lotionsandpotionss

[lotionsandpotionss]

By that, I mean Chemical Acid Exfoliation. (AHA and BHA)

I know it sounds scary. I mean why would you deliberately put ‘chemical’ or ‘acid’ onto your skin. I mean will it not burn? Isn’t ‘Chemical’ bad?

Fear not, dear skinthusiastic! Today we will break it down on what exfoliation is, its benefits, the types of exfoliation and why your traditional scrub such as Apricot, Walnut, Sugar, Towel, Brush and Vodoo magic is proving to be bad for your skin. 

First up, exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. Our skin naturally renews itself around every 30 days. A build-up of dead skin cells will lead to a lot of problems such as clogged pores, acne, hyperpigmentation, dull and tired looking skin. Exfoliating regularly helps us tackle these problems along with other benefits such a better penetration of skincare products, increased cell turnover for beautiful radiance and glowy skin. Thats the basic of exfoliation. 

Now what is Chemical Acid Exfoliation? There are two ways through which you can exfoliate your skin. Physical and Chemical. Physical exfoliation is anything that contains small particles, or any sort of textured surface, like a washcloth that work by manually scrubbing away the dead skin and debris. Where as Chemical exfoliation is the use of gentle acids to melt and remove dead skin cells. Note: Over exfoliation is really harmful as it effects our skin barrier making it weaker which in returns breaks havoc onto our skin. 

There are two types of chemical exfoliation. Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA). AHA is a water soluble acid which gentle exfoliates the outermost layer of the skin. It is generally recommend for dry and sensitive skin type. AHAs are derived from natural substances and remove the “glue” that holds dead skin cells together. So if your skin concerns revolves around sun damage, uneven skin texture and pigmentation then I recommend giving AHAs a try. AHA includes Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Gylcolic Acid, Critic Acid and Tartaric Acid. 

BHA acids are oil soluble and breaks down the bonds between cells thus they can penetrate deeper layer of the skin getting inside the pores to clear it out. BHA also have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties thus ideal for acne prone and oily skin type. So if your skin concerns are blogged / congested pores, acne, hyperpigmentation, blackheads, large pores and milia then BHA is a really good exfoliation to consider. Salicylic acid is probably the most familiar BHA as an active ingredient. Either are available in varying percentages, and you can work your way up. Caution: Do not dive into the highest percentage while choosing a chemical exfoliates if you are starting off. The Higher percentage of acid does not necessarily mean better or faster results. Stick to the general rule of thumb i.e. work your way up unless you want to look like a ripe tomato. 

Physical exfoliation are not preferred in the beauty community much. Most of physical exfoliates are harsh and abrasive on the skin, leading to dryness and irritation. It also causes micro tears on our skin which is harming our skin barrier and leaving it vulnerable and prone to irritability. But pause before you throw away that exfoliater, there are other physical exfoliation that are mild, gentle yet effective. I personally recommend having a good combination of both chemical and physical exfoliation (No overdo, please). Enzymes are also a good exfoliater. Such as rice enzymes, bamboo extracts, green tea and pumpkin enzymes are very mild and less irritating. But Enzymes are your “High maintenance Girlfriend”. It requires a certain temperature and PH and any changes in their environment can make them unstable and useless. No direct sunlight and cool room temperature. Period. 

I hope this helped! If you have any questions, pop them on the comment box below. 

Till next time, Byeeeee!!

[lotionsandpotionss]

Current Mood < Facemasking and ignoring all responsibility. #facemasktime #mood #the70sshow #the70sshowquotes #milakunis #ignoringresponsibilitysince1996 #ignoringtheworld https://www.instagram.com/p/B369jDPlch-/?igshid=ab4rlkoecm3j

[lotionsandpotionss]

Current Favorite Lippiess!! 💄💄💋💋Swipe ➡️ for slightly better swatches. (I'm getting better at this) I love the @revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in the shade kisses and spice. They've been my absolute favorite this entire year and gone through tubes of them and still stock up on it. The texture is beautiful. It doesn't crack or dry out my lips and is really long lasting and comfortable to wear. @victoriassecret extreme Plummer lipgloss in shade Almost Nude is a perfect gloss that isn't in your face glossy but rather very 'I'm drinking 3 litters of water everyday' kind of glossy. The only thing I own from this brand because I do not agree or stand with it's brand value. (bhooo) And last but not the least, @maybelline Made Made For All Satin lipstick in the shade Mauve for me is an absolutely favourite. I sometimes use it instead of my lip balm because it's that moisturizing. A good buy y'all. #makeup #affordablemakeup #savemoney #lipstick #drugstoremakeupproducts #favouritelipstick #maybelline #revlonlipstick https://www.instagram.com/p/B36R824AjdK/?igshid=1l0fw7tp6q0m2

[lotionsandpotionss]

Everything you need to know about sunscreen explained in five-minutes. (Hopefully)

Sunscreen is one the best anti-aging product you can buy that does not cost you an arm and a leg. Literally. Everything else in the market that mildly mentions anti-aging, makes you hunt a sugar daddy. This tumbler post is going to inform you readers about the different types of sunscreens and how it works, slightly touching certain ingredients to BFF and certain to avoid like the plague and my personal recommendations - All in five minutes. You can take all that knowledge and leave. (No String Attached) So...*Drum roll, please* Let's get started!!!

