DIY Soothing Acne Mask

This recipe comes from my school days.  A group of us worked on different DIY masks to soothe acneic skin and this one was the winner.

2 tbsp of powdered oatmeal
1 tbsp of powdered green tea
2 tsp. of milk
1 tsp. of honey

Put all ingredients in a food processor (or you can blend by hand, but the honey should be heated to make it more fluid) and apply to the skin for 10 minutes.

Green tea is an anti-oxidant, oatmeal with soothe the skin, milk contains lactic acid and honey is a natural humectant.

Enjoy!

It's all about the money, money, money...

So as some of you know I've been out of work for awhile now.  

We moved back to the U.S. in August of last year and unfortunately our household didn't make it here until just before the holidays.  I didn't think that it would take 5 months for our stuff to arrive and I had only packed comfy clothing and one nice dress in my suitcase (not exactly work ware).  During those five months I tried to think of what I could do to make a little bit of money, without having to spend any money.

Along came clinical testing, my new best friend.  Basically I get paid to test cosmetics, from skin cream to eyebrow gel and everything in between.  I usually make about $40 dollars a product, but sometimes up to $200 for longer studies.  I am now known as test subject number 17 at a local San Francisco company, Biometrix, and I've probably made about $500 since October (not huge money, but money is money).  Some studies pay upwards of $500, just not the ones that are local to me :-(

I did a little bit of research and if you'd like to test cosmetics and get paid to do it (plus you get to use their products for free for 4 weeks) there might be a clinical trial in your area.  You can Google clinical studies + your city to find them and here are a couple to get you started.

Clinical Studies in Irving, TX

Clinical Studies in Princeton, NJ & Essex, U.K.:  I believe this company, Princeton, may also mail samples for trials to other locations as well.

Clinical Studies in Bozeman, MT

Clinical Studies in Fairfield, NJ:  Damn, I wish I lived in NJ...seems to be a popular place for clinical studies.

While this is not an extensive list it only took me about 10 minutes to find them so you should be able to see if there are any by you in no time.

I've also been participating in focus groups and other marketing studies.  These are easily found on Craigslist and are usually under the "Gigs" section.  I just made $175 last night for 5 hours of my time, but many only take about an hour or so.  

Another bonus to focus groups are some of the people you meet.  Most are normal, but there are some interesting folks to say the least...last night I had the pleasure of meeting the reincarnation of Baby Jane.

Good luck in your quest for extra money.  For now I'll keep on keeping on and eventually I will find my dream job and then use the money from that job to start my own skin care line (a girl can dream can't she).

  

Think Dirty...an amazing app!

Think Dirty... now take your mind out of the gutter and check this amazing app out!

"Think Dirty® empowers and educates the consumer on the cosmetics industry by allowing them to make an informed decision on what products to purchase."

This Queen couldn't have said it better.  Too many cosmetic products contain toxic chemicals and this app helps you to figure out which ones do.  My blog lists all the ingredients in the products I test and tells you which ones are filler, do nothing, do something and do something really dangerous.  This app allows you to check it out on the spot.  What could be better!

They currently only have an iPhone version, which you can download from here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/think-dirty/id687176839?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

The Android version is currently being designed and hopefully it will be available soon!

Review: Instantly Ageless - Thumbs in Pocket

The Claim:   Instantly Ageless™ is a powerful anti-wrinkle microcream that works quickly and effectively to diminish the visible signs of aging. The revolutionary ingredient is argireline: a peptide that works like botox—without the needles. Instantly Ageless™ revives the skin and minimizes the appearance of fine lines and pores for a flawless finish.

The Review:  I was gifted a sample of Instantly Ageless™and gave it a try after a night of insomnia.  The manufacturer claims that this is a powerful anti-wrinkle cream, but I found it to really only be effective on bags under the eyes.  My fine lines and wrinkles were still there, but the bags were gone and this gave me a much better appearance.

A little bit goes a looooonnnnggg way so you can get about 5 applications for the eyes per tube (if you're willing to cut the tube open).  The smell is quite pleasant and it was very easy to use.  My only caution would be to make sure you don't use too much or it will leave a white flakey residue.

Here is a video of me applying the product 
and the end results

I've given this product a "Thumbs in Pocket" rating, because it's excellent at getting rid of bags and saggy skin under the eyes (temporarily), but it doesn't really work that well on wrinkles.  I tried it in the following areas.

Eyes - Got rid of bags, but still had fine lines

Forehead - (before and after photos below) Some improvement in my wrinkles, but I went a big overboard and looked like I had dried glue on my forehead.  I blotted it with a damp cloth to get rid of the flakey look.

Flakey Forehead 

Nasolabial Folds - No improvement

Neck - No improvement

While this product does definitely help improve the eye area, it is not Botox and the claim that it's Botox in a bottle is a little bit overboard.  If you're looking for a product to help with bags in the eye area this product is great!

Purchasing Information:  $85 apx. for 25 vials.  You can purchase this product through the companies web site, http://www.jeunesseglobal.com/instantly-ageless-content.aspx or online at many different sites and in a variety of sizes (some costing less for less product).

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua)
Sodium Silicate - A buffering agent and pH adjuster
Magnesium Silicate - Used to absorb excess moisture from liquid skin care formulations to make them less watery or runny.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (Argireline) - This is the ingredient they claim as a "liquid botox"
Phenoxyethanol - Preservative
Ethylexylglycerin - Skin-conditioning agent and preservative
Yellow 5 (Cl 19140)
Red 40 (Cl16035)