The Flaxseed gel
I last made a large batch, then forgot to refrigerate it and lost it. I had run out of marshmallow root and went back to using commercial products. I decided to order more in a 1lb bag, rather than the "bulk by the scoop" purchase from Glut. I also got some grapefruit seed extract, some aloe vera gel and some beeswax pellets to try making a super concoction of epic dopeness. O_o We'll see how it goes. I got my Marshmallow root yesterday.
My PCOS
I stopped taking Metformin in November and had been pretty OK. But over the past months I have noted a resurgence of Acne, and my cycle has been shifting backwards and forwards by up to 5 days. Randomly. Back to the old way of life. So I am back on the attack with natural remedies. I have been drinking green smoothies almost everyday, eliminating upwards of 80% of dairy and gluten, and made some drs appointments to get checked out again. I have been washing with raw honey and using grapeseed oil mixed with geranium and tea tree oils at night or in the morning, depending on how my skin looks. I have been on the hunt for a full coverage liquid or cream foundation to use under my mineral powder as well. I got a sample of Nars put on at Sephora. NO GO! breakout within the 4 hrs it took me to take it off. But my hyper-pigmentation from the past few months is back bad enough to need daytime coverage. My Maybelline Mineral power foundation has been discontinued, and I had a few bottles left I found on Amazon, but my color, natural beige is getting harder to find. I tried Revlon Color stay- which I found on the acne boards, but I have much more yellow in my skin than any of their colors. I may try out Prescriptives. Suggestions? I am a yellow gal. Pinks and cools don't work for me :-/
Nars was a little warm for me but I was a Syracuse, med/deep shade in their line. I use Mode mineral powder in "honey amber" and it is like, dead on! I'm hella yellow. lol But I don't get full coverage from it. Even when I stack it with a little water it's gone in a few hrs.
Coloring my hair
So I lied about coloring my hair again... lol. I have been obsessed with Orange makeup for about 6 months now. I really like the fresh look I can create with it, but had been having trouble finding an orange I liked, that would not transfer onto my braces, that was not too red...
Then Sephora came out with their Pantone palate for the color of the year, tangerine tango. I saw swatches and fell in love. Had to have it! Also... So there was a girl behind the counter of a fast food joint who had on pink eye makeup and hazel eyes close to my color. And it looked DOPE lol. I was probably staring at her a little too hard lol. But it encouraged me to try makeup to enhance my eye color more.
Soooooo down the rabbit hole I went lol. I won't lie. I did some crazy stuff to my hair over the past two weeks. What had happened was I got the orange and was like yeahhhh... Love it.
Then I was like.. My hair shoooooo does look dark... I can tone it a little warmer with some selective permanent color. I choose Garnier Nutrisse Haircolor, 535 Medium Golden Mahogany Brown Chocolate Caramel and put it in about 8 places. But That sucker ONLY took on the roots! So then I had light roots and dark ends in places. The rinse I had used many moons ago did not budge at all and the color deposited on top of it, making my ends practically black.
I let a day go by and then went and got Clairol's instant whip 5 shade lifter. I had to leave that in for the full 30 min to even get some of the black out. I was left with slightly lighter hair, and still darker ends in most places.
I let 3 days go by lol. THEN I used some powder packet of color remover mixed with level 20 developer and attacked the dark ends once and for all. In the process I lost some of the red hue I was going for- but I got that dark black off the ends! And now I like it. It's not even a huge change but I think the orangeness will be fun for the summer. It's not all over, maybe 50% of my hair, and so far it feels fine. No texture change, not feeling dry... But I will make sure I pay close attention to my ends.
I am also going to start dating again this spring lol. Maybe TMI for here, but hey. I plan to have fun and get back out there with some intent. Meaning I'll "try" to meet people and network rather than this happenstance state I've been in.
I'll have a braces update for you after my next appt on April 11. Not going so well, I'm ending month 7 and still no bottom braces. AND I will not be getting them next week either.
Ya'll Ready for spring/Summer? What else are you up to?
Hi Nisus,
ReplyDeleteWith regard to your skin, as for makeup, have you tried Prescriptives Custom Blend? If not, I would try it. And for your breakouts, I would suggest trying Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg's) diluted in distilled water, used as a toner - I use half and half. Your skin sounds like it's very sensitive, I would try testing it first, say wait a couple of days, just to see how you react to it. Hope this helps.
I want to try it! I was on their website though and they no longer have stores? only online? I need to figure out how to get matched.
ReplyDeleteI use ACV in the clay when I do masks (seldom) but my skin does not freak out toooo badly. It may be fine. I am slowly making my way through a bottle of Aveda's Botanical Kinetics™ Exfoliant, which thus far -3 weeks in- seems to have made things worse. One more week before I give up, then I will try that. Thanks!
Have you tried Everday Minerals? Their combination of colors & finishes is crazy. AND you can order multiple samples, which I love & think many, many more companies should offer.
ReplyDeletewhen i was a relaxed head, i literally changed my hair color with the seasons for YEARS. now, since i'm natural, i'm scared to death that i'll experience the same breakage i did way back when. my strands are thin. if you even LOOK at them wrong, they will break off. but i swear i want red hair so bad i can taste it. maybe i'll bite the bullet and just color it, though i will cry myself to sleep at night if i lose hair over it, literally.
ReplyDeletei am still on my benzefoam/tazorac regimine for my skin. sometimes i get cute and stop taking my meds, thinking adult acne is something i will "outgrow" and then my skin is all, "wrong...WRONG." it's a pain. i'm real lazy and sometimes i just don't feel like being bothered with my face...MAN that sounds lazy. but it's the truth.
i have hyperpigmentation and i hate it. it makes me look so much older until i started using raw honey to cleanse my face. it has softened the dark areas a lot. i slather on about a quarter size amount all over my face and rinse rinse rinse well it warm water. then i use avocado oil to handle the dry areas. i use makeup forever matte velvet and its full cover. they also have hd foundation which is full coverage. try these items out i think it will help. you can get the foundation from sephora
ReplyDeleteyou could also try rhassoul clay or bentonite clay. they work wonders for sensitive and acne prone skin when used as a clay mask. you can get them from mountairoseherbs.com or fromnaturewithlove.com
ReplyDeleteLOL @ SweetBonita "wrong...WRONG" < Yes that is exactly what it says lol. I wish I didn't have to consider my skin all the time. I feel you.
ReplyDeleteI used a "lift" on my hair a while back- a 5 shade lift by Clairol called instant wip- rather than color. It seems much safer to take some color out than to use a stinky, lightening permanent color. maybe. I dunno.
@Anonymous I have been using raw honey for about 2 months but have yet to see a difference because I keep getting brand new dark spots :-( But I will stick with it - this encourages me. It does seem to help with dryness and new outbreaks. It even exfoliates a little. Thanks for the makeup leads too!
ReplyDeleteI have some bentonine clay and it does help, but I am so lazy lol. The other blogger, Nuri, swears by it too.
Wow sorry to hear about the relationship, but you won't be single for to long :). The hair looks good in both the black and the dyed hair as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat color lipstick is that? It looks great on you!
ReplyDeletei hear bobby brown i good for a yellow undertone. good luck
ReplyDelete