TOO FACED Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

As you know, I am totally in love with bold lips this season. The matted lip is probably my favorite. I was a bit skeptical when I saw that +Too Faced Cosmetics came out with a Long Wear Lipstick that came in a container that looked like a gloss. I definitely didn't want a lippy that was glossy and sticky and bold. That would turn out to be a hot mess. I waiting for a while to buy this product which is why my review is a bit late. 

I saw some reviews of this product from my Twitter Biffie +Nicole YoungWildandPolished and when she swatched them I saw that they weren't as glossy as I thought. You can't squeeze the whole thing on your lips but it does give you good coverage if you just pat it on your lips. I have a lot of pink lipsticks so I knew I didn't want to get that color. I wanted to see if I was daring enough for the orange coral color that they have but it looks like it just won't fit my skin color no matter if I'm tanned or not. I decided to go for the Melted Violet color which as its name is a purple color. Now this is not purple like +MAC Cosmetics Heroine but its brighter more of a Summer purple color. 

The minute I swatched it on my hand, I fell in love. I knew this would be one of my new favorite colors. I immediately bought it and since I was going on vacation I decided to make this my signature color for the trip. Yes everyone here definitely made a point to tell me how bright my lips were but hey isn't that what a bold lip is all about? I think I pulled the color off especially since I was tanned. More about the lipstick-- it is in a lipgloss casing. You will notice that even the applicator is more of a lipgloss case and when you squeeze it out, you think its going have a glossy finish but I learned that if you don't go overboard and just squeeze enough to coat your lips, it stays more matte than glossy. This color definitely lasts for a while but not something I personally would call 'long wearing' but all in all its easy to apply and it doesn't dry your lips like a lot of other lipsticks out there that are either long wearing or matte. 

I recently raved about the +Revlon ColorBalms in the Matte finish and at first they are great but if you use them on a daily basis you will notice that they are a bit drying. You definitely have to make sure to exfoliate your lips and then apply the matte coloring and then you should be good. But back to the +Too Faced Cosmetics Melted Lippies they retail for $21 and you can buy them in +Sephora and +ULTA Beauty  or anywhere you can find +Too Faced Cosmetics. They come in 6 colors ranging from Nudes to Purple and not all are bold colors, you can definitely find one that isn't all out there bold lip. 

Have you tried these yet? Do you have a favorite?

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Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

I think its my calling to be an all knowing beauty expert. Whenever I go into the drugstore or Sephora or even department stores, I always look around and think.. hmm what can I blog about next. I always want to try the next best thing. One of the things that I feel I am always on the search for is mascara, concealer and foundation. I feel you can never stick to just one. Everytime I go to +Sephora I always ask them about concealers. I feel like this is one thing that I haven't really found that I can totally live without. I have oily skin but under my eyes is very dry and tends to crease in an instant. I've tried everything under the sun and I just want something that works. Recently I've been hooked on Armani's Maestro Eraser Concealer and I really felt that it was hydrating and I really do love it. I feel that the sheen in it brightens the area and I really like the feel of it on my skin. I went to +Sephora in Herald Square last week and asked about the Tarte Maracuja creaseless concealer and the lady that helped me was completely in love with it. She was saying how she also had oily skin and that her skin was the same as mine and she said that the Maestro one didn't cover as much and that the Tarte one was way better since it was full coverage. 

This concealer is said to be full coverage and it won't crease, flake or have you needing to reapply. It has +tarte's signature maracuja oil in it which helped improve your skin's texture, tone and moisture while having a brightening dewy luminous finish. Since it has the maracuja oil, you will see that it also has all the benefits that you will find in the regular maracuja oil and the actual concealer will help mask any discoloration, imperfections such as acne, blemishes, redness, scars, hyperpigmentation and even dark circles. Its very easy to apply. Even though its full coverage, you will notice that its really easy to blend and it dries to a flawless finish. 

I asked for a sample and took it home to try it. The next morning I put on my foundation and then the concealer. I used a concealer brush since that's what she recommended. I liked how it went on at first and yes I did feel that it did cover better than the Maestro one. The true test for me is throughout the day. I was thinking that this stuff will probably crease within seconds. I went throughout the entire day and nothing. I didn't feel it crease at all. We are in summer so if anything it was going to crease instantly during the summer months but it stayed put. At the end of the day, I didn't feel that my concealer had disappeared or anything or that I needed more coverage throughout the day.

This concealer retails for $24 which is way cheaper than the Maestro Eraser concealer. This concealer also comes in 7 different shades ranging from fair to dark. The shade I chose for myself is medium but there are a range of different shades that you can choose from. All in all, I definitely recommend this product along with this brand. I don't think there has been a product from this brand that I haven't fell in love with. Its definitely something you should pick up. 

Have you tried this concealer? What do you think? Leave comments below and let me know your thoughts. 

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

One thing I've been doing lately has been taking care of my eyebrows. If you've noticed lately in magazines and blogs thick eyebrows are all the rave and are very trendy lately. Naturally I have thick eyebrows so I never really thought I needed to fill them in or ever do anything with them. After seeing all these YouTube videos, I started to look into doing more for my eyebrows. I first started using products that I had already then I figured I'd move into something easier. In the beginning I only had a powder and wax and it was just a task to do my eyebrows and more and more as +Anastasia Beverly Hills brand became more popular, they came out with a pencil. I already spoke about the brow pencil by Trish McEvoy that I had gotten a while back and I was completely in love with that brand. The Anastasia BH Brow Wiz is almost exactly the same. I personally like the Brow Wiz better for a couple of reasons.

One reason why I think the Brow Wiz is better because the spoolie on the one end is better. The bristles grab onto your eyebrows better. The Trish McEvoy's bristles weren't as stiff so it didnt really brush through your eyebrows as well. It's important to brush your eyebrows before you do fill them in so that you know what you are filling in and make sure that the finished product is perfect.

I completely recommend the +Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz liner for anyone and everyone. There are a 9 different colors and so there will definitely be a color for you. I usually would go for Medium Ash which is now called Medium Brown but since I colored my hair red, I decided to go for the Auburn and its a perfect match. My eyebrows are perfect and they are really easy to do. I just fill in and then finish off with a clear brow gel. Nothing too crazy just great groomed eyebrow that finishes off your whole look. This retails for $21 and you can find them in +Sephora or +ULTA Beauty.

Do you use anything for your eyebrows? What do you use? Leave me comments below, I would love to know your routine!

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GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD™ TINGLEXFOLIATE TREATMENT

If you've been reading my blog you know I love to take care of my skin. I like to do face masks on a weekly maybe even twice or three times a week. I always like to try different masks so that I can keep my skin guessing. Since I was in high school when I use any type of skincare product for too long it stops working. In my search for trying to sample any and every facial mask out there, I discovered GlamGlow a while back. Back then when I started using this mask, the only mask they had was the YouthMud. I read a lot of reviews about this and a lot of people either loved it or hated it. People complained that it was too harsh and it burned their face off. I also read reviews that was the complete opposite which was that they loved it. It extracted the blackheads immediately and that they would never go a day without it. 

I was skeptical at first but I figured that I'd buy it from somewhere where I can return it just in case if my skin broke out or in the words of other people that my face burns off. I read more into what the product actually does and I saw that this mask would leave your skin noticeably radiant and glowing. It works with your own natural collagen which it uses to gently resurface your skin by exfoliating your skin. By resurfacing your dead skin cells this makes your skin look smoother, brighter and softer. This mud mask also makes your skin look tighter and while refining and tightening your pores it will make your skin appear more youthful while absorbing impurities.

When I first got this mask I was surprised how much I got considering it was not cheap. The "big" pot retails for $69 which is a hell of a lot of money for a mask. I figured, let me try it out and see what the fuss is all about. I put it on my face and yes its a mud mask so I was expecting the ease of clay mask. Nope, this has green tea leaves which makes it hard to apply and its a bit messy. Once you get it on, you feel it working right away. It does tingle and yes the first time I did have to fan my face because it was a bit much but nothing I couldn't completely handle. I left it on for about 30 minutes and once it was dried, I washed it off. I poured water on my face and scrubbed my face ask much as my skin allowed and then just washed the rest of it off. It was really exfoliating. I love this mask but not sure if I would repurchase just because of the expensive price tag. Luckily, +Sephora usually has it as a 100 point perk and I grab it there when its available.

Do you have any beauty products that you wish weren't so damn expensive? Comment below!

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DR. BRANDT SKINCARE dark circles away™ collagen eye serum

A couple of weeks back I went on a Dr. Brandt spending spree because I began with a few products, loved them and decided that I needed to try more. I originally fell in love with the Collagen Booster face serum and raved about it a couple of weeks back. I go on and off with using this since I have so many different other night creams that I need to use but every time I use this one it does wonders for my face. I wake up with a different face I feel. My face is radiant and its just amazing. I was so fond of this face serum that I decided to buy the dark circles under eye cream. This eye cream is said to brighten and diminish the look of tired, puffy and hollow eyes. It has Lumisphere microencapsulated pigments that instantly give you brighter and more luminous looking eyes. The serum is pigmented so it does give you minimal coverage and it will eventually fade your dark circles while breaking down fatty deposits that actually cause bags. Collagen in this eye cream also helps plump the skin which if you notice its very thin and feels different than the rest of your skin. This is why you need to take care of your eyes more because its very sensitive.

