War Paint: Bare Skin and Nails

Are we all jacked in and ready?  Great!  How was your day?

Blast off! It's party time...

Face

The following quote excerpt is the first piece of useful information I found:

"The woven mesh sponge and face brush are the most abrasive facial cleansing tools.  If you have very oily skin, you might want to rotate one of these tools into your facial routine every couple of days to help exfoliate and remove sebum.  If you don't have very oily skin, stick with a facial cloth designed for your skin sensitivity."

My skin is not oily or dry so it would be classified as normal. I should consider using a facial cleansing cloth. The only cloth I tried is made by a London based cosmetic company called Eyeko. The cloths were individually wrapped, which kept in moisture. Eyeko Face-Off wipes also contain Coco Glucoside and Vitamin E. The packaging was cute and easy to slip into my make-up bag or purse.

To prevent acne, I use Proactiv. I use it once daily, and it really makes my facial skin feel clean. Also, the moisturizer feels nice and is light on my skin. After using Proactive, my face does feel and look much better. Redness around my nose has decreased and so has the dry patches on my skin caused by other cleansers.

I initially began this research because I was curious about the effectiveness of a facial cleansing brush. I have not done much research about the Clarisonic, so I cannot form a helpful opinion on it yet. After realizing how much the Clarisonic costs, I was totally not into it.  Personally, I could spend that money on clothes or Mac cosmetics! Ha!

I wonder how many oils and junk ends up on my hands by the time I am ready to wash the make-up off my face. Perhaps, washing my hands with an anti-bacterial soap and warm water would help prevent the junk on my hands from getting on my face and causing blemishes.

Nails

From my experience, keeping your cuticles moisturized with lotion or cuticle oil will keep them from having hangnails and dryness. For my nails, I really do not do anything special with them. They get painted random colors and shuffle through paperwork all day. I do not get manicures or anything like that because I do not have time and I find that having nail enhancements get in my way. Regardless, I found some useful information on American Academy of Dermatology about the different nail fungi and treatments. Also, at the very bottom of the article I found the following info:

NAIL CARE TIPS

Many nail disorders result from poor nail care, so developing good nail habits can help. To keep your nails healthy, dermatologists recommend:
1. Keep nails clean and dry. This helps prevent bacteria and other infectious organisms from collecting under the nail.

2. Cut nails straight across, rounding them slightly at the tips for maximum strength. Be sure to use sharp nail scissors or clippers. Filing the nails into points weakens them.

3. Keep nails shaped and free of snags by filing with a "fine" textured file.

4. Avoid biting fingernails, and do not remove the cuticle.

5. Trim toenails regularly to keep them short. This minimizes trauma and injury.

6. Soak feet in warm salt water (one teaspoon of salt per pint of water) for five to 10 minutes when toenails are thick and difficult to cut, then apply urea or lactic acid cream. This softens the nails, making them easier to trim.

7. Avoid "digging-out" ingrown toenails, especially if they are already infected and sore. See a dermatologist for treatment.

8. Wear shoes that fit properly and alternate pairs.

9. Report any nail irregularities to your dermatologist. Nail changes, swelling, and pain could signal a serious problem.

10. Be especially vigilant of nail problems if you have diabetes or poor circulation. At the first sign of a problem, see a dermatologist.

Note:  The companies I talk about and linked to in this post did not, and do not, give me any compensation for "advertising" them.  This was all my own wheels turning!

That ends our session and may you all have a wonderful evening!

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