Mario Badesco ENZYME CLEANSING GEL

Eventually I will go hard on reviewing makeup but since its Summer, I realize that I don't wear as much makeup as I did before. I like to make sure my face looks great and sometimes it has its ups and downs. I always need to make sure that I use a good cleanser to take off the makeup that I do put on and also make sure that my skin is cleaned from all the sut of New York City. I like to try different things so even if I find one that I like, I would probably change it up and try something different and then maybe go back to it after. I am a part of different groups on Facebook so that I can see what other people are doing and what they are trying out and one of the posts put me in contact with +Mario Badescu Skin Care Inc. and I was really happy that their website offers you free samples after filling out a skin profile. 

One of the products that they did sent me was the cleanser which was the Enzyme Cleansing gel. This is a non-foaming, gel cleanser thoroughly removed the day's makeup, dirt and oil without drying the skin. This cleanser has Papaya and grapefruit extracts which even though it doesn't have scrubby components it has those extracts that are exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids that help prevent dulling build-up that can cause blackheads and pimples. I tried it and immediately thought it wasn't really cleansing since it doesn't really lather. In a cleanser, I like to have something that foams up and maybe have something like scrubs in it since I feel that really cleans my skin that way. There are something that feels clean when a cleanser foams and scrubs your skin. After using this product for about 2 months now, I have to say it works. I use it with my +Clarisonic so the scrubbing is done with that and I do have to say that it works. It clears my skin and removed my makeup when I don't use a face wipe to remove it. 

This cleanser retails for about $20 and its a huge bottle that you get. I got the travel size and it was about $6 and I've been using it for about 2 months already so I don't think its an expensive cleanser. I know you can buy this in +ULTA Beauty and +Urban Outfitters.

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Skinfood Rice Mask

As you know I live in the Beauty Section of Urban Outfitters now that its so close to the

office. I recently got a huge haul of sheet masks and just different little things. When I made my purchase the nice cashier gave me about 10 samples of this Skinfood Rice Mask. I feel in love with this brand a while back when I tried their snail sheet masks. The product description for this is that its a wash-off mask that transforms skin into a pure and soft texture. This contains rice bran water so I think this is what makes it work. The directions are to use after cleansing and gently massage with ample amount over dry face avoiding eyes and mouth area. It tells you to concentrate around nose area and repeat so that the little grains are scrubbing into your skin. It tells you to rinse with lukewarm water after 10-15 minutes of scrubbing. The consistency of this product is really nice. It is somewhat light, watery but not runny. It stays on the skin really well and doesn't drip off if you keep it on which I love. It also feel cooling when you apply it on your skin. Not sure if it has something like menthol. It contains tiny particles which scrubs your skin and exfoliates. I have very oily skin as you know but I think this product is really good for people with dry skin as well. It leaves my skin really moisturizing and the scrub isn't so much but just enough to remove the dead skin cells. 

This mask is all good. I love it and would definitely recommend it. It does however, have a smell to it. It kind of smells like rice. I don't mind the smell but I've always seen different reviews and know that a lot of people hate things that smell. But all in all I love this mask and I've been using it ever since I got the samples for about once a week. My skin is always left soft and fresh and its a nice clean feeling. This mask retails for $18 and depending on how much you use it, it can last you at least 2 months. Its not that bad giving that this leaves your skin feeling amazing. You can buy this mask at +Urban Outfitters online or in-store. You can also get it Amazon or The Face Shop. 

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TONYMOLY Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel

Hello hello! I've been on vacation for the last week and decided to take time off from

blogging. So I am back and better than ever. I've been able to collect more beauty products so I already have a lot of different topics to talk about. After a vacation, I like to get my skin back in check and make sure that everything look back to normal. I have a little bit more color so I have to make sure I'm using different skincare products that are not as harsh to my skin. One of the things that I've noticed is my blackheads. I've been wanting to see what Korean brands have to treat these. There was a new Urban Outfitters that opened up in Herald Square here in NYC. I resisted the urge to go the first 2 weeks of opening but definitely went there the third. I walked in and its a huge space and they have a whole separate beauty section in the back. Its got everything known to man. A great selection of International Beauty products. I fell in love with Tony Moly products a while back so I was excited to try this product. 

