Nigerian...African Black Soap

I told my mum I wanted some Nigerian black soap and she sent me some, but she had no idea which one I was referring to so she sent me the packaged version - 


Dudu Osun



ingredients.






and the traditional version.



I remember we used to have to make them in art class or home economics as a kid. I always found it fascinating. There are many different black soaps out there, I think if you google, you will find anything from a light ashy brown to a very dark one like the ones in this post. I think this is due to the fact that our african grandmothers rare ever had written recipes and eyeballed the quantities so it didn't come out the same every single time. Also, the ingredients and quality/quantity vary from one region to the next. That is why I hesitate to say this is "African" black soap, I'm using that description for search purposes only. The soap being shown in this Nigerian Black Soap and if you don't know, Nigeria is in West Africa. 


More shots of the soap. 


side by side comparison

Nigerian black soap is softer and can be easily be broken in half by hand. 
The Dudu Osun is like any normal soap.


close up of black soap 

it looks like fruit cake or carrot cake.



easily pliable -that ball was more than enough for my face.


Because I only need very little and it lathers well,  I haven't even begun to use the Dudu Osun yet!I have more than a few months' supply which goes well with embargo on buying new skin care products. Lets hope it makes a difference or it would have all been for a nought.


take care. xx

January-February picture update

My skin is a lot calmer now. I try to keep the settings as natural as possible - no flash, only sunlight and I'm going to be doing this consistently so I can keep better track of my progress. 


I came across another blogger who is also charting her skin care journey. And it took her 7 months to see remarkable improvement. 


Check her out here: http://the6inchstilettos.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-alpha-h-skincare-routine-photo-heavy.html


I know I have been at it for longer, but she stuck with the same product for 7 months (the horror!) I pretty much change skin care products every 5 weeks. 


Anyway, that's where I am now. I think I might have a make up free summer,  I'm trying not to get too excited. 


Take Care. xx 

February update

So, I've been taking it easy with my skin for the last 5-6 weeks since I blogged, so I haven't had much to write. I didn't got to see the dermatologist, my skin cleared up on its own. I traced the cause of my break outs to the Skin, Hair and Nail tablets I was using. This is not the first time  Skin, Hair and Nail tablets  have caused me to break out. I stopped using it and my acne reduced drastically, I've gone for weeks without having a new spot. Right, now I'm placing an embargo on buying new products, I've trying to make a move to natural skin care and finish all the half used Retin-A, Duac, Oxy spot treatment and face masks I have acquired over the year. 

My skin care routine at the moment.

MORNING

Wash - African Black Soap from Nigeria (picture up soon)

Tone - Homemade Green Tea and Witch Hazel Toner - I thought I invented this, turns out other people have had the same idea. Good thing I googled before I claimed ownership. Although, I made mine slightly differently and used green tea powder, and fresh Witch Hazel. and I didn't use Tea Tree oil because my skin reacts badly to it.

Moisturise - Aveeno Daily skin Brightening Moisturiser with SPF 15

NIGHT

Remove makeup - Baby wipes

Wash - Dr. Bronners Magic Soap (via glossbox)

Remove Left Over Make Up - Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water (VIA Jolie Box)

Any face treatment I need to use up at the moment it is -  Oxy spot treatment


Take care. 
xx

Skincare Update 2012...onwards and upwards

I'm back after being such a Debbie Downer in my last skin care post. I look back on it and realise how hard I was on myself. If I had stopped to re-group, I would have realised that my entire skin, not just my face was breaking out. I had pimple on my chest and behind my ear. So, my skin was probably reacting to the weather or something I ate. I'm still haven't made an appointment to see the dermatologist. The doctor's office was open odd hours due to the holiday. I have to make some time before work to pop in for a chat in the next week or so. I'm not sure if I've posted an updated skin care routine, I'll post one anyway.

MORNING
La Roche Posay Cleansing gel (I'm so over it now)
Paula's choice 2% BHA liquid (hasn't made a remarkable difference, will not be buying it again)
Aveeno Daily skin Brightening Moisturiser with SPF 15
Lush Grease Lightning.

NIGHT
Take off make up with any face wipe on offer at superdrug/boots.
Lush Coal Face cleanser
Paula's choice 2% BHA liquid
Retin- A

I leave you with a nice shot of my chest pimples.

Skin Care Update 9 months later

the date should say '11 not '10. It was a typo and I couldn't be bothered to fix it.

