Vodka and Soda

weekly smiles

 

 

all week i 've been doing double workouts:  lifting at 5am and then running or some other cardio after work.

 

 

i try to use as many all-natural products as possible and here are two great brands, both canadian and both awesome.  remember i previously blogged about my new favorite sunscreen?  this is it. 

and that deodorant smells great, totally works and by that, i mean my pits aren't stanktified at the end of the day.

 

had a playdate with one of my besties and his kids.  caught kayla and bestie chatting over a snack.  i have known this guy since i was in grade 7 (goddamn, that's 25 years).

 

 

 

we love walking home with kayla from school.

 

 

one of my favorite meat dishes:  kalbi (korean short ribs).  with bbq season here, we stocked up our freezer!

 

 

 

my tablet makes cooking so much easier!  i have all of my favorite recipies bookmarked for quick and easy reference

 

 

i really liked this  meal that i made the other night:  fresh meatballs stuffed with portobello mushrooms and spaghetti with roasted cauliflower and shredded cheese. 

 

 

 

i really like my outfit on the right.  it was casual and comfy but with a little fanciness (hair and shoes).  people at work make fun of my hair (in a high ballerina bun) but i just tell them to suck it.  they all be jelly!!

 

 

i guess it's time for new capris.  while i love shopping for new clothes, it's just getting too expensive now.  besides, i love my old clothes and can't find anything similar so going to start taking in my pants instead of buying new ones.

 

 

 

look what i washi'd!  ever since i bought washi tape from my friend's shop, i can't stop searching pinterest for washi project ideas. 

 

 

have a great weekend everyone and happy mother's day to all the moms out there!

all things beauty

 

 

for the past two weeks, my nether regions were in DefCon 5 1:  i managed to get every awful ailment that could happen to one person all in one shot and situation got critical: 

• return of the godawful anus demons but it was a small attack.
• i got pink-eye.
• i broke out in nasty zits.
• i slept weird on my pillow which resulted in my earring being bent a strange way and then it got infected.
• i got my period - thankfully it lasted only 3 days
• ...but then as soon as my vagina stopped bleeding, i got a fucking yeast infection.
• i got strep throat
• ...which moved into my chest and then i developed a wicked cough and chest pains
• i burned my arm on the fucking oven.

tell me god, what did i do to wrong you?!

anyhow, i'm glad to say that eveything is back to normal....now onto the fun stuff. 

do any of you know what a sock bun is?  i didn't until saturday when bestie's wife melted my face by showing me how she uses a sock to put her hair up in a bun:

in the history of my unruly hair, i've never ever been successful in getting my hair to stay in a pretty bun.  my hair is way too long and so frigging heavy that just short of using rubber cement, nothing would hold my hair up without giving me a wicked headache...until the sock bun.  you don't need any pins either! 

as soon as i got home frome bestie's house, i ran upstairs and grabbed an old dress sock, cut off the toe part, rolled it into a disc (top two photos) and rolled my hair into it.  it took me a few tries and i'm still getting the hang of it but it totally works.  and the best part is that you don't even need to secure it to your head with pins - it just stays put! 

the beauty board weekend happened this weekend too!  getting better every year, my friend stephanie of blush pretty hosts this amazing event where local toronto vendors come and showcase their stuff.  it's an afternoon of mingling, trying on and shopping for products, eating and listening to amazing tunes and this year, a good friend was also showcasing her new store for the first time: Paper + Cloth.  washi tape, vintage fabrics, lace tape and all things crafty is what this online store will sell (June 1 launch).  more details to come!

 

 

 

more awesome vendors:

dot & lil:  specializing in delicious bath and body products.  my favorite is her satsuma body butter

 

 

my all-time favorite nail brand:  cheeky monkey.  bought "get wet" yesterday, wearing it today and loving it.

 

 

featherband: gorgeous handmade headbands and clips

ella: natural bath and body products.

sweet leaf bath:  newbies at the beauty board, they sell natural bath and body products.

paper + cloth: selling all things crafty.

pure + simple: only the best all-natural products ever made!

consonant body:  an up-and-coming company that only uses the healthiest products for your skin.

kaia naturals: only the best facial cleansing wipes you'll ever use!

