This weekend was great! I took Thursday and Friday off from the day job to celebrate my birthday. I had a great time eating (of course…lol) with an old friend (look at us above in this pic from the first grade—why am I smiling so hard and NOBODY could slick back my flyaways?). Then on Saturday I went to the Rock the Bells concert (Slick Rick, Rakim, KRS-One, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, and Wu-Tang Clan—Snoop Dogg was there but I left before he performed) with my homey Living Fly on a Dime. We had a great time! We were both so happy to see Lauryn Hill and thought she sounded great but others vastly disagreed…lol. *shrugs* Chris Rock was there to watch some of hip-hop’s greatest along with a slew of other stars like Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats, John Legend, Nelson George, AJ Calloway, Estelle, and Michael Ealy (or at least that’s all that I could see).

Be sure to check out the Living Fly on a Dime blog for tips on how to score stylish finds on the cheap.

Miss Info has coverage of the performances here if you’re interested.

What’s up with dude in the blue shirt? lol

So now onto what I bought!

After having no skin issues for months, acne of course had to come player hatin’ on all my shine. So I picked up Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare™ ‘Trifix™’ Acne Clearing Lotion at the suggestion of my skincare homey Lipstick Fashion.

I’m hoping it will clear up the 4-5 pimples that have taken up temporary housing on my forehead.

Then I hopscotched down to Sephora to pick up the Carol’s Daughter Khoret Amen Smoothie that I didn’t get last week. This stuff stinks to high heavens, but I hear it’s supposed to do good for those growing out a relaxer so I’ll get a hazmat suit and press on.

And believe it or not, that’s all she bought, folks!

How was your weekend? What did you do/buy?

You don’t always have to spend your entire savings on good skincare products. The other day while browsing in Vitamin World, I picked up a container of their store brand Retinol/Vitamin A Cream.

Some quick background info on retinols/vitamin A: they do great things for the skin like prevent wrinkles and fine-lines, fade dark spots, and fight acne over time. Basically if I could marry retinols I would.

So I’ve been using this at night (as Carm B posted they can make the skin sensitive to sun so I’d avoid them during the day) every night for the past week and have already noticed a slight positive change in my skin’s tone and vibrancy. I mean, I don’t have major skin issues aside from some occasional super-stubborn acne, but if it can take my skin to the next level, I’m all on it.

Best of all a 2 oz container of Vitamin World Retinol Cream is only $6.49 ($4.99 with a Vitamin World membership). I got mine at a BOGO sale at the membership price so I got two containers for less than $7. Win!

Just when I thought I was safe from the awkward, uncomfortable yet somehow rewarding days of high school (shout-out St. Francis Prep High School in Queens!) and firmly landed into adulthood, here comes adult acne. And braces. If 30 is the new 20, then 28 is the new 14. *sigh*

So here’s the scoop on adult acne and how to tame it.

What Causes Adult Acne?

According to WebMD, Adult acne is caused by sebum, an oily substance produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands. Sebum clogs pores, which attract bacteria and become inflamed. For most adults, breakouts are a result of hypersensitivity to androgens (male hormones). But an imbalance in both male and female hormones (estrogen) can also cause breakouts. For women, this can happen during pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. Some medications, such as corticosteroids, and cosmetics are also triggers.

Great. So how do we get rid of it?

Apparently not the same way you did when you were a teen. Many acne treatments are geared to super oily teen skin but as we get older the skin tends to get drier. Effective treatment usually means a trial-and-error approached evidenced by the different acne treatments littered around my bathroom. For me sometimes Proactiv worked, then when that stopped working I switched to a stronger Proactiv formula. Then when that stopped working, I turned to Neutrogena Rapid Clear products after raiding my teenage nephew’s stash when I got struck with a case of the pimples while visiting family in Georgia. Pimples were gone by morning. Yes! Then after a while it stopped working. No!

These are the breaks, kids.

Most people find that following a regular skin care regimen and avoiding behaviors that trigger acne (sleeping/exercising in makeup, rinsing skin immediately after a workout, cleaning makeup brushes on a regular basis, etc.) work best for them.