I decided to pick up the Tony Moly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel. This products is a wash off type of gel mask that will melt away the blackheads. Just as the name states, this product helps out in removing blackheads. Once you put this gel on your face it turns white because the micro beads and the gel mixes together and it emulsifies on your skin. It says that you should massage into your skin for 2-5 minutes. After using this for a couple of days now, you notice how the appearance of your blackheads actually disappear. Its a great product and I definitely recommend this product to everyone. It retails for $16 and its definitely worth it. You can buy in +Urban Outfitters in-store or online. 

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PETER THOMAS ROTH FIRMx™ Peeling Gel

Before I went on vacation I read about this mask on some of the blogs that I read on a regular basis. It was one of those free samples when you bought something in +Sephora and I thought it would be good to try since the reviews I read were amazing. Okay so just to hear about the brand-- Peter Thomas Roth is a great higher end skincare line that you can find in +Sephora and I believe +ULTA Beauty. Lately, I've really been into peels. I really liked the Dr Dennis Gross and I even got my mom addicted to that one. Its really good because its one that doesn't really sting your skin and you don't really feel it burning or anything when you use it but you do feel a difference and you can see a difference. 

When I first say this mask, I wasn't really super excited to try this because I didn't think this was something that was going to work too well. I read the packaging and it says that this is a peel that is in a gel form that visibly rolls, lifts, sweeps away dead skin cells when massaged into skin. I had a feeling that this was going to be a little too strong for my skin because I am only 29 and I don't have those crazy wrinkles as of yet. When looking into the ingredients, this peel has multiaction enzymes which are natural like pomegranate, pineapple and keratinase. There is also cellulose in it that effectively peels and helps uncover the first layer of skin which will make you skin smooth, fresh and have a new complexion without drying, irritate or cause undue stress to your skin. After all this peeling all you are left with is youthful and radiant looking skin. 

I decided to give it a try at first the liquid is like it said a gel but more of a watery gel and you smooth it over your skin. The instructions say to leave it on from 1-5 minutes so I left it on for 5 minutes and then you begin to rub it into your face with circular motions and immediately you see that something is rubbing off. It doesn't look like skin or anything. It looks like the actual gel is just balling up and nothing really crazy. It doesn't sting or anything. Once I rubbed my face for about a minute, I washed it off. I was ready to be disappointed because honestly nothing really happened. Then I dried my skin and felt it smoother than it was before. My nose didn't feel like it had blackheads in it. My cheeks were smoother. I was pleasantly surprised on how gentle this was. Gentle to me usually means ineffective so when I actually felt results, I was surprised. 

This retails for $48 and you can find it in +Sephora or +ULTA Beauty in-stores and online. I definitely think its a great peel for all ages. Its gentle so I think its great for those who have sensitive skin since it was really gentle on my skin. 

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DR. BRANDT SKINCARE CC Glow Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Back to makeup/skincare reviews. Lately, I've been noticing that there are a lot of products that are more of a two in one type of product. They are great skincare benefits and also give you makeup qualities. CC creams are all the rave right now especially now for the summer. Its a light weight, nice coverage, SPF color correcting cream. I love being able to just wear CC creams because it usually means that my face is acting right and I don't need the extra coverage. I also like to use CC creams when I am tanned. Its because a lot of CC creams come in limited colors which means that a medium would probably blend in enough for when I am tan and not tan. I don't go sun crazy on my face when I get sun during the summer. I usually put SPF 20-45. This protects my skin so that I don't have to worry about wrinkles in the long run. Now that I live in NYC, I definitely do not go to the beach as much as I did when I live in Puerto Rico. Oh! I remember when I lived there I was at the beach every weekend at least once a weekend from January to August. Those were the days! Now, living in NYC I am able to have any type of access to anything I would dream of in terms of beauty products but the 'beaches' are crap. 

