Current Favorite Acne Mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

For the next installment of my "current favorite" blog posts, I bring you my favorite acne mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I don't know why I've never written about this before, when I've consumed several tubes of this already.

Product Description:



Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.

Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck.  Within minutes it firms and hardens, drawing out impurities from your pores.  After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth.

Even for individuals who are fortunately free of skin problems, Mint Julep Masque is a refreshing facial treatment that helps relaxed tired muscles and ease tension lines on the face and neck.

Ingredients:


Water, Kaolin, Bentonite (CI 77004), Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Sulfur, Chromium Oxide Green (CI#77288), Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

This product has one of the shortest ingredient lists for a beauty product, which I guess is a plus, because the simpler, the better! I actually neglected this for a long time since I didn't have pimple problems for a long while but now that I'm breaking out, I've started using this again. I apply a thick layer on top of a pimple before I go to bed and just leave it in. It dries up small pimples overnight, but the bigger pimples need a little more work. Yes, I sleep with green spots on my face, but there's a price to pay for beauty. It's really quite helpful for people with light acne. On the few occasions that I used this as a facial mask during my bedtime routine, I find that I'm significantly less oilier when I wake up. Not bad for a very affordable product!

This product has a 4.1 out of 5 rating in Makeup Alley, which is high for a non-cosmetic product.

Where to buy? Your best bet would be Robinsons Department Stores.

Product Review: Anti-Blemish Solutions Body Spray

Bacne--something that a lot of gals have, but no one seems to talk about. I myself suffer from bacne, so my mom sent this over from the US for me to try: Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Body Spray.

Active Ingredient: 2% Salicylic Acid (to be sprayed on to affected areas 2x a day)

The first thing I noticed with this is that it's quite sticky, so it takes a while to dry up. After using this twice a day, my back did improve a bit but I still find that the best treatment for my back is a lot of sessions of TCA peel combined with medication. The smell is also a little bothersome. This is something worth trying if you have light bacne, but for heavier bacne, I recommend stronger treatments.

Product Spotlight: ThermaClear Acne Clearing Device

photo taken from www.amazon.com

Product Description:

ThermaClear’s exclusive two-second Thermal Pulse Technology™ reaches beneath the skin’s surface to trigger a highly effective dual-action healing process: neutralizing acne-causing bacteria from above while stimulating the body’s own powerful acne-fighting proteins from below, so you get clearer skin up to four times faster than if left untreated. It’s similar to the laser technology dermatologists use to treat mild-to-moderate acne — but without the hassle or expense of doctor’s appointments. See for yourself how our technology helps you look good — and when you look good, you feel even better.

My sister and I have always been on the look out for a good anti-acne product in the market, and when Zeno came out, we got curious about it. It's a good thing we didn't have the resources back then to get it, because a superior version came out: the Thermaclear!

We did a lot of research on Zeno vs. Thermaclear and we were convinced that ThermaClear was the way to go. Both seemed to be effective products, but the ThermaClear had a warm-up time of 10 seconds compared to the Zeno's warm-up time of 2 minutes. The application time of the ThermaClear is only 2 seconds compared to the Zeno's application time of 2.5 minutes. It's such a long time to hold a device for 2.5 minutes on one pimple. The Zeno can only treat up to 3 pimples in one session as opposed to ThermaClear's unlimited treatments per session.

The ThermaClear can be applied up to three times a day, but no more than once every hour. It's best to use it on the first sign of blemish, and results can be seen after a day. It can also work on small pimples. However, this will not work on pimples that already have a head and on cystic pimples. The point of the ThermaClear is to stop a pimple dead on its tracks, not to treat a full-fledged pimple.

The pain? Very tolerable. And it only lasts for 1-2 seconds. A small price to pay for clear skin.

I recommend this is a supplement to an anti-acne regimen or can be used solely by people who have a few to moderate acne. This is NOT a substitute for a good anti-acne regimen.

Cons? This ain't cheap at $150 so think twice before purchasing it. They also don't ship outside the US so you need to ask a relative or someone residing in the US to bring this home to you. This has been with us for almost a year now and it's still in working order.

The verdict: This is a good device for people with acne problems.

Would I buy this again? If ours gets broken, yes!