Getting My Studio Fix - MAC Studio Moisture Cream

Hey, guys!  It’s been a moment, but I’ve been on a reconnaissance mission of sorts to find a decent moisturizer for my face.  For those who are in the know, I had been relying on Ole Henriksen’s vitamin rich concoction for quite a spell... but it ran out and I wanted to try something new (you know me - wink, wink!).   So off I went (virtually) to find a decent substitute and decided to take a chance on an offering by MAC - their Studio Moisture Cream to be exact.  I’m halfway through the jar as we speak, which is not necessarily an accurate reflection of my enthusiasm for the product.  But let me explain...

Studio Moisture Cream is just one of the moisturizers in MAC’s well stocked, but highly underrated skincare line.  From lightweight to hydration heavy, the selection of face creams is pretty respectable for a company better known for its eyeshadows and blushes than skincare.  

I knew that I wanted something light enough for summer, but enriching enough for fall as well.  So after scanning the inventory and reading the accompanying reviews, I decided it would be SMC that I would take to the dance.

Arriving in an eggshell hued, logo embossed box, the 1.7 oz. jar itself is pretty straightforward in design - consisting of an opaque white with a contrasting black, rubberized lid.  But it’s what’s on the inside that really counts...

Off-white in color, the Studio Cream has a nice consistency - thick and stable, but not too dense feeling.  Almost pudding-like.  And it has a light, docile fragrance, so those sensitive to smells should not find this off putting at all.  It spreads nicely, too.  Again, it has a light feeling when applying to the face with no shine or greasy residue to speak of, which I found to be nice since my face does not like “heavy” at all.  My face did feel moisturized; however, it is noticeably lighter than my Ole and I feared that it perhaps wouldn’t be moisturizing enough as a result.  And so I tried it both day and night for several weeks to see how my skin would fare.

The first couple of weeks went OK.  I had no breakouts and my skin felt hydrated enough.  I thought, “Hey, I think I found my new moisturizer!”  But my excitement quickly waned as I started to experience a small, sporadic bump or two on each cheek.  Though benign, it still gave me pause and I figured I would have to go back to the drawing board.  And then they stopped.

Fast forward to now and all I can say is that I like it enough to finish it, but not sure if it is THE ONE.  I haven’t had any more breakouts as of recent and my skin does feel good, but... I’m not over the moon about it, you know?  I guess it’s doing its job, even though I have an occasional dry patch here and there after applying, but... *sigh* I dunno.  And it is this ambivalence that has fueled me to keep looking. 

So keep looking, I shall.  I already have my eye on the next contender and will be sure to give you guys the scoop once I get the full deets on whether my skin approves... or not!

MAC Studio Moisture Cream can be found at Nordstrom and MACcosmetics(.)com, and retails for $33/1.7 fl oz.

My First Aloe

Hey, guys!  Well, if you follow me on Instagram then you know I've sorta kinda been on a serious health kick.  I've always been health conscious and tried to be nutritionally aware, however, I've stepped it up a few notches, incorporating a wider variety of veggies and other nourishing notables to my daily regimen.  Which brings me to my latest indulgence - aloe.  Potently packed with a myriad of vitamins that almost run the full alphabet, including A, C and E, it also boasts skin hydrating, immune boosting as well as body detoxifying powers.  If that's not enough, it's also a competent antioxidant and antibacterial agent.  For the initiated, all this may be old news.  But for the rest of us, this ACE of a plant has an impressive resume that is hard to ignore any further.  And so I bought my first aloe vera leaf... and prepped it for consumption as well as topical use.

Built like a shark's fin with spiny sides, the aloe vera leaf (single) usually comes sealed at its base.  Not knowing how to pick one out, I just grabbed the one that felt the fattest around its mid-section and didn't look too beat up.

Next, I cut the leaf into three parts, cutting both above and below the meatiest part of my plant - the middle.

I then placed all three parts into an empty bowl with the exposed sections down so that the yellow sap of the leaf can drain out.  This yellow substance, or the latex of the plant, is layered just beneath the aloe's "rind" and contains aloin, which can act as a natural laxative and cause irritability to both the skin (if you're sensitive to latex) and stomach if ingested.  Therefore, to avoid any "issues", it's best to let as much of it drain out... especially if you plan on incorporating it into a drink or meal.  

At this point, also, you may notice a smell, which I would describe as a slightly sour green onion, if that makes any sense.  It is pretty pungent as it filled up my entire kitchen and even started to creep upstairs.  But I wouldn't go so far as to call the smell repugnant even though I have heard it referred to as "off-putting" and "foul".  So if your nostrils are super sensitive, keep the area well ventilated (i.e., open a window... or two).   

Once fully drained (I let mine sit for about an hour), you are ready to fully expose and extricate its gelatinous core.

Using a sharp knife, I cut the thorny sides and then peeled the top layer right off.  Next, I slid the knife between the remaining skin and flesh, completely freeing the diaphanous "fillet" inside.