If you've read some of my past posts, you know that I love the Dr. Brandt brand. I've been hooked on the Glow day and night cream for about 3 months now. This stuff is amazing. It has made my skin look more radiant and the retinol has definitely been cleared up any blemishes that I had and also my wrinkles which aren't a lot but I do have laugh lines along with wrinkles around my eyes. This Glow line also has a CC cream that is available. It is like the Glow daytime lotion with a CC cream. So it comes in the color 'natural' which is a good color for me if I am not tanned but I do think it is too light for me the second I have some color. This is the only bad thing about this stuff, it only comes in one color. But if you are part of the lucky ones that are light to medium complexion, I would definitely recommend this for you. This cream illuminates and brightens your skin with the same ruby crystal complex that is in the Glow cream. This also hydrates your skin so that your skin is smoother which makes your wrinkles and lines diminish and also has SPF30 as an added layer of protection.  It also has a concentrated amount of Vitamin C which does wonders to making your skin more radiant. The tint in this conceals imperfections and it evens your skin tone more naturally because its not a heavy caked on coverage. 

You can find this CC cream online or in +Sephora. It retails for about $39 and I know for CC creams this is expensive considering there are a lot of drugstore brands that are as good in color correcting creams plus this isn't for everyone considering it is only available in one color. I do recommend if you don't have the Glow day cream considering this basically is the same cream but tinted. Hope this review helps you decide whether you need to buy this or if you've been eyeing it but couldn't splurge especially since its a pricey CC cream. 

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Borghese Stimulating Tonic

I started to fall in love with Borghese since my Twitter/BFF +Nicole YoungWildandPolished started talking about it in her Youtube channel. I've always seen this brand in TJMaxx and Marshalls but since I really didn't have too much information on it I wasn't going to buy it. I decided to finally buy some products and one of the products that I bought was their toner. OMG! This brand is luxury and a half. I do understand why this brand is so expensive. I don't think I would ever buy this stuff in a regular store for the regular price. I was able to buy this in Marshalls down in Puerto Rico one time I was there visiting. 

I don't ever expect a lot from toners because to me they are just a step in my skincare routine. I like how toners usually remove excess oils that were left on the skin. This toner is orange and you need to make sure you shake it before using it because if you let it settle you will see that white I guess it could be powder that accumulates at the bottom. This toner is like a two phase formula that not only tones but it calms and balances the skin after your cleansing phase. This toner is enriched with minerals that activates when applied to your skin and it brightens your skin and restores the tightness to your skin. This particular toner also has oil control mattifying properties. I believe that this is what the white powder that accumulates at the bottom is for. You will notice that after one application you skin will feel soft and refreshed. It has witch hazel in it so this helps refine your pores and it also restores clarity and radiance to your skin. 

This toner retails for $30 which is bizarre for a toner even for me. I would never spend that much money on a toner. This was available for a while in TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It retailed for $7.99 or $9.99 I believe. Which obviously is not cheap for a toner but since now you understand that this brand is a luxury brand and normally retails for $30 then the $10 is a steal. If you find it in TJ Maxx or Marshalls I definitely recommend you trying this out. If you cannot don't waste your money. 

Do you have any of those guilty pleasure beauty products that you've realized are a must have? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to try them!

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Sunscreens.. why this is needed ASAP

Summer time is starting to arrive here in NYC. We had great weather during Memorial Day Weekend and we are finally getting 80 degree weather. I wonder if it will drop drastically again! Womp Womp-- I hope not!! But now that we are in the summer months I figured it can't hurt to talk about sunscreen. I know a lot of you say "Well I use sunscreen when I go to the beach or when I lay out" that doesn't really help all that much. Imagine lets say you go out to the beach once a week even if you do it two times a week (Saturday and Sunday) in one month thats 8 times a week. Thats not that much time considering you probably go outside for longer periods of time when you are not at the beach or pool. This means when you go to work or when you are out running errands basically anytime you are not inside in a room without windows you are being exposed to sunlight. You need to make sure that you are protecting your skin all of those times as well. 

