It's Tool Time - The BIC Beauty Edition

[itsfi]

I wanted to start this thread as a place to share about a beauty tool or tools that have worked for you, be it something you use for your skin (e.g., gua sha, face roller, spetralite face mask, etc.), or your body (body gua sha, infrared PEMF mat), or  nails (e.g., glass file), or elsewhere. 

Sol de Janeiro Body Firmeza Massage Tool 

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare DRx SpectraLite™ LED EyeCare Max Pro 

[itsfi]

Breakouts. They happen. 😩 

I've been getting one, sometimes two, every month, it seems, for the last few months after a period of time of not experiencing any breakouts save one every 4 or 5 months. After last month's breakout, I went to find this Solawave Bye Acne: 3 Minute Blue + Red Light Acne Treatment and have been putting the handy, travel-friendly and easy-to-use gadget to use when I feel a pimple forming. I put it to use recently on a couple of pimples this month.

Using this little do-hickey on each spot for a few minutes each for a few nights has been good - it doesn't hurt and some good results can be had, depending on how consistent you are with using it and the size and nature of the breakout. Consistent use, of course, plays a key role, but I also found this works best (and faster) on smaller or moderate sized zits, which makes sense, though I did see a reduction in redness with larger breakouts than I would otherwise experience if I didn't use this device on them. As for the two pimples I used the device on this month, one was zapped away before it could fully form - yesssss!!! The other one, a little bigger than the first, took a little more time, but the area didn't get as red or inflamed as my breakouts can get. 

TL;DR: Portable, quick (3 minutes per spot) and it doesn't hurt, and works fairly well when I feel a pimple forming. Good for reducing healing time for mild-to-moderate pimple and inflammation. 

Solawave Bye Acne: 3 Minute Blue + Red Light Acne Treatment

Solawave box: exterior view

Solawave box: interior view

Solawave: size references

[itsfi]

Tools that help me get out every last bit of product 😄

The larger tool is a metal tube wringer. I learned about it from my hair stylist; it's fantastic for squeezing out as much product as possible out of a tube of product like moisturizer or what not, and has come in handy as I've worked my way through project pan items and just using up my products.

The other item is a dual ended silicone spatula that I often use to get as much product as I can out of a tube of lip gloss or bottle of foundation.

[itsfi]

An easy (and low-cost) way to relax, cool down and release some tension and knots.

I was gifted this Japonesque Cold Therapy Massage Roller Ball by a friend last year and have been reaching for it off and on since taking it with me on vacation earlier in the summer. It came in handy to release some tension and knots I was holding onto at the base of my neck. The stainless-steel ball feels cooling against the skin which is an extra benefit, especially when it's hot and or humid outside. It rolls smoothly and easily and is super easy to use. It stays fairly cool on its own, and has even more of a cooling and refreshing effect if I put it in the refrigerator or freezer before use. Most days it sits in one of my nightstand drawers if I don't have it packed in my luggage/carry on.

This particular model has a plastic handle with etched grooves to make gripping it easier. There are other models with a rubberized handle. It's fairly compact which makes it easy to store and convenient for traveling. The only area for improvement I would suggest is for the brand to include a pouch for easier storage/travel. I have plenty of pouches and bags that this wasn't a big deal for me personally but it would be a nice to have feature.

So happy a friend gifted me this; I'm not sure I would have picked up something like this on my own. I know some BIC beauties like @ather and @jaaayp have mentioned loving their massage guns (I think that's what they're called??). I'm not ready for that yet, so something like this massage ball is a good start for me. 

[ather]

@itsfi  that looks amazing especially when it is hot out!!! Do upu keep it in the freezer? Or is it just the metal that's cool itself thy is the cold part? 

I do appreciate my massage gun! Iys amazing when i have a knot that i need to work out!  

[itsfi]

@ather, the metal part stays fairly cool on its own so I usually keep it in a drawer. If I plan ahead, I’ll put it in the fridge but that rarely happens so I sometimes will put it in the freezer for 3-5 minutes and then use it. 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi This looks great! That's neat that it stays reasonably cold without putting it the freezer. I bet it would be great for headaches/migraines! 

[itsfi]

Ahhh, you're onto something @PrettyPaint! I should have thought to use it when I wasn't feeling well. I had a headache a couple of days near the tail end and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why (nor could I get rid of it, sigh). In hindsight, I have deduced it was/is probably caffeine withdrawal since I hadn't had coffee for all that time. I imagine that I will experience a headache again in the future so I will have to remember to pull this out and give it a try - thank you!!! 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi I'm sorry for how sick you were. You must have been really, really sick because I usually still manage to keep up with my coffee addiction even when sick. I guess I did cut back a little, though, the last time I was sick. 

[itsfi]

@PrettyPaint, thanks. It was only 5 days and it was more exhaustion than anything else because every test for other things (e.g., cold, flu, covid, etc.) came back negative though there may be a couple allergy tests, which seems odd to me since this is not the season I'm typically prone to allergies. We'll see; all seems back to normal, other than my coffee consumption being reduced from before, which I guess isn't necessarily a bad thing ☕

[itsfi]

For the month of December, I want to try my hand at facial massage. 

