Posts Tagged ‘Blackheads’

Reader Screams, “Help Beauty Binge!” After An Attack of Oily Skin and T-Zone Breakouts

Dear Janna,

Please help me!! With the warmer weather I’m finding that I’m oily and gross during the day (vs. some dryness during the winter). I’m  also having T-zone breakouts and I wonder if there’s a moisturizer with a little zit-fighting ability that I should switch to vs. the Boscia now that the seasons have changed? Also, I typically use drugstore Neutrogena foundation/make-up (don’t yell!), but I think it’s time to invest in some good stuff, especially with my trouble skin AND the six weddings I have to attend between now and August (ugh). Is there a brand you absolutely love? (NARS? MAC?). I think I need a consult at a counter to find the products/shades that are right for me, but I’d love to know if there’s a company you trust more than others before I shell out some bucks  

Signed,

Gettin’ Greasy in LA

Dear Gettin’Greasy in LA,

Foundation: Girlfriend are you kidding me right now?? MAC or NARS??? With oily skin?? Do you WANT to flaunt Texas oil fields for the weddings?? Or perhaps you were hoping to look like a science project as a conversation starter. Breakout central!  I am prescribing  the Jane Iredale ‘Glow Time’ Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 25 ($48).  This BB Cream has a lot more coverage than a typical BB and it is actually designed to fight oil and blemishes so its working while it’s covering.  I got the recommendation from a friend who looks like she has amazing skin but claims to be plagued with oily skin, and she insists the Jane Iredale BB Cream changed her life. And she’s being totally serious. You just better promise me that the only thing the BB Cream is going to replace is your foundation.  You know that’s my pet peeve!

Battling My Bitchy Skin’s Latest Identity Crisis – Dry Patches, Blackheads, Puffy Eyes, Oh MY!

I am so over my skin which seems to be having a different psychotic episode every week.  I simply can’t keep up with its latest crisis.  This week it threw me a curve ball and decided to have several different conflicting issues at once — dry patches on my cheeks, blackheads on my nose, and terribly puffy eyes (which may be the result of the bag of pork rinds I scarfed down a couple days ago and the Chinese food I ate last night. In my defense I don’t usually consume so much sodium, but it sure tasted good at the time).

Photo courtesy Miles Aldridge Angry Diva

When your skin freaks out like mine it’s time to get creative and make “spot-treating” a true art form.  Before you begin your art project, make sure you cleanse your skin and exfoliate with a gentle exfoliant like Exfoliant Doux Aromatique Aux 3 Roses (Gentle Aromatic Exfoliant)  ($31) or with a CLARISONIC Cleansing System ($149): 

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Screw the DJ… Last Night a Decleor Balm Saved My Life!

If you’re living anywhere that is experiencing harsh winter-like conditions (and by harsh I mean the barometer dips below 50 degrees) then chances are you’re getting blasted by dry heat in your house or apartment.  There’s a reason why all the skincare experts tell you to up the moisturizer ante during the winter — it isn’t just the cold dry air outside, it’s the scorching desert inside which makes you wake up to crispy uncomfortable skin. Good Morning.  Not really.  The worst is when I wake up to crispy skin that at closer inspection are hiding blackheads! The crispy dry skin traps in the oil making it a safe haven for blackheads and other interlopers to form, making my skin ever more of a moody drama queen.  So how do I cure my case of the crispy oily uglies?
Decleor ‘Aroma Night’ Neroli Essential Night Balm ($73) is seriously this miracle balm that before bed whether my skin is feeling dehydrated, oily, on the verge of a breakout, or all the above — I wake up to softened, balanced skin.  I’m sorry, but that’s a miracle if I’ve ever heard one.  The balm is literally the consistency of a lip balm so be prepared you’ll need to scoop out a little chunk and then emulsify it by rubbing it and melting it your hands before slathering on the goodness.  Even though Neroli is in the title don’t be fooled — it definitely doesn’t smell of citrus, rather a warm, delicious herbal scent.  I like to take the time to really massage it into my skin and inhale the bouquet of notes and, “ahhhhh” I am ready for slumber.  And then I wake up like Christmas morning to softened, balanced skin! Voila!

Celebrity Beauty Blind Item: Who Displayed a Blackheads Bonanza on the Red Carpet?

I love guessing blind items in the gossip rags, but why should the tabloids have all the fun?  If you see a celebrity commit a major beauty faux pas make sure you email me at janna@mybeautybinge.com so we can run it as a blind item and help the offending celeb fix the issue!

Which gorgeous starlet, famous for her unique multi-cultural looks, who got her big break on a popular late night “news” show and now is gracing every red carpet because of her role on Aaron Sorkin’s “news” show, showed up in red carpet close ups with a face covered in glaring blackheads??  When I say blackheads, I’m not talking about a sprinkle over the nose… Let’s put it this way, they were so big and black, completely blanketing her forehead, nose, cheeks and chin, at first I thought they were freckles!  Our starlet does in fact have some freckles but they’re tough to find in the oil fields. She also had an unhealthy dose of greasy shine to keep the blackheads company. GROSS!

So what should have our pretty starlet done prior to hitting the red carpet??
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