A lot of my friends come to me on a daily basis and ask me questions about makeup or my nails or why my skin looks so good or what they should do for their hair or if they have a specific beauty concern. If I am asked anything makeup or skincare related I immediately ask them their skincare routine. I need to know that they are taking care of their skin because doesn't matter what type of makeup they buy, if your skin looks like crap, sorry to say but the rest of your routine will look like crap. I have noticed with a lot of my friends and family that sunscreen isn't a priority at all. They don't even mention it in their routine among other things they don't mention like moisturizer or toner or night creams. But back to the sunscreen, a lot of people think they only need sunscreen when they lay out in the sun or that they don't like sunscreen because its too thick and it will make their already oily skin, more oily. OMG this gets me so frustrated!!! There are many different types of sunscreens that you can get. Yes you have your regular +Banana Boat  brand that is great for when you go out to the beach or pool because these are usually long wearing and waterproof which is a good thing. There are different brands mostly skincare brands that have face sunscreen and not the kind you use when you go to the beach but skincare ones. All you really need to do is read the labels, you will notice that a lot of the BB creams have SPF in them. Now a days a lot of foundation has SPF. I personally fell in love with a tinted moisturizer so basically it is a "two birds with one stone" type of product. I've mentioned it before here but its the Coola Face SPF 20 Rose Essence Tint this stuff even for oily skin is great. It gives me SPF 20 and it is also a tinted moisturizer which also leave your skin smooth if you wanted to use this as your primer. I have to say that I love this stuff. I still recommend this moisturizer and you still get the sunscreen you need for your daily routine. 

I guess what I am trying to get at here is that you need need need need need sunscreen and there are many different types of sunscreens out there. You can get oil free ones so that it doesn't make your skin oily. You can get tinted ones so that you don't have to add on an extra layer of product on your face. There are a bunch of different sunscreens out there.I recommend you go to +Sephora , drugstore or a department store and ask them to recommend a sunscreen for you to integrate to your daily routine. Just give them facts, whether you are someone who wears makeup and you basically want to put it under your makeup or if you just want to only wear that. Let them know if you have sensitive skin or if you break out easily, more information is always key.

Let me know what sunscreens you use? Do you have any that are a staple in your daily routine? Maybe you swear by one when you are laying out in the sun? Let me know I would love to try them!

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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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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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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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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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DR. BRANDT SKINCARE dr brandt® collagen booster™

Back to skincare! You always need to make sure you are taking care of your skin the best way you can. Surprisingly my dad +Hector Rodas told me that if I really was serious about taking care of my skin to make sure it doesn't age as much, I really need to worry about collagen. Once he said that I started looking into different collagen products and I had recently fell in love with Dr Brandt skincare products so it was a no brainer when I saw that this one had 4.5 out of 5 star review on +Sephora. 

The product is called Dr Brandt Collagen Booster and this is a serum with concentrated amounts of age fighting amino acids. This is the key component to anti-aging. This customized blend goes into your skin and it helps to stop the loss of collagen in your skin. Not only does it stop the loss of collagen but it also helps produce more collagen. This will increase elasticity in your skin which will ultimately minimize the appearance of wrinkles. Everything in the product screams 'HELL YEA I WANT THAT' and I was all for making sure to use it in my daily routine asap. Woman that has used this said that after 4 weeks they already saw improvement in their skin's resilience and the elasticity. Now for all of you out there that aren't anti-aging obsessed like I am-- elasticity is that something you have in your skin when you are a teenager. When you skin was just nice and plump. You know when you see a baby's face-- there are no lines and its just all gorgeous? That is what elasticity. It makes your skin plump so that wrinkles don't have enough time to sink in. Therefore, the more elasticity you have in your skin, the less wrinkles you have. 

