I came across Polyvore while browsing other beauty blogs and decided to give it a try. It’s pretty cool…you can put together different type of outfits with accessories. I had a lot of fun doing this…I felt like a fashion magzine editor! This should give you insight on my fashion or lack of fashion sense..hehe.

Check out the outfits I pulled together:

My Sex in the City/cocktail look attempt. I paired up the classic black dress with a bit of red for extra omph…haha. I’m loving the bling….lol

A Weeked outfit that I would actually wear. I like the color of the top…perfect for spring/summer and I have a fetish for wooden/brown accessories and oversize purses. I also love wedges for Summer, but they can’t be too high because I’m accident prone.

Last but not least…a Summer/beach outfit inspired by my future trip to Hawaii. Again, you see the wedges and wooden accessories..hehe. The string bikini is super cute, unfortunately, I can’t wear that style….sadly, it makes me look way too skinny and would emphasize my boy shaped body…lol. I had to include that Neutrogena sunblock because I love it and it does not break me out!

Hope you enjoyed these!

I came across an anti-aging article in the AllureMarch issue, which mentioned Retin-A (generic name: Tretinoin) that has triggered me to write this post. As I am approaching the big 25 =(, I often worry about aging and wrinkles.  Luckily, my Retin-A regime might help me in the process.

According to the Allure article, it mentions that Retin-A “are potent acne medications as well as a standard for anti-aging. They sweep away dead cells that cause acne and increase collage production and skin turnover.”

I’ve been battling with acne since high school up to my 20s. I have tried numerous topical, oral antibiotics and even birth control pills to control my acne. As a night acne regime, I have been using Retin-A for over a year and love what it has done to my skin. Retin-A is the brand name and Tretinoin is the generic name. If you decide to get this, I would get Tretinoin because it’s so much cheaper.

Pros:
1) Unlike most acne prescription products, you can use this product for a long period of time, your skin will not build resistant to it. Retin-A just basically peels layers of your skin. Think of it as an everyday exfoliator.

2) Fairly inexpensive for an anti-aging product or acne product. The generic form is covered by most health insurance plans. Mine costs about $10 and lasts for more than year! You only use a small amount at a time and it lasts forever.

3) Minimizes pore size and promotes smooth skin.

4) Fades acne scars/hyperpigmentation. I notice that a lot of Asians, including myself are prone to hyperpigmentation or brown scars after acne. Luckily, Retin-A makes them fade away faster.

5) Even though this is meant for the face, I even used this on my bacne scars and it has helped them slowly fade away.

Cons:
1) Like most acne prescriptions, it takes time for it to work. Don’t expect instant results like the over the counter acne products. Expect for a couple of months to see actual results. Just sit tight and be patient!

2) Expect a purging period =(. I know this was a turn off for me. The purging period is about a couple of weeks. Retin-A basically brings up all the acne to the surface, before fighting it off. But once the purging subsides, everything is A-okay! Also within this period, you might wake up with feeling dry skin. But it will go away after awhile.

3) Sun sensivity - don’t forget to wear sunblock during the day!

4) Skin lightener - I am not sure if it’s because I previously used the cream form, but I notice that it actually lightens your skin. Maybe that’s why you need only a small amount…it’s that powerful! This might not be so great in the summer where your face is a different color from the rest of your body.

How I apply Retin-A:

1) In the evening, I gently wash face with a gentle face wash.

2) Wait for about 30 minutes to an hour for my face to fully dry.

3) Apply a pea sized amount of Retin-A on my entire face. A lot of people would spot treat using Retin-A, but you should apply it to the entire face even if you aren’t breaking out, to prevent future breakouts.

This prescription comes in two forms - cream and gel. A cream is better for those with dry skin, but it contains isopropyl myristate (a pore clogging ingredient) whereas the gel form doesn’t have that ingredient. Since I’m so paranoid, I use the gel form.  Overall, if you’re looking for a product help with acne and anti-agin, I definitely recommend Retin-A.

This past weekend I experienced my very first massage…I’m a massage virgin at the Massage Therapy Center in Los Angeles during their Spa Week promotion. I got a 50-60 min. massage for $50. My friends and I chose this spa based on reviews from yelp and city search. According to CitySearch, this spa is the #1 spa for massages in the LA area.

*Pictures are from their website: massagenow.com, that’s why they’re so small.

Anyways, this spa was pretty small…not a huge spa like Burke Williams or those other chain spas. They have a hallway of all the private rooms with about maybe 8 rooms total. There was also a seperate mens/womens room. In the womens room, there were the standard restroom with amenities and they had a small eucalyptus steam room. My massage took place in a private room with dimmed lights and I was tucked into a bed. I have to admit that I was pretty tense, even the massage therapist agreed with me. I don’t know if it was caused because I didn’t know what to expect from the massage or my stress…hehe. I have a feeling it was all the tension built up from work and my long commute to work. At the beginning, I could feel that I was extremely tense, because whenever she massaged my upper back I could hear muscle noises. She also applied all these oils on the places that she massaged - upper body, back, legs and feet. I’m usually ticklish at my feet, but for some reason, when she massaged my feet…I wasn’t. At the end of my massage, I did not want to leave…I felt so relaxed.

After the massage, I had to wait for my friends to finish theirs, so my friend and I stepped into the Eucalyptus steam room. It was a little too steamy and congested for me, so I was only in there for about 20 minutes. When I came out of the steam room, my skin was soaking wet, but it felt very hydrating. Their bathroom amenities were pretty cool, because they had hair styling products and your typical bath products.

I don’t know what’s with massages…but on the ride home, everyone feel asleep in the car. I was extremely sleepy myself…maybe because we were in a too relaxed state? I recommend a massage to anyone that hasn’t had one. Anyways, I can’t wait until Spa Week again, which is in Fall to try out a new place!

I’ve finished up my Lumiere samples and came to the conclusion that I will not be buying it full size. Now, it’s time to move on to Buff’d. I finally came around to swatching my Buff’d FREE samples. I chose the 4 samples that I thought would match my NC35-40 skin. Here they are below, both are taken in different lighting.

As you can see from the pics, they have very strong yellow undertones. Warm and Buff have more pink undertones. Jenn mentioned that Warm would be a good fit for me…I’m not too sure about that..I will have to test that out.

So far I’ve only tried Almond and Moccasin. Almond and Moccasin melt into my skin. I really like the finish it leaves on me…a creamy finish. What I love about Buff’d is that it has great coverage for blemishes/scars. Also, their ingredients are pretty skin friendly: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, iron oxides, ultramarines. I have to test out the rest of the colors and see what works best for me.