I write the post with a heavy heart and frankly feeling sick and tried. As you can see in the comparison shots my skin appears to be getting worse. if you look back at my 6 month post, it looked like it was getting better. Well in the past month or so things took a turn. I had a rash of break outs and then a period break out followed right after. My skin felt so painful and I was frustrated . I was frustrated with washing twice a day, using face masks, chemical peels - everything! And just started phoning it in, some mornings I only used water, other days I didn't wash at night, I just used by Paula's choice 2% BHA liquid and if I felt like it I would follow with Retin-A before I went to bed.


The result of that is what you see above. You see, I don't have that kind of skin that requires doing nothing. I've read on some sites people talking about how they just wash with water and the end. I sleep with make up on once or I don't wash with my face brush and do my face treatments/mask every weekend and I am back to square 1...literally. I'm going back to the dermatologist in the new year to regroup. I will be back blogging about that experience.


I have had no make up on for the past two weeks that I've been home on holiday from work, and that hasn't helped on bit. but, I'm still considering going make up free in terms of not wearing foundation to work (this is a huge deal for me), if it would improve my skin. My dermatologist told me to go make up free last year when I first saw him, but his words fell on deaf ears because obviously I know better. 


I did notice that my spots have a peculiar pattern and always recur in the exact some spots. This week I finally figured out why, you know when you are told to not rest your face on your hands? Well, I used to say I never rest my face on my hands so...it turns out I do! I caught myself doing it this past few days. I put my hands across my mouth. And my spots follow that exact pattern - the right side has a row from where my 4 fingers rest and the left side has a patch for my thumb - crazy! it is annoying and amusing at the same time.


I don't think I have ever written a blog post this long before. Thanks if you have taken time to read it all. I just really needed to vent! I will be back in the new year and hopefully you all can carry on in my journey with me - who knows you might see my full face and video in the future.

Dealing with acne and Hyper pigmentation: October to November Update

Sorry for the radio silence, I work freelance so my work load varies from job to job.  And because of that I have been a bit lax with my picture taking and blogging. 


My skin has been behaving lately, last winter was rough as hell, I had acne under pimples under acne under cystic acne. These days I only break out around my period. 


As for my hyper pigmentation, I feel like I'm on a diet and unable to shift the last few pounds to get to my goal weight. I'm still using Retin-a as part of my nightly skin care regimen so, I'm hoping I'll see result during my December update. 


Finally, I'm changing my moisturiser again, I HATE to do this. I love the two I've settled on - Good Things Stay Clear and La Roche-Posay Effaclar M (review up soon). But, they do not have SPF and I feel that is one thing I've been slacking off with. I'm switching to Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Skin-Brightening Moisturiser, I've used it in the past I loved it and I was sad when it ran out. But, it was quite hard to find in the UK, so I went with something I could easily pick up at the drug store. Now, I've discovered I can get it from boots online, so I'll bulk buy (2-3 bottles), the same time I order my Dark and Lovely body lotion. 



MORNING
La Roche-Posay EFFACLAR Purifying Foaming Gel
Home made toner
La Roche-Posay Effaclar M Moisturiser




NIGHT
Any face wipe I have at hand to take off make up
Dark Angels cleanser
home made face mask (I'm experimenting with this, but will share the recipe)
Retin - A




WEEKEND
Queen Helen Mint Julep face mask.
Vitamine E oil (taken off with steam/hot cloth).

Dealing with Hyper pigmentation: Home-made spot lightened facemask.

 So, I did this on a whim, I was shopping for natural haircare products when I came across a pack of lemon peel powder and I added it to my basket along with Bentonite Clay. My intention was to make a turmeric face mask out of Bentonite Clay and Turmeric. 


But, I got thinking of all the stuff I have read about skincare and fading spots and came up with a mixture of Tumeric, Bentonite Clay, Milk and Lemon Peel powder. The first mix was fine, but the consistency was off and I wasn't 100% satisfied, I kept thinking of replacing the milk with sour cream or yoghurt - which ever one had the highest lactic acid connect. 


Long story short, I feel to have figured it out now. Unfortunately, I don't have exact quantities or step by step pictures because I didn't think I would be blogging about this.  These are guestimates based on eye-balled quantities. 


