DR. BRANDT SKINCARE CC Glow Broad Spectrum SPF 30

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

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

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

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Borghese Stimulating Tonic

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

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

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

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

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Sunscreens.. why this is needed ASAP

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

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

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

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

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Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift™ Review

After my post from yesterday I figured I'd give you more information on Trish McEvoy products. This is a luxury brand and everything about this makeup line feels like luxury. I know you've probably never heard of this brand before my post from yesterday. If you haven't read it, you can just scroll down and see that there I talk about their eyebrow pencils. I know this brand isn't one of the popular ones but I think its because its not a cheap brand. Like I said before for sure this is one of those luxury brands that are sold mostly in +Bloomingdale's  and +Nordstrom. Most of the products in this makeup line isn't something that can't be found in another brand like the eyebrow pencil that I reviewed yesterday which you can find in +Sephora under the Anastasia Beverly Hills brand which was only about $7 cheaper so its not that much of a difference. One of the other products that they showed us that night we went on that makeup event was an Instant Eye Lift. This is like an eyeshadow primer. It only comes in 2 colors light/medium and tan/dark. This makes it really easy to choose what color is the right one for you. I got the light/medium color and the minute you put this on your eyes you see how it brightens your eyes immediately. It is used on your eyelids from your lash line to the browline and instantly you will see your eyes will be more open, brighter and it does actually give your eyes an instant lift. 

You can either use this alone or you can use under your eyeshadows. This product will make your eyeshadows stay on longer and not crease throughout the day. Since its a light color it will also give your eyeshadow a base where so that your eyeshadows look brighter. This product does wonders for those people that have uneven skin tone around the eye area. The brighter your eyes are the more awake you will look. This will help your appearance completely. This product is said to be a line filler which will make your eyes look younger and brighter and the appearance of your wrinkles will be less visible. This is long wearing and will definitely last through the day. I love using this product when I try to just go for a plain look, no makeup look and just have maybe a bold lip. When I do a bold lip I try to go with a plain eye but plain doesn't mean that I don't wear any makeup, I just tone it down. This product retails for $38 which is a hefty price for an eye primer but its definitely more than that. I do like this product but not sure if I would repurchase because it is one of those luxury products.

Do you use any luxury products that are like your guilty pleasures? Let me know and next time I decide to splurge maybe it will be on that!

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Trish McEvoy Eyebrow Pencil Review

One of the biggest trends now a days are eyebrows. Everyone is trying to get their eyebrows a certain way. The latest trend is to have thicker eyebrows which is a very natural look for a lot of people. The thin eyebrows is definitely out of style and now the thicker ones are in. There are many ways to achieve this look. I've tried a lot of different things and at the beginning I didn't realize that even though my natural hair color is dark brown, you don't want to put dark brown coloring on your eyebrows. I went to a makeup event with work one day and I had heard of this brand before but never really used it before: Trish McEvoy. We went through a whole walkthrough on how to apply makeup and it was something that I was very familiar with and when they asked asked if anyone had questions I wanted to have someone walk through and teach me how to do my eyebrows. 

The Trish McEvoy representative there went into her makeup bag and got an eyebrow pencil. Now this eyebrow pencil was something awesome. I've really never seen anything like this pencil before. Its a retractable pencil and it has a spooly on the end so that you can brush your eyebrow to blend the color. Now this pencil was made easy at least for the color selection which was Brunette and that was pretty easy to pick. She told me that my eyebrows were okay but she could shape them a little bit better. She told me that the arch should be shifted a little bit but other than that it was perfect. After I saw what she did I was really happy and decided to buy the pencil. It was a perfect eyebrow pencil in my eyes. I haven't tried Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz because any time I go in to buy it at +Sephora it's never available and plus I am not sure what color I would need. It retails for $28 which is $7 more than Brow Wiz so it is a bit more but I do like this one. I would love to try the Brow Wiz but just haven't gotten around to trying it. The Trish McEvoy pencil comes in 2 colors natural and brunette. You can buy this brand in +Bloomingdale's and +Nordstrom.

Do you use anything for your eyebrows? Are you into the whole thick eyebrow trend? Let me know what you use and I would love to try this.

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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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Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser Concealer

As you know I've been in the eternal search for a perfect under eye concealer. I've been searching and searching and have always come up short handed. My issue with concealers is that even though my skin is oily but the skin under my eyes is very dry. This is the biggest issue that I have. I also have dark circles under my eyes due to genetics. thanks Mom! So all in all what I look for in a concealer is something that is hydrating , has good coverage and something that won't crease throughout the day. I went to +Sephora one day and all I wanted to get out of that trip was a concealer that would solve all of my problems. I proceeded to tell the representative at +Sephora that I need something that will hide my dark circles, brighten up the area and also something that is hydrating. I proceeded to also explain my skincare routine so that she understands that I take care of my skin and I do use eye cream, moisturizers and I also use Panda's Dream Good-Bye Dark Eye Corrector so this adds extra moisture but even with all that it doesn't stop from the concealer from creasing and looking dry.

The representative looked at my eyes and immediately knew that I needed the Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser Concealer. She explained that it was the most hydrating concealer that they have in Sephora and that it is one of the best out there. It retails for $42 so for concealer it better be good. Since I've heard this sales tactic a lot I opted for a sample. The color they gave me was the exact color to my skin usually I go for something lighter so that it can brighten my skin but I used it and immediately felt that it was liquidy. It also had shimmer in it. That didn't stop me from using it. I usually apply my concealer after the foundation so thats what I did and with my Beauty Blender.  I sealed it with the ELF under eye brightening setting powder and went on my way. The coverage was great and I liked how it felt on my skin since it was so hydrating. The real test is once I have it on throughout the day. I got home and it passed the test. I noticed immediately that the coverage was better than anything I've tried in the past and it didn't crease as much as I thought it would. I'm glad I tried this and I've been using it ever since. I tried it before even reading the reviews which was a bad thing because I probably would have bought it sooner had I known how amazing it was. It says its a hybrid concealer that combines makeup and skincare with its fine texture that it has. The illuminating concealer instantly brightens the eye area and it will even gradually fade away the blue tone of dark circles and moisturize eyelids to enhance your eyes and make your overall face look more radiant. If your eyes look amazing then the rest of your face will look amazing. I know it has a price of $42 but between covering up the dark circles and actually gradually fading them over time, I think its worth every penny.

Do you have any concealers that you love? Let me know and I would love to try them!

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