It's driving me crazy!!

Here's a little rant....

Ever since I was a teenager, I have had issues with my skin, mainly my face. Really bad acne when I was younger was a nightmare. Cystic acne that was not only ugly and embarrassing, but also quite painful at times. Then I luckily outgrew that phase and my skin has cleared up quite nicely. I have a couple of scars from my teenager years but nothing that bothers me.

But now.... I don't suffer with pimples or acne, but with a seriously red face. My cheeks are blotchy and I often times flush up like a tomato. It looks like it could be rosacea but I don't have it confirmed by my doctor. (For those of you who don't know what rosacea is, check out this link Rosacea info)

I have the redness, the inflammation across the flushing zone - nose and cheeks and I have visibly dilated blood vessels. Plus the facial swelling at times. And blotchy dry patches.

AND IT SUCKS!

My mom is dealing with it as well and we have had long discussions on what we should do, could do and do to lessen the symptoms. And now I'm on an active rampage to find a solution that works for me. I don't wear makeup on a daily basis and I don't want to. I seriously hate the idea of having to wear makeup everyday and that is why I'm desperately trying to find a good cream or something that is easy to use on a daily basis and is good for my skin.

Any ideas?

I've been using a normal day and night cream from Clarins - anti-pollution gentle cream for sensitive skin. It's definitely helped with the blotchy dry patches and the tightness of dry skin. It's quite pricey but I'm willing to pay for good results. Especially on my face. When it's really dry, I use a skin beauty repair serum concentrate, also from Clarins. Good stuff. But it doesn't help with the redness and the flushing....

I just bought Clinique redness solutions daily protective base spf 15 yesterday. I don't usually buy Clinique products but I read about in a magazine and hell - I'm willing to give it a try. I checked out several reviews on the internet and it doesn't look bad. I'm not expecting a miracle, but just some relief. Has anyone else tried out the Clinique redness solution products?

I'm done my rant for the day.... Time to check on my laundry.

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Hair fun!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not great at getting up early in the mornings. Which is one reason why my jobs are perfect for me - all afternoons/evenings/night shifts. It doesn't matter if I go to bed early in the evening, I still have a hell of a time getting up at, ex. 7am. It's like my body is on automatic shut down. But that means, that I'm almost always awake late at night. You will always have a better chance getting a hold of me at midnight than at 8am.

So, a couple of days ago, I had just got home - it's around 10pm. My friend called and we chatted about her upcoming exam - she then asked me "Hey Rie, what are you up to tonight?". I said "hmmm, I'm actually thinking about adding streaks in my hair but I'm not sure how....". She said "Need some help?" And then I said "Sure, but I was thinking about doing it tonight." She answered "I'll come over in 10 minutes."

And that's how the evening/night started.

She came over and we got started right away. I'm never really that nervous about my hair - my theory is: It'll always grow out. Or I can always dye it again. Sidsel knew what to do and after a while, I was sitting there with tinfoil in my hair, just waiting for the results. The results were great! Light streaks all over the place and I was happy!

Getting started!

Tinfoil and hair dye!

Sidsel decided to add a single streak to her own hair!

YAY! I love the new color!!

Then Sidsel said "When was the last time you had a haircut?" My hair was in desperate need of a haircut! So, we ended up cutting my hair.

Great color but definitely in need of a cut!

Just to mention - Sidsel is NOT a hairdresser. But we definitely found out that she has a talent.

Goofy picture but with awesome hair!

Can you see the difference?

Now, I have healthy, fun hair and I love it! It turned into a late night - done at 3am but lots of fun and totally worth it.

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