Beautiful part 1: 1st Timothy 2:9-10

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 

Hello lovely readers!  I have been wanting to branch out a little bit with this blog entry, but still staying true to the purpose: bible verses and real life situations.  So, without further adieu, here goes nothing! 

I grew up with all boys in my col-de-sac, which basically predetermined me to be a tomboy/girly girl, running around in the dirt and swinging as high as I could while in a grape-purple jumper and stark white ruffled bloomers.  Then middle school happened... In the day of 7th and 8th grade, I discovered a crazy love-hate relationship with makeup.  I thought it was just the basics: glip-gloss (as I used to call "lip gloss"), eye shadow, mascara, and foundation.  Who knew there were so many other varieties and colors that could adorn your face, right?  To make matters worse, I raided my mom's old makeup from the 80's and figured that bright blue eye shadow, barbie pink eye blush and whatever powder foundation my mom had in her free Clinique bag would be perfect.  Yikes!  

Several years of combo oily/dry skin and trips to the dermatologist later, I have just now learned the basics of make up and how to really care for a face.  And for the record, all of the images from now on all came from the respective product's site and/or google.  I am not a photographer by any means, so I'll leave it up to the experts.  

I have always had a problem with blemishes, the nicely put name for pimples.  I never felt like my face was getting clean enough at night with the astringent and cotton ball method, so I decided something had to be changed.  So I tried a hot/damp towel after.  That's all fine and dandy EXCEPT for the fact that it practically soaked up all of the nutrients and moisture that was in my skin and dried it all out, making it feel awful. 

Moment of truth here.  A few years ago, I purchased a cleansing system from good ol' Wally World.  It claimed to exfoliate the skin while cleaning it at the same time, so I wanted to try it.  You put on a pre-soaped up pad onto the product and go in circles around your face.  One of the main things I did not like is that it created a LOT of bubbles - bubbles of which found their way into my ears, nostrils and sometimes eyes.  No bueno.  I also felt like I was swirling the left-over make up around on my face instead of it absorbing/removing it.  

I was pretty dang skeptical about the Mia2.  I read a good handful of reviews online, hearing about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Yes, it is pricey.  Yes, there is an alternative by another company that claims to be just as good - unfortunately I cannot say either way because I didn't  purchase that product.  

What I do like about this product is that it has some of the same ingredients found in my prescription acne serum.  This particular version is specifically for oily skin; there is another version of the Mia2 that comes in those cooler colors than just white and green.  What I first noticed is that it has really soft bristles and it does not require yet another set of batteries that I do not have lying around in my house.   

Here's what you do:  You can either start out with dry or moistened skin.  Moisten the bristles with warm water and apply 1-pumps worth of the stuff that comes with it onto the brush.  Go in circles around your face for about 1 minute.  Rinse face with warm water.  Voila!  I actually felt a difference in how clean my skin felt - almost like the crazy amount of makeup really did come off.  

I went a step further and purchased an exfoliater by DermaDoctor that you apply on clean skin, rub in for about 30 seconds, and wash off.  It made a HUGE difference with how soft my skin felt without using a lotion-type of product.  I also noticed that it did not break me out at all, which has been an uphill battle with me and products.  

There is another product by DermaDoctor that is an acne serum (not pictured) that helps eliminate and prevent blemishes.  What's nice about this product is that you don't have to wash it off or wait overnight for it to soak in.  And all the angels said "amen!"  You can also put other products such as lotions and makeup on top of it which is always a plus.

Final thoughts: 

Although the Mia2 is pricey, I believe it's very worth it.  It is very easy to clean off the makeup that gets onto the bristles without feeling like you just dipped them in some sort of stain.  It also was very gentle on my sensitive skin without feeling like a harsh exfoliator.  No burning/drying out here!  

Next up: the very long journey through makeup land.  

Amor y besos!

Kelsea