My Mia 2

   

     A few months ago I decided to take the plunge and purchase a Clarisonic brush.  It was expensive – the Mia 2 retails for $149.  I had been hearing really great things about the brushes forever, but I was never quite convinced it would make that much of a difference in my skin.  I was told the brush basically acted as a really deep exfoliator, and I had been using a salicylic acid scrub along with a simple washcloth morning and night religiously since 9^th grade.  I felt my skincare products were doing their jobs just fine on their own without the help of an expensive, high-tech gadget.  However, as I mentioned before, one of my 2013 resolutions was to take better care of my skin and therefore I needed to assess how effective my current routine was. 

     My morning routine had previously consisted of wetting my face, applying whatever 2% salicylic acid face wash we had in the shower, scrubbing it around for a minute or so, and then rinsing off the soap with the help of a washcloth.  At night, I would scrub off all my makeup with the (same) washcloth, then wash my face with another dose of the salicylic acid scrub, and rinse.  As I learned more about my skin, I discovered my routine committed the following sins. 

      1)      While my skin was acne-prone, the 2% salicylic acid was too harsh for my dry, sensitive skin.

      2)       Using an old washcloth several days in a row introduced all the more bacteria into my skin.

      3)       Using said washcloth also stretches, pulls, and tugs at your skin, which over time may lead to wrinkles.

     So, despite the price tag, I went ahead and got the Mia 2.  I had a 20% off coupon from Ulta, and while I’m not quite sure I was supposed to be able to apply this discount towards my Clarisonic, the saleslady allowed me to do so.  Unfortunately, they only had the white model available in the store at that time so I had to go with that one.  I decided the white model was the most Audrey (referring, of course, to Audrey Hepburn, who was always clean, simple, and sophisticated) which made me feel better about not having any other color options.  The Mia 2 also came with a sensitive brush head, the “universal voltage charger”, a traveling case, and a 1oz tube of the refreshing gel cleanser. 

     Off I went with my purchase back home to start preparing for my first experience with my Clarisonic.  I was slightly disappointed when I discovered I had to let the brush charge for a full 24 hours prior to the first usage.  Apparently, without charging it fully before using it for the first time, it can shorten the battery life.  I don’t really understand why that is, but since batteries and any type physics that has to do with electricity is not my strong suit, I’ll just take that the company’s word for it.  So 24 hours later, I came home from dinner that night and used my brush for the first time.  I removed my makeup with a makeup removing wipe, wet my face, and applied the refreshing gel cleanser.  Starting with my chin and nose, I gently drew tiny circles over my skin as the brush oscillated over my pores for 10 seconds.  I then moved on to my forehead for 10 seconds, then to each cheek for 5 seconds each.    It felt really nice, sort of like a mini facial massage.  I rinsed my face, pat dry my skin, and right away I could feel a difference in my skin - it was softer. 

     I continued to use it once a day over the next month, and each time I felt so pampered.  I continued to notice how my skin became progressively softer and my pores became slightly smaller.  It could be in my head, but I truly believe my lotions and potions I apply to my face really do sink in a little deeper as my skin is more thoroughly clean after cleansing with my Clarisonic.    I definitely think the brush is worth the money, although looking back I may have chosen to go with the original Mia – the major difference is the Mia 2 has 2 speeds and the Mia has only 1, and I don’t really notice the difference between the two.  Also, the Mia does not come with the traveling case.

     I honestly look forward to washing my face every morning and especially every night with my Clarisonic.  There is just something so soothing about massaging my face with the little brush, and sometimes I swear I can feel the grime from the day being pulled out from my skin, like a little vacuum cleaner is sweeping over my face.  A key step in my nighttime ritual, this effort acts as a cue for my body that it’s time to wind down, relax, and fall asleep.

My Skin Story

Taking better care of my skin was a major New Year’s resolution for me in 2013. Why?  Because ever since I hit puberty around age 11 or so, I have had relatively bad skin and have been battling with it for almost 13 years.  Although my skin has improved dramatically, it remains to be less than perfect.  I believed my same old skin care regimen that I had followed since I was about 14 or 15 was probably to blame, so in January, I began my mission to educate myself about my skin.

First off, let me tell how my skin changed during puberty.  The first sign of change that I noticed was a general increase of redness, which I later learned to be a sign of sensitivity.  The redness seemed to be focused mostly in my chin and the middle of my face – my nose and inner cheeks. 

 Secondly, my skin became extremely acne prone.  I would consistently get large, painful, cystic pimples all over my face.  They were not specific to any one region, and I would normally have 2 to 3 in various locations over my face.  My skin everywhere else on my face was always quite red.  Because I was getting these large, cystic pustules, my mom decided to take me to the dermatologist to see what I could do to help my skin.  The dermatologist believed my skin was overly oily (yet, thinking back, I do not believe my face was oily as I really do not remember having issues with “shine” in those early years), so he suggested washing with either a salicylic acid wash or antibacterial soap, followed by an astringent and another topical cream that was meant to really dry up the excess oil on my face.  By soaking up all the excess oil on my face, it was hypothesized that the surface oil causing my acne would be gone and therefore so would be acne.  Both were truly meant to be a spot treatment I believe, but at this point my whole face needed to be spot treated!  

I remember the very first time I washed with the salicylic acid wash and then followed up with my creams.  My face felt tight after washing; then, after applying the astringent, I remember how badly it stung.  I remember it felt like putting a fresh scrape into hot water.  I then would apply the benzoyl peroxide cream to my entire face.  That first night after following my doctor’s steps, I remember reading a book and touching my face every now and then because it was so dry.  I had never felt skin that dry before!  I was so excited that my acne was going to clear up!

It didn’t.  Well, some of it did, but I would still get the large cystic zits.  I was then prescribed doxycycline.  That helped a bit more, but my acne was still there.  However, at this point, I was able to apply what I had learned about makeup to try to cover up as much acne as possible.  I continued to use both creams (still, basically all over my whole face).  Fast forward about 6 years to my first year in college.  After forgetting to apply my creams a few nights in a row, I noticed that my skin had actually improved.  I decided to go without a few more, and only put the topical medications on that places that really needed it.  Fast forward a couple more years, and I never use them at all.  However, I really believe that using those topical solutions have dried out my skin so thoroughly that it may be the reason why my skin is the way it is today.

Today, my skin is very dehydrated at its base - it is so dry my skin produces a layer of sebum trying to hydrate itself, except the sebum is never absorbed.  It just sits in one thick layer on top of my skin, waiting to be sopped up.  My skin remains to be very acne prone; I don’t get the cystic pimples very often anymore, but I do typically have a few noticeable spots around my chin area, most likely due to hormone levels.  In addition, my skin is still very sensitive and becomes a vivid red rather quickly.  So, to sum it all up, I now have so-dry-its-oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin.   Or as an aesthetician I spoke to at a local department store called it, “difficult and complex problem skin”. 

 Lovely.

Now, how does one handle skin like that?  Slowly but surely, I’m figuring that out.

                                                                xoxo,

                                                                                Alena

Honey and Cinnamon

 

     Both honey and cinnamon have long been regarded throughout the world as having medicinal properties. They both have a long history in folk medicine, but as science progressed, many experts pushed the folk remedies aside for more evidence-based, pharmaceutical grade cures.  Claims have been made about their synergistic effects on health, although many experts consider these assertions to be ridiculousness.  I would like to explore the facts and claims about these two materials and tell you about my experiences involving both.  Then I’ll share a yummy recipe!

     Natural, unprocessed, raw honey is a well-known antibacterial agent and has been used since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks on burns and other wounds to ward off infection and promote healing, although they may not have understood the underlying mechanisms for the substances properties.  Honey kills bacteria by sucking the moisture out of the environment and thus dehydrating the bacteria.  It (obviously) also has a high sugar content that impedes microbe growth, but even in trials involving diluted honey, it stunted the growth of bacteria colonies.  It has been reported that honey contains a compound that “kills” the influenza virus as well and thus prevents someone from falling ill with the flu, but as I have not located this study, so I’m not quite sure of this claim’s validity.  Honey also has been observed to have anti-inflammatory properties and faster healing, but the mechanisms behind these phenomena are not completely understood.  Since ancient times, honey has recently found its place in modern medicine – it is now used in hospital-grade bandages!  Studies done with these bandages have shown marked decrease in bacterial growth, even in cases involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and decreased healing time.  Studies in oncology have also found that the ingestion of 20ml of honey 15 minutes before, 15 minutes after, and 6 hours after “cancer treatments” significantly decreased the more severe cases of mucositis, a nasty side effect from both chemo and radiation that results in the inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the whole of the digestive tract.

     Cinnamon also has a long history in folk medicine, but it seems Western medicine is not quite as excited about regarding it as a pharmaceutical grade treatment for anything since studies seem to elicit inconclusive results.  However, it has been determined that the cassia type of cinnamon seems to be healthier than the Ceylon type of cinnamon.  Cassia cinnamon has been thought to decrease blood sugar levels by shortening the gastric emptying rate, lower cholesterol, help with inflammation, and fight bacteria.  As the studies are inconclusive, mechanisms for each have not been exactly determined.  Researchers are currently looking into how cinnamon may inhibit the growth of Candida yeast infections2 teaspoons of cinnamon does contain 45% of your daily manganese, 11% of your fiber, and 5% of your calcium with 0 calories.

     Together, honey and cinnamon are supposed to treat heart disease, bladder infections, toothaches, cholesterol, colds, upset stomach, gas, immune system, indigestion, influenza, pimples, skin infections, cancer and fatigue.  So basically it’s supposed to cure…everything?  

