I try to always have a positive outlook on every product I try and then review. Even going as far as to admit I've been lucky to research and love the products I invest in. These Body Shop products are by no means a good investment for me. They are currently the object of my hatred-yes, it's that bad- and I can't even bring myself to finish them.
Lets start by saying these are for fine hair. I'm an advocate for fine hair that gets tangled by the slightest gust of wind. I thought it would be so good to finally try "good" products that didn't have silicones, sulfates, colorant and parabens. I also thought I'd be doing my hair a favor... First off, I need an insane amount of product to cover my whole hair and feel its "clean". The products wouldn't last a month, and having to spend the money on them constantly... not cool. The next thing was that my hair felt like rubber when I rinsed. Do you know that feeling your hair gets after you just colored and rinsed it? That weird wire texture? THAT is what I felt. Then, as if that's not enough, I had to spend about (30) minutes to brush my hair. Most of the times I ended up with headaches after the whole process.
I find that washing my hair and brushing it is supposed to be a soothing process. Using these products left me stressed and pissed off. I usually try to finish products, even if I don't like them, but I can't myself to finish these. I cannot stand the thought of putting these on my hair one more time. It makes me cringe. The only thing I liked was the smell, and even that can't make me use these again. I'm truly disappointed with these products and I'm just happy I didn't spend full price on them.
Small post here, but I'd love to recognize these two Clarins samples that helped me so much these few weeks. My face had hit a rough patch of having some very dry patches around my cheek and cheek bone area that was driving me insane. I'd forgotten about these samples that I got from the counter lady, since I normally have normal to oily, and decided to give them a try. Boy did they help me. I've used the Hydra Quench Cream all these nights before i go to sleep and I wake up refreshed and with some moisture back in the affected areas. Also used the Beauty Flash Balm as a mask whilst bathing for 10 to 15min and it worked equally as well, so I'm very happy. As for repurchasing, I wish they were both in m y budget (sigh) but they go for $49.50 and $45 full size, which is waaaaaaay over what I can pay at the moment. My point is, if you have the money to spend and you're looking for good products to help dryness then you should check these out.
I recently ran out of my Yes To Carrots moisturizer and had to do a speed buy. Since the drugstore I went to didn't have any YTC I decided to go with Formula 10.0.6 which I'd never heard about before. What attracted me to this product was that it said it was a "mattifying oil-free moisturizer" and we all know my skin is normal to oily. A matte moisturizer really appealed in this hot summer so I got it. However, I'm sad to say it doesn't do a good job of mattifying at all. You have a "matte" face for about 10 to 15min and then I started getting oily around my T zone. Plus, it leaves this weird sheen to the skin and is exactly what I'm trying to avoid in the first place. As a moisturizer it works just fine, but it does not keep my face matte. I'm going to use it until I run out of it since I'm not fond of wasting money, but I'm definitely not repurchasing in the future. I'll just still for my YTC for now.
This weekend has been dubbed Skin Care Weekend by my best friends. We're spending a relaxing long weekend away from the city and are enjoying a skin care filled time. Everything from, masks, cleansers to scrubs we have it all. These are the products we've used today and I'm digging them all, especially the clay mask. I'm definitely taking notes for future skin care shopping. We've decided to take a day out of every weekend to indulge in a bit of a spa treatment. What do you guys use to maintain a healthy skin?
Hey, guys! I come to you with a post on something I was really excited to try out: The Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 303 True Nude. I'd been hearing about this foundation for some time and how good it was before I decided to go ahead and look for it. Sadly, after looking in a lot of drugstores I was disappointed to find out the product was only available in Europe. However, being of this century we have the lovely internet and more precise, Ebay. Picking the color that matched me was even trickier that going to a drugstore and staring at it for hours. I had to go to the Rimmel site and compare, plus check blogs with the color I thought would be for me. After doing some digging I thought 303 True Nude would be good on me which I'm glad I was right.
The foundation itself is very self explanatory with the name 'Wake Me Up' and once you smell it you understand even more. It has a citrus-y smell that does kinda "wake you up" but nothing too strong. As for coverage, it has a good coverage I'd say it's medium/build-able without being cake-y and goopie. However I did notice that when applied my skin looks so dull instead of more radiant (which I get with another foundation which I will talk about later) and I feel I have to work a bit to make myself look alive, but after blending it a bit it looked and felt nice. Also, the foundation does have shimmer in it but it's nothing that overpowers. You don't need a lot to cover the whole face, which is good. I did think it lasted all day considering the lack of primer and heat wave.
