Skin Care Tips to help Acne and or Breakouts

Skincare is very important and as if you've read my blog before you know that I am obsessed with with it. I want to know everything involved with it and I want to be able to help anyone and everyone that comes to me with questions. One question I usually get is how I treat my skin and what do I do to keep it looking flawless. I don't have full out acne but I do have occasional breakouts usually on my jawline not sure why but I do. I have different things but generally I try to do the following:

I try to not use products that will overdry my skin. I've noticed that any time you try to treat acne or blemishes the products that are designed to treat them are very drying. I have oily skin and I've noticed that some products are over drying which isn't good for your skin either. I try to get products with aloe and cucumber which are natural moisturisers. One of the cleansers that I love is Clean & Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Wash which is really hydrating but helps clean blemishes. 

Another tip I can give you is to make sure you moisturize your skin. I know me saying this is kind of weird since I have oily skin but honestly you need to make sure you are moisturizing your skin day and night. Now a days there are all different kinds of moisturizers available to treat different types of skin. For someone with acne or blemishes, you should really be looking at oil free products. You don't want to add more oil but you do want to make sure that you add moisture which is different. I've said this before but just because you have oily skin,it doesn't mean that you don't need to moisturize your skin. You need to make sure that you are always moisturizing your skin because eventually adding moisture will trick your skin that it doesn't produce oil. Over time your skin will be less oily.

Third tip that you can use is to always make sure that the products that you use have salicylic acid in it. This will help treat your skin while you actually aren't treating it. So yes, there are your spot treatments that you can use and those will be great to use but what about when you have your makeup on and want to also have something that can treat your skin. Well there are a lot of makeup products such as concealers and foundations that have salicylic acid in it. Neutrogena has a lot of different products from a drugstore standpoint and then Clinique also has those types of products available in their makeup lines for a more luxury standpoint.  

Another tip which I think is 100% common sense but it is just easier said than done is to not pick at your face. This is definitely something you hear all the time but it is something that many of us still do even though we know its not good. Picking at a blemish irritates it and just makes it worse. This is prolong the healing process and it will just make it a mess on your face so best tip I can give you is to do not do it.

My final tip that I can say is if your blemishes are too hard to treat on your own, you should go to a dermatologist so that you know what type of blemishes you are dealing with. Before you can treat anything you need to know what it is. This is something that I recommend to those people who have been trying to clear their skin with no results. You want to make sure that you know what you have before you can treat it because you might have been irritating it. 

These are some tips that you can use to help on your path to clearer skin. These little things have helped me and I suggest that you try them too. Let me know if there are some tips that you use? any suggestions?

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Nars Satin Crayon in Timanfaya

If you've been reading my blog posts you will know that I am totally in love with a bold lip. I feel like in the Summer you will notice that it is just too hot to cake on your foundation and just put a lot of makeup on. That doesn't mean that you don't wear makeup. I don't think I would ever not wear makeup. I try to always stay trendy with my makeup and one of the things that you will always see in Beauty Magazines are that a bold lip is the way to go for summer. Your skin should be nice, natural and dewy nothing too harsh. Everything sheer when thinking about summer. I like to do that also. I usually go for a nice glow on my cheeks and a bold lip with a little bit of mascara. 

If you've read some of my posts in the past. I've raved about Nars lip crayons. They have different finishes available but I personally stick to the velvet finish which are the ones that are more matte and then my second favorite is the satin finish which is a little bit more creamy but still matte enough to not be a gloss. Lately I've been looking for another type of bold lipstick color because I've noticed that I have either hot pinks or purples which isn't really bold if thats your normal color. I decided that since its summer I would go for more of an orange color. After asking around and trying on different colors I decided to stick with the Nars Satin Crayon in Timanfaya. This is a mandarin bright orange color which is the boldest of all bold color. I am going to be going to Puerto Rico in a week and I figured that this color would be amazing with a tan. If anyone can pull this color off it would definitely be me. 

If you are looking for something bold, something that will make you stand out, I think you can't go any bolder than this color. It retails for $25 and you can purchase it in +Sephora in stores or online. You can also find these in +NARS Cosmetics store fronts around the US.

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BAREMINERALS Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation

I finally decided to write about makeup. One of my most favorite parts of makeup is the foundation. I think that this is where your makeup starts. If your foundation is bad then it doesn't really matter what else you do everything else after that will be crap. I have oily skin as you may know if you've been reading along and you will know that since I have oily skin its just really hard for me to find foundation that will stop the oil and stay on all day. The oils of my skin usually make the makeup disappear. I do find that there are some that are too mattifying and just look caked on which is horrible but now in the summer I like my foundation to look flawless and natural which means I probably have to give up on the mattifying components. 

Since I was in college I've first heard about BareMinerals makeup. Back then all they had were the powder foundations which I used religiously. I lived in Florida back then and for anyone who knows how it is down there you know that its sunny, humid, and hot all the time. I was able to keep my skin looking flawless with this makeup. I don't know why I stopped using it but I did and moved on to other products. Once I saw that BareMinerals came out with a liquid foundation I was very excited to try it. I didn't get it the day it came out but after seeing all the reviews I was able to see that it was definitely a must try. I went ahead to my local +Sephora where the girls know me and picked mine up. I went through a bunch of colors and settled on 08 which is Bare Beige. This foundation has everything I love in one foundation--brightening serum.. SAY WHAT?!? In a foundation? How is that possible? I was ecstatic to try this out. This foundation is suppose to be tone-correcting mineral foundation and skincare serum in one. Now this is music to my ears.

