Health & Beauty: Acne, Chacne, or Bacne?


So, you might have skimmed across the title and understood what acne was or maybe even bacne, but chacne? Are those even real terms? Well, if you have suffered from them, which I'm sure everyone has in their lifetime, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Bacne refers to breakouts that typically occur on ones back and the shoulders. Chacne is found on the chest, probably the worst spot for women who like to show off their cleavage to have flare ups. The causes of both these conditions are due to a variety of factors such as hormones, clogged pores, and pressure or friction. I was once a victim of those flare ups on my back and chest which spread drastically, even leading to a period of never ending outbreaks. Luckily, these were easy to cover up and I became very cautious of any and everything I put on my skin. I realized these breakouts would not go away on their own until I found out what was making them appear. I noticed when I carried anything on my shoulder or back a breakout would occur. Why? The pressure from the straps of my book bag as well as the weight of my book bag would rub against my skin causing friction. Of course, I was going through puberty too and this played a role in my breakouts but the main culprit was due to pressure/friction. I started to exfoliate during showers and took less showers. I know this may sound "dirty" but actually over washing can cause more break ups since you are aggravating the skin. This doesn't mean skip your hygiene steps altogether but think of it as "less is more". You are at the stage of trying to get the breakouts under control so until they're at a dead end you must follow through. If you like to work out or do any activity that involves getting sweaty then you definitely need to shower immediately. The longer you wait the more breakouts you will have....1 minute equals 1 breakout and so on. After following these steps I realized I wasn't seeing any results so I visited my dermatologist to get an anti-biotic known as doxycycline. This basically helps stop breakouts internally and you'll usually start off with minocycline. They both get the job done and do the same thing besides a few differences (minocycline is soluble in fats....this is so pharmacist-like of me). This anti-biotic is really going to aid in the process of healing those ungodly pimples! After a month you will witness clearer skin and assuming you are eating a healthy diet you should not have any more break outs. By the third month everything will be almost gone and you can now start to work on fading those scars. Exfoliating usually works well enough to get the top layer of skin off, if done regularly, but wouldn't you like them gone fast?! The remedy of honey, sugar, and lemon is what I use for clearing my face and it's worked like a charm ever since I started using it. Applying this to your back and areas where you had flares up every day for about 15-20 minutes will lighten the appearance of those marks. Consistency is key here! These steps need to be followed on a daily basis to see any results and the more you stick to it (no pun) the better your skin will look. So if you yourself are suffering from one of the three "acnes" or know someone, give these a try and document your progress!

DIY: Fall Home Decor Ideas!

It's the Fall Season!!  Here is a nice little DIY video for Fall Home Decor ideas, enjoy!


Makeup: Pantone + Sephora = Never Wear the Wrong Makeup Again!

Ever wonder if the foundation you've been wearing for years is actually the right color for you?  Well now your worries are over.  Thanks to the teamwork of Pantone and Sephora you can get your color IQ taken which is linked to a Pantone skin color.  From there, that color is linked to all of the products Sephora carries and is narrowed down to the exact matches that works for your skin color, how neat!  Check out the video below which gives exact details of how this works, and I will be going into the Saint Louis Galleria's Sephora location and will try this out myself so stay tuned!