Frustrated Beyond Belief

So, the last couple if weeks haven't been going so great for me. While I've tried not to dwell on the negative stuff, it gets harder day by day as nothing changes. I've been trying to keep myself busy with wedding planning, and house hunting (total #firstworldproblems) but I'm so tired!

Don't even know why I'm rambling on here, but I'm too lazy to write this out in a journal, so swipe it is.  Please God help me! I can't do it by myself, and I've been trying everything I can to turn things around.

Washington State of Mind?

Happy New Year!  Can't believe it's actually 2015, and definitely can't believe how different my life is now compared to last year at this time!  Having recently moved to Washington from South Dakota, I'm still getting my bearings, but feel like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Started pumping out new reviews for my YouTube channel, and need to shake off  the rust when it comes to my editing skills.  This is going to become my new obsession until I get a full time job, and I'm hoping to continue consistent filming for the next year.

This blog has basically been a rambling session for me, but thanks for reading it!

K

Viviscal Extra Strength Hair Growth Supplement Tablets

So, I pop these pills twice a day...

...and I love them!  I've been taking Viviscal since the end of May, and I couldn't be happier with them.  A little backstory before I get into exactly why I continue to purchase these tablets.  For those of you who just stumbled onto my blog, and have never seen any of my YouTube videos, you probably don't know that I literally scratch the hair out of my head whenever I get extremely stressed out.  This has been an issue for me since childhood, and is genuinely not something I'm cognizant of until a bald patch appears.  In the past, I would just cut my hair down to minimize the appearance of the spot(s), but after my latest "outbreak" (coincidentally occurring after the death of my grandmother), I decided to get some medical help for the issue.

The whole package

Try what??!!!

My brand new dermatologist suggested I try Rogaine to help my issue, but I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of using it, so I followed the recommendation of a coworker to check out Viviscal.  Being me, I checked out as many reviews as I could before ordering, and was still skeptical about them until I started to actually take them.  Many people use biotin for hair, skin, and nail issues, and while it is present in Viviscal, I didn't have the awful reaction that I always get with plain old biotin. 

All in all, I've had no negative reaction to taking Viviscal over the past five months.  Several people have asked me if I've also experienced an increase in body hair, and unfortunately, the answer is yes.  However, a little extra hair on my forearm is a small price to pay for thick, healthy hair on my head.

Thanks for stopping by!
Check out my YouTube channel for a video reviewing this product.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Khere00

Lush Cosmetics Rose Jam Shower Gel

Oh So Pretty...

Lush's newest limited edition shower gel Rose Jam is a delightful product that will make you smell like a luxuriant garden full of roses, but not like an old lady using rose water.  I purchased the largest size I could from the Lush UK site, and have been using it like a mad woman.  Imagine enjoying a sweet, tart glass of lemonade while sitting in a beautiful rose garden, and that's Rose Jam.

I plan to order another bottle very soon, and if you're interested in more of my thoughts on this product, then please visit my YouTube channel for a full product review.

Thanks!
K*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wym6OCjE-R4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUGoA2ILBq6GHHkQvLL4SXFA

October 2013 Skin Care Update & Old Photos

The Status of My Skin (for now!)

Hi All,
So I've just uploaded a video to my YouTube channel regarding my current skin care routine, and I promised that I'd upload some photos from the "good" old days when my skin was more inflamed.  Before I unveil those, let me just say that the Tazorac 0.1% cream my dermatologist recommended for me has been doing a pretty good job of keeping my breakouts to a minimum.  I have an acne facial at my dermatologist's office every 6 weeks, and I think it's really helped get rid of the blackheads and whiteheads that I would have never been able to get rid of before.

All in all, I will continue to use the same routine I've been following the last couple of months, and hopefully my skin will make it through the colder months of NYC weather.

On to the pictures...

This first picture is from November 2010, and I believe I was using Proactiv for the second time to see if it would work.  I'm wearing Revlon ColorStay in Mocha, but no concealer.

As you can see, my forehead is full of blackheads and I have discoloration around my mouth.

In this one, you can really see how congested my cheeks are with whiteheads, and the scars from my cystic acne.

So, all in all these are the only photos I could find of myself that hadn't been retouched in some way to cover up my acne.  I'm sure any of you who've suffered with acne know that you don't keep ugly pics around your house or computer.

Thanks so much for checking out my blog!  The link to my YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/khere00 and I aim to upload as often as I can.

Kim

La Roche Posay Effaclar Products Review

After passing the La Roche Posay display several times while browsing through my neighborhood drug store, I finally decided to give a few products from their acne treatment line a shot.  So, I signed into my eBates account, clicked onto Skinstore.com, and browsed the selection.  Deciding on the Foaming Purifying Gel, the Effaclar K treatment, and the famed Effaclar Duo. 

All in all, I've thoroughly enjoyed the use of these products as my everyday skincare regimen.  The facial cleanser is soap free, and has a pH of 5.5.  There's no strong fragrance to diminish my love of this product, so I use it twice a day with my Clarisonic Mia.  This product now retails for $23, and I will probably purchase it again.

The Effaclar K cream is by far my favorite of the bunch, and I have just finished my second tube of it.  Not only does it make my skin smoother and firmer, but it also dries out the pesky little blackheads that drive me nuts!  Retailing for $31, this is one product that I will not be without for long!

The Effaclar Duo cream is the most expensive of the three, and retails for $36.95.  This cream is great as a spot treatment, but although it's also a benzoyl peroxide treatment (like the acne.org regimen) it's way too strong to use all over my face on a daily basis.  It has diminished the size and pain of the one or two cystic acne pimples I still get.  I haven't used as much of this product yet, but I will repurchase it when it runs out.

Thanks for checking out my blog!!  If you're interested in eBates, here's a link to sign up http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=G8XSX0wMsZvOk%2BGtbh15Zw%3D%3D.  It's totally free, and if you shop online as much as I do, then it can really come in handy.

Cat chilling with "his" La Roche Posay products!

Acne.org Regimen Review

The Acne.org regimen outlined by founder Dan Kern on his website was a godsend to me a few years ago when I was absolutely plagued by cystic acne.  For those of you that don't know about it, cystic acne is basically when you have a pimple that sits deep under your skin and fills with pus.  The pimple never comes to a head, and so you can not extract the pus and dirt easily.  In fact, if you consult a dermatologist about this issue, the first thing they'll tell you is not to try and pop the cyst yourself.

I first found out about this regimen from a friend who had watched a video from Wayne Goss (Gossmakeupartist) on YouTube.  When I noticed how clear her skin had become, I was curious to find out what products she was using.  From there began my research into how I wanted to use a benzoyl peroxide treatment, which is certainly not for the faint of heart.  I chose to purchase the 32 ounce bottle of benzoyl peroxide gel from acne.org, and began using it with Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer on September 19, 2011.

 While the process of acclimating to this regimen was quite tough, my skin was about 90% clear a week after I began using it.  This was major for me, as I have suffered from acne since the age of 13.  I have filmed a YouTube video reviewing this regimen, and I'll link it to this post.  The picture below is of the two remaining products I have from my last shipment from Acne.org. 

 

Acne.org AHA+ and Cleanser

Picture of me nearly a year before I began the Acne.org regimen

Me 6 months after use of regimen

Me 10 months after start of regimen

All in all, I think the Acne.org regimen is ideal for those with truly problematic skin.  While I have branched out to other products as of late, I do think that this is a great regimen and might end up back on it in the future.  Hope my review and this blog post have helped anyone out there suffering from any type of acne!  Please leave any comments below or on my YT page.

Thanks!
Kim