Banishing Blackheads

So recently I had a friend tell me that his friend had asked how to get rid of blackheads. And his first thought was to ask me.

 (Excuse me while I let that feed my ego a little..)

So this post was inspired by that question-

 Blackheads- how do you get rid of those little bastards- 

and for good?

Here are some rules and products that I have found effective at banishing blackheads.

Wash your face twice- DO NOT OVERWASH. 
I wash my face in the morning after I wake up and at night to remove all of my makeup and other dirt and oils that have accumulated over the course of the day, which is what blackheads are caused by- an excess buildup of dirt and oil in your pores. Right now, I am using a combination of coconut oil, baking soda, and Biore's Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. You can use whatever you want to wash your face as long as you wash your face. I have just found this combination of products effective with my skin because it combines exfoliating, moisturizing, and cleansing in one step and I'm super lazy. Use warm water but not water that is too hot. By over-washing or overheating your face, you can cause more breakouts. Rinse your face thoroughly and PAT dry- never rub.

Use an astringent.
By using an astringent after washing your face, you are cleaning out and closing up the pores you just opened up with the warm water and facewash. It will help shrink your pores so they will let in less dirt and oil. I like Biore's astringent but I have also used others such as witch hazel and Proactiv's. It doesn't matter what astringent you use- I prefer one that has salicylic acid in it because that's an ingredient that aids in healing and treating acne.

Lemon juice and Baking Soda

You might have been with me up until this point but hear me out- I found this on Pinterest and decided to try it and it works. The lemon juice breaks down the trapped oil and dirt that cause blackheads and the baking soda does...too? I don't know the science behind this one, I just know that I did it once every other week for a month (you DO NOT want to do it more than that because you'll dry out your skin. This stuff is powerful and also doubles up as a natural teeth whitener- same rules apply though- you don't want to wear down your enamel) and I noticed a huge difference in the size of my pores and I got less blackheads. 

Use Pore Strips

I use Biore's pore strips for when my blackheads get obnoxiously out of control. They're a temporary fix of course but combined with the other products and steps I talked about, they can definitely help in seeing less blackheads over time. Plus they're kind of cool in a really gross way.

Blot your face

I use Clean and Clear blotting strips usually but any other off-brand or brand work just as well. These help remove oil and dirt from your face throughout the day and help your skin look fresh without ruining your makeup, which, to me, is a huge bonus. 

Use a Face Mask

Not sure why I capitalized face mask but what's done is done. There are several face masks out there, it's simply a matter of finding one that works for your skin type. I have a glycolic mask from Serious Skin Care that I like when my skin's texture is uneven. I have one from Ulta called Pores Be Pure. It smells like a strawberry frappuccino from Starbucks and shrinks my pores like crazy. You can make homemade masks as well. It's really a matter of opinion but I've found masks are essential to my own personal skincare routine. 

Be Consistent

Whatever you decide to do the most effective tool in treating any kind of skin problems is being consistent with your routine. 

Hope this was helpful (: 

Check me out on Instagram here for daily beauty tips, outfit of the day posts, and makeup/hair ideas. Subscribe to my YouTube channel here for beauty tutorials and random videos. 

New Videos are UP!

So. My lame self decided to FINALLY edit all of these tutorials (my Senior Showcase... how this all started... is tomorrow. That probably has something to do with it. I WORK BEST UNDER PRESSURE.) So I've spent 10 hours editing and posting these videos to my YouTube today. Check them out. And bring me french fries while you're at it, I'm starving. And poor. So very poor...
Anyways. Here are the links to all the videos. Subscribe to my channel and don't forget to follow me on Instagram too!

@cuttingedge1420

Pictures of the LBD I got at Walmart that I talked about in my Day to Night makeup tutorial.

Things I can't live without

 My hairspray I'm using right now- Aussie's Instant Freeze 

 The Victoria's Secret texture spray I use

 My Mane 'n Tail leave in conditioner



Wednesday with Willy

The definition of me and my best friend Willy's relationship- both talking at the same time- hands out to illustrate our points. Check out my video with him- it's pretty funny (:

What's in my purse? With my friend Rachel, who is a beautiful goddess who I love!

Quick and Easy Hairstyles

Contouring Basics

Love her makeup. And hair. Saw on Pinterest. 

Everyday Eye Makeup

Not my everyday eye makeup. But I am going to do this makeup soon. Love.

Check out these videos and my others. 

♥

Winter to Spring- Wake up your Wardrobe

Hello my darlings.
I thought I'd do an "Outfit of the Day" type post. Because I'm feeling super poor and wishing I had all the money in the world to buy all of these cute new spring trends that are starting to hit the racks. So for all of you people out there who are poor like me I thought it might be fun to show some ways to spice up your wardrobe for spring with things you might already have or can find for SUPER cheap. (:

I recently went to the thrift store in town and found a tea length black dress that I refashioned into a knee length dress. I did this on an impulse and DID NOT TAKE BEFORE PICTURES (sorry. I hate myself, I suck, usual self depreciation tidbit here).

