My Experience with the Clarisonic

I mentioned in this post that I'd been wanting to try a Clarisonic cleansing system for quite some time now, and after hearing amazing things about it from my mom, sister, and a couple friends, I took the plunge and bought the Mia2 from Sephora. The woman working there talked me into buying the $150 one instead of the cheapest $100 one, something about it having a better timer, and the sucker in me gave in. I told her about my sensitive skin, and she assured me it wouldn't irritate my skin, and would only make my skin glowy and baby-soft. I couldn't wait to get it home and try it out.

That night I removed my makeup with a makeup wipe like I normally do before washing my face, and turned the little contraption on. I made sure to follow the directions exactly as stated in the instructions; 20 seconds on my forehead, 20 seconds on my nose and chin, and 10 seconds on each cheek, easy enough.

After my first use my skin didn't feel especially soft or amazing, but it did feel clean, so I guess that was good. The pamphlet says to use twice a day, but I already decided since my skin is pretty sensitive I would only use it at night. After probably four or five nights of use, not only did my skin not feel any better, I had broken out all over my face. I usually don't have that big of a problem with acne, a pimple or two on my chin during my time of the month is usually the most I ever get. But I had big red spots everywhere; my cheeks, forehead, temples, places I never usually break out. And those big painful kind, too! I was pretty annoyed, and I realized the only thing I had changed in my routine at all was using my fancy new Clarisonic.

I decided to put my theory to the test and didn't use it for the next three days, and as expected, my skin cleared right up! I used it one last time in the shower, thinking maybe only three or four times a week would be a good amount to use it, maybe my skin was just "purging," but the morning after only one more use, BAM, four new spots. So it's decided, the Clarasonic is not for me! I'm not sure if my skin is just that sensitive, or it's because it's really dry, or what, but I was pretty disappointed to have such a bad experience with it.

I'm not trying to tell you that this is a horrible product, it's obviously works really well for a lot of people, but something about my skin just didn't like it at all. And I did realize that sometimes the fancier, more expensive products don't work better for everyone. The Aveeno cleanser I've been using for years works just fine, so I'm gonna stick with using that. At least until another pretty new product comes out that I'm dying to try ;)

My FitBit Force and Workout Modivation

Before I start this post I just want to mention that the FitBit Force (what I own) was recalled due to many people complaining of it causing skin irritation. I haven't experienced any of this, and the FitBit Flex is still on the market and the only difference between it and the Force has to do with looks, so all this info also applies to the Flex.

As you might remember, I've mentioned a few times that I've been wanting to get into working out more and am trying to make fitness more part of my routine, instead a terrible chore. I have never been an athletic person. I did some sports growing up, but working out just has never been a thing I've loved. I just find it so difficult most of the times, especially because I have Asthma and it really gets in the way. But I decided recently that that all needs to change. I found myself feeling tired and sluggish a lot, with no energy, and I knew I needed to add working out to my life. It's not that I never moved my body before, I would go on walks around my neighborhood and little things like that, but I guess it just wasn't enough.

About six months ago, I decided to get a gym membership. I have had one before, but just saw it as a waste of money because I barely ever went. So this time, I discovered a new gym that had just opened here in town that was really inexpensive, so I decided to give it another go. My first few times there weren't great because I didn't know what I was doing. I brought my sister with me one day (she knows a lot more about this kind of stuff than me) and she showed me some things I could do and a little routine type thing. And that helped a lot. Now when I go in I know exactly what to do to get each part of my body a work out. 

Even though I started going to the gym more often, I still felt I needed a little more motivation. Joe introduced me to the FitBits online and after reading up on them I felt that having one would help push me a little more. Let me explain just what a FitBit wristband is; as you can see in the photo above, it is a smallish black band you wear around your wrist. It has a small meter on the inside that detects your heart rate. Along with the band, you download the app to keep track of everything. 

On the app you can see how many steps you've taken, how many calories you've burned, how many calories you've eaten (it has a large database of food you can add, or make your own) how many calories you have left based on your diet goals, water intake, and even your sleeping patterns if you wear it when you sleep! When you first download the app, you fill out basic things about yourself like how active you are, your weight, if you'd like to lose, gain or stay the same, and certain goals you'd like to meet through out the day. 

Now, I'm not the type who feels like I need to know exactly how many calories I've eaten and don't want to become obsessive. If I don't feel like wearing the wristband one day, I won't. And I most definitely am not going to get upset if I go over on my calorie allowance one day. That's not what wearing one of these is about. For me at least, I wear it simply as motivation to always try harder and be able to see my progress and hard work!

I highly suggest having something like this if you're into working out. It doesn't even have to be one as intricate as this, even just something that tells you how many calories you've burned after a workout can make it feel more worth it, you should be able to see just how hard you've worked! The FitBit Zip is a good option if you just want a little clip for working out only.

Here are a couple other tips that can help if you're like me and needed to get into a better fitness routine.. I'm obviously not an expert, but these are just things that have worked for me: 

1. Go easy on yourself. Don't expect to be amazing when you first start out. If you're not able to spend a ton of time non stop working out, that's ok! It's all about progress, just try to push yourself a little bit more every time.

