Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Busting Food Allergy Acne - Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit


Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit

So yeah... I'm still battling with food allergy acne. After 1 month ++... its still secreting puss and... the all acne are concentrated at my neck, back and jawline. Imagine... clear forehead, clear nose area... cystic acne at jawline and neck and back. And eczema on feet... Sigh... really. What did I eat this time...?

The itchiness is really killing me and I refuse to see a dermatologist or a doctor this time because the signs are obvious... I'm having food allergy. And the only thing the doc can do is give a me a good lecture on my food discipline, anti-histamines, maybe topical antibiotic serums, and probably a hormonal check. So no. This time I'll take matters in my own hands... And if the acne still stays... doc... I need help.... lol

I've taken a macro shot of my neck and jawline which I might upload soon enough. You'll see reddish cystic bumps all over. But don't quote me on this... If the kit shows no result, there's no way I'm uploading any before-after pics here.. Does not justify the means... lol...

Below is the list of stuff I've stocked up on for this sure-win battle... muahahaha...
  • Bioxil Inner D-TOX
  • Lotsa Red Crunchy Sweet Apples (my failed apple detox.. hahaha)
  • Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit (RM178 retail - I got it at RM133 off eBay)
  • Ettusais Medicated Pre-Acne Care Sheet (RM95 retail)
  • Lotsa Water
  • Averine Medicated Cover Spot Concealer
  • Ettusais Acne Body Whitening Mist (hopefully to get rid of red marks on my tummy and back... sigh...)
Now, lets not deviate from the main point of this post. This post is really more of a review for the Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit. After many days of Googles and reading tonnes of reviews on acne kits, this kit has got the most GOOD reviews. So I decided to try it out. It costs me a bomb for several small tubes of product that will probably last me less than 2 weeks. But heck... who would want to be battling acne with the same product for more than 2 weeks? Okay-okay... I'm being impatient 'cos this has been going on for more than a month...

pic credit to www.makeup.com

In the kit:
* Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash - 1.7 oz / 50ml
* Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier - 0.50 oz / 15ml
* Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel - 0.50 oz / 15ml
* Dermalogica Concealing Spot Treatment - 0.10 oz / 3ml
* Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque - 0.75 oz / 20ml

What the kit says:
For Acneic and Breakout-Prone Skin. Experience clearer skin faster! MediBac Clearing products work around-the-clock to actively treat, clear and prevent breakouts. Use MediBac Clearing morning and night as your complete acne-fighting system to maintain consistently clear, healthy skin.

I'd recommend a good anti-acne moisturiser to go with this. The eBayer who sold me this kit added in a sample of Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion which was pretty okay. I started on this Medibac regime last night. And lets catalogue my skin's reaction to the product:

Day 1 - 31st March 2009
Skin feels fresh and clean but maintains supple. Unlike products like Oxy and Clearasil and Neautrogena and Clinique, my skin experienced NO dryness. Acne has subsided a little (not fully cos they are still there).. but...no new appearance of acne. And the Concealing Spot Treatment is a little tinted so I could go to work without any make up.

Day 2 - 1st April 2009
Emm.. My neck and jawline acne is still very very obvious (no miracles huh?) and uh-huh... I'm now seeing zits popping out on my tummy! Okay... this is it... no more suspicious food... food allergy is not exactly a fun thing... its definitely burning a hole in my pocket! Oops... back to review on the Mediback Kit.. at least my face don't feel that itchy anymore.. and the kit is not killing my skin like how those industrial strength acne treatment does... lol..

Day 3 - 2nd April 2009
Still there. Acne not going away. Heck... at least there are no more zits popping out. And the old acne seems to be subsiding... real.... slowly.... lol.

Day 4 - 3rd April 2009
Reduced blackheads and whiteheads. But previous acne... still there.

Day 5 - 4th April 2009
Decided to check with doc on my allergy. Doc insists that I needed antibiotics to clear the already-there acne on the neck, back and tummy. He gave me the LOOK when I insisted on a no-go for oral medication. Heck... it feels stupid to think that I would need to put any pimple gel on my tummy to get rid of tummy acne... Eeeeeeeeek... So okay... I listen to the doc for now. But still... I think my daily regime found a new add-on - Medibac Clearing Mattifier. Nice cos' blackheads and whiteheads have hugely reduced even without any medication. hehhehheh...

Day 6 - 5th April 2009
Previous acne - check - still there.

Day 7 - 6th April 2009
Decided to add on DHC Acne Whitening gel to my daily regime for clearing up the red marks left by subsided acne. But acne on the neck area are still very much obvious.

