Tip of the Day #6

To prevent breakouts, wash your face every night before bed. If you have acne prone skin you should also wash your face when you wake up in the morning. Your body heals itself at night, that is why it is most important to wash your face before bed to get all the dirt and bacteria off of it.

Michael Todd True Organics Kaolin Clay Face Masque **Review**

When I purchased the Michael Todd acne regime this is the face masque they had in the set. When I first used it I absolutely hated it! It was chunky and watery and hard to work with. My husband would actually laugh and say it looked like I had smeared chunky poop on my face! So I quit using it and actually went out and bought a new face masque to use. Well about a week ago I got a package in the mail from Michael Todd saying that they had changed the formula of the masque and they sent me a new tube at no cost to me! I was immediately excited and had to try it out and it is exactly what I expected the first one to be!

Here is a picture of the two formulas next to each other. The one on the left is the old formula and the right is the new one.

This new formula is so much easier to work with and is actually a lot better than the old one all around! Now will I actually repurchase this product? Probably not. I don't think it is that much better than the other face masque I have and this one is actually pretty expensive. It is a good masque though!

Love Always,
Marlee

Michael Todd True Organics Acne Regime **Review**

So I am finally reviewing the products I bought from Michael Todd a while back. They had a sale going on and I was able to get the whole system (3-4 months supply) at around half off. Before I get into the review I will say that these are high end products. If you buy them as a set it is usually around $140 or so. I got them for $70. You can buy the products individually but it is actually more expensive that way. Also, in this post I will not be reviewing the face masque. I am saving that for a separate post because there is a story behind it. 

I'm going to be starting with the Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Gel Cleanser.

I actually really like this cleanser. It gets all of the dirt and left over makeup off my face, doesn't smell terrible, and doesn't make my skin super dry. The smell is strange at first but not bad. It just smells clean is the only way I know how to describe it. After using this cleanser, my skin feels a little dry but not super dry. I could get away with not using moisturizer but I wouldn't recommend it. I also like that this comes with a pump making it easy to get the product out. My only complaint about the pump is that you can't close it for travel and sometimes it leaks. Overall this is a very good cleanser but I'm not sure that it is worth the price.

Next I have the Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub.

I have raved about this scrub and will do it again. It's AMAZING! The formula is the perfect ratio of scrubbing beads to soap and its really gentle but gets the job done. Of course I have only ever used drug store scrubs before this but I would definitely repurchase this one! It isn't drying or irritating and it doesn't smell bad either!

The next product in the system is the Organic Lemon Toner.

I have used many toners before and I this is probably my favorite! It smells amazing! Just like a lemon! And it doesn't dry my skin out like a lot of toners do which is a major plus! I will say that the product itself feels a little weird. It is liquid but it almost feels dry. If you have ever used pure acetone before that is how this toner feels. It also isn't super intense. The first few times I used it, it burned really bad but after that it was fine. On top of everything it is actually helping my acne! I have never had a toner work so well at getting rid of my acne. I did test to make sure it was the toner by skipping just it a couple times and I immediately started breaking out. So this toner is definitely worth the money!

The last product I have for this part of the review is the Antiox Serum.

They say to use this serum in place of or along with a moisturizer. It takes just a very tiny bit of this to get the job done. If you use too much then your face will be super oily. This is actually a pretty good serum I guess (I have never used one before this), but I prefer a regular moisturizer. This one just seems to make my skin oily instead of moisturize it. They do offer a moisturizer for oily/acne prone skin but it didn't come in the set. After I use this up (which will take forever!) I will probably try the moisturizer.

Here is a picture of all of the products swatched on my arm.

From left to right is the cleanser, scrub, and serum.

All in all these products have definitely helped my acne. I know I will definitely repurchase the toner and probably the scrub. I am going to look around for a cheaper cleanser that is just as good and maybe try a different cheaper scrub too. I know I will definitely not be repurchasing the serum though. Not that it is bad, it just isn't right for me. It may be better for me in the winter when my skin is dryer so I'm not completely against it yet.

My next post will be a review of the masque that comes with the set so look for that!

Love Always,

Marlee

Tip of the Day #2

No matter how tired you are or how little time you have, even if you don't wash your face with a regular cleanser you should always always ALWAYS take off your makeup before bed to avoid breakouts.

50 Day Makeup Challenge *Day 4*

Do you like wearing foundation? (if so, whats your color and favorite, and what tool/s do you use to apply it? brush, sponge, airbrush, etc)

I do like to wear foundation, but I don't wear it every day. I have acne and I like to give my face a break, but some days I want to cover it up. Since it is summer I am in the shade 842 in Covergirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation. Before, I was using the lightest shade 805 but I think it was a little too light. I like using a sponge to apply my foundation because I feel that it gives the most even, natural looking coverage. I find with brushes my foundation tends to look really thick and cakey.