My Favorite sunscreen: Neutrogena Clear Face

I recently got a lesson from my dermatologist about the use of sunscreen. I mean I knew that it is very important to use sunscreen everyday and all but I was not very consistent with using a sunscreen for a couple of reasons. I hated the sunscreen smell and the oiliness. Even if they claim to be oil free, fragrance free I did not have any good luck with liking a particular sunscreen.

It has very light weight texture

Easy to absorb, no oily cast

Neutrogena clear face solves both of my problems. It doesn’t have any overpowering smell and it goes on so smooth almost like a face primer. My skin is on drier side, not super duper dry but still drier than normal. Even then I used to get the oily white cast from most of the oil-free sunscreens. This one does not make my skin super dry or oily. My husband has oily skin and his doctor recommended using a moisturizer which has exact same ingredients as Neutrogena clear face and that moisturizer helps my husband in oil control so does the Neutrogena sunscreen. It has a liquidy texture so it gets absorbed right away. It is good under makeup or on its own.

Just an FYI I saw some program the other day on TV, it was about skin cancer awareness. I heard Jennifer Garner (who is spokesperson for Neutrogena) saying: If you have got sunburned once in your childhood, you chances of getting skin cancer doubles. I don’t know if it true or not but I made this sunscreen part of my daily routine after hearing that J

I use the SPF 55 one. It has a broad spectrum (uva-uvb) SPF 55. The packaging says it is ultra-light, oil-free, water resistant (80 mins) and it won’t cause any breakouts. For me, it behaves exactly like it claims. Definitely a must have for me. I am going to keep purchasing this item forever.  I love this sunscreen.

Forever 21 Eye Brush Set

This is such an unexpected find J I was browsing the Forever 21 accessory aisle few days back and I came across a very nice display of their makeup brushes and applicators. I had seen their eyeshadow and face palettes before but never paid any attention to the brushes. This eye brush set seems nice for $4.80 value so I picked them up.

 Contour blender brush:

I wish it could spread it a little for softer blending but it is not a bad brush. Works more like a pencil brush for me. 

All over eye blender brush:

Feels like a small concealer brush. Dense, stiff but it can be used to pack eyeshadow. In my opinion it is too stiff for blending.

Liner brush:

This is a standard liner brush. 

Mini smudger brush:

I like this brush. It is very good to pack the color on or to smudge the color at the lower lash line.

The brushes seem to be nicely built. The bristles are soft and densely packed. But that makes the brushes pretty stiff. They are soft but they are stiff so they don’t spread out for blending. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I just wanted to mention that. Oh one more thing, they all have a pointy tip. They are tapered to a sharp point. I am using these brushes for over a month now (washed them once) and they did not shed a bristle so far.

All in all they are nice quality brushes, definitely a good value for money. These brushes are a very nice option for makeup beginners. I might pick up their face blushes when I visit forever 21 again. They are made in China.

Hair care: Deep Conditioners (Macadamia oil Deep repair mask, L’Oreal Damage-Erasing balm)

This post is about the hair conditioners I currently love. I have thin black hair that gets oily very fast. I try to exercise regularly. I love exercising but I hate sweaty hair so I was washing it everyday. I thought if I wash them everyday, they will not get oily as much. I was wrong!!!!! Washing with shampoo (however gentle it is) strips natural oils from your scalp. This makes our scalp feel (that’s right it has feelings!!) like it needs to produce more oil because the scalp is dry. So by washing everyday you are increasing the oil producing tendency of your scalp. The result: you get super oily hair super fast. Now I don’t wash my hair everyday and I have noticed that they don’t get oily as much they used to. I wash them 3 times a week and I use a dry shampoo in between if I they get too oily.

It takes a long time to reverse hair damage. I don’t think you can 100% reverse it ever but the least you can do is to protect them from further damage and to take care of the new growth. These are the three conditioning methods I am currently using for hair care.

Coconut oil:

All my life I have been using hot coconut oil as a conditioner for my hair. You heat the coconut oil a little and massage it in to your scalp before you go to sleep. Wash the hair next day with shampoo. Technically it only takes 20-30 mins for your scalp to absorb the oil, you can wash it after a half an hour and you can get the same nourished effect. But since childhood I used to keep it overnight so I stick to it. For maximum effect I recommend wrapping a hot wet towel on your hair for 10 mins after oil application. This will help opening scalp pores hence oil absorption. Make sure you buy a good quality pure coconut oil. Here are a few pointers to know if it is good or not:

-          See ingredient list (Duh!!), should not have any other added product.

-          Good coconut oil should be snow white in color when it is solid and water clear when liquid.

-          Coconut oil has a high melting point. It solidifies below 76 F and turns into a liquid at higher temperatures. If your oil doesn’t get solid at cold temperature it is more refined or has some added things.

Macadamia oil Deep repair mask:

Coconut oil is great but it is time consuming. Sometimes you need just a quick nourishing boost without an oil massage. That is what Macadamia oil Deep repair mask does. I love this mask. My hair gets soft, shiny and silky after using this mask. It has some good ingredients in it. It has castor oil, Aloe extract, Argan oil, Macadamia seed oil, Chamomile flower oil and Tea tree leaf oil. I don’t know exactly how much of these oils are in this mask but the ingredients list clearly has them. I apply it to clean, wet hair and wait for at least 20 mins before washing. The packaging recommends allowing 7 mins of penetration before washing. In my experience my hair gets softer, shinier if I keep it on for 20-30 mins. If I wash after 7 mins, there is a lot of product in my hair to be washed. Whereas after 20-30 mins I find that I don’t have to wash as much to get the product out. So I am assuming if I keep it longer my hair absorbs more product. The only downside is that this is an expensive mask. Usually I am on a budget for makeup related product so the price limits me from using it very often. This mask is $4 for 1 oz packet. Even if you buy a big jar per Oz price is same. It is made in USA and it is a cruelty free product.

L’Oreal Total repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm:

This mask is advertised to repair one year of damage in one use. I don’t know how they can advertise like that!! I mean come on!! The consumer is not that dumb. This is a decent hair conditioner, don’t get me wrong. But it definitely doesn’t repair one year’s damage in one use. Probably after regular use but we’ll see about that. I use this once a week after a wash. I try to keep it for 5-7 mins before washing. It has a regular L’Oreal shampoo smell. It does get my hair soft and shiny. Like the Macadamia mask it doesn’t have any natural oils etc. The ingredient list seems to be all chemical (at lest from the names but hey I am no expert in chemistry). I like this product. It is affordable, does good work, smell great and easy to use. It is $6.99 for a 8.5 Oz jar. This product is made in USA.

Though I like the above two hair masks I try to use coconut oil at lease twice a month. In my opinion it is the most affordable and effective options. I also use some home-made hair masks using fruits and other natural products. That will probably be in my next hair post. Do you have any home remedies for hair conditioning?

Thanks for stopping by,

-Snehal