It was created to be pure and ultra thin on your face so that you don't feel like you even have anything on which was just like their regular mineral powder foundation. It has skin perfecting fluid that you can use for buildable coverage. Since the coverage is buildable it has a natural finish to it that allows to let your skin shine through but in a beautiful way and nothing too cakey but enough coverage where you are able to cover-up any imperfections. This will make your skin look brighter and more youthful which for me are all good things to have from a foundation. I tried this on and I am very happy that I bought it. I am in love with anything BareMinerals and I am not sure why I don't buy more of this brand. I definitely recommend this foundation. It retails for $29 and that is not that much since you don't use a lot of this per application. You can buy this at +Sephora in store or online. You can also get it in +Bare Minerals store fronts.

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New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Charcoal Nose Strip

If you've been reading the last few days you know that I went to +Urban Outfitters the other night and went on a complete skincare shopping spree. I went through most of the products that I bought which were the soap, the sheet masks and the clay nose mask. Now I am on to the last product which is something that you are all pretty familiar with. This New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Charcoal Nose Strips. These are just like Biore pore strips. The only difference in these nose strips are that these are charcoal. Charcoal is a natural ingredient to detox your skin. There a many different products that are made with charcoal that are great for detoxifying your skin. There is this one mask from Origins that is amazing. I've been trying to get different products that would work on getting the blackheads out and even though I've used products like cleansers or something of sort I don't feel they've worked as good as pore strips. I just don't feel that any remedy is permanent doesn't matter what product you use. I like the strips the best since I feel that these are the most effective.

When I saw that this brand has nose strips that also combined the power of charcoal I decided that this was a great invention. I bought them right away. When I opened them up I realized that they were already different than the ones that are made by Biore because these were black first of all and also the shape of them were different. They were smaller. Not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. I washed my face and then dried my whole face except my nose. I wanted to make sure that it was wet enough so that the nose strips can adhere to it. I smoothed it on my nose and immediate felt that these were different. They definitely stuck to my nose better than the Biore ones. I left the pore strip on my nose until it completely dried which was for about 15 minutes. It was hard to the touch and hard to remove. I removed it by peeling the ends first and gently started peeling until I got to the middle. Once all of the strip was removed I looked and saw that this definitely worked! I was amazed. I put astringent on my nose and then added moisturizer and went to bed. The next morning I saw that my nose was perfect. My makeup went on more smoothly and it looked nicer especially on my nose area. 

These retail for about $8 and you can buy them in +Urban Outfitters in-store or online. You can also find them in Amazon or just googling them online and you can see there are different places that sell them. I recommend +Amazon.com or +Urban Outfitters.

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New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Mask

More on my trip to Urban Outfitters, I decided to split it up because I knew I would write enough to have a novel so instead of making 1 long post I decided to separate it into products. The next thing that I bought when I went to +Urban Outfitters was the New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Mask. This is basically one of those nose strips but in clay mask form. Once I did some research on the product I realized that it went on a revamp. Before this was called Blackhead EX Nose Clay mask and now its New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black head Clay Nose Mask. This nose mask is in a peel off form. It has Mulberry, coix seed, and black rice extract which help the clay get deep down into your pores to be able to extract the blackheads. It says to smooth it on your nose after you wash your face and clear your skin of any oils. I just put it on my nose area same as you would if it were one of those Biore Nose strips. Leave it on until it drys and peel it off.

I was a little skeptical at first because a lot of peel masks say that they will be able to do this but I've never used a peel mas that feels like it really clings to your skin and really is able to peel off anything. So I went on and tried this one. I washed my face just to make sure that there were no oils and then squeezed a little bit on my finger. WOW was this stuff thick and sticky. I rubbed it on my nose and let it set until it was completely dry. I slowly peeled it off once it was all dry and immediately you felt that it was hard to come off. It definitely felt like it was able to penetrate deep into my pores so that when I peeled it off, it took the blackheads with it. I do think that the pore strips work better but this was a close second. It retails for $8.99 not sure if I would repurchase but I definitely think it was a good buy. 

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Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet Review

Hope this doesn't disappoint you to read about more skincare products but I just love them. I would love to be able to not wear makeup because I don't need anything to help cover up anything meaning no wrinkles, no dark circles or anything like that but until that day I am always going to be on the hunt for the fountain of youth. Moving on to the products of today's blog post-- If you read my post from yesterday you already know that I recently went to Urban Outfitters with my good friend +Carrie L. and I went on a bit of a shopping spree. I was really happy to be able to go since I don't get to Union Square a lot. I got the Nippon Kodo Deitanseki Facial Soap Bar and was totally in love with it. If you haven't read my blog on that you should definitely look for it. Its worth every single penny. While at Urban Outfitters, I also picked up a couple of other things. One of the things that I finally was able to get my hands one was Skinfood's Hydro Fitting Snail Sheet masks. I've been reading reviews about these sheet masks for a while now and was unable to find it in the city. Now that Korean beauty products are all the rave, they started bring different products to life such as sheet masks with different types of anti-aging properties such as snail extract, green tea extract, and ginger root. I've been wanting to try all of these different things because culturally Koreans are all about skincare and so I figured if any products are worth buying it would be these! I was really happy to be able to pick it up.