In addition to the uncovered "meat" of the plant will also be drippings of the ooey-gooey gel, which is not tacky/sticky at all and coats its entire innards.

After gutting the leaf completely, I put the contents into a blender and whipped it a few seconds until it turned into a foamy liquid.

 

Finally, I put the elixir into a air-proof container and placed it in the refrigerator.  Still sporting a frothy "head", this aloe vera juice is now ready to work its medicinal magic and - from start to finish -  it didn't take much time to prepare at all!

I even managed to spare a chunk to put into my veggie/fruit-filled smoothie (which turned out totally delicious, if I do say so myself.  And I do!).  #WINNING #YUM

So there you have it!  I am thrilled to have finally tried aloe vera out; it has proven to be a subtle addition taste-wise to my power drink and I am trying it out on my skin as we speak.  Will it be for me the so-called medicinal panacea that many aloe adherents tout it as being?  Well, I don't think I'm looking for it to be.  But if it can and will boost my health in any type of way then I'm all for it.  Therefore, I look forward to reaping all of the benefits from this green-leaved gem... and can't wait to see the results from using it on my skin!  

Smooth Operator

Hey, guys!  Question for you: When it comes to body hair management, do you guys prefer to wax or shave?  I don't really have a lot of hair on my legs, so waxing them was a breeze.  However, my underarms started to scar from all the ripping and the tearing involved, so I decided to ixnay the axway (or "nix the wax" for all my non-pig Latin speakers) altogether for quick and easy "old faithful" - shaving.  Previous bouts with shaving creams left my skin dry and unimpressed, but I finally found one that I'm excited about.  So, if you have a few ticks to spare, let's chew the fat and I'll give you the skinny on all the creamy goodness that is EOS' Shave Cream in Pomegranate Raspberry.

When personal care brand EOS (Evolution of Smooth) first came on the scene, the buzz was all about their colorful orbs of lip balms with the fruity scents.  Now that the novelty has somewhat worn off, there's been a slight shift in focus to their skincare products... and with good reason.  Generously endowed with moisturizing agents such as shea butter and grape seed extract, it can be used on wet or dry skin without consequence.  Not only does it leave skin feeling silky and nourished, but it also protects against unsightly razor bumps and irritation, too, with the help of aloe and oat extract.

Dispensed through a simple pump, Pomegranate Raspberry shaving cream is a thick, pale pink, custard-like concoction that smells of berries and spreads easily across the skin.  Its scent, which I found to be pleasant and not too cloying, does linger a little after shaving, but eventually dissipates.  And I have to tell you that my legs and other body parts felt phenomenally soft afterwards with not even a hint of a razor bump or adverse reaction to report.  #HOLLA!

So there you have it!  Now that summer is here and showing more skin is in, it's time to de-fleece, y'all!  The woolly mammoth look was never really my style, so if you're like me and eager to get fuzz-free AND still on the lookout for a shave cream that truly rocks... then you may want to give this one a once-over.  It comes in a total of three different fragrances and totally leaves your skin feeling protected during the process and as soft as a baby's bottom after.  Totally.   

EOS Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream is available at various drugstores, including Target and Walmart, and retails for around $4, depending on the outlet.

Polish Perfect

And so I tried another skin care item recently.  And I like it.  A lot.  It's a face scrub from cosmetics and beauty guru Laura Mercier that I just happened to get a sample of.  Now, I'm perfectly content with my current exfoliant, the original St. Ives Apricot scrub; it has served me well over the years and I've never had a problem with it.  Besides that, it's readily available at drugstores... so there's that.  But why not try something new?  And so I did.  I tried out the Flawless Skin Face Polish.  And if you have a few ticks of the clock to spare, I'd love to share my thoughts on it with you. 

Flawless Skin Face Polish is a peach-colored cream scrub dually designed to both exfoliate as well as cleanse to help promote smooth, even toned skin.  Upon first sight, the scrub appears to be mild and somewhat innocuous.  Packed with plant-based emollients like sunflower and macadamia oils, the latter providing it with a high anti-oxidant profile, it has a nourishing texture that feels good when initially applied against the skin.  But it's when you start to massage it over your face that you begin to see and feel just how truly potent the polish is.

The embedded microbeads pack a heavier punch than most in both purpose and size.  In lieu of being docile and bubble-like, these are visibly more granular with a gentle but effective grit to purify and polish the skin to a fresh finish.  My face felt clean, supple and soft after using... not at all stressed or abused.  And it has a light, dare I say "apricot-y" scent that's pretty nice, too.  #WINNING! 

So there you have it!  This scrub earns an A+ in my book.  It does exactly what it claims and does it with authority.  I like it mucho and although my fondness for it falls a tad short of me financially committing to a full-size version just yet, I am rather glad I got my hands on a mini.  It's the perfect polish for brightening and cleansing, and I'm very happy I got to give it a go!    

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish is available at Nordstrom and retails for $32/3.4 oz.   

