Clear Skin, Clean Face

Ever walk into the facial cleanser aisle at your local drugstore and find yourself utterly confused? Why does Clean & Clear sell so many different types of face wash? What if you want to use the Morning Burst at night, is that ok? Or do I have to buy two different kinds of face wash? If this brand is more expensive...does it mean it's a lot better?! Will this dry my skin out?

That’s what goes through MY mind when I’m there. I used to always end up going home with a different product after each visit, and for that reason, I can share some good insight with you all! I have tried Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, Clearasil, Aveeno and many other drug-store facial cleansers, and here is a rundown:

I have rather sensitive skin, so I always have a bit of trouble finding something that doesn’t dry my skin out. It seems everything is too drying for me these days! My dermatologist recommended Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (about $9 for an 8 oz pump) to me a few years ago and I was really pleased with it. It did a great job keeping my acne at bay and evening my skin tone. I liked the pump better than I liked the squeeze out tubes, and the cleanser didn't leave my face dry.I have always enjoyed the Johnson & Johnson’s Purpose Gentle Cleansing face wash so much more. And who can resist this $4.74 price tag for a 6 oz bottle?! (taken at the Target in Diamond Bar, CA).

Purpose feels like it is doing a better job cleaning my face. I also feel my face is a lot clearer after I use this product and it certainly doesn’t dry out my skin. What’s great about Purpose is it claims to be fragrance free and free of other drying ingredients. It’s a great face wash! It is soap-free, 100% oil free, hypoallergenic, and claims to not clog your pores like other products might. What this means to you is basically this product won't leave stuff behind on your face that might clog your pores and make you look ugly. Good deal.


If you refuse to use drug store brands, I highly recommend The Body Shop's Vitamin E Cream Cleanser. It is pricier--$14 for a 6.7 oz bottle, but it eliminates the need to moisturize after washing your face. It contains Vitamin E (which is a natural antioxidant) soy oil, shea butter & wheat germ oil. I enjoy this product tremendously but I opt to use The Body Shop's Vitamin E night cream to moisturize my face in combination with Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash.




*photos courtesy Cetaphil & The Body Shop websites

Fun In The Sun!

I am clearly neglecting my blog! I got 200 hits within 2 weeks of launching this thing, so I guess my blog addresses a rather popular subject and I know I should post the posts that I had planned. So, I will post at least once a week about fabulous money-saving tips for you gals!

It's April, and though in some parts of the world it's all about "April Showers," we here in California have only seen rain twice this month and have been otherwise blessed with 70-80 degree weather. We have had weekends where it's been in the mid- to high 80s, which of course allowed for fabulous beach trips.

Because Coachella is this weekend (a 3-day outdoor music festival) and it seems like everyone from LA uproots themselves and travels to the desert, I want you all to be prepared for the extra sun-exposure. I know most girls are super stoked to get their tan on, but can we please just be a bit careful? After all, skin cancer isn't a made up a disease, and if that isn't enough to scare you... you WILL get wrinkles from extra sun exposure.

Now fine, I can hear the complaints now. Who am I to tell you guys NOT to tan? I know, I know I am lucky and I'm all tan and brown and all that fun stuff and that I shouldn't be advising people to slather on the sunscreen when I never have had to worry about looking "pasty" in my life... and who am I to tell you girls to slather on sunscreen and stay pasty? Honestly, I don't like seeing ghosts like Nicole Kidman or Kristen Stewart as much as you girls don't like being super pasty-white in the summer. Those actresses need a bit of color to look un-dead. But there are safer ways to get tan without getting skin cancer à-la Izzie Stevens in Grey's Anatomy. I'll save those tips for another blog post!

For now, I just want to set the record straight that I agree with my melanin-deprived friends who want to look alive in the summer. I just think that girls today have no excuse not to do it in a more healthy way.

So here, for now, I just want to encourage everyone (dark-skinner or not!) to put on sunscreen before you leave your home for prolonged sun exposure.

The brand I am in love with right now is Neutrogena for their Ultra-Sheer Dry-touch line. It is great for your face because it does not leave the skin with an oily or greasy feel like other sunscreens do. I only paid about $10 for mine at Target, and it's a good enough size to last me all summer. I use this on my face and arms, and I'm pretty sure they sell one that is waterproof as well. I tan really easily, and as rare as this is for for someone of Pakistani descent, I actually BURN too. My nose and cheeks are prime areas for sunburns. So, I go the extra mile and actually get the SPF 70. I have no idea what "Helioplex" is so I guess I should ask my Dermatologist cousin what is is for those of you who care.

Since I always feature expensive counterparts (for the style-snobs and for kicks) I will share with you a $34 bottle of sunscreen. I just came across this in a magazine and was a bit intrigued by it. It's La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60. I read one review on it and was unable to find much more info about it. It has some chemical called "Mexoryl" that apparently protects against short UVA rays and thus prevents wrinkles. If anyone is interested (or if anyone has used it) leave me a comment, I'd love to see how this product is and if it indeed is worth the extra $20+. They have a whole line of skin care that I'm interested in trying, since Allure magazine rated their daily moisturizer as one of the best of 2009. I'm a bit intrigued by them and will have to check their stuff out.

For now, be safe in the sun!

The Acne Problem

I've been one of the lucky few who had very minimal issues with acne and pimples in my teens. I only recently started getting any blemishes, and last year when a few became a little too noticeable on my cheeks, I completely freaked out because at age 23, I had no idea how to treat acne.



I drove over to my favorite store Sephora for some assistance. Sephora carries tons of make up products, but I knew they would have acne treatments for me too. After speaking with a sales clerk for a while, she pointed me out to a brand called Peter Thomas Roth and showed me that their Acne Spot And Area Treatment supposedly stops pimples from before they even appear. What? There are products for that? I was sold! I don't like acne, I didn't like it on my face, and if I can stop it from before it comes heck ya! So... I took it to the register, and found out that itcosts $32!!! For Acne Medication. I know right, what kind of a crazy person spends $32 on Acne medication? I was honestly just determined not to walk around with any zits on my face and thought this expensive product would do this trick.

Wrong.

At first I thought I was just thought God was out to get me and was determined to make me go through break outs at 23...but then I realized this $32 product just really sucks. It did absolutely nothing for my acne, not even after 2-3 continuous days of use. Worst of all, if I put it on in the morning before work, there was visibly white filmy residue on my face. Not at all attractive.

So I went to Target and looked through the acne aisle and found a little tube of Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel for about $8...huge savings. I took it home and used it on the same acne spots and am so grateful to have discovered this product!! I now understand why it's the dermatologists recommended brand, this little tube helped save me. As a matter of fact, I got a little pimple on my chin tonight so I used this Gel and I am confident that by tomorrow the pimple will be gone. It contains 2% salicylic Acid which apparently is one of the strongest sold OTC, so good deal Neutrogena!


Verdict: Buying expensive OTC acne treatment is not always in you best interest....so if you have mild acne stick with brands like Neutrogena. However, I'm no Dermatologist, so see one if your acne is really bad for a prescription for something stronger, or better recommendations.