I was asked a great question from N a few days ago, and I think that all of us – men and woman – can relate to. Blackheads on the nose!
I was wondering if you could write a post on blackheads especially for those on the nose. Mine are big and are very noticeable, I hate it! Are there any removal solutions for the blackheads specifically on the nose?
Though blackheads are just clogged pores and could develop anywhere on our face, those damn things seem to love setting up a tent on our noses the best.
From my research, trial and error after all these years and people I’ve talked to, extraction is the only way to really get rid of blackheads.
Squeezing isn’t recommended for zits, but if it’s tiny blackheads on your nose … I say if you dare, do it. And by little I mean little ones. I had one tiny ‘crater’ on my nose thanks to me trying to squeeze the living soul out of a big one, so trust me, get too squeeze-happy and they will scar. The good news that since blackheads are normally much smaller than zits, the scars will go away after while. But still – don’t risk getting scars, so only attempt to squeeze the smaller ones.
The trick is this: start by warming up your face so the blackheads loosen up. Remember, pores don’t open or close, but I do think warm water and it’s steam also makes the skin much more soft and easier to squeeze the gunk out.
Next, take a clean tissue and aim for one of those suckers, and gently press down, then towards the blackhead – the trick is to squeeze from “underneath” the blackhead. Tiny blackheads normally come out with ease, but if you’ve tried a few squeezes and it’s not budging, STOP. Believe me when I say this: you will start to become frustrated, will start to get obsessed and will eventually scar your face.
If squeezing doesn’t work, you can try nose stripes. I recently asked if you all still use nose strips and a few of you wrote that they do work, so it could work for you too! Basically you apply it to damp, freshly cleansed face. Leave the stripes on for 10 minutes, and gently pull off.
Another method you can try is a blackhead extractor. It looks pretty scary, but this tool is very simple. After a shower, when your face is damp and warm you position the “head” of the tool on a blackhead and gently press. The blackhead should shoot out and the blackhead vanish (for now)! I’ve tried it before and it doesn’t work too well on the bigger ones but it might work for you. Worth a try, no?
To sum it up, the only way is through getting the blackheads out, and regularly. Unfortunately you will always get blackheads – they clog up our pores, (which are always there, obviously) so there is always a chance a blackhead will form in it.
Just remember when extracting, make sure your skin is fresh from the shower and your skin is damp and warm. Also be extra careful when focusing on one blackhead – if after one ‘try’ it doesn’t budge, leave it alone. Also, if you can, getting a facial will help too – they know how to really extract it properly (although their way is always more painful!).
What do you do to get rid of blackheads? Do you have any other tips to add? And, as always, if you have a question just e-mail me and I’ll try my best to help. 
Images: eHow.com
“I’m not the same person I was two or three years ago. I think going through difficult times, and being forced to confront issues in my life that were dragging me down, have make me appreciate what is truly valuable and beautiful in life.
“It’s not about attention or seeking approval anymore; it’s about being a happy and generous human being. That’s my new way of looking at the world. I’ve never felt better, and I’m having the time of my life.” — Nicole Richie
If applying lemon juice on your hair isn’t your thing, you can always use that lemon for a healthier, better reason, like your well-being!
This week’s beauty tip comes straight from my best friend in London. She recommends mixing some lemon juice in warm water and drinking it every morning. Great timing too – I literally just saw a health program that recommended this tip!
Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, as you all may know already. It also contains vitamin B, and minerals like calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, as well as proteins and carbohydrates. Daily consumption of lemon water provides a number of health benefits as it aids in digestive problems, aids in dental care, cures throat infections, controls high blood pressure, acts as a blood purifier, treats respiratory diseases, reduces fevers and is beneficial for your skin. Phew!
So what do you do? Take a glass of warm water, and squeeze half a lemon in it. Best taken in the morning. Let the warmth of the water and the zesty taste of the lemon start off your day!
Does anyone drink lemon water? I’m starting tomorrow morning!
The Body Shop Body Butters are pretty much a cult product, wouldn’t you say? Since I could remember (or when I started reading magazines), they’d always write about The Body Shop’s fantastic body butters. And from the many, many different scents they come in, there’s really something for everyone.
I recently wrote about another body lotion and mentioned that one of the reasons why I liked it so much was because it was non- greasy, didn’t have an overwhelming scent, and didn’t leave on a ‘film’ that would later run on clothes, your bed … you name it. I feel a bit like this post contradicts what I said, but hear me out: if there is one product that I will look past the greasiness, smell and stains, it’s this product.
The Body Butters are very thick, smells quite strong, and can rub on sheets and clothes – the reason being is that they are made to be extremely moisturizing. But that’s why I like them so much; they are ridiculous in terms of moisturizing. (Also, I found a bit of a solution: rub in the lotion for a few minutes – like 5 full minutes – and it lessens the greasy feeling.)
With that being said, I love the Body Butters; but only once in a while.
Like I said earlier, I don’t like the greasy feeling most body lotions produce, but these are so moisturizing that you need them sometimes! I think I use this maybe twice a week at most, when I feel like a ’spa’ treatment in one: the scents are calming, and the thickness of the product makes your really need to rub it in, so it is somewhat like giving yourself a massage – definitely a relaxing experience. The scent fills the room, so it’s important to get a scent that you find really calming.
My favorites so far are Cocoa Butter and Shea butter. I’m on the hunt for the Vanilla version, like I said in my fragrance post that mentioned The Body Shop, they don’t carry the Vanilla range here. I know that scent will be my favorite already! 
