Best skincare tips for acne prone skin

Over the years, I have heard a lot of skincare tips and I've collected the ones that actually worked for me. My skin is sensitive, very oily, and acne prone. I have faced different problems: pores, pimples, blackheads, redness. I have tried many different skincare products and I will share with you my favorite ones.

Let's talk about cleansers. My mom always says that cleansing your skin is very important, so no matter how tired you are or whatsoever, always take some time to cleanse your skin at night. It doesn't matter if you wear make-up or sunscreen or any other product; wash your face before you go to bed. It is very helpful to let your face breath some clean air. Since I moved to NY, I realized the importance of letting my skin breath a little. Impurities are in the air, the moment you walk out of your house, your skin has to face a lot of different weather conditions that affect its health and fumes of the cars etc. I have two favorite cleansers; although I have tried many different brands, I always come back to them. I love them both equally: the Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Bar For Face And Body and the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Foaming Cream. Click on the links to read more about these amazing products from their respective companies.

And now let's go to the part I never thought was important: the toner. After washing your face, the use of toner is really helpful. I have two toners I love. My number 1 toner is the chamomile. You can actually make it yourself: you boil chamomile and water, you let it cool, put it in a little bottle, and there you have it, the toner you just made by yourself. It's as easy as it sounds. Chamomile is amazing. Press the following link to read all the good stuff chamomile offers to us: Learn about chamomile. My number 2 toner is the acne solutions clarifying lotion. This toner is part of the acne solutions 3-step skin care by Clinique. I love it and it has helped me a lot. Here is some information about the product: Clinique Clarifying Lotion.

Last but not least, every girls nightmare: the pimples. My number 1 spot treatment for pimples is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, it's ideal for whiteheads and it's the best advice I've gotten here. My sister-in-law introduced me to this brand and I will definitely try more products from this line. If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can also order the Mario Badescu products from the Amazon website or app. Also, hand-sanitizers can be a last-minute spot treatment solution for pimples. I always have a hand-sanitizer handy and I believe it's a cheap solution alternative for the acne prone skin breakouts. Another spot treatment that works: Aspirin. Why does it work? Because of the salicylic acid which is a natural part of aspirin and it is also used for topical applications for acne treatment. If you have aspirin in your meds cabinet, you can take a pill, crush it up, add some water or chamomile to make a paste, apply the aspirin paste on your pimple, and wait for several minutes. Then, rinse off without rubbing it too hard and the pimple should diminish in redness and size. 

That's all for now, I hope that you'll enjoy this post and feel free to share your opinion about these skincare tips. 

Unpleasant surprises in human interactions

The first time I landed on the John F. Kennedy airport in NYC, I was stunned by the city lights, by the size of the airport itself, by how easier it now seemed to make this trip to the other side of the globe. It was my first flight out of Greece; and I came here with an one-way ticket. A quite shocking experience in many ways.

Landing in JFK,  July 28th 2016.

My experience of my trips to NY - Greece and vice versa is quite positive as I didn't face any kind of trouble at the airport. My flight was delayed when I was coming back from my summer vacation to Greece, but it was kind of normal. Honestly, staying on the air for 10 hours straight is quite exhausting, but I prefer it from the flights that make a stop. When I travelled on November 20th 2015 to come to the USA, my plane made a stop at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul; although I travelled with company (and I will always be grateful for this and for these amazing people in my life), the staff in the Ataturk airport made me (and I suppose more passengers as well) unwelcomed because they pretended they didn't understand English and we were lucky to find our gate just in time. I'm not planning of visiting Istanbul any time soon after this horrible travel experience.

Other than that, living in NY was something to be discovered. In a way, I was looking forward to see how life is, how everything worked here. Coming from a small town like myself, you see the Big Apple in a prism that makes it look magical and unique. I remember myself standing in awe because I was walking around places I've seen on movies and on TV; I was exploring a place that most people dream about but never have the chance to visit. Traveling here for vacation isn't very hard, but requires a budget that most Greeks don't have available at this moment. Also, it isn't very easy to come here and stay. Immigration is another story, for me, coming here wasn't that hard because I am married to a US citizen; but the paperwork though was a whole different process.

Anyway, I am living in NY for a little more than a year. My husband and I, are both working, we are renting a house, we became independent, we have a life of our own. We have our ups and downs as everyone. When I started working, I was stunned that people would ask me where I was from because of my accent. Actually, here, everyone has an accent. NYC is a multicultural place, and Queens is a place full of diversity.  I remember one man who was very hostile because I came to his country (but he was an immigrant himself), I stole the job of an American (but I have my social security number and my permanent residency card), and for him, I was like a pariah of some short. I will never forget how embarrassed I felt that moment and how amazed I was because I though that people wouldn't start accusing a person they just met without even knowing that person.

I know that racism is a very strong word; but I felt being in the spot for what I do for a living, for our choice to come to this country, and I felt being attacked for being who I am, so I question: does racism exist in 2016 and 2017? I thought people were more advanced. There are a lot of different people in this world, some people are more open-minded than others, but why would people hate one another? Why would people be hostile to one another? Why would someone choose hatred over love and acceptance? What would anyone win if they kill a smile? We are all creatures roaming on Earth and we are trying to enjoy our lives. Life isn't easy, but we can only try to do our best each and every day. So be kind to one another. Spread smiles, spread positivity, spread love.

All in all, there are always people who make you smile and the others who make you wonder why are they like that. You can't change anyone, but you can change your mindset and stop feeling hurt for their bad behavior. No-one is loved by all the people. Stick around the ones who will make you be all smiles.

Winter, snow, and public transportation

One of the first hashtags I used is this one: #summerismyseason. I have used it a billion times. I love summer and let's face it, I'm a summer girl because I was born on July 1st. But truth to be told, I love Christmas. The only reason I survive the winter is because of the beauty of the Christmas holiday. The decorations, the songs, the carols, the trees, the smiles on people's faces, the presents, everything seems perfect during that time of the year. Moving to New York put the whole Christmas craziness into a whole new different level of excitement.

Let's walk a little down memory lane; I see myself walking with my husband on 5th Avenue and fall in love with the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue. It was a magnificent experience for me, I don't know it I can say much about it, I cannot find enough words to express my feelings. The following pictures is what my eyes witnessed during last year's holiday season.

Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday window 2015 - 2016

Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday window 2015 - 2016

And then, after the beauty, came the first snowstorm of my life. I was shocked by the volume of the snow and I was scared of getting out of the house. The following pictures were taken during last year's snowstorm.

Picture taken in the morning, at the beginning of the snowstorm. January 2016.

Picture taken at the same spot at night, when the snow stopped falling. January 2016.

Whether you believe it or not, I didn't want to get out of the house because I thought I would break my leg if I tried to walk in the snow. Honestly, I was so scared and found myself wondering what am I doing here. When I decided it was time to get out of the house, I realized that it wasn't that bad, it was something totally new and I had to accept that it snows in my new home. I may never love the cold weather, but I learnt to survive it and enjoy some precious moments, like the ones on the following pictures. 

Walking on the white fluffy snow. December 2016. 

On my way to the bus stop. December 2016.

The beautiful house and yard close to my bus stop. December 2016.

Walking in the beautiful and pure white snow, it makes you feel like there's a little corner in the world that's called paradise on earth. The weather isn't freezing cold; you feel like everything is magical because this new life you live in NYC is full of adventures and the scenery is like no other. For a moment there, you dare to say: "I love NY." "I am blessed." "What a magic moment." 

And then... And then you wait for the bus. I take to buses to go to work. The first bus came quickly, I waited for only five minutes, I was lucky. I arrived at the second bus stop in ten minutes. I expected that the second bus would come on time too, but little did I know. I waited for the bus for fifty minutes. It seemed like a lifetime. MTA does a great job usually, so I was quite disappointed with the second bus' tardiness. I was late for work and I was very upset. At least, the snow didn't last, the following day it rained and it melted. 

But this past Saturday it snowed all day... The buses were running so late I felt I would die because it was freezing cold. The good part of the whole situation is that I wasn't late for work this Saturday, the problem was on my way back home. Another silver lining, I took a cab home and I was safe. 

The ugly truth: when you don't drive, you have to have a lot of patience in winter. The weather conditions are harsh here and it is equally hard to find reasons to stay optimistic. On hard days, or moments, I dream of this beautiful summer moment, the last picture of this blog entry. I'll always be a summer girl, #summerismyseason. 

Lambiri, Akhaia, Greece. June 10th 2012.

P.S. All the pictures used in this blogpost belong to me. I captured them with different cameras. Hope you'll enjoy it.