Realistic Goals:How I Got Relatively Decent Skin

 Happy New Year all! I had a lovely time this year, but unfortunately got sick somewhere around 2 am. Boo! When I'm sick I pretty much stop being a person for a couple of days because I'm a huge baby, I didn't even wash my face last night. I know, so bad. But the good thing I noticed was how nice my skin looked considering.

 As I detailed in a previous post, I had started a new skin care routine a few months ago and I figured I'd give you an update on how it was working. The short answer is very well! I know other people who give advice or recommend products to the good skin challenged are all "your skin may suck, but with this it could be perfect!" And...no. I mean not that that can't happen, but unless you take Accutane or something (which I even did...and no) you will probably not go from looking like a slice of peperoni pizza to having flawless perfect skin. Especially if you are past the age you should have "grown out of it" or you have sensitivities/allergies in addition to the plain old break outs. But that doesn't mean you should give up, quite the contrary.  I'm sure everyone would prefer flawless skin, but as someone who's had "problem skin" I'm going to freely admit I'd totally settle for "normal" and I'm betting the rest of you would too. Since I've been following my regimen my skin has been perfectly average. I've had a few small break outs during my period, but no cysts, nothing day ruiningly huge, and some redness, but not a single hive. It's not amazing skin. It's not skin that people would stare at on the train like it's the second coming of Christ, but it's fine. It's not irritated and angry looking. I go through the day not thinking about it for the most part. I have never been able to say that before. Everyone's skin is so different and there is totally a chance these things will not work for you, there is even a chance they may stop working for me someday, but I am sharing them in case they happen to be what you need.

This is how my skin looks right now, with no make up (except for NYE remnants of some very hard core eye stuff that I refuse to break out the make up remover for):

Sorry for the terrible lighting in my house!

There is a reason I usually wear lip products, huh?

Trying to give a good sample size of lighting/angle etc

Some faint scaring, but nothing awful.

 Here is the list of what I'm currently doing/using:

Vitamins/etc: 2500 mg Biotin-Morning, 12g Flax Seeds 3-5 days a week.

Wash: The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion-Morning and night.

Tone:Lush Tea Tree Toner Tabs-Night

Treat:Clindamycin-Night, The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion-Night

Moisturize:Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator-Morning

Mask:Lush Love Lettuce-Night

Clarisonic once every 2 weeks with Aveda Enbrightenment Cleanser


 So far this is really working, hope that trend continues. If you're prone to allergies and irritation I recommend also using a BB Cream or Tinted Moisturizer on a daily basis. There were a few days my skin looked good so I went out without wearing anything and my skin got all irritated, the cream provides a barrier between your skin and the air if that's an issue for you.  Hope this works for you!

It Puts the Lotion on It's Skin:The Best Moisturizer Ever!

 Hello again! Sorry I've been missing for a bit. Exciting things are happening! If I haven't already beat you to death with it on numerous internet venues, I'm now a beauty contributor on XOJane! If you've followed me over here from Jane, welcome to my little cone of weirdness.

This makes a great base for make-up.

  My skin has taken a turn for the dry since I got off Accutane last year and I'm still not used to it. I've tried a number of different moisturizers like a parched Goldilocks and wasn't blown away with anything until this. It's the Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator. That's more of a mouth full than most porn stars could handle, am I right? But it's the very best.

 It's funny because I was first exposed to this after getting it as a sample in Sephora while buying another moisturizer. I ended up liking this much better, and giving the one I bought away. I am prone to flaking in the winter and so far I haven't at all. This really hydrates without being oily or heavy. I do worry about that since my skin is closer to "dry combination" than just "dry" but it doesn't make me shiny at all. Supposedly repeated use of this guy repair's skin's moisture barrier. I am honestly seeing a difference in my skin, it hasn't been dry at all. It honestly just looks healthy. If you're looking to get the most out of your moisturizer, rub it in as normal and then press whatever remains on the surface deeper into your skin with two fingers.