4 tbs of lemon peel powder.
3 tbs of turmeric.
1 tbs of Bentonite clay.
1 tsp sour milk.
dash of lemon juice




Optional: Your favourite face oils.
I went with castor, vitamin E and Jojoba...a bit of all 3.


*Bentonite clay and turmeric are used in a few of Lush's face masks and cleansers.


Mix them all together till you get a spreadable consistency you might need to add more sour milk or lemon peel powder if it is not spreadable. 


Final product:





I use after taking off my make up and before applying night time medication. I leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes then rinse off. It tingles a bit after you put it on. I won't use this everyday because it has citrus which can be irritating to the skin.




UPDATE (well not really):
After I came up with this mix I found out that Vitamin E is comedogenic (clogs pores which then causes acne) which is kind of confusing because it is also supposedly good for skin repair. I use a 70000i.u vitamin E with no additives. I can't say for certain that it has or hasn't caused me any problems because I only use it once a week with other products. 


More conflicting info on Vitamin E and acne here: http://www.acneassasin.com/146-will-vitamin-e-cause-acne/ and http://www.beautifulskincareblog.com/comedogenic-vs-non-comedogenic-skin-deep/.

Products For Oily/Acne Prone Skin - Save and Splurge

A few tried, tested and loved products from over the past few months.

FACE WASH

Splurge  

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel - £10.21 at boots. 

Save

Lush Dark Angels available for £5.95 - can't beat cleansing and exfoliating all in one easy step. I would carry on using it if it did not stain the bathroom. 

MOISTURISER

Splurge 

La Roche Posay Effclar M available for £13.50 at boots. Matifes my skin like no other, definitely my top choice. 

Save

A long time favourite -Good Things Miracle Mattifier Lotion available for £7.99 at boots. 

Save

Boots Oil Of Evening Primrose With Vitamin E £2.79 at boots. Great product to have at hand when dealing with the dryness from Retin-A.

TONER

These products are neither Save nor Splurge. They are very affordable.

Boots Traditional Glycerin and Rosewater - £2.32 at boots. 

Alpha Bright Skin Brightening Toner with Mandelic Acid - £5.40 from ebay

EXFOLIATOR

No Splurge products, I've got two saves.

Save

Lush Lip Scrub - controversial choice, I know, but if your skin can take the sugar granules, it is the way to soft smooth skin. I can't stop touching my face after I use it - eek! £4.95 at Lush.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Scrub at amazon for £3.17. 

MASK

I'm very new to the face mask scene, so my experience is limited. 

I'm very impressed with Lush Brazen Honey, good thing is it retails for only £5.50, so I can stock up regularly.

With any product I suggest sticking it out for at least 2 weeks to a month before you decide, unless your skin reacts badly to it then feel free to chuck away! However, if I had thrown my Retin-A out after the first week I won't have seen the progress I've documented over the past few months.  And, nope I'm not being paid to endorse boots, they just have the best deals and best rewards points system so I shop there often. You can easily purchase all of these items including the more pricey stuff with their 3 for 2 offer.  Review of the La Roche-Posay products coming soon. 

Dealing with Hyper pigmentation: My Skin Now

Before picture of the right side taken in april 2011. After picture taken on September 2011 .



Before picture of the left side taken in June 2011. After picture taken on September 2011 .


6 months of trial and error. The things I believed worked for me are - Retin - A 0.1%, Duac (NOT used at the same time as retin-A), Mandelic acid toner, DHC face brush and weekly deep face scrub with Lush's lip scrub. Everything else has been a diversion, given me more spots or window dressing.


My routine for the past week. I'm trying to incorporate Lush products into my routine.


MORNING
Dark Angels cleanser
Diluted Apple Cider Vinegar Toner (I spilled my *Mandelic acid toner -aaargh)
Good things Mattifying Moisturiser (*La Roche-Posay Effaclar M Moisturiser)




NIGHT
Boots Botanics Pore Perfecting Deep Clean Mousse
Lush Brazened Honey (every 2 or 3 days)
Retin - A
Jojoba oil, Castor oil, Lemon oil mix (I'm not sure if this does anything, but I use it when it doesn't feel like a "Retin-A day")




ONCE A WEEK.
Boots botanics intensive moisture mask
Vitamin E oil - smothered on and taken off with hot water and a cloth.
Lush Lip Scrub as a face scrub - don't feel the need to use this as much since I started using Dark Angels


I'm sure it looks like I'm using a lot, but it is really just a 3 step system - cleanse, tone, moisturise. If you are about to embark on your own skin care journey you need to have at least those 3 things down. 


