Busy Mom Reviews

I may be getting on in years, but I still have acne.

Yes, wrinkles AND acne, SO not fair.

I've struggled with acne for many years, I was even on some very powerful medicine at one point. Additionally, over the years the way my acne behaves has changed, and the things that used to help don't always help anymore. My face is very sensitive to medicines and lotions, so I'm wary of trying new things when I've found a routine that works.

However, my current routine hasn't been holding up its end of the bargain lately, so I was excited to try the Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line.

I was interested in it because it's specifically designed for adult skin to control acne and help minimize the appearance of pores with regular use. Acne as an adult can be different to treat than teen acne, and the Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line was made with adult skin needs in mind.

The three steps of the Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line are Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line Pore Clarifying Cleanser, Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Skin Clearing Treatment and Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Complexion Renewing Lotion.

The products are easy to use. I'd like to see the cleanser improve the way it cleans off makeup, but I usually use an exfoliant, so I'm not really used to a cream cleaner, but it wasn't drying or anything and it had no noticeable odor.

The blemish treatment step is salicylic acid based. It absorbs well, and has a bit more odor, but not unpleasant. I don't usually have issues with dry skin, so it wasn't drying to me.

Because I'm prone to acne, many moisturizers make me nervous, but so far, so good with this one, though I've only been using it once a day. It's a little different in that it's not exactly like a lotion, but more like a gel. (Note: It doesn't have SPF, but Olay Professional Pro-X Clear SPF 15 Moisturizer is available as well.)

Overall, my skin is doing well, lately. It didn't clear up over night, so I think consistent use is a key to this product. I even had someone ask what I'd done differently, so I'm pleased!

While we’re on the subject of taking care of your skin, you might want to check out this post by Roxanna Sarmiento in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. She has some great tips for developing habits that will help your skin looks its best!

Want to check it out for yourself?

The giveaway:

Prize: $50 gift card to drugstore.com

How to win:

1. No duplicate comments.

2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment telling us how your skin has changed since you've gotten older.

b) Tweet about this promotion (I'm @busymom) and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

3. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

4. Contest ends November 3, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.(PST)

5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

6. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

7. Visit the Official Rules. Enter between October 3rd – November 3rd, 2011.

Don't forget to visit the Prizes and Promotions section for even more chances to win!

I wrote this post while participating BlogHer's Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line campaign. I received the product to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.

We live in a large 1930's house. While it's "quaint" and "has character" and all that, "old" also means it's not the best sealed dwelling ever created.

Combine that with 3 active kids, and you have the potential to have a mess covered in dust if you don't stay on top of cleaning and de-cluttering. Therefore, It's important for everyone to pitch in and do their part, especially in a house like this.

We don't really assign ongoing chores to the kids, but we have general expectations that people will clean up after themselves, and they are enforced as needed. They are also expected to keep their rooms clean. Our kids are older, so "clean" and "picked up", aren't always the same thing, but for the most part, they do a good job.

If the house is particularly messy or there are guests coming, we assign rooms to take care of with the understanding that it needs to be done not because you are responsible for the mess, but because you are a member of the family.

We also offer pay for cleaning chores that are above and beyond the call of duty if anyone is wanting to earn some money.

No matter what the cleaning task at hand is, it's important to make sure the kids know what cleaning up is supposed to look like, or it won't get done in an effective manner. For example, when they were young our kids concluded that "cleaning up" meant covering up the mess with blankets or hiding things under the bed.

It's also important to me that they learn basic household chores correctly (especially the boys) before they go out on their own, so I do hold toilet cleaning lessons and dishwasher loading primers from time to time.

No matter who is cleaning what, it's important to have the right equipment and products on hand. Not only does it help get the job done better, kids (or at least mine, anyway) are more inclined to clean thoroughly when there's cool stuff to spray or equipment to use.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of GreatCleaners. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Arm & Hammer Brand.

Goo Gone is a line of products that takes care of sticky, greasy and gummy messes, and goodness knows we have a lot of that around here.

When my kids were younger, they were REALLY into stickers, so we have a lot of stickers and residue around here. So, I jumped on the chance to try out Goo Gone Spray Gel, especially because we have old stickers on our bed, and in my daughter's car.

Here's what happened when I used Goo Gone Spray Gel to remove stickers from an iPod stereo:

(Do note that I sprayed the stickers less than a minute or so before I started filming and then realized I wanted to include that part in the video, so I did it again because it wasn't something I could start over with. Yes, there is a reason I don't work in video.)

As you can see, the stickers came off quite nicely, and the stereo wasn't damaged. However, you might want to test a spot just in case, if you're planning to use it on something valuable to you. It's not meant to be used on silk, leather, suede or rubber, just so you know.

We've been very pleased with the product, and I'm currently using it to get some really old stickers off a brass bed frame, and it's been amazing so far! It has a nice citrus smell. It's a little greasy, but that's how it works and it wipes right off.

You can find Goo Gone at most large retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart.

Be sure to follow @GooGoneBrand on Twitter and Goo Gone on Facebook.

Disclosure: I received the product sample and the iPod stereo with the stickers on it from Goo Gone in order to try out the product. I assure you, we've been using the Goo Gone all over the house since then, and will need some more very quickly.

Our kids have inherited a lot of things from us, but unfortunately, one of those things is a tendency toward acne. My husband had it, and I even had enough trouble with it that I had to take prescription medication for years for it in my youth and early adulthood.

Even in my old age, I still have some trouble, and it's really not fair to have acne AND wrinkles, but I digress...

Both of my older kids have acne, and my son's (though normal teen acne, nothing severe) seems a little more stubborn than my daughter's. (However, that may be because he's a little more stubborn than she is...)

She already has a skin care regimen, so when I had the opportunity to try out Proactiv, I thought it would be great to see what it could do for him since I've had success with it in the past.

Proactiv is a 3-step acne treatment system:

Step 1 is the Renewing Cleanser. It's an oil-free, soap-free medicated exfoliating cleanser with benzoyl peroxide.

Step 2 is the Revitalizing Toner. This is an alcohol-free toner

Step 3 is the Repairing Treatment. It's a light medicated lotion with benzoyl peroxide that's gentle on the skin.

What makes Proactiv 365 "365" is 24/7/365 support from expert skin care advisors trained by founders Drs.Rodan and Fields themselves.

You can call them toll-free or contact them by email or online chat with questions about Proactiv products and skin care. Additionally, the Proactiv website has an extensive Q&A section about Proactiv products and a Proactiv success stories section to inspire you.

We received a kit with the 3 step Proactiv products as well as the Refining Mask, and the Green Tea Moisturizer, everything you need to get started!

Proactiv was good for my son because the products are more clinical than beauty/girly oriented. I think they smell good, but not "flowery". Another advantage to getting to try out Proactiv is that I could tell him he had to do it to help me out since it's been hard to get him to do anything consistently in the way of acne treatment. It took him a little bit to get into the habit of doing 3 steps, but once he got going he was pretty good at it.

At first, he felt his skin was getting too dry, but I think it was more a matter of him getting used to it as his skin wasn't obviously dry, and he wasn't interested in using the moisturizer, though (it's awesome, more for me, then!).

With proper and consistent use, Proactiv really made a difference in my son's acne, it's nearly gone. It's taken away some of the redness and irritation, too.

Despite my pleadings, he's not one to take products with him when he spends the night away from home, so I wish Proactiv made some sort of wipes or pads for "on-the-go".

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Proactiv and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.