Review: St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub

I’ve been a fan of St. Ives’s scrubs for years now. So, I was pretty excited to see they had a new kind of scrub out. This scrub contains “skin-soothing” green tea, and gently fights blemishes and reduces redness. It contains 1% salicylic acid. I was a bit hesitant to try this out because most cleansers that treat acne tend to really dry out my skin. But, I decided to give it a try anyway. The first thing I noticed was the texture. This is a very gentle face scrub. I doubt anyone would find this to be to harsh on the skin. If you have ever washed your face with baking soda, the texture is very similar. Even though it is very gentle, my face still felt soft and smooth after washing. After I used this product, I waited for awhile before I put on my moisturizer just to see how drying it was. I was surprised to find that it didn’t dry my face out at all! Now, it’s not as moisturizing as some of the cream cleansers from Aveeno but I didn’t feel the tightness that I usually feel when I use acne treating products. Now, I couldn't really tell a difference in redness. It also didn’t seem to do anything for my blemishes. However, this could just be me.

In conclusion, this seems to be a pretty good product that I would continue to buy. I definitely recommend this for people who are looking for a non-drying gentle  scrub. However, if you want to use this product to treat acne, I would look at other products. I just don’t think it’s strong enough to make a difference if you breakout a lot.

Wet n’ Wild Review

Walgreens was having a sale on Wet N’ Wild products, so of course I couldn’t resist picking up a few things. After giving them a good test run, I thought it would be nice to review them for you.

Natural Wear Lip Shimmers

I bought these thinking that it would be a sheer lip tint. Boy was I surprised! These are actually very highly pigmented. They give a really nice color and a lot of shimmer. The color does last for quite awhile, they are moisturizing, and have a slight minty taste. I bought these in three shades: 107, 105, and 108 (I hate how wet n’ wild doesn’t put proper names on their products). The problem with these is that the color on the cap does not truthfully reflect the color of the product. I thought shade 107 would be more brown (I think the name of this one is cocoa), but it actually turned out to be a nice plum color. Although it wasn’t what I expected, this one turned out to be my favorite shade. I’ve been wearing it almost everyday. 105 is a bit of an orangey shade. Not too crazy about that one. and 108 is more of a red-orange shade. My only complaint is that some of the shades are a bit orangey. But I know a lot of you won’t mind this. There are also two pinkish colors that range from a really light pink to a darker one. I might try one of those two shades next. These were only $2.00 which I think is a pretty good deal. Definitely check these out!

Mega Eyes

I bought this in the blue shade. I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and try out some blue eye shadow. Blue eye shadow has always been something that I’ve been scared of. This palate appealed to me because I didn’t really want to spend a lot of money on colors that I might not like. I think this was around $3.00 or so. The compact has a slide out mirror that is a lot bigger than what you typically get. However, I’ll probably never use this since I always use a magnification mirror to apply eye makeup with. None the less, I thought it was pretty cool. The compact comes with three colors. a turquoise color for the eyelid, a purplish blue color for the crease, and white eye shadow for the brow bone. All the colors are very shimmery. The pigmentation is about what you would expect from something in this price range. It wasn’t great, but I’ve seen a lot worse. I did notice that the quality of the darker blue color was a bit lower than the turquoise color. I wanted to use the darker blue as an eyeliner, but the color kind of fell apart when I used my angled eyeliner brush to apply it. It just didn’t go on smooth at all. I would say that these palates are worth checking out. Just don’t expect to be “wowed” by them. I might try out some of the other shades though.

Let me know if you’ve tried other Wet N’ Wild products and have been pleased with the results. I’m fairly new to the brand and would like to know what you think.

My Favorite e.l.f Products

Are you a makeup lover that’s on a budget? Are you tired of ridiculous drugstore and department store cosmetics prices? I know I am! If this sounds like you, than you definitely want to check out e.l.f cosmetics at LINK HERE. They offer a great selection of makeup priced at $1.00 with studio products priced at $3.00! Their selection can be a little over whelming, so I thought I would list the products that I think are definitely worth purchasing. So here’s a list of my favorite e.l.f products:

 