Product Purge: Skin

OK, so now that we've got our feet firmly planted in the province of spring, it's only right that I continue on with getting rid of the surplus of old/unused/unwanted items I have hanging around still.  Tossing out the gang of long-forgotten, unconsumed haircare products from my cupboards launched the start of my purge.  And now it's time to tackle the next group of discards: skincare.  Luckily, this is a short list.  Permanently replaced by my roster of staples, I haven't used these items in, like, forever.  So, away they must go... and away they most definitely shall, starting with:

St. Ives' Green Tea Cleanser.  Geared towards those wanting to block breakouts, this face wash relies on the power of salicylic acid as well as natural green tea to get the job done.  I haven't used this in soooo long, but I don't remember not liking it.  I may have found it to be a little drying.  Either way, I didn't find it to be "all that" and quickly found a more impressive substitute. 

Now, this one I remember getting excited about.  With its potent anti-aging properties and salicylic acid combo, I thought it would turn out to be the bee's knees!  But, alas, it wasn't for me.  I dunno, I was underwhelmed by it; it was just OK.  As a cream cleanser, it has a nice consistency and all, but I didn't feel like it was doing anything special for my skin nor did it help to keep the occasional breakouts I was having at the time at bay.

I sorta went St. Ives cray-cray with this next duo.  Already an ardent fan of their Apricot Scrub, I figured I would give their Deep Cleanser as well as the gentler version of their scrub a try since they were all still a part of the Apricot family.  Well, I can say that the cream cleanser, though loaded with skin scrubbing microbeads, did not work for me at all.   

And the gentle scrub, also populated with microbeads in addition to its usual scrubbing agents, did not exfoliate.  To be honest, I really had no business even buying this since the original works so well in leaving my skin looking and feeling smooth and renewed.  Total waste for me.

And do you guys remember this one?  If you do then you know that this Pond's Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream started off on a good note.  It felt good going on and did alright on my skin... until I started breaking out.  There weren't any dermal explosions, just a few bumps here and there that I noticed after a few weeks' use.  So I must say good-bye to this drugstore ditty as well.

Well, there you have it.  I'm going to see if B-Boy wants any of these unwanted goods (you know most men aren't as picky women are when it comes to certain products).  But if not, in the trash they'll go and onto the next order of business: wardrobe (possibly).  Oh, boy.  I was going through my closet the other day and came across some items that probably should have never made it out of 2014, let alone onto a hanger.  But clothes are kinda tricky 'cause you can usually remix them, so we'll see.  I'm on a roll, though.  And ready to keep this product purge train chuggin' along.  #CHOOCHOO! 

Mud Power

OK, so I don't use a lot of face masks, but that's not because I have a disinterest in them.   As you already know, I'm a true minimalist when it comes to my face saving routine (i.e., washing with a simple cleanser/soap and finishing with a moisturizer).  However, I do have a peel-off mask from St. Ives that I use on rare occasions as a source of entertainment more than anything else since I find the peeling process kinda fun.  But masks do have their value.  So when I got a mini of one in particular with a recent purchase, I was gung-ho to try it.  It's the POWERMUD Dualcleanse Treatment from GLAMGLOW and, if you don't mind affording me a minute (or five), I'd love to tell you about my initial experience with it.

     

POWERMUD Dualcleanse Treatment is technically not a mask, but a deep cleansing treatment formulated to remove dirt, oil and makeup via the detoxifying power of mud and a harmonious blend of various oils.  It is from GLAMGLOW, a skincare brand once reserved exclusively for use on those perched behind Hollywood's "velvet rope".  Now accessible to the mainstream consumer,  POWERMUD is regarded as a powerhouse amongst its list of products as the taupe-colored concoction works diligently as an exfoliator, astringent as well as a gentle wash to achieve soft, clean skin.

When I applied the Treatment to my already cleaned, dried face per the instructions, I noticed it had a "fresh" scent to it.  Nothing heavy or offensive, just light.  It didn't take much product to cover my entire face and once it dried down after 5-10 minutes (again, per instructions), it left a sheer white cast on my face that still allowed my face mobility.

After massaging it into cleansing oil "mode" with water then rinsing, my skin looked pretty good and felt considerably clean sans any tautness.  My face didn't feel/look drawn or parched, either.  Much to the contrary, it felt conditioned enough for me to skip the moisturizer just to see how I would fare.  And guess what?  No dry patches in sight.  Also, no burning during or after application.  Not bad.  Not bad at all...

So there you have it!  While this was just my first go at it, POWERMUD may be the power move for me right now... or at least until my sample runs out.  Do I consider it to be a necessity for my routine?  At its recommended use of once or twice a week, not really.  And I'm not having any major skin issues to speak of, so there's that.  But it's a nice reprieve from the day-to-day wash/moisturize/repeat routine I've been keeping, you know?  A spa-like indulgence in a tube.

Once again, I took a chance on a skincare product and ended up with mud on my face.  But this time it's a good thing.  So far, a very good thing indeed!

GLAMGLOW POWERMUD Dualcleanse Treatment is available at Sephora and retails for $19/0.5 oz jar; $69/1.7 oz jar.