*I'll be switching to these products once I purchase them after payday. I also need to replace my DHC facebrush.

Skin Care update

Sorry, I have stalled with my skin case updates. I wasn't too impressed with the results I got from the mandelic acid peel and that left me disheartened. I had a break out every time I used it which created more spots, I used it for 5 weeks, but I couldn't bring myself to do the 6th week. I felt defeated and I stopped using everything - Retin-A, Duac, face peel. I went back to basic face wash and exfoliate. Recently, I created my own little experiment, I mixed castor oil and lemon oil. and I've been using that for 2 weeks and waiting to see what happens. 

The benefits of castor oil
 Castor Oil cures acne
The Ricinoleic Acid in castor oil works to inhibit many viruses and bacteria, and as castor oil is able to penetrate skin tissue deeply, this makes it an effective treatment for acne.
To treat acne, dab a hot damp washcloth all over your face in the evening before you go to bed. The heat will gently open the pores on your face. After this, massage a little castor oil gently into the skin. Leave on overnight. Repeat this daily for 1 to 2 weeks to see results. You can also repeat this twice in the day, once at night and once in the morning.

http://skinverse.com/castor-oils-many-uses-for-beautiful-skin-and-hair.html/comment-page-15#comment-39815 

I don't use it with a hot wash cloth, but I do rinse my face with warm water. I'm going to try the wash cloth and see how it helps. 


Benefits of Lemon oil

Among essential oils, lemon oil is known as a strong antiseptic that prevents and clears up infections and inflammation. For oily and acne prone skin, it is used to control excess oil as it removes it easily yet it is not as harsh as alcohol, so the skin is not left dry and flaky. Since it is an astringent, it constricts blood vessels and reduces the appearance of pores, it is recommended for large pores.

http://www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com/lemon-oil.html 

I've been using the mixture for two weeks now. I'm going to wait for month before I comment on any progress. I've also been using lush Mint Julep lip scrub...as a face scrub and my skin feels soooo good. 
 


I bought this when my lips were really dry and it didn't really work for me. So, rather than throw it out or leave it to gather dust, I used it on my face instead. I only use it once a week, but the results last for days. I use it as a dry scrub - so, very dry face and I lean over a skin and scrub. My skin feels so soft and smooth afterwards. I've tried to make homemade sugar scrubs, but I never get the consistency right. 
Store bough scrubs are too oily and I fine them hard to manipulate. This is unlike the typical face scrub which tend to use olive oil as a base. This contains Jojoba oil which is great for acne and oily skin. And peppermint oil which reduces the production of sebum. I'm trying out some other lush products so there is going to be another post with reviews on that as well. 




See you soon,

Skin Care Journey: Mandelic Acid Peel and Retin A part 2

Very brief update on my journey with the 15% Mandelic Acid and Salicylic Peel. I'm upset at the moment which is why I have no update pictures. My skin is breaking out! I know the seller warned about an initial break out in her info pack, but I had been living a pretty breakout free existence for sometime due to the Retin-A. I had somehow forgotten what a real breakout was till I re-experienced it the past two weeks. Yes, I'm still using Retina-A but it is not working . 


Other than that, I've had no "serious" adverse reactions, I had a harder time during my first weeks on Retin-A. So I feel I should see the full 6 weeks through. And prepare to refill my Retin-A prescription with the quickness. 


XX 




P.S:
After writing this I switched to Duac which my doctor had prescribed as an alternative to Retin-A to help clear my spots.I have used it for 3 days now and my break out has cleared. 

Skin Care Journey: Sorry about the radio silence/Mandelic acid+Retin-A

I haven't been updating the skin care aspect of this blog because frankly there was not much to say. I was mauling over getting mandelic acid and trying to get the face brush all of which has been discussed here in the past.


I ordered the brush from ebay and it came yesterday. It is the DHC face brush, they are infamous for their face oil. It is a pretty interesting face brush with very soft bristles on the inside and harder ones on the outside. Because of the harder bristles you can't scrub too hard else you will end scratching your skin raw and bleeding. I used it at night to take off left over make up and I'm surprised how much stuff is left over after taking my make up off with the wipes.


