Cheek Breakouts and the Blush Brush Conundrum

Have you ever experienced breakouts along your cheekbones that just don’t go away no matter what you do?  While there are several possibilities that could explain this annoying problem, my first go-to in diagnosing the problem is to look at your blush and bronzer.

You may have also come to a similar thought, but from a different angle.  After asking at Sephora, or perusing Pinterest, there's no doubt that you've come across the advice to wash your makeup brushes.  It only seems to make sense that your dirty makeup brushes would cause breakouts, right?

Actually? NO !  

As I always tell my clients,

 "It's  the blush, not the brush!"

Perfect Your Selfie: Banish the Blemish!

There are three things that can really ruin a great makeup application for a special occasion:

1) A sudden breakout
2) Flakiness from dry air
3) Oily shine that pops through your makeup and lights up your face like a disco ball.  

With the holidays and New Year parties approaching, be sure to follow these tips to blow each of these makeup busters to smithereens! Perfect your self(ie) for some great pictures. ;)

Banish the Blemish!

The quickest and easiest way to clear a sudden breakout is actually the best way to soothe inflammation. This method called Ice Therapy, and it's imperative that you start this procedure as soon as you feel or see a new zit.

The video below demonstrates just how easy this process is to reduce inflammation in a breakout!

A Changing Of Seasons... For Your Makeup?

Ah, seasonal changes... Going from summer to fall brings us pumpkin-spiced goodies, mugs of warm tea, time to spend with loved ones, and... swapping out your makeup? It seems that changing out your skincare or makeup products by season is a universal thought -- often backed by bloggers, fashion magazines, and perhaps even your own family!

In my most humble opinion -- no matter what season you're in, the type of foundation you use (whether it's a cream, liquid, a tinted moisturizer, or a BB cream) really depends on your preferred coverage. Our skin certainly changes with different weather conditions, but should makeup even be involved? If you're concerned about hydration, sun protection, and pore minimization it would seem that any changes in your skin from one season to the next should be taken care of with quality skincare products.  

I've never really been a fan of using makeup as skincare considering that makeup products are designed to sit on top of the skin and not penetrate, where as skincare products are supposed to penetrate. Another way to look at makeup-as-skincare is that if foundation (that is not supposed to penetrate the skin) has skin-enhancing ingredients, how much effect is it actually going to have?

It’s Not The Brush; It’s The Blush!

If you have ever experienced breakouts along your cheekbones that just won’t go away no matter what you do or use, you may have concluded that the pimples must be connected to your blush. After asking around, or perusing Pinterest, there's no doubt that you've come across the advice to wash your makeup brushes. It only seems to make sense that your dirty makeup brushes would cause breakouts, right? 

Actually -- no.  As I always tell my clients, "It's the blush, not the brush!"

A few facts:

Makeup Breakout Prevention Cheat Sheet

There is so much information out there for people who suffer from Adult Acne and general skin sensitivities and while you can have the best skincare product routine to clear up your breakouts, your makeup products can be causing more frustration than necessary! The underlying cause of most of my clients' breakout troubles actually comes from pore clogging ingredients in their makeup rather than from any junk foods in their diet or not washing their faces "enough."

Use this post as a handy reference the next time you go out shopping for makeup! :)

What to look for:

AcneWhisperer TV: How to Better Apply Mineral Makeup

Ever find that the way that's shown at the store or on TV of how to apply mineral makeup leaves your skin feeling and looking cake-y? 

Let me let you in on a secret:

It's not at all necessary to apply mineral makeup like that! Watch the video below to see how I apply mineral makeup for a totally flawless and completely natural look. :)

How To Determine If Cleansing Wipes Are Right For You

There always seems to be a new beauty product that caters to the woman-on-the-go who has such a busy life with managing work, socializing, and personal or family time that setting aside a few moments to wash her face at the beginning or end of the day is a terribly daunting task. 

And even if there are a few precious moments, it's just way too easy getting caught up being lazy or tired!

This is where the facial cleansing wipe comes in. I'm often asked about cleansing wipes and how they might be a substitute for washing your face with cleanser from a bottle.

Soothing Your Scary Skin

Halloween festivities have come to an end, and everyone had a great time, but why is your skin still in scary mode?

In the day or two after Halloween, you might notice that your skin has broken out in little red bumps or has become irritated. If you wore face paint, costume makeup, or even applied lipstick on your face as part of an outfit, there is a huge possibility that the oils and dyes in those products are causing your scary skin.

Face paint and costume makeup are chockful of oils and waxes that can be highly pore-clogging. When the natural oils in your pores aren't able to be freely distributed and are instead held back by other oils or waxes from beauty products, this excess oil will become stuck in your pores. The result of this oil abundance creates inflammation of your pore linings which then leads to swelling, redness, and, sometimes, pain.