Alexa, thanks I use Covergirl Natureluxe, which is great because it has cucumber in it. I used to use Clinique Even Better Foundation, but that left me really greasy. Then I put Neutrogena Coverstick concealer on spots, and I use mineral powder from Neutrogena as a setting powder. No primer-- just wash my face with Manuka honey and then dab some tea tree oil, then do my makeup. Pretty simple. Make sure, when using any concealer, that it's not too light, or else it will just highlight your spots. Have fun with it! Make up is fun, it's like creating a piece of art on your face every morning! lol

Is the coverage good for Natureluxe? And does it look natural? I've seen the commercials and have been curious to try it. I used to use Cover Girl "clean" liquid makeup, which was anything but clean! I liked the full coverage but HATED how greasy and heavy it was. It literally felt like a mask on my face! So gross. Not to mention it broke me out, but that's not saying much since every foundation I've ever tried has been bad for my skin.. I'm cursed

But I agree, I love makeup! Doing my makeup is my favorite part of getting ready and I always watch beauty gurus on YouTube! Lol

Alexa,

The coverage is good. It's not like, really really opaque, which makes it more natural looking than other makeup. Used in combination with concealer, it's my favorite makeup yet! It feels light on the skin, which is really important to me. I hate being able to feel the makeup on my face. Ick. haha.

I always watch youtube makeup videos too! Have you ever watched Kandee's Makeup tutorials? You should look them up. They're fun! haha

Hey ya'll!

Okay, we're on Day 13! I've not posted since Day 10 because class has started back up! But, just a quick update on how it's all going...

I'm actually getting used to my schedule, and my sleep has been messed up, so I haven't gone for a run in two days. Yick. I feel gross.

But nothing's changed! I'm still slowly improving. Although, I didn't take my Flax Seed one day, and I got a little spot. So, that could have been the reason.

Anyway, still doing the same regimen and everything. Need to go to the gym though! That's my goal for tonight. haha Quick Update: I did go to the gym! Go me!]

-Heidi

Hi!!!

DAY 15!

I think I've noticed an interesting trend...the two days in which I haven't taken my flax seed oil and B12, I've gotten little, minor spots. All the other days, I've been fine and no new spots show up. Connection? Not sure. But! I think it's true...flax seed, or anything with Omega 3's, helps. Try it out!

The next day, after taking my flax seed and B12, my little spot seemed to heal almost immediately. It's really interesting.

Hey there!

Okay, so I've not been posting that much lately. This is because I'm clear of acne and I don't really have to think about it at all...

Guys, being healthy is all it takes. You just need to have the willpower to make that decision. Do what's good for your body, your soul, and your mind. You will see results. People should live this way, anyway...

So, go for that run, eat that fruit, DON'T eat that bag of chips...it feels good in the long run, I promise.

I'll keep posting periodically-- adding a new picture every so often.

Good luck everyone! If you have questions, let me know.

hi heitea,

congratas on finding something that works! I too have found that flax seed oil and exercise REALLY helps. I'm just starting a super b complex supplement so hopefully that will help too. I love my natureluxe foundation too!! I use it as concealer as necessary so it has lasted a really long time. It's the best drugstore foundation I've ever used. covergirl tests on animals, though, so I prob won't buy it again. hopefully I will be clear by the time I run out!

keep us updated with progress and pics!

OH! I had no idea Covergirl tested on animals! Geez! Well, never buying their products ever again... Thanks!

Love flax seed oil AND exercising! Good luck with the B complex! That's really great for your health, too!

What aloe vera do you use? I've been using Aubrey Organics Pure aloe vera but i think the vitamin e in it may be clogging me =\ It really helps with the redness though.

Thanks!

OH! I had no idea Covergirl tested on animals! Geez! Well, never buying their products ever again... Thanks!

Love flax seed oil AND exercising! Good luck with the B complex! That's really great for your health, too!

 

Hiya I am starting to look at the way I eat as well so your log is interesting for me. One thing I wanted to ask was why you take flax seed oil? Years ago I took this and I am pretty sure it reduced the oil on my skin, is this what you have noticed and do you know the reason for it? Many thanks x

Hey! So, I'm sort of starting over now...

I fell of the wagon, unfortunately... I stopped taking my supplements, stopped working out as much and it all went to crap. BUT! I'm re-starting. Actually, this is kind of neat because now I can see if it'll all work a second time. So, that's a good thing, right?

Here's what I'm doing NOW:

• Still a vegetarian

   

• Cutting dairy, gluten, and refined sugars (white bread, candy, etc) out

   

• Taking a daily women's multivitamin, a B12 vitamin, and a flax seed oil capsule (I KNOW-- gelatin, ew, gross. Oh well...)