I was very excited to use this product. This particular one is a hydrating mask and it also has the anti-aging properties that come from the snail extract. This sheet mask fit on my face perfectly. There was a lot of serum on the mask enough to be able to rub into my next and under my eyes. It left my skin really hydrated just after one use. Snail extract that it has is really good for anti aging properties. Not sure if you have read in the beauty blogs lately but snail extract is the next best thing for anti-aging. When I used this mask last night and I left the sheet mask on for about 30 minutes and once it I removed it I smoothed over the serum into my face and didn't wash it. I went to bed and this morning my skin was just radiant. It felt hydrated and plump. I would definitely recommend this mask since its probably one of the best sheet masks that I've tried in a long time. This retails for $15 which is $3 a mask since there are 5 masks in each packet. I know that its more expensive compared to other sheet masks that I've talked about but I honestly believe that this one give you really good results. You can buy these from Urban Outfitters online or in store. You can also purchase this on Amazon. 

Do you have any foreign products that you've seen lately that you were dying to try? Let me know I would love to give them a shot.

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Nippon Kodo Deitanseki Facial Soap Bar Review

If you follow my Facebook page you probably saw that I recently went on a Urban Outfitters haul. I went out for dinner with one of my greatest group of friends here in NYC and while at the dinner we brought up my beauty blog and one of my closest friends +Carrie L. said she wanted to go to Urban Outfitters and then Sephora. I was all for going with her and it was great. The night was really gorgeous to walk in the city and we caught up while walking. I was super excited to go to +Urban Outfitters because they have a great selection of many things but one of the things that they have is a variety of foreign beauty products. One of the best things about living in NYC is that you have amazing variety of different things at your finger tips.

A couple of weeks back I went there and picked up Panda Dream eye cream and I was super happy that I did since it really works. I've been using it ever since. I figured I'd go back and get some for my Mom since I spoke about it to her and she was jealous. Once I was there I was strong armed into buying other things, obviously. Carrie showed me this bar of soap. It was black and I immediately said I needed it without knowing what it was. Most of the lettering was in Japanese so I really couldn't understand it but I still wanted it. This soap is something else. I got home that night and wanted to use it. I removed the plastic and a really strong odor came from it-- sort of like menthol. This soap is enriched with Koalin clay and carbon powder which I think was that menthol smell. Now that I have wet it and have used it for about a week the smell has gone. This soap is definitely not for people with sensitive skin-- I don't think. I feel its a bit harsh since it really makes my skin tingle after and I really feel that my skin is really getting clean because my skin feels really tight after using. I've put on my night time retinol and that stung a bit which isn't a bad thing since retinol is so strong I didn't think it was an issue. The good thing about this soap is that it has Bentonite which moisturizes your skin and it leaves it feeling fresh and hydrated.

I raved to Carrie about this soap because if she didn't show it to me I probably would have passed right by it. I do see my skin looking clearer and just more radiant. This soap retails for $10 and you can find it at Urban Outfitters in store or online. $10 for a bar of soap isn't that much since its a huge bar of soap and since you use it on your face, I can easily see it lasting about 6+ months. If you need a new soap I totally recommend this one and trust me you won't be disappointed.

Do you have anything that you've just stumbled upon and were really happy your purchased? Please let me know in the comments below.

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Sephora Bronzer in Bora Bora

For those of you know who me you know that I love bronzer. I use bronzers every single day. I always love that bronzed warmer look. One of the products that I feel is an unsung hero but I've been using for about 10 years now is my Sephora brand Bronzer. I know a lot of people swear by Nars Laguna but I feel in love with the Sephora brand a long time ago. I use it every single day and I even got my mom hooked on it. 

The Sephora bronzer is formulated with micronized pigments that have a high color pay off. People think that just because its Sephora brand that it would be crappy but honestly this is one of the best I've tried ever. Once you put it on you realize how good of a product it is. It gives you that natural sun kissed look without looking weird and streaky. There are 4 colors and 2 are shimmery and 2 are matte. I personally like matte bronzers since I hate to look like I have glitter everywhere. Also my skin is oily enough and I don't need more shimmer added so I usually just opt for matte bronzers. 

This bronzer retails for $17 and yes its not the cheapest bronzer compared to Drugstore brands but this bronzer is definitely cheaper than lets say Nars Laguna which retails for $38. You can find the +Sephora bronzer within Sephora stores where they have their Sephora booth set up. You can also buy this on Sephora.com. 

Do you have any bronzers that you think are really good? Do you have any Drugstore bronzers? I would love to try to find a drugstore bronzer that I can fall in love with.

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Julie G Neon Nail Polish

Summer is coming and NYC is finally getting warmer weather!!! This means that its time to use bolder and brighter anything. I love to add color to everything I wear and makeup and everything. For me the easiest is definitely my makeup and my nails. Usually when I start seeing the sun come out, I usually start diving into my NEON nail polish collections. This means that everything is bright and highlighter-like colors. I have a dozen of different colors and they are all gorgeous! One brand that my Twitter Biffie +Nicole YoungWildandPolished has been raving about is the Julie G brand. Not sure if you noticed but a lot of different brands have been coming out with neons this summer season as the new 'thing' on trend. A lot of brands have already done the neon thing and +Julie G is definitely one of them. Two of the colors that I love is Oh Emm Gee and Fierce & Fab. These are the types of colors I always gravitate to. They are a neon pink and a neon purple. Now these are true neons. You definitely do not need a white basecoat for them to be neon. Personally I like the neons with a white basecoat because it gives the polish a base that lets it pop. The colors are more vibrant. The same way with bright eyeshadows you put a white base just so that the colors look more pigmented, this has the same theory. 




