Random Ramblings

Oh hi there my Goddesses. I had a few random updates that I wanted to share with you and I thought I would put them all in one post. 

First, the great olive oil on your eyelashes debate. It does not work. End of. It just does not. I applied olive oil to my eyelashes every night for 1 month because that is how long "they" said it would take. After the month was completed, my lashes were so long I was being mistaken for a baby giraffe so I threw away all of my mascaras and false lashes and now I am touring the land, werking under my drag name Ardell Lashalot, teaching all of you skinny lashed bitches about the magical wonders of coating your eyelashes and ultimately your eyeballs with oil. 

So besides the fact that oil on your lashes does not work to make them longer, if you are not careful you will be rubbing oil out of your eyeballs which is not much fun. I will admit, I got lazy and did not take another photo of the finished product however the finished product looks exactly the same as the beginning product, so you can just go back and look at those photos. 

Also just to make it official, the lovely ladies at Wise Optical in Bayonne NJ say oil on your lashes is a bunch of hooey and to please not do it. Smart ladies. Click HERE for original olive oil post. PS-My original photos are not showing up on the original post but trust me-my lashes look malnourished.

Next up my Retin-A update. After 7 months I have finish both of my tubes of Tretinoin and .......I really did not see any life changing differences. My acne is cleared up, however I had changed a few things about my routine so I am not sure if it was due to the Retin-A or my new routine. What did happen-some peeling skin and not much else. My nose did not like Retin-A at all. The inside of my right nostril was pained beyond belief! So bazaar! That was my barometer for when my skin needed a rest. The inside of my nose hurt so bad, I could not touch it. I have not used it for a few weeks now and I do not miss it. I honestly believe my skin sees more dramatic, quicker results from a quality AHA/BHA treatment. I did not dislike it but it did not rock my world.

Speaking of AHA treatments, remember my blog post about the egg white/milk/apple juice mask and I said it made so much liquid you can save it in the fridge for your next use? I also said I was not sure if you can do that but I was going to do that? Yeah don't do that. The acids from the milk and apple juice cook the egg (kind of like an egg ceviche') so you end up with gloppy egg whites in milk and apple juice. No bueno! Maybe just half the recipe to make less?

Lastly, this beauty^^^^^ has finally arrived to mi casa and will be reviewed accordingly after many uses! I am so excited! 

I know I already said lastly but one last thing, I highly appreciate the emails I receive from my followers. I would much appreciate it if you left comments so everyone can see whatever it is you would like to share. Unless you want to bitch me out about something, then you can just keep it to yourself. 

In the meantime, click one of the links down below to keep yourself busy and out of trouble!

Subscribe to Little Goddess Cosmetics by Email

Retin-A is NOT an Exfoliant! Who Knew?

So I was schooled by the Paula's Choice people. I can admit when I am wrong. If I am passing on information to you, I want to make sure I am passing the correct information. 

So in my prior post about Retin-A I said Retin-A is an exfoliant. I was always under the impression that Retin-A was a prescription strength exfoliant.  Well lo and behold, it is not.

I wanted to get a definitive answer on whether or not I could use my Paula's Choice BHA 9 in addition to my Retin-A because I was still experiencing minor breakouts. Not as bad as I had been but they were still there and I want them to be gone. My doc said to hold off but I had heard so many different opinions and answers, I decided to take my question to the Paula's Choice peeps. 

First, let me say Paula's Choice customer service are absolutely awesome. They have a live chat box and basically informed me that Retin-A is a treatment and not an exfoliant, therefore it can be used with my BHA9.

According to Paula's website:

A common misconception is that tretinoin (active ingredient in Retin-A) exfoliates skin like an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid) product. However, tretinoin is not an exfoliant. Tretinoin improves living cells so they can shed normally whereas AHA and BHA exfoliants dissolve dead skin cells in skin’s uppermost layers. Tretinoin improves how skin cells shed naturally, helping them do so in the manner they did before being damaged by sun exposure. But this action is not the same as exfoliation. It gets confusing because tretinoin does affect how skin cells form and shed deeper in the skin, beyond where AHAs and BHA ingredients reach. But technically what’s going in terms of how skin cells shed isn’t the same action as exfoliating skin’s surface to improve its appearance.

