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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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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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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Morning Time Routine

Skin care routine!! I know many people have different things that they do but this routine works for me. I've noticed that ever since I've been writing this blog I keep up with my skincare routine even more because I always think about writing what I do and what works. I wanted to give you an insight about what I do every morning to keep my skin looking the way it does. I wake up each morning and drink a glass of water. I brush my teeth and then wash my face. 

I them move on to cleansing my skin. I don't always use the same things for months and months because I've notived that I need to switch up my routine to keep my skin from breaking out. Lately, I've been using the +olay Pore Refining Cleansing scrub in the morning and I make sure my skin is clean from all the moisturizer I put on at night. I use my +Clarisonic Mia brush. The brush head I has is the normal one and I added the Cashmere Satin precision brush around my eyes. I think this helps my moisturiser seap in deeper into my skin so that my eyes can get all the nutrients that my cream has. 

Once I pat my skin dry, I move on to moisturisers. I know a lot of people don't think people with oily skin should be using moisturizers but like I explained in my Beauty Oil blog post, you need to put it on to be able to trick your skin into producing less oil. At this moment, I've been really wanting radiance and glow since we are moving from Winter months and going now into Spring weather. I like to be able to strip my skin of all the winter dullness. For this, I put on Dr Brandt Ruby Radiance Glow day time moisturizer. I go into more detail on a previous blog. But I really do like what the retinol at night and along with this moisturizer is doing for my skin. This moisturizer has illuminating sheen to it and it gives you a nice glow. 

I have to moisturize my eyes a little bit more than the rest of my face because for some reason my eyes are always dry by the end of the day. For now I've been really liking the L'oreal Eye Defense. I didn't really read reviews on it before I bought it but I am glad I bought it. On the packaging it says that it reduces puffiness, dark circles, and lines with Liposomes. I am not that old so I was not looking for something that was going to go crazy on wrinkles. I was sold once it said puffiness and dark circles. This is what I am trying to minimize the most at my age. I used this and I saw results instantly. I like the hydration that this cream gives me. I went on and read some reviews and I saw that you can refrigerate so that the puffiness goes down faster. I did that and I didn't see that much of a difference but I do like the way it feels. 

After I moisturize my face completely, I can't forget about the SPF. I don't really care if for that day I decide to use a foundation with SPF already but just to be careful I add on a sunscreen. I posted the one I personally like to use in one of my other posts. I like the Coola Face SPF 20 with Rose Essence. It has some of a tint to it but I like the absorption it has. It doesn't leave my skin greasy and its great since it has the SPF 20. I also put on a lip balm so that my lips are moisturized by the time I add my lipstick. This is my routine for right now every morning. I add makeup but thats not my skincare routine. 

What do you do to get your skin prepped in the morning? Do you have any special things you can't live without? Anything that you do specifically for the Spring time?

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Tarte CC Primer Stick Review

As you know if you've been reading, Tarte is really one of my favorite makeup brands. They came out with a CC primer stick a couple of months ago and I was all on it. I always love a good primer and that has colors to correct my pigmentation? I'm in! I went to the my local +Sephora and started swatching because normally I would go straight for the medium and be done with it but after reading reviews I saw that they were on the darker side. I went back and forth between the light and medium and since the girls that work there went on the mood to actually work so I had to just go on my own opinion. I went with the medium, went home and put it on and didn't see it being that dark but after a while u did realize that it was a tad too dark. I went back returned it for the light. I am definitely comfortable with the light on this one. This isn't very pigmented to begin with so I wasn't that worried.

So when you look at the primer you will see that there are four triangles-- two are the actual light color and one is green and one is purple. The green one is to balance off the redness on your skin and the purple if to help out the discolorations while brightening the dullness. This goes on smoothly when you put it directly on your face. The instructions say to apply directly on your skin on your T-zone, cheeks and chin. This allows the product to evenly go on your skin and you can blend it with your fingers. I recommend your fingers and not a beauty sponge or brush because since the coverage is so light, this helps the product stay on your face and not rub off on the sponge or brush applicator. Once this is on your skin you automatically feel that it feels very soft on your skin. This gives you a light light coverage. I can probably just go out with this and concealer but I prefer more coverage for work. Since this is made with the famous amazonian clay that Tarte is all about now, this is also good for your skin. You will see your skin brighten up and more hydrated after using this product for an extended amount of time. 

Once you've applied this, you will notice that your foundation goes on so much easier. It glides on and it gives you an overall smoother look. I love this and since it has the light coverage, this is what I use for the weekends. I definitely recommend this primer stick to anyone who loves light coverage and for those who need a color correcting primer, this is it. It retails for $34 and you can buy it at +Sephora, +ULTA Beauty, or +tarte cosmetics.