This moisturizer also works really well as a base for make-up. It keeps your face looking really natural and the make-up just sort of melts into your skin. It's also a really great value since my little sample jar has lasted me a month so far. This stuff is pretty intense so you really only have to use a tiny bit. A decent sized jar that should last you about a year is only $37.

 The only real downside I've seen so far is that it kind of reeks of chemicals. Like, you're not even fooling yourself about what this is. You open the lid and are ambushed with a nail polish-like smell. It's not the best, but I personally think it's worth it.  Check the Moisture Surge out if you have winter skin issues.

Have a lovely holiday!

Chanel Make Up:Distract Yourself With $26 Nail Polish

 Hey guys! So a few weeks ago it was my birthday and my friend gave me some swanky Chanel make up. It was such a great gift because I have actually never had any of their products before.

Holiday 2012

  I was really excited about it, but also kind of afraid of it.  You see, for years I'd been telling myself that that stuff wasn't really any better than regular make up. The eyeshadow and mascara were pretty safe because I don't wear that stuff every day, but I am pretty obsessed with nail polish so this was potentially dangerous. I need a $26 nail polish habit in my life like I need a fucking hole in the head. And the packaging was already really nice. I don't always wear eyeshadow but I'm into it, it came in a little Chanel compact with a little Chanel pouch, how can you not love that? And just so you know what kind of idiot person you're dealing with, I have a $30 mirror from Brighton. $30. For a mirror. But it's so me! You just look at it and oh my god that's Kristine's mirror! If I believed I had a soul, it would look like this mirror. Come to think of it, it also came in an adorable little pouch, adorable little pouches are my downfall. I'm pretty convinced at this point if someone offered me the plague in an adorable little pouch I'd be all "yes, please! does it also come in black?"

This $30 mirror is my spirit animal.

  I have not tried the eyeshadow or mascara yet because I have not had an occasion to wear them to, but I have tried the nail polish and I'm sorry to say it's kind of the best nail polish I've ever worn. It goes on really smooth, one coat is opaque and while I usually would never wear red (i prefer much less classic nail polish colors generally),  I really love this color. It has complexity. It is actually more of a burgundy with red shimmer. I feel like I will end up wearing this a lot, it stays on longer than your average polish, and damn it, I want more of them.

"Malice"

 "Luxury" make up like this may seem silly, but really all cosmetics are sort of silly and that's why I love them. Sometimes I just want to let go and be silly and indulge in some fun products. It might seem shallow to some people but it's better than dwelling on the bad stuff. I've learned somewhere along the way to let little things make me happy because the big ones let you down a lot. And a $30 mirror might be ridiculous but I smile every time I look at it and enjoy the simplicity of it just kind of...being what it is. Make up is fun! Products are fun! They're a nice escape, they won't break your heart. There is something comforting about them. This works really well until I get irrationally annoyed when a tube of Dior mascara is shittier than one from the drug store because I'm really upset about something important. It's kind of like the time I watched "Revolutionary Road"when my past relationship was falling apart, I kept crying and saying "I don't know...I just feel really bad for Kate Winslet...".  For like a week. It was bad. I think I just accidentally started talking about real things on a beauty blog. EW.

 Anyway if you are into these types of things, and can afford it because you already have a job and a house and all those important things, go for it. This one is actually a really high quality product.

 Honestly though, if reading this blog has helped anyone relax and be entertained and maybe just forget themselves for a little while I will consider myself successful :)

My shoot with Kayln Rock

 Hello! So today I had a very exciting day shooting with my good friend, director of photography  Mark Raker, and the lovely and talented Kayln "Rocki" Rock.

Me and Kayln

  Kayln will be releasing a follow up to her well received debut album "Passenger" and I was happy to be a part of the album cover shoot. It was a lot of fun and we all work really well together. I got to hear some tracks from her first album and I really enjoyed them. She has a great voice and very sweet melodies. I much preferred her stuff to whatever Kayln and Mark were playing off Pandora because I was not allowed to choose the music. What I enjoy is apparently in the genre of "things you would have slit your wrists to in the 90s" and was not appreciated today. We managed to have a great shoot despite the absence of Massive Attack.