 

what i bought:

kaia naturals bamboo facial cleansing wipes (individually wrapped wipes which are great for travel!)

paper + cloth washi tape.  seriously love these!

dot & lil satsuma body butter.  this product saved my hands; all winter i slathered this on and never got any hang nails.

cheeky monkey "get wet" nail color.

consonant body "the perfect sunscreen".  seriously, this IS the perfect sunscreen! i'm trying to get away from chemical sunscreens and this is a physical block that doesn't leave a white cast and it's not greasy.  a review to come shortly.

pure + simple travel skin care for senstive skin.

 

my new fav spring color.

 

  ....and what i made with my washi tape!

 

hope you all had a great weekend!

 

weekly smiles

 

who says you have to spend top dollar for cute jewelry?  2 necklaces + 2 bracelets = $23, courtesy of Forever 21.

 

 

tough mudder training in full effect. and ignore the state of my basement; it has vomited fitness equpipment everywhere.

my core-toning goal is coming along nicely - i'm starting to see more definition all over, including that lower-ab "v" shape and more definition in my obliques thanks to Beast Abs (Body Beast), Core Attack (Les Mills combat), KB training and p90x2 XCore workouts.

i've also started doing most of my weight training using a stability ball or balancing on one leg which improves overall balance, adds intensity and strength to your legs and core and jacks up caloric burn.

 

 

...and thanks to fitness, i'm able to wear a dress that i haven't worn in years (when i was 108lbs even though i'm nowhere near 108lbs) and that vest that i bought 14yrs ago.  the other day, i went to a baby shower, saw a friend i haven't seen in about a year and he said to me "wow, you look really strong".  secret gloating ensued.

 

 

in less than a week, i'll be here :  Aruba!  we leave on march 4 and come back on march 12.  don't hate because you're jealous.

 

finally seeing die hard 5!  it was good but not as good as die hard 3.

 

 

Toms now has strappy sandals!!!  totally going to order these two when i get back from vacay.

and i forgot i had those cute fur-lined booties! 

 

 

winning a free coffee from Timmy's famous "roll-up the rim to win" contest.

 

 

a surprise (late) bday gift from galpal leesh.  i LOVE this!!

 

 

and finally, my dear sweet Kayla...it seems the rhythm is gonna get her (or has got her already).

 

weekly smiles...

 

since i started working again last week, the last thing i want to do is come home and blog.  i'm still trying to get into the swing of things and i'm still in the "i would rather stay home" phase and "why the fuck am i dressed with pants on at an office" phase so needless to say, it's going to take me a while to find my groove.

in the mean time, enjoy a pictoral explosion of what's been happening lately that made me smile....

  i love the age of 4.  kayla has been expressing interest in the same things as me, namely getting dolled up, wearing shiney/fancy things and loving every second that she's being pampered.  i took her to the salon with me the week before i started work.  she even got some "makeup" done. the other day, she followed me into the change room and wanted to try on some clothes too.

 

 

another DIY thanks to pinterest.  i got sick of my cluttered bathroom counter top so we went to ikea, spent $6.99 on these spice racks and got organized. 

 

 

stella and dot were having a promotion where you buy $50 worth of stuff and get $25 dollars back.  hello, it was practically free so hell to the yes, i bought some things. 

 

 

my two bffs on my arm:  stella and oia :)

 

 

 

waking up before 5am to work out....this ain't right.  but alas, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

 

 

 

clean eating 24/7.  every sunday, i prep my meals and snacks for the entire week ahead.  everything is individually wrapped or packaged and ready to grab 'n' go.  saves me a ton of time!

 

 

i had to lug this giant box of healthy snacks on my first day back at work but at least i have cabinets that are now fully stocked!

 

 

after living in yoga pants as  a housewife for the past 9 months, i realized that i didn't really have any 'work clothes' (read: shopping haul!!).   i found a bunch of really nice things for 50% off or more and much of them are lacy pretty things.  for some reason, i really like lace this season.   i got an oakley spring jacket for $50 (from $150!) and i also bought a new hair straightener because i recently stumbled on how to create soft, waves with a straightener. 

