Sunday, July 21, 2013

Summer Faves!

Heyyy there!

Today I want to share with you some of the products that I have been LOVING this summer! They aren't specifically "summer" products, but they have been amazing products for me. I cannot say enough good things about them! I love to recommend products, especially if they help solve a problem I am currently having. So here they are!


Current Problem: Acne

This is something that is always hard to admit, but it's something I have dealt with my entire life. I have acne. Over the years it has taken many different shapes, and sometimes I luck out and get rid of it for a prolonged period of time. My face was doing great for over a year, then suddenly this past January I started to struggle with acne again, in a MAJOR way. I was getting really bad cystic acne, mostly along my jawline and on my chin. I was trying everything. I even tried the oil cleansing method, after weeks of research. (It was this blog that really sold me on the idea...) That pretty much turned out to be the worst decision of my life! It made my skin so bad. I've spent 4 months trying to recover from it, and I have to say that I finally have it under control. The secret (and solution) ended up being to STOP USING ACNE PRODUCTS. I was drowning my skin in all sorts of medicines and chemicals and it protested by breaking out even more. Here are the 2 best products that helped me recover from half a year of cystic acne.

Mario Badescu Skin Care
I had heard about this line of products from a few different vloggers, but I figured it would just be like every other line of skin care I've tried...aka it wouldn't ever live up to it's promises. I was really disappointed in the Juice Beauty Acne line, which didn't work for me. I originally started using the Acne Facial Cleanser, but ended up switching to the Enzyme Cleansing Gel. These products have literally saved my face! I am so glad that I gave them a chance. I don't think I will ever use anything else. One thing I really loved about this brand is that you can go to their website and fill out a quiz before you decide to buy anything. The quiz will recommend what products to get for the skin issues you are having, and in a couple short weeks a package will appear on your doorstep with samples of all of the products! You get to try them all out before you commit to buying anything. To me, that shows they are confident in the effectiveness of their products. Click HERE to take the quiz and try them out for yourself!

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Anti-Aging Peel Treatments
Ok, so this product is very "out of the box" for me. It was recommended by a skin care specialist at Sephora when I told her about my acne issues. She gave me a free sample, and when she told me the price of this product, I thought "there is NO WAY I am paying for that!" I decided to try the product anyway, thinking that it wouldn't really do anything for me. It wasn't even meant to treat acne anyway, but she described it as "resetting your skin's pH levels to help combat acne and other issues". I was pretty much hooked after just one treatment. The 14 Day challenge box is $45, which is steep. She recommended that I try to use it twice a week, because every day would be way too much. I think I've actually really only used it once a week since I bought the pack. I still have well over half the box left.

Current Problem: Oily Skin

This is actually a LIFELONG problem for me, which I combat by using hundreds of oil blotting sheet! Anything else that I can find that will help keep the oiliness at bay is a plus.

Revlon ColorStayWhipped Foundation
Let's be honest here, I am definitely NOT a drugstore foundation type of girl. I love my stila and Benefit foundations, but I do NOT love the price tag. When I started watching a lot of beauty vloggers, I started hearing a lot about Revlon and how much they love their products. I decided to give it a try. I started with the ColorStay Liquid Foundation, which I liked until I discovered this product! The first time I wore it, I was impressed with how well it controlled my oil. I think I only had to use one oil sheet that day! I also noticed how when I got home from work, it still looked like I had makeup on! I was so impressed. Ever since that day it's been difficult for me to wear anything else. I am constantly reaching for my Revlon. The only thing that is a drawback is that it can feel sort of heavy on your skin. When the heat wave rolled through last week I had to switch to my BB cream because I just couldn't stand the feeling of ANYTHING on my face.

Current Problem: Dark Circles
Seriously, I HATE getting older! Not only have I started to see very fine lines showing up under my eyes, my dark circles have been out of control! I have very dark colored veins, which is part of the problem. It can be a you-know-what to cover up those circles though. I originally purchased Hard Candy Glamoflauge to cover up the circles. It worked pretty well, but by the end of the day it always settled into my fine lines and I couldn't deal with it anymore. I still think the product is great, just not right for my own personal under eye area. So here is what I found that seems to work better for me.

 Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer
I decided that I needed a concealer with some highlighting effect to it, and this has been what's worked best for me! Since nothing completely covers my dark circles, if I have something that highlights then they don't show as much. As you can see, I'm already on my second one.

Current Problem: Chipped Nail Polish

Ohhh nails. I love you but I hate you sometimes too! My nails seem to dislike most polish formulas. I am also very rough on my hands and nails so my polish tends to chip very quickly. Here are my solutions to chipped polish!

