Product Yay and Nay

I have meant to write about some of these things but hadn't gotten around to it. I also wanted to use them a little more before giving a thumbs up or down.

I've never been into expensive face products. Just not my thing. I've always been tan and that was pretty much my "make-up". And I get botox, so that took care of wrinkles. However, I do have acne scars on the right side of my face that I loathe. I don't know what it would take to get rid of them permanently, except that whatever it is, costs more than my budget for external upkeep. The only thing I can really do right now is try to minimize them. I also just want my skin to look better in general.

A neighbor gave me a Clarisonic Plus. I think this is one of the most expensive of the Clarisonic brand, new. Or they don't make it anymore- it may have been replaced by something else. I looked on their site and it's not available but you can still get it at high end department stores like Barney's and Saks and some online retailers.

It looks to be around $180-$225 at authorized retailers but that includes the cleansers and one or two brushes. I bought new brushes on ebay. I don't know if they're actual "Clarisonic" brand, but I didn't want to invest a lot of money at first before trying it. I've never been great about washing my face with special cleansers or doing a whole routine. Generally speaking, I wash my face in the shower and then when I remember, I use those make-up remover wipes at night. But now, I have been using the Clarisonic at the end of every morning shower. I leave it on the ledge next to the shower, with the brush wet and the cleanser already on. I grab it, cleanse so the actual Clarisonic doesn't get wet, set it back down, wash my face off, and voila! Clean face. I definitely think it's worth it.

Clarisonic: http://www.clarisonic.com/887242000322-887242000322.html?cgid=Devices#start=17&cgid=Devices

I've been using Neutrogena Blackhead Remover cleanser. It seems to be working well. It has 2% salicylic acid in it and exfoliating beads. I like it well enough. You only need a little. I was using way too much at first.

I was never a big foundation user- because of the tan. I pretty much stopped using tanning beds this year. Ok, I didn't TOTALLY stop, but I only went a handful of times. Maybe it worked out to once a month, if that. Put it this way- this is the least I've used them in my life, except for when I was pregnant. I'm trying to wean, but it isn't easy. In any event, I didn't even know what color I really am, so I had to find something to use that was somewhat sheer, but the right color, and didn't look cakey or fake. I found something I love- Almay Smart Shade Anti-Aging. It's like a sheer foundation that just gives a really smooth finish. Before I really got into using the Clarisonic, and was just using the Almay, my husband was saying my skin was looking really good. He always is complimentary, but he was very specific to my skin. I attribute it to the Almay. Plus, it's nice that it matches to your face skin for you. I can't decide what to get when they are really specific colors because I never know what color I'm going to be.

There is nothing worse than seeing that line of demarcation on someone's face from make-up. So, I like this sort of broader way of choosing a shade. This is perfect for summer because it's SPF 15 (if you like make-up with SPF) and it's on the lighter side in consistency.

http://www.almay.com/products/face/foundation/smart-shade-anti-aging-skin-tone-matching-makeup.aspx

Those are my new-ish "yay" items. Now for my one little "nay"...

I really need a dry shampoo that works and doesn't make me look like I'm trying to be a 90 year old woman for Halloween. I don't wash my hair every day and I just need a little freshen up on the days I don't wash it.

I tried Not Your Mother's Clean Freak and it was ok. But I thought maybe something else would be better. I'd tried Psssst or something which was awful. I bought CVS brand just to see if it worked. A lot of the CVS brand is the same or better than the branded stuff, so I took a chance. Oh my god. No. I tried to take a good picture of my roots this morning but everyone knows I can't take selfies and this didn't do justice to what this looked like. It looked like I had dandruff. It says leave it in 1-2 minutes but I sprayed and then put a shower cap on and took a quick, five minute shower. I left it on through getting dressed and dressing my face- around another fifteen minutes. When I saw it, after taking off the cap, I had a mini panic attack. How was I going to fix this. It was ALL WHITE with what looked like dots or flakes. I brushed it and it's ok, but I can still see remnants up close.

With the NYM's kind, you could leave it as long as you want and it stays the same. I think I will stick with that or try something else. People I know have recommended a brand that I think starts with a "B" but I haven't investigated that yet.