Everyone has some sort of body issue that they feel insecure about. If you are at a point where you feel happy with yourself then good for you, but you are not in the group of people I am referring to. Whether it is weight, overgrown ears or a weird toe, I am here to admit the source of my physical insecurity, my skin. Aside from that I’ve also always felt that I have a very fast metabolism which causes my small physique to appear awkward to me, but that’s not the point of this entry. 

My skin was fine when I was a child and I had no problem with it. I embraced the mole on my left upper cheek at a young age so that’s not the problem. What I’ve struggled with in regards to my skin is that four letter word that just comes out grotesquely to me… acne. 

Aside from random growth spurts and years with braces, I found out that I also had to put up with another problem that comes along when having that awkward stage (this stage usually happens in middle school). I would get a few bumps on my forehead which wasn’t a big deal. 

I used some cream my mom bought me thinking they would go away but they started to appear on the T-zone area of my face (forehead, nose and chin). This problem became increasingly annoying as it would not go away. Once in high school I began using the product that I thought would be the answer to my prayers. 

Enter Proactiv. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog how I feel about this product, so you can pretty much already tell how this attempt ended. I dabbled with the idea of using the product for ages. As I have previously mentioned, Proactiv is pretty steep on the money wheel and the problem it fixed reemerges in magnitude once you stop using it.

So I have ventured through using Neutrogena, Noxema and Clean & Clear products finding them to be either too harsh on my skin or having no effect at all. Mind you I gave these all a try for a while trying to see if maybe it took a kick start for the product to kick in, but obviously, no solution.

I have used neutral soaps, facial scrubs, face masks, vapor treatments and while that last one did calm my skin down, I hardly have time to do a vapor treatment every day. I mean believe me, when I began using a product, I committed to it, but of course, no answer for me. 

I don’t want to think of how much money I have wasted on trying to just have clear skin. For people with clear skin reading this, I ask you to compare this to whatever other physical problem you may feel you have. 

When I hear my friends complain about weight and about how much they have to work out to get in shape I understand what they are talking about. If they read this they will probably think I’m crazy because I usually hear them say things like “I wish I was skinny like you,” or “I hate you; you’re so skinny.” Honestly, if I could trade my problem for theirs I would. You know why? Because I would go to the gym and work my butt off. I would go to the grocery store and buy healthy food only. The thing is that I would be able to lose the weight but this, this is something I can’t get rid off so easily. 

Here come the workout enthusiasts, thinking things like “how dare you say that getting fit is easy?!” Uhh newsflash, it’s been like 8 years and my skin still looks like a full blown pizza when my hormones are whack, and don’t even think about suggesting pills. I am fully aware on the effect those things have on fertilization so excuse me for one day wanting to be a mother. 

So even with all of these items available I have been unable to clear my face up and why is this? Well for starters there are some skin care myths I’ve believed for a long time:

• A lot of people believe that greasy food contributes to acne which I agree with on some level. The worst enemy your skin has when it comes to food isn’t grease, although it is pretty bad, the ultimate rival is really… sugar. Anytime a batch of cookies is made in my house, I know I’m in for a treat and I know my skin is in for a rude awakening. 

• I have enough experience with topical creams to know that they either contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. I also have enough experience to know that salicylic acid is very rough on skin and begins to dry it in form for it to peel. Not a very cute look for prom if I may say, and so I would go with the latter of the two.

• Don’t touch your face! But really, don’t. This is one that I cannot discredit. Touching your face is worse than not because you are introducing so much bacteria from your hands (can you say gross?). So stop with the hand on chin or on the cheek. AND DON’T PRESS YOUR CELL PHONE AGAINST YOUR CHEEK! WORST DECISION EVER! People don’t usually clean their cell phones with an antibacterial wipe (unless they have OCD) and so their phones are set to carry much more bacteria than you’d think. Ugh no! 

• Last but not least, the biggest myth of them all: Oil on your skin is bad. No, really, I’m serious, that is a total myth. Having oil on your skin is healthy, unless of course it’s in excessive amounts. In that case then you’ll have to use a face wash to try to control the oil (hey I said my previous attempts didn’t improve the acne, I never said the skin). Your skin needs to be moisturized. So if you have a bit of oil it’s okay as long as you wash your face at night and in the morning as well. If you have dry areas, moisturize them. It’s important, trust me. A big no no: DO NOT USE A CLOTH TO WIPE OIL OFF YOUR FACE DURING THE DAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WEARING MAKE UP. That’s really like popping a zit (as gross as it sounds). You are literally feeding your skin bacteria by spreading it across your face. Congratulations, a new pimple is planting its place in the middle of your forehead. 