Overall, it's a good foundation considering it's a drugstore foundation. It's a major set back that it's not sold here so I don't think I'll get it again. If you're willing to order it then by all means try it out. I looked very nice on my skin and I didn't feel clogged up at all. I know not everyone is into buying expensive brand foundations so this is definitely a good choice and it truly gives a very nice coverage. I'm not sure how it would fair on sensitive skins since it does have a scent. For now I enjoy it and it's something I will use until it's empty.
(This is how it looked on me without any photoshop or touch ups.)
I love listening to requests or questions and one of the most frequently asked question is about how I do my hair and maintain the healthiness. Also, how I did my hair in one of my videos which I put a screenshot of it above! Well, I'm here to tell you my not so secret, secret. First, I'm a convicted hair damage convict, or whatever. I used to dye my hair a lot and do dramatic changes to it. By summer of last year my hair was not having it and was begging me to cut it off, so I did.
This is important, guys. You have to know when to say enough is enough and just cut your hair off so it can grow healthier. I went from lower back length hair to just below the ear. Such a change is not necessary, you can just cut the damaged part. Then I had to cut out using oils on my hair since it was making it to greasy. And now that it's shoulder length I'm using some new things which are all below, check it out!
As of late I'm using Pantene Pro-V Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner. These two are amazing! They smell amazing and the smell lasts me days. My hair is shinier and even straighter. Smooth as ever and strong too. I cannot tell you enough, I'm in love and cannot wait to wash my hair.
Also, every time I'm about to apply heat onto my hair (which is very, very rare) I make sure I spray some TRESemmé Heat Tamer Spray to protect my hair and prevent as much damage as I can. Prevention is key, guys. Also, I tend to use Dry Spray Shampoo when my hair get a bit oily, so I can go about my day and wash it soon. I'm not a fan of the one I have now but it does help a bit. There are more options out there which you should all check into.
For brushing my hair I use this brush, which sadly the name has rubbed off but I do remember you get it on Sally's. This brush get rid of all my tangles and really brings a healthy shine to my hair and a nice soft texture. I've been using this brush for years now and I'm very happy. Brushes play a big part on keeping hair healthy so really look into brushes before buying.
As for heat and styling, I avoid using too many products on my hair. The only heat I apply, which is very rare really, is with my Cortex straightener which I got on sale at Marshall's. This leaves my hair very straight and salon looking. You can also get some nice curls with it if you know how to. But really guys, I avoid adding to much heat to my hair and only leave that for special occasions, and as you can see I've added no blow-dryer into this post because I don't use one. Too much work and heat and I just don't bother.
Lastly, hair is unique and different for all of us. You have to take some time and work with your hair figuring out what works for you and what doesn't. Understanding that healthy looking hair does not happen my mere luck but there are some factors behind it that we all must do if we want healthy looking hair. I hope this all helped and good luck!
I was invited to take a make-up course at MAC this past Saturday and I was really excited since it would be my 1st make-up class ever. I was so excited I did research, weeks before the due date, to see what I would get. The class was 'free' as long as you bought a minimum of $50 in store, which for MAC that's nothing much. I thought it was brilliant because I got to take a class and leave with products! There weren't many of us taking the class, like 7 or so, which was perfect since the one teaching could pay close attention to each of us. They provided new and used (but cleaned) MAC products and brushes. They were very generous in giving us make-up to try on. And also, the one teaching the class was very patient.
We were given a MAC Professional Make-Up Menu, where it shows the classes they offer. We were also graciously given a huge MAC Note book that contained a lot of MAC face charts and a place for use to write notes, etc. That book is legit, I swear! I want 10 more of them because: 1. They're ,graphically speaking, gorgeously done and 2.They're very helpful. Even thought our class was a beginners class I was happy to learn that I wasn't doing make-up badly from the beginning.
