Random - Skincare: To Proactiv or not?

My acne nightmare did not start until my first year of university. My skin was basically clear before that so I didn't know what to do except wonder, 'shouldn't acne be going away at this age instead of emerging?'

My parents freaked out. I was too stressed out over school to properly take care of my skin which made it even worse.

I went to the dermatologist who labeled it 'hormonal acne', recommended creams that didn't work, and pills that I did not feel comfortable taking even if they did clear my skin. Because of the commercials on TV, I went to the mall and bought my first set of Pro-Activ (at the time it was close to $100!). I was desperate to try anything after my confidence took a bad beating.

My first experience with Pro-Activ was a positive one. I followed the system religiously, starting out with only a night application during the first week and increasing it to twice daily like suggested. I never skipped it, even when I had to carry the whole system with me to my best friend's during sleepovers. Summer came and I could go out without any makeup on at all.

Then I began to question all the chemicals in this product. Like many users, my skin hated me when I tried to quit by exploding into breakout hell. I began to look for new products to replace the expensive system. Nothing really gave me that clear skin Proactiv had given me.

My skin was in pretty bad shape in December 2010. I work teaching an after school program and my students thought I had allergies. I'm going to be a teacher soon and that motivated me to put my best face forward =P

When I went back on Pro-Activ in December, I felt like I was at rock bottom. I wanted what it had given me three summers back - the coveted flawless skin. That's not what I got. My acne did not get better. It got worse. Things didn't get better after 3 months. The most logical thing was to quit and find something new but I wanted to use all the product up before moving on. I hate wasting stuff.

At the end of March, I started seeing noticeable results. To speed up the process I began to delve into the Origins skincare line. Their promise of natural product ingredients sounded very appealing to me. The Spot Remover was awesome! A little bit dried out pimples really quickly. I loved it!

I have clear skin now, just some scarring and hyper-pigmentation. I think they could have been preventable if I had started dealing with my acne issues sooner rather than later. It makes my life easier to have a good skincare routine then rely on makeup as my quick fix.

My verdict? I will be repurchasing this system. I don't think Pro-Activ is a miracle product but I'm glad it has worked for me (despite the delay the second time around).

FYI - I have sensitive skin. The system (Cleanser & Toner, 120mL, Repairing Lotion 60mL) lasts me a good 7 months.

LOOT - 3 for 3 Bath & Body Works

I found myself pulled into B&BW once again on the last day of their buy 3 get 3 free sale.



I got 3 body creams, 1 body lotion, 2 perfumes, 2 candles, and a candle holder.



The lotion in Bali mango smells really good but it can be a little intense.
I love the texture of these body creams. They're not too thick and have greatly improved the look of my skin while leaving a subtle scent behind.
Coconut lime verbena: I hate coconut and would never have picked this one up if my bf didn't make me smell it. The lime really changed my mind and oddly makes me think of 7Up when I put this on.
Warm vanilla sugar: Vanilla is one of my favorite scents so I'm pretty picky about anything vanilla. This is not overly sweet but there is something about it that I don't quite like... can't put my finger on it though. Even though I was going to save it for the winter as I do find it a little heavy, I do pull it out on cold rainy days (which we still have a lot of in Vancouver).
Country chic: My favorite scent. It reminds me of apples for some reason.



The candle is peach Bellini scented and it smells delicious. Don't you just love the little tropical candle holder? CUTE.


Because of my love for the Mango Mandarin body cream, I got the perfume to go with it. The black raspberry vanilla is another favorite of mine. I like to spray it over the warm vanilla sugar cream or on stationery as I do quite a lot of letter writing. My only gripe with these are the scents don't last very long which is what I expect from an EDT.

NOTD - Hello Kitty!

I rarely do nail art but Kandee Johnson had a great nail tutorial here:
http://youtu.be/Y8posThBPqU
I decided to give it a try even though I'm not as pro as her :)

For reference (although you can use any polish), the polishes I used were:
Red: Rimmel Lycrawear 10 - Hot Gossip
Yellow: - Icing (oh darn, no colour name!)
Black: L.A. Colors Art Deco
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - White On
Top Coat - Nutra Nail Triple Power Gel Strengthener

I used the tip of a pushpin to draw in the details.