It's the most wonderful time to PEEL!

The holidays maybe the most wonderful time for kids but to us adults, it can be frustrating and time consuming. With all the planning, decorating and shopping one can get overwhelmed. So why not take the focus of the major To Do Lists and give yourself a pampering treat. The holidays are fine but I don't want to look broken down and aged. Who does, right?

With that said, I have taken sometime to give myself a gentle peel, twice in the past two weeks and am recruiting others in my circle. I peeled my husband for the first time ever. For the longest time, I told him "You are like my personal billboard. If you walk around with wrinkled, marked and pimpled skin, what will people think of my skills as an aesthetician?" Nag, Nag, he always refused, but I finally got him to do it. To start him off, I did a very gentle Salicylic peel with one pass. Not sure he could handle anything else. He has oily skin and enlarged pores so to start I thought this would be a great fit. It's still a struggle for him to wear sunscreen so I went easy to start.. He seriously doesn't get the importance of sunscreen. Trust me when I say, he won't leave the house without his Aveda Pomade in his hair, but sunscreen, always forgets. 

In any case, I am in peel mode. Planning to peel my sister in the next coming days. Already gave her a peel at the start of the season. She is brave and a seasoned pro to peels, so I am going full force on her. She will look like a twenty something soon enough. LoL! She looks younger then she is already so shouldn't be to hard. Maybe they will start carding us again M. (Small inside joke. HAHA!)

Now not everyone can afford to go out and get peels every month. If you have minor skin issues, for example small dark spots, fine lines starting to show, you can use items right out your fridge to give you gradual but effective results. 

Prefered brand for me.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR PEEL

Ingredients:

1Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (Organic is best)

1Tbsp Lemon Juice (Fresh is best)

Tools:

Small Clean bowl

Gauze, fan brush or cotton round (Either will do)

Mix and apply with gauze, fan brush or cotton round, starting from the neck up in a gentle upward and out motion. Avoid getting to close to eyes or using on open cuts, abscessed/ recently popped pimples. It WILL burn. 

Leave on for about 10 minutes. You will feel a tingle on your skin. If you feel pain, remove at once with warm water. If your face still has a "burning" sensation you can use water and baking soda to stop the acid effects. (1 TBSP baking soda to 1 cup Water. Stir and apply.)

It is the holidays, why not drink a cup of Hot Apple Cider while you wait for those ten minutes to pass. The aromas of the Cider will help you forget how stinky the vinegar is too. Always follow with a serum or moisturizer. Do I have to remind you to wear your sunscreen? Wear your sunscreen unless your going to bed of course. 

This should leave skin tight, glowing and will gradually shed within the next few days. You can repeat ever two weeks or until you have achieved the results you are seeking.

However, if you a results now kind of person see your dermatologist or Aesthetician and see what kind of peel they recommend for you.

Happy Peeling and happy holiday prepping.

Please take a moment to comment, Like, Share and Subscribe. Thanks so much for coming by.

As always, Be Blessed, Be Healthy and Be Beautiful!

Falling into my life

Well what can I say but that it's a challenge getting things typed up and out into the world when you have kids and up until now I had no computer. Mine met its maker a few months back and I had been using my smart phone. However, my smart phone has little to no memory left with all the apps so I am limited. I'm going to possibly over share in a bit so bare with.

Here is the latest on...

My skin regimen for the season.

Since Fall has arrived, I have given myself two skin (chemical) peels to remove minor hyper pigmentation from this summer and prior. I am working on a small spot that has a few dark marks from sun exposure. I am using gentle peels because I am in no rush to remove and I want to avoid  damaging my skin. Slow and steady since it is minor. I have no obvious wrinkles to speak of so I am good on that front for now. The peels are an added bonus. Preventative when it comes to the wrinkles.

My skin is dry and itchy at the moment, so I have been using aloe to calm my skin through out the day.  PCA Moisturizer with SPF25 to protect from sun. Hydrate and moisturize is all I can say in regards to keeping wrinkles at bay. When it comes to wrinkles, genetics plays a part so I am glad I take after my mom in that sense, she looks younger then she is. So if you look at your parents you know what to expect. If you don't have good genes and a poor skin regimen, you can only make it worse or speed up the aging process. So I recommend a strong skin regimen at any age but especially starting in your late 20's, early 30's.

Now on a personal note,...

