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I can officially say the sentence “I am getting married next month.” It’s weird! How did time go so slowly…and yet so quickly?
Until the big day, besides keeping my head on straight, I’ve really been trying to keep my skin from buggin’ out as it likes to do. I contemplated buying the Clinique 3-step system that a lot of the Bees have mentioned, going back to my dermatologist, or signing up for Proactiv again. I used Proactiv in college and for a while it worked really well. However, it would eventually just quit working and my skin would dry up like a flaky grandma-face.
I was digging around my bathroom cabinet a few weeks ago and found an old bottle of Proactiv face wash. I had restarted the system a year or so ago, and had promptly quit using it when my skin was getting way too dry (and the auto-payment from my checking account was pissing me off as well). I decided to put together my own little skin plan, and so far, *KNOCK ON WOOD* it’s really working!
I am only using Step 1 (the renewing cleanser) from Proactiv’s 3-step system. I’ve realized that the reason the multi-step skin clearing solutions don’t always work is because three steps of benzoyl peroxide products are way too drying for me. So, every morning I wash my face with the Proactiv cleanser.
What’s that, hive? You want to know my Swiss skincare secrets? Well, okaaay, but only because I love you.
I’m actually sort of a rookie at this whole “skincare routine” thang. (Yeah, I said “thang”…) Up until a few months ago, I had a pretty simple routine: Rinse my face with water in the morning, wash it briefly in the shower with face wash at night, and run some lotion over my face as I lotioned post-shower, using zit cream as needed (which was every day).
Then I started a new job. With lots of women. (Pretty women!) You know, the kind who wear stylish clothes, high heels, and makeup. Cue vanity insecurities!
I was getting along fine, starting to wear makeup much more often, when one of my colleagues commented over lunch that I needed to exfoliate. “Huh?” Yes, exfoliate. A second colleague agreed that I needed to exfoliate more, and suddenly I was very self-conscious about how I was taking care of my skin. Perhaps my lazy wash-and-lotion cycle wasn’t enough to combat all the makeup I was wearing lately.
Around this time, Mrs. Macarons mentioned the Clarisonic in a post, and after reading reviews on Weddingbee and skincare sites, I took the plunge and ordered the pro model. I decided that at the ripe age of 24, I had too many pimples for someone supposedly past puberty and that I needed to rethink my skincare regime. Now my skincare routine has developed into this lengthy ordeal over the past two months, and I’m still not sure if it’s worth all the extra effort.
Here’s the breakdown!
I’m a pretty basic makeup user. As in, I don’t think I’m a total idiot and I usually wear some makeup when I go out, but I generally don’t wear very much, which Mr. EB loves. He still thinks I’m pretty when I put more makeup on, but he never fails to comment on it. In fact, I’m pretty sure that one of the first times I added more eyeshadow than usual, he said I looked weird. He meant it in a very loving way but, as he put it, he’s not used to seeing me that way, and it was odd for him. This has me slightly concerned about my makeup for the wedding because I really don’t want a heavy look. I’ve had my makeup done professionally several times, and generally I haven’t liked it. (Except for my engagement photos—I loved the way I looked, but it still felt a little heavy for me.) Mainly I don’t want Mr. EB giving me a weird look when he sees me for the first time, which I’m afraid might happen if I get my makeup done by someone else. So I’m thinking about doing it myself…
Now, the first thing I’ve learned over the years is that before using any makeup, you need to find a good cleansing routine. I have not always been consistent with my routine, and I can definitely see a difference with my face when I don’t do a good job taking care of it.
For the past several years I’ve been using the Clinique* 3 Step system.
One of the biggest things I noticed as I reached the age of 30 was how my skin was slowly but surely changing in every way. Pores were getting larger, wrinkles were multiplying at a breakneck pace, and the overall look of the skin [on my face] was just getting really dull, no matter what exfoliating agents I employed. Funny, acne was the one thing that didn’t change! (sigh)
My soap and water routine (cringe) was fast becoming a no-go… not if I wanted to feel good about my skin anyway! I experimented with a number of different products, to varying degrees of success… and I am going to share them all with the Hive (but of course!). I am a guinea pig at your disposal. All of the items vary in price; some are available at your local drugstore, others are ’spensive, but - in my experience - worth every penny.
Let’s get started!
CLEANING UP:
Um, so I used to use soap and water. I also used to use Oxy Pads, which were actually a life-saver to me when my acne was at its height… but that was high school and that facial routine doesn’t work for me anymore - must. be. nicer. to my face.
Read more…
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I’d always meant to get microdermabrasion, so after Mrs. Pomegranate told me what a dramatic difference it made in her skin pre-wedding, I was sold. A couple months ago, I made an appointment with my dermatologist, but she suggested that I get a glycolic peel instead. The appointment was fast — she applied the glycolic acid, left it on for a couple of minutes, and then I washed it off. I have to say that I was rather disappointed with the procedure, because I didn’t really notice any difference in my skin.
Then a couple weeks ago, I booked a facial and microdermabrasion at Lia Schorr after reading all these glowing reviews. The receptionist (who I think is actually Lia Schorr) is a little brusque. The decor is clean and simple – not luxurious like many of the spas in Manhattan. But I loved my facialist, Eugenia, who has been there for over 20 years! She was sweet, gave great skincare advice, and did extractions that didn’t leave my face red like other facialists usually do. And my skin has looked great since the facial/microdermabrasion session – I’m officially a fan!
