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Review of the Tanda Zap

Hey guys. I am officially an Aveda graduate! No more school. I'm trying not to think of how scary real life is, so I'll review this nifty esthetic gadget I've had for about a month. Cool?

Nuke those fuckers!

 So this device treats break outs  with a mix of blue light and pulsating heat. Blue light is antiseptic and this is along the same lines as the fancy light therapy you get from the dermatologist except that it won't cost you $832632846 dollars. It's $50.00 at Sephora which is pretty pricey but it does work! The problem people have with these sorts of products is that their expectations are not realistic in the first place and so they are bound to be disappointed and then write about it on the internet. This thing is not a scam, but it's not a miracle worker. It follows some pretty distinct guidelines for optimal results.

First of all it can *completely* get rid of a zit in just one day. There are just conditions. You have to get it at exactly the right minute. Right when it's under the skin, before it's really anything but you can feel something there. If you do that it absolutely will get rid of the thing. Gone. No whitehead, no red mark, like it never existed. It's just that getting to it in time is a pain in the ass. A lot of things about this are a pain in the ass, but are worth it. I suggest carrying it around with you (it's small enough to fit in your make up bag) and risking looking like an asshole on the subway. Small price to pay for clear skin IMO. So what if you were too late and you already got the pimple? It will significantly help. If you use it enough times. Which is about 10. And this thing eats batteries, so again I remind you that it's a giant pain in the ass. I like to use it while I'm sitting on the computer or reading so it's not quite such a tedious process.

The bottom line with the Tanda is that while it may not be the most user friendly thing in the world, I think the results are well worth it. My skin has been looking pretty clear and much less blotchy than it used to. If you were ever looking into light therapy or alternative methods of dealing with acne, give this a shot.

Clarisonic Mia Review

I've heard a lot of noise about the Clarisonic Mia

I have this guy in purple :)

  Let me begin this review with a disclaimer: Do not exfoliate your face every day. Please for the love of god do not exfoliate your face every day. It's really unhealthy for the majority of people. This little guy has a time and a place in your life and that is most likely once a week. This is my professional advice, I however have been using it once a day. In the words of many people's parents "Do as I say, not as I do." I use it once a day because Accutane changed my skin forever and now it's prone to being extremely dry and flakey. Before using the Mia, I was also able to exfoliate once a day using a scrub. My skin loves it. I'm not exactly sure why. Pre Accutane that would irritate the shit out of me. It will probably irritate the shit out of you. I do not advise it in general. Skin is weird, people. There are a lot of general rules and guidelines, but there are also a lot of "flukes". Some weird, random shit works for certain people for seemingly no reason. I'm sure there is someone out there who has beautiful skin courtesy of that god forsaken St. Ives Apricot Scrub that's the bane of my existence.

  Anyway the point I will eventually get to is that I love this thing. I've heard there can be issues with it and break out prone skin but not for me. In the two weeks I've used it it has had no effect on that whatsoever. I broke out due to hormones when I normally break out, and didn't at any other time. I was sad it wasn't the miracle cure for hormonal acne, but it did do wonders for the texture of my skin. It's so much smoother and softer. I had a bit of a rougher texture for a bit and now that's pretty much gone. It also makes make up apply so much smoother! I use it once in the morning before I apply my BB cream (and concealer if it's needed that day) and it just looks so much smoother and blends with my skin more evenly. And I really like the way it feels ok? I mean who doesn't love things that vibrate? I think this is definitely worth trying. Sephora has a great return policy if you're not satisfied with it.  It is pretty damn expensive, but if you want really smooth skin it's worth it.
 

Great for a smoother BB cream application!

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Jenni Must Have...

Jenni Halina is a model and actress. She also makes music under the name Girl in Dreamland. Jenni currently splits her time between NYC and Los Angeles. You can stalk her on the internet at jennihalina.com, girlindreamland.tumblr.com, and imdb.com/name/nm3900384. Here are some of her favorite products!


1- Nivea cream - my lips are always chapped. They look like someone took a cheese grater to them.  I put Nivea on at night and it’s soothing and they are usually soft again by morning.

2- Almay black eyeliner- easy to apply, can’t leave home without my eyeliner. I’ve even had guys say to me “I really like how you do your eyes” or “I like how you just wear eyeliner and that’s it and it really works for you.” This color is meant to bring out Hazel eyes; my eyes are brown but I prefer black liner to the purple which is recommended for brown eyes, though I have tried the purple and it is quite pretty as are the other colors. I like Almay a lot in general.

3- Creed ‘Spring Flower’ perfume- Super expensive, I ran out, so if anyone wants to buy me a present! It smells like a dream. Designed for Audrey Hepburn originally, but just because I’m not a famous movie star (yet) doesn’t mean I can’t wear it.

4- Sephora tinted moisturizer with spf 15 - moisturizer. tinted. spf. need I say more? Not too pricey and makes your skin feel great.

5- Pomengranate scented soap from Provence. There’s a little store near a place I was staying in Los Angles during a show I was in; it sold this soap here. I fell in love with soap. I bought 2 or 3 little blocks of it and then ended up buying 6 more through out the rest of the month I was in that town.  I saved two bars for wherever I stay next, and am going through withdrawals. I need to just go back and get more or order some.

Honorable Mention- I’ve recently discovered a line of makeup called e.l.f. It’s super cheap and good for basic stuff like mascara and eyeliner. A lot of their products cost less than five dollars. This was only 3 dollars! I’m serious. I used a lot of these products for the play I was in because I thought my other makeup was stolen. Then somewhere along the way it turned up, but I still continued to use e.l.f.’s clear mascara to tame fly-aways, their eyelid primer and this eyebrow shaping kit.  I especially love the eyebrow kit, because my eyebrows are always a mess; I either over pluck or they are uneven. This is a simple kit that helps you even out and accentuate your brows in the right way for your face shape.