• Brightening Eye Color in Drama : These colors are perfect for creating a smoky eye. I was really surprised by how good the pigmentation in this was and I love how small the compact is. It’s perfect for travel! The best part is that it’s only a $1.00! For this price, the eye quads are perfect for experimenting with new colors. Drama is definitely the best one.
•  Eyelid Primer: I couldn’t believe how good this was! While it may not be as good as Urban Decay’s primer potion, it’s definitely worth checking out. It keeps your eye shadow from creasing, and makes it last much longer. For a $1.00, you can really stock up on this.
• Studio Powder Brush: This 3.00 brush is great! It’s so soft! It makes you want to rub it all over your face! :-) It’s great for applying mineral makeup and can be used to stipple on foundation. Definitely my favorite brush!
• Studio Complexion Perfection: This is a great pressed powder for color correction. It really did seem to help reduce the redness in my face.
•  Studio High Definition Powder: A fantastic finishing powder! It gave my face a nice soft look. Great for photos!
•  Defining Eye Brush: This angled brush made it super easy for me to apply eye shadow in the crease. I also found it to be great for blending.
•  Studio Blush in Peachy Keen: Since I have fair skin, I’ve always had a hard time finding a blush that looked natural on my skin. I was surprised to find that the studio blush in peachy keen was a really good match. People with medium skin tones may find this to light, but I think it’s perfect for people with fair skin!
• Studio Eyebrow Kit: Another favorite e.l.f product of mine is the eyebrow kit. Finding a good eyebrow shade can be a little tricky for redheads, but the light shade worked really well. I definitely recommend trying this if you’re a redhead.

I have a lot of products from e.l.f that I think are good, so I’m sure I’m forgetting to mention some. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the products, and I’ll let you know if I’ve tried it and what I thought about it.

BTW: If you don’t want to order online, e.l.f can be found at Kmart or Target starting this March. Just use the store locator in the website to find out if it’s sold in your area.

Happy e.l.f hunting!

Solution For Dry Winter Skin

If you’re like me, your skin gets super dry in the winter time. Luckily, there’s a great natural solution that not only works but is also super cheap! My absolute favorite dry skin remedy is an olive oil sugar scrub. It makes my skin super soft and is super moisturizing!  I’ve posted the recipe I use below:


Olive Oil Scrub:

• 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (MUST be extra-virgin)
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• Mix it together and put in a plastic container.

There are several uses for this. I love to use it on my face before I go to bed. Just spread over face (don’t scrub as it can be a little harsh and avoid eye area). Leave it on for a few minutes and the rinse off. You can also use this as a body scrub. I like to use it on my legs before I shave. I find it gives me a much closer shave. It’s also great to use on your hands, feet, and even lips. Olive oil has so many amazing benefits. Click on the following link to find out more: Olive-Oil Benefits

Enjoy your amazing skin!

PS: I recommend using this on your face about three times a week. You don’t want to over exfoliate. On nights you don’t want to exfoliate, just spread the oil from the mixture over your face and the rinse off. 

credit to Michelle Phan for original recipe

Quick Review: CQ Smooth Color Eyeshadow

The other day I was in Wal-Mart looking for a nice champagne color eyeshadow for a look I was trying to recreate. I came across CQ’s eyeshadow singles for around $2.00. I had never heard of this brand, so I decided this would be a good time to check it out. Luckily, they had a champagne color that seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. However, I was a little disappointed in this. The color was not as pigmented as I hoped it would be. However, I did find this to be a great highlighter. It looked pretty good under the brows. I think it’s a good alternative to white eyeshadow which can sometimes come off as a little chalky if you’re not careful. I also love how small the compact is. It’s great for throwing in your bag. So, if you’re looking for a good cheap highlighting shade, I would check this out. Just don’t expect much pigmentation.

Link to CQ site for more info: CQ Cosmetics

PS: Let me know if you have tired other products from this brand. I would like to know what you think.

Review on Aveeno Ultra-Calming Moisturizing Cream Cleanser & Mark.That’s Deep Purifying Cleanser

Hey guys! So, I thought I would write a review about two cleansers that I’ve been recently using. I think both are  worth checking out. So, read on to find out what I thought. :-)

Aveeno Ultra Calming Cream Cleanser

Price: I think I paid about $6.00 or so for it.

Rating: 5/5

What I liked:

My skin gets super dry in the winter time so I always need a good moisturizing cleanser. This cleanser really worked for me. My face didn’t feel tight or dry at all after using this! It also contains skin soothing ingredients which is good for people who have sensitive skin. I was also pleased to see that it took off all my makeup including most of my eye makeup.

What I Didn’t Like:

I can honestly say that there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this. There’s a possibility that it may not work as well when summer time comes and there’s more oil on my skin, but it’s perfect for the winter time.

Bottom Line:

Definitely try this if you have dry skin.

Mark. That’s Deep Purifying Cleanser

Price: $8.00 from www.Avon.com

Rating: 4/5

What I liked:

This cleaner gets your skin super clean! It removes every bit of my makeup and leaves my skin feeling refreshed. It’s also a gel based soap free cleanser which is pretty cool. A little bