Thursday 30 April 2015

Dove® Beauty Bar: Miracle Soap!?

No, your eyes don't need fixing. 
Yes, you read the title correctly.
 
I just want to start off this post by saying that this is just MY own personal experience using the Dove Beauty Bar. It may or may not deliver the same results for you. Obviously I'm hoping that it will work wonders on your skin like it has on mine, but I have seen many mixed reviews on the product (some hate it, some love it).  With that being said, I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the product.  

I always like to start off these posts by explaining the 5 W's (and how) of the product:
WHO: The original white Dove® Beauty Bar

WHAT: 
"The ultimate beauty bar. Pure and simple."  In other words, it is a bar of soap made with 1/4 moisturizing cream.  

Ingredients include: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate or/ou Sodium Palmitate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate or/ou Sodium Palm Kernelate, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891

WHERE:  Can be bought at all major drugstores and online as well (Amazon, CVS, RiteAid, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, and anywhere where Dove® products are sold).

WHEN:  I use this beauty bar twice a day; once in the morning and once at night.  I will also use it more than twice a day if I have make-up on or if I have been working out/excessively sweating that day.  

WHY:  In order to cleanse my face of any dirt, oil, make-up, or residue and to keep my acne at bay (yes, it has helped tremendously with my active acne which I will discuss in further detail a little later).

HOW:  I wet my face with warm water to open up the pores and rub the soap between my hands under the water creating a lather.  Once a good amount of lather is created, I take the bar directly and quickly run it over my cheeks, chin, forehead, and nose.  I then put the soap down, and with whatever lather is on my hands, I begin to work that into my skin.  I be sure to rub the product in my face for at least a minute, in order to ensure a proper cleanse.  Nothing harsh, just gently massage my skin with the lather.  Then, with cold water, I wash the soap off my face and pat dry. 


Pros and Cons of the Dove® Beauty Bar
Pros (+)
Cons (-)
  • Cleanses away all the dirt, oil, make-up, and residue effectively 
  • It is a very basic and mild cleanser which allows many different skin types to use it (even sensitive skin) 
  • Fresh/“clean” scent 
  • Helped cure my active acne 
  • Works better at keeping hormonal acne at bay than other products (i.e.: Spectro, Cetaphil, etc.)
  • Also helped tremendously with the little tiny acne bumps that I used to have (the ones that you can't pop/pick at because they are just under the skin)
  • Super inexpensive ($2-$8 depending on the different sized packages that you get)
  • Readily available at all major drugstores and even some grocery stores in the health/beauty aisles! 
  • Can get a little messy (vs. pump-style cleansers) 
  • Leaves the skin slightly dry/tight feeling 
  • Light fragrance (I actually don’t mind the fragrance but some may not like fragranced products) 
  • Towards the end of its life, I find the product harder to work with (since it is a bar of soap, they get very fragile when used up until the end)
  • You must buy a separate container to hold the soap in because it does not go well with the cardboard/paper packaging (wet bar of soap against dry paper.... you see where I'm going with this)

Well, that just about wraps up my testimony of the original Dove® Beauty Bar. As always, be sure to do your own research and read up on the thousands and thousands of reviews that are online before you try out any of the products I mention.  And keep in mind that this is what works for my skin; what works for my skin may not necessarily works for yours (although, I do hope it does). 
Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn  

"Do something wonderful, people may imitate it."
 Albert Schweitzer 

Tuesday 28 April 2015

Week 16: Banish Acne Scars

Welcome back beautiful people!
I gotta say, being on summer vacation for 4 whole months feels waaay too good! For those of you who don't know, I just finished my second year of university and I'm on summer vacation until September now. I have a couple trips booked as well as a couple events planned for this summer which I am super excited about.  
In regards to my skincare routine, I have been trying my best to stay on top of things (making sure I wash my face every morning and every night).  I have also been following my weekly Banish Acne Scars routine on Sundays.  I have posted a couple before and after pictures from this week and from March so you can see the difference in my skin.  I have also decided to cancel my regular uploads of "Make-up Mondays" because I want this blog to focus more on skincare rather than make-up. However, don't be surprised if you see a couple make-up posts here and there ;) Other than that, I will leave you with these pictures and hope you enjoy the two videos I have posted on my YouTube which are linked at the end of this post! Cheers!
  Again, every new week brings better and better results for my face.  As you can see in the three sets of before and after photos, slowly but surely my acne scars are starting to fade.  I'm still torn as to whether or not I should purchase another Banish Acne Scars system because I'm not sure how much longer I will need to use the roller/serum before my acne scars "banish."  Like I mentioned in my recent updated video on YouTube, I don't think acne scars can simply "banish," however, I do believe they can fade tremendously.  I have seen a great deal of changes in the texture of my skin and the size of my acne scars.  Of course I'd love to have all of my acne scars disappear overnight but that is highly unlikely.  All I can do is use the Banish Acne Scars system every week, drink my water, get lots of sleep, and hope for the best in the future! 

Click here for my Week 15: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 14: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 13: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 12: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 11: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 10: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 9: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 8: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
 Click here for my Week 7: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 6: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 5: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 4: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 3: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 2: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 1: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here to purchase products from Banish Acne Scars!

Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn  

"I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed."
 Robert H. Schuller 

Monday 27 April 2015

Week 15: Banish Acne Scars

A little screenshot from my most recent YouTube video!
Click here to watch it now!
Welcome back wonderful people!
I am well aware of my absence from this blog and I won't just sit around here and type out a bunch of reasons why I have been absent from the blog because I doubt you want to hear any of it.  Between writing exams and moving out of my living arrangement for school (I do live away from home for school for those of you who weren't aware of that already), life has been very busy and very hectic.  Enough excuses though, I am done school for the summer and have no more excuses for not keeping you guys updated!  So expect to see a lot of me this summer ;)
 
 The two pictures on the left-hand side (in the red shirt) are from week 4/5.  As you can see there is a huge difference in the size and redness of my acne scars.  Paying particular notice to the sides of my face and the temple area/forehead, the difference there is like night and day!

 The three pictures on the left-hand side are from Week 10 and those on the right-hand side are from this week (15).  Obviously, my acne scars have not banished as you can see.  However, the difference is quite remarkable to see.  As always I do not photoshop or edit any of my pictures so these are the actual results that i am seeing every week.  The kit is doing wonders on my skin and I cannot wait to see what the next 5 weeks will bring.

Week 16's post was supposed to be up yesterday (April 26th) but will probably be up sometime this week.  I made sure to take pictures in between studying for exams and moving so that although the date of the blog posts won't be in the correct order, the pictures are!  
First Banish Acne Scars video!
 


Click here for my Week 14: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 13: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 12: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 11: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 10: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 9: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 8: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
 Click here for my Week 7: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 6: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 5: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 4: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 3: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 2: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 1: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here to purchase products from Banish Acne Scars!

Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn  

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time."
 Thomas A. Edison 

Sunday 12 April 2015

Week 14: Banish Acne Scars

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen!
Can we just take a second and talk about how beautiful the weather was today!? Spring is definitely here which means summer is on it's way too!  I cannot wait for some warmer weather but with that comes the beautiful sun! If you're going out into the sun (even if it's for 20 minutes), make sure you wear your SPF! I cannot stress how important it is to wear a sunblock when you are exposed to the sun (no matter if it's for 10 minutes or an hour... wear it!).  As I've mentioned before, my favorite sunblock for my face is the Neutrogena Clear Face Break-out Free Liquid Lotion Sunblock.


 After looking at a few of my older posts from a couple of weeks ago, I have noticed such a difference in my skin!  Yes, I do still get the occasional break-out here and there (lately my forehead has been takin' a beating) but overall, in regards to the actual acne scars, the Banish system has been doing wonders! The before pictures (in the red flannel on the left) were taken from my Week 4 blog post, so you can see the difference that 10 weeks makes.  Yes, 10 weeks is a long time, but I wanted you to see what a difference the system has been making.
 
Included below are zoomed in pictures of the ones above.  Here you can really see the differences that I was talking about; especially along the forehead, the right side of my cheeks, and my chin/jawline area.  I will mention again like I do in most of my Banish Acne Scars posts, I do not edit/photoshop/retouch/etc. any of my pictures.  The most I do is crop them and zoom, but never alter the colour/brightness/contrast/etc. 
  
 
 
 
 
 (The pictures on the left are the before shots taken from Week 4, and the pictures on the right are the after shots taken this week). 



I also thought you'd enjoy this little update video which I promised a long, long, LONG time ago... I apologize for it being so late!

Click here for my Week 13: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 12: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 11: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 10: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 9: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 8: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
 Click here for my Week 7: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 6: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 5: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 4: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 3: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 2: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 1: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here to purchase products from Banish Acne Scars!

Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn  

"Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth."
 Bradley Whitford

Tuesday 7 April 2015

Week 13: Banish Acne Scars

Welcome back splendid people!
I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Easter for those who celebrate, and for those who do not, Happy Weekend!  I hope you are all feeling happy and healthy.  Although I have not been eating super healthy (waaay too tempted with all the Easter chocolate), I have been feeling super happy lately!  The improvements that Banish has given me really are pretty cool to see!  I love looking at my own before and after pictures and seeing different acne spots fade.  Again, as I have stated in previous blog posts, my only wish is to have majority, if not all, of my acne scars gone by the summer.  However, fading acne scars is a long process and one that requires a lot of patience.  So if you are going through the same issues with your skin as I am, don't give up, it will get better with time!  Try to be optimistic and just remember, it's only red spots.  They do not in any way define who you are.  Okay, enough blabbing, onto the pictures.... 
 The pictures on the left are from Week 11 and the pictures on the right are obviously this week's.  As you can see a couple new spots have shown up on my nose and forehead but overall the acne spots near my chin and cheeks are starting to diminish (slowly, but surely).  You can really notice the difference that the kit is making for the spots that were highlighted in Week 11's post. Zoomed-in pictures listed below to show these differences...
Click here for my Week 12: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 11: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 10: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 9: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 8: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
 Click here for my Week 7: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 6: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 5: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 4: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 3: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here for my Week 2: Banish Acne Scars blog post! 
Click here for my Week 1: Banish Acne Scars blog post!
Click here to purchase products from Banish Acne Scars!

Stay tuned for my next blog post and take care,
Glynn  

"One way to keep momentum going is to constantly have greater goals."
 Michael Korda