The class was centered in achieving a day to night look. We used a plum palette that had a lavender, lavender grey, grey and black color. We basically did a smoky eye with magenta lips. I wasn't a fan of the last look since I like to balance my face, meaning if I do strong eyes I usually keep my lips fairly neutral. I wasn't a huge fan of all the face prep products since my face felt sticky, but I did like a moisturizer SPF 50 they had us use. We had approximately 3 hours of class and it went by fast. They later take our info so they can later call us for more advanced classes.
As for what I got? I went with 2 lippies and a brush. I wanted to get 2 cream blushes called Tea Petal and Lady Blush but they had neither. But I did get the lipstick I wanted which is called Shy Girl. I decided to get Ravishing which is a shade deeper than Shy Girl, almost like a smoked salmon color. I adore both colors very much. As for a review, I can't give one yet since I haven't used them, apart from trying them on, but I will talk about them soon.
As for my new brush, I got the 129 which is a powder brush if I'm not mistaken. We used it during the class to apply powder and bronzer. Personally I think it's better for bronzer because I think it's too small for powder. But to be honest, I only got the brush because I had to spend $50. I liked the brush but I wouldn't spend $34 on it unless I was in the position I found myself in. I think you can get the same brush quality at Sigma for less, which I have. It's not that I hate the brush, I just hate the price.
Anyway, I really had fun at the class and I really want to attend more so I recommend the classes if you're interested. All you have to do is ask on the store counter for the information. They hold the classes once a month, I think.
Hi, guys! Hope you're all doing well. I bring fantastic findings which I gladly share with you all. I usually never get overly excited with products I find, but these babies deserve all my attention for being good and deserving products. I got them all by chance, and I'm glad I did. They were all very well priced for what they do, and I know I'm getting them again when I finish them. This I swear. Even if I have to tear down walls to find them, so let's all just hope it doesn't come to that. But really guys, pay close attention to what I'll write if you're looking for a good BB Cream + bronzer + highlighter in the near future. Let us begin and hope you enjoy!
First off, I present to you the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector or how I like to call it my "B.B. Cream". No fancy name calling here. Let me start by explaining what a BB Cream is and what is it supposed to do.
What is a BB Cream and its use? A BB Cream or Blemish Balm cream is a cream used first by dermatologists who use it for its healing characteristics and skin-regenerating properties on skin which has undergone laser surgery.It provides perfect coverage just like a foundation but without clogging pores or damaging the skin. Conceals all types of pigmentation, discoloration, acne and marks. Also it encourages skin regeneration to create and maintain youthful skin. Plus, it has protection against the sun.
The BB Cream is highly used in Asia, especially in South Korea, and if you haven't noticed most asian women have amazing younger looking skin. Now, why am I, a 20 year old, talking about this? Prevention is key. Even when you don't have wrinkles at such a young age, it's good to start caring about your skin for a long term deal. Start now and the consequences of sun and work appear much later.
On to the product at hand. The Garnier BB Cream is perfect, in my opinion, for people who are like me and live in a humid tropical island. Us humid climate dwellers have a constant battle with skin issues since we're constantly experiencing drastic climate changes. The Garnier BB Cream provides a light coverage that doesn't clog the pores and stays put the whole day without caking. It hasn't broken me out, on the contrary my skin is looking better. I truly recommend this if you don't like to use a heavy foundation, which is best for our climate.
My last to products belong to the Balm Cosmetics. I found them at Marshall's and they both came together for $10. I decided to try them out and I'm very pleased with the results. The highlighter -shown above- gives a gorgeous glow on the upper cheek and on the cupids bow. I can't compare it to the MAC Soft and Gentle, which I own, because I feel they both give off a different effect. The Balm highlighter gives this healthy glow without having to use a lot of product. Now, I feel that I need to use the Balm highlighter with either a bronzer or blush, whereas I can use the MAC Soft and Gentle alone when I which to forgo blush. Regardless, this highlighter is divine!
The Balm bronzer is amazing for contouring. I have a couple of bronzers but this is without a doubt the best one. It gives a very J-Lo type of glow when used right. Bronzers are tricky if you don't know how to use them, but when used right it can slim your face and give you a nice glow. This bronzer has a perfect balance with gold shimmer and you don't need to use much of the product to get the look you desire. This is perfect for summer looks and since I don't tan it's perfect for me. Ha!