The Oh Emm Gee color is the neon pink and its just gorgeous. The the formula is great on this polish and it does have a matte finish like most neons. Not sure why that is. I like the color and at first I applied it without a white base so I went ahead and took that off and then added the white base. I personally like the color better with the white because it matches the color in the bottle better when it has a white base. But this is not one color that you definitely NEED it, I just prefer it. 




The Fierce and Fab looks like a complete dupe for Dream On from +Sinful Colors. Sinful are $2 and Julie G retail for $4 so I would gravitate towards the cheaper one since the both of them are pretty exact. The formula are the same and the colors are exact. They both have a matte finish and I prefer both of them with a white basecoat. Again these aren't colors that you NEED it but I prefer it since it really makes the nail color pop.

Now if you are looking for a brand that their neons require absolutely nothing except a base and top coat-- I 100% recommend +chinaglazeofficial nail color. These are the best NEONs of any brand. My one thing is that it chips the next day. Flip Flop Fantasy legit chips on me overnight. Its the best color and the worst color ever!  

Do you have a favorite NEON polish? I need to know! I am obsessed with neons! 

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Covergirl Ready Set Be Gorgeous Concealer

If you read my blog from yesterday, you know that I really fell in love with the new Covergirl foundation. I kept thinking about the rest of the collection once I went home and tried the foundation and was thinking I needed to try the rest of the products. I decided to go back and get the concealer. I saw that it was also flawless coverage. It is a tube sponge stick applicator sort of like a lipgloss. It also had promises of long lasting coverage that wouldn't fade during the day. My intention for buying this concealer would be just for my under eyes. I usually don't get a lot of breakouts so I really don't need a lot of face concealer. I really just want my concealer to cover my dark circles and brighten the area. I decided to go about two shades lighter so that I can achieve the brightening look. I really had high hopes for this concealer. I don't understand what happened but when I put this on, it disappeared. It brightened a little bit but the coverage wasn't anything like I expected. It didn't cover my dark circles which for me is a necessity. 

I do realize that most concealers are going to eventually crease on me but I shouldn't have to worry about the dark circles coming through. I went ahead and gave it another go but this time I actually layered on another concealer just to make sure that the coverage that I like is there. I don't think this concealer would be good for anyone, considering that people use concealer to actual conceal blemishes, dark circles or any other things they do not want people to see. This definitely isn't the concealer for you if thats what you had in mind. I don't recommend it. It retails for about $7 or 8 but either way it can retail for $1 and its still not worth it.

Have you bought any drugstore products lately that have been a total bust? Let me know!

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Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation Review

I am always looking for the next best thing, if you haven't noticed. I love trying new makeup and just always seeing what can help me look and feel my best. I am not scared or turned off to anything drugstore since I don't think a high price tag equals quality and a cheaper version means its crap. I always like to try the cheaper brands since I feel like some people don't give them enough credit. I recently saw that +COVERGIRL l had a new line of makeup which was called the Ready Set Gorgeous. The name of the collection got me right away. I saw that it said it would give you flawless complexion and that it would be shine free medium coverage foundation. I immediately wanted to try it. I decided to pick this up the other night and immediately went home and tried it on. For the first night I didn't have it on for too long but I did notice that the coverage was great. It didn't get too oily but then again, I didn't use it for too long the first day. I just wanted to make sure that the coverage and color was good and as a first impression, this was a great foundation.

The next morning I decided to go ahead and use this as my makeup. I applied this with the BeautyBlender and again, the foundation went on amazing. It went on easy over my the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer. It looked flawless but natural. I think thats what I liked the most about it. The coverage wasn't caked on and it looked really natural. This foundation is shine free, oil free, it gives you instant correction and once it sets, you are good for all day. Today I wore it for around 14 hours before I went ahead and took it off. This stuff really does cease the shine. This foundation is really better than I could have imagined since it was drugstore brand. I am also always very skeptical about Covergirl brand in general since I usually think its a brand that is for children or teenagers but honestly thing foundation has definitely renewed my faith in them.

The foundation comes in a variety of different shades so there is definitely a color for you. It retails for $8.99 and I am not sure if this is a limited edition foundation but I have to say that if it is, hurry up and get it so that you don't miss out on a good foundation that is at an amazing drugstore price.

Do you have any good foundations that you've tried recently? Comment below! I would love to try different foundations

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Benefit They're Real Eye MakeUp Line

For those who know me, you know I am a sucker for a bold lip and an amazing mascara. I try a lot of different mascaras. I try from drugstore to premium brands like Benefit. Some brands are worth the pricier price tags but some you would be shocked that they are so cheap. One of my favorite mascaras is from Benefit. This is definitely a higher end mascara. You can find it in +Sephora. This mascara has a great wand. It separates your lashes like no other. It has more of that plastic brush and it has a ball on the end so that you can get in those inner and outer corners. The formula is great and it really does make your eyelashes look like they are fake.