I've been using this on and off for about 4 months now and I love it.I go on and off of it

because I just have so many different products and I want to make sure that I use everything before they all expire. This one I've noticed usually makes my skin glow. My skin feels very soft in the mornings and its just very youthful looking. And I can say that after a couple of weeks of not using it, when I went back to it, I saw results immediately. I am not sure if my skin just gets used to it after 2 weeks which is probably why I went on to something else but this stuff is amazing. It retails for about $78 in +Sephora which is a pretty penny and I honestly understand those who do not want to spend that much money on a serum but if you do splurge, I'd try to see if you can get it on another website like SkinStore which you can usually find coupons for like 20% off and then you can at least get a little bit of a discount. Or you can always go to Sephora and ask them for a sample of it and there at least you can try it and see if you like it and if you can see a difference. 

Do you have an anti-aging product that you swear by? I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below. 

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Clean & Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Wash, Oil-Free

If you've been following my blog posts you know that lately I've been complaining about how my face has broke out recently. Not sure what the reason was exactly but it can be one of many things. The weather is changing, hormones, stress, eating habits are all different factors that can cause your skin to break out. I've been all of the above. So when my face started to break out, I wasn't surprised. I already knew what I needed to do. I changed my skincare routine a bit to fit in more of acne fighting regimen. 

Since I have a lot of different skincare products, I don't always go through the whole bottle before acquiring something different. I also try to give my skin a break from the same thing since after a while a specific routine usually becomes ineffective for me. So once something happens to my skin, I start looking through my stash and I came across this Clean & Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Wash. I decided to give it a whirl. Honestly, I forgot how good this cleanser was. It isn't drying at all. Thats the main thing that I have to say I like about this cleanser. It dispenses in a foam way and it doesn't feel like it is over-drying your skin. Actually, once you wash the soap off your face, your skin feels really smooth. It really does sooth your skin per the claims. This cleanser has salicylic acid in it so it is a really strong acne but since it also has aloe and avocado, it's really soothing to your skin and won't over-dry it while clearing your blemishes. 

Since I don't have acne per say I guess some of you might be thinking, why don't I just use

an acne spot treatment? Okay so I wanted to give you my rundown of spot treatments-- they don't work! I honestly have never found an acne treatment that works the way it claims. I've used the Kate Somerville drying lotion which is that pink milking cream liquid that looks like calamine lotion and people say that they put this on a blemish and overnight it goes away. I used this for about a week on a blemish and I felt like this stuff made the blemish stick around longer. It definitely didn't clear the blemish any faster than if I didn't use anything at all. I've used other drugstore brands and I have the same thing happen. None of them really clear up the blemish any quicker than if I didn't use anything at all. Its like I use them to make myself feel better and make me feel like I am proactively taking care of the blemish but its not really doing anything. This is why I usually opt for the cleanser which covers my whole face also masks. I am a huge fan of clay masks. I think they are the best for oily skin and for me they are the most effective treatment to blemishes.

This cleanser retails for $7.99 so its a great deal. I honestly have had it for about 3 months since I don't really use it all the time. I still have a lot left and after another 2 or 3 weeks I will probably go ahead and store it in my stash again. 

Do you have any tricks or tips that you use to clear that pesky blemish? Let me know! I would love to try new things.

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NYX Baked Blush Review

Now that Spring is in the air everywhere else except in the Northeast I always look for ways to change my make up look to make it more Spring-y and less Winter-y. One way to do that is use a different blush. I usually like the darker colors for blush since I am more of a medium olive tone skin color. In the Winter, I like more of a matte finish to my blushes, I usually also go for colors that are more muted. These pair well with a nude lip or a bold dark lip. For Spring, I let it all out. I like to go lighter on my foundation so I usually go with a BB cream and then just concealer to make sure that my under eyes don't look like I haven't slept in years. I also like to add a blush that has a bit of a sheen to it. Something that isn't a highlighter but that has bit of a highlighting aspect to it. I wanted to get the +Too Faced Cosmetics Sweethearts Perfect Flush blush but it retails for about $30 and I thought that was a bit crazy for a blush. I 

Lately I've been trying a lot of different blushes and I heard that NYX was coming out with a Baked Blush. I saw this and jumped on it immediately. I love how these look on my face. When you swatch them on your finger, you immediately see that the color is sheer and has a bit of a highlighter feel to it. This is a blush that you need to really layer on so that you can see color but honestly I like that about this blush. I like that you don't have to be careful with it. I like how you really need to use your brush and apply a lot of layers. This gives you the freedom to have more of a loose hand and not worry about looking like a clown. They come in a lot of colors from pinks to bronzers and for drugstore blushes, I think these are one of the best ones out there.