WebMD also has this tip: Believe it or not, there’s a trick to skillful face washing. To start, try to keep your face clean during the day. Then wash your face twice daily with the cleanser (if your skin is dry, try using water the second time). Use only warm water (hot water is drying). Wash for just 1-2 minutes (more can irritate your skin). And use your hands instead of a rough washcloth. (If you must wash with a cloth, choose one made for babies, so it’s as soft as possible.)

Probably one of the best things I did for my skin was to hop on over to my dermatologist for a heart to heart. A prescription for a retinol and about 30 days later my skin was free. Your dermatologist is likely your best bet in the war against adult acne.

But fear not, the trial-and-error route isn’t so bad if you can’t make it out to the derm. Look for over the counter products that contain retinols for the cause. Retinols also known as Vitamin A are like super duper heroes that fight acne, wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven skin tone/hyperpigmentation. Other ingredients to look for: salicylic and glycolic acids.

Try these:

More Neutrogena…

Stay tuned for more posts on acne plus a look into my daily skin care regimen.

Happy Monday! *grumbles*

This weekend I decided to head out to see an old friend—the Flatiron District in Manhattan. I love shopping in the area on Broadway and Fifth Avenue between about 23rd and 15th streets—most of my favorite stores are there and on a Saturday afternoon there isn’t much of a crowd.

My main reason for being out was to check out the MAC Fabulous Felines collection early at the Pro store. I wound up not buying anything, but I’ll have more on that in a later post. But since I was out there, might as well take a little shopping trip, right? Right!

I headed to Sephora since the day before I was on the hunt for the DDF Glycolic Acid 5% Cleanser that Carm B recommend in her anti-aging basics post, but my Sephora didn’t have it so I got the Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 3% Cleanser and the Boscia Black Iluminating Mask. I didn’t even open the Boscia mask and returned it because so many reviews said it’s almost impossible to get all of the mask off your face. Who needs that kind of aggravation? Not me…lol. So in exchange I got the DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, Carol’s Daughter Khoret Amen Hair Oil, Tui Hair Smoothie, and Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner. I’ve heard good thing about the DiorShow lash primer and lash serum wrapped all in one and I’m also trying my hand at transitioning out of my relaxer again. I’ve been “going natural” since 2005 and each time after about month 2, I somehow find myself in a stylist’s chair getting a relaxer…lol. But I read on Moptop Maven’s interview with Carol’s Daughter creator Lisa Price that the Khoret Amen Hair Oil and the Khoret Amen Hair Smoothie (they were out of stock at my Sephora so I got the Tui instead) are good for transitioners to help soften the hair without affecting the kink. We’ll see…

More Carol’s Daughter…

Then I headed to Zara to check out what they were serving. And serve they did! I had about 10 things in my hand, then edited it all down to a jacket and a faux fur vest. Then I just wound up with the vest. I’ve always wanted a fur vest but since I’m tall, wanted one that didn’t make me look like a bear. This one did the trick:

for $79.90.

Then I hopscotched over to Gap to exchange the Tuxedo Khaki Pants I had ordered online. I find that in order to get a true boyfriend fit on pants/jeans/shorts, I have to order 2-3 sizes up. The waist may hang a little bit but it gives me the look I want. I also got the Pleated Cropped Pants on sale for $17.99. I used a 30% coupon code to get both for less. High five!

More Gap…

After that I decided to walk down to Herald Square to check out the Rachel Rachey Roy collection at Macy’s. I love NYC but there are two places I’d have to have really good reason to venture out to and that’s Herald Square and Times Square. I am so not a fan of crowds and both places have crowds to the infinity power. *sigh* But I managed to catapult my way through the sea of people and to the 2nd floor at Macy’s. O-M-G. I used to go to Macy’s 34th street quite often when I worked four blocks away some years ago but since I moved out of the area, I never really go in there aside from an occasional beauty purchase, but boy have I been missing out! The 2nd floor is their contemporary women’s section. No cheesy juniors collection stuff yet no matronly “womens” clothing or über sophisticated and high priced duds either. Brands like Rachel Rachel Roy, BCBG Max Azria, French Connection, and many more live here. And it’s all totally fabulous. I wound up getting the Crinkled Faux Leather Lady Shorts from the Rachel Rachel Roy collection (I’m not one for shorts in the fall but these were too cute to pass up) and the Fitted Blazer With Scalloped Trim marked down to $46.44 from $179 and I had a $10 off coupon.

I also slid by the junior’s shoes section (mainly because of my love for super high platform heels found there) and picked up a pair of Steve Madden Catcherr pumps marked down to $79.99 from $129 but I had a 20% off coupon. Then I also got the Not Your Daughter’s Blouse in navy. I normally avoid buying button down blouses because they gap at the bust area on me and I can’t be bothered with fashion tape or fasteners. This blouse is chic, super comfy (has a stretchy t-shirt material on the sides), and doesn’t gap at the bust. And my back fat? What back fat? Score! They were marked down to $34.50 from $69 and I had another $10 off coupon. I love Macy’s again.

More Rachel Roy…

My new mantra with my wardrobe (so I don’t repeat my reckless behavior of buying everything and racking up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt) is to only buy pieces that can be worn 50 million times and limit my closet to only a select few items. Right now my wardrobe is so tiny but I like it that way. When it was overflowing with clothes, I still wore the same things over and over anyway. I’m pretty much done with fall shopping—all I need to add in are some more shoes, jewelry, and hats (can I bigger-headed sister find hats that fit—sheesh). I still have time before deciding on a major fall/winter coat.

So that was my weekend. What did you do/buy?

I headed to Sephora since the day before I was on the hunt for the DDF Glycolic Acid 5% Cleanser that Carm B recommend in her anti-aging basics post, but my Sephora didn’t have it so I got the Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 3% Cleanser and the Boscia Black Iluminating Mask. I didn’t even open the Boscia mask and returned it because so many reviews said it’s almost impossible to get all of the mask off your face. Who needs that kind of aggravation? Not me…lol. So in exchange I got the DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, Carol’s Daughter Khoret Amen Hair Oil, Tui Hair Smoothie, and Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner. I’ve heard good thing about the DiorShow lash primer and lash serum wrapped all in one and I’m also trying my hand at transitioning out of my relaxer again. I’ve been “going natural” since 2005 and each time after about month 2, I somehow find myself in a stylist’s chair getting a relaxer…lol. But I read on Moptop Maven’s interview with Carol’s Daughter creator Lisa Price that the Khoret Amen Hair Oil and the Khoret Amen Hair Smoothie (they were out of stock at my Sephora so I got the Tui instead) are good for transitioners to help soften the hair without affecting the kink. We’ll see…

More Carol’s Daughter…

Then I headed to Zara to check out what they were serving. And serve they did! I had about 10 things in my hand, then edited it all down to a jacket and a faux fur vest. Then I just wound up with the vest. I’ve always wanted a fur vest but since I’m tall, wanted one that didn’t make me look like a bear. This one did the trick:

for $79.90.

Then I hopscotched over to Gap to exchange the Tuxedo Khaki Pants I had ordered online. I find that in order to get a true boyfriend fit on pants/jeans/shorts, I have to order 2-3 sizes up. The waist may hang a little bit but it gives me the look I want. I also got the Pleated Cropped Pants on sale for $17.99. I used a 30% coupon code to get both for less. High five!

More Gap…

After that I decided to walk down to Herald Square to check out the Rachel Rachey Roy collection at Macy’s. I love NYC but there are two places I’d have to have really good reason to venture out to and that’s Herald Square and Times Square. I am so not a fan of crowds and both places have crowds to the infinity power. *sigh* But I managed to catapult my way through the sea of people and to the 2nd floor at Macy’s. O-M-G. I used to go to Macy’s 34th street quite often when I worked four blocks away some years ago but since I moved out of the area, I never really go in there aside from an occasional beauty purchase, but boy have I been missing out! The 2nd floor is their contemporary women’s section. No cheesy juniors collection stuff yet no matronly “womens” clothing or über sophisticated and high priced duds either. Brands like Rachel Rachel Roy, BCBG Max Azria, French Connection, and many more live here. And it’s all totally fabulous. I wound up getting the Crinkled Faux Leather Lady Shorts from the Rachel Rachel Roy collection (I’m not one for shorts in the fall but these were too cute to pass up) and the Fitted Blazer With Scalloped Trim marked down to $46.44 from $179 and I had a $10 off coupon.

