Review: Tazorac .05% Prescription Gel

I went to my dermatologist about three years ago when I was in high school (wow that seems weird to say WAS ha!) because I was getting acne under my skin on my cheeks. I didn't have bad acne just some stubborn white head like bumps underneath my skin that I could not get to go away on my own no matter how much I tried to get em' out. I thought they would prescribe me a typical acne treatment like Differin and send me on my way. Instead my dermatologist said that this Tazorac gel would be perfect for my skin. She even recommended to use it for YEARS if I keep refilling my prescription. She gave me samples to use so I could make up my mind if this is something that I wanted to purchase from the pharmacy. Well I am still filling my prescription three years later.

This is an odorless topical acne treatment that comes in a clear gel or white cream form which come in .05% and .1% strength depending on the severity of your acne. It helps blackheads, white heads, red pimples, pus filled pimples and smooths the skin altogether. Use a pea sized amount and spread a very thin layer over the problem areas only (avoid eye area). It's a retinoid which is why it is only available by prescription. I'm not a dermatologist so if you want to know full detail on this product along with other reviews visit: http://www.tazorac.com/default.aspx

This is not something that you can just slap on your face and think you are going to be fine. You really need to take this treatment seriously because it has some nasty side effects (which lasted about two weeks for me). You really have to go through some slight pain and suffering with this product but I PROMISE it is worth it. For me personally my skin didn't start showing improvement with the acne until almost the 4th week but really if you learn to manage the side effects and have some will power its not too bad for the sake of beauty!

Now the side effects....BOOOO!
The worst thing about this product because it makes your skin look terrible and disgusting for about two weeks. It makes it itch like crazy, peel (and by peel I mean shed, baby), redness, extremely dry skin, stinging up the arse, increased sensitivity to products, and hella tightness. I am pretty sure there is no way around all or some of these side effects but the severity depends on your skin. This is why you don't want to put this all over your face only in the places you absolutely need it.
I read somewhere that if you only put on the Tazorac for 20 minutes instead then wash it off that it can minimize the side effects but I have not tried it because I took it like a real woman mhmmm but feel free :) OH! and I found out that you can also apply this every other day instead of every day too to help reduce them too but they wont go away of course. After about three days of using this product you will experience the side effects but using the right products can help you get through this.

Before using this product you will need to get products that are fragrance free, alcohol free, and formulated for very sensitive and dry skin. For me this was tricky because even some of the sensitive skin products still stung my face so you need to play around with options. I recommend purchasing from a place where you are able to return products like Walgreen's, Sephora, Ulta and also let them know your situation.


Adjust to your changing skin:

1. The hardest thing to find was a cleanser for my skin that did not sting. You really just need something plain without a lot of chemicals. I ended up using my Yes to Tomatoes shampoo because I swear it was the only thing that did not burn my skin :( I know that sounds so odd but it was calling to me in the shower because of its naturalnesss. I used it out of curiosity since I couldn't handle any other cleanser I had and it was a total blessing! Also African Black soap did not sting my face so im hoping other natural soaps like this wouldn't sting either. I would also try a cleansing oil which I did not but I can't imagine they would sting. Do not use anything with sulfate! 
2. You will have peeling skin which you need to exfoliate so dont whip out the Clarisonic oh hell no. You need something extremely gentle. After a hot shower is the best time to exfoliate because it will soften up the skin cells. Usually I would take a wash cloth and gently rub off the flaked up skin. I also used oat meal mixed in with different cleansers I was testing. Make sure if you are using foundation that you get off all the flakes completely or else they will be accentuated esp in the sunlight. During the day I found that my skin would flake back up which leads me to the next point......
3. Moisturize all throughout the day to help keep the flakes away! I liked to use Cetaphil Moisturizer and also Vaseline body lotion because it was the only thing that would not burn my skin when I applied. You need to apply a very generous amount every single night and morning, even mid-day if you find that your skin is to the point where its getting flaked up again and dry. Your skin needs to be hydrated as much as possible. Refreshing skin throughout the day with some glycerin water stored in your purse will help a lot. Always keep back up moisturizer and even some sensitive baby wipes on the go just in case some flakes form. Dabbing some cream on and gently wiping them away with the baby wipes will save you the embarrassment if you cant make it home yet.
4.  Do not forget the sunscreen buddy. These are kinda hard to avoid with the stinging but it is a must even if you are being exposed for just a short while you need to protect your highly sensitive skin but you should always use SPF regardless. Powder foundation that had SPF didn't sting on me too much just a little on the cracks of my nose ( I wouldn't recommend applying Tazorac to the nose area from my experience).