 

 

....and these are the soft waves i was talking about.

 

my new favorite lip balm.  it's soothing, moisturizing, non-greasy, smells yummy and all natural.  while a little pricey ($19), this works amazingly well.  i hate dry, chapped lips and this definitely keeps my lips soft and kissable.  i won't post a picture of my soft, supple lips because you'll probably try to make-out with the your screen.

 

 

shit just got real.  i registered for tough mudder as did a few of my friends so we're going to be heading off to mount st. louis ski resort on september 28 to kick some serious ass. training has already begun but now it's gonna get serious.

 

hope you all have a great weekend!

DIY: jewelry organizer

 

enough with the fitness posts, right?  let's move onto to something fun... like my new, awesome jewelry organizer!

my last organizer was also a DIY but not as efficient and by efficient, i mean it was just a different way to dump my shit in a more organized manner and by that, i mean it wasn't really organized.  it was still hard for me to find my bracelets/rings and the only things that were easy for me to find were my necklaces.

when i went to my cousin's house, i saw her organizer (and loved it) and i simply stated: "i have two  of those at home.... and i'm going to totally steal your idea".  however there was one glitch:  hubs uses this organizer for his nuts, bolts and screws which meant he was going to have to find somewhere else to store them.

 

folks, this is a carpentry organizer for screws and such, hence the ugly blue color.  men don't care for esthetics and neither does home depot or rona.  i'm still trying to figure out if i can repaint this but that would require some work (sanding and spraying with color) and i'm not about that.   the best part?  these are stackable!  you're not looking at a single unit but a series of units all put together.  how awesome is that?

these are also over 20 years old as it was my dad's who, bless his soul and heart, kept it in pretty good shape.  when he passed away and we moved from the old house, hubs had the foresight to keep this which i'm thankful for because at the time, the jewelry gods hadn't activated my probe yet.

 

hubs:  just dump the screws and crap in this bin;  i'll organize it later and put them away.  I LOVE THIS MAN

 

cleaning it up.  i used kayla's baby wipes - stronger than paper towel and chemical free!

 

 

while cleaning out the drawers, i found some things that brought back memories as well as some tears.  the first picture is a pendant that my father gave to my mother when they were dating.  on the back, his initials are inscribed.  this made me bawl my eyes out. 

the middle picture are the studs from when i first got my ears pierced... when i was 5 years old.  i really don't know why my dad kept these... probably for the same reasons why i would keep something like this of kayla's.  by this time, i'm a weepy mess.

the last picture is a bracelet that my mom kept.  how fitting that in the midst of all the screws and other stuff in here, i find jewelry. i think this organizer has fulfilled its destiny.

 

i lined each drawer with non-slip foam shelf liners courtesy of the dollar store.  actually, i had lots of left overs from when we moved into this house so i didn't have to spend a dime.  i love not spending money.

 

the finished product:

LOL i just noticed kayla snuck a few things of her own in here (she was helping me clean this up) -- can you spot them?

 

you can find these stackable organizers at home depot for $19.99.  they've probably updated the look but for $20, you can't go wrong.    also, the bottom drawer spans across the entire length so i can lie my cuffs flat. 

i'm so in love with this thing.. and the fact that this was my dad's just makes this so awesome. 

product review: aura cacia argan oil

 

you all know from previous posts that i've been struggling with my skin lately and this is my saviour:  100% certified organic argan oil.  i wanted to give it time to truly see the benefits and after a month of using this religiously (twice a day), i can honestly say that this is the best product i've ever bought for my skin.

my skin freaked out twice - once when it decided to give my la mer cream and expensive sunscreen the finger and then i screwed it up even more by over-processing it when i did a major skin care haul and applied everything i bought onto my face at once (done out of sheer excitement, stupidity and impatience to systematically incorporate each product into my routine).  i royally fucked up my skin's barrier and i was plagued with red, hyper-sensitive, irritated and super dry skin.  the dryness centered around my eyes (which, in turn, made my concealer look horrible and aged me 10 years, nothankyou), dry patches on my cheeks and under my chin area.  gone was my smooth, supple skin and i looked like something that crawled out of a crypt, i shit you not.