2. Don't expect results over night. If you're trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just get into better shape like me, it won't happen after one workout. These things take a lot of time and patience. Try not to lose hope, you'll start to notice changes soon enough.

3. Treat yourself to cute workout gear. There's nothing wrong with trying to look cute for the gym, in fact, it makes you feel more confident and will encourage you more. This is something that I really like doing. If I buy a cute new gym outfit, it makes me more excited to put it on and go!

4. Don't compare! The first few times I would go work out I would see a girl with an amazing body and would feel bad about myself, or someone who has been running non stop on the treadmill for an hour and a half and remind myself that I'd never be able to do that. But you really can't look at other people there. You are there for yourself. And everyone's body is different, you really can't compare something that has so many factors involved. 

5. And finally, reward yourself. As human beings, we are very motivated to so something when there is a reward waiting for us at the end. Tell yourself if you go to the gym every day for a week, you can buy yourself something you really want. Or if you're trying to eat healthier, reward a weeks worth of healthy food with your favorite dessert on Saturday. Getting to indulge in a reward really helps making our hard work feel worth while!

Have you tried a FitBit or anything like it? What are some techniques you've used for work out motivation? 

Benefit Cosmetics Review

A couple weeks ago, I received a message from someone asking me to do a makeup tutorial on my blog. I thought this was very odd since I never wear a lot of makeup at all. All I ever do in the morning is a light layer of foundation, under eye concealer, blush, one line of eyeliner, and mascara. It takes me about five minutes, maybe less. I've always wanted to be able to do better makeup, but figured how I did was good enough. But it really wasn't. I was rarely happy with how my makeup turned out and it was always completely gone by about 4 or 5.

One of the biggest issues I've had with makeup is finding a foundation light enough for me. I am VERY pale and the last thing I want is a line under my face looking like I'm wearing a mask. So I did a lot of research and watched a lot of Youtube tutorials and decided I wanted to give Benefit Cosmetics a try. I've always thought their packaging was so cute, and I have read a lot of good things about them! It's a little pricey compared to what I used before, but I figured (and hoped) that meant it's really good stuff and would be worth it.

Everything I purchased, and what is pictured above is:
Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer
Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in Ivory
Erase Paste in Fair
Boi-ing Concealer in 01
Watts's Up Highlighter
Posie Tint Cheek and Lip Stain
Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-Tini
They're Real! Mascara

I decided to keep my liquid eyeliner (Maybelline Line Stiletto) because I had just bought one and really like it, and MAC's Hue lipstick is my favorite, so I stuck with that too.

When first trying this makeup, I started like always with an SPF moisturizer. I then applied the primer all over. I've never used primer before because I for some reason thought it was unnecessary, but I realized DUH that's probably why my makeup doesn't last all day (and it did end up holding my makeup on SO much longer!) I then applied a layer of the foundation. It's SPF 25 and I think would work really well for anyone with dry skin like me because it has a little dew to it. The color was still a little too dark for me, so I mixed together a pump of it with my moisturizer and spread it under my chin and on my neck, which made it match pretty well! I blended it all together with a sponge after using a foundation brush to apply it. I then dabbed a little bit of the Erase Paste under my eyes. It looked really good! I have pretty dark circles under my eyes, and this stuff covered them pretty well while still looking natural. After that I used a dab of the Boi-ing concealer around the red parts of my nose. I bought this to also use on blemishes but happen to not have any at the moment, so we'll see how well it works for that! I was a little apprehensive about this cheek stain. I have only used powder blush before so thought it might look weird, but I really love this stuff! It gives such a nice, natural flush that blends in so well, and the color is perfect for my pale skin! I honestly didn't like it on my lips though and ended up wiping it off, so it'll just be for my cheeks. The highlighter was something I was really excited about and have always wanted to try. I have pretty dry skin and it looks dull sometimes, so I wanted to be able to give my face a nice glow. I applied one swipe on each cheek bone and one on the bridge of my nose. One swipe was just enough to add a little glow when the sun hit, and makes my face look more healthy and moisturized! I almost didn't buy the eye shadow because that's something I've never, ever used before, and was afraid it would be too much since I still want to look really natural. I ended up buying a very neutral creme shadow just to try it out. I like it a lot because it's so easy to apply with my finger and just evens out my eyelids. On top of that I added my usual eyeliner. Then finished with the mascara. I bought a trial-sized tube because the mascara I used before was pretty good and I didn't really see this one making a big difference, but it actually did! It works really well and I'm glad I decided to try it out!

I'm very happy with the results of this makeup, and am so glad I decided to try something new. It really makes a difference when you spend a little more money and time on your makeup, and can make you feel more confident, which I already do! I'm really glad it still looks pretty natural, and was easier than I thought to put on! I definitely recommend Benefit if you're looking for new makeup products (they also don't test on animals!). I tried to take a photo of how it turned out but had a hard time doing that, so you'll have to take my word for it ;)

Have you ever tried Benefit? What is your favorite product of theirs? How do you like to wear your makeup? I would love to hear all about it! And I hope this helped you out if you were in the same spot I was before!

xo
Cam

PS. My friend Cara over at The Marvelous Flight of Cara is giving away a KINDLE on her blog today!! Go enter and try to win!