So just go through the normal skin care routine steps and then apply the Tazorac 20 minutes AFTER you have moisturized at night. After you stop having the side effects then you should be able to start using your favorite skin care again but gradually. Just make sure you ease into it ya know you don't want to put your crazy alcohol toner on or scrub your face with harsh exfoliates until you feel your skin is completely healed.

The results:
I wish I had a before picture but I dont unfortunately. I remember I took this picture about two months after I started Taz in highschool (I was actually outside of English class in the hall lol). I remembered this picture because it was just an awesome time for me and my skin. As you can see my skin is so clear and smooth when before it wasn't this great and this is only with a tinted moisturizer on.

After all the side effects went away completely I was left with baby soft skin like I have never felt...kinda like I had a primer on at all times. It was so clear and I could not believe the change in my skin. My skin is back to its normal balance too while continuing to use the Taz for months. I also did not get any more acne after I started. It got to the root of the problem and magically fixed it. Its seriously my holy grail. Now I just use it on my chin where I have my most problems and its never failed me.

Just dont give up when you see your skin getting worse. Thats a great sign actually! Push through and in no time you will have the most amazing skin of your life. Just remember if you decide to stop the Taz and then restart it you will have to go through the side effects every time so make sure to get your prescriptions consistently so you don't have to be tortured again.

If you are considering going to the dermatologist for acne I would deff ask if you are a candidate for this prescription. Make sure you have insurance also because it is not cheap. It was about $50 for (2) 30ml tubes like above or one 60ml tube with my blue cross insurance. One tube lasts me a little over 6 months so you get your moneys worth.

I am sorry this was so long but I wanted to be as detailed as possible. I really hoped this helped because I was so lost when I used this product and I had to learn on my own how to manage this crazy stuff so I really want to make your Tazorac experience as informed as possible :)

Pleaaaaase let me know if you have any questions!

<33 Caraalisa

Review: Burts Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

For when my skin is sensitive and dry, I love to use cream cleansers and this is one of my favorites. It has soap bark which is a natural soap. The reason I chose this particular cleanser was because of all the impressive ingredients. It claims to be 100% natural but while I don't think that is entirely true it does have a lot of recognizable products which is nice to see for a change.

Click here for complete info!

As you can tell I have used quite a bit of this and it is my third one. The consistency is the best. Its very thick white cream so its not going to slide around. What I hate most is a cream cleanser that is watered down and that disappears on my face. The smell is...interesting. It has a sort of herbal smell with a menthol behind it. I don't love the smell but it doesn't bother me at all. It's actually a bit refreshing and always brings me back to life in the morning, for sure.The most interesting thing about this cleanser is the sensation you get after you pat your face dry. It is extremely cooling. Avoid getting this in your eye area because the skin is too delicate for the menthol in this product. When I used my Clarisonic with this my skin was even cooler. Almost too cool but not burning. I want to warn people with extremely sensitive skin though. The menthol may be just too much to handle. Do a patch test.

My favorite way to use this is with a facial sponge similar to this on the right. I find that the cleanser sort of sinks into the sponge a little bit so usually I will use my fingertips to work the product in my face and then wet a sponge and then buff it in for some exfoliation.