Lia Schorr offers great discount packages for treatments, so I purchased one and am going back this Saturday. Oh and get this — most of their clients are actually men! I’d highly recommend microdermabrasion for glowing skin on your wedding day. 
Have you ever had microdermabrasion or a chemical peel? How did they work for you?
After my trip to the tropical Philippines and coming back to the harsh New York winter, my skin got crazy dry and was flaking everywhere. I needed a new product: a moisturizer, a mask, an exfoliant… something!
I started reading reviews of various products online and came across Fresh’ Sugar Face Polish. It’s a moisturizing exfoliant mask made of brown sugar and strawberries. It’s a little pricey, as all Fresh products tend to be, but the reviews were glowing so I decided to give it a shot.
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
For as long as I can remember, people have told me that I have great skin. Before you start hating me for saying that, let me go on and say that things have recently changed! I’m now living in New York, and I’ve noticed a HUGE change in my skin. Just a couple years ago, I’d get facials just for kicks with my girlfriends during girly sleepovers. Oh, I should have never taken the easier days for granted!
The new climate has drastically changed the texture and skin tone of my face.
Read more…
Do you have really sensitive skin? Do you have to be super careful about which type of cleanser and moisturizer you use, or else have to deal with crazy breakouts? Yeah, me too.
Oh, Cetaphil. How I love you.
A couple of months after Mr. Taffy and I started dating, my face started to break out. Really break out, like horrible, painful, inflamed—the worst my face had ever been. I racked my brain trying to think of the cause. I didn’t switch detergent, cleanser, makeup or moisturizer. I hadn’t changed the type of birth control I was taking, or the dosage. I wasn’t stressed out any more than I had been earlier that year. My eating habits were exactly the same. The only thing that was different in my life was Mr. Taffy’s presence. Hmmm.
Read more…
I’ll admit it – I have difficult skin. It’s sensitive, oily, prone to break outs and flakiness. Ugh. I’ll also admit that I’ve spent much more than I should on countless products that promised to make it all better, but never really did. I have tons of half used bottles of lotions, tonics and potions (it almost sounds like I’ve been visiting a snake oil salesman…) that never fulfilled the promise of peaches and cream.
Then I tried this.
from my friends at dermalogica
It never occurred to me in my teens that I needed to take care of my face. Sun spots from the sun? Yes. But for the most part, I was relatively acne free and I didn’t exactly have dry or oily skin. Fast forward to now when all I think about when I look in the mirror is how badly I wish I could reverse all the years of lying in the sun without SPF 80 or wishing I wasn’t a “popper.” Ha.
Since our wedding is less than 7 months away, I’ve really been trying to pay attention to my skin. After all, I’m going to be photographed in all kinds of angles, different lighting, etc., and I don’t want to feel self-conscious on our big day. In addition, we want to go some place warm/tropical for our honeymoon, and I don’t want to wear foundation/cover-up while I’m on the beach. It’s not a good look.
I’d show you my face sans make-up, but it’s not cute. And I’m shy and I’m afraid you’ll make fun. But, maybe this visual will help: think of super pale skin. Add some redness and dryness around the cheekbones. Throw in some whopping under-skin blemishes and some scars from 10 years of picking at my face…. and that’s me.
I’ve spent so many weeks (and months) preparing everything for the wedding that this weekend was finally some time to prep myself. I spent my Saturday getting a much needed facial and my hair done. With only 4 weeks to go, I figured that a facial would be good at this point so my skin will be nice and clear for the wedding day.
To demonstrate my reasoning, here’s a pic of what I look like now, after having a deep cleansing facial (with extractions):
(A red Miss Hydrangea)
As we get closer and closer to the wedding I seem to have more skin issues. Like Miss Cupcake, I too managed to burn myself on a kitchen appliance. While her accident involved a toaster oven, I burned my upper arm making tea. While reaching for something else, I managed to get my arm in the direct line of the steam coming from the tea kettle. This resulted in a quarter size burn that blistered, peeled and is still healing.
I won a free skin analysis a month ago and even though I am only 25, I can say I was scared of what I saw - an image of me at 50 and it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t used to wash my fash regularly but because of that and the great help of the specialist, I am proud to say that I wash, tonic and cream my face every day, plus I exfoliate once a week. I have seen a remarkable difference, and it’s true - once you get the hang of it, you don’t want to stop.
Though I rarely have breakouts, in the last 3 days I’ve had 3 pimples. I blame the wedding for that!
What are your best miracle pimple zappers? Have you gotten some pimple appearances because of wedding stress?
Well, the actual title of this post should be “How Not to be a Sweaty Beast on Your Wedding Day.” But that might have been too frightening! Here is where I divulge my big embarrassing confession: My name is Miss Canary and I am a sweat-er.
I think it runs in the family. Papa Canary starts eating a bowl of noodles… and pow… he starts to drip like he’s been hanging out in the Amazon! Come summer and NYC humidity, I start sweating big time. And of course, smarty Miss Canary decides to get married in sweltering July… one of the hottest and most humid months in the city.
{Image from here}
This post is a little more TMI then I normally like to put on here, but I think it’s important to bring up because I know I’m not the only girl who has this problem. I’ve fought on and off with acne my entire life. Right when things start to clear up in one area, they pop up in another. Right around dress fitting time, this area happened to be my back.
I used to have this problem when I played tennis all the time and sweat up a storm, but never just because. While I would love to get “back-cials,” or facials for your back, it’s just not in my budget. When perusing the skincare section of my local Walmart (I refuse to spend tons on beauty products, except for shampoo and some makeup) I came across Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash. 
Read more…
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