Benefit just started to add to this fabulous collection. They recently added an eyeliner and an eye makeup remover. This is great since the mascara is so amazing already the brand and product line is already off to a great start. The eyeliner is for those girls that love that eyeliner that is just perfect. This liner is in a gel like pen form. In the past, you were either to get the pencil form or the gel form which you can apply with an angled brush. Benefit doesn't stop to amaze me with their products. A pen gel formula eyeliner. The tip has more of a rubberized feel and all you have to do is click up and dispense the gel. This formula enables you to be able to hug your lash line to give you that perfect liner look. Since it has a pen applicator, you can get a perfect cat eye and winged look. I am a total amature with the cat eye or winged look but with this liner, it will definitely make it easier to do. I am going to still need practice to avoid looking like a panda bear but if I am going to learn, this liner is probably the best one to learn with. 

Benefit is also adding a eye makeup remover which is perfect since trying to get all this stuff off your eyes is usually a challenge. They managed to create a balm like eye makeup remover. This is going to be great to remove all the eyeliner and mascara. This doesn't debut until June but I am already looking forward to this launch. The eyeliner will retail for $24 and the eye makeup remover will retail for $18 and for those who are interested in getting the mascara now, that retails for $23.

Do you have a favorite mascara or eyeliner? Let me know I would love to try new things!

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Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Extra Strength Formula Review

Yes so I am back with skincare! If you've been following you already know how much I love anything and everything skincare. I began using these peels when I got a sample on one of the purchases from Sephora. I loved it immediately. This is the extra-strength version of this peel. Its more of an anti-aging treatment. So what this is a peel that comes in a foolproof individual packaging. This peel is made for stubborn skin. It helps diminish fine lines, reduces pores, and treats breakouts. You can use this on a daily basis so its gentle enough to use every day. I personally don't use it every day because I am not that old so I don't feel I need to use it every day and plus it gets a bit irritating after a while. As you see in the picture, you see the packets come with a #1  and a #2. Basically all you need to do is wash your face and then put your #1 all over your face. You have to let it sit on your face for about 2 minutes. After that you put on #2 and then you are good to go. Do not wash your face and let your skin dry before you put on your eye cream or your moisturizer. Just don't go in with Toner or anything that would wash it away.

After a couple of uses you will see visible results. You will see your skin more firm and radiant. You will notice that your pores are less visible. This will even out your skintone and help even out any spots. Since everything is evening out and your pores are reducing, you will notice that your makeup goes on smoother and its lasts longer on your skin. Now this stuff is not cheap. The 30 day supply retails for $82 so its definitely not a cheap product but since I don't use it on a daily basis, it lasts a lot longer for me. I got my Mom hooked on this stuff and everyone started saying how amazing her skin looks. So it definitely works.  You can buy this in +Sephora +ULTA Beauty or any other place online that sells Dr. Dennis Gross. 

Do you have any peels that you love? Let me know what you think!

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Ipsy May Bag 2 Review

For those who do not know, +ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service. You get 4-5 samples of different beauty products based on a quiz that you fill out at sign up. This quiz can be changed at any time. Also these samples are the small little samples, they are more of the deluxe sample sizes that you get at +Sephora for like the 100 points and 250 points. Every month they have different things like nail polish, eye shadows, skincare stuff. There are a lot of different things that you can try and then if you would like to purchase, you can purchase the regular size with a discount since +ipsy also gives you promo codes. The monthly subscription is $10 if you go month to month or $110 or the year. I get 2 +ipsy bags a month just because. I really haven't found another monthly subscription bag that I really liked so I just get this one twice. If you are interested in getting a monthly subscription to +ipsy you can use this link. This ships around the world, I know because I also gifted my Mom a year subscription to this and she loves it already. Every month is a different theme that basically shape what you are going to get inside it. For May the theme is Beauty's Fresh Picks. The bag that you get this month is canvas which I love. Its a really nice bag this month. It has green leaves on it and kind of hemp looking/feeling. Its not as stiff as the other bags that we've gotten in the past. This month we got 5 products. 


The first product I received was Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask. Umm hello! This is great! This deep conditions, repairs your hair. It has argan oil and this doesn't really need explanation, this stuff is amazing. It also has Karavis protein in it and this helps strengthen your hair by adding elasticity to it. It smells really good and just after one use, your hair feels really soft but not too soft to where you can't really do anything with it. Its nice and doesn't really leave my hair too oily.

The second product I received was Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50 sunscreen. This is basically just a sunblock for when you are at the beach or somewhere else that you are active. This stuff is waterproof, sweatproof and has a 80 minute water resistance so you don't have to feel that you need to reapply or get out of the water to reapply when you are in there for an hour. It has a nice matte finish. This is great to use at the beach not prior to makeup application. 

The third product I got was Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Duo 1. This is a light brown shimmer more like a bronze color and then a opal light almost white pink. This eyeshadow is infused with coconut and they are apply really smooth. These are fairly pigmented, not OMG pigmented but enough to where you get good color pay off. I think the colors that I got are more wearable. This is something I can definitely use for work. I like using like nude colors when I have a bold lip. 

The fourth product I got is Boo Boo Cover Up in Medium. This is basically a concealer for when you get a cut. Its good to use instead of a bandage or ointment, you can put this on your wound and this not only covers it up but it will give you coverage just in case its in one of those areas where you don't want showing up. This concealer has aloe, chamomile, green tea, tea tree oil and Vitamin E. All these things are good for healing the wound like the aloe and then the chamomile is to make sure the redness goes away. The rest of the ingredients are there so that you won't be left with scars.




