Category Archives: Acne

Aztec Secrets Indian Healing Clay – World’s Most Powerful Facial…

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It’s not that I was in the market for another clay mask, but it wasn’t possible for me to walk past a giant tub with a label attached claiming to be the “world’s most powerful facial,” and also read that you’d be able to “feel your face pulsate!”

And it was only $8.

Inside of this 1 pound tub is the real deal – 100% natural Calcium Bentonite, a green clay that’s been used to clean and detoxify the skin for thousands of years. The amount included will allow me to mix mud masks for probably the next 10 years, 5 if I’m using it for body wraps like they also suggest doing.

I found it at Vitamin Cottage, I’ve probably walked right past it 100 times.

You’ve seen this right? 
A glimpse of the powder, it’s completely unscented too which I really like.

I didn’t mind making the paste, it was easy to scoop a small amount into a bowl and add some cider vinegar (their recommendation and great for tightening pores) which activated and awakened the clay making it temporarily bubble.

I opted for a thicker paste, the usual consistency for a clay mask like this.

And then it happened. Sure enough my face was pulsating. Every little heartbeat pulled my skin tighter and tighter until it was dry and ready to be removed. When I walked back into the bathroom, I wanted to laugh at how crazy my face looked but I couldn’t move it.

See how it’s pulling the skin under my eye down?

I swear if it were clear I’d wear it under makeup daily, like a face lift you brush on.

So since it’s just us girls, and my vanity left me years ago,  it’s totally worth showing how crazy my whole face looked.

Doing my best ‘droopy’ face. 

Ok, here’s the thing – the overall softness and glow my skin had after I took it off was pretty remarkable. It cleans out pores better than a ton masks out there for a lot less money and no impure chemicals. According to their (really bad) website, the clay contains ‘almost every mineral found on Earth’ and the negatively charged clay pulls out the positively charged toxins and pollutiants in the skin. I’ll go ahead and skip the 25 minutes of Googling to see if that’s true and just believe them.

Don’t let my sad, droopy face fool you, I loved this mask. You can find it on Amazon (where you can also read some great reviews), or at a Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, and other health food stores.

Super Duper Skin Care

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Skin care is getting more and more advanced, so there’s no excuse to not love the look of your skin. Check out my picks for some skin care that has been giving my skin the royal treatment.

The Super Duper Do-It-All Skin Reviving Serum

SkinMedica’s skin boosting serum is widely regarded as one of the best on the market for changing skin on a few fronts. TNS Essential Serum uses a powerful growth factor combined with peptides to get into the skin cells and repair them so when they make their way up to the surface, they create younger looking skin that’s less wrinkled and more radiant. 7 antioxidants are used to fight off environmental damage to protect the youthful, new skin it helps to create.

The At-Home Peel

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (formerly MD Skincare) makes a bunch of stuff that I love, but recently I’m addicted to their Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel. For half the cost of a peel done by a pro, you’ll have a month’s worth of pads that will correct redness, calm acne, chase away fine lines, tighten large pores, and address dull skin. It didn’t leave my face flaky or red, it just started doing its thing right away to calm an annoying breakout and give my skin a totally rested and alert look.

The Smart Cleanser 

Who cares about a cleanser right? You rub it on then wash it all off, it doesn’t matter what’s in it as long as it’s getting skin clean. Not true with Erno Laszlo because they’re  taking cleansing a step further with their Firmarine, a Spirulina Maxima and Algae Extract rich cleansing bar that strengthens and firms the skin even after it’s washed away.

The Beautiful Moisturizer

I’ve been prepping my client’s skin with Intraceuticals Opulence Moisture Brightening Cream because it adds so much radiance to the skin, I’m cutting down the amount of foundation I use on them by half. I wore it today by combining it with a drop of liquid bronzer which made my skin practically glow. How many moisturizers can make your skin look that good instantly?

The Nourishing Eye Oil

Eye cream, yes, but eye oil? You bet. Before bed, I’ve been using an oil under a cream for added moisture before wearing a silk eye mask to keep it all in place. You don’t have to do the whole routine like I do, just get a moisturizing oil like Bioelements new All Things Pure Eye Oil. It absorbs easily into the skin and has an ingredient lineup that’s so pure you could eat it.

Helping Your Skin Look A Ton Better…

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If you have 100% perfect skin, you can skip ahead to the next post while the rest of us curse you as we try to figure out what we can use to give our skin the boost it needs. There are serums, treatments, fillers, and correctors for every skin concern out there. The only question is, which one would help you?

For Rosacea:

Calm Cool & Corrected by DERMAdoctor is a hugely popular treatment for red, inflamed, and broken out skin. They skip the salicylic acid and retinoids that some creams use in rosacea treatments in favor of skin calming ones like white tea, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera to name a few. This cream has a big cult following because it brings down redness quickly and even helps with the blemishes and dry skin that go along with the rosacea territory.

