Blemish Fighters

Lovely Blemishes. They are something that plague us all at some point in our lives and they always seem to rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune times. I will put a little disclaimer out there that I do not have problematic skin and do not suffer from acne, but like everyone I get pimples here and there. Here are a few products I have found throughout my skincare journey that I like and work well with my skin.

I was first introduced to Lush's Grease Lightning($13.95) a few years ago actually as a way to help heal an infected piercing I had. The product has a lot of great ingredients in it but one of the main, tea tree oil, is known for it's healing properties as it is a natural antibacterial.  It has a smooth gel consistency that dries quickly so you can apply whatever lotions and potions right on top. I typically use this product as a spot treatment anywhere I am prone to breakout as a preventative, and on little flair ups. I use this daily even when I do not have a breakout and it does not dry out my skin or cause it to react and it is a life saver. Besides containing tea tree oil it also has a powerhouse of other great ingredients like witch hazel, aloe vera, and sea water. I find that this keeps my more combination areas calm and balanced and I have fewer breakouts when diligent about using it. 

This next product, Clean Start ($20 range) from Dermalogica, I whip out when I have the mother load of all blemishes that will not go away. Clean Start is a line that is typically targeted towards teens but I saw this and wanted to give it a try since I have heard great things about the rest of Dermalogica's skincare. I apply this after I have washed and toned my skin on the area of concern. I wait a few minutes before going on with the rest of my routine because it does take a little longer to dry and if not completely dry can pill up when putting other products on. This is a tad bit more effective when you have an active breakout because it contains Salicylic Acid which unclogs pores and treats and helps to prevent future breakouts. When I wake up in the morning the blemish may not be completely gone but I do notice a big difference in the size and overall appearance. It also contains cucumber extract to soothe irritations and licorice to tone down redness. This is not something that I use on a daily basis but more so when my skin is freaking out. 

I don't know where I would be without this next product! I know that sounds a little extreme but it seriously is one of my holy grail products. Blemish Therapy by Bare Minerals is a mineral blemish treatment that not only treats the skin but also improves the overall tone and texture over time. The one pictured above is the old packaging that I picked up from the Outlet store but if you go into a boutique I believe the packaging has changed. Blemish Therapy also contains tea tree oil but in addition has sulfur which acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. It has Kaolin clay and the exclusive active soil complex which is supposed to boost cell turnover for brighter, smoother and more luminous skin. I notice that it helps make my pores look smaller and tone down any redness. I use this any time of the day but especially before applying makeup in the areas where I am prone to breakout. I have also tried using this on a hive and pesky bug bites, it seriously soothes and reduces the swelling and irritation within minutes. This can be applied over makeup if you feel a nasty blemish trying to surface. Love this product and always have one in my makeup bag!

This last product is also a bit of a miracle workers as well. The Body Shop Blemish Fade Night Lotion($19) from the Tea Tree range helps to improve the look of blemish damaged skin. My skin is not blemish damaged but I do get those nasty spots left from a blemish that has healed. I use this lotion more as a spot treatment anywhere I have little spots left over. This again works at night while your skin is regenerating itself and as an added benefit helps to control oils. I don't find this to be drying either so I apply this before applying any serums or moisturizers. The name of this product pretty much says it all for the skin. I love the Body Shop as well because they stand behind a good cause and they also always seem to have some sort of deal going. 

I love all of these products but as always I am a skincare junkie and like to try new things. Do you all have any suggestions of other products to try? Have you tried any of these products as well? Thanks for stopping by!

Urban Kitchen

Does anyone else out there have an obsession with candles and bath and body products? I am always looking forward to discovering new and local companies that hand make their products. I'm here today to talk about a company called Urban Kitchen. I first stumbled upon them when going to a local artist open studio near where I live. I had gone to support a neighbor of ours and discovered that lots of local artists were showcasing some of their work. Once getting the list of artist and exhibits I somehow immediately zoned in on Urban Kitchen handmade bath and body. I think my heart even did a little flutter!  

 Urban Kitchen is a husband and wife team who make handmade soaps, soy candles and aromatherapy mists and oils. They have a cozy little studio where they make their soaps and candles on site. I was immediately drawn to beautiful packaging and the wide variety of scents they offer. The soaps are wrapped in a thick parchment with pretty patterns and textures. Even the candles come in tins of different sizes and have the same beautiful patterns on the sides.  I intend to keep the tins once I have gone through the candles to store jewelry or other trinkets in.

The soaps are super creamy and offer a nice lather but are not drying to the hands which is really important in this crazy cold weather we have been having. They make great gifts for people and are great decorative soaps.  My favorite soap I've tried so far is the Black Raspberry cream which is just heavenly! I have already burned through one of their candles in Cranberry Marmalade which was great for the holiday season with just the right amount of spice. I also just had to try the soy candle with the Love Spell fragrance and it smells just like the VS perfume! This is such a great company and the  owners are really really nice and even gave me a little sample pack of a few different soaps and a solid perfume with my purchase. I will definitely have to go and check out more of what they make and love the fact that they are local.

Check out their website Urban Kitchen to find out more about them and the other products they make. They also have and Etsy shop to check out as well. If you are from the Boston area you can also check the website for a list of upcoming farmers markets or art fairs they sell at.