Even though this product says it removes makeup I don't think it is thorough enough for heavy duty foundation and powder. When I use my toner afterwards I still get excess makeup so I always use a wipe before just to make sure.

My most loved thing about this product is that it doesn't make my face tight afterwards and I do not feel the need to use a moisturizer right away after. I will always continue to purchase this!


Overall I give this one an A!
Pros: consistency, mostly natural ingredients, packaging allows to get everything out, refreshing, inexpensive ($8.00)
Cons: cooling can be too much for sensitive skin, smell is a bit strong, doesn't remove makeup as effectively as I would like


<33 Caraalisa

Review: Korres 24 hour Moisturizing and Brightening Cream

I got this free with my Clarisonic Plus purchase at Sephora and I was just so thrilled because I love Korres products so much. I was also interested in trying a more higher end moisturizer for the winter time because I have more dryness than usual around this time of year. This also had vitamin-C formulated into it which is exactly what I am looking for to keep my glow :)

Click here for product info!

According to Sephora:
What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan
 ^^ Which is awesome!


My first impression is that this is a very light moisturizer that goes on pretty thin without leaving the face greasy. It doesn't smell much like rose to me only a faint smell I suppose but nothing offensive. It soaks into the skin very quickly. It almost soaks in too fast to me because sometimes it seems like it just disappears on my skin completely. Although when it does dry it leaves the skin very silky. I assumed this was a night cream because no SPF but boy was I wrong...

A huge con about this product is that it did not specify anywhere that I could find whether it was a day or night cream. I had to test this out as both before I decided this must be a day cream which is rather inconvenient as a shopper. For under makeup I think this performs great with my skin because of how sheer it is. The fact that this soaks in so well is great for doing makeup in a rush because I don't have to wait ten minutes after I apply like other day creams I use. Just remember to not skip an SPF with this because it is for sure lacking in that department. One more con is the packaging. It does not come with a pump because its in a lame glass jar so you have to make sure to wash your hands before digging in!

I don't think that it is rich enough to be a night cream especially if you have dry areas. I had some dry patches on my chin and I had to put on a thicker cream on those areas because they just soaked up the Korres and my chin still felt dry. The only way I could make this work is to put one layer on let that dry then put on a second layer. That way I feel like it could better perform as a night time cream even though its not even that great when I do it that way. For someone who already has oily skin and they don't want anything heavy for night time I think they would actually love this and benefit from the light texture.

As for the brightening effect that it claims I have not used it long enough and my skin honestly is already very healthy looking but it seems to be keeping my skin looking radiant. I have noticed my acne scarring isn't too noticeable anymore though which is awesome but I am not sure if it is from this.

I don't think I will buy this again just because I would rather have a day cream with an SPF but that is just a preference of mine. If you like a light day moisturizer with a light smell that absorbs very quickly and you don't care about sun protection then this is made for you!

Overall I give this one an A-
Pros: great day moisturizer, light smell, works well under makeup, formulation
Cons: price, doesn't specify use for day/night, too light for dryer skin, no SPF, packaging

<33 Caraalisa

Review: The Face Shop Rice Ceramide Moisture Emulsion

I purchased this a few months back on Sasa.com because I was interested in trying a moisture emulsion for the first time. I chose this one because of the rice ceramide which aids in protecting the barrier of the skin and has many other benefits. It also claims to fade dark spots which I need! Also its very affordable at under $7 (sometimes price fluctuates just a little).

Ingredients:

• 【Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract】softens and moisturizes skin.
• 【Ceramide 3】hydrates and repairs skin.
• 【Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil】acts as a softener.

Click me for product info!

This is a light moisturizer for sure. I have worn it under makeup and it doesn't effect the lasting power of my foundation because it sinks in nicely (just don't forget SPF!). Althouht I wouldn't let this replace a night cream, I do like to use it in combination with my night cream. Its a thin, creamy consistency and you use a cotton pad to smooth it over the face (its kind of weird to spread a cream on with a cotton pad but o well) which helps get rid of makeup residue also.