Conclusion for this 1 week:
There are no miracles in this world that would cure severe acne in a matter of days! Not even laser! (Cos my beautician friend tried that) The Dermalogica Medibac range is really as good as everyone raved about. Its not a miracle cure, but... it does keep your skin in check with reduced blackheads, whiteheads and prevents formation of new acne. One thing I needed to add on though... this kit is only as good as it gets when purchased as a mini kit. Don't all of a sudden go and purchase the full bottled range in your effort to fight off acne. Its not gonna work and you'll just end up with super uncomfortable skin and a huge hole in your pocket.

Friday, March 27, 2009

WishList Item1 - Panasonic EH-2424 - Ion Nano Steamer


Update 19th Oct 2009 - Go see my post on successor Panasonic EH-2473 Platinum Ion Steamer



features:
- produces Nano steam
- moisturize skin
- cleanse pores
- increase Collagen

I don't know why... This is the first time I'm putting something up that I've not tested before and from Googling, no one has ever gave a good review on it before... And... it costs a bomb. I'm not sure if I'll ever get it... (Maybe I will... after I moved on... I'll be switching jobs soon... which explains why I got lazy on updating my blog...)

But seriously.... go watch this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mVD4sIP6wY

I think I went crazy over an advert again... sigh... woman...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The 3 day Apple Detox - you might as well just kill me now...

Again... I'm down with food allergy.. And the acne on my neck, back and cheeks are itching like a bitch!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhh... So itchy!! Okay... so I have been greedy. Heck... I'm not even sure what went down my tummy the past few weeks.. Geez... if only it was that easy to control my food intake..

I wish I had a camera with me now so I could show you how many apples I downed today... My colleagues saw me carrying a HUGE bowl of apples and gave me the SHOCK of shocks look... I mean HUGE.... there were 14 apples there... in that single HUGE bowl... And its suppose to last me through the day...

As you already know... I've got a best friend... Google... So everytime I get in trouble, I turn to Google.. Yeah... and I Googled up "Acne Free In 3 Days!"... Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa... I'm amazed... hahahahhaa... Okiee... So I didn't exactly completely followed the suggested regime. Instead, I followed the apple part though... You could eat as many "Red Delicious or Granny Smith" apples as you want in that 3 days... apples and only water. Thats it. No other stuff... Thats suppose to help clear your colon a little... And... the detox started.... as of....... THIS MORNING!!! hauhauhuahuahua...

Guess what... its now 7pm... And... my apple detox failed miserably as of..... an hour ago.. After 8 medium sized apples in a span of 8 hours.... I'm still craving food!! So I downed a banana... And half an hour later.... I'm STILL STARVING.... FOR REAL FOOD!!! lol.... Couldn't get any worse than that... So there goes detox... I went down and ordered vegetarian indian curry rice set... and cleaned the plate through... talk about greed. Man... Sheesh... I could have been more disciplined and took a sandwich or something... But no... it had to be a full plate of curry rice... SIGH>>>>>>

And... now... an hour later... I'm truely regretting it.... Could have pulled through another 4 hours of apples right? Geez... I've already gone through 8... whats another 4?? So there you have it. NO DISCIPLINE... Give me apples any day... I'd have a go at this again... And the next time... I'll try sticking by it...

Monday, March 23, 2009

On Bras.....

** to be continued**

Brassier comes in many different forms and brands. Really, it depends on "the occasion", "the clothes you're gonna wear over it or non" and perhaps... your comfort level for that day. Personal preference is based on individuality. I can of course only comment on bras for women of A to C cups... since... ahem... I'm only around there...

So yeah... been through the A's (long time back) and the B's (most of the time) and the almost C (which is only probably when my hormones decides a-ha.. its that time again...) No. Really. It really does not matter how big or small you are. It sure is possible to still look good.

Lets go through the bra types one should always have through their lives (I'll update the pics later when I finally find the time to snap some photos, or find one with Google):
  • the nude bra/free bra... whatever you call it
You could wear this with anything (except for extreme cleavage-cut tops) This is
perfect for backless clothes! The whole bra feels like silicon. If you've got heavy boobs,
forget about getting this... no matter what they say, your boobs are gonna droop so low it
feels like you've got no support.
  • the strapless
These bras are perfect for spaghetti strap clothes and of-shoulder blouses. But... honestly,
they feel a little insecure. Its like the bra keeps getting lower and lower by the minutes...
For a good strapless, I'd suggest you get one with silicon lined at the pipings of the bra.
They feel less comfortable, but... they're definitely more securely fastened.
  • low back bra-strap extensions
Seriously, these are quite useless. You might as well get the nude bra.
  • the non-padded
  • the little padded
  • the very padded
  • the u-bra
  • the convertible
  • the cleavage enhancing
  • the bikini
  • bra brands
** to be continued **

Monday, March 16, 2009

Oh hear ye... lets have us fair pretty smooth.... underarms!!! lol...