I ****ed up! I accidentally ordered the Mandelic acid toner instead of the face peel.I'm undecided as to where to go from here - should I order the peel as well and use that with the toner? would that be too abrasive for my skin? I'll decide that within the next 24 hours so I can order asap and kick this off. I know people have been finding my blog because of the promise of info on the Mandelic acid+Retin-A combination and I hate to let people down. so, I'm going to attempt to be a guinea pig for the cause. 


My skin as it stands at the moment.











I know it looks bad, but this is better than where I started. It is becoming harder to take pictures of the spots - which is a good thing. The main problem is the texture of my skin which I'm hoping the mandelic acid should solve. 

Skin Care Journey: Peels, Scrubs and 3 months later

So, I've spent the past 2 weeks or so taking stock of my skin, where it stands and what I want to improve. My major headache at the moment is the texture. I am not really sure what is wrong with it, but my make up wasn't going on as nicely as it used to and I can land space ships in my pores. My Burts Bees toner doesn't seem to be helping and I am thinking of changing back to the Glycerine and Rose water toner I bought from boots.



check out those holes and little black dots!  I burst a couple and they were full of pus - yuck! 


 I took a really close look at my skin and noticed I have clogged pores around my nose and under my eyes. I also have lots of little pimples (what is that about?). I remember when I used to use peels about 2 years ago my skin was quite smooth. I bought my peel from an ebay shop (http://shop.ebay.co.uk/forever-young2007). I have had a good experience her peels, I emailed her to see if I could use the mandelic acid with my retin-a regimen. And she said,

It is hard to say. I would never recommend using a standard peel strength solution with tretinoin. 

But the Alpha-bright is very mild by comparison. Just 5% Mandelic by volume and weight. 

There is school of thought that suggests mild peels with Retinyl (std Vitamin A) 

can work really well so there isn't an obvious conflict between Vitamin A products

 and alpha hydroxy acid peels.

My understanding is that the concern is about Tretinoin and alpha hydroxys

 both being skin exfoliating products and that using two exfoliators might overly irritate the skin. 

But I guess that as long as one monitors the skin and stops using both 

products at the same time if irritation does occur then I can't see there being a problem.

And once again the alpha bright is very mild.

As an alternative though would you consider our Lumineux blemish reduction cream?

 There is no indication of any slight conflict between the 

active ingredients in the cream and Retin products.

 If you read the listing then you will understand how it works and maybe you would feel 

confident in using it. It is the cream with Glucosamine and Niacinamide

 rather than the Arbutin and Kojic blend ( a strong cream that might not suit Retin users).

So, I'm still trying to decide between her recommendation and the Mandelic Peel...or I could use both and watch my face peel off and go down the drain. She is also one of the most affordable chemical peel shops around. 


I'm working on getting rid of left over hyper pigmentation which you can see in the pictures below.



anyone else have a problem with pimple recurring in the exact same spots? for me it's those two darkest spots, I swear there is a line of them waiting to come out as soon as one leaves.

I think the combination of retin-a, mandelic acid and a good face brush might be the push I need to get my skin to where I want it. I am trying to see if I can get my hands on the boots botanical face brush (aka the manual clarisonic), I couldn't find one in my local boots, so I want to check the larger one at Liverpool Street Station. If that fails, I have my eye on the DHC face brush on ebay.  My regimen is staying the same as my last update till I can get everything in place for phase 2. 

till then. 


P.S I scrubbed my face till I scratched the surface, I've now got little scratches and scabs on her face...not good. 

Skin Care Journey: How do you remove your make up?

Very good tip from Goss. I've seen this direction on packs of face wash.


Personally, I would do it like this;
 - Take my make up off with Johnson and Johnson baby wipe. 
 - Squeeze some face wash onto my hand and spread it around.
 - Wet my hands and wash a bit more. 
- Rinse.


That way I get at least a few minute. When I was having problem with dryness, I incorporate my boots scrubbing pad into the routine. 


In other news, I am pleased with the way my skin is going - clearing spots and reduced the frequency of my acne (thanks to duac). The smoothness is my big issue at the moment, I have heard amazing things about the Clarisonic AND the manual Clarisonic (the boots botanical brush). But, since the boots one is more in my price range, I will be checking that out and up dating you all with progress pictures. 


till then. 

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (8 wks progress pictures)

I think I took these pictures in week 7 and 8, or 7 and 6 but I'm not too sure. I'll call it 7 and 8, so it matches up with the skin care posts. 