     From my own personal experience, I can say that I think at least some of assertions seem to be true.  I started eating my favorite honey-cinnamon toast around the time I started working in pediatrics in December; I decided to try it one day before work because I thought it sounded tasty.  I had gotten sick maybe 3 or 4 times with colds or various stomach bugs over the course of nursing school and my first 6 months as a RN.  I can say that I haven’t gotten sick since I started working in ped’s and eating my toast, and it’s definitely not because I haven’t been exposed to illnesses, especially since I started working in the midst of RSV season.  Maybe my immunity had just been built up over the last 2.5 years I had spent in the hospital, but I am somewhat inclined to believe my toast has something to do with keeping me healthy.   

Honey Cinnamon Toast: 

I make this every morning before going into work.  I think it tastes like a dessert!  Nothing is precise – just spread however much you think you need.  It’s just toast!

Ingredients:

1 slice whole grain bread

Small pat of butter – just enough to coat the toast lightly

Smear of raw honey – about 1-2tbsp

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Toast a slice of whole grain bread.  Spread on your butter, followed by the honey.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Eat it warm while the honey is extra gooey!

                                                     xoxo,
                                                               Alena

By the way, if anyone is interested, I got a lot of the honey information out of this really interesting article from the NIH website: 

Simon, Arne, Kirsten Traynor, Kai Santos, Gisela Blaser, Udo Bode, and Peter Molan. "Medical Honey for Wound Care  - Still the ‘Latest Resort’." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 07 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 July 2013.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686636/

Welcome to Little Miss Sophisticate...

Hello Everyone!

Ever since I finished nursing school in the spring of 2012, I’ve wanted to start a blog that would serve as a creative outlet to which I could devote my time and energy between shifts at the hospital.  I suppose my first year as a nurse was relatively busy as I never really got any further than choosing a name and never really got around to uploading any posts!  Perhaps this was a good thing since my vision for my little creative outlet has changed dramatically throughout the year.  At first, I planned for a fashion blog, but now I am thinking more about combining everything that comes to mind when I think of wellness.  Throughout my first year as a nurse, I have experimented with different foods, different shifts, different sleep schedules, and different self-care rituals, and although I’m sure I will continue to do so from this time forward, I feel I am developing a healthy system for myself.  And I think that’s what I want to share here – what I am doing to keep my mind and body happy, healthy, and sophisticated.  

Therefore, this blog will be devoted to food, exercise, beauty regimens and products, maybe some more scientific inquiries or literature reviews when something like that strikes my fancy, and anything else I may find interesting to explore and share.  

Food

As a nurse working twelve hour shifts, who does not always know when – or at times even if - I will be getting my “lunch” break (and I say “lunch” because it’s normally between 4-7pm), I need to make the best possible choices when it comes to food.  I really try to think about which foods will keep my energy level consistently high while also understanding which foods tend to keep me satisfied for hours on end.     Choosing to eat the right foods at the most opportune times is difficult to do in even the most leisurely of settings, but throwing in a high(er) stress environment and time crunches that only allow one to eat very quickly can lead to some very bad food decisions. 

In this section, I will be sharing various recipes or products I have tried and how I feel about them.  Some are super simple – like a handful of nuts – and some may be more complex. And btw – not all are healthy!  I really like chocolate and desserts! 

Exercise

I have been committed to the same exercise regimen since Christmas 2009 when I received my first Tracy Anderson Method DVD.  I plan on sharing my thoughts and feelings on the method and her various DVDs.  I will discuss how I have adjusted TAM to my lifestyle and share some results.  I might also share my thoughts, opinions, and personal experiences on other fitness things I have tried as well, but that may be few and far between since I do not stray too far from my normal routine.  I’ll throw in some reviews on exercise equipment (like clothing, shoes, etc).

 Beauty 

One of my 2013 resolutions was to take better care of my skin.  Because of that, I have started to experiment with more products.  Some have left me with really great results while others not so much.  I try to stay away from super high end products because for some reason I just can’t justify spending a ton of money on something I’m going to rub into my skin.  I seem to get the results I want from low to mid-range products anyway, and I don’t worry quite so much that I’ll get overly attached to an expensive product that I may not always afford.  

My absolute favorite part of my day is my whole “getting ready” routine.  I love my baths and showers.  I love applying my creams and doing my makeup.  I love putting on body lotion and perfume, and then getting dressed.  And then, at the end of the day, I love my nighttime routine.  Basically, I love primping and pampering myself.  I like feeling pretty.  (I will say that doing my hair is a chore, but maybe that’s because I just do it to get it done.  I need to learn to enjoy it).  In my beauty posts, I’ll share products I’ve tried and whether I like them or not, and how I use them.  I’ll also discuss different active ingredients and how they are supposed to affect your skin.

Fashion

 

Sometimes, I come across a fashion item that I absolutely LOVE.  I’ll share.

Sometimes, I’ll put together an outfit I really love.  I’ll share that, too.

 

 

Talk to you guys again soon!

                                          xoxo,

                                                      Alena