Bondi Nail Polish
To combat chipping, you have to have a GOOD nail polish. I'm a big fan of Zoya, and now I've found another brand with amazing formula. Unless you get Glossybox, you may not be familiar with Bondi New York. I'll save you the drama (unless you want to hear about it - read all about it HERE) but basically we were supposed to get a Bondi polish in our June boxes, but it didn't happen. In light of this, the owner of Bondi kept us all informed as to what was happening and also offered GB subscribers multiple discounts and specials on their polishes. Turns out they have the greatest customer service on the face of the planet, and everyone was just so thrilled by that that we all bought polish! I am so glad that I did! It is the best formula I have used in a LONG time. I had on the silver for SEVEN DAYS without chipping! It was unreal.

Glisten & Glow HK Girl Fast Dry Topcoat
There are no words to describe HOW MUCH I love this topcoat. I ordered 2 bottles during the winter, and I refuse to use anything else. Most people love Seche Vite, but I am not a fan at all. All it ever did was make all my polish shrink up and get too thick to use about halfway through the bottle. This stuff is totally my HG topcoat and I will continue to use it as long as I can get it! (You have to buy it online, it isn't sold in stores. If you are interested in trying, click here!)

Current Problem: Pale Skin

I know for most people, the solution would be easy - get outside and tan! But alas, this is not my answer. I have very sensitive skin and I burn very easily. I have to wear sunscreen everywhere! I'm also not the biggest fan of just sitting outside and sweating while I'm trying to get a tan. It's just not my thing. I'd much rather get my color out of a bottle - as long as it doesn't look orange! Here is what I have been using this summer.

St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion
As much as I hate tanning, I do like to have some color during the summer months, especially if I am wearing shorts or a dress. This is the answer to my problem! You put it on and it stays put until you wash it off in the shower! It doesn't wipe off when you sweat or on your sheets when you sleep. It's a great product for anyone who wants just a little color instantly!

I hope you decide to try out some of these products - ESPECIALLY if you find yourself having any of the same problems that I've been having! 

Let me know what you think about these products!


 

 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Ipsy My Glam bag - July 2013!

Another month...another Ipsy bag!

Ipsy has easily turned into my FAVORITE subscription "box". Even though I don't always love every product each month, I feel like I get the most use out of the products that ipsy sends. Even if it's something I haven't tried before, I always find myself wanting to try everything! Here is what I recieved in my bag this month!

July My Glam bag contents:
  • Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray
  • Coola Rose Essence Tinted Moisturizer
  • BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample
  • Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuschia Flirt
  • Nailtini nail polish in Mai Tai

    My thoughts:
    HealthySexyHair Beach Spray
    I haven't had much luck in the past with sea sprays or texturizing sprays, but I decided to give this one a try anyway. It's a great brand so why not! Honestly, it didn't do much for my hair. It looked poofy and messy, but it did give it some volume and texture. I threw some curls in it after it dried and I'm liking the way it looks! 

    Coola Tinted Moisturizer
    I received a sample of Coola from a trade, and I liked it so I was excited when I found out I was getting the tinted version. When it comes out of the tube, it looks promising:
    When I put it on my face, the color just magically disappeared! I didn't want to use a ton of it, because it looked a little oily and I already have very oily skin. So this product was just ok for me. I'll definitely finish the little sample tube of it.

    BH Cosmetics Eyeshadow Sample
    If you know me, you know how much I LOVE my eyeshadow! I love to play with the colors and blend them to make new colors. You can never have enough eyeshadow! I know some people were complaining that the color payoff wasn't very good, but I didn't have any problems with it. I found that applying it with a sponge applicator vs. a brush helped a lot. The color went on more vibrant with a sponge. Another plus is that I am constantly using browns and purples on my brown eyes, so it was a win for me!
    Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuschia Flirt
    I don't think ipsy understands how many of these crayons/balms/stains I have picked up recently from subs and the store. I'm swimming in lip crayons! I wasn't too excited about this, but I *DID* want to try it! I definitely don't have a color like this. It's basically Barbie pink on my lips! I would have liked it better if it were more fuschia than pink, but what can you do! I'm sure I will find some way to use it!
    Nailtini nail polish in Mai Tai
    I wasn't sure if I was going to keep this or not, but once I saw the color I just had to try it out! It dries a little darker on your fingers than it looks in the bottle. I have to say that even though I'm pretty pale, it looks good on my fingers! I did top it off with a coat of N3 Coral Reef because I can't just wear nail polish without some design or bling!
    Overall - I'm happy with my bag this month! I always think it's well worth the $10 I spend on it. Thanks for another great month, ipsy!

    Here is my completed look using my products from this month!

 What did you get in your ipsy bag this month?? Were you happy?! Comment to let me know!