The fifth and final product is the Swissco Electroplated Eyelash Curler. It is just your regular run f the mill curler. I don't think anything special about this curler other than the fact that its purple. I noticed that you could have either gotten the purple or the blue one so I am happy I got the purple one. 



This month's bag was decent. I like when we get a lot of skincare products. I am all for skincare! I would love to see more peels and masks in every bag but hey for $10 these aren't too bad. I think they are definitely worth the $10 since you get a lot of good samples and some are even full size.

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Ipsy May Bag 1 Review

For those who do not know, +ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service. You get 4-5 samples of different beauty products based on a quiz that you fill out at sign up. This quiz can be changed at any time. Also these samples are the small little samples, they are more of the deluxe sample sizes that you get at +Sephora for like the 100 points and 250 points. Every month they have different things like nail polish, eye shadows, skincare stuff. There are a lot of different things that you can try and then if you would like to purchase, you can purchase the regular size with a discount since +ipsy also gives you promo codes. The monthly subscription is $10 if you go month to month or $110 or the year. I get 2 +ipsy bags a month just because. I really haven't found another monthly subscription bag that I really liked so I just get this one twice. If you are interested in getting a monthly subscription to +ipsy you can use this link. This ships around the world, I know because I also gifted my Mom a year subscription to this and she loves it already. Every month is a different theme that basically shape what you are going to get inside it. For May the theme is Beauty's Fresh Picks. The bag that you get this month is canvas which I love. Its a really nice bag this month. It has green leaves on it and kind of hemp looking/feeling. Its not as stiff as the other bags that we've gotten in the past. This month we got 5 products. 

The first product I received was Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50 sunscreen. This is basically just a sunblock for when you are at the beach or somewhere else that you are active. This stuff is waterproof, sweatproof and has a 80 minute water resistance so you don't have to feel that you need to reapply or get out of the water to reapply when you are in there for an hour. It has a nice matte finish. This is great to use at the beach not prior to makeup application. 

The second product I got was Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Duo 1. This is a light brown shimmer more like a bronze color and then a opal light almost white pink. This eyeshadow is infused with coconut and they are apply really smooth. These are fairly pigmented, not OMG pigmented but enough to where you get good color pay off. I think the colors that I got are more wearable. This is something I can definitely use for work. I like using like nude colors when I have a bold lip. 





The third product I got was the Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub. This is definitely up my alley. I love getting scrubs and peels in my Ipsy bags. This scrub is said to buff away surface cells, diminish the appearance of wrinkles and any type of acne scars. This scrub has little crystals  that have Dead Sea Salt and Volcanic Sand. It also has lemon and lime because they are natural astringents and then antioxidants like Grape seed and Vitamin E. This scrub smells like lemons and it is definitely not a soft scrub. If you have sensitive skin, just be careful. I don't so when I used it last night, I wet my face and then just put on a little scrub and rubbed it in my skin for about 3 minutes. Once I rinsed it out, it left my skin feeling really soft and glowing. I love this stuff and probably my favorite item in the bag.

The fourth product that I received was the Hey Honey Take It Off exfoliating honey peel off mask. Another one of my favorite things in the Ipsy bags. This particular mask is a mask and unlike the microdermabrasion scrub this one is a gel mask that helps smooth and clear complexion. It leaves your skin feeling like you just got a facial. Since it has honey in it, it leaves your skin smooth and hydrated. What you are suppose to do is just put on a light moisturiser and then apply a thin layer of the mask all over your face, obviously avoiding your eyes.  You can leave it on until its completely dried which usually takes around 15-20 minutes. I like to leave it on for about 30 minutes just to make sure. Once dry, all you need to do is peel it off and that will reveal your beautified skin. You will get addicted to this stuff quick!


The fifth and last product is the Pur-lisse Pur-moist Hydra Balance Moisturizer. This moisturizer is a light smooth gel like cream. It isn't greasy and it doesn't feel like you have anything on your face but its leaves your skin hydrated. It is great to use as a primer if you have dry skin and since it dries really smooth so your make up would apply nicely.





This is what was in my bag and all in all I think this was a great bag. I love skincare products though so maybe thats why I like the bag this month so much. I know a lot of other people were not happy. I read a lot of comments on my Instagram feed but for me, this was good.

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Beauty Box 5 May Edition Review

I went overboard with the monthly subscriptions this month but thats just because I got coupon codes so the first ones were free. I received the May box like 2 days ago and I have to say, this is the most disappoint box I've ever received. This is even worse than BirchBox. We only got 5 samples that were true sample sizes. 

The first product that we received was Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion it was a small bottle of lotion and it helps improve the health of your skin. You immediately feel your skin smoother by the first use. The full bottle retails for $8.49 and its a great lotion.



The next product is from H2O and I actually love this brand. I buy the majority of this brand in Marshalls and TJMaxx but I love it. Its a great skincare brand. I love their body scrubs and their masks. I had high hopes for this lotion and the second I put it on my hands I was amazed. I need to get the full version of this. It leaves your hands moisturized and not feeling greasy or anything. The smell is regular nothing 'omg' special. This retails for $15 but I guarantee I can find it in Marshalls or TJMaxx for around $5.99

The next product are the Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths. I also received one of these in the Total Beauty Test Tube box and in this box I received 3 more samples. They are basically face wipes for the body. They are to refresh your body by leave you feeling cool. These are good for after the gym or after a long hot day in NYC. These are particularly good because they do not leave you with a gross sticky feeling like other wipes do. These leave you with a cooling powdery finish and this is what leaves you feeling actually refreshed. This retails for $3 and you can find them in drugstores.