There are a host of products out there for that, including gua sha, face rollers, etc. - all at varying price point. Most things I've read have called for one of those tools and a face oil I wanted to try something a little more budget friendly tool - my knuckles. I'm also opting to do it with my current cleanser as part of my second cleanse step of my evening skincare routine.

I've given this technique a try a few times last month and for December, I'll aim to do it 2-3 tmes per week as part of my evening skincare routine. Will give an update on that in a future post to the Habit Stacking Thread 📚.  My second cleanse is typically a water based cleanser but I've recently just been using one cleanser for both steps - Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm Makeup Remover, a favorite of the lovely @caitbird. While it is not a face oil per se, it is oil based and gives me the slip I need for doing this facial massage. Also, Charlotte Cho, the founder of Then I Met You did a YouTube video with James Welsh where she mentions using this cleansing balm for a facial massage.

Tools: Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm Makeup Remover and my knuckles

Other Resources: I follow Face Yoga Studio on YouTube when I do this  - there's an 11 minute video titled "Using Your Knuckles to Massage Your Face and Boost Collagen. Reverse your age!" that I've found easy to follow along with. I watched it a few times before actually putting it into practice so that I would be more familiar with the movements. 

[CynthieLu]

Ooh this is interesting @itsfi how has the facial massage been going? I've never thought to use something like a cleansing balm in this way, but it's kinda genius. 🤩 I'm intrigued!

I'm going to go peek at the habit stabbing thread to see if you've updated any progress over there. 😉😺

[caitbird]

@itsfi  thanks for the tag, I love this idea! I never thought of doing a facial massage with a cleansing balm, but it sounds so relaxing. I'm definitely going to try this one of these days!

[itsfi]

Saying "bye bye" to dry skin this winter with 2 quick and easy steps in my shower routine.

L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Refillable Shower Oil With Almond Oil has been a staple for me for years - gentle and moisturizing with a soft, subtle, gourmand scent. It makes me think of these almond croissant from a nearby bakery. Using the Hanni shower scarf with it gives me some exfoliation as well and, I don't know about you but I've lost some a lot of flexibility as I've gotten older. Shower scarves like this one from Hanni (or ones like these pastel colored ones ) have been fantastic for helping to get to that upper-to-mid part of my back that I have a harder time reaching for these days. 😉

Hanni Splash Salve In-Shower Body Moisture Treatment 8.8 oz / 250 mL gets me moisturized quickly while still in the shower. 🚿 This is the 4th, or maybe it's the 5th (?) product I've tried from Hanni and I have to say that I've been very pleased with all of them. 👍

[caitbird]

@itsfi  ooh that almond shower oil sounds so nice - I love almond croissants, so I feel like it would make me hungry 😅

Moisturizing while still in the shower is a great idea, I'm definitely going to try that - I feel like my skin gets so dry and prickly feeling the second I step out of the shower, and I just can't slather on lotion fast enough!

[itsfi]

I've used a gua sha off an on in the past, more so a body gua sha, but I'm aiming to get back into a routine with a face gua sha. Will be checking out some articles and videos to revisit proper technique. My plan is to start off doing it once a week for 5 minutes this month and then twice a week for 10 minutes in December. 🤞 I'm hoping to find a way to build the 2-times per week effort into my evening skincare routine by the end of the year or the beginning of next year. 

I'll use The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil for Skin Elascicity 1 oz/ 30 mL to start off with because I know my skin responds well to that oil, but I am trying out another face oil so I may end up subbing that in or alternating between it and the rose hip seed oil. I have a few gua sha tools, including the stainless steal one from Mount Lai (which was part of a Lunar New Year box I purchased a few years ago) and the Sisley one with a handle. Sephora carries some gua sha tools as well - Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool and SEPHORA COLLECTION Rose Quartz Gua Sha - the SC has a nice cooling effect (even without putting it in the fridge beforehand). 

My winter evening skincare routine can be a longer one so I may probably be working through some habit stacking ideas in an effort to figure out what will best suit how much time I want to spend on my routine and what I want to accomplish with my evening routine. If I come up with a habit stack I'm consistent with, I'll post to the Habit Stacking Thread 📚. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Such lovely tools! Gua shas are such fabulous tools! I’ve been seeing them being used a lot for skin care the ones you have in the photos look so beautiful and multi functional I’ve always wanted to try them with moisturizer I may have to pick me up a couple 🙂 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Oh, I've not (yet) tried the gua sha with a moisturizer but I can definitely see how that would be good with helping the skin absorb the good stuff in the moisturizer. 😍 If you do try this, I would love to hear about your experience @peculiarzmakeup! 

There are several different shapes and sizes for a face gua sha; it'll be fun to shop for one. The Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool are on sale and if you picked up one of those now, they'd be 20% off of the sale price. The Sephora Collection one would be 30% off. Was there a particular shape or brand you were interested in? 

[peculiarzmakeup]

These would be perfect! Thank you for suggesting I’m looking forward to trying I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂 @itsfi 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Great idea to incorporate a gua sha into your routine. I thought I misplaced mine but I recently found it in the freezer. I think using it after serum is a greay eay to make sure the serum gets soaked in well, while also massaging the face. This is a good reminder for myself. I am looking forward to hearing how you include it in your habit stacking!

[itsfi]

Ooouh @Mellmars1185, coming out of the freezer could be refreshing (or wake you up!) Do you typically use your gua sha as part of your morning or evening routine?