i turned to argan oil as a last resort (and sort of by accident) and after slathering it on for 2 days, the skin around my eyes were no longer dry.  the skin under my chin stopped peeling and those gross patches went away.  i now use this twice a day (morning and night) and since then, a lot of the fine lines around my eyes have disappeared.  for $14 a bottle, id' say that's fucking amazing.

this product has actually simplifed my skin care routine so instead of applying 5 products like i used to, i only need 3:  hydrating serum, argan oil, moisturizer and then i wait for awesomeness to set in.

benefits of argan oil:

• argan oil has active substances called triterpenoids which aid in the healing, offers anti-inflammatory and sun protection
• amazing for eczema.  i have eczema and this has eliminated most of it. 
• can also be used to add nourishment to hair and cuticles.  a product that does 3 things!
• not all argan oil is made equal (although some people may say otherwise).  i used that josie maran garbage for three weeks straight with zero results and i spent a ton of money on it.  after 2 days of using this organic argan oil (which only cost me $14 from a health food store), my skin cleared right up
• cools and soothes irritations
• reduces wrinkles by restoring the skin's hydro-lipid layer (fancy talk which really means:  dry skin = wrinkles and argan oil will fix that shit right up)

keep in  mind though, that not everyone reacts well to skin oils.  it's wise to do a test patch first by applying a small amount of product close to your face (usually by your jaw line) for one week and watch for a reaction.  i test patch on my neck because the skin is as sensitive as the skin on my face.  

product rating:  10/10

the life of a housewife - update

 

 

it's been about 2 weeks since becoming a housewife (of toronto) and i gotta say, i'm totally loving my time off and spent no time getting used to doing nothing.

my first week off was my 'vacation'.  yes, yes; i know i have 3 months off but i'll be keeping busy during these 3 months and i wanted to have a 'do nothing but pamper myself and fun stuff' week before i started all of my house tasks.   my vacay week was filled with blogging, relaxing, napping and putting around the house; not to mention shopping, facials, massages and pedicures.  oh the life of a housewife... it's pretty fucking awesome.

i recently blogged about my switch to an all-natural makeup line and last week, i had my facial and skin consultation at Pure + Simple; a spa that is dedicated to providing holistic skin treatments using natural and organic products.   since my skin hasn't been on its best behaviour lately and after some chats with bloggy pal, elaine, i decided to book an appointment to talk to them about my skin and possible alternatives for skin products.

 

 

when i walked into the spa, i saw rows upon rows of skin products and i felt like a giddy kid in a candy store; i'm glad i got there early so i could take some pictures and browse the products at my leisure. oh and just so you know, by the time i remembered to take a picture of the room before i messed up the bed, i was already in my underwear fumbling around with my phone camera in a very dim-lit room so i couldn't get all fancy and photographic because i was afraid the lady would walk in and see me nekkid.  

i received the super hydrating facial since my skin is dry and not only did i love the products that were used, it was an awesome and relaxing facial. although my skin looked great, it still felt a little tight but i think it was because the proper moisturizer wasn't used.  i also didn't really click with my esthetician (which is very important for me in order to trust her with her product recommendations etc), but i enjoyed the facial and the atmosphere so much that i went ahead and purchased a package of 3 facials and will just book with another esthetician.  hmmm... i wonder if that's bad form?

prior to my appointment, i researched the hell out of their products  and while i was disappointed that i didn't get the answers i wanted about my product inquires, i decided to go by my research and hauled the following products:

 

martina gebhardt black mud cream | P+S organic peppermint lip oil | P+S organic lime lip balm | P+S collagen elastin Plus | P+S rejuvenating rosehip mask | P+S calming cucumber mask | jurlique eye cream | P+S sunflower cream (sample) | P+S sensitive skin oil (sample)

 

you don't want to know how much i spent (it's ridic) but i'm excited to use everything.  after what i spent, i expect to have skin as soft and smooth as Kayla's in no time.  product reviews will soon follow.   