The next product is a perfume sample of Harvey Prince Hello. I am usually not fond of perfume samples since I usually get a lot of those in the Sephora online purchases and after a while I just have way too much to use up before they get bad. This perfume was actually really good though. It has a floral Spring smell to it. It was light and not too heavy. Didn't give me a headache or anything. It says that it has hints of grapefruit, mandarin, forsythia and plumeria. The full bottle retails for $55.

The final product was probably the biggest sample but it did say it was still sample size. This was the Cattiva Precisione Eye Liner. Its a good liner because its not only waterproof but its also retractable so no need to worry about sharpening. This is the product that I would use the most. It doesn't smudge and it's good for tightlining not because it stays but because it doesn't smudge all over the corners of your eyes. Its not a messy eyeliner. This came in black and it retails for $20. 

Again, this monthly box retails for $12 and there are no full size samples. These are samples that you would get in a Sephora or in the mail. It just wasn't worth the $12 especially since with Ipsy you get full size products. I already cancelled my subscription for this one.

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VIB Rouge Créme Lipstick in VIB Bright Red

There are times that a girl just needs to wear a bold lipstick to make her feel better. This is my theory-- when you are feeling a bit blah just go with a nice pair of shoes and a bold lip! You can't go wrong! You look fierce and you will feel fierce! That being said I wanted to review one of my new favorite red lippies. I had become a VIB Rouge member in Sephora at the beginning of the year. It was cool to get an upgraded card and a nice welcome to the club gift. You get a Bite Cosmetics VIB Rouge Creme Lipstick in the VIB Bright limited edition red. This color is just perfect. Its not matte which is something that I am not used to liking. I am definitely more of a Matte lipcolor especially when it comes to a bold color but this red is just perfect. It has a blue undertone which helps your teeth look whiter and I think this color will look good on all skin tones. Its just one of those colors that would make anyone go from normal to GLAM in just a second.

I wore this with a plain eye. I usually just put a cream eyeshadow and then just tightline with a dark brown or black eyeshadow. I go in with bold mascara meaning I use a couple of coats, make sure they are fanned and curled. I also have bolder eyebrows so I don't go crazy with my eyes if I want to make this a day time look which is what I did. I lined my lips with NYX lipliner in bloom which is a fuchsia pink color just because its the closest color to red that I have. I put the lipstick on and this color goes on so pigmented that you really only need one swipe of color. It goes on satin finish since its not really glossy but its not matte. I wore it through eating and drinking and the color stayed on the whole day. I was really happy to have received this and will probably get the full size. This lipstick retails for $28 and honestly its just one of those colors that is totally worth it. I don't know if I can even mention a dupe. If I find one I will definitely let you guys know!

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Macadamia Natural Oil Flawless

Not sure if you have seen lately that  there have been a lot of different brands coming out with a cleansing conditioner or a conditioning cleanser for your hair. It basically is a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner but not the ones that we are used to seeing when we were growing up. This is something that conditions your hair more and the ones that I've tried so far don't leave your hair feeling like yarn. If you read my post from yesterday, you know I received this product in the May Test Tube container. 

I saw the Macadamia brand and automatically thought 'crap, I'm not going to like this because it will make my hair all gross and greasy'. I had to wash my hair so I decided to use this instead of my regular shampoo and conditioner. First of all, the instructions aren't really clear and I had to Google how to use it first. I wanted to make sure that I was actually doing this correctly.What you are suppose to do is wet your hair just like you would if you were going to wash your hair with shampoo and instead of using shampoo and conditioner, you use this. It says to use 2 pumps and just make sure that you rub it in your hair. It says to massage your scalp to make sure that it has a chance to cleanse from the root to the ends. You can add water just to make sure that you have enough to make sure it saturates your hair. I didn't leave it in for long, it says to massage it in for about 3 to 5 minutes. I probably did 3 and then went under the shower for about 10 minutes just to make sure I didn't have any residue left. I wanted to make sure that I didn't have any greasiness left. I was reading some reviews and some people said that it was greasy. For me it wasn't greasy.

So this Flawless 6 in 1 cleansing conditioner is suppose to refine hair texture and optimize the styling process. It claims to cut the blow drying process in half. I can tell you that I don't think it cut my blow drying process in half not even a quarter. It usually takes me 20-25 minutes and I think it took me about the same amount of time. Now it did give my hair a nice shine to it. The ends don't look as frayed even though they aren't really frayed but since I don't really spend a lot of time blow drying my hair sometimes the looks a bit rough. I do blow dry my hair at night so I figured once I slept on it, my hair in the morning would be greasy but to my surprise it wasn't at all. Actually, today is probably one of the best days to try this out since its 93% humidity today and I have to say that my hair isn't weighed down nor is it frizzy. I honestly wanted to hate this stuff but I can say that this is definitely a good buy. 

One thing I want to bring up is that I didn't buy this separately. I got it in the Test Tube May edition so I didn't know how much it retailed for until I researched it. I saw that the little bottle that I got retails for $15 and the bigger bottle retails for $30. Now thats a lot of money but if you think about it, its really replacing your shampoo and your conditioner. I haven't used this enough to see how many uses I get out of the $15 bottle so I can't really say if its REALLY worth it but I do like the product. 