Okay... this post is a little on achieving fair smooth underarms. We've all been through that rough spot. Reddish bumps and darkened underarm skin. So umm... you know the Japanese... they take care of every little details. Even underarms! If you do a search online, or go to SaSa, you'll find the Wakilala Armpit Range. Let me review on their "Wash Peeling" product:

  • This is actually like a body scrub
  • A pretty nice to use scrub in fact
  • Smells nice too!
  • Feels a slight mint fresh after use
  • They even have a sorta toner thing to prevent blemishes or red bumps on your skin there
Then again... if you really want full-proof smooth underarms, go for LHE Hair Removal (it'll costs $$$ though). By not pulling or waxing or shaving your underarms, you're less likely to get bumps or hurt skin at your underarms.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Dark Circles - Be gone!! Be gone!! - but heck... its still mysteriously always there



Ah... the never ending battle with dark under-eye circle. Its one thing I'm really not qualified and don't deserve to blog about. Cos' its the one condition that I've not seen any miracle cream or serum working. You can Google for "dark circle" and see how many products and sites that claims to help.. Seriously, they're worth a better read... The only reason I'm blogging on this is because someone asked me too... (--)"


Come on, you seriously don't expect me to tell you that putting tea bags or cold spoons on your eyes are going to make them prettier do you? Maybe they'll help a little... but I certainly didn't see any difference... LOL... Even though I'm blessed with eyes minus the under-eye dark circles... I've been with a friend who's lived with this dreaded problem for ages.. Just mention anything that "might" work.... there! **poof** (--)" she goes and try it...

A couple of years ago... I went with this girl on this crazy dark-circle cure-finding trip. Everyone calls her "panda eyes"... No, we didn't travel around the world in search of the much needed cure... Instead, we did the little stuff that "normal" people do. We bought affordable different eye products to experiment and consulted several beauticians on this matter. As expected, each beautician has a solution. And, each product promises much more than they deliver. Today my good friend still lives with her dark circles... and... A CONCEALER!

So what really causes dark circles? More than often this is hereditary. And... if you're fair skinned, it becomes even more obvious. (ah... but, I've also known darker skin toned people with eczema who has very bad dark circles too) Those horrific dark circles under your eyes are actually caused by "leaky capillaries" and... no cream in the world is going to save you from that. That, we've learn t so far. But... they are too many products out there that claims otherwise. If you really want to know if these products make any difference I think you should checkout this woman's blog. Her blog is dedicated to getting rid of under-eye dark circles MyDarkCirclesBlog and... I think she's a heroine. I mean... she's even blogged about the popular Hylexin-T and blepharoplasty surgery. Heck... surgery sounds like they very much are the only real help!

A couple of affordable easy access stuff I've tried that are worth mentioning (not because they work, but because they're pretty nice to use):
  • L'Occitane Immortelle Eye Balm -> This was a pretty heavy cream for the around eye area. Not sure why, but I liked it. Or perhaps when I was using it... I was possibly dreaming that this will make sure I never grow crow's feet at the sides of my eyes... hahahahaha...
  • Guerlain Issima Perfect White C Whitening Eye Serum -> This was the only eye serum/cream that actually made a little difference to the dark tone under my eyes. Seems to brighten the tone a little.. Then again... maybe not really... But I trust this works best among all the mid-range stuff I've tried. A little caution if you do try this: try avoid getting this into your eyes.. they sting!
  • Eyecon by Benefit -> Another way-too-cute-to-resist stuff by Benefit. This is really light textured and emm... I think kinda like fragrance free... But... no. It doesn't do anything even after a whole jar.

  • Eye Massager -> No. As much as I'd like to buy crazy stuff... I did not buy this.. My dad did! He claims that the sales rep says it'd eliminate your dark circles! LOL.... duuuuuh... of course they'd say that. So yeah... I was on this for a week since my dad kept insisting that I tried it. No, it didn't do anything to the eyes.. But hmm... feels like your eyes are being tapped lightly... and you'll look like you're playing some virtual reality thing... lol...


So in CONCLUSION:

I have not found anything that guarantees to help get rid of your dark circle. If there was... I think my friend would be living a happy "panda free" eye today. So if you do happen to have tried any cream/serum/gunk that work to eliminate all traces of dark circle tone under the eye... TELL ME HERE!!! I think a bunch of ever hopefuls here would be indebted to you for life!!