What a Difference Scrub Can Make!

We’ve all heard of Aspirin’s role in preventing heart attacks and even the less than stellar side effects it can have on one’s stomach lining. For better or worse, this post will not delve into the relative utility of Aspirin in the medicinal world, opting to discuss Aspirin’s potential contribution to our beauty arsenals instead.

I’m sure many of you have heard of an “Aspirin mask” or “Aspirin scrub” before, so for the sake of sparing you a boring read, I urge you to move on. If you have not, prepare for a potentially skin altering experience!

As I may have mentioned in previous posts, I am prone to a bit of snobbery when it comes to purchasing skincare items; I presume that better quality ingredients are pricier. I have had negative experiences with drugstore scrubs such as St. Ives and while my experience with Dermologica’s Microfoliant was marginally better, I never saw a dramatic difference in my skin until now.

I can honestly say that dissolving five or so uncoated Aspirin pills in a bowl moistened with water has created the best scrub I have ever tried. My skin has become a lot less blotchy and has developed a bit of a glow. Even a bit of the fine lines on my forehead have diminished.

I originally learned about the beauty benefits of Aspirin through Makeup Alley but was quickly turned off when my first experience with it proved negative. Let’s just say that it’s a very, very bad idea to mix Tea Tree Oil, a known skin irritant, with salicylic acid.

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, breaks down to create salicylic acid in the body. This is likely the reason some experience stomach irritation upon consumption. Salicylic acid also happens to be the primary ingredient in many skin care items designed to slough off skin or fit acne.

If you’d like to try an Aspirin scrub, purchase the cheapest uncoated Aspirin you can find—this will dissolve better. You can mix honey, face wash or any other liquid with your Aspirin provided that you use caution when combining potentially irritating active ingredients. I suggest you experiment with using Aspirin as a scrub prior to leaving it on your face for a significant amount of time as would be involved in a mask. It is best to stagger the frequency of use since the scrub is very potent; you don’t want to slough off your epidermis in its entirety, do you?

Is Aspirin your favorite skin care product? Tell me all about it!

Image Credit: drugstore.com

A Great Foundation Brush for Under $2

I intimated (in an earlier post) that I use a foundation brush to apply my Shiseido Sunscreen and this E.L.F. Foundation Brush is my favorite for that purpose. The fiber is synthetic which prevents it from absorbing a lot of (expensive) product. It features a rounded head with flat, elongated bristles that pick up a good amount of product and enable one to apply quickly and evenly. I have used the same E.L.F. Foundation Brush for several years now, washing it daily, without so much as a hair shed or out of place. And the brush has more than paid for itself as it has prevented me from using too much of the more expensive skincare products I own.

While I would wholeheartedly suggest the E.L.F. Foundation Brush for use with moisturizers, primers, sunscreens and masks, I don't find that its as good for achieving its intended purpose (applying foundation) because of the very fact that it does not absorb much product. In the case of foundation, all of it ends up on your face and makes for a caked on effect. Since I'm an advocate of the "airbrushed foundation" look, I prefer to use stippling brushes such as the MAC 187.

Image Source: Drugstore.com