Clarisonic Plus - Is It Worth It?

I received a Clarisonic Plus for Christmas (or as I like to call it a toothbrush for my face) and I was so excited! However, my excitement was tempered by the fact that I have a sensitive face. I had flashes of my skin turning red and sloughing off my face (I like the word sloughing - there is just something about it). This set did come with a sensitive brush head but I decided to throw caution to the wind and use the regular brush head. 

I won't bore you with the in-and-out of what I do to my face. The basic jist is this:

1. Wash it with Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild (pea sized amount on the Clarisonic)
2. Dry it (duh)
3. Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
4. Clinique Smart Serum
5. Kiehl's Skin Rescuer

I'm happy to report that my rosacea and sensitive skinned cheeks have no problem with using the Clarisonic. My face had absolutely no problem with the Clarisonic from day one. I would still get dry patches but not now. I know the Clarisonic is not an exfoliator but my dry patches are gone. 

A second use for the Clarisonic Plus is for the body (yes a toothbrush for my WHOLE BODY). I have keratosis pilaris (because I need every skin problem) or what they call chicken skin, Keratosis Pilaris is called chicken skin because it’s these lovely tiny bumps on your skin that are pimple like and can be red and inflamed (amazing skin I have). 

Since using the Clarisonic Plus my bumps have gone down significantly! Also my dry elbows are gone. I do need to use lotion, the Clarisonic isn't some magic lotion wand, but the dry rough skin, the bumps, and my skin has been so much better since using the Plus in the shower. It also has a nifty handle so you can get your back. I haven't seen my back but I bet it's amazing. 

My overall take for this product is that it is 100% worth it. I was scared to try it but now that I have I don't think I could live without it! So many years wasted....smile.

Quick plug - My mother is Korean and English is not her first language. She purchased this from the Seminole Towne Center Dillards and had a great buying experience (she also got me a Clarisonic Opal). Check them out if you're looking for beauty products (I'm not paid to say this I just wanted to do a shout out to some great customer service)! 

What I’ve Noticed Since Starting a Skincare Routine

I’ve admitted before that I’m not a huge girly girl. I know it seems counter intuitive since I love makeup but it’s the truth. I’ve also never seen the purpose of a skincare routine. I can now hear the collective hissing of thousands of women with their sharp intakes of breath. Yeah that’s me. Even with Rosacea I would only put on the topical medication (which also had a moisturizer) and be on my merry way with my makeup. I recently ran out of my topical medication, had a flare, and decided to try something else besides medication to control it. 

Since I’ve had cancer I’ve been trying to limit the amount of medications and chemicals I use. Now, I’m not an extremist that think I can cure myself with tea, but if I can find something that will work without the use of more chemicals I don’t see a problem (I’ll never stop taking my MS meds. That you’ll have to pry from my cold dead hands – I don’t care if it is an injection). 

So, I went on a hunt to help my lovely angry face skin. Since I know adding a ton of products at once is not going to work (How will I know what product has made my face look like a rug burn?) I’ve slowly started to add products to ma face. I’ve used some great products such as the Dermatlogica Barrier Repair http://tinyurl.com/l59rahd), and the Korres Quercetin & Oak Moisturizer (http://tinyurl.com/l9ojtze) but nothing has been great. Then I found Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer. Hands down The Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer (http://tinyurl.com/n5fefak) is my Holy Grail moisturizer (I've added the links so you can check them out yourself. I don't get anything from the companies so don't worry about the links taking you somewhere weird - smile). 

There are two things I’ve realized since starting a skincare routine:

1. It’s not overrated – My poor skin needed it
2. My skin is not as dry as I thought it was. 

Since I’ve been taking care of my skin I’ve noticed that slowly, I don’t need as much moisturizer. My skin use to drink it up like a dehydrated marathon runner. Now, I’ve had to adjust the amount or I end up with a shiny face (It’s only sipping now). 

The rosacea which I've been dealing with forever has calmed down almost 100% without the use of a topical medication. For those with rosacea you know that this alone is a cause for celebration! I also don't need to use makeup primer if I don't want to, and I don't have any dry scaly patches of skin anymore. My skin just looks and feels better. 

Remember your skin is going to be different then mine. Use what works for you and don't be afraid to ask for samples! How else are you going to know if you like it or not? If you find a store/employee that wont help you, I suggest you take your business elsewhere. If you're going to spend your hard earned money on a pretty expensive product, you need samples (plus samples are awesome - laugh).

If anyone out there believes like I did that a skincare routine wasn't that important, or was a way for companies to make money, it’s not. It really will help your skin. Next, I’m going to add a Serum. Let’s see how that goes! 

Migabee, The Morning After (dramatic music)

As promised - my Migabee Verbena morning after photos. Yes I slept in. Ya know what? I would still be asleep if my dogs had not sat on my face and attacked me. I was up late last night trying to get some details worked out about a giveaway I’m planning. Then I got distracted and started watching “The Murder Station” aka The ID Channel (whispering investigate). It’s like crack for the eyes. Sorry, got distracted there... On to the photos! 

This is ma face after wearing the moisturizer for over 12 hours. As you can see I have no breakouts, my face is not red, and there is no irritation. My face is still hydrated and there are no dry or patchy spots this morning. This actually surprised me because, as I stated in last night’s blog, the moisturizer did not seem very thick. I really expected it to wear off overnight but to my delight it lasted. 

Overall I’m happy with the Migabee Verbena facial moisturizer and I think I’m going to rotate this in with my Kiehl’s Skin Rescue. I’m not saying this is a holy grail skin care product, that remains to be seen, but I am saying I like it and it should be safe to try (everyone is different of course) if you have dry, sensitive, and rosacea prone skin.