They retail for about $6 each which is nothing compared to its +Sephora dupe from +Too Faced Cosmetics which is $30. I definitely recommend these more for the Spring and Summer seasons just because they look nice since they have highlighter built in already. Do you have a favorite blush? I'd love to hear about it! Definitely let me know!

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Rimmel Stay Matte Primer Review

One of my really good friends +Madeline Mulero has been asking for my "expertise" lately about makeup lately which I love since I always love talking about makeup. Mind you, she lives in Puerto Rico and I am here in NYC. There is a bit of a distance issue but with technology that we have now a days we make it work. She recently had to go to a wedding and in April in Puerto Rico its already really hot and it was outside. She really needed tips to making your makeup last. Okay so as you guys know I have really oily skin. I use a setting spray +Urban Decay Cosmetics All Nighter or the +e.l.f. Cosmetics Matte one every single day and honestly my skin still gets oily and my makeup doesn't look like it did when I left the house in the morning. It just doesn't and I've tried everything from good primers to good foundations and honestly at this point of my life, I've learned to accept it.

While +Madeline Mulero was in the drugstore searching for some of the products that I told her she should buy, she showed me Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer. I automatically thought, hmm I need to try this. I already use the Stay Matte foundation and I have to say that this is really good. It does hold the oily back better than normal foundations that don't have that component in it. One thing I do advise about the Stay Matte foundation is that you need to make sure you don't use a lot. I made the mistake with putting a lot on my hand and applying it to my face and wow! I needed to watch my face and start over. So just be careful. I also add a little bit of the Garnier Ultra-Lift Transformer Anti-Age Skin Corrector so the matte is cut a little bit because it can be a bit cakey looking.

I finally got the primer and was super excited to try this out. I opened it up and was expecting that milky white see through silicone gel texture and instead it was creamy more of a lotion type look and I was already skeptical. I put it on and it dried nicely. It was smooth and my foundation went on very nice over it. I had it on all day. I live in NYC and today was a cool spring day but I was running around so I did sweat a bit and when I got home I took a look at my face and I was stunned. I couldn't believe how my face didn't look oily at all. It obviously didn't look as matte and put together as it did in the morning but I was stunned because the Hourglass Liquid to Powder foundation didn't look this good after a day of wear. Hourglass foundation is $55 and Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer and Stay Matte Foundation are $6.99 each that's still cheaper than one foundation. 

I definitely recommend this if you have oily skin or if you are going to do something outside where you think you are going to sweat and you need your makeup to stay put without looking like a greaseball. I think this is perfect for you.

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Aveeno® Positively Radiant® Brightening Cleanser

I needed to buy a new cleanser and this time I wanted to stay away from ones that had extra exfoliating elements. I just feel that since I use my +Clarisonic I don't really need to a cleanser that is harsh. I wanted drugstore because I guess I just didn't want to spend the extra money for one of the more expensive brands in like Sephora. After looking around at all the different brands, I went with Aveeno which is a great brand. This specific cleanser I purchased was part of their Positively Radiant collection. Its the brightening cleanser which we all know if you follow me is that I love anything and everything that makes me look like I have a radiant glow to my skin. Honestly since I am almost hitting 30, I am more worried about my skincare than actual makeup. My philosophy is that if the foundation isn't good, anything you build on top of it will just not look good so I figured I need to preserve my skin now that its still young-ish looking.

This cleanser is suppose to help improve your skin tone, texture and clarity to reveal brighter, more radiant skin. Everything about that description says I need to have this now. Who doesn't want brighter more radiant skin? Crazy people! Aveeno is a great brand because they are all for the natural so in this cleanser it has soy extract that is good with moisturizing the skin. The cleanser will remove dirt and makeup without over-drying. I personally do not have a problem with a cleanser being too harsh but for those of you out there that have sensitive skin, this cleanser is gentle enough to use every day twice a day. Its oil free, hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic. This is a given with this brand which is why I love it so much. 