So with that said, now that I have added the BHA-holy moly what a difference it has made in my skin. Breakouts are pretty much non existent and old marks are fading away! Yay! I am at the 4 month mark with Retin-A and for the first time, I woke up this morning with flaking skin. I'm not sure if it was the Retin-A or the addition of the BHA but moisturizer chased it right away.  

So now you know!

Until next time, 

Jessica

Retin A and Beautiful Skin

Oh hello there!
Time for our lesson on Retin A.

So Retin A is basically a topical form of vitamin A that helps the skin renew itself. It works by increasing skin cell turnover promoting the extrusion of the plugged material in the follicle. It also prevents the formation of new comedones. 

Retin A was introduced over 30 years ago to help people who suffered from acne. However there were some side effects. Besides clear skin, people were also reporting more youthful plump skin, even skin tone and disappearing wrinkles! Say whaaa? I think I hear butterflies and fairies singing...

Retin A is an exfoliate, which means it will gently dislodge dead skin cells, cleaning  pores and bringing pimples and blackheads to the surface to be obliterated forever (or until you stop using it). It also stimulates collagen, giving you that plump, healthy skin you had in your 20's. 

Prior to starting my Retin A regimen, I researched it and was a bit scared of what I found. So before you get all this beautiful, youthful skin back, you have to go through hell first. Apparently, you will have the worst skin of your life before you have the best skin of your life. You reportedly, have horrendous breakouts. If a pore is clogged, the only way for it to be cleared is for it to come out. Usually in the form of a pimple. In addition to the worst breakouts, you will also have dry, flaky, peeling, irritated skin. Sounds like a blast.

As someone who was going to be using Retin A for an adult (teenage) acne problem, this sounded terrifying. I asked my derm about this and she said I shouldn't have a problem with it and anyone who has these issues, goes in too fast and doesn't follow the rules.

So there are some rules with Retin A that need to be followed. 

First-You know how they suggest you apply your moisturizer to damp skin, such as right after you wash your face or get out of the shower?

YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH RETIN A!

The suggestion is to wait 15-30 minutes after washing your face. I wait about 30-60 minutes after just to be safe. This rule is probably good to follow with any strong exfoliate such as AHA/BHA. 

Second-You MUST use sun protection. You should always use some form of sun protection, however it is an absolute must when using Retin A (or any exfoliate). Your skin is much more sensitive to the harsh rays of the sun. So slather it on! And use nothing less than a 30 SPF!

I decided to ease in and just dip my toe before jumping in. The first week I used it once ever 2 nights, then I started using it every other night for the next 3 weeks. Then I was using it 2 nights on/one night off. I did that for a month. Finally, 3 nights on/1 night off for 2 weeks and now I am using it every night except for Saturday night. Saturday night is my night off. I don't know why but it has always been that way. I just wash my face and crawl into bed. No products. I suspect it has something to do with drunken Saturday nights in my mid 20's. 

OK, back to the subject~

So 3 months in and so far I love it! I did not experience any of the dreaded breakouts or peeling skin (except for one little area on my nose). 

Any existing acne that I've had is clearing up and I have not had any active breakouts in weeks, which is like a lifetime when you suffer from it. I am really excited to see what my skin will look like 3-5 months from now since they say you won't see the full effects until 6-8 months. 

So for anyone suffering from acne or if you're just looking to give your aging skin a boost, I highly suggest trying Retin A. Remember, you need a prescription for this so get a good dermatologist.

Ease into it and please follow the rules. Also, be sure to invest in a really good moisturizer because you may need it if you start to peel. 

Until next time

~Jessica~