Overload of cuteness of dogs sitting on me (excuse the hot mess that I am in this photo). 

Switching up My Moisturizer (again) for My Angry Red Face

After using my Dermalogic barrier with my Korres moisturizer for a few weeks I realized  the combo made most of my face feel amazing but the actual areas effected by rosacea were becoming dry again and needed more hydration. My Korres moisturizer was almost empty so I went on the hunt for another moisturizer. After much internet research (seriously what did people do before google?) I decided to try some Kiehl's products. 

I happen to live very close to the touristy areas of Florida and while annoying (why do people forget how to drive on vacation?) it's also great because we have a lot of high end stores. Lucky for me we have a Kiehl's storefront at the Mall at Millennia to peruse. So, off I went happily dragging my friend along. There is also a Sephora there and I had to exchange a FRESH lip balm because I don't know how to double check to make sure it's the color I want - killing two birds with one stone! 

We get there and just our luck M.A.C is having an event. If I had not been looking for moisturizer I would have gotten all done up but I was on a mission! At least we were entertained by the men who were in silver body suits dancing on stage to Madonna’s Vogue. No seriously, you have not lived until you see 5 guys gyrating on stage with silver body suits and masks. 

We find the Keihl's (we wandered for a while) and I happily go into the amazing store that looks like an old apothecary. I am greeted by one of the best sales reps I have ever ran across. If you're ever at the Mall at Millennia’s Keihl's store in Orlando look for Stepheny. I cannot express how great she was. She tested my skin (I got's desert dry skin peoples) and then she grabbed a bunch of products for me to look at. 

Since my face was red as all get out, she had me put on Kiehl's Skin Rescuer. We sat and chatted for a few minutes and my friend tells me that my face already looks better. I look in the mirror and it's gone from an angry red to pinkish. I grabbed the bottle of magic and declared it mine like Gollum and his ring. I know I need another moisturizer and while she had a recommendation, Stepheny wanted to make sure it would not irritate my skin. So, instead of saying I should buy something she gave me tons of samples. I was incredibly impressed by this no pressure sales approach. 

I have to say so far so good. The dry patches have not returned (fingers crossed) and the burning sensation I had seems to have lessened a bit. I'll do an update in a couple of weeks to let everyone know how it's going! 

What I Found out About Vitamin D Deficiency MS and Rosacea

I've been doing a lot of research on rosacea lately because I've recently had a really bad flare up. I have to admit that I've been really lax taking care of my rosacea (well...my dry skin, my makeup, my hair...pretty much everything) since my cancer diagnosis. Now that I'm a few months removed from chemo (and am in remission yay) I've slowly started to get back into the swing of things and by things I mean life. For me the chemo stopped me in my tracks. It almost feels like more then a year of my life was lost in daily chemo and cancer. 

It's so nice to be able to get back out there and live a little. The fact that my rosacea reared its ugly head is annoying but also a comforting normal part of life. Not sure if anyone understand that but I'm sharing (laugh). 

As I said, because of my lovely red face, I've been doing a lot of research on natural ways/any way/reason/did I eat to many hot peppers to help or explain my lovely face. For those of you who suffer from MS you may know that many people with MS suffer from a vitamin D deficiency. I am one of those people. I have not read anything that explains to correlation between MS and a vitamin D deficiency but there seems to be something there.

As I read more about rosacea, I came across many references to a vitamin D deficiency in people who have rosacea. WHAT? The hell you say! Well, yes it's true. I find it very interesting that, like MS, they don't know the exact cause of rosacea (same as MS), it's liked to a vitamin D deficiency (like MS), that it's inflammation (like MS), flares up and goes into remission (like MS), and is progressive (like MS). I'm not big on coincidences especially when it comes to health. 

Could the mechanisms of inflammation and then remission be related to a vitamin D deficiency? Could finding the mechanism for action for one help the other? Do the treatments for one (say MS) help the other (rosacea)? 

Things that make you go hm...

Exercising, Rosacea, and Moisturizer

I have rosacea, which is this lovely "look my face looks and feels on fire" problem that some people have. I have medicine for it and it works out pretty well...usually. I had a flare up this past Saturday. The only thing I can think of that set it off was the fact that after almost two years I walked outside with my friend on our (use to be weekly) 5 mile walk. The great thing is I was able to do it (people cheering) the bad thing is my face was on fire after. Literally. OK, not literally. 

I usually use Korres Oak Night Cream to moisturize my face. I have crazy dry skin and this usually knocks it right out. The rosacea made my skin very dry and patchy this time. It really burned and I started to research moisturizers online. Goggle is amazing - I have no idea what people use to do before the interwebs. 

Fast forward to a few hours later (those youtube video reviews can grab my attention like a sparkly bauble or a squirrel to a dog). There were a lot of reviews and a lot of information. I found a lot of reviews about Dermalogica Barrier Repair. 

This photo is deceptive this is a VERY SMALL tube for $44.00. Yes $44.00 american money. My only consolation as I was buying this was the fact that I could bring it back. That's one of the good things about buying expensive products, they'll take it back. I will not be taking it back. I used it for the first time last night and I cannot explain to all of you how silky smooth my face feels. 

The product itself feels like a silicone based primer and I didn't think it would add very much moister to me but my face felt smooth! The very dry patches were still there  last night but I had high hopes. I was not disappointed. 

This morning the dry patches were gone. Yes, in less then 24 hours the dry patches on my face were all healed. I was shocked. This product really does work. My face did not burn at all today and I can tell that the redness is going away. My only complaint is that this does not have a SPF in it. I'm going to have to buy a separate sunscreen/moisturizer but I think this barrier repair was worth the money I spent on it. Dermalogica has a customer for life!