Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Boots No7 Perfectly Bronzed Quick Dry 360 Airbrush - Medium to Dark

Now that it is summer I like to stay tanned but its hard to do that because I live in NYC

and growing up in Puerto Rico, its hard to be okay with going to the beaches here. They are disgusting in my opinion. I went back home for my niece's first birthday and I was able to get a nice tan even though I only went to the beach for 2 days. I just got back from vacation and I wanted to maintain my tan. I wanted to try a new sunless tanner that I saw from Boots No7 which is a brand from Europe that started to come to the US via Duane Reade. I was really happy to see that they added this brand in the location near my house. I always try a lot of different products and usually I've used ones that are in lotion form just because I think its easier to spread around and avoid mishaps. I saw that this one though was a spray and I saw that it was a spray that is continuous so I figured it might be easier to reach those areas like by back and behind my legs and stuff. 


I know a lot of people have tried different sunless tanners and always have bad experiences but there is a method to do it right and a method to do it incorrect. First of all the first thing you need to do is take a shower and exfoliate your skin. You can either dry brush your skin which is just as it sounds where you get a shower brush and you use it dry and you brush your skin which is also dry and that will help exfoliate your skin. Take a shower and make sure that your skin is nice and clean. I'd shave as well. Once you get out of the shower, you can dry your skin and make sure to have your skin really dry then you can start the application. I usually just apply it with my bare hands and then just wash them after but now a days they have sunless tanning gloves. In my case, I take the spray and spray it all over my body in sections. I first do my arms and chest and I spray and rub it in. I notice that this product absorbs quickly and is clear. It says that the product is odorless but it does smell like sunless tanner. I love how quickly this tanner goes on and how easy it is to use. I just spray and rub in. You really don't need to rub in, it will just dry on your skin. The product says to let dry for 10 minutes before putting on clothes so thats what I do.

I do notice that its easier and less messy once you let it dry for the 10 minutes, you pat your body with baby powder. This allows your skin to dry sooner and also doesn't allow anything to accumulate in your creases like between your inner elbow or your neck or the back on your knees. It keeps it smoother and I noticed that this tanner tends to be a bit sticky so this step helps with that. In the morning, I usually just take a bath to get rid of the tanner smell and go on with my day. This tanner is definitely a keeper, the color is great. Its dark but not crazy dark and doesn't look orange at all. It retails for $12.99 and like I said you can get it at Duane Reade or online at drugstore.com. 

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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

PETER THOMAS ROTH FIRMx™ Peeling Gel

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


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

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

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

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Monday, June 16, 2014

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

One of my beauty weaknesses is mascara. I will always want a new mascara. Doesn't matter how good the one I have is or how many new ones I have, I am always in need of a new one. Believe it or not but you usually have one for every occasion too. There is always that one that makes your lashes look SUPER OUT THERE and those are for special occasions and then you go into the ones that have specific needs like volume, length, curl, black, brown, colored. There are just so many different types of mascaras you can have so I always like to try new ones. One drugstore brand that I can say usually has really good mascaras is Loreal. One of my most favorite ones is the Loreal Voluminous mascara. This is an oldie but goodie. It just does everything you need for a mascara to do. It gives you volume, length and everything. The brush is great on it, before all the plastic brushes started being popular, that mascara did quite well with just its regular bristle brush one.

Loreal just released a Voluminous Miss Manga mascara. I did not pick this up right away. I have to say I didn't really think to get this because of the brush. The brush that it had was triangle brush that looked like the one from the MakeUp Forever Smoky Extravagant mascara that I honestly didn't like. The only real visual difference between the two is that the brush bends and the base of the brush. Not sure what that's all about so this is why I hesitated in purchasing. But as always I read a lot of reviews and watched a couple of YouTube videos and time after time everyone fell in love with it. I was hooked and went right away to buy it.

I tried it in the Blackest Black color they have and O-M-G it's amazing! It separates your
lashes and makes them long. Not sure if they curl my lashes but since I have long lashes, I'm not too crazy about mascaras actually doing that because I feel like it would get mascara all over my brow line. I do like volume so that it makes my lashes look thicker and it does do this not as well as other ones I tried but between the way it separates your lashes the product is a really good one. I am definitely hooked with this mascara. I still don't understand what the bendable wand does. I don't feel like it really adds or takes away from the application but it's ok. When you first put it on, you don't feel like you are getting product onto your lashes but once you have a couple of swipes your lashes look amazing.

This is a drugstore mascara so it retails for about $8.99 which is nothing compared to other ones out there. You can find this is most drugstores and Walmarts and Targets. I definitely recommend you going out to buy this!! You won't regret it.

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Sunday, June 15, 2014

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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Saturday, June 14, 2014

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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Friday, June 13, 2014

Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm

LIPSTICK REVIEW!!! These are probably my most favorite reviews other than skincare. Its because I am just in love with lipstick. I am fearless because at the end of the day, its just lipstick. there is no need to think "is this color too much?" why not wear the bold lip-- who cares! It does help the fact that I live in New York City and I always feel like here you can do no wrong with anything whether its clothes or makeup. You can't look crazy here in New York. I guess I am more daring here than I am in Puerto Rico just because here in NY its a different style but rest assured whenever I go to Puerto Rico, I wear my bold lipsticks and OWN IT! A lot of my friends especially +Madeline Mulero think its great that I have the guts to pull off MAC Heroine or LimeCrime Pink Velvet. I have to say, I just wear them, thats it. I don't really think about it. Now you can't really go all crazy and have a smokey eye and a bold lip if you are just going to work. I balance it out with just mascara and maybe a liner and thats it. My eyes are usually downplayed so that my lips can pop. 


I went to the drugstore and I wanted to see what Lipsticks I can for a recent trip I took to Puerto Rico and when I look for lipsticks, I want something on the matted finish and if it has any shine I would go for the satin finish but other than that, I am not a fan of gloss. I think they look kind of messy on your lips. When I think good drugstore lipsticks, I go straight to Loreal or +Revlon. I've been eyeing the Revlon Color Burst Matte balm lip crayons and I decided to take the plunge. I went for the color UnApologetic. This color is a great vibrant coral, raspberry pink color. It is gorgeous! It goes on smooth and immediately you feel that it has like a chapstick minty feeling which is nice. Nothing tingly like if it were to plump your lips but a regular chapstick feeling. The color is vibrant which I like. I am excited to wear it when I am in Puerto Rico and have a tan. This color is probably a little bit of a dupe for +NARS Satin Crayon in Lohdi but the Revlon is more vibrant and not as muted. 

This retails from around $7-9 depending on where you get it. I recommend maybe waiting until you can get it on sale but either way I think these lipsticks are worth it. I will definitely go back and get more. You can get these in most drugstores and other stores like Walmart or Target.

Have you tried this lipstick? Comment below and let me know which ones you love?

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

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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