I used this cream for about a month straight without using anything else. I have couple of things I want to say. One thing is that when you look at the description of this product it is suppose to diminish tired looking eyes which makes you think this should be put on in the morning under makeup. That is a bold face lie! You cannot use this under makeup because it has sort of a sticky glue-ish consistency. I know its weird that I have to describe it like that but is kind if clumps up the same way glue would if you either rub it in your skin too much or don't rub it in enough to where it creates sort of like a layer under your eyes. It has a metal rollerball applicator which is awesome because it massages your under eyes and the coolness helps debuff your bags but the actual serum is crap. Since I can only use it at night time I realize that it doesn't work as good as other under eye creams that I have. I was really disappointed with this product because it wasn't cheap. This retails for $55 and I would never recommend this product at all. 

Do you have products that you are 100% sure that they are just crap? Comment below I always want to hear about products that are a must stay away from!! 

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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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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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Formula X Nail Polish Review

I went to +Sephora  the other day it's practically a regular occurrence for me and in the Sephora near my house, they know me by name. I went on my regular browser ing

through the the isles and looking at all the different products. I usually like seeing the front displays because that's usually their new stuff. They are really pushing the nail polish sections I guess because nail art has been really popular lately so a lot of people have been buying more. In the past Sephora had a contract with OPI and they had that line of nail polish there. I guess recently OPI didn't renew their contract so they went with another brand. The new brand is called formula X this brand has a lot of different colors, it's really vibrant and has a lot of different glitters. A lot of people are into holographic glitter lately and this brand has a lot of them. After doing my rounds and walking around looking at the different brands and what's new what's hot in the makeup industry, I just went around the back where they have the skincare products so I can look at that new products and see if there's anything that tickles my fancy especially since I am a

diehard skincare fan. While doing that I came across another representative at Sephora and her nails caught my eyes. I proceeded to ask her what nail polish she has on and she went ahead and showed me that it was the formula X. The two colors she used were a light milky pink kind of like Essie Fiji and a holographic pink silver glitter. This color duo was gorgeous! It was girly and edgy all at the same time. I don't know why I was so drawn to it but I bought the two colors. The pink was called Translucent Wondrous  and the glitter top coat was called Brilliant Fine Like Einstein. These colors retail for $10-13 and for nail polish it's not cheap but not the most expensive. If you are like me who is a complete nail freak this is a great buy.

On to the actual nail polish it has a flawless application. The pink color needed 2 coats and it was an easy application nothing too goopy and it didn't streak like most light colors do. I let the pink dry completely and then added the glitter top coat. I added two coats of that as well so that it's more of a glitter polish and isn't just a top coat. I didn't want any of the milky pink to show through. I topped it with a topcoat and went on my way. This polish lasts! It didn't chip and with the glitter it made my nails stronger so I was happy to be able to wear it for a longer amount of time. I really think this polish is a great buy. It's wearability and the way the formula just goes on with a breeze makes it a pleasure to do your nails!

Try them out and let me know! Hope this helps you if you were thinking about getting this brand! 

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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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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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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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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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Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

I recently got makeup organizers for my vanity so everything that I have is nicely

organized. Easy to access and since everything isn't on top of each other I am able to find things easier. This helps me rediscover makeup that I have that I forgot about. I recently started using other mascaras just to say I use all 10 of the ones I currently own. I had received a Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara I think as a birthday gift from +Sephora and I saw the wand and it was a bit intimidating. It is shaped as a 'v' so its very pointy at the end and then very fat at the other side closest to the wand. The brush was something that I've never seen before and it was a bit intimidating. I always heard good things about the Make Up For Ever brand so I was happy to get this as a gift to try it. 

This mascara is suppose to add volume, length and curl your lashes. This is a bold claim for a mascara. I've been using it for about a week now and I thought it would have been a different experience. The formula isn't bad. I hate trying new mascaras because the product is just everywhere. I hate to have so much gunk on my wand that it just makes my eyelashes clump up and it just turns into a huge mess. I usually have to go in with a eye lashes separator and clean it up and then clean my eye lid. Its just a mess over all. This mascara didn't have that which was amazing but I did feel that I didn't get enough product or maybe the brush was too hard and didn't really separate my lashes as much as I wanted. The angled brush was a bit weird in applying. Also I am right handed and usually just apply mascara with the same hand but this one since it has a specific angle to the brush, it was like you had to use the specific hand for the specific eye and honestly I don't have time for that. It didn't do anything that it claimed to do. It simply just put product on my eyelashes. I needed to curl them, separate them and it didn't add more length that what I already have. It wasn't too bad but its definitely not a mascara that I would purchase and rave about like its the best thing since sliced bread. I think I've fallen in love with other mascaras that are drugstore purchases. This mascara retails for $24 and you can find it in +Sephora. For that price, I definitely do not recommend it, unless you are a person that likes wasting your money. 