Do you use the body butters from The Body Shop? Which ones are your favorite?
Supermodel Cindy Crawford did a Q&A with The Guardian recently and I thought she said some really great things:
Your look was athletic. After you it was about waifs. Did models become too thin?
The girls who are models now, that’s just their body. Did fashion celebrate thinness more? That’s a different question. You can’t fault the models for that – they were just thin girls. Kate Moss, she eats. I’ve seen her eat, and she’s just thin. Fashion is all about extremes, and it’s constantly in flux. It’s just fashion.
Fashion gets blamed for encouraging eating disorders.
That’s a little bit of a stretch. I don’t know that much about eating disorders, but I’m certainly not one of the people they’ve blamed, because I’m not super-skinny. I think people want to find something to blame. An eating disorder is way more than a girl looking at a magazine and seeing a picture of a skinny model. Maybe that’s one tiny piece of the puzzle, but I think it’s a lot more about self-esteem and self-love and control, so it’s too simplistic to just blame it on models who are skinny.
What does being in the fashion world do to a woman’s self-image?
It’s good and bad. If you end up being able to work as a model, in some ways it’s a seal of approval, but it also puts a lot of pressure on you. I used to feel like I needed two hours of hair and makeup to look good – that was in the late 80s, early 90s, when hair was big and makeup was like full drag. Being at a runway show and changing backstage with 30 incredibly beautiful women brings out all your insecurities too.
Does the fashion industry like women?
We as the consumers, we as the women, have the power. If you don’t like something, don’t buy it. Don’t buy the magazine if you don’t like what it says. If you don’t like the image a brand is putting out, don’t buy it. What I really don’t agree with is people who complain about it but still support it. You’re giving your power away. If people don’t want skinny models, stop buying the magazine with the skinny model, and believe me those magazines will change fast. It’s business.
You can read the rest of the interview here.
You know what; I didn’t know much about her when she was a supermodel because I was too young, but I have to say I like her! She seems pretty smart (I love her last quote) and I like that she celebrated the way she was, even in the crazy, demanding and superficial fashion world. (For example I heard in the beginning some wanted her to remove her trademark mole! Can you imagine?!) Do you have any thoughts on this interview?
I was reading a (slightly) old issue of Cleo Australia and one article, ‘28 is the Perfect Age’ stood out to me. (Oh and how cool is the cover? This was the first issue in Cleo’s ‘new look’ and I think it’s great!)
The article wrote about a recent survey that was taken of 4,000 women, and it seemed that 28 was the age where they were the most happy, confident, secure in their relationships, friendships, income and career. Cleo put this to the test asking readers what their ‘perfect’ age was, and sure enough, the average was 28.3.
I’m intrigued! I had always heard the whole “women are the best in their early 30s” because the 20’s are all about discovery, etc, and 30 is when everything falls into place.
What do you think of this research? For my older readers, would you agree with this? What was life like at 28? I’ll have to say that by 28 I hope to have my life sorted (career-wise, etc.) so I would love if this age-old saying is somewhat true.
In the meantime, this got me thinking about what age of my life I was the happiest so far. I know most of my readers are not 28 yet, so if you’re younger – what age did you feel was your ‘best’ so far? I think mine would be a toss up between this past year (being 20/21) or when I was 15. … But I definitely know the best is yet to come! 
My awesome reader Sunmom (hi!) recently told me about Beauty Fool being featured as a top beauty blogger on Skincare News, but I thought she was talking about the Top 50 Blogs on Beauty and Skincare list they did earlier this year.
I double checked, and it seems like Skincare News has written a brand new list (‘top 100 beauty blogs’ this time), and Beauty Fool has been featured once again as a top beauty blog, underneath the category ‘Younger Beauties’!
Check out the rest of the list: Top 100 Beauty Blogs
As always, I am honored … Thank you Skincare news for remembering me – I am smiling like an idiot over the nice things you wrote about Beauty Fool! And thanks to Sunmom for letting me know.
Saying no, is personally one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn to do. I know it sounds so stupid, but I can never say no because I always feel guilty for letting people down!
However, as I’m sure anyone would know, saying yes all the time and not creating certain boundaries with people is very hard. You feel guilty, let them down, are overworked – no one’s happy. You also end up feeling overwhelmed and in time, resenful. You turn into a people pleaser (not good) and before you know it, you’re doing everything for everyone else and not for yourself (does that make sense?!) I know some people may laugh; after all, saying the word ‘no’ only requires opening your mouth and uttering a syllable; however, this is a great problem for some.
Saying no is important for many reasons. First of all, you need to create boundaries with people. Saying yes all the time could make your peers loose respect from you and take you for granted. Just because you say no once in a while to your friend doesn’t mean the friendship is over, right? Sometimes you just don’t feel like doing what the other person suggests!
I remember having someone calling me up at obscene hours every night when she was going through a breakup. I would still pick up because I wanted to be there for her, but I could’ve just said no to phone calls after midnight. Instead I would wake up the next day feeling resentful towards her, and not to mention – freakin’ tired!
Whether it’s saying no to a close friend, a complete stranger or your boss, here are some ways to say ‘no’ nicely – after all, I think the only reason why saying no is so hard is because you want to be ‘nice’ and you don’t want to feel guilty. But it’s seriously time to set some boundaries before you go crazy. From a former people pleaser, here are my tips – safe to say I think I’ve finally learnt how to say no, minus the guilt.
[read more…]
Loading ...