When you dispense the cleanser on your hands, you see that it has an opal color to it. If you put it to the light it will have this opal radiance to it which is gorgeous for a cleanser. It doesn't have a harsh smell to it. Nothing too much, it is mostly non scented. But its really gentle and it does feel like its washing my face. I apply it on my face first and then go in with the Clarisonic so I can get a deeper clean. I've been using this for about a week now and I love how my face is looking so far. This retails for about $6 or $7 which isn't that much compared to some of the other cleansers you will find in +Sephora or other department stores. 

Do you have any new cleansers that you decided to try and ended up loving it?? Let me know I would love to try them!

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Sheet Masks-- Eye Edition

The other day I spoke about my weekend with my biffie +Valerie Suarez and how we stopped in TJ Maxx and I went overboard and bought almost every mask possible. I went in and bought everything and since I had so many, I wasn't able to blog about them in one blog so this is the second portion. In this post I wanted to dedicate it to all the eye masks that I bought. 

The first one is I got was Earth Therapeutics Hydrogel Under-Eye Recovery Patch. This is for when you have tired and puffy looking eyes you can just put these on and they will help your eyes depuff and not look tired anymore. This has a couple of active ingredients like green tea and this contains organic anti-oxidants that help protect the skin from aging. This also has anti-oxidant vitamin complex and this is vitamins a, c, and e and this smooths, protects, and conditions. Other ingredients are aloe vera, cucumber and chamomile. All of these are soothing, hydrates, help with puffiness and swelling and then the chamomile relieves  and naturally comforts. These are different because these aren't wet with liquid as most other ones that I've tried are like. They are completely dry and have all the goodness in a gel form. I put these on my eyes and after a half hour, I can see a difference. I usually leave these on while I do my eye makeup just to catch any fall out while depuffing my eyes. 

The next one I have is the Spa Life Wake Up Under Eye Revitalizer. These are different than the ones prior because these are soaking wet. They come all in a ziplock baggie and you can see the liquid that is saturating them. I keep these in the refrigerator by the way. These particular ones have espresso and vitamin E which hydrates and perks up the eyes. The caffeine from the espresso will perk up your eyes and help your eyes not look tired. I usually put these on in the morning before I am ready to get out of bed. I leave them on for about 30 minutes. They smell just like coffee, thats the only thing that I would want to point out. They do work because my eyes look more rested than usual when I used these. 

The next eye mask I bought was Spa Life Radiant Under Eye Treatment. This one was a definite "judge a book by its cover" type of buy. I saw that these had diamonds in it. I immediately said-- yup I need diamonds for my eyes.  These are said to rejuvenate and brighten under eye skin. These little beauties have collagen in it so your eyes will look younger, firmer and more radiant. The diamonds will brighten the skin so after 20 minutes your eyes will look well rested and also brighter. I use these usually at night and I do not put these in the refrigerator. I lay  in bed while listening to the TV or watching it since with these you can keep your eyes open, like all the other ones too. I do not use these all the time, I use these as more of a treat once every 2 weeks while rotating the other ones in more frequent. 

The last eye masks that I got were the Cucumber Hydro-Soothing Cooling Eye pads. These look like little cucumber slices. They are saturated with real cucumber extract. This is good for your eyes in that cucumbers are known for soothing the skin. This will relieve the puffiness and will also help soothe and hydrate your under eyes. These are ones that need to be put on your whole eye so I personally like to put these on when I am taking a bath and I am able to close my eyes for a bit. These smell amazing and I put them in the refrigerator so that they are even cooler than normal and it give you a great "ahhh" moment. I like doing this after a long day at work. 

Well these are all the ones I bought that weekend that I went out with my bestie. I know I completely went overboard but I love these things and honestly for the prices that they have them in TJ Maxx, why not. 

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