I like to use this after I cleanse my face during the day at home just to have some moisture in my skin without having to worry about a shiny face. It soaks into the skin very well and leaves my skin perfectly balanced. It smells so good and if you have ever smelled the Body Shops Japan Yuzu & Rice Body Milk spray it definitely reminds me of that. It has that sweet rice smell to it but I cannot explain it. Just trust me its a good smell!

I also believe this is suitable for all skin types. It was one of the few things that didn't burn when my skin was extremely dry and peeling from some topical medication I was using. All of my other moisturizers stung but this was good to me during that time. Now that my skin is more oily in areas and dry in others it still has worked out for me.


My only gripe about this product is the packaging. The product is in a bottle and it comes out through a hole at the top. I'm almost halfway done with this so I have to squeeze the bottle so that I can get some out. The problem is that the plastic is so thick its very hard to squeeze. Sometimes I just shake the bottle until I can get it to trickle out of the hole. I think I would love this product even more if it had a pump. This is just minor and it wont stop me from purchasing again because I love it so much.

Overall I give this one an A-
Pros: smell, light, great for all skin types, price, awesome ingredients
Cons: packaging, can only order online that I know of :(


<33 Caraalisa

Review: Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

I actually also received this product free with my Clarisonic Plus purchase along with a bunch of other goodies. I don't normally gravitate towards these type of cleansers just because I have had bad luck with gel like cleansers like this one in the past. Usually they dry out my skin and give me a tight feeling which I hate so I like to use a good cream cleanser instead. I thought I would give this a go because A. it was free (worth $22) and B. because its a pretty color and smells so refreshing. Other than than I wasn't too excited about it to be honest.

Product info is all here

First off, I think that the name of this product is misleading. They should cut out the word foaming and just call it fabulous because honestly it doesn't foam at all. I couldn't get a lather out of this with my hands if I tried. I thought it was maybe because they skipped using a sulfate but then I checked the ingredients and turns out Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the second ingredient which is lame. When I tried it with my Clarisonic it did lather just a tiny bit but not everyone has a Clarisonic to work up some suds with. Even though this doesn't dry out my skin I do still need a moisturizer afterwards. I believe that this can work for all skin types but it will not help with acne control.

Even though it didn't live up to its fabulous foaming promises I was happy with the results of this. It has very fine granules to lightly exfoliate which is great for sensitive skin. I don't think this can replace a regular exfoliation routine but its great for keeping dead skin cells away. My favorite thing about this is the smell though. It is so refreshing. It reminds me of being on the beach for some reason but its not a tropical smell. Its just a very clean scent and doesn't smell like any other face wash I have tried so far. Its also rather thin in consistency so it spreads easily on the skin and does a nice job at cleansing. The packaging is also very nice with a pump and a cute see though bottle.

I do not think that I will be buying this again. Although I do enjoy it and will use it til' the end, I don't think it is worth the price at all. I feel like I can get the same results with my favorite St. Ives green tea cleanser which gives me the same refreshing feeling with no dryness. Its just an average cleanser to me and I would much rather buy a high end moisturizer if I were to splurge. 

Overall I give this a B+
Pros: smell, packaging, exfoliation properties, not drying
Cons: price, doesn't foam well

<33 Caraalisa

Review: Kenzia Moroccan Argan Oil...HATE! + Mini review on two other oils

So I found this oil when I was shopping at TjMax a while ago and it was $12.99. I was so excited about this because I had been looking specifically for an argan oil for my hair. I was thrilled this was so cheap compared to other oils that I have seen ranging in the $30-50 range.

I used this this for over a month because I just wanted to give this a fighting chance but I cant take it anymore!! This dries my hair out like no other. I even switched up my shampoo and conditioner to see if different hair combinations would make this product work better. I always had the same result even when I knew I used the shampoo and conditioner that worked great with my hair.

