Update and beauty care products ordered.

Hello, all!

I haven't posted anything for a little while, so I figured I would post an update on what I've been doing in order to keep myself active on my blog. I have a big motivation problem I'm trying to overcome, so I'm making myself write an entry. I think I will make it about my quest to invest in some serious good beauty products. This is partly to do with being sick of my adult acne and OCD tendency to turn it into a scab, and mostly to do with reading Ageha magazine.

Now let me be clear, I do not look at women in any magazine and think "I must look like her, she is so pretty!" As a feminist who thinks every look should be accepted, I refuse to let myself think this way, plus the women of Ageha are the fakest pictures of women I've ever seen in my life. I do like the layout of and some fashion in Ageha, but get sick of the fakeness. If Kera were available where I get my mags (not online) I'd drop Ageha in a heart beat (I prefer alternative styles, anyway.) But I really do enjoy the sections they have where the models give their beauty/bath/skin care/ etc. routine. They have motivated me to adopt a routine, not just for vanity but to feel good about myself and set standards and goals for myself just for the sake of having them. I'll outline my planned routine later.

I recently ordered a few products from lush.com. There are a couple near where I live, but they are both about an hour and an hour and a half away. I love actually going to stores, but seeing as NOTHING is in or really close to Dekalb (except Batavia, but it's been too cold for outdoor malls) I had to resort to going online.

The first thing I had to get done was order a good face wash. This is Coal Face. It has little coal shards. It's supposed to be good for getting gunk out of your pores, which I need desperately. My current routine is to use toner and moisturize, and every few days I exfoliate with Ocean Salt (another great Lush product.) I figure getting a good cleanser in there will really help reduce the blackheads and acne, and will help keep my forehead oil free and my face feeling gunk free. 

Next up is the Bubblegum Lip Scrub. Let me just say that I love girly-pink-bubblegum-vanilla-candy-sugary-sweetness. I feel everyone needs a little femininity in their lives, and as someone who has a new found appreciation for the feminine after years of trying to be "one of the guys" that only dressed up to impress guys, I go all out when I can (i prefer more punky looks with touches of girly). And with such a small and temporary item, I was so glad to be given the chance to go all out. I need a lip scrub because of that bad habit to pick everything that I feel doesn't belong off. Seriously, I'll make my lips bleed. This little product has promised to not only make me feel girly, but also to take all the excess lip flakes off. Can't pick anything off that isn't there, and the sweet scent and hot pink color are an added bonus. .^o^.

 Last up, I Love Juicy. I found this product look for a simple clarifying shampoo to get all the extra buildup out of my hair once a week. The reviews raved about how it reduced oil in hair ten-fold. As someone who needs to wash her hair daily due to excess oil, i was intrigued. Most reviews would mention something about oil, and some claimed they could go a day without washing. I ordered a small bottle because I am cheap and only intended to use it for clarifying once a week anyway, but who knows? Maybe I will be investing on a bigger bottle in the future.

Now on to what I plan to do! The March Issue of Ageha had a section on bath time, and I feel that would be an amazing thing to add to my life. A chance to de-stress, surround myself in a scent I love, and make my skin super-soft? Sign me up! I would like to do this nightly, at least when I get a schedule that allows it. I want to do it before bed, but I get off work at 6 a.m., and typically like to go right to sleep so I don't sleep the whole day away. My facial care routine seems more manageable:

Remove makeup after I'm done showing it off (to others and myself.) In every shower, wash with coal face; exfoliate Monday and Friday. Wash face with toner after using coal face and before bed. Moisturize (in the process of finding a good one) with SPF after shower, with a night-time one before bed. Use lip scrub as necessary. Stretch before bed

I currently use Say Yes to Carrots to moisturize at night and during the day, but I think I want a different daytime moisturizer. Once I start with the baths I plan to do my night routine right after the bath, but until I have time to get ready for bed I will have to use toner and moisturize. I also plan to get a really nice hair dryer that looks good sitting out. Apartment hopping means no bathroom storage ;_;

And there you have it! ^_^ I'll review the products a few weeks after I get them to really get a good feel for how they work with my body and its personal chemistry. I'll also try to update my blog more often! I'll leave with a picture of Rarity from MLP: FIM looking super chic. Yes, I am a brony! I just like so many things..