*****

there's a lot going on in my house right now; we hired some painters and finally, our screaming white walls are no more.  they're painting the entire bottom and top floor with amazing colors that hubs picked out and we got a steal on the quote.  it also helped that my good friend is the owner's good friend and i'm convinced (although he never told us) that he's doing this job with a very low profit margin.  

right now, i'm holed up in my media room listening to them trudge all up in my house with their boots on (!!!!).  i was raised in a house where shoes remain in the front foyer and while i understand their need to keep their shoes on (safety with ladders etc), the chinese in me cringes every time i see them trampling upstairs or leaving boot marks on my hardwood floors and it takes everything i have not to follow them around with a vaccum or mop.

next week, the shutter guy will be coming but here are some before and after shots of what our house looks like (besides being a freaking mess):

 

once everything is done, i'll be posting another update.  it's going to look so awesome i can hardly wait.

 

natural beauty - la bella donna

 

i'm in love.  my wallet also hates me.

on tuesday i went to visit my sister so i could check out her favorite make-up line, la bella donna.  in a previous post, i mentioned that i'm switching most, if not all, of my face products (skin and makeup) to all-natural alternatives and my first stop was at my sister's derm office to check out la bella donna.  

who:  created by a mother and daughter team who struggled with their own skin challenges and created la bella donna to promote and share information about the amazing benefits of all-natural makeup.

what: a complete collection of mineral-based formulas that are actually healthy for the skin.    this all natural makeup line is made from cherished mineral pigments derived from rock that (according to their brochure):

• heals, soothe, calm and do not irritate the skin
• covers, corrects, beautifies and protects
• does not clog pores
• corrects all skin challenges - acne, oily skin, rosacea, eczema, melasma, psoriasis (hmm not sure about this one but i'll see how it does with my eczema)
• balances the moisture content in the skin
• is ideal for sensitive, allergy-prone skin
• contains natural non-chemical sun protection - provides a full spectrum sun block protecting your skin from harmful UVA/UVB infrared rays
• provides superior coverage all day because of the high color pigmentation (a little goes a long way!)
• contains light refractive qualities which immediately reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles
• will not harm the body as there are no chemical ingredients which means it's safe for pregnant women

their products only contain the following:

• micronized titanium dioxide - non-chemical sunblock (SPF 20)
• iron oxides - the source of color
• bismuth oxychloride - anti-inflammatory properties
• zinc oxide - anti-inflammatory properties
• free of any FD&C dyes, oils, talc, alcohol, parabens, cornstarch, chemicals

sounds pretty good, right?

michelle, who is a RN at the derm office, helped me and man alive, i wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying to me because i couldn't stop staring at her gorgeous skin.  i'm talking about totally air-brushed skin that you only see in magazines and you couldn't even tell that she was wearing makeup.   when she told me that she only uses la bella donna products, i pretty much handed her my credit card and told her that i would buy everything she recommended (i'm a sucker for good products).  she thought i was joking but most certainly was not.

michelle was great at suggesting the products that would work well with my skin tone and what's great was that she never pushed me to buy anything.  i had 4 products i wanted to replace: bronzer, blush, loose (setting) powder and pressed powder (compact) so after trying on a few shades and playing with a few things (and falling in love with them), i hauled the following:

 

compressed mineral foundation in 'honey' | pure mineral foundation in 'umbria' | compressed mineral blush in 'tangerine' | baci moisturizing lip sheep in 'incredibly beautiful'

 

both the loose and compressed powders are actually foundation powders so it gives me a hint of color therefore, i didn't even need to buy a bronzer.  when michelle finished applying it on my face, i looked in the mirror and my skin looked so beautifully dewy and flawless i wanted to makeout with myself.

here are my two favorite products:

 

if you didn't already know, i'm a big-time lip gloss junkie.  i only own one tube of lipstick but a drawer-full of lip gloss.  when i discovered that their baci glosses are also organic, contain hyaluronic acid, vitamins and anti-oxidants, i had a tiny orgasm.  i've always had some issues finding glosses that don't feel sticky or makes my lips feel weird but this gloss is wonderfully moisturizing and has a pretty hint of pink that makes my lips look so kissable, you'll have to control yourself the next time you see me.

the picture of the blush makes it look really orange but in fact, it's a very pretty peachy/coral.  i'll probably go back and get a pinky color but for the warm weather, this is just perfect. now i can be like those models in the magazines with perfectly blushed cheeks *flicks hair back*.

so what does this mean with my existing makeup?  i sent out an email to my friends and i'm so glad thast most of it got nabbed.  gal pal, leesh, already had dibs on my NARS blush and bronzer.  what was up for grabs:  

• laura mercier loose powder (85% full!!)
• stila smudge pot in black (barely used, maybe 4 or 5 times!)
• NARS lip gloss in oasis (barely used)
• stila smudge stick in brown
• stila smudge stick in black
• NARS oasis lip gloss (barely used!)
• bobbi brown lip gloss in kir sugar (only used twice!)

seriously, it really hurts my heart to let go of all this makeup.... i don't even want to think about how much money that is but if it means it'll be better for my skin, then i have to do what i have to do.

 

do you use any all-natural makeup?  

natural beauty

 

over the next few weeks, i'll be replacing my entire skin care line with all-natural products.  since my many and recent skin mishaps, i'm totally convinced that the products i once loved, that once served me well for many years, are no longer working for me; in fact, my skin sort of hates them.  

 

in a previous post, i detailed how i've been struggling with my skin; namely tight, painful and extremely dry skin.  after slathering on tons of (my current) products, nothing gave me relief until i accidentially stumbled upon an unopened - and forgotten about - bottle of all-natural/certified organic argan oil i received for my birthday.  i thought heck, i've been putting so much other shit on my face, why the hell not?  and after discontinuing my current products and applying argan oil non-stop for 2 days, my skin did a complete 180.  gone is the redness, the irritation, the sensitivity, the red welts, the gross, scaly, hideous dry patches.  i woke up after 2 days of using this argan oil with my skin glowing and clear - something i haven't seen since this whole thing started which further confirms my decision to go with all natural products.   

and because i'm now a housewife of toronto, i spend a lot of my free time researching all-natural skin products and makeup (it's sort of my new obsession).  i found this canadian natural skin care line, exuberance, that had great reviews from every beauty blogger who tested their products and loved them.  i found the neroli oil on well.ca and ordered it immediately because it boasted lots of great things about healing senstive, dry, flaky skin  and i've been using it every night since i got it.   a product review will soon follow.

 

i also stopped using vaseline on my lips and starting using this all-natural lip balm made by Matter Company that i bought at the spring OOAK show.   since i started using it, my lips feel more moisturized and i'm not always applying lip balm like i used to.   for sunny days, i use Green Beaver lip protection SPF 15.  when i had great success with their sunscreen on my face (read: no adverse reactions), i decided to switch to their protective lip balm as well.  other sunscreen lip products either made my lips feel weird and dry or it reacted so badly but not Green Beaver's lip balm.  although it needs a bit of warming up because it feels a bit waxy at first, it works - it doesn't make my lips peel, does a very good job of keeping my lips protected and soft and most importantly, doesn't turn my lips white in a crack whore kinda way.    

 

hubs is so awesome at supporting every decision i make that he was thoughtful enough to go on a whim and buy me this facial moisturizer by Green Beaver.  i'm very picky with what i apply to my face so instead of returning it, i use it on my hands.  how many of us forget to apply sunscreen on our hands yet they're as exposed to the sun as your face (ie. driving and the sun is shining on the tops of your hands.)   i certainly don't want sun spots on my hands when i'm 45 so i slather this non-greasy, non-perfume protection before i step into the sun.  i really love this company and they're canadian to boot.  

 

my most recent purchase is a bottle of certified organic rosehip oil i got from the health food store.   while the argan oil is doing wonders for my skin, users on my trusty makeup board say that rosehip oil is best for deep hydration and great for eczema.  it's also non-comedogenic; although the argan oil hasn't given me anything but awesome skin.  don't bother spending tons of money on 'brand name' rosehip oil; i got this at healthy planet for $15 (as opposed to $50-60 at some other stores).  i'm going to give this a few days and write a review (comparing it to the argan oil) but so far, my skin loves it and it looks awesome.

 

 what all-natural products do you use?

going green

 

 

did you know that every 5 to 7 years, your body goes through a major (hormonal) change?  

well, this is my year....and i found out through my skin.   one day, it decided to freak the fuck out and decided that freaking out was the best way to call attention to it so hasn't stopped freaking out for months.  it's actually being a real pain in the ass (and in my wallet - boohoo!).

it also didn't help that i put expired yeast infection primer on my skin that just made everything worse  and these days, my skin is so fucking sensitive it drives me bananas.  this means i can't use the majority if my skin and makeup products without my skin reacting (read: red, sensitive inflamed welts) which really sucks because that's just tons of money wasted and everyone knows i spare no expense when it comes to skin care and makeup.

after my skin recovered from that crazy primer mishap, my most recent struggle is with super dry, tight, flakey skin.  now, i've always had dry skin but thanks to my fantastic research skills resulting in an army of fabulous skin care products, i was able to keep my skin supple and smooth - despite my weeping wallet - until recently.  after weeks of trying to figure out what could possibly be causing my skin to look and feel like 100 years old, going through a slow and painful process of product elimination, i finally discovered the culprit:   sunscreen - only the second most important skin product you need.  the one product that protects me from the harmful rays of the sun is one product causing me grief.   

my two most (previously) cherised brands for sunscreen are clarins and shiseido.  in all the years i've used them, they have never failed me.  i thought maybe my clarins had expired so i tossed that out (despite the fact that the expiry date was december 2012), shelled out $55 for a new shiseido and again - tight, dry painful skin.  i thought i may not be wearing enough moisturizer so i slathered that on, applied a skin barrier protector on top and then applied the sunscreen... only to be greeted mid-day with those awesome welts again.  i went one day without sunscreen and welts remained at bay, skin remained supple and hydrated.  

that's when i realized it was my sunscreen.  fuck! what's a girl, who is deathly afriad of wrinkles and skin cancer, to do?!  i need to wear sunscreen but my skin hates it!                                         

realizing it must be all those chemicals that's making my skin react, after much research i decided to try all-natural sunscreens.   i landed on these two - both organic, both all-natural, chemical-free sunscreens and both had  rave reviews all over the internet.  i was very skeptical at first because they're not specifically formulated for the face and they're only $15 per tube which even increased my skepticism more since i have never applied any skin product under $50 on my face.  while i know that price doesn't determine the quality of a product, i'm so used to dishing out top dollar for high-end brand names that it's brain-washed me to equate price with quality.

while i'm happy that these products are all-natural and 100% certified organic, i'm not thrilled about how greasy they are.   it sort of felt like i was applying olive oil on my face and i couldn't apply my makeup right away;  i had to wait for at least 10 minutes.  i had to use more setting powder to avoid looking like an oil slick and it made my powder brush gross and sticky but if it means that i have to add more time to my morning routine and wash my brushes after every use in order to have protected, non-painful skin, then so be it.

at 9am yesterday - which was normally the time when my skin started to react from the sunscreen - my skin didn't feel tight.  smiles from me.

at 12pm - which is about the time when my skin is super tight and hurting - i looked in the mirror and didn't see any red welts nor did my skin feel irritated.  getting excited/getting my hopes up.

at 2pm - which is about the time when my skin is at def-con 5 and the only thing that will calm it down is by washing everything off - my skin felt great, felt normal  and i wasn't an oil slick (i didn't even have to apply more powder).   ecstatic!

i'm so happy that i found a product that works - and for more than half the price i paid for any of those other products.   my next step is to find all-natural replacements for my makeup and skin products; i've already found an all-natural vitamin E + sugar exfoliator from one of my fav beauty blogs, ellesees.  

what all-natural skin or makeup products to you use?