My family life is great. The kids are all healthy thank goodness and my husband is with us once again. I am truly blessed when it comes to my family. We are stronger for what we have been through as a couple and as parents.

My eldest son is super happy to have his daddy home and the twins are adjusting as if he was never out of their lives. Seeing them all light up when they see their dad is an awesome feeling. I know that I could have had a different life, a life with out kids and I would have been okay. But having fought to have all three was well worth it. My heart is full on a daily basis. For that I am so grateful and blessed.

My youngest son had his surgery and came out just fine. He was medicated for the first few days and then he was back to his usual self. A scary experience when you are sitting waiting for an outcome of surgery. My sister was with me as she always is. She has been by their side from the moment they entered the world and always comes to their aide whenever we need her. She rocks!(M if your reading this, "I'm boasting about you but thats because you really do rock. Love you.")

The twins celebrated their first birthdays with family and friends. Little E started walking at ten and a half months and Little El started walking just days before their First birthday. So it was great to see them walking about at their little party. It was nice to be surrounded by people that love them and were so willing to come from a far to be with them. We have the best people in our lives. Celebrating them was a big deal because two years ago I was told having them wasn't even possible. Not at all possible and here they are.

Those that know me well know I struggled over not having anymore kids. Everyone said "at least you have the one", "Consider yourself lucky and move on" and so on. I was grateful for all those reasons, but I wanted my son to have a sibling. To have someone to grow up with, to love and be loved by after I am long gone from this earth. I didn't want to take no for an answer. Another one of my personal characteristics. And to end up having two, well, that was the biggest gift from above. I'm glad that I didn't let the diagnosis of P.O.I. stop me from seeing that goal come to be. Had I, we wouldn't have them. And they are the definition of joy.

So overall, I am in a good place with my family. Another added blessing is that the people that matter in my life are apart of it on a regular. Those that choose to be anyway.


NOTE: This was supposed to have been posted three months ago but for some reason, it didn't.


June 2014

Having three kids under three has definitely made life a challenge. I absolutely love them and wouldn't change a thing about them. However, I would love 20 minutes to myself from time to time. I mean, I can't even go to the bathroom without interruptions. This is the first time I get a chance to write in a while and that's because I'm at the doctors waiting to be seen while kids are at home with my folks. Since they take up 90% of my day and 100% of my life right now, I thought I'd share some of my life with you.

I'm dealing with one of the twins needing surgery tomorrow. It's crazy but my "sapito" (Little frog) has a hernia. If someone told me that motherhood meant that I might have to one day push my kids intestines back in through his testicles, I would say not me. Yet, here I am checking him constantly and adjusting him when needed. I feel terrible for him because it looks painful. At-least, uncomfortable. He loves to jump. I mean all the time and he doesn't walk, he lunges forward. So I am concerned how the recovery time will go for a little boy that doesn't sit still. Guess we shall see.

The other two are fine thank God. Growing fast, to fast. My oldest is just so smart and testing his waters every possible moment. That's what everyone says "he's testing his waters." I think he's just testing me. I can't be doing all bad because he thinks I'm the best. Which is awesome to hear from him because I often think I could be doing better. Then he goes and tells me he loves me or "your the best mama" which melts my heart. I know I'm bound to screw them up some how but I am glad I haven't as of yet. Or at least, it doesn't seem I have to him and that's fine for now.

My little girl is taking her first steps. She's very careful when she let's go and I see her thinking her first steps through. Very cool! She is almost always smiling and has such a strong personality already. Can't wait to see as it develops more. She's tough and I love that. I think all women should be, especially in the world she is growing up in today. A woman needs to stand up on her own two feet and I can see already that she has that spirit in her.

Guess I am just a proud gushing mom. Forgive me for that but it's the first time I share so much with you all. I just love them so and sometimes you really do just want to tell the world.

In any case, I hope that your lives are going well and that you are sticking to healthy life choices. Choosing to be happy each day and working on the things that need improving be it personally or physically. Whatever leads you to personal peace and happiness.

As always, Be Blessed, Be Healthy and Be Beautiful!

Jessner peel day 2

Today is an absolutely beautiful day! With that said, I definitely had to make sure that I used high SPF. So after washing and toning my face this morning, applying my moisturizer and letting it set, I added my SPF 50. This Way I could go out and enjoy the sun and know that it wouldn't do any further damage to my skin.