Some of the things I used today.

 For this shoot Kayln wanted a fresh, natural look. I used Physician's Formula Tinted Moisturizer in Light, Clinique blush in fig, Clinique mascara in black, Revlon balm/stain in sweetheart, Bone Bell eyeshadow in cafe classics, and Lush highlighter in feeling younger.

The look.

 I will be sure to report back with the finished product as well as when the album is released. If you would like to check out Kayln's music and support this great indie artist visit kaylnrock.com. She can also be found on iTunes  :)

Thank you, Jane Pratt!

So I came home to this today:

This is a thing that happened.

 That is Jane Pratt from Jane magazine/xojane.com saying that she likes this blog "a lot!" I am totally flipping my shit. It's really cool when someone you admire really lives up to how awesome you think they are. She totally did not have to take the time out to read this or respond. Welcome to everyone who found this blog through that exchange! I will try not to disappoint.

Be sure to stay in touch with me on twitter @prtoftheprob

Take This So Your Skin Isn't Gross: Things That Have Seemingly Made My Complexion Better

Hello beautiful!
Well ok, maybe you're not really that beautiful but most of my friends are, and they're really the only ones who read this thing anyway so it's like an 80/20 shot that's accurate. Otherwise I'm sure you're a very nice person or something. Speaking of things that aren't beautiful if you do read my little corner of the world you've heard me bitch about my skin before. It's to put it delicately...not good. Not only do I get the hormonal break outs most people suffer from, I also just have terrible skin allergies. I just randomly get hives and all sorts of other not fun things if the wind blows/the earth turns/ or someone looks at me the wrong way. The general cycle thus far is: I get hormonal/I break out/ the sebum irritates my already shitty allergies. I have been finding a series of things that work for me though so I will share them with you.

I leave myself little notes because I don't remember anything.

~Biotin-This B vitamin supplement is supposed to be for hair,skin,and nail health. I always kind of thought it wouldn't actually do much but it does. My nails are really hard and long, my hair feels much healthier, and my skin has been much more well behaved. This is totally the time of the month I should be breaking out and I only really got one little zit which is a fucking miracle. Biotin is supposed to aid in the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates (hello 90% of my diet!) and help with skin rashes. I have a feeling my skin's barrier function sucks and I've been trying to improve it considering I'm using/eating a lot of vitamin C which can be really harsh on your skin.

~Physically exfoliating daily-You are totally not supposed to do this. You should probably not do this. In fact it's probably irresponsible of me to even be telling you this but it's the truth. If you get cystic acne (which when I get acne I do) it can be okay to exfoliate hardcore since a primary cause of it is build up of dead skin cells.  Chemical exfoliation daily such as using a salicylic acid wash is fine for most people, but I have been using a granular scrub because I live dangerously. If you do not get cystic acne, don't do this. You're only asking for problems.

~Flax Seeds-I've introduced flax seeds into my diet since my diet consists of a lot of dollar pizza and mac and cheese and is just generally deplorable.  I'm really trying to counteract this by being a little healthier. Flax seeds regulate estrogen levels so if you are getting hormonal skin problems and don't want to be on the pill this might be a good natural option to regulate your hormones. It's not gonna alter them as much or the same way but it will help and since the pill fucks with my body too much when I'm on it this is a better option for it. You should take an ounce a day to really make a tangible difference.  I add them in the chocolate smoothies I get from Starbucks. What? I said I'm trying to get healthier not lose weight, okay?

~Clindamycin Phosphate Gel-This topical antibiotic inhibits bacterial protein synthesis at the ribosomal level which basically means it kills bacteria that causes acne. I put it on before bed every night. You need a prescription for this (or be living with someone who has one and isn't using it anymore...not that that's something I would do.)