   

• Exercising at least 3x a week (I'll up that number later-- gotta finish student teaching first)

   

• Drinking more water (not a specific amount, just MORE)

   

Let's see how this works out I'll start posting pictures soonish. My gallery shows my previous success, but for some reason, all the old comments got deleted. Whatever. haha.

-Heidi

Manuka honey seems to give me blackheads and breakouts....even when just using it as a scrub...

Im using 100 percent tea tree oil, just dabbing it on the individual spots.

Hope its working for you...do u dilute the tto?

Hey therrrreee...

So, I've returned to this thread two years after I got clear for the first time. My results were so good. Why would I ever stop what I was doing?

I'm going back to my "natural" self. I was using Paula's Choice products for a while and they were doing a lot of good. The BAD was that they're so expensive!! I can't keep that up! So, what I'm going to do is:

Do ALMOST exactly what I was doing before to replicate the results! I read that I wasn't picking at all. That's awesome.

So here's what I'm going to do (haha, does this sound familiar?)

-No WHITE grains (white rice, white bread, plain white sugar)

-Lots of veggies & fruits & nuts

-Wash my face with (right now) local honey

-Apply lemon juice (this is new to the regimen that I was doing before)

-NO PICKING/TOUCHING/SQUEEZING!!

-Moisturize with coconut oil (this is new as well!)

-Workout everyday (1 day off a week )

*Note: I'm also not going to take any supplements. I don't like them. I'd rather get what I need through food.

Also, it seems that POSITIVITY is key! Gotta maintain my positive attitude. Gotta get off my booty and do the things I want to. Gotta keep my mind off of acne

DAY 1 of RETEST:

This morning, I washed my face with some cleanser from Paula's Choice. That's ending today. No more of that cleanser. I'll be washing my face with honey now. I put benzoyl peroxide on my active zits (WHAT. WHY DID I DO THIS?!) Then I moisturized with coconut oil and threw on some makeup quickly. Then my boyfriend went to work so I washed my makeup off and did a honey/lemon/cinnamon/nutmeg mask for a half hour. I washed that off, put on some more coconut oil and put on my makeup.

I felt good about myself today. I feel fit and healthy and I like that my hair has grown out enough to put into a ponytail.

I ate SOO MANY VEGGIES today. I'm on a "diet" but what the heck? Why can't I take the "old me's" advice and just live and not obsess about food? I'm going to a music festival in a couple weeks and I wanted to look awesome for that. But...I need to not over analyze my diet. I'm hungry, dangit, so I'm gonna eat!

I've been running a lot lately because I'm readying myself for the Army Physical Fitness Test. My arm muscles have grown substantially due to all the push-ups. I feel healthy but also a little stressed because it's difficult applying for Officer Candidate School in the US Army all while teaching the young'ns in a school. It's summertime now so I can relax a little. I'll probably try out some yoga tomorrow while my boyfriend's at work.

I've also been able to control my picking. I have a log solely about picking on this site because it's such a problem for me. I need to stop telling myself that it's okay to pick. It's NOT a solution to the problem.

SO, TO CONCLUDE:

-Stopping Paula's Choice cleanser, adding honey as cleanser

-Adding coconut oil to regimen

-Removing benzoyl peroxide from regimen/adding tea tree oil to replace it

-Continuing to work out on a regular basis

-Sitting in the sunshine on a regular basis/Taking a Vitamin D supplement if there's no sun

-Continuing to work on picking

-Eating healthy, but not obsessing

-Staying positive

DAY 2 (Morning):

Well, hm...it looks as though it's already beginning to work. haha

Last night, I washed my face with a washcloth to remove my makeup. Then I mixed a bit of lemon juice (because I had some extra lemons lying around) and some honey (not Manuka Honey, yet) and "washed" my face with that. After rinsing it off, I applied tea tree oil to any problem spots I had. I had a couple spots on my left chin/mouth area that I messed with (boo, need to stop touching my face!!)

Then I went to bed.

This morning, when I woke up, 3 out of 4 spots that I messed with were completely flat (but still a little red). My skin feels SO soft, and my old red marks continue to fade.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon

Coffee with cream and cinnamon (I love cinnamon haha)

Snack: Almonds and an apple

Lunch: Sauteed peppers (red, orange and yellow) in olive oil and garlic

Snack: Coffee and a bite of strawberry shortcake (they were giving out free samples at the coffee shop!!)

Pickled okra (2)

Dinner: Sauteed onions, tomatoes, and spinach in olive oil and garlic

**Walk with the dogs and workout**

Snack: Protein bar and a few almonds

I love the idea of going all natural. I'ts definitely something I want to do in the future.

I really want to try the 'no-poo' method for hair too. You just use a baking soda/water mixture for a shampoo and an ACV/water mixture for conditioning.

When I get my diet under control, I'll definitely hunt down some good natural products. OTC ones are just way too expensive.

