Rice Bran: Exfoliator, Cleanser, Wrinkle Fighter and More

As you all know, I am obsessed with makeup and skin care. Recently, I’ve been very interested in how the Japanese take care of their skin. I know in a previous post I wrote about how sake is good for the skin, and now I have another Japanese beauty secret to share with you:

Rice bran!

Yes, rice bran. It’s perfect for those of us who are on a budget. I got pure rice bran at Whole Foods for $4. The brand I got said it could be a cereal as well, but…I wouldn’t recommend it. It has 19g of fiber per 1/2 cup, so if you do try and eat a bowl, don’t plan on going anywhere! 😉

So how do you use the rice bran? Simple. Take your favorite cleanser, and place a small amount into a small bowl or cup. Take some of the rice bran (I recommend just putting enough rice bran to cover the cleanser) and mix it with your cleanser. You want to be able to massage this into your face, so don’t use too much rice bran or you won’t be able to spread it. After mixing, put it on your face and massage gently for a few moments. Then rinse. And voila! You’re done.

So what are the benefits to using rice bran? When using it in your cleanser it is not only moisturizing the skin, but exfoliating, preventing wrinkles, fights blemishes, and helps to make your skin flawless. So really, at $4 for a box, what have you got to lose? Not much!

Here’s the rice bran that I used.

If you do add rice bran to your beauty regiment, please let me know! I’d love to hear what you think of it, good or bad.  🙂

Sake-it to me!

I got the sake Sunday, and lemme tell you, this shit works! It was 15 dollars, and the brand was Ty Ku Junmai Ginjo Sake! The reason why I chose to put sake on my face was because of Michelle Phan, a makeup artist on YouTube. She said it was an amazing toner, but I wanted to do research to make sure this would work.

Apparently, this is one of the geisha’s beauty secrets. They loved sake so much they *bathed* in it. Apparently it can help get rid of age spots, dry patches, give more moisture to the skin, help with acne…the benefits are unbelievable. I’ve been fascinated with the Japanese because they age so beautifully. While genetics may play a part, I’m positive they’re more knowledgeable about the skin than we are. So I decided to give sake a try and see if it was worth the hype.

The sake (well, good sake) is a very pure product. Basically, there’s no shit in it. No preservatives, nothing. The liquid is clear, and it smells bad, but it works awesomely on your face. I’ll take a better picture tomorrow since there will be better lighting but…the results were amazing. Absolutely amazing. My forehead is SMOOTH. It has NEVER been smooth. It’s always been flaky and irritated. Some days it wasn’t as noticeable, but it was *always* there. Patches are GONE. The girls at Sephora even noticed my improvement (usually they have to be careful when applying foundation to my face because of the flakiness). They couldn’t find any dry patches! HA!

Also, another thing I’ve been using to help with the acne (my acne’s still there, and it will take some time to get rid of them. Remember, these products are not magical! Awesome, but not magical, LOL). I’ve been using an aspirin mask, twice a week (don’t do it any more than that).

Take about three pills of aspirin, uncoated, and place them on a small plate. Take a teaspoon of water and let the water dissolve into them for a few moments, then place a teaspoon of honey onto it. Break it all up with your fingers until it forms into a paste, then put it on your face like a mask, and leave it on for fifteen minutes. I’ve been told the aspirin mask can help with eczema, acne, roseacea, keloid skin, etc. It has definitely helped my eczema and helped the flakiness. So these two products are a godsend.

The swelling of the acne has gone down, and I have less bumps. And the forehead! SMOOTH!! And I’ve only been doing this since Sunday! I can’t wait to see what my face will look like in a month!! 😀

So basically, you need these two things IN YOUR LIFE!! THEY ARE AMAZING.

Nibby: KELOID SKIN? For reals? I am going to try it on my surgery scar.

swampmusic: I just used the sake, and damn but it smells. I also almost dropped the bottle whilst trying to kill a bug.

RetroVixen: THAT IS THE PRICE WE MUST PAY FOR BEAUTY. SUCK IT UP.

Product Review: Cover FX…sort of

So, I had intended to do a thorough review of Cover FX’s Total Coverage Cream Foundation and Mineral Foundation, but all along the way I had a saboteur waiting in the wings for the opportunity to pounce and destroy every chance at happiness I might have found with flawless-looking skin.

Product Reviews: Cover FX Liquid Foundation, Rimmel Mascara Lash Maxx and more

In this product review: Cover FX Liquid Foundation, Rimmel Mascara Lash Maxx, Avon Magix, Noxema’s Deep Cleansing Cream, Olay Age-Defying Intensive Nourishing Night Cream.

Product Reviews: Revlon Fail

Remember I, RetroVixen, told you guys ColorStay by Revlon was awesome? The coverage is great, but I broke out from it. At first I thought it was maybe something in my diet since I have eczema, and diet plays a large part when it comes to breakouts. Also, Revlon’s makeup has NEVER made me breakout. Ever. In fact, a lot of eczema users use Revlon. But no, turns out it’s the foundation. They added some new ingredients to this ColorStay foundation and man, did it break me out bad. I’m so sorry I recommended it to you guys! *sigh* I refused to believe it was the foundation because so many people with sensitive skin love this product! I am now without a great foundation. 😦

I did some research and found another cosmetic line called “Cover FX”. It’s quite popular in the film and fashion industry (Angelina Jolie uses it to cover her tattoos). It’s a line specifically made to cover up skin conditions like rosacea and eczema, acne, and so much more. I am so impressed with it so far, here’s their product [page on Sephora] if you’re interested!

I’m going to Sephora next week to buy their liquid foundation. In a few weeks I’ll let you know if it lives up to its hype! It’s 40 dollars, but it’s so pigmented you only have to use a small, small amount. Reviews have said it can last you between 6 months to a year! O_O

I’m so disappointed Revlon didn’t work for me because that was really the only foundation that didn’t show my eczema…but I’m so happy to see that there is a foundation made specifically for what I have! HUZZAH!

Nibby: When you go to Sephora, let me know if they have it in very dark shades. Sometimes they just don’t make it dark enough for black women and we end up looking ashy. “Tawny” is often not dark enough.

RetroVixen: That has always irritated me whenever I’ve gone shopping for foundation. They have so many light/mediums, but so little beyond that! WTF?!

[Editor’s note: Cover FX appears to have a wider than normal range of shades, so we’ll keep you posted. ]