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Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment

I first learned about Renee Rouleau through the magic of Twitter. She can be found there as @ReneeRouleau. She gives absolutely fantastic skin care advice, and I’d been curious about her products for a long time. I actually picked up this little gem months and months ago, but I for some reason hadn’t gotten around to really reviewing it until now. There aren’t too many treatments out there specifically formulated for cystic acne. I’d tried one by Mario Badescu but it was not effective for me. Enter Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment.
Cystic acne. It’s horrible. Deep, painful cystic breakouts under the skin. They can be very inflamed, very large, unsightly, and uncomfortable! Not to mention the inflammation can cause lots of scarring. They often take a very long time to go away, too. For more info about cystic acne, check out this blog post from Renee herself. For many, including myself, cystic acne often occurs during or the week before a period, when our hormones go all wacky. As if being totally hormonal didn’t cause enough problems…sigh. 

Not too long ago I posted about how my skin had been healing pretty well lately, not breaking out, and the marks fading due to adding a ton of vitamin E to my regimen. Well, I think I jinxed myself, because about a day after that post went live I felt that feeling that is oh so familiar to anyone who has had a cystic type break out. The sort of sore, tender feeling of “oh sh*t, not again” when a cyst is forming in your skin. The Anti-Cyst Treatment works best when you can apply it as soon as this feeling occurs, so that is exactly what I did. And then I applied it 2x a day to the spot for a few days after, and I’m applying it just once before bed now.
This stuff is a freakin’ miracle, I tell ya. The next morning, all soreness was gone and the bump was still invisible (I could feel it if I prodded my chin, and it was about half the size it was the day before). Now, it’s just barely a smudge on my chin. It never turned into the big painful monster it had the potential to be. It’s almost gone. The best part is this all happened without drying out my skin or causing any irritation whatsoever. Hormonal Breakouts: 0 Me: 1
The treatment works by killing the bacteria and unblocking the pores, and also reducing inflammation. I have used other things on cystic acne that contain benzoyl peroxide, and while they have also been effective for me, they are often smelly, very drying, and have the potential to bleach your pillow case. It’s also not a very good idea to use benzoyl peroxide long-term because of the drying effects. I also read somewhere that it can thin your skin if used over time. No thanks. 
The only downsides to this product are the price, and availability. You can only get this from Renee’s website, or from one of her spas (locations in Dallas and Plano TX). The price is steep at $38.50 for .5 oz, but frankly if you have a cystic break out it’s worth every damn penny and then some.
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Current Skin Routine

It seems to me that some bloggers, youtubers, and even beauty pros will talk about their “problem areas” but we never see them. We see the perfectly made up version and sometimes it’s hard to imagine how they get from point A to point Fabulous. So when I got the idea to tell you my current skin care routine, I thought you might like to see my point A, too. So okay, here’s what I’m working with. Pics can be enlarged if you dare.

Those spots on my chin are all scars. I love being pale, but I do not love how every single tiny bit of imperfection shows up so easily, and scars take FOREVER to fade. If anyone knows of something to help me out with that, I am definitely open to recommendations. 
When spring sprang and everything started blooming and blowing around, I officially entered skin and allergy hell. I don’t usually have ANY dark circles but I do now from allergies, and my eye area in general looks very fatigued. And my skin? It’s the freakin’ Sahara. I used to be oily. Now I have dry skin. Super. Oh and this is actually the improved version. It’s been getting better lately.
Here’s what I’ve been doing…
Cleansing:
Caudalie foaming cleanser w/ Clarisonic OR Ponds Wipe OR Philosophy Microdelivery Wash (only a few times a week)
Moisturizing:
Morning – The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream
Night – The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream and/or Vitamin E Cream Intense (I have some super dry patches that need the extra help, like my nose which is still raw from blowing my nose every five minutes)
Toning: 
Youthful Essentials Revitalizing Facial Toner – as needed. It’s a spray. Very refreshing.
mark. Mist Opportunity refreshing spray – also as needed, whichever I have on hand.
Eyes:
Morning – Garnier Anti Dark Circle Rollerball (I just picked this up today to integrate into my routine)
Night – Vasanti Eye Wonder eye cream
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Tarte Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum

The Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum is the newest addition to the Smooth Operator family, and I love it. In addition to giving a gorgeous sheen to the skin (no glitter or sparkles, just a radiant glow), the amazonian clay in this serum acts like a skin-balancing primer. It reduces the look of pores and absorbs excess oil while also nourishing the skin, making it good for all skin types. I have combo skin and can be dry in some areas, but this wears beautifully.
The product itself is slightly tinted, but it kinda melds in with my skintone and just blurs all imperfections. Acne scars are less noticeable, but not invisible by any means. This does do a pretty good job of evening out any redness I sometimes get on my cheeks and near my nose. Pale girls don’t worry about it being too dark; it blends in.
I have worn this a couple of ways. I’ve worn it as a primer, after my moisturizer and under another foundation, and also as more of a tinted moisturizer on days when I just want to perk up my skin without piling on a ton of product. It’s great for smearing on before I have to get to class or out to do errands. A little bit goes a long way, so while at first I thought $32 was kind of steep for this product, now I think it might be okay because of how long you’ll be able to use it. 
My foundation does wear longer and for lack of a better term “better” when I wear this as a primer underneath. If you have a foundation that accentuates dry patches (for example, Make Up For Ever HD does this occasionally– I love you MUFE, but you do!), using this helps to minimalize that oh so lovely phenomenon.
Amazonian Clay seems to be Tarte’s new ingredient buzzword, but frankly I’m enjoying every product I try with the stuff in it. Maybe it really is the new super ingredient! Clay in cosmetics is nothing new. Most oil control or balancing masks contain some form of kaolin or benzonite, but I’ve never experienced a clay-based cosmetic product that both absorbs oil where I need it and nourishes/moisturizes skin where I need that at the same time. It’s very cool stuff, and I look forward to trying more of it. 
For now, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum is exclusive to Sephora and retails for $32. 
Sample provided for editorial purposes.
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emerginC Scientific Organic Skincare

Recently I had the chance to try out a few skin care products from the brand emerginC. Not to be confused with the vitamin supplement, Emergen-C. Very different things. ;) EmerginC skincare is found at top spas, like the one inside Caesar’s Palace, for example. It’s also a line you might see at a dermatologist’s office. But if you aren’t going to a posh resort or a dermatologist any time soon, it can also be purchased from their website.

Also worth noting is that emerginC products are paraben-free if you’re into that, and free of artificial colorants or fragrance. None of the products are tested on animals, and they do not use animal-sourced ingredients. EmerginC takes it one step further and their cardboard packaging is only made from sustainable materials and the ink is vegetable-based. They are a safecosmetics.org compact signer. I’m interested to find out if they use those new biodegradable plastic bottles for their packaging too.

Now, I can’t really do in-depth reviews of these since I only got some little sample packets, so I haven’t been able to use each product that many times, but it’s enough to give you my first impressions and initial reactions to them. Of course, the longterm benefits of these products aren’t something I can tell you after only using each thing a couple times. Keep that in mind if you decide to try these.

I tried three products from the Scientific Organics line of emerginC products. I tried the Kombucha Cleanser, Phytocell Cream, and Phytocell Detox Mask. There is also a serum and toner that I haven’t tried that make up the complete Scientific Organics line.

Kombucha Cleanser
The Kombucha Cleanser is meant to just be a gentle cleanser that cleanses the face of makeup, dirt, and other impurities without drying/stripping your skin. It does exactly what it says it does. The texture of the cleanser is a light liquid, thinner than a shampoo or body wash. It does have a scent (not artificial) that I don’t really like. It smells kind of like dirt, or soil. I like what the cleanser does for my face (cleanses, doesn’t make my skin feel stripped, removes makeup), but the scent is off-putting. If you’re looking for a good gentle cleanser, this may be an option for you. However, it’s kind of expensive ($34 for 120 ml or just over 4 oz) and I’m sure you could find something else that smells better and does the same thing. This is advertised as suitable for all skintypes, and I agree with that. I think it would be suitable for just about anyone.

Phytocell Cream
The Phytocell Cream is an intense anti-aging moisturizer. It is meant to moisturize as well as revitalize the skin while brightening and protecting. Note, they say protect, but this is most likely because of the antioxidants in the cream. It does not contain SPF. Do not make the mistake of thinking this product will protect you from UV rays. The Phytocell Cream is definitely very moisturizing. I would suggest using this only at night, so that you don’t have to wear too many products on your face (spf, moisturizer, etc.). Save a moisturizer with SPF for daytime. I have combo skin these days and found this to be a little heavy. It didn’t break me out or clog my pores, but I felt like it was too much. A little goes a long way, and it takes a while to fully absorb. If you don’t have the time to wait around before applying foundation, that could be a problem. Because this is so moisturizing, you could probably just apply it all over including under your eyes and have that be enough moisture. This product is even more expensive, at $85 for just 50 ml, which is just under 1.7 oz. This says it’s suitable for all skin types, but I think it’s best suited for all skin types except oily.

Phytocell Detox Mask
This is a clay-based mask (French green clay to be exact) with a pleasant citrus aroma. It’s supposed to nourish and soothe while also drawing out impurities in your skin. Additionally, it is supposed to brighten your skin and fight free radical damage, giving you radiant skin. The mask itself looks like wasabi. It’s a green paste. :) Unlike other clay masks I’ve used, it didn’t really give me that “tight” feeling when it dried. The directions say to leave it on 10-15 minutes, and use 1-3 times a week. I left it on for 15 and rinsed thoroughly with warm water. Right afterward, my skin felt very soft. Then, after patting my skin dry with a towel, I realized I felt sticky. I know I rinsed really well, so that was annoying. I grabbed a toner to make sure I got everything off my face, and while there wasn’t any green clay on the cotton pad I used to wipe toner on my face, the entire cotton pad was a very dingy grey. Eww! I’m not sure if this is residue from the mask or the “impurities” drawn to the surface, but it was gross! I still felt kind of sticky so I went for a second go-around with the toner. Still grey. Gross!!! The third cotton pad with toner is finally clean. I’m going to be contacting the person at emerginC to find out if that was mask residue or gross skin purging yuck. I’ll update when I hear back. Anyway! The mask is $50 for 50 ml.

What do YOU think? I want to know…


I know skincare is very personal and very much a product that you have to try to really know if it works for you. So, with that in mind, I am going to send a sample of every product I reviewed here to one reader so that one of you can tell me how these worked for you! The winner’s review will also be posted here to my blog. Please just leave a comment if you are interested, letting me know why you want to try it. I’ll pick someone next week to receive the samples. Sorry, U.S. only for this little giveaway.

Giveaway is closed :) thanks!

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Look Alive Throughout The Stressful Holiday Season With These De-Puffing Eye Soothers and Serums!

I know the feeling — you’re at work all day, then out to brave the crowds for endless Christmas shopping, then come home only to remember that you have tons of holiday plans to sort through and confirm. It’s called fatigue. It’s not like back in the good ol’ days when you had weeks off of school to sleep in and do your last-minute gift-shopping, dropping in at whatever holiday fete happened to be occurring that night… let’s face it — as an adult, the holiday season can be pretty rough. But just because you’re feeling totally beat doesn’t mean you have to look like it — thanks to these soothing under-eye products, you can say goodbye to unsightly bags and look (and feel) just a bit more lively!

Sephora Collection’s Instant Depuffing Roll-On Gel is great for carrying along with you when you’re feeling a bit haggard halfway through the day and could use a beauty pick-me-up, while Clinique’s All About Eyes Serum has an added cooling sensation to hydrate and soothe as needed throughout the day. Bare Escentuals Eye Rev-er Upper does just what it sounds like — apply over makeup to tackle dark circles and get the appearance of smoother, more luminous skin. If you can afford to spare a few pampering moments in your busy day, try a mini-treatment courtesy of Guerlain’s ‘Super Aqua Eye’ Anti-Puffiness Eye Patches to refresh stressed, tired eyes, or set aside an extra step in your morning routine to dab Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Eye Cream before your concealer for softer, more comfortable look despite your drowsiness!