There are two types of sun rays that hit the planet (technically three but the later is filtered out by the ozone layer). We have UVA (Aging) and UVB (Burn) sunlight. UVA has a longer wavelength thus has the ability to penetrate deeper layers of the skin (Dermis layer) and is the culprit for aging, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. (Acne marks?) UVB has a shorter wavelength thus can only penetrate the superficial layers of the skin (Epidermis) and is responsible for those horrible and sometimes painful sunburns. Both can lead to skin cancer in the long run. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, we’re gonna dive into the different types of sunscreen in the market. Yay!! There are predominantly two types of sunscreen. Chemical Sunscreen and Mineral / Physical sunscreen (*tip: we also have hybrid sunscreen due to technological advancement). First up, Chemical sunscreen. Chemical sunscreen contains active sun filters that penetrate the skin and absorb UV rays to prevent them from causing damage. It converts the rays into heat and releases them from the body. The active ingredients in chemical sunscreens include avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone which are the most popular and frequently used in chemical sunscreens. The best part of chemical sunscreen is its cosmetic elegance. It blends really well, wears under makeup beautifully and is comfortable to wear(mostly). Pro tip: Chemical sunscreens offer better UVA protection than physical sunscreens. Cons: some chemical filters can cause contact allergy, are photosensitive and have proven to damage marine life. Link Didn't know your sunscreen was killing the ocean now, did you? Now, check your sunscreen before taking that dip. 

Physical aka Mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin and block and scatter UV rays. The active ingrediants are two minerals: Zince Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Pros: physical sunscreens are midler thus excellent for sentitive /acne prone skin type and are more photostable (which means they doe not go crazy when in contact with sunlight) Con: White, thick, goopier and pasty tecture. Probably why it made you hate applying sunscreen in the first place. Since mineral sunscreens sits on top of the skin, it literally just leaves a white cast on areas applied. But thanks to newer techonlogy and better formulations, there are nano chemcial sunscreens that have better applications and spreadbility as well as sheer finish to the sunscreens. We also have Hybid sunscreens. (Talk about that later)

What to look for in suncreens? I personally perfer physical suncreen. So anything with good antioxidant rich + Zince oxide is the ideal sunscreen for me. You don’t have to have both in one product. What I do is I apply my Vit C serum first and then my sunscreens. It has been proven that this combination actually boost the sun protection factor thus better protections. Honestly, any sunscreens that encourages you to apply your it everyday and does not irritate your skin is the best sunscreen for you. 

What to avoid? There is one sunscreen ingrediant that I avoid like the plague, as mentioned that is.......... Retinyl Palmitate. Studies have shown that it is incredible photo sensitive thus when it comes in contact with sunlight, it breaks down and creates free radical which then harms our DNA cells, Skins cells and causes skin cancer and even skin turmour. Although there are heay discusion going on about this ingrediant but I would still advise to avoid it just to be on safe side. Other ingrediants such as oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene have a long history of causing contact allergy thus not good for senstive or compromised skin types. 

And five minutes are up! Honeslty if you even made it this far, you should self-five yourself and thank you so much for reading.

Till next time, byeee!!

[lotionsandpotionss]

Rate: 6/10. Swipe ➡️ for the worst swatches ever. It was a struggle.🙃 Anyways the tired the @innisfreeofficial Jeju Volcanic Color Clay Mask targeted towards different skin types. (Multi-masking much?) They have 7 different types of mask, each for specific purpose. I tired the Hydrating, Brightning and the Cica mask. All three of them had very different textures. The hydrating and the brightning mask was very liquidy and runny. When dried, I felt like my face was being pulled apart. (Not Cute) Didn't see much difference either which is justifiable given the price point. But loveee the Cica mask. I usually use it as a spot treatment on my pimples to sooth and clam it. The texture of it is also very creamy and once dried it balls up and falls down on its own so you don't have to wash your face ( I am disgusting sometimes) Ingredients: The main ingredient in the Hydrating mask is Hyaluronic acid, Vit C for the Brightning mask and Centella Asiatica aka Madecassoside for the Cica mask. All the main ingredient are listed as the final ingredients (which kinda means veryyyy low percentage of the ingredient is put in the product). Jeju volcanic ash is used as the common ingredient for all it's mask due to its oil and impurities absorbing properties. Overall do I recommend this product? Mehh🤷 I couldn't go out of my way to purchase it but if you're curious about it and want to try them, go ahead. P.S it's pretty affordable too. Like 13$ USD only. #skincare #skincareproducts #skincarereview #innisfree #innisfreemask #maskinnisfree #kbeautyskincare #kbeautylover #kbeautyblog #skincareblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/B3zbK5wAHDpelTKqmSzOB5nRYOvsU52gLA34HQ0/?igshid=1t186sunq9840