Brown Skin Ladies: Clinique Acne Solutions Clear Skin System

This post is dedicated to all my beautiful brown skin ladies with blotchy complexions. I come bearing great news. There is hope...and it's not in a pill, a peel or a dermatologist's office. I know I have slacked off on posting, but I wanted to share this, so here I am. Maybe this will get me "back in the mood" to post more often.

Backstory: Skip to "The Point" if you don't want to read all of this.
In summer 2010, I was on a quest for the perfect mineral foundation. I did a review on Valana Minerals. In that review, I took pictures of my skin, foundation free.

Fast forward a bit to Spring 2011. I was on the search for a line that would clear up my skin once and for all. I did a little research on the web, then went to my local mall to see if they had Clinique's Even Better Dark Spot Corrector. The sales person talked me into purchasing the Acne Solutions Clear Skin System Starter Kit, which is basically a mini version of their Acne Solutions line.

I walked out a happy camper, ready to start yet another trek towards "Clear Complexion Land."

I was pleased with the results, but wasn't quite ready to buy the full sized version (retails at approximately $140, including the Even Better Dark Spot Corrector), so after I ran out of the sampler, I still used the Dark Spot Corrector with the drug store equivalent of the Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam, Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Foam Wash (why is the name so long? Serious question). Anyway, I liked it. I used it with Neutrogena's OFASC Toner and it stopped most of my breakout cycles.

Now, believe it or not, I didn't buy the Dark Spot Corrector for my face. Call me jaded, but I'd already been down the fade gel/cream road several products. I just didn't think it would really work on my face. Silly, I know. I actually purchased it for a dark mark on my chest. It was visible when I wore scoop neck shirts and I didn't want to try to hide it with make up.

Well within about 4-5 weeks, the spot was nearly undetectable. I have no idea why this surprised me. Successful before and after pictures were posted at Clumps of Mascara. At any rate, it was only after my good experience fading the chest mark that I decided it was time to try it on my face.

The point:
So...let's fast forward to about one week ago. I was looking back through this blog, trying to determine the most viewed blog post. The second most viewed was the Valana Minerals review. I couldn't help but notice the pictures I'd posted of my skin. Something was different though. A little off, but in a good way. I got up, went to my bathroom and looked in the mirror. My skin looked NOTHING like that now!

Much of the discoloration seen in those pictures has either disappeared completely, or is MAJORLY faded. What better way to start blogging again than with a product success story?! I have only been using Clinique's line again for about a month or so, this time the full sized products and of course, another bottle of the Dark Spot Corrector (which they only sell in ONE size...big).

Anyway, the pictures are below for your review.

Before (left side)

After (left side)

Before (right side)
















Now (right side)

I'm doing "before" and "now" pictures instead of before and after pictures because I am still using the products.

Other things you should know:

• I did not change my diet by excluding sodas, sweets, fried food, etc.
• I did not increase my water intake, by any noticeable means (although you can feel free to do it)
• I stopped touching my face all the time.
• I became a nearly religious user of Biore Pore Strips. This helped alleviate any desire to bother the white heads and black heads that would show up on my skin. This removed the main reason I'd touch my face in the first place.
• I use sunblock everyday (as the instructions encourage)
• I changed my pillow case at least once week.
• Yes, I still use MAC Studio Fix Fluid everyday.
• I use Wonder Cloth to aid in removing my make up.

I share the above info to give a better idea of outside variables in this accidental experiment. I will check back in about six months from now. Hopefully I'll be all clear. My question is...what are YOU waiting for? Try it out and tell me how it works for you!

Love!

10 Things...:The elaboration.

1. Don't second guess your gifts, skills and talents.

I'm not one to boast about my gifts and talents because I have never really regarded myself as someone who has any. This is not false humility or self deprecation. I truly can't think of any tangible gifts or talents I have to offer anyone or this world. Now before anyone "poo poos" me and goes on and one about how "everyone has gifts and talents," I think it's necessary to define terms.


"A gift is a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent" according to dictionary.com. Now let's define "special." According to the same reference, "special" is "distinguished or different from what is ordinary or usual." I know we live in a society where everyone is regarded as "special," but the honest truth is that most of us are pretty ordinary. Sure there are some of us "ordinaries" with unique characteristics, but I don't believe that many should be regarded as "special" according to the denotative meaning.


All that in mind, I don't have any gifts (ha!) There is nothing I do that can't be done by someone else or hasn't already been done by someone else. Any "success" I have can be attributed to skills I've learned along the way. That said, I'd tell 19 year old Gloria to learn as many skills as possible. I'd tell her to hone those skills, seek out mentors and positive influences to nourish those skills. I'd tell her not to second guess the importance of those skills and not to be afraid to use those skills when opportunities to exercise those skills presented themselves.