Hope it works as well as it did the first time!

I love the idea of going all natural. I'ts definitely something I want to do in the future.

I really want to try the 'no-poo' method for hair too. You just use a baking soda/water mixture for a shampoo and an ACV/water mixture for conditioning.

When I get my diet under control, I'll definitely hunt down some good natural products. OTC ones are just way too expensive.

Hope it works as well as it did the first time!

Seriously, why are products so expensive? Ugh... I'm glad that my Paula's Choice log could inspire you, but geez! That stuff is expensive. I could afford it, but I'm not sure I want to?

I've thought about the 'no-poo' method, as well. I love the idea of not using shampoo and conditioner in my hair. My hair tends to get greasy easily, and the 'no-poo' method is supposed to remedy that. Hm. I might try it. I am on summer break and wear my hair up pretty much every day anyway. I think I'll trial it!

Thanks for the support! It's only been one day, and I started out with a few active spots, so I'm not getting QUITE the same results as I was when I first did this, but I'm hoping for similar results eventually! One thing I really need to work on is touching my face! It's difficult.

DAY 3 (Nighttime):

Last night, I went out with my friends and had a couple drinks (only 3 in a 6 hour time period). It was fun! I had a great time.

When I got home, it was about 3am and I was so tired...but I washed my face anyway, put some honey on there and washed it off. But....then I did put some tea tree oil on my face, and I put WAY too much. In fact, I even said to myself: "This is too much tea tree oil. Your face will be itchy tomorrow. And blotchy. And scaly." But, I left it on anyway because apparently, even though I was thinking quite logically, my body thought I was stupid.

So this morning, my face was literally oozing out of a rash that appeared on my cheek. hahahaha...oh lovely.

I placed some aloe vera and hyrdocortisone cream on it and put a small bandaid on it all day. My ENTIRE face itches though and has a less severe rash on it, so I'm doing a honey and cinnamon mask right now to calm it down.

Tea tree oil is ONLY good for spot treatment, undiluted. haha. Funny thing is that I knew that...but still failed to follow through.

So, while that rash heals, the acne under it is ALSO healing. yaaaaay! That makes the rash more bearable. Tomorrow when the rash (hopefully) has gone away, I'll get some real medicinal-smelling Manuka honey to wash my face if I can find some at the store. Otherwise, I'll order some.

OH! and today I remembered why I stopped using this treatment. One day, I sat on my sink and PICKED AND PICKED at my face. This caused my face to explode in zits and breakouts, so I went crazy desperate and used different products on my face. Then I just continued from there...and started habitually picking again. Boooooo.... I need to remember that this time. Picking leads to bad problems.

Anyway, here's what I ate today:

I didn't work out today due to my rash. I didn't want to irritate it more by getting hot during my workout. But I ran 3 miles yesterday in the SUPER HOT SUN...with sunscreen!

Hello!

I have a rash all over my face! For some reason, this is funny to me. I have no idea why because it is NOT cute. Next time, I won't bombard my skin with tea tree oil. I do love tea tree oil, but not when it burns my face off. The good thing about tea tree oil is that this only happens if I use too much. When I use benzoyl peroxide, this happens no matter how much I use.

In order to combat the dryness and itchiness, I took a benadryl (tiiiiired)...then I put some aloe vera mixed with coconut oil all over my face. I did that about 3 times. Once before bed, once in the middle of the night because I couldn't stand the itching, and now once in the morning. I'm trying to make the swelling/itching/redness go down before I have to go bowling with my family tonight!

But! Good news is that I only have one active zit right now! My forehead is so smooth and soft and once my rash goes away, my cheeks will be as well! I think the active zit is an allergy bump though, so I may not have ANY actives. I squeezed at the bump though. Of course nothing came out. Oh well, won't do that again! Just gotta forgive myself and move on!

DAY 5!

My rash is almost gone, thankfully! It's been SO ITCHY and almost burn-like. I've still been gentle with my skin and trying to heal it back to normalcy.

How I've been treating my skin:

), teaching my dog new things, painting, etc

-Trying to eat the healthier option when it's there! What I mean is...not stressing about eating bad stuff, but if I have the option of something nutritional but still yummy, I choose that. For example, I had a slice of pizza and some fries yesterday at the bowling alley but didn't stress about it because later that day, I exercised (because I wanted to, not because of calories) and had some really good sauteed peppers/onions/mushrooms!

I want to add that I don't think that food affects my acne that much DIRECTLY. It's possible that sugar and dairy (aka lactose, which is a sugar) does A LITTLE because it affects insulin, which is a hormone. But the reason I'm incorporating good diet habits into my regimen is because I find that eating well and feeling good makes me happy, which lowers my stress levels. Stress DOES affect my acne.