Lots of random bits to today’s post! I’ll start with some dinner dishes from this past week. I made one of my favourite pasta dishes recently – the Barefoot Contessa’s Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. My version substituted Zucchini pasta for linguine:
Hubby’s serving followed the recipe exactly (except I used dried parsley instead of fresh). Both the dishes turned out really yummy – although hubby’s one was more filling and satisfying. Still, I’m happy with my compromise – I’d say that my dish had 75% of the taste, with 0% of the guilt!
We also had Chicken curry with Daal (red lentil soup) one night. It’s a very comforting combination – especially on a cold day. I had mine with some brown rice and a lot of salad.
Now for a quick skin update – I went to see the dermatologist today, and he prescribed a combination of oral and topical antibiotics for my skin: Minocycline and Clindamycin Phosphate. He also told me not to use any moisturiser…(this will be a hard habit for me to break – especially during fall/winter! I may have to look into oil-free moisturisers if my skin gets too dry and flaky.) To be honest – I’d have preferred a natural/non-medicated approach to cleaning up my acne – but I’m willing to give this antibiotic approach a try. Part of me wonders if this is worth it – my acne is mild/moderate and not really noticeable when covered with mineral make-up…I hope I don’t make the problem worse! I have another appointment in 2 months to evaluate my progress.
Now back to the fun stuff – make up! NYC Blushable Creme Sticks have been popular with beauty bloggers/youtubers for quite a while now – and I can see why! I picked up Plaza Pink for myself and Mauvin Uptown for my mom….and after trying my creme stick on today – I’m in LOVE!
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| L-R: NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink and Mauvin Uptown, ELF All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade, Covergirl Ageless Blush in Lush Berry |
I adore cream blushes because they provide a more radiant and glowing finish than powder blushes. In the picture above I’ve shown the 3 brands I’ve tried: NYC, ELF and Covergirl. Don’t waste your money on the ELF one – it has too much shimmer and hardly any pigment. I really like the formulation of the Covergirl one – and highly recommend it. The NYC is a bargain at $3.99 – and the packaging is lighter and easier to use than the CG one. I use a MAC 129 brush to apply cream blush as it provides a diffused and airbrushed application. Unfortunately, my 129 sheds a LOT – but it’s easy to clean up stray brush hairs from the NYC stick since the surface area is so small.
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| L-R: Blushable Crem Stick in Plaza Pink, ELF All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade, Covergirl Ageless Blush in Lush Berry |
Here are concentrated swatches of the cream blushes. They look much better when blended out (except for the ELF one!). On my NC35 skin, the Plaza Pink blends out to a non-shimmery peach shade. I’ve had it on for 6 hours – and the colour is still going strong….I have to stop myself from gazing at my cheeks in the mirror – this is seriously my best make up purchase in a LONG while….you have to try it!
Have you ever taken antibiotics for acne? Do you like cream blushes?
those NYC cream blush sticks are great for summer…they look super natural! and that shrimp pasts looks delish!!
I haven't taken any antiobiotics all I have are cysts on my chin which i keep hearing is hormonal so idk what they'd give me, I prefer natural methods as well, my best friend has had dermatologist medications and she told me not to do it because it made her skin incredibly dry and it started to peel, though it DID remove the acne. I love cream blushes too, right now I really love makeup forever's HD blush in nip slip, they more pricey but they pump out like foundation, I love it!
Oh the first dish looks soooo yummy! I might have to try that.I hope the antibiotics work for you. I got acne when I was 20, crazy I think. My Dr. prescribed antibiotics and it made me break out so bad. But now I wish I would have gone to a dermatologist instead and not my family physician. (I didn't even know that the monster pimple on my face was acne at that time). After seeing a dermatologist my skin cleared up better. I'm 29 now and I still break out but not nearly as bad. I just wish there was a permanent cure for acne.
Andee – The NYC sticks would have been great in the summer – I wish I'd bought them earlier! But I haven't really seen them in-person where I live – had to order them online :-(Jen – I'm still not sure about these antibiotics – I do NOT want to take them indefinitely (I read that people take them for years!)…I'm hoping that I can go off them in 2 months – if not, I'm just going to look for some other solution. The MUFE blush sounds awesome – I've never tried a liquid blush!Lilly – what did the dermatologist give you that was different from your Doctor? I'm considering laser treatment as an alternative…I think it would be worth the price.
well, shoot, I had a reply typed up and my computer froze. K-here it goes again.I've been using minocyclene for about 3-4 months and LOVE it. My doctor recommended I take it as needed (I take it until my spots clear up and stop until I get spotty again). At 35, it is a relief to finally be nearly acne free!! The few spots I get in between are not as severe as they were before I started. As for moisturizing, I moisturize my face only when I feel really dry and usually just a little over night and I still moisturize my neck.I love your NYC purchases. I bet the colors look beautiful on both you and your mom. My favorite cream blush is Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in rose petal and peach satin. The formulas are so light and airy and they have great staying power. And as always, your dishes look so delicious!!
I've never tried anything from the Maybelline Mousse range – but it does sound lovely!With regards to the antibiotics – I'm happy to give this a try – but I just don't think it is healthy in the long-term to take antibiotics indefintely (not your case I know…I was thinking about cases I read in reviews – where people use this for years…until it stops working or they get too many yeast infections or other bad side effects!)
As far the Maybelline Mousse range, the blush is the best part of the line. The dream mousse foundation would look great on someone with perfect skin but it seemed for me that it accentuated any imperfections (exspecially dry patches). I haven't tried the dream smooth mousse though.I agree with taking the antibiotics indefinitely. There are definitely some troubling side effects that could pop up. But I think being aware of them is a huge help in the long run. I've found the only side effect that I've had to contend with is dehydration because I don't drink enough water when I take my pill so I just try to remember to drink extra water when I do take it.
Ella – since my face broke out like crazy after the antibiotics the Dermatologist prescribed Accutane and Differin later on to keep it under control. I wish my first dermatologist would have told me about cortisone shots as they really help. I'm planning on getting laser treatments as well but for scarring. I hope it works. 🙂
I've always been very lucky with my skin, so have never needed to use antibiotics for it or anything.and.. I'm not much of a make-up girl so I've never really used blush!http://pagesixxx.blogspot.com/
Lindy – guess the mousse foundation wouldn't work on my skin at the moment either! Regarding antibiotic side-effects – I'm going to try take a probiotic yoghurt everyday (not at the same time of course – no dairy with it!)Lilly – I've heard a lot about Accutane and Differin – glad that they worked for you!Jamie-Lee – it is really luck, isn't it? I had great skin in my teens and early twenties – hope my luck changes again and I get my clear glowing skin back 🙂
I have elf's pink lemonade too – never use it. it seems frosty/ metallic to me. but I can't wait to try ELF's cream blushes. I love your blog btw. I'm following you now xxhttp://xdynax.blogspot.com
Thanks for commenting Dyna. I've never tried ELF cream blushes myself – but I've read that they're much better than the ELF all-over stick.