– Alex Gambardella for TheFind
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ELF Zit Zapper Review

When ELF released their Zit Zapper product I was curious, but quite skeptical. An acne spot treatment for a dollar? Right. Sure. But last time I did an order I figured oh what the hell, lets try it out. 
Honestly? I’m pleasantly surprised. I had very low expectations, but I actually really like this. So yes, an acne spot treatment. For a dollar. 

The reason I decided to finally give this a go is the ingredients. Most drugstore acne spot treatments have an active ingredient of benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid and not much else going on. Not to say those aren’t good products, it’s just that so many of them are so gosh-darned alike. When I compare some of the most popular acne spot treatments, they mostly tell the same story. The benzoyl peroxide creams such as ZapZyt, C&C Persa-gel, and Neutrogena On The Spot are all pretty much whatever % benzoyl peroxide, and agents to deliver that medication in a creamy formula. 

ZapZyt Inactive Ingredients: Laureth 4, Carbomer 940, EDTA (Ethylenediamine-Tetra-Acetic Acid), Diisopropanolamine, Water USP (Purified)

Persa-gel 10 Inactive Ingredients: Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Laureth 4, Sodium Hydroxide, Water

For whatever reason, the BP treatments usually don’t contain a whole lot of extras like fragrance or skin-soothing ingredients. Salicylic Acid treatments often do. In fact, one of my favorites is Neutrogena’s 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment, which contains (along with a TON of fragrance) cucumber extract and whatnot to supposedly make it hydrating. Honestly, to me it’s just 3-in-1 Not Incredibly Drying Acne Treatment but whatever, I like it ok?

ANYWAY. So what I’m getting at is ELF’s Zit Zapper offers us something NEW. And new things are shiny. And refreshing! Zit Zapper’s formula is a blend of good for your skin ingredients — witch hazel, tea tree oil, salicylic acid, and camphor. Camphor is an ingredient I don’t encounter a whole lot in skin care products, but it’s amazingly effective at healing breakouts when combined with other acne fighters. Usually it’s found in higher end skincare. Treatments I’ve tried with camphor include Renee Rouleau’s Night Time Spot Lotion and Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. I have seen a Drying Lotion by Bye Bye Blemish, but I haven’t tried it. It’s around $10.

Camphor is a naturally soothing/cooling substance with antimicrobial properties. You see, salicylic acid by itself does nothing to actually kill the bacteria that causes acne. It is an exfoliating agent that keeps your pores unblocked so it encourages cell turnover and healing that way, but it doesn’t have antibacterial properties. So when I saw that ELF’s Zit Zapper combines the exfoliating properties of salicylic acid with the antimicrobial properties of camphor, witch hazel, and tea tree oil, I got excited. I’ve never seen a spot treatment to combine all of those ingredients, and I’ve certainly never seen an effective spot treatment for a buck.

The resulting product is not only effective, it doesn’t burn or dry out my skin. I apply it at night, and any breakouts are looking remarkably better in the morning, and gone in a couple days. It being delivered as a liquid with a rollerball is not the most sanitary packaging, but if you are concerned you can always apply the liquid to a q-tip and dab it on to spots where you need it.

Bottom line… if you have acne, try this. Seriously. I absolutely believe that skin care is something that you should spend money on if you need to because it’s worth it, but with products like this you don’t even have to.

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All About The Sprays

Okay this is a subject that has been driving me nuts for quite a while: face sprays. I see tons of posts about them, and I think there are a lot of misconceptions about all of the various sprays on the market and what they are supposed to do. They’re not all created equal and they’re not all designed to do the same thing. It’s really important to understand what it is you’re buying & using, because if you are expecting something entirely different, chances are you will be disappointed!

Facial Refreshers

There are many sprays out there that are meant to add moisture and refresh your skin. They work like toners. In fact, what’s the difference? The spray nozzle. Some examples of these are mark. Mist Opportunity, Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray, Philosophy Hope Springs Eternal, and of course MAC Fix+. These products can be used to “finish” your makeup– a quick spritz does help powder products settle and look less powdery on the surface of your skin. However, these aren’t developed as or marketed as makeup sealing sprays, which are entirely different. These are designed to be used whenever you feel the need, over or under makeup, once or many times a day. I can’t stand to see these products get a bad rap for not being a good spray for making makeup last longer when that’s not it’s job. Fix+ is one of my favorite products *for what it is*, yet so many people expect it to make their makeup last all day and then cast it off as a useless product when it doesn’t.