I can remember two times in particular where second guessing myself led me to miss opportunities in my late teens and early twenties. If I could go back, I'd pass myself a note that read, "Go for it."

To be continued....

10 Things I wish I'd know 10 years ago...

I'm fighting going to bed for some reason. Boredom led me to troll the internet for old hair "idols." Shawnta immediately came to mind. I went to Youtube to see what's she's been up to in the last year or so. I chose this video. She only got around to actually mentioning 6 things but I still appreciated her candor. While listening, I felt compelled to blog on this topic, more for myself than anyone else.

I'll be 30 years old in less than one month. Thirty. 3-0. Ten years from 40. I know people who throw huge, celebratory parties, making much adieu about leaving their twenties behind. I'm not one of those people.Truthfully, I don't know where my twenties went and I actually spend quite of bit of time thinking about what I'd do differently if given a chance. Actually, I've always thought about what I'd do differently, even from my early twenties, only I thought about how I'd change my teenage years.

Is it really possible to have a quarter life crisis for 6-7 years? LOL... Seriously, though, I know I'm not supposed to say I dread turning thirty or that I mourn lost time and perceived missed opportunities. I know the right answers about God's sovereignty, my salvation and how all things were orchestrated leading me to this very moment. All the same, here are some things that 29 year old Glo would tell 19 year old Glo.

1. Don't second guess your gifts, skills and/or talents.
2. Nurture relationships.
3. Be you, beautiful.
4. Live at a 10.
5. It feels really important now, but it's not.
6. Move to DC after graduation, at least for a little while.
7. Throw away all your CDs.
8. Sometimes you have to start from scratch.
9. EXERCISE.
10. Go veg or vegan.

Ideally, I'll do a post on several of these topics in coming weeks.

So funny, as I typed that I have things 19 year old Glo would tell 29 year old Glo...may visit that topic one day.

Goodnight moon.

Don't Call It A Come Back (ramble)

1. I decided I need to start blogging here again, so here I am.
2. I can't remember why I stopped, but I'm sure it was for a good reason.
3. My apologies to anyone who was actually reading this thing
4. I have a Tumblr here and here. Feel free to check it out.
5. I still set weird goals for myself, some achievable, others not so much. Right now I'm doing a 30 by 30 challenge. I've convinced myself that I can lost 30 pounds by June 20. *chuckles* We'll see.
6. Can you believe I've almost been married for 4 years? You can't? Me either.
7. Butters and Judah still make me smile.
8. My husband is still the most amazing person I know.
9. We're in another election year and I'm still going for Ron Paul.
10. I think we really may get a house this time. 
11. The Lord is faithful even when I'm not faithful.

1/12/11 Ramble

What on earth is my problem???

I have so many things I want to discuss and yet I've blogged on NOTHING. So lazy.

I'm going to do this ramble to get the juices flowing.

1. Christmas was cool. Mother ate at our house.
2. Speaking of mom, she's purchased Hawks v Celtics tickets for Warren and I. It's going down on April 1. Boo-yow!
3. I'm in North Carolina right now. I was supposed to be earning a Lean Six Sigma certification but, the college has been closed for the last three days. Thanks snow storm. You suck.
4. As a result, I haven't stepped outside since Sunday night and I'm on reality TV overload. Someone help me.
5. This isn't working. Maybe I just need to try to find a topic and make it work...
6. *poof*

"I think I'm Big Meech/Larry Hoover...."

I was reading a blog I frequent when I came across an interesting question. A popular nineties rapper, who shall remain nameless, is completely dumbfounded by the success of William Roberts BKA Rick Ross. He doesn't understand how a correctional officer turned rapper can lie about his drug lifestyle and still be a number one selling artist who raps about, well...dealing drugs. I will try to answer his question in this blog post.

To begin, most people who listen to music, especially secular rap music, with its women, cars, parties, drugs and other decadence, haven't really experienced the thrills of the lifestyle. Even still, we rap right along with Baby when he boasts about "big mansions," and Drake when he brags about "champagne showers," and yes, even with Rick Ross when he proclaims to the world that he is on the same level as the one time mastermind of a multi million dollar drug ring. 

Rap gives us a reason to nod our heads and and opportunity to live vicariously through the hyper masculinity and/or overt sexuality presented by the artists. We download the songs, preview the albums or keep our stations locked to the local Hip Hop radio stations, waiting for the 4 or 5 minutes that we can get away. 

