Hey everybody! How are you doing?

Today was one of those days that make me happy to be a teacher. :-)

One of my advanced-level students whipped up such a funny piece of writing in his end-of-course test that even watching him write made me chuckle and look forward to reading his essay once I got home. I saw that familiar surge of inspiration wash over him like a wave, and his classmate and I were properly perplexed (and fascinated) every time he asked me about words that were totally unrelated to the topic. And once I actually sat down and read it... Oh boy, I'm still experiencing random fits of laughter and occasional giggles... Once I correct some grammatical and stylistic mistakes I might ask for his permission to share it with you. It's truly hilarious. :-D

My other student (his peer) is currently considering taking a half-year break, but today he was more in favor of staying, something that has also improved my mood in a great deal. Let's face it: I tend to get attached to my students emotionally very much and loosing any of them would unquestionably cast me in low spirits. I really hope he'll stay with us.

Anyway, I guess these are the things that make a teacher walk 10 centimeters above the ground and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ^_^

Now then: it's about time I wrote something that's actually related to beauty. I've been a bit uninspired lately all thanks to the horrible state my skin had been in until very recently. (Some might even argue that last part.) This is mostly due to a hormonal imbalance I've been struggling with for the better (?) half of my life. I had tried just about everything drugstores and department stores could offer; that is, all but one. However, that one thing may turn out to be the thing that will actually help my skin recover, but I'm not about to make any early (and much too hurried) assumptions just yet. We'll see in about a week or two whether I can rejoice or go back to the drawing board and start from scratch. (Keep your fingers crossed for me, girls! There isn't supposed to be a dermatologically challenged beauty blogger out there, but sadly I fit the part perfectly...)

Today I want to tell you about a product that started me on the path of the gentle (and at times not so gentle) peeling of the upper layers of the skin and showed me what a huge difference it can make to one's complexion.

There's a thread on a Hungarian forum dealing mostly with skincare and cosmetics, and what's special about it is that the women who frequent it (and who actually contribute and not just lurk around) are bigger experts when it comes to our skin than many dermatologists. My fellow blogger Bagaela is one of them, so I'll just take the opportunity to say hello to her and give her a big "Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!"-hug. :-)

They were the ones who first discovered what has since become my HG facial wash: Cleansing Foam Gel with Mandelic Acid made by Clinians, an Italian cosmetics company. Clinians is generally considered to make good products anyway, but this one is worth its weight in gold.

Behold! :-)

Izar © 2008

It's important for people with sensitive skin to find out what it actually reacts to, be that some kind of physical impact (e.g.: abrasive substances = scrubs) or a certain chemical. For me it was abrasion caused by facial scrubs containing tiny bits of scrubbing particles with an uneven surface that caused microtears to form on my skin and the resulting and ever-present irritation
just wouldn't allow my skin to focus its self-healing powers on other (and in my opinion, more pressing) matters, such as banishing my zits.

At one point I realized that I needed to adjust my daily skincare routine so that it would take my skin's peculiar quirks into consideration. If you find your skin unwilling to tolerate any kind of abrasion, the Cleansing Foam Gel with Mandelic Acid made by Clinians might just be a great alternative to physical peels for you. It contains mandelic acid and other alpha-hydroxy acids in an amount which, with daily use, is perfectly enough to keep your complexion soft, glowing and free of any dead skin cells.

As you can see in the picture it comes in a clear plastic tube, and even though I've been using it for exactly two months now every morning and night (and sometimes even in between), it still has enough product in it to last another two or three weeks or so.

About the ingredients:

• What I can ascertain at first glance is that it's a paraben-free product and besides the unavoidable artificial stuff it contains many natural ingredients (AHAs, most likely, derived from cherry, lemon, orange and blueberry).
• Coco-glucosides come in second place on the list which is good if you're looking for something that won't dry and irritate your skin. Although the following two are look suspiciously like SLS (sulphates)...
• It also contains glycerin to moisturize your skin but not in such amounts that would achieve the opposite effect.

Physical attributes:

• Thick, sea-green/blue gel, with a very aquatic scent, which makes it perfectly suitable for men and women alike. (it's a bit too strong for my liking but I'm willing to tolerate it for the sake of its many benefits.)
• It comes in a 150 ml plastic tube and has a shelf-life of 12 months.
• Dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic.

There's one thing you should pay attention to: you really need a very small amount of this for a single use. In order to make the most of this particular cleansing gel, you have to stick to the instructions and lather it up in your palms before applying it to your face, otherwise it will not create much foam and out of frustration you'll end up using twice as much product as you would otherwise.

My overall impression is a very favorable one. Clinians' Cleansing Gel eliminates the need for any kind of physical scrub while at the same time being very gentle with your skin. It gets rid of dead skin cells and turns a dull face into a glowing complexion making its positive effects felt already upon first application. It's also very economical as you need only a very small (2-peanus-still-in-their-shell-sized :-)) amount, thus one tube will last you more than two months. True, this cleanser does not leave me with that squeaky-clean feeling I'm used to, but I find myself liking that more and more as time goes by. I think this product is ideal for people with dry, sensitive skin who don't want their cleansers to strip their skin of its natural protective layer.

Me? First I just loved the way it made my skin soft and supple, but I have come to value it as
a great boon to my daily skincare routine, and I'll definitely buy a second tube once this one runs out which, let me assure you, is a very rare thing for me. ;-)

Btw, check out all the stuff I have in store for you. What you can see in the picture below is but a small portion of the things I plan to review in the future, but I hope it's enough to pique your interest a bit. ;-)

Izar © 2008