For Wrinkles:

If immidiate gratification is your thing, Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist [CP+] won’t let you down. This ultra concentrated formula fills in wrinkles for skin that’s a lot less lined within minutes. Not only does a give a wrinkle-reducing blurring effect to the skin right away, but it also helps to improve the look of lines over time. Diminish lines now, and treat them for later.

For Breakouts:

I’ve always had hard time finding a primer that smoothes and mattifies the skin without causing breakouts. Something will work great for a few days, then it all catches up with me and my skin is a disaster. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s All-Over Blemish Solution thinks it’s a acne treatment, but it as all the hallmarks of a great primer. It minimizes pores, controls shine, and gives the skin a really even finish. You’d never guess it’s helping to eliminate blackheads and acne at the same time.

For Dullness:

I keep Freeze 24/7 Freeze & Go in my kit so I have something to bring out the brightness in the face when I’m applying makeup on a girl who just didn’t get enough sleep the night before (ahem… hungover.) It somehow brightens up the face and adds some life to an otherwise dull complexion in minutes.

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Sukí Advanced, Organic Skin Care

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A line that has 10% Vitamin C serums, peels, and skin care that relieves cystic acne, eczema, and aging skin may not seem unusual, but when you consider how Sukí achieves clinically-proven results, you might think twice.

Sukí carefully crafted a complete line without these common ingredients that are used in place of the plants, flowers, and fruit extracts which have been used to treat the skin for hundreds of years. The use science to formulate Earth-based ingredients that make positive changes in the skin.

Their website is information disguised as art, it’s beautifully done and brings to life an understanding of what their products can do for your specific skin type. One of my favorites is their Balancing Day Lotion ($32) for all skin types- even breakout-prone, and sensitive. Its consistency packs more of a punch than a usual lotion, and my skin drinks it right in.

Even though it seems like it would make the problem worse, using their Moisture-Balancing ($30) oil on skin that’s troubled or oily can slow (or even stop) excess oil production to eliminate unwanted shine and even breakouts.

For skin that’s mature or is showing some signs of aging, their award-winning Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel uses plant-based enzymes along with vitamin c to exfoliate dull skin while creating a bright, new complexion. It’s a one-of-a-kind because of its effectiveness using an ingredient lineup that’s clean and green.

You can learn more about Sukí and purchase products HERE on their site.

It’s also sold HERE at SaffronRouge.com

Zeno HOT SPOT

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If I told you that Zeno’s HOT SPOT can reduce blemishes in hours, would you believe me? Believe it because it worked that quickly on me. It was literally within hours that I saw a reduction in inflation and a complete disappearance of my pesky little visitor in less than a day.

HOT SPOT works by using heat to kill the bacteria that causes breakouts in a way that’s safe and natural. Instead of assaulting your skin with harsh chemicals, whenever you feel a breakout coming on just a 2 minute Zeno zap of heat may be all you need to chase the blemish away while maintaining the integrity of the skin around it.

It’s pretty amazing how well it works and it’s great that Zeno has come down so much in price. They’re still selling an expensive version which only gives 60 treatments, but the HOT SPOT lasts for 80 uses and sells for only $40 at drugstores nationwide.

Blemish be gone.

Zeno HOT SPOT

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Acne-Fighting Skin Care

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Is there anything worse than your skin breaking out? It’s so annoying. The only thing that makes it bearable for me is knowing that it might make me look a little younger. I know, I’m really stretching the limits of my glass being half-full. I’ve tried everything for my often troubled skin, so I know what works and what falls short. Here are a few things to get you through the teenaged skin days without using harsh ingredients that can tear your not teenaged skin apart.

The best thing you can do for troubled skin is to use a gentle daily cleanser so your products can absorb into a calm environment. Purpose Gentle Cleansing Bar, a dermatologists favorite because it’s oil-free, and super gentle on even the most irritated skin gives squeaky-clean results without stripping your much needed moisture barrier.

Keeping your pores clear is key when you’re fighting acne so you need to polish away dirt, oil, and dead skin regularly. Use an exfoliant once or twice a week that isn’t too harsh. Using a harsh scrub could make breakouts worse, but Clean & Clear’s Morning Burst Scrub uses mellow beads surrounded by a gel cleanser that won’t cause redness or additional irritation.

Troubled skin is often times oily skin but you have to resist the urge to go completely sans-hydration. Keep your surface comfortable and smooth by using Murad’s Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 to control oil production all day before it can get out of hand and clogs pores.

Of course, you might still see the occasional little visitor every now and again, but when you do, you should have some Trifix Acne Clearing Lotion from Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare on hand. It’s a spot treatment that uses Colloidal Sulfur, a kinder to the skin alternative to Salicylic Acid so the pimple is zapped, but not your skin.

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