DIY Blackhead Pore Strips & What Are Blackheads?

Are you sick of having gunky blackheads all over your nose, forehead, cheeks or chin? Have you tried the Biore (generic brands of this are CVS, Walgreens, etc) Deep Cleansing Pore Strips and loved how they work but hated the price?

Well I have the perfect solution with these DIY Blackhead Pore Strips! I didn't even realize how bad my blackheads were until I used this at-home DIY and saw how much debris there was in the aftermath and my nose became all clear and so smooth to the touch. My nose feels like softer than a baby's butt, I kid you not. I dare you to try this at home and see for yourself!

It's so easy you don't even need to buy anything you don't probably already own.

You only need:

- Egg whites

- Toilet paper

1. If you have eggs, separate out the egg white from the yolk into two separate bowls. You can keep the yolk for a moisturizing skin treatment at the egg or add the yolk to your breakfast, if you wish!
2. Then place egg whites in a thin layer over your problem areas (you can do your whole face if you need to).
3. Take your toilet paper, separate it into 1-ply sheets (usually toilet paper 2-ply which means there are 2 sheets to every square, gently pull them apart to achieve two 1-ply sheets).
4. Put 1-ply toilet paper layered on top of your egg white, you want to do this relatively quickly before the egg begins to dry and set.
5. Then cover the top of the toilet paper layer with another layer of egg white to make sure it sticks down in place.
6. Wait 15-30 minutes (depending on how thick your egg layers are) until your face is completely dry, crunchy and flaky. You can then gently peel the layers off your face.
7. Take a look at the backs of your DIY Pore Strips and check out the blackheads stuck to it! Voila! IT WORKED!

The benefits of these DIY homemade peel-off pore strips are that you can save tons of money but more importantly, they do not contain the adhesive that the commercial pore strips have which can leave a residue on your skin and cause you to break out! The benefits and ease of this DIY have made it my go-to pore cleanser and I hope it becomes yours!

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TL;DR - watch this informative video from YouBeauty if you don't want to read my explanation below:

Blackheads are comedo which can be yellowish, brown or black. A comedo is a term which describes a widened hair follicle filled with oil (sebum), skin debris and bacteria. If you have blackheads, this is called an open comedo, and if they are white, this is called a closed comedo.

Blackheads are the beginning of acne, which means that they form before the bacteria can completely overtake the inside of the pore and they can later develop into a pimple. You can see an increased amount of blackheads during intense hormone production phases (such as puberty, before menstruation, during pregnancy) because hormones stimulate sebum over-production.

If you're wondering why blackheads are dark, it's because of the melanin found in sebum which is the same substance that gives skin its color and can oxidize (or turn dark) when it is exposed to the air. If you see blackheads, scrubbing them and washing vigorously will not remove them as they are actually inside of your pores rather than at the surface and they are not made up of "dirt".

The production of blackheads is not related to hygiene. It is recommended to wash your face twice a day, but not rigorously, and any more than that can actually irritate and aggravate the condition of your skin. Dietary habits are also unrelated to the production of sebum or blackheads.

If you want to use a cleanser to prevent blackheads from forming, you should reach for one which is for oily acne-prone skin, containing salicylic acid rather than alpha-hydroxy acids (these can irritate skin further).

E.L.F. Disney Villains Limited Edition Collection

For the past 2 years, ELF has released limited edition Disney Villains collections, one per year. These are only sold at Walgreens across the U.S. and are in very high demand. There are 4 look-books in total, one for the Evil Queen, Ursula, Maleficient, and Cruella de Vil. I didn't have the privilege of getting any of these last year so I picked up 2 of the set this year. The price of these is a very affordable $9.99/each as with all ELF makeup. There are also Ardell eyelash trios available for purchase, a 12-pack of nail-polish minis from ELF, matching cosmetic bags and hair ties from Goody.

Feast your eyes on the display!!

I absolutely love the packaging for all of these and I think they would make wonderful Christmas presents for any teenager that's getting into makeup, any makeup junkie you know, or anyone who is young at heart. If I didn't have to haul these across the country since I'm not home, I probably would have picked up a lot more.

I'll do an in-depth look at the 2 look-books I purchased, the Evil Queen and Ursula. I thought Ursula's colors were the most vibrant of them so that's why I was very drawn to it and I really loved the neutrals in the Evil Queen.

This is the outer packaging:

Here's a closer look, in each lookbook you will get a palette with 6 eyeshadows, mascara, lipgloss, eye primer, black liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow brush and a black pencil liner

I think the packaging really goes above and beyond in this set. Unlike the previous set, you can choose to keep the packaging or remove all of the components if you wish, they are not embedded into the look-book. Also, on the left inner flap, there are instructions for a day look and on the right inner flap, there are instructions for a night look to achieve dramatically different eyes. The flavor text on these descriptions is extremely colorful and villainous. Although these sets appear "evil" you can achieve some very conventionally beautiful looks with them, so don't be afraid to try it out!

If these aren't your cup of tea, then you can always head over to http://www.eyeslipsface.com and pick up a myriad of other products :)

Newest Obsession: EOS lip balm!

My newest choice of lip balm to apply to my lips after applying makeup in the morning, before going to bed and numerous times in between is the EOS lip balm. This delightful little ball-packaging resembles a cute little Easter egg and this gave me the idea that they would probably make amazing little gifts or party favors for your upcoming Easter shindigs. The design is literally so out-of-the-box and the rubbery container has such a pleasant feel in your hands, with enough grit that it will not just slip out of your hands. The bottoms have a sturdy base so that they don't roll off your table. EOS stands for "Evolution of Smooth" and you can find their product-line here. I'm not sure if these are sold in Canada, but in the US, I have found them all over the place, Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, QFC and ULTA to name a few. They can cost anywhere from $2.99 to $3.79 US each. They last you a long time and there's a lot of product inside of them so it's not a waste of money. I do agree that they are more expensive than your regular Chapstick lip-balm but the flavors are fantastic and they claim to be all-natural.

The manufacturer's page claims that they contain long-lasting moisture due to their contents being full of shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E. They do go on clear and colorless, so if you're expecting a pigment from your lip balm, this will not provide one. The products are gluten-free, without parabens, petrolatum and phthalates.

They come in the following flavors:

•  Summer Fruit
•  Lemon Drop SPF 15
•  Strawberry Sorbet
•  Honeysuckle Honeydew
•  Medicated Tangerine
•  Sweet Mint

My favorites are Strawberry Sorbet and Honeysuckle Honeydew, and I am not a huge fan of Medicated Tangerine or Lemon Drop but they are the ones that are probably most useful because the tangerine one is a super-moisturizer and lemon drop protects your lips from the harmful rays of the sun by being SPF 15. Really whichever ones you choose depends on what's available at the store and what your favorite flavor-profiles are. I usually like very sweet lip balms but some people really dislike very flavored makeup. I know that over the summer they had a pack that contained a purple balm which was in "Strawberry Sorbet" but I haven't seen that one in stores, it sounds delicious though.

When you're not looking to splurge on anything but you want to get something for yourself or your friends, these are a great purchase because they are useful and don't make a huge dent in your pocket. Many articles I've read have chosen these as the lip-product to purchase, especially during this recession.

You can purchase them here: