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LAA + TA serum
Hi BlueCloud;
My recipe is very simple;
L-Ascorbic Acid 21.50%
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate 7.0%
Distilled Water 69.50%
Sclerotium Gum 2.0%
The whole idea of mine is to maximize the benefit from vitamin C. I’m sure some don’t feel the necessity of getting this much vitamin C, but my skin seems to just love it. TA is just my quick abbreviation of Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (sorry!), which is a lipophilic vitamin C, as opposed to L-Ascorbic Acid (L-AA) and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP), which are hydrophilic.
L-AA is hydrophilic. You dissolve 21.5% into 69.5% distilled water (you cannot dissolve more than this, based on my trials and errors) first. Then you add 2% Sclerotium Gum (SG) into it. SG is hydrophilic therefore it dissolves in water with no problem, but 1% of it can hold up to 10% lipophilic actives inside. Putting Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate into water won’t work, but if it’s water with 1% SG, it has no problem dissolving into it. You don’t need oil or emulsifers connecting the water and oil. Most emulsifers such as lecithin tends to bring the pH away from the acidic pH (this is why I don’t like to have any oil in this serum). L-AA is more active and potent at lower pH and has to be more than 15% to penetrate the skin, based on some anecdotal information. Luckily, SG does not change the pH at all. This serum has pH of 2.45, which is acidic enough and loaded with vitamin C. SG makes it thick and viscous nicely.
I don’t know much about the comfort pH of those actives you mentioned. I put HA into my DIY amino acid serum with CuGHK and retinaldehyde because retinaldehyde and HA are synergistic with each other. I don’t use B5 or tea tree oil at all. For algae, you might like to ask DragoN.
JP
Vit C + E + Ferrulic Acid serum
Here are a couple options:
(water/oil-based serum)
(13%) 1 tsp Sea Kelp Bioferment
(13%) 1 tsp Jojoba Oil
(13%) 1 tsp grapeseed or rosehip seed oil
(39%) 3 tsp distilled water
(1.5%) 1/8 tsp Ferulic Acid
(1.5%) 1/8 tsp Vitamin E Oil
(3%) 1/4 tsp cold Vodka or Witch Hazel or Vegetable Glycerin
(3%) 1/4 tsp lecithin
(13%) 1 tsp MAP
OR
(water-based serum)
(50%) 3 1/8 tsp distilled water
(16%) 1 tsp cold Vodka or Witch Hazel or Vegetable Glycerin
(16%) 1 tsp Sea Kelp Bioferment
(16%) 1 tsp MAP
(2%) 1/8 tsp Ferulic Acid
If you make the water-based serum, put it in a spray bottle to dispense.
http://www.skincaretalk.com/t/10482/diy-map-serum-isomers-c-serum-please-help/20
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LAA version:
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a potent antioxidant that intercepts free radicals from damaging the skin. It is used on clean dry skin once a day. Any other products may be applied over it and sunscreen is an absolute necessity to avoid UV damage.
There are several recipes on the boards, but this one is my favorite, thanks to Kassy for formulating it:
15% vitamin C + E + ferulic acid serum with Jojoba
1 tsp L-Ascorbic Acid (from Lotioncrafter.com)
1 tsp Sea Kelp Bioferment (from Skinactives.com)
1 tsp Jojoba Oil
3 tsp Distilled water
1/4 tsp Ferulic Acid (from Skinactives.com)
1/4 tsp Vitamin E Oil (from capsules or bottle)
1/4 tsp ice cold Vodka or Witch Hazel
1) First dissolve the ferulic acid in the vodka in one shotglass.
2) Combine the SKB, vit E and jojoba oil in a second shotglass.
3) Quickly mix the L-ascorbic acid into the water in a third shotglass and combine with the other 2 shotglasses.
Store in a dark closed dropper bottle in a cool but not necessarily cold place.
Shake before using each time.
***Be sure that each phase is completely dissolved before combining all the phases together.*** Your serum should be a milky thin fluid, and it is normal to have an oily layer on top. Shake well before using each time to disperse the oil and water phases.
The pH of any L-ascorbic acid serum should be less than 3.5 in order to be absorbed by the skin. If your serum’s pH rises above 3.5 or turns yellow or darkens, throw it away since it has oxidized and is no longer effective.
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Your skin may sting the first few times using this. If you are too sensitive to a 15% serum, use less L-ascorbic acid in your next batch until you adjust to it.
You will use the C serum in the morning along with your other products, but NOT with copper peptides as they cancel each other out.
Use Retin-A or retinols in the evening.
Have you checked out our round-up of lovely lilac eye looks from our Beautylish Beauties? Catherine G. pairs her’s with a hint of copper-toned liner - love it!
A Week of Beauty Tools & Essentials: Eye Brushes
This is part one of a week-long series featuring my favorite beauty basics for makeup application and grooming. This week you’ll see the tools I use and skincare items that work for me. The lists are by no means comprehensive and some might not work for you. I’d like to get your input on what you’ve tried and what does or doesn’t work for you.
In this feature - eye brushes! I’ve separated the eye brushes I have into different categories by shape and style. Most of these are the full sized versions within each brand (several lines carry both short handled and long handled versions of the same brush). I will admit that my brush collection is quite massive, you might ask how many brushes does a girl need? Definitely not all of these. Infact there are several brushes that seem almost identical in shape, size, and material between various different brands. At the end of this post, I will let you know what my top essential eye brushes are.
All Over Lid & Eyeshadow Brushes: I like larger or fluffy brushes for applying an all-over wash to the lid, or for applying a matte base color. The brushes that are more tightly packed (more dense) allow for a heavier application which include Stila’s #5, Trish McEvoy’s Laydown Brushes and Laura Mercier’s All Over Eye Color Brush. Fluffy lighter brushes like the white bristled MAC #217 & #239 are nice because they make blending colors easy.
In this feature - eye brushes! I’ve separated the eye brushes I have into different categories by shape and style. Most of these are the full sized versions within each brand (several lines carry both short handled and long handled versions of the same brush). I will admit that my brush collection is quite massive, you might ask how many brushes does a girl need? Definitely not all of these. Infact there are several brushes that seem almost identical in shape, size, and material between various different brands. At the end of this post, I will let you know what my top essential eye brushes are.
All Over Lid & Eyeshadow Brushes: I like larger or fluffy brushes for applying an all-over wash to the lid, or for applying a matte base color. The brushes that are more tightly packed (more dense) allow for a heavier application which include Stila’s #5, Trish McEvoy’s Laydown Brushes and Laura Mercier’s All Over Eye Color Brush. Fluffy lighter brushes like the white bristled MAC #217 & #239 are nice because they make blending colors easy.
1. Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow Brush #10
2. MAC Square Shader Brush #259 (pro)
3. MAC Large Fluff Brush #227
4. Stila All Over Shadow Brush #5
5. Laura Mercier All Over Eye Colour Brush
6. Trish McEvoy Sheer Application Brush #45
7. Trish McEvoy Large Laydown Brush #21
8. Trish McEvoy Medium Laydown Brush #40
9. MAC Blending Brush #217
10. MAC Eye Shading Brush #239
11. MAC Fluff Brush #213
12. Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow Brush
13. Chanel Eyeshadow Brush #2
Crease & Contour Brushes: The brushes here are intended for the crease area. For those who do not have a crease, some of these tools are still handy for creating a soft gradation of color from darker near the lash line to the brow bone or blending shades together. I found out about the Studio Tools Brush (labeled #6) thanks to Karlasugar! The brushes with a smaller tip are great for creating a smokey eye, or even just smoking out/blending eyeliner for a softer but still defined look.
1. Stila All Over Blend #9
2. MAC Tapered Blending Brush #224
3. Laura Mercier Pony Tail Brush
4. Stila Double-Ended Shadow #30
5. MAC Small Tapered Blending Brush #226
6. Studio Tools Crease Brush (from Target)
7. Trish McEvoy Tapered Blending Brush #29
8. Chanel Eyeshadow Crease Brush #3
9. MAC Pencil Brush #219
10. Stila Double-Sided Crease & Liner Brush #15
11. Trish McEvoy Round Eye Contour #6
12. Trish McEvoy Smudge Brush #9
Odd Shaped & Cream Eyeshadow Brushes: One of the very first brushes I bought was the Trish McEvoy #23 hoof shaped brush which I like to use for an easy simple one-step eyeshadow application (use in a windshield wiper motion). (Note that the Trish brushes with golden handles are her original version, she has since revamped her brushes with clear lucite handles.) Unfortunately, I think she has discontinued this brush, so the next best closest tool is one from Laura Mercier. I believe Nars also carries a hoof-shaped brush as well, but I have not checked it out. For cream eyeshadows, I also like to use concealer brushes!
1. Laura Mercier Angled Eye Colour
2. Trish McEvoy Angled Contour Brush #23
3. Stila Eye Enhancer Brush #20
4. Bobbi Brown Eye Contour Brush
5. MAC Large Shader Brush #252
6. MAC Shader Brush #242
7. MAC Concealer Brush #195
8. Becca Eye Color Brush #11
9. Becca Eye Creme #31
10. Shu Uemura Synthetic Brush #10
11. Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow Brush
Detail Eyeliner & Smudge Brushes: These smaller stiffer brushes are nice for getting those corners, for the waterline, or for simple eyelining. The angled brushes to be the most precise and they can also work well for brows. I find that I use smudge brushes for eyelining more frequently than I use the eyeliner brushes when lining with powder eyeshadows. For gel liners, Stila #4 and Bobbi Brown’s Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush are my absolute favorites.
1. Stila Dual Sided Brush #23 (from 6 pan palette)
2. MAC Flat Definer #212
3. MAC Small Angle Brush #266
4. Trish McEvoy Angled Eyeling Brush #50
5. Laura Mercier Corner Eye Colour Brush
6. Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush
7. Stila Precision Eyeliner Brush #4
8. Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush
9. Shu Uemura 2R
10. MAC Short Shader Brush #214
11. NARS Smudge Brush
12. Trish McEvoy Va Va Voom Smudge Brush #54
13. Studio Tools Smudge Brush (from Target)
14. Laura Mercier Smudge Brush
15. Trish McEvoy Precision Smudge Brush #41
If you’re just beginning your brush collection, I’ll narrow down the selection from over 40 different eye brushes down to what I think are the essentials:
* All over eye brush - MAC Large Fluff Brush #227
* Best all purpose basic eyeshadow brush - MAC Blending Brush #217
* Smudge or detail brush - Laura Mercier Smudge Brush
* Eyeliner brush - Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush
* Cream eyeshadow brush - anything from Shu Uemura or Becca
* Crease brush - Stila Double-Ended Shadow #30
You might ask - are these brushes really worth the price tag? It really depends on your personal preference & budget. Yes, there are duplicates of the more expensive ones for less $$$ in other brands. I don’t think you need to spend a lot for basics, however, that being said, many times “you get what you pay for.” At least 1/3 of the brushes that I’ve own were purchased some 10 years ago. I’ve found the quality of many to be excellent, so I believe that sometimes higher prices = higher quality, which translates into longer lasting tools, which means a better deal for your $$$.
Looking for other alternatives? Look for brush sets! You can often find better deals by buying brushes that come in a multi-product set. There are some great sets from all different price ranges at Target (Sonia Kashuk or Studio Tools), Sephora, and higher end sets like MAC, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Bobbi Brown and Chanel. Do be warned that brushes that come in sets aren’t always the same quality or size as the full sized individual versions. Some brands use different production methods (machine made versus hand made) for their sets. One brand I believe you can never go wrong with is Laura Mercier - her short handled brushes are just as good as the full size! The sizes might be different for her travel collections, but still work as well as the bigger ones.
Also note that brush sets are sometimes seasonal with holidays, or annual event sales, or with certain color collections. If you want to find a great brush set, wait a couple months - I’m sure there will be a few nice holiday sets coming out from MAC, Shu Uemura, Bobbi Brown and more.
Looking for other alternatives? Look for brush sets! You can often find better deals by buying brushes that come in a multi-product set. There are some great sets from all different price ranges at Target (Sonia Kashuk or Studio Tools), Sephora, and higher end sets like MAC, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Bobbi Brown and Chanel. Do be warned that brushes that come in sets aren’t always the same quality or size as the full sized individual versions. Some brands use different production methods (machine made versus hand made) for their sets. One brand I believe you can never go wrong with is Laura Mercier - her short handled brushes are just as good as the full size! The sizes might be different for her travel collections, but still work as well as the bigger ones.
Also note that brush sets are sometimes seasonal with holidays, or annual event sales, or with certain color collections. If you want to find a great brush set, wait a couple months - I’m sure there will be a few nice holiday sets coming out from MAC, Shu Uemura, Bobbi Brown and more.
1. Stila #4 Precision Eye Liner Brush $20 – this one has lasted me since my senior year in high school, soft but precise for layering dark shadows over a pencil or gel liner
2. Laura Mercier Smudge Brush $24 – small dense smudge brush with a fine point at the tip, good for getting into those corners or detail areas, extremely versatile for powders & creams, I like that it’s dense but soft and easy on my sensitive eyes, great for smudging liner for a soft blended look
3. Becca Brush #11 - now discontinued, similar in shape to MAC 242 – this is my perfect brush for cream eyeshadow
4. MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush $29 – soft loose and fluffy, best for a super sheer wash of color and good for blending colors
5. MAC 219 Pencil Brush $24.50 – small pointy and dense, good for a smokey eye and getting to corners for detailing along bottom lashes
6. MAC 217 Blending Brush $22.50 – one of my most favorite brushes ever, super soft and versatile, great for blending and layering, love that it’s big enough to cover a big portion of the eye but small enough to control color where you want it, definitely a must have in every collection
7. MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush $24.50 – another favorite, this is the best brush to pack on color by patting or sweeping, picks up product well and allows control depending on how much product you have on your brush and the pressure you use to apply powders on the lids, if you use it sideways (versus flat) you can use it to get a smudgey line, another great versatile brush, blends colors well
8. MAC 242 Shader Brush $24.50 – I like this for cream shadows that I don’t want all over the lid, the small size allows thicker more pigmented application, I’ve used this for smudging gel liners, it also works for powders too, but I mostly use this for creams
9. Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush $25 – no comparison for gel liners, this is the best one I’ve tried, the tiny tip allows for a precise application even for those with unsteady hands
10. Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush $25 – another great option for powder eye liners and precise application with one sweep, I don’t like angled liner brushes because I find the tips too wide and harsh for my eyes, this one from Bobbi Brown is stiff but gentle
11. Trish McEvoy #21 Large Laydown $53 – pricey and a total splurge but well worth the price, love this for both powders and creams
12. MAC 227 Large Fluff Brush $30 – a great all over fluff brush that is densely packed but allows for an even wash of color all over the eyes with one sweep