A few staples-
A cardigan
A little black dress (or two)
A pair of stellar pumps
A pair of stellar flats
A statement necklace (or two..or three.... or four.......)
A blazer
Printed leggings (I love rue21's - they're on sale BOGO 50% off this week!) 
V-neck T-shirt (I love Target's vintage tees) 

I made a few outfits using these staples. (:

But it had ruffles all over the neckline and was from the 80's or something so I took those off and did this with it.
I paired it with a grey long sleeved Nautica cardigan, a pair of leopard pumps (that are actually a size 7.5 and too big for me, if anyone is interested in purchasing them for $25, let me know), and a statement necklace.

I got another new little black dress that was lacy from Walmart (believe it or not) that came with a belt. I paired it with the same cardigan, pair of pointy toed leopard flats with studs down the back I got from Target awhile back, a statement necklace, and a leopard fedora from my awesome friend Kelsy. 

I also got a pair of printed leggings from rue21 and paired them with a grey V-neck boyfriend tee and a casual blazer from Maurice's I actually got from a thrift shop and a pair of combat boots. 

If you want more Outfit of the Day posts, follow me on Instagram @cuttingedge1420

 (:

Photoshoot!!!

Rachel and I did a photoshoot. (:
I did her hair and makeup and my own and we decided to celebrate my taking a ridiculous amount of cool pictures in cool places.

Maiden Braids

So today I am wearing my medium length hair in maiden braids which is not necessarily the easiest thing to do (or so you thought!)
It's actually extremely simple. I parted my hair in a deep part and french braided it (like you're going to pin back your bangs). Then I kept going and wrapped it around my head. When you run out of hair, secure it with a few bobby pins and you are all set. I'll do a video tutorial soon and edit this post and put the link here. (:

xoxo
Sarah Sunshine

These are a few of my favorite things (for my face).

I thought I'd do a product review of things that I LOVE and cannot live without (: 

So I just recently discovered this scrub by Biore and I love it. It is a face wash and a scrub combined which is nice for lazy people like me. I mix it with a little bit of baking soda and mix it into a paste and use it morning and night. It's really good at getting all of my makeup off at the end of the day (which is good..because I wear a ton of makeup as you will see...) It keeps my pores clean and has actually shrunk them as I've used it over time. Highly recommend this junk right here. 

I use this stuff after washing my face. I put a little on a cotton ball and go nuts with it. It helps heal breakouts and cleans out and tightens my pores. It makes my skin feel super soft afterwards and it doesn't smell horrible so that's a bonus for sure. I've been using it for years and I swear by it.

I know there's been a lot of hype about coconut oil lately on the Interweb. But the hype is there for a reason. This junk rules. I use it after every shower as a lotion and it has made my stretchmarks from shooting up like 5 inches in one year almost disappear (side note- I never grew again. I'm obnoxiously average in height). I use it on my lashes at night and it helps repair them from the damage I do with falsies and mascara. It also is a great eye makeup remover for waterproof makeup. It's a great moisturizer. I put it in smoothies or mix it with hot water, lemon, and honey. You don't taste it but it helps you lose weight and is super good for you. So get on board.

My mom discovered this stuff on one of her home shopping networks or something like that. If you have a zit or a bad breakout, put a little bit on a Q-tip and on the zit/breakout overnight and you'll wake up in the morning and that Mount Vesuvius sized zit on your face will have SHRUNK. It's the closest thing to magic in a bottle. Except it really stinks. It has sulfur in it or something and it REALLY stinks. So wear PJ's you don't love and do laundry after. It's stinky but it's magical. How does the saying go... Pain is beauty? Stench is beauty? I guess...? Moving on....

I also take Vitamin E and Biotin. They are great for your hair, nails, and skin. I've also taken a Vitamin E tablet, busted it open, and put it directly on my lips when they are super chapped (I live in Idaho. Winter in Idaho is what I imagine hell as. So I get chapped lips a lot here). If you get under-eye bags, putting Vitamin E under your eyes before bed supposedly helps. I put it on my lashes along with coconut oil and it makes them super long and thick. Love it. 

Sidenote- EOS is awesome. Literally the best chapstick ever. Okay. Moving on to once you're done with all of the pre-makeup stuff with your face. These are the products I use on my face every day.

So these three products I use all combined. BB and CC cream (I prefer Revlon's PhotoReady and Almay's Smart Shades) are awesome. That's basically all I have to say about that. And I put Baby Skin on prior to applying BB and CC cream to use it as a primer. It literally makes my face look poreless (which I can assure you, it is NOT).

I use Covergirl's clean foundation when I need to. I don't always need it but it covers everything and is designed for oily skin (like me ): ). 

So these two powders, MAC's Studio Fix and elf's High Definition Powder to set my BB and CC cream. And I'm done. With my face. I'll do another one for eyes later. Right now I have to go sign up for classes. DO NOT EVER BECOME A SENIOR IN COLLEGE. Skip that year and just graduate. It would be more fun. 

Peace out.

xoxo

Sarah Sunshine