I vividly remember listening to Dead Prez during my freshmen year of college while getting ready for class every morning. A friend put me on to them during my senior year of high school and I never looked back until after the Lord called me several years later. They had an infectious and conscience rap hit out at the time, titled Hip Hop. Not familiar with Dead Prez? Well, to put it bluntly, they are a militant rap group with ties to Pan Africanism and the Black Panther Party. On one hand, they rapped about discipline and intellectualism. They even had a cool take on Orwell's Animal Farm called Animal in Man. On the other hand, the also rapped about the overthrow of the U.S. government and, get this, the futility of attending public schools and universities. Isn't it Ironic? Let's Get Free let me be the angry, rebellious woman I was afraid to be and I loved it. Did I love it enough to quit college, join a commune and become a vegan? NOPE. Truth is, I wasn't a revolutionary. I just played one in front of the mirror of my second floor dorm room. 

This fact didn't stop a condescending smirk from forming on my lips when I saw a car of blondes riding in a drop top convertible singing Trick Daddy's I'm A Thug about a year later. What on earth did they know about being a thug or being discriminated against for having the sad misfortune of being poor and black? Well, they knew about as much about it as I knew when I was 11 years old, singing "Rolling down the street/Smoking endo/Sippin' on Gin and Juice"--absolutely nothing.

In short, rap music for most people is primarily entertainment. Pure escapism. It's always been this way, but I think the rapper who originally posed the question has forgotten this. We all forget this sometimes. I understand that there are people who enjoy these songs and actually engage in the behavior discussed in the lyrics. They really are out shooting people, getting high everyday and being super promiscuous. The rest of us are just looking for a temporary thrill and a dope beat.

There are other aspects of this phenomenon which could and should be examined, but it's getting late.

Peace.

Disclaimer: This is just a social commentary. I'm not advocating the purchase or support of any of the music/artists listed above. (Should I really have to type this??) *sigh*

Facebook characters

I've been on Facebook since 2005. I've seen interesting characters emerge in this time. Below is a list of the most notable.

1. The Hated: These people are ALWAYS being hated on. I can never really understand why, but each day they post another rant about people hating on them and their life achievements. Whether it be their recent purchase of a '97 Pontiac Grand Am or finishing up their degree at Everest College, haters just don't want to see them living large.
2. The Random Capitalization Crew: The rules are capitalization are quite easy. Always use a capital letter when writing/typing proper nouns and the first word of sentences. The RCCs don't respect these rules and for this they must die (or be hidden). Nothing is quite as annoying as scrolling down my news feed only to see a status message tYpeD LiKe THis. Why do people do this? It's much more difficult to type this way. It's unnatural and hard on the eyes. 
3. The Three Namers: Okay. I don't use my real name on Facebook. Why? Well, because I already have my face in over 100 pictures. Call me crazy, but I think pairing my name and my face on the internet is asking for problems in the future. Many Facebook fans have chosen to use their real names and many women include their maiden and married names to avoid confusion and to assist others in finding them in searches. When I think of the "three namers" I think of people like: John Morethanjustanoption Smith, Tanisha QueenBee Hall, and Andre BigThangsPoppin Holloway. My message to them. Please stop.
4. The Wise Old Owls: These are the Facebook friends who put up like 10 cliched quotes a day about success. They have the answers to all of life's problems...and if they don't, they know a dead person who does. 
5. The Likers: They've never seen a page, group, photo album or status message they didn't disagree with. They people "like" about 50 things a day. They even like their own status message updates. They're a happy, simple people. Easy to please.
6. The Gamers: Ever looked to the left side of your home page and noticed that you have 74  game requests? Thank the gamers. Whether it's Farmville, Mafia Wars or Sorority Life, these Facebook friends live to play, especially during the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. So...don't be rude. Go help them on their farm, join their gang or become a member of their sorority...or...just do what I do and ignore most of the requests (unless it's Family Feud #judgeme)
7. The Theologians:  They read Spurgeon, Packer, Macarthur and Piper. They ponder the implications of Christ's atonement. They study the Protestant Reformation all day long. They are the theologians. Always ready with a relevant Bible verse, they fill your feed with nuggets notes and thoughts from their daily devotions. They also post hymn lyrics.... Actually beneficial most days.
8. The Models: You love them. You hate them. You know they have seahorses on their shower curtains due to all the bathroom mirror shots they've posted. You are familiar with their entire wardrobe. You know the interior of their car is gray leather. They fill your news feed with at least 5-10 mobile uploads a day. They've perfected the duck lips and they know they look best when photographed from the left side. #hateisawastedemotion
9. The Randoms: They rarely post new status messages and when they do, it's always something random like: "I'm hungry" or "Just saw a squirrel on a trashcan eating a lifesaver" or "Ligers>Tigons". 
10. The News Reporters: They give you the latest on topics ranging from sports to politics. Love them or hate them, you wouldn't know half of what you know without them. You don't need a newspaper if you have at least 5 reporters on your friends list.

That's all I've got, but I'm sure more exist.