Week 1



Week 7 



Week 8







Right Side:


Week 4(I don't have week 1, pictures)



Week 7



Week 8





I have NOTHING (not even moisturiser) on my skin when I take these pictures, I'm fresh out of the shower. I've been using it for 2 months now and I'm happy with the results, I was inspired to try Retin-A by this user on acne.org. She used Retin-A micro, I'm not sure how that differs from the Retin-A that I'm using. I wish I had done a control experiment to see if the improvements are due to Retin-a or time and good exfoliation. I feel more confident going out with my bare skin. I do want to take a break give my skin time to regroup. I have a prescription of Duac from my doctor, so I might use that in the interim. 

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (products I use pt 2 and update)

Murad cleanser - night time face wash. I got it free in a magazine. 



(trying to take an artsy shot, obviously failed)
Vitamin E - used on the weekends in the morning. It is the purest grade no additives at all. 



My new face scrub used daily. 


Week 7 and 8
I had a break out all over my forehead and temples this is weird for me as my breakouts are usually concentrated around my cheeks. I'm slightly worried that it might be caused the the vitamin E gel, but I'm still using it (eek! ). 


I'm running out of the 'Murad Cleanser' (it is only a tiny size) and 'My Good Things Stay Clear' face wash which I use daily. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay with them, because neither of them seem to have helped with my break out.  My routine is the same as I stated last week. I'll be posting my 8 week comparison pictures soon. I'm starting to think I should come off the Retin-A and give my skin a break. 


till then.

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (week 5 and 6)

I didn't do one of these last week (wk5) because I had nothing to say and I don't want to keep rehashing the same thing over and over again. My skin has been the most normal it's been since I started, I guess that is because I've reached the 5 week mark when the Retin-A really kicks into gear. I still get breakouts and the texture is still reminiscent of a gravel road - yuk! but, the hyper-pigmentation is clearing nicely. I've also changed my routine again! I know I haven't really stuck with nay products and if you are following this you are probably wondering what product to buy to follow this routine. Personally, I would go with whatever works for your skin, during my skin care journey I have bought A LOT of stuff and  tried a lot of stuff based on other people's recommendation and I didn't notice a difference in my skin. Which is why I ended up with lots of half used products and I'm working my way through them. I guess my routine (Cleanse-Tone-Moisturise) stays the same, it's just the products that change.

The other day, I was watching ANTM and one of the girls mentioned using vitamin E - I happen to have Vitamin E gel and oil on my dressing table, so I've added that to my weekend routine.I didn't have much of a weekend routine, so I wants to see how this changes everything.  So my routine as it stands.

MONDAY TO FRIDAY

Morning

Wash - Good Things Stay Clear Face Wash

Exfoliate  - Queen Helene Mint Julep (no longer using the boots scrubs at the moment, my skin seems to wince at the idea of being scrubbed)

Toner - Burts bees

Moisturiser - Good Things Mircale Mattifier (I went back to it when my skin started to behave)

Night

Take Off my make up with any wipe I can get my hands on

Wash  - Murad Essential C Cleanser (got for free in a mag so I had to try it)

Retin - A

Saturday And Sunday Morning

Rinse off Retin - A residue then apply Vitamine E gel (I'm trying to use that up first then on to the oil)

Continue the rest of the day  and finish with my usual night time routine. I try not to wear make up at the weekend unless I'm going out for drinks/to a club at night.


till next week.

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (part 2 - progress pictures)

So, I'm 4 weeks into using Retin-A and I've been talking so much about fine tuning my routine and skin irratations. It was gettign a bit reptitive. So I thought it wa high-time I showed my progress in pictures. Unfortunately, my memory card failed, and I had to format it so I lost some pictures, but I managed to salvage some and put together an half decent progress report.


WEEK 1






WEEK 2



notice the dry patch and scabby patch on my cheek bone.


WEEK 4

getting better still small  break out.No more dry scabby patch.


WEEK 4b



WEEK 4c

Major forehead breakout.


Seeing it this way makes me want to get better at taking pictures. I'm not sure if the changes I'm seeing is a result of the treatment, placebo effect or time. I'll be back to normal blogging and talking about my regimen and new products I'm trying out next week. There may also be a foundation post/how to cover up bad skin post in the near future...once I get a new memory card for my camera.


Till next week.