Pre-makeup tips for sensitive skin.

I have hyper sensitivity. Which in short means my body overreacts to everything. However, I like wearing makeup sometimes and I've found a few tricks that make it much easier on my sensitive eyes and skin.

- Use a toner and moisturizer before you apply face makeup. This cleans out and reduces the size of your pores and the more moist your skin is the better base it gives you. If you have oily skin use an oil free moisturizer and this will prevent the makeup from clogging your pores.

-Eye drops. I have so many issues with eye makeup making my eyes itch. So now every time I go to put eye makeup on I apply my allergy relief eye drops. I keep eye drops in my makeup drawer so I won't forget this step.

-If you have very sensitive eyes skip the waterlining and tightlining. But if you really don't want to skip this step make sure to use waterproof and let it dry well before letting it touch your eye.

-For my lips I always exfoliate them and then apply a nourishing lip cream. This keeps your lips from drying out as badly with other lip products and if you do this at the beginning of your makeup routine this will absorb into you're lips before you apply your lip products.

-My last tip is to keep your under eye area from creasing make sure to use an eye cream to keep them moisturized before applying concealer.

I hope this helps!

CPAP machines and how to deal with them.

Approximately 3 years ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. There are lots of reasons a person could develop sleep apnea. Mine is  from having very small airways and asthma. I came very close to setting a record during my sleep study for times I quit breathing per hour. 152 times per hour was my average before they put a CPAP machine on me. Once the CPAP was on I slept like a baby. I wasn't getting much sleep before and the deepest sleep I went into was just the first stage of R.E.M. most people in that stage still think they are awake. So needless to say I was very tired. The doctors say I could have died at any time because of the strain that was putting on my body. I start by telling you this so that you understand how important it was for me to use a CPAP every night.

Using a CPAP is not an easy thing to get used to. They make noise, you're attached to a machine by a hose all night, they can dry out your mouth and sinuses, it can take a while to find the right mask for you, etc. So I thought I'd share what my issues were and how we eventually solved them.

First issue. I had no place to put it on my side of the bed since my bed is up against the wall. I talked to the place that handles my CPAP equipment and they gave me an extra hose so I could make it longer by connecting the two! My husband also uses a CPAP and we have a lamp with shelves that we use for our machines. They fit perfectly!

My second issue was masks. I have a very small head and face so I wear a size extra small in the masks which limited my choice of masks since they don't all come in extra small. Luckily when I realized that a nasal mask wasn't going to work for me they had one full face mask in extra small. It's actually still a little big but the company that makes this one just started making pediatric sizes! I just always have to call ahead to make sure they order my mask when I need a new one because they don't always keep my size in stock.

Third problem was I am hyper sensitive and have many skin allergies. So, I kept developing a rash on my forehead where the mask touched it. The rash would lighten but not go away by the end of the day. Luckily my brilliant husband came up with a solution. I now wear a thin beanie hat pulled down over my forehead under my mask. Since then I haven't had any rashes! Another problem solved.

Other then that I had some issues with drying out my sinuses and making me get sinus infections more frequently but I have a humidifier in my machine so that just took some trial and error with figuring out what setting worked best for me. Also I now apply Chapstick 8 hour hydration lock every night before bed to keep my lips from drying out. http://www.luvocracy.com/tuffygirl52/recommendations/chapstick-hydration-lock

Those were my issues and it took some time but I now can't even think about sleeping without my machine! I know it's a hard adjustment for anyone getting used to one but there are ways to figure it out and it's amazing how much better I feel now that I am not always sleepy. There is some maintenance with these machines but it's pretty minimal. I wash my mask and change my filters on a weekly basis. We get new tubes filters masks and water basins as needed through our sleep medicine company. Our insurance covers all of it. It may feel like a huge adjustment in the beginning but it quickly becomes a part of your routine and it takes like a minute at night to add water and get my mask on. I'm even so used to the noise that if my husband takes his off at night I wake right up! Good luck to anyone starting this journey. It can be daunting at first but it is well worth it!

Amazing Holy Grail Perfect Skin Product

So I have always been difficult to please when it comes to skin care. I have super sensitive skin. I get oily in some spots dry in others. I have blackheads like crazy and I could never find anything to remove eye makeup that didn't burn my eyes. Until I tried this product. It's so soothing I want to use it all the time. I love eucalyptus oil which is in this. It's calming scent helps relax me after a long day. The best part is that nothing gets my makeup off like this product. I just take about a pump and a half and spread it all over my face. then I put one of the muslin cloths to soak in warm water while I massage it into my skin. Unlike most skin products which I can't wait to get off, I actually enjoy having this on my face. There is no burning when I use it on my eyes and I don't have to rub it in too much to remove even waterproof mascara. Then you just wipe it off with the warm moist muslin cloth. I can not say enough good things about this product. On top of all of that, the first time I ordered it they didn't have it here in the states so I had to have it shipped internationally. It was worth it trust me. The bottle arrived with a tiny crack in it and had leaked a bit so I contacted the company and they were a true delight. They have excellent customer service! They sent me out a new bottle right away. I was so pleased with every aspect of this purchase! Now even better news they now carry it on Birchbox.com http://birch.ly/11uKtH1 

It's $24.50 with free shipping through birchbox for the starter kit. I think I payed around $35-$40 when I had it shipped overseas. So it's a great price and an amazing product. I am officially a Liz Earle fan for life! Can't wait to try more!!!

Clump free homemade laundry soap!

I like many have tried making homemade laundry soap several times only to be disappointed in how difficult it is to use. It gels up and no matter how much shaking or stirring you do the next time you use it it is back to completely gelled on the top. So I set out to make one that doesn't gel. You will need:
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent
1 bar of Fels Naptha
1/2 cup of Oxy Clean
1/4 cup baking soda.
3-4 gallons of hot water

Optional ingredients to make an all in one product are:

1 bottle (66 oz) of color safe bleach (I use Purex 2)
1 bottle (64 oz) fabric softener.

You also need a 5 gallon bucket and a spoon for mixing.

All you have to do is shred or grate the bar of Fels Naptha into a pot. Cover it with water and bring it to a boil stirring frequently until all the soap has dissolved. Then remove that from the heat and set aside while you mix all the dry ingredients (Borax, Laundry Detergent, Oxy Clean, and baking soda) in the bucket.  If you want to use the optional ingredients add them to the bucket now. Then pour the dissolved Fels Naptha into the bucket. Then stir like crazy until the baking soda quits fizzing and everything is mixed well! Then add hot water to the bucket until it's just over half full. No more or the baking soda will fizz too much and make it overflow. Let sit overnight or at least 6 hours and then add more hot water to about an inch from the top of the bucket.

This makes so much laundry soap and it's so inexpensive. You'll find that it is also very concentrated. I use about a quarter of a cup per load or a half a cup if you have heavily soiled clothes. Please try this out and let me know how you like it! I use a funnel after it has all cooled to put it in old laundry soap bottles. I also plan to make some for my family because it's so inexpensive and easy to make but still a great soap! Hugs and best wishes! -Tuffy