Setting & Sealing Sprays

It was a very old school makeup artist’s trick to do a full face of makeup and then spray the poor victim with a light mist of, get this– hair spray to make the makeup stay in place. I barely even like it in my hair, let alone on my FACE. Finally some geniuses in the beauty industry decided to create products to seal and lock makeup in the same way hair spray locks your ‘do in place. Brands that have created these products are Model in a Bottle, Skindinavia, and Urban Decay (although UD’s were actually formulated by Skindinavia in a collaboration). Skindinavia and Urban Decay’s sprays come in several formulas with additional ingredients depending on your skin’s type and needs. These sprays are designed to be used once a day, a set it and forget it type product.

Not for your face.

Water

Ok seriously do I even need to get into this? Evian Mineral Water. In a can. This is not moisturizing. Yeah it feels refreshing, but duh, you’re spraying water on your face. If you’re hot, that’s going to feel refreshing. Not rocket science. As far as the moisture goes, would you rinse your hands if they were feeling dry and call it a day? No. You’d apply a hand cream with something that actually moisturizes skin like shea butter or whatever. If you want to boost your skin’s moisture with water, drink a bottle of it instead of paying $2 an ounce for a can of mineral water spray. However, hats off to Evian for figuring out a brilliant marketing scheme to get people to pay $10 for a can of WATER. 


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Cover FX Primers – Say No To Unitaskers!

Are any of you Alton Brown fans? Mr. Menagerie and my stepdad both love him. As far as cooking shows go, Good Eats is pretty entertaining. Basically Alton Brown is the biggest cooking geek ever. He explains all the science behind what he cooks, which is pretty cool. One thing Alton Brown hates is unitaskers, or tools that only do one thing. He’s always saying to banish unitaskers from your kitchen.

In some scenarios, this is a great philosophy to apply to your skin care, too. Cosmetics technology leaped ahead with the invention of the foundation primer, but now brands are taking it a few steps further. There are many primers out there that also provide sun protection. However, that’s kind of…not that creative? Think outside the box here, people! First of all, many moisturizers and foundations also include SPF. The problem being that unfortunately more is not always better with sun protection. Depending on the ingredients in all of the various sun products you’re using, you might be doing more harm than good. Sometimes layering SPFs with different ingredients causes them to actually cancel each other out.

So what then? Cover FX has developed a line of primers that are also skin care. What? Well, it makes sense. Primers are applied directly to your skin after your moisturizer, so why not do some good while they’re there.

The first Cover FX primer I tried was their Skinprep FX. This primer not only hydrates and smooths your skin (which blurs imperfections and makes foundation glide on, blend easier, and wear longer), it is an anti-aging love fest of nutrition for your skin. It’s chock-full of antioxidants such as Coenzyme Q10, omega 3 fatty acids, and peptides that promote skin health. A little of this primer/serum goes a long way when applying it. It’s light, melds into the skin beautifully, and does everything it promises to do for my foundation-wearing experience. I do not experience any breakouts with it. There is a slight fragrance which to me smells like my childhood backyard honeysuckle flowers. Not a fake honeysuckle scent contrived in a lab somewhere, but like the actual scent of the hundreds of honeysuckles in my backyard. This primer can be used by any skin type but is especially good for normal to dry skin. I don’t find it makes me any more oily when I use it, though. I have combo skin.

After my very positive experience with Skinprep FX, I was delighted when Cover FX contacted me to see if I wanted to review their Clearprep FX primer/anti-acne serum. This primer can be used by anyone, even men. It’s an anti-shine serum that minimizes fine lines and pores as well as helps to prevent and heal blemishes. Clearprep FX is mattifying on contact with instantly noticeable results! Silica and naturally occurring beta and alpha hydroxy acids work together to promote healing of acne and prevention of new breakouts. I don’t feel tightness or dryness from using this, and it really helps keep my t-zone matte and my foundation last longer in oily circumstances such as hot weather. It really helps to dry out the little mini breakouts I occasionally have around my eyebrows after I pluck my brows, and to prevent new breakouts in my main problem area– my chin.

Even if you don’t wear makeup these products can be beneficial to you because of all of the great ingredients! There are 2 other products in Cover FX’s primer line that I haven’t tried, Briteprep FX (brightening primer with UV-inhibiting ingredients) and Mintglaze FX, a lip primer and balm. After trying and coming to love both of the primers I mentioned above, I really can’t wait to try the others sometime!

Check out Cover FX‘s website for more info and videos about their products.

Available: Cover FX | Sephora | Naimies

Sample of CoverFX Clearprep FX was provided for consideration by PR. Skinprep FX was purchased by me at Sephora.
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First Impressions

I’m going to introduce something new to the blog. Because sometimes certain types of products have to be used for quite a while before enough experience is gathered for a full out “review”, I’m going to also include what I will call First Impressions.

It should be pretty self-explanatory, but basically when I’m trying something new I’ll post to let you know about it and what my first impressions are. Then I can update you on my progress later. ;)

So, to kick this off, here is a first impression of something I just started trying…

Dr. Lancer skincare – I just got this stuff like literally 2 days ago, so of course I don’t have a comprehensive review for you yet! But so far I like it alright. It’s a 3-step system. Step 1 is to polish (exfoliate), step 2 is cleanse, and step 3 is nourish/repair. So far the only real complaint I have is the smell of the products themselves. I don’t think there’s any added fragrance, which is a bonus if your skin is sensitive, but sometimes the natural smells of skincare ingredients don’t smell very cute if you know what I mean. It’s not a huge deal though, and I haven’t broken out in a rash or anything so I’ll keep using it and let you all know how it goes.

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Cheap Thrills in Skincare

Some time ago before Christmas, I found myself in full-blown hormonal breakout crisis mode. Eeek! So naturally I reached for my Duac. Duac is an expensive, prescription-only treatment that combines the antibiotic clindamycin with benzoyl peroxide. Much to my dismay, I realized my trusty Duac was expired. I don’t think it would have been dangerous to use it, but it most certainly wouldn’t be as effective. And when it comes to skincare treatments, potency is key.

So I found myself in Rite Aid, peering down at the skincare items on the shelf. Now, I love drugstores. Really. But some of them have the ambiance of a creepy parking lot at night. For some reason CVS I can walk to at any hour of the night and feel right at home. Walgreens, too. But this Rite Aid is always sort of creepy. However, it’s near my apartment and this was a skinmergency!

Initially I grabbed Persagel, which is a really good, simple benzoyl peroxide gel treatment. It doesn’t have excess irritating ingredients. But there on the shelf next to it was Zapzyt. (Zapzyt? Is that not the ugliest, most embarrassing name for a product ever?) $2 for 10% benzoyl peroxide. I know 10% is much higher than they say you really need (more like 2-5%), but my skin does okay w/ benzoyl peroxide. It doesn’t dry me out really bad like it does some people, so I went for it. $2 isn’t much of a gamble.

Honestly? It’s pretty damn good. I don’t notice it being any different than the slightly more expensive Persagel I had been getting in the past. It doesn’t have the added antibiotic benefit of Duac, but Duac is also a gazillion more dollars. I don’t have health insurance, so this will have to do. But even if I did have insurance, I think I would grab Zapzyt again because I am also a bargain hunter! The simple product with an ugly name has really made an impact on my skin for the positive. Combining that with keeping my skin excessively, ridiculously clean and moisturized. ;) So don’t be fooled (or ashamed, lol) by the cheapo price and dumb name. Give ‘er a shot!

Now all I have to do is deal with the scars. Oy. Unfortunately I have yet to find a cheap solution for that. I use DERMAdoctor’s Poetry In Lotion, a very high-potency retinol. It doesn’t come cheap either. It’s $75! But it WORKS wonders. I’ve heard Bio Oil is great for scars but nobody has specified if they meant facial scars from acne. Has anyone tried Bio Oil for this purpose? How’d it go? Let me know!

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