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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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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April Ipsy 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 +ipsy has different themes and for April this #glambag was themed as 'Beauty Rocks'. The bag was really cute. It was purple and has a turn table on it.

 The first item I got was Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink. It's definitely not my color. Its too light for me and its not as "balmy" as the name makes you believe. Its definitely more of a matted tint. I like the actual product its just the color was wrong for me. I would have loved to have gotten the Acid Pink one instead. I am trying to trade it so hoping to at least either get the other color or something that I can actually use. 

Second product I received was the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eyeliner. I haf a lot of expectations for this product. I love Urban Decay and if I had to chose, I love the prefer the pencil liners to liquid liners. This one is suppose to be gel-like velvet liner so I was very excited to try. This one came in the basic black so it was perfect. I immediately tried it on in my inner lid, I use it to tight line the upper eye and it looks great when it first goes on. Its very easy to apply and it doesn't feel like you can poke your eye out when you apply it. I know the liner is called 24/7 but honestly I didn't expect this to be true. But unfortunately, I did expect it to last more than 45 mins. I would put it on in the morning and not only would it get all over my bottom lid, waterline area but it would also disappear by the time I came to work. I am not sure why this product does this. I use it because I have it, but I would definitely not purchase. 


Third product I received was the City Color White Gold Shadow and Highlight Mousse. This was just one of those products that I wanted to try but not too excited because I do not like cream shadows for anything. The color is great because I figured I can  use on the inner corner of my eye to brighten up but after using this product I have to say that I still do not like the way this applies. Its a mess because its really creamy and it doesn't stay put at all. I personally need to take more time to apply this and maybe add some translucent powder in it to thicken it up so its not such a mess. I don't recommend this product and would never repurchase. 

Forth product I received which was my favorite was the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion mask/peel. I love this stuff. I am in love with the Dr. Brandt brand and I have to say that this product is amazing. I've used it before and it doesn't really mess with my skin. Meaning, I do not get red or feel burning or anything. This product is very good for beginners who want to try a peel but a little afraid. I would recommend this one to anyone who has normal skin and aren't ultra sensitive. So you should use this product once or twice a week and just rub it into your skin and then rinse. This should remove the dead skin cells while helping the texture in your skin. I love this stuff. I would definitely repurchase. 


The fifth and final product is the Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse. This is not something that I would normally pick up and honestly, I traded it so that I can get the lip liner pencil. But just to review basically what its suppose to do is, you put it in your hair in your roots and then style as usual and you will notice that your hair has a lot more volume. You can use it on damp or dry hair. When used on dry hair, it adds texture to your hair so that if you need extra grip for something like a fishtail braid then this is a good product for you. 

All in all, I am okay with my April glam bag. I would have wished I got other colors and maybe some other products but it wasn't a total bust. Let me know if you got your bag and what you loved or didn't love. 

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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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