~Taking half a Benedryl- If i feel the slightest bit itchy I take a half right away and I have been hive free for a good few weeks now. Antihistamines really don't agree with my system so I just take a half to avoid feeling lightheaded all day.

A handy way to add some flax to your life.

This regimen has been working a solid month, who knows if it will keep being that way but I'm pretty excited about it right now. It's nice not hating my skin so I can concentrate on what's really important: hating myself for not having a job yet :)

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Fix Your Fucked Up Hair

  Hello again. I am totally insomnia ridden, as I am wont to be, so you're getting two posts in the same "day". Exciting! So anyway, if you have any fun with your hair at all (bleaching, dying, straightening, curling) your hair is at least a little bit fucked up.  My hair has been all kinds of fucked up and it's actually super healthy right now so  I will tell you how that happened.

Red Ombre Killed my hair.

(I just want to quickly mention my boyfriend gave me that shirt, and I wear it to bed since I'm kind of against wearing shirts by bands you don't listen too. Sorry to any Skeleton Witch fans who got excited. )

 So I'm living with my aunt right now and we have had massive fights about me getting hair dye/ the overwhelming smell of bleach all over the house. To avoid this when I had the red ombre going on I began using the "bleach your hair in the bathroom of the LIRR train" method, which I have actually used before and is usually totally fine. A word of caution however, make sure the water in the sink works. It didn't. I had bleach on the ends of my hair for an hour. After it had already been bleached from black like 3 times. Now I've been pretty unrelentingly awful with things I've done to my hair before, but nothing compared to this. The bottom was a completely different texture than the top. The red ombre was one of my favorite looks ever but I just couldn't keep it up after that. Here is how you can fix a terrible screw up like that:

Pixie Cut

~Cut some of it off. Sorry, I know this isn't what you want to hear but it has to be said. If your hair is that damaged the best thing to do is start over.  When my hair was really damaged a few years ago I cut it all off and when it grew back it was the thickest and nicest it's ever been. I'm not saying you have to go that crazy, but cut a few inches off the bottom or even get some layers, be sure to get those ends off.

~Dye it a solid, darker color. This is something some of you may not wanna hear either, but it's true. If your hair is damaged darker colors will hide it better than lighter ones. I know you've seen the same girls on the train that I have, who've bleached their hair into oblivion and it just looks so thin and damaged and awful. When it gets to that point you kind of have to decide: do I want bleach blonde/hilighted hair or do i want nice hair?  Because sometimes you can't have both and it's more important to have healthy nice hair than to have exactly what you want. I'd love to have hilights or ombre again but bleaching black hair is a whole lot of hell I'm not willing to deal with.

~Sleep with deep conditioner in your hair. Put it on, put on a shower cap, sleep. In fact every minute you're not outside of your house: deep conditioner. Shower cap.  You can use whichever you like, I like the ones at Lush and Kiehl's.

My "real hair" is curly.

 If your hair is not "dear god what have I done?" damaged (if it is you should do this as well as the things I've mentioned above), but could use some work:

~Leave your natural texture alone for awhile: That means if your hair is straight, wear it straight. If it's curly, wear it curly. It doesn't matter if you don't "like" it that way. You'll like it even less if it looks like shit. If it's the summertime or you live somewhere warm, try using no heat at all for a month.

~If you color your hair use the Aveda color depositing conditioners every other day. They're super moisturizing and you're constantly adding "color" to your ends so split ends will show up way less.

~ Use gentler products. R&B hair moisturizer from Lush is really great if you're trying to break away from hairsprays and sticky stuff because it's moisturizing and it controls frizz. Use only the tiniest amount though or you will look like a greaseball. I also like Lush's Shine So Bright split end balm because it smells amazing, works, and you can carry it around in your purse. Aveda's Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair leave in is also really great because it adds protein back into your hair.

 After the train bleach incident, I did cut a bunch of my hair off, dye it back to all black and baby the shit out of it. So far it's really healthy and growing back!


Hope these suggestions were helpful. Please be nice to your hair :)