Homemade Skin Care: Honey Scrub

I LOVE honey. I eat it with apples, peanut butter, on bread with butter, and the list goes on. But I have another use for honey! A lot of people have heard of using mixing honey with oatmeal or yogurt to make a face mask, but what I do is when the honey in my pantry has started to crystalize, I put it aside and let it fully turn to crystals. Then I put the container in my shower and use the crystalized honey as an all over body scrub after I have cleansed. It leaves my skin feeling soft, and because it is a humectant, it holds in the moisture from the shower helping to keep your skin hydrated all day. Of course, it smells fantastic too!

Product Review: Dermatix

Over the years, I have had the need to use this gel for various reasons. Surgery incisions, acne scars and most recently, a not-so-successful attempt at waxing (lesson learned: don't ever waxas soon as you step out of a hot bath - the skin is way too soft and prone to peeling off with the wax and hair!).

This stuff is pricey (about $45 CDN for a small 15g tube), but a little bit goes a very long way. It is a thick silicone gel that acts like a barrier, protecting the skin and allowing it to heal at the optimal rate for scar prevention. It can also work to reduce the look of scars that are already there. The newer the scar, the more effective it is.

When used consistently, it does an incredible job of preventing scars and reducing the appearance of existing scars. I have asked my GP, orthopedic surgeon and my dermatologist what to use for scars, and all three suggested Dermatix. I highly recommend this product to everyone. Even if you don't need it now, it's great to have in the medicine cabinet just in case! I could not buy this off the shelf, but they do sell it over the counter at the pharmacy.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Product Review: Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser

From Paula's Website:

• A perfect combination of cleansing and soothing ingredients to bring your skin into balance
• Gentle enough for use around the eyes
• Quickly removes makeup—even mascara
• Reduces the look of large pores
• Softly foaming and rinses without a hint of residue—all you see and feel is clean, soft skin
• 100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents

I have been using Paula's Choice products for about two years now and I can't say enough about most of the sin care I have tried from her line. This cleanser is no exception.

The cleanser truly is soothing. My skin is often dry and irritated and this cleanser leaves it feeling soft with no tight, dry feeling after washing. It is definitely gentle enough around the eyes and will take off most eyemakeup as long as it's not waterproof or smudgeproof. I still rely on my Biotherm eyemakeup remover for that. I also love that it foams up. I really don't like the feeling of cream cleansers. I never really feel like it's done the job of taking off all of my makeup. As for reducing the look of large pores. Other than a physical pore filler, nothing has ever done anything to reduce the look of my pores unfortunately!

As a cleanser, this is at the TOP of my list and I will definitely buy it again as well as recommend it to anyone with any skin type, especially combination.

A new day - A new life - Some beauty on a budget!

Well, it has been a crazy year and a half for me. I have moved from Ontario, Canada to California, USA (near San Francisco). I am now on a strict beauty budget and don't even have all of my makeup / skincare with me here. But somehow, I have managed with only the basics!

So today, I'd like to hear what your budget beauty tips are. Mine is a must have for everyone - Moisturizer. I do love a good, expensive, luxurious cream, but that isn't always an option. So when I am trying to save, I always reach for the Cetaphil lotion. It is lightweight, but moisturizing enough for my very dry skin. I am also acne prone, and it never causes me to break out. Also, for any of you who get irritated skin in the winter (eczema, redness, itchiness), this cream is actually very soothing and calming. There is just something about it that when my skin starts to get angry at the weather, Cetaphil will calm it right down!

I have really missed being part of the beauty blogging community! I hope to be around much more often again!