I also slid by the junior’s shoes section (mainly because of my love for super high platform heels found there) and picked up a pair of Steve Madden Catcherr pumps marked down to $79.99 from $129 but I had a 20% off coupon. Then I also got the Not Your Daughter’s Blouse in navy. I normally avoid buying button down blouses because they gap at the bust area on me and I can’t be bothered with fashion tape or fasteners. This blouse is chic, super comfy (has a stretchy t-shirt material on the sides), and doesn’t gap at the bust. And my back fat? What back fat? Score! They were marked down to $34.50 from $69 and I had another $10 off coupon. I love Macy’s again.

More Rachel Roy…

My new mantra with my wardrobe (so I don’t repeat my reckless behavior of buying everything and racking up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt) is to only buy pieces that can be worn 50 million times and limit my closet to only a select few items. Right now my wardrobe is so tiny but I like it that way. When it was overflowing with clothes, I still wore the same things over and over anyway. I’m pretty much done with fall shopping—all I need to add in are some more shoes, jewelry, and hats (can I bigger-headed sister find hats that fit—sheesh). I still have time before deciding on a major fall/winter coat.

So that was my weekend. What did you do/buy?

I tapped friend and beauty blogger Carm B of Lipstick Fashion Mascara for a piece on anti-aging basics. Not only is Carm roll-over-on-the-ground-feel-like-you-did-a-million-crunches funny but she’s always either trying out something new in skincare or talking so she brings a great perspective.

Let’s see what she has cooked up for us…

We may not want to admit it, but aging is a concern amongst most of us. No fear–I am here to save the day. Here are some basics to get you started on your journey to forever young-ness.

I can’t stress it enough, SUNSCREEN. Sun is the single biggest factor in collagen break down. Once this break down happens you will see fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and lack of radiance. My recommendation is at least SPF 30 everyday. Even if you won’t leave the house and are schlepping around in your Scooby Doo pajamas, wash your face then apply.

Once you are protecting your assets you can begin using treatments to address and/or prevent signs of aging. If you already see signs of aging, you may want to begin using products containing retinoids. When we are about 28 our cell turnover begins to slow down. Slower cell turnover makes our skin appear lackluster and not as plump as it once was. Think of retinoids as a cure all. They speed up cell turnover and single-handedly combat hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and even adult acne. Retin A, Tazorac and Tri-Luma are all popular retinoids however they do require a trip to the dermatologist. Because retinoids make you sun sensitive only use at night.

Glycolic acid is another magical ingredient. It exfoliates without the use of beads, granules, etc. I suggest incorporating this in your regimen via toner or face wash at least a few times a week. It helps to excelerate the process of dead skin shedding and will help your products penetrate deeper. If you are using higher percentages of retinoids, use enzymatic products to exfoliate. Enzymes are just a fancy word for fruit derived ingredients. Look for masks that use enzymes as you wouldn’t want to combine too many aggressive products at once.

Eyes

The skin around our eyes is thinner than any other place on our face. We usually see signs of aging here before any where else. This is another area you must be sure to cover in SPF, but use around an SPF 15 since our eyes are more sensitive and can’t tolerate higher SPFs without tearing. At night use products that contain ingredients such as hyaluronic acid which plumps and hydrates the skin and holds more than 1000 times its weight in water. Use your ringer finger to apply product around your eyes. Be sure to pat the product into the skin because rubbing can cause damage.

Though it might sound tempting to incorporate into your skincare regimen, please note that over the counter retinoids have not been approved for use around the eye area.

If cost is a concern remember your skin is your largest organ. It is better to prevent than to attempt to correct. Additionally, I would suggest spending more on your night time regimen to better take advantage of skin’s overnight repair process.

Here are some of my product recommendations (click pics for product info):

Face Scrubs & Exfoliants by Bliss
Face Cleansers by N.V. Perricone