Ahoy hoy everyone! Wholy moly...we haven't blogged in FOREVER!
Update with us:
Twin #1 - recently just relocated to Sydney for work, living with zee bf has been great! Still have our mini battles about him not putting the lid back on some stuff (honestly!). Having said that, moving away hasn't stopped this twinne from hoarding over $500 worth of new beauty stuff - mostly just makeup! (Will most likely do a separate post on that as there's simply too many things to talk about!)
Twin #2 - currently over in the US with the hubby - eating up like a mother flipping #fatcat (it's what we say when we mean "going all out"), doing all the tourist-y stuff, shopping up a storm and hitting Sephora hard! HA!
OK so back to the subject matter.
Ahh...so my skin went proper mental roughly 3 months ago. I broke out ALL over my cheeks (both sides) which was rather unusual for me as I hardly/never get spots there. It was during makeup school and I believe it was a bad combo of SHIT makeup that they provided there for the students(for intents and purposes, I won't name this crappy-ass brand) as well as me trying to find the miracle product that would make my skin GLOW. I tried an organic turmeric and natural yogurt face mask - definitely a no go for me. That and the combination of shit house makeup made me break out like no tomorrow. I became so conscious and depressed as I was able to make it out of my teen years without suffering from too many spots and here I was, well into my 20's with acne-like skin (not even an over-exaggeration)
As per usual I turned to the internet to find a cure for the mess I had created...BING! Apple cider vinegar (ACV) - and not just any vinegar...it's gotta be BRAGG'S ORGANIC VINEGAR WITH THE MOTHER. Yeah, you read that correctly, with the mother. It reeks like smelly feet (someone even described it as 'wet dog' - and to some degree I think its true). I read SO many reviews on it before I ordered my first bottle which promptly arrived after only 3 days of ordering it (free shipping too!).
At first I consumed 2x tablespoons of ACV mixed with lots of water and 2x tablespoons of this blueberry syrup once daily. The taste wasn't too bad, I guess the blueberry syrup masked the nastiness of it although it still reeked pretty bad.
NOTE: ACV is very acidic, so I recommend brushing your teeth promptly after you're done drinking it or at least rinse out your moth with some water - it's super bad for tooth enamel.
Within a week I instantly saw results - my spots stopped growing larger and were actually going away sooner. Spot that would usually linger for at least a week were gone in 3 days. The redness was also going away much faster too. After about a month I buffed up the courage and decided to try it as a toner all over my face diluted with water in conjunction with drinking it. I used a 50:50 ratio as a facial toner and it worked out really well. The smell is horrendous but in 10 minutes or so the smell is gone and no longer lingers. I've used it everyday since then and I really can't imagine not using it. Old pigmentation marks are now going away a lot faster (also with the aid of the Kosmea organic rosehip oil)!
Yes it stinks but the results are SOOOO worth it. So much so I purchased a 3L bottle when I moved away to Sydney(didn't want to look like a fool bringing a bottle of ACV through to the airport). The texture of my skin has improved greatly and any signs of big spots are now barely noticeable. It makes applying makeup so much faster now that my skin has improved so much.
Usually spots that stick around for a week take months and months to heal and disappear completely (for my skin anyway) but with ACV they are gone within 1-2 months. I use it morning and night and now I can use ACV straight up, undiluted. However, if I did happen to pick at my skin (which is rare), then I will dilute it with some water as it will sting like a mother XXXX.
I can't rate it enough. Thank you to all of those MakeupAlley reviews...I'm so glad I took the plunge! I will continue to use ACV as my facial toner and consume 1-2 tablespoons daily. I believe the combination of applying it topically and consuming it internally has assisted my skin to get back on track and keep the spots away. 10/10 for me...heck, if I could give it a higher rating than that I would!
Lots of love,
Twinnie #1
