Hair, Skin & No Fail

I love makeup. I love skin care. I love trading tips and beauty miracles. Recently, I underwent putting together a plan-of-action to fix two things that have been bothering me, a LOT: my peeling, weak nails and thin, breaking hair. *I would have put my acne-prone skin on that list, but it's always on the list (I've suffered from mild-to-severe cystic acne my whole life, so I'm ALWAYS putting together a plan-of-action to fix it. Ah well, we can't all have perfect skin, I guess!)*

For as long as I can remember, my nails have always been pretty weak. Lately, however, they have been peeling a LOT. As for my hair, I've started teasing it a lot more than I ever used to, so I've noticed that it's breaking off a bit more often that usual (my hair is pretty fine. I no longer color it, so luckily that's one thing I can cross off the list of things harming my hair!).

Today I wanted to share with y'all two things I added to my daily routine that are working WONDERS (as well as my go-to beauty favorites!):

(1) Hair, Skin & Nails supplement, &;

(2) Moroccan Oil

I've started using HSN as my daily multi-vitamin, and boy is it WORKING. I take it twice a day and I can tell a huge difference in my nails. They are stronger, which makes it much easier to shape them. Before, my only option was the cut them as short as possible to get rid of the ugly, peeling tips. I can't wait to see what my nails are like in another three weeks!

I've always read about the miracle that is Moroccan Oil for your hair, and you were ALL right! I can see and feel an enormous difference in the texture of my hair!

Hair, Skin & No Fail by hellokiley on polyvore.com

Some of you have told me before that you don't believe I used to have such bad acne. Well, I've spent my whole life figuring out what works best for me and my skin is much smoother than it used to be. As far as my daily routine and go-to products, here goes:

Skin Care:
In the morning...
- Clarisonic Mia
- Cerave cleanser
- Yes to Carrots Nourishing Moisturizer with SPF 15

In the evening...
- Eucarin eye cream
- Clinique Seven Day Scrub
- Cerave moisturizer OR Eucarin moisturizer OR Philosophy Hope in a Jar (I switch them up every few months)
- Tazorac Cream (a tough acne-fighting cream. Only a pea-size amount is recommended!)

For acne...
If you have bad acne like I do, I've come to find that Eucarin moisturizers and Cerave cleansers are some of the best around. They're gentle yet effective; Eucarin doesn't feel sticky, and Cerave foams up a perfect amount. And if you have bad acne? MOISTURIZE. I know it seems counterproductive, but it's important to keep your skin hydrated, especially if you're using acne-fighting medications and creams.


Most weeks, my skin has been more clear than it used to be, but I think I owe most of my success to my dermatologist. I have tried EVERYTHING, y'all. One day, I'll have to do a post reviewing every single acne-fighting product I have ever tried, but for today I'll just tell y'all what is working for me now. I take two oral medications: twice a day, I take a pill that basically fights against bacterial infections. Once a day I take Spironolactone, a diuretic that is used as an antiandrogen.

I attribute the long-term success I've been having with the latter. It's been my wonder pill! I started it for the first time in May of 2011, and I've had barely any cystic acne since. HOWEVER, this pill may not be for everyone. It messes with my period - BAD - since it's an antiandrogen that messes with your hormones. For the first three months I took it, I didn't have a period. I did a bit of research, and turns out Spironolactone can really mess with your cycle. Some women have a normal period like usual, others don't have a single period the entire time they're on the medication. In my case, my period is now totally random, but hey, for me it's worth the clear skin!

And now that I've said period more times than anyone should ever say period on their blog (D:), that's my skin care routine!

As far as makeup goes, I think Makeup Forever HD foundation is the best at covering up my scars.

I wanted to post this and share what works for me so that maybe it could help someone else going through the skin/nails/and hair woes I've been through myself. Any of you gals ever use Spironolactone? Have you had the same experience? Do tell!

What's your beauty routine? I'd love to hear any tips y'all have for fine hair and weak nails!