My skin is feeling tight, sometimes even itchy. Especially on my forehead and my jawline.
NOTE: Very important not to scratch the skin. Gently glide fingers over itchy area. Abrasion can cause further hyper-pigmentation.

Already I can start to see some dryness on the forehead, even some flaking. So once home, I applied as much moisturizer as I needed to deal with the itch and dryness. Also, I am drinking plenty of water to hydrate from within.


Here is a picture of some spots I am dealing with.

Though the peel can not help me with the Skin tags, I am testing out how well the Jessner peel will work on the Hyper pigmentation and the acne scars.  I'll check back in later this week. 

As always, Be Blessed, Be Healthy and Be Beautiful!

Jessner peel

Last night I gave myself a Jessner Peel RX that I ordered from Natural Skin Shop online. I chose this peel because I wanted something with little down time but that was multifunction for my skin tone and needs. I am considered a three on the Fitz Patrick scale. I am a light skin Latino with olive skin tone. My skin has some hyper-pigmentation , fine lines around the eyes and mouth, some comedones(blackheads) on my nasal area and some minor acne marks.

WARNING:
Now as a word of caution, I do not recommend you try and do this to yourself. As a reminder, I am a licensed professional with much practice when it comes to peels. I know what to look for and what questions to ask prior, during and post peel. So please seek out a dermatologist or an esthetician to provide you with this service.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let me fill you in on the peel.

HERE IS WHAT THEY CLAIM:
(Directly from their website)

The Jessner peel is a highly effective peeling agent formulated with a combination of Resorcinol, Lactic Acid and Salicylic Acid for a intensive medium to deep strength peel. For experienced users only who have had experience with peel treatments such as Salicylic 20% or higher or Glycolic 50% or higher.

The Jessner Peel can be used to lighten areas of hyperpigmentation, treat mild acne and acne scars and to treat photo-damaged and aged, sun-damaged skin.

Jessner peels cause the top layers of skin to flake off while also stimulating the deeper layers of the skin. The top layers of skin are the most sun-damaged, wrinkled, unattractive layers of skin. After they are removed, the new fresh and younger-looking skin is revealed and brought to the surface.

The deep layer of skin, the dermis, is also stimulated by the Jessner skin peel. This causes new fibroblasts and collagen to develop, reducing the depth of lines and wrinkles caused by aging. Repetitive peeling with Jessner’s peel improves tone, texture, and quality of the skin.

WHAT I KNOW:
If you were to look back on why I chose this peel and compare it to their claims, you would see that it matches up well with my needs/desires.

Now, I am not new to peels. I have had Glycolic, Salicylic, Lactic and TCA peels done on my skin before. Not at the same time. So I was dealing with one skin issue at a time. This peel is for the seasoned pro who has had other peels done before. It is multifunction offering your skin the lightening of spots, shedding of dead skin, boosting collagen and minimizing lines and wrinkles. Who doesn't want younger looking skin?

WHAT HAPPENED:
So I followed protocol steps starting with clean skin, peel prep (strips sebum from face),placed petroleum jelly on lips and eyebrows to protect from peel, then the Jessner peel.

I did just one pass of peel. Though they say you can do up to 5 but i wanted to test it out first. I felt some major tingling and slight burning sensation. A hand fan comes in handy at this point. As soon as I seen my skin frost (milky white color), I waited a minute and neutralized the peel. With the neutralizer that they provide. But you can also use Sodium Bicarbonate(Baking Soda) and distilled water. Don't be alarmed when it's remove it, you may hear a sizzle or feel momentarily some additional burn sensation. Not to worry it will pass. Even when done correctly you hear this. That's why a licensed professional should do this. Then I repeatedly added cold water to my face for a minute. My skin was immediately reddened.

Next, I used a Hyaluronic acid cream that helps keeps skin moist and plump. It is found naturally in the human body so it easily absorbs into skin.

In the morning I woke up with my skin feeling tight and dry but the redness was gone. I gently washed my skin, NO SCRUBBING OR HOT WATER. Patted dry, moisturized, lightly added some refined organic coconut oil. Allowed that to absorb, then I finished with SPF 50.

My skin is tight around the outer ridges of eyes, forehead and cheeks. But I am not feeling dry which is key and my face is protected from the sun should I go out.

Within a few days I should see some flaking and shedding of skin. In 10 days I should see much better results. I will keep you posted on how it looks in the next few days.