Let me tell you this product is very sticky and thick for a product claiming to be an oil in my opinion. When I looked into the bottle in the light it had chunks of buildup layered on the top. When it spreads onto the hair its very difficult to get this throughout your hair because of the thick texture. It also smells like lavender but that was probably the only positive thing about this product. There is just no way this product is retail $30! OUT IN THE GARBAGE IT HAS GONE. R.I.P....not really.

I decided to switch things up a bit to see if it was in fact this product destroying my hair. I got a different oil from Ulta called the El Erman Aragan Oil from Morocco by Hairganic which was $14.99. Still a resonable price! After using this oil one time my hair changed for the better. The texture was just as I wanted and it glides through the hair like a dream. The scent is also very nice. I knew it was the Kenzia because this new oil was a match made in heaven with my hair. So far I have used up the whole bottle and I am very sad about that. I always notice that there is only one maybe two or even sometimes no more bottles left on my local Ulta shelf so I am guessing people like this.

 Click to see the info on this fabulous stuff below

I then ventured out even more and decided to purchase the ever so famous Macadamia oil which I am currently using and this one is also quite lovely. If you would like a review on this let me know!

 So next time you go to TJMAX seriously avoid this Kenzia crap in a bottle. Instead go with the Hairganic. mhmmm.


Overall I give this one an F-
Pros: smell, packaging, price
Cons: thick, odd flakes of buildup in bottle, doesn't spread easily, makes my hair feel worse

Well have a lovely weekend dolls :)

<33 Caraalisa

Review: Brazillian Peel

All the information on this product is at:
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P261612

Just for a bit of background, this is a clear scentless gel mask that you are supposed to use once a week for a month. It is a formula with 30% glycolic acid which is claimed to be professional strength but you can so at home.

I received one treatment of this product with my Clarisonic Plus purchase and I was actually quite frightened to try this. I am very sensitive to mask like products because they usually sting my sensitive areas so I waited until I felt my skin was ready to handle this acid based mask. The fact that this is in a syringe type of packaging makes it look a bit intimidating too I must admit!XD


I have to say that I am very happy I mustered up the courage to try this yesterday!

I cleansed my face and squirt the product in my hand then mixed it up with my fingers. As I mixed the product in my palm it got very warm but no burning sensations whatsoever.  As I begin to spread the mask on my face it doesn't feel as warm and it spreads easily. I leave it on for ten minutes and then wash it off just as directed.

When I left this on for the ten minutes it begins to dry quickly into a sticky gel so make sure that your hair is completely out of your way because it will STICK to your face. Its rather thick too and takes a while to completely wash it off the face. I had to keep splashing my face for a good five minutes until I felt that the residue was off. Also when I was splashing water with my face a little bit went into my mouth on accident and it tastes sour so make sure you close your mouth tight because you do not want to swallow any of this. I am happy to say that it caused NO redness or irritation at all even in the slightest. Even other traditional masks drugstore and high end have given me redness and stinging in the past with little results.  It did not leave my skin with any dry or tight feeling afterwards either which I love!

After I patted my face dry I noticed my face looked instantly smoother and my pores looked tighter. I could not believe how soft and smooth my skin was after I put my moisturizer on. Literally it felt like porcelain afterwards and even my boyfriend noticed. The day afterwards (today) my skin tone is almost perfect. It looks like I have at least a tinted moisturizer on because my complexion is so even and the glow to my skin is amazing.

When I have the money I do want to buy the four month treatment because I noticed a difference just after one time and I am curious about the progress my skin would make after four treatments!

If you tried this let me know what you think and if it worked for you!

Overall I give this one an A+
Pros: no redness/irritation, no smell, noticeable results after first use, easy/fast to use, no dryness afterwards
Cons: price, very sticky and annoying once it starts drying, takes few mins to wash off, tastes sour if it gets in mouth accidentally


<33 Caraalisa