our next fragrance purchases (ckin2u for shelbs and moschino i love love for me) we hit up smashbox for the greatest deal: a box of good quality, useful cosmetics, including...








lip gloss in pixel, emulsion lip exfoliant, photo finish foundation primer, blush/soft lights duo in sunbeam/glimmer, cream eyeliner duo in caviar/midnight brown, fusion eyeshadow in merge, layer lash primer, that's a wrap mascara in black and cream eyeliner brush #9.

there are still boxes left in stores, but if you can't find one, smashbox seems to make several of these money-saving kits a year.

is this the only place to get a deal?
nope. try the shopping channel. every few months they feature smashbox over a weekend and the daily "showstopper" is always an amazing deal - if you don't mind the shipping & handling.

the moral of the story
"don't stop at shoppers' beauty boutique on your way to the video store." no, actually it's more along the lines of "don't buy these products on their own ... wait for the good deal around the corner." (too bad i'm already coveting this, which doesn't come in a kit!)

oh yes, and while we truly did set out to rent a foreign film that night, we ended up with the prestige.

non-beauty tip
don't watch it on a friday night at 10pm - unless christian bale is enough to keep you glued to the screen, the story's too complicated to stay awake for.