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Coola Face SPF 20 Rose Essence Tint First Impression

O-M-G!!! I bought this a while back, like a long time ago, with my FSA that I get from my health benefits. I hadn't spent the money and needed to use it up and this stuff qualified since it was SPF and sun care related. I had heard of the brand before but hadn't tried it. I saw that this had tint so I thought, hey this would be good for weekends when I don't really want to wear makeup and it has SPF so I was good to go. In my never ending desire for it to be Spring, I decided to pop this on as a primer since I used my retinol this morning and most of my foundations, sadly, don't have SPF. I shook the bottle to make sure that nothing had settled since its been sitting for about 3 months. I put a little on my fingers and started to rub it in and O-M-G! This immediately absorbed into my skin and there was a hint of color. Although it didn't give me the coverage that I would like for work it did faintly cover some dark spots that I have around my jaw line. I love how this didn't make my skin oily and it immediately absorbed. I have to say that I might need to stock up on this because its so great. It says its suppose to have a Rose Essence to it and honestly I didn't smell anything. I don't think it smells like anything at all so not sure if the rose essence is meant for the smell or if its meant for something that does great things to your skin. 

All in all-- I have to say at a first impression this stuff is amazing. I never have had a sunscreen that absorbed into my skin so quickly and didn't leave like an oily feel to my skin. I would say that it matted my skin a bit since it absorbed so quickly. This product is all natural, vegan, not tested on animals and organic. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to wear SPF which should be everyone anyway but if you don't wear it now, I think this is the one you should start with. It retails for $36 which is definitely on the pricey side of sun screens but definitely think its worth it. If you have FSA benefits with your health care provider, this qualifies under that and you can get it on Drugstore.com or Walgreens and I'm guessing any other drugstore that carried higher end merchandise. This will totally change you thoughts on sunscreen-- ugh the white glow that they all leave, the oily feel-- yuck! Definitely not my cup of tea! Coola definitely nails it on the head with this one-- its tinted, fast absorbing and doesn't leave your skin feeling oily and has 20 SPF! This is probably all you need for Spring/Summer whenever it decides to arrive here in NYC.

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Drugstore Finds Reviewed

I know you probably are all wondering why my blog is constantly about higher end products. Its not that I don't have drugstore make up. Its just I guess my newer products were higher end. So I figured I'd give you top 5 drugstore products. I guess I will start with the way I put the make up on:

1. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer-- this primer is amazing. It does exactly what it does. I have large pores and if you want your make up to apply smoothly, you need to have a great base and this primer is it. You only use a little bit of it and you smooth it over your skin. It makes your skin feel soft and smooth and instantly you can see your pores being blurred. The primer is clear and it does have a bit of a silicon feel to it but doesn't clog your pores. I would definitely recommend this primer for any one. It retails for $5.99 so its a great deal. 


2. Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Foundation + Brush, SPF 15-- This foundation has a great medium coverage. It has flawless coverage and is said to make your skin look 10 years younger. I guess I am not old enough to see those effects but it does make my skin look softer. It doesn't crease in the little wrinkles I do have. It evens out my skin tone and lasts a good 8 hrs. It doesn't help with my oily skin but with just a few touch ups of powder through out the day and its good to go. I like this foundation because of the coverage and the way it doesn't crease on my skin. The color selection isn't great so if you find one in your color, I would definitely recommend trying it. It also comes with a brush application which I do use but I have fallen in love with my Beauty Sponge so I use that on a daily basis since it smoothes everything on perfectly. It retails for $14.95 and for a foundation plus foundation brush that has SPF 15 its a steal.

3.Physicians Formula Powder Palette Multi-Colored Custom Blush Ultra Glam Bombshell Glow for Brunettes-- So Physicians Formula thought that brunettes and blondes needed different shades of blush and not depending on your skin tone. I was skeptical at first but after seeing reviews and pictures I was sold. I immediately went and bought it and I was very happy. It goes on in a light barbie pink which is nicer than it sounds. In the palette there are shades of bronzer and different shades of pink and highlighters. This blends very well with my medium skin tone. It retails for $11.99 and comes in a cute compact with a mirror and brush. I can't wait until I am tanned in the summer because I think this would go well with my tanned complexion. 

4. Covergirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara-- I am a sucker for a great mascara. I have about a dozen of them and I have to say that I do rotate them enough to justify them. I have one for special occasions, I have different colors but one that I see myself going back to all the time is the LashBlast Clump Crusher. I have it in Very Black and Black Brown and they are great. They separate my lashes and just as the name says without clumps. I have long lashes so this does the trick. I use this one along with my voluming mascara because I feel I need a bit more volume but this mascara is definitely great. You can put as many 3 coats and you don't have to worry about your eye lashes getting all clumpy and spider-lash looking. This retails for $6.99 and for the way it makes your lashes look. Its a great buy probably better than some of those $20+ mascaras out there.


5. Yes To Inc Yes To Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes-- I use these to take off my make up after a long day of work. These allow the cleanser that I use to penetrate into my skin. This are really soft and they are very moist with product. A lot of these towelettes lose moisture and these don't. They are said to have anti aging ingredients, I personally don't see anything but they do smell good so I love them. You get 25 in a pack and it retails for $5.99. Some may ask 'why don't you just use soap and water?' It just since I use a lot of make up, these help remove most of it before the soap goes on so that my skin is fully clean and hydrated when I am done washing my face!

Well these are my drugstore finds. They aren't in any particular order other than the way I would use them. I love a lot of other things from the drugstore so I would probably do more of these.

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