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New Beauty May Test Tube Review

You've probably heard about the different monthly subscriptions that are out there. I noticed that there are so many that one can definitely get either overwhelmed or carried away. I always like Ispy so I get that one every month. I recently started following different groups on Facebook that were dedicated to all types of monthly subscriptions. One of the good things is that they post promo codes so you can get your 1st month free. So this is exactly what I did. It couldn't hurt to try it for free. This monthly "box" its more of a tube is called New Beauty Test Tube. It retails for $38 a month and honestly I would never subscribe for it if it weren't free for one month. I got the box and cancelled my subscription. 

I did get some cool stuff. I wanted to share some of the products that came in the May month.

First thing was a full size TanTowel in Classic. These are found in Sephora but I've never really tried them. They are like face wipes but they are for tanning. So basically you take one out of the packet and then you rub it across your body and face. I only use them on my legs and arms. Just always remember to always wash your hands after using any type of sunless tanning products.  I am not big with putting a tanning wipe on my face. The shade I got in the box is for Fair to Medium skin so I might need 2 or 3 uses to even see a result since its made for paler skin. This retails for $24 so if you think about it, its already a good deal within the box.

Next is the Macadamia Natural Oil Flawless cleansing conditioner. I really did like this product. Again, this is one that I've never tried but I have seen this in drugstores or Target and places like that. I did notice that its on the pricier side. So basically what this does is its a conditioner that cleanses your hair too so its like a 2 in 1 shampoo but conditioner. It doesn't leave your hair stringy feeling or anything. It comes in a pump foam and all you have to do is while showering, you wet your hair and then you dispense a few pumps in your hand and put it on your wet hair. I like to put it in the middle of the back of my head. A little bit lower than my crown. This helps it distribute to the roots since I have really long hair and also get my scalp. Massage in your hair for about 5 minutes and then rinse. Your hair is soft and you definitely see it shinier. More of a review on this tomorrow. This is a smaller than full size and this retails for $15

Next product is an Evercolor Shadow stick by Mally Cosmetics. Its a full size sample so

thats good. The color says it s violet and I tried this. I always go in with a bad perception for any cream shadows. I just don't like them. I think they crease too much and its just too heavy on my eyelids. This was no different. The color doesn't look purple at all. It was a bit crumbly which now to think of it, I am going to report that to Test Tube to see if this is actually suppose to happen. Its a good concept and I was stoked to try a product from her line since she has been my makeup idol since I was a child but I don't like this. I was really disappointed with this eyeshadow stick. This retails for $25

Next product was Revision Skincare Intellishade Broad Spectrum SPF 45. Its like a BB or CC cream. The size samples are extremely small. Probably 2 uses each which sucks because I think I would have liked this product more than any of them. I haven't used it yet but it says that this is suppose to brighten and even skin tone and also help fight aging. The normal size bottle retails for $52.

The next product is Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair. Its a deep conditioner for your hair. I've gotten a sample of this before I believe from Ipsy and I loved it. Again, the sample size is microscopic so I honestly have enough for either 1 good use or 2 uses if I use it on my ends only. This stuff is definitely worth buying. It helps increase your hair's elasticity so that it won't break as fast. It also has biotin in it which is great for your hair. It makes your hair shiny and just overall hydrated. The avocado and almond and argan oils in this will give you that shine and hydration. The normal size of this stuff retails for $26

Next up is Jergens BB Body perfecting skin cream. I have attempted to buy this but this stuff retails for about $15 and honestly I cannot see myself paying $15 for drugstore body lotion. I've heard great things about it. It helps color correct your skin just like a BB or CC cream does for your face, this is doing it for your skin. If you are older and you have uneven skintones on your legs, I'd definitely recommend you give this a try, other than that I don't think its worth it.

The test tube sample that I got was the Yu-Be moisturizing skin cream. This sample is very small. Almost as small as the Revisions BB cream. Its kind of like a Japanese vaseline. Or at least thats what it reminds me of. It does have more of a menthol feel to it but all in all you can use it the same way you would Vaseline. One good and major difference is that this stuff isn't greasy and doesn't sit on top of your skin. This actually seeps into your skin leaving it grease and oil free. The smaller tube retails for $16 and the large jar retails for $25

Those were the main part of the samples that you got in the May box to "test" but within the box you also got a smaller baggie of more samples and the samples that I got there was Cotz Face Sun Screen. Its a small sample packet and it says that its Silky soft lightly tinted and sheer matte finish. It was an SPF 40 so its definitely good for summer. The next sample is Dan Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths. These are like face wipes but these are suppose to help you refresh during the hotter months if you sweat a lot. It is better than just usual wipes because it has a silky powdery finish. I've read a lot about these so I am glad I got one to sample. Another sample is a little bottle of Tuscan honey hand therapy lotion. Its a good purse size sample which I love. I like to always have lotion on my hands to make sure my cuticles don't get dry looking. The last sample was a sheet face mask. One that I had reviewed a while back. Its the Avocado & Vitamin E one which is a great mask so its never bad to have more.

These are all the things I got and now to think of it, it is worth the $38 just because I did get 2 full size products that retailed for $25 each so those 2 products alone, its worth it. I might think about it again but for now I am opting to not get this. 

Do you have a monthly subscription box that you like? Let me know! Send me your referral links!

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