A lot of times even people without skin problems don’t do anything to their skin at all but I urge them to pay attention to it. In case you didn’t know, yes, your skin is an organ. In fact, it is the largest organ in your body and like the rest of it, you should want to keep it healthy. So remember these steps and follow them religiously:

1. Always moisturize dry areas of your skin and I don’t just mean your face! This usually includes elbows, knees and feet. 
2. Use sunblock. The earth is in a very fragile state and the sun is not exactly always sympathetic to it and… to you… and of course, your wrinkles.
3. Don’t rub your eyes. Again… think about your wrinkles.
4. Never go to bed with makeup on as it clogs your pores. The time you are asleep is an important time for your body to rest and this includes your skin. Don’t ask me why you woke up looking like you’re 34 when you’re only 25.

We all live such busy lives we sometimes forget about taking care of our skin. It can be taken care of very easily. USE LOTION! Keep your skin moisturized during this cold season. Here are a few I personally like:

• Vaseline Essential Moisture is one of the best creams I have used. It’s a great moisturizes that lasts a long time.

• Bath & Body Works lotions. These are the best. I seem to never run out of these due to gift sets for Christmas and such. All different sizes which can be convenient and they smell great!

• St. Ives products. This has to be my favorite. I don’t know if it is because I love the scent so much but that is what I am believing it is. These also come in different sizes so you can bring them with you in your tote full of useless things, except this is actually useful. Awesome!

So it has been said that the 90s are making a comeback in fashion. Personally I have mixed feelings about this. There are certain trends in 90s fashion that I would rather see left alone.

For example, overalls. I don’t see how this can every be fashionable again. I don’t even understand how it was once fashionable before. Sure it’s cute on a toddler but a grown person and even teenagers should not be seen wearing overalls in a mod sense. 

Chain wallets are also a thing of the past. Unless you are a biker, I do not want to see you walking around Wal-Mart buying your groceries with your chain wallet. This is not Queens and this is not a Harley Davidson convention. 

Another picture of history I would rather not see in my current reality is a man in a tank. What is the reason for this? Why is this necessary? I partially blame Jersey Shore for encouraging this. Personally I think it’s tacky and pointless. 

No I’m not talking about anything related to a car. I just wanted to make that clear. By clutch I mean a clutch bag, you know, those tiny purses you see girls carrying with them when they go clubbing. Lately these have turned into cross body bags. 

Anyway the point here is sharing with you what the essentials are. Let me explain. Clutches are small purses. There is a limited amount of space in these bags and so you have to choose the most important items in your tote to come with you. This is a hard decision. This is why I decided to write this post, to help you decide what you should bring and what isn’t a necessity. 

Makeup: Girls want to bring all possible makeup with them for touch-ups. The truth is that you will not use all of it and this space will have gone to waste. What you need:

• Concealer. 

Yes, that’s it. You don’t need lip gloss. The drinks you have will leave a taint on your lips and either way, if you put on lip gloss it is bound to keep coming off as you drink. You don’t need eye make up because you are either already wearing more than enough and if you’re not then I am impressed. You don’t need to bring foundation with you because it will keep coming off. What’s the point of that? Concealer is all you need in case that your eye making starts running, and it will. 

Wallet items: I am talking about all the cards & money in your wallet of course. Here is what you need:

• ID
• Credit/debit card (Just ONE)
• Cash

That’s it. Don’t bring your whole wallet that comes with your Agaci rewards card. You are not at the mall. You also don’t need your school ID, unless there is some type of drink special for college students. No one goes to the clubs to see the pictures you carry in your wallet either. Bring what you need, it is very simple and common sense to bring your ID. Bring one card with you if you feel it is necessary, either debit or credit, whatever. Don’t bring one of each. Just choose one card, you can’t always have the whole candy store. The third bullet point is cash of course, just in case.

Electronics: There is only one electronic you need. I will make a bullet point for it anyway:

• cell phone

I don’t think there is much of an explanation to give for this one. You need your cell phone as it is your way to communicate with whoever you are with in the case that you all can’t find each other. They all pretty much come with a camera these days for those of you who love Instragram or are just actually celebrating some big event. 

Toiletries: Female toiletries specifically. These are a necessity and there really isn’t a reason to deny it. What you need:

• 2 of whatever you use (tampons, pads, whatever.)

Do I really need to explain why? I doubt it. I know a lot of places now offer these items but it all depends on where you and your friends end up that night. You really can’t guarantee that the sketchy bar your newly 21 year old friend likes so much has these amenities. 

So the holidays are fast approaching! It seems that only yesterday we were all celebrating Thanksgiving. Time flies by and busy schedules can make it difficult to find time for holiday shopping. Here are a few of my favorite sites for stocking stuffers. You don’t have to buy these online as most stores listed are within the area (South Texas):

1. Urban Outfitters: I am very into the style this store gives off. It has such an I don’t give a fuck attitude of style for burnouts and urban street kid cliques. This is a stop shop for presents you would give to a friend, both males and females! They even have a gift section portioned off. You can search through Shit Girls Love or Gifts for Guys That Don’t Suck. Remember that there is no store location for the area so you would have to order online.

2. Francesca’s Collections: I absolutely adore this store. This is such a quaint little spot in the mall that it doesn’t belong. It’s like a boutique in the middle of a circus, a very crowded one at that. What I like about this store is that they have little gag gifts that are not only funny but pretty cool as well. They include everything from party gifts like a key shaped bottle opener to gifts for the tech savvy. The best part is, they run pretty cheap!

3. Target: Yes. I love Target. I will not go into the why, not on this post anyway. So with that said, Target is a great place to find gifts because they have, well EVERYTHING! From DVDs, CDs, cameras and Apple products to contemporary designers featured in junior apparel, Target is really on point. 

So there you go, Happy shopping!

Proactiv. I truly believe that there is a special place in hell for the lies that Proactiv feeds its audience. I’ve used Proactiv several times.

The first couple of times, it was awesome. The later attempts were kind of a flop. It wasn’t working anymore. The biggest downside is that if you ever choose to stop using the products, your face kind of BLOWS UP. I am pretty sure it ends up looking worse than it did before using the products.

The only time that they worked really well was when I was using the treatment plus the makeup which is extremely pricey and runs out very fast. What it is is a compact mirror with mousse-like foundation which runs out about two weeks after you start using it. 

The people in the commercials are airbrushed or at least that’s what I believe because there is no way that Proactiv is the reason for their completely clear skin.

For those of you who don’t know, ombre styled hair is that which is a darker and more natural look on the roots and fading light hair towards the bottom third of your hair. I recently read that ombre hair was out and reverse ombre was in. Whoever thought of this is a complete idiot. Let me explain myself.

Reverse ombre would be extremely difficult to manage. This is because it would cause you to constantly bleach the roots of your hair causing a lot more damage to it than regular ombre. In the case of regular ombre, you can simply cut off the part that is damaged, which is the bottom. The same can’t be said for reverse ombre.

Aside from the damage, the upkeep would become pretty pricey. Having to bleach and dye your roots every 3 to 4 weeks can be tough on the wallet and well, would you really want to make that sacrifice?

Last but not least, it looks RIDICULOUS! It honestly makes the person looks like they’ve aged as the same rate as Lindsay Lohan and I am not a hater on her part. It’s actually quite sad. 

I’ve recently been looking into lengthening my hair in a healthy way. I don’t just want to grow it out with split ends because then at some point I’d have to get rid of the damage and it would most likely be extensive. A few pointers I’ve taken into account and that I have seen been helpful are the following:

1. Use lukewarm water to wash your hair, never use hot water. Using hot water will make your hair dry and stringy. Hot water also affects your scalp by causing irritation not to mention the irritation it causes on the rest of your skin. 

2. Use conditioner CORRECTLY! Meaning don’t put it on and leave it on for 10 seconds before you rinse it off. You’re supposed to keep it on longer than that. Another thing that affects the effect of conditioner is over-rinsing your hair. The conditioner will fall off completely and give your hair a stringy feeling with knots. 

3. Comb your hair with a thick comb. Do this right after you have taken a shower (and used conditioner). Make sure to comb your hair slowly so that knots can be undone without having so much hair strands being broken and falling off. I’ve noticed that since I’ve done this, less and less hair has fallen out. 

4. Visit the salon every 6 weeks. I was going to say every 5 to 6 weeks since that is what I like to do but I thought most people don’t really have time for that. Mind you, I haven’t had time for that throughout this school semester and have probably only gone to the salon twice. The thing is that if you get a trim every six weeks, you can avoid split ends and extensive damage to your hair. Because of that, your hair can grow in a healthy form, rather than having a bunch of split ends form causing you to have to get a major haircut. 

I’ve struggled with skin problems since my teen years. My mother is convinced she is some type of doctor after reading about home remedies or hearing from her friends of remedies that are supposed to work. To this day she has kept on buying me treatments. Here are a few brand and remedies that I have tried:

Clean & Clear products: These seem to have worked, well, moderately. They are okay when it comes to helping you get to clearer skin but after a while they don’t make much of a difference. The big downside to these is that they contain salicylic acid. They are extremely aggressive on your skin and cause a lot of peeling.  

Strawberry facial: This is supposed to sooth your skin. I’ve found it to be a bit helpful. It doesn’t do ‘wonders’ but it’s helps calm irritated skin. It is generally easy to make. All you need are strawberries and natural yogurt mashed together. It is very helpful to have somebody else apply it for you since the strawberry pieces can be tricky and fall off. You have to lie down completely horizontally to avoid a mess. This facial is good to make twice a week.

Milk of Magnesia: Yes, I know. How strange right? My mom decided to buy me this after speaking to an Aunt. Apparently it has worked wonders for my cousin and has kept his skin pretty clear. All you do is apply it to a cotton ball and gently place it on the affected areas. I just started using it so I will be awaiting results.