Do you have any mascaras that you had high hopes for and were disappointed? Let me know! I'd love to hear what to stay away from!!! 

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CLARINS Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster

Hi Guys! Now that its sort of starting to become spring in NYC, I figured I'd review a self tanner. Living in Puerto Rico, you never really thought of using a self tanner, but remember the sun does a lot of damage and plus for those who work all the time, its not easy to get to the beach every weekend. For those of us who live in NYC or other places that the beaches are gross, this is a great option for you.

I first heard of this on +Sephora's YouTube channel. I like a lot of +Clarins' products even though I don't purchase them. Meaning I usually get samples and they are really good. I saw this on the YouTube channel and I figured I'd buy it since I usually self tan my body but never my face because I am always afraid of turning orange or something. I saw this on Youtube and it was an older woman who was advertising this product. This automatically made me think it was a great product. I figured it wasn't going to turn me orange or anything like that so I would be good to go. I saw that it retails at $30 but Sephora was having their 15% off for VIBRouge members. I picked it up once it was on sale. I got my package and I saw how small the bottle was, immediately I thought I'd bring it back to Sephora to get my money back but you use 3 drops so there is a lot of product. Also, once you get the color you want, you can lower 3 drops to 1 or 2 just to maintain. 

The way that you should apply this is adding 3 drops into your moisturizer and then smooth onto your face, neck and chest. I make sure that I have the whole area covered because even though the color isn't crazy pigmented and you won't go from Casper to +Tyra Banks with one application but I like to make sure its even. This does give you color. It is a hue and its just the right amount of color that makes you look like you are healthy and not dull and drab from these last 5 months of Winter. I even found myself one day not even putting on bronzer which for me is a rarity.

I've been using this for about 2 wks now and I love it. My face has a nice glow tan to it. Doesn't look orange or fake. My face without makeup now matches my body which is always a little bit darker. I haven't broken out which is probably because you just add this into the moisturizer you use on a daily basis so I don't feel like I have to choose between my anti aging moisturizer or tanning my face. I don't have to choose which for me is great. I think I would definitely repurchase. I might get it somewhere like Macy's or somewhere else that I can get a coupon or at least more discounted but other than that I definitely recommend a product like this. 

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Beauty Oils... what's the scoop?

I want to be able to give you the lowdown on beauty oils. They've been around for a while now because I remember using oils as cleansers in high school, which was a while back. These are now oil serums that are good for your skin. There are many different oils that you can get. There are ones that help with aging or give you a brightening glow. There are so many different ones that its probably hard to choose which one you want. I've noticed that I like to stick to the ones that are regular since I add drops of these into my moisturizer plus I like to use them as cuticle oil or anything else that I want extra moisturizer for. One of the ones that I love is argan oil. Now there are a ton of things that come with argan oil. Its really good for your hair so one of the products you've probably heard of is the Moroccan Argan

Oil hair products. These are good even though for me, I think they make my hair a bit too greasy so I stay away from those in general. Some of the beauty oils that I like with argan oil are +josie maran 100% argan oil and 100% argan oil light. I love the light one since I have more oily skin, I feel that the light one absorbs into my skin faster without feeling oily. In the morning my face feels so soft and I think it attributes to the oil. Another thing that I learned to love to do with the beauty oil is put it on my cuticles. This does wonder on your cuticles, what I do is remove my polish and then I put a couple of drops on each nail and go to bed. I rub it in before I go to bed but then in the morning, my nails and cuticles are very hydrated. This helps my hands stay hydrated which a lot of people don't realize that when dealing with this whole anti aging process a lot of people forget their hands are a dead tell as to their age. So always make sure to take care of your hands.

Another serum that I love is the +tarte cosmetics Maracuja oil, this the other one that I use which I do the same thing. I use it the same way. Another one that I love because I was able to get a sample from +Sephora is the +boscia skincare Tsubaki beauty oil. This one has a floral scent that smells like heaven. This one helps with the premature signs of aging which for me would be great since my skin hasn't aged fully. I think once I finish my Josie Maran and Tarte one I will buy the Boscia one. I am really starting to like the Boscia skincare lately, so I will probably be buying a cleanser from them once I finish my +olay pore refining cleansing scrub. But all in all I think everyone should be

using a beauty oil. Doesn't matter which one you decide to use, you cannot go wrong if you at least have adapted one into your skincare routine. Everyone needs it, even if you have oily skin. As I've said before, these trick your skin to thinking you've already produced oil therefore your skin produces less oil making your skin less oily. Josie Maran 100% and Light retails for $48, the Tarte Maracuja and Boscia Tsubaki oil retails for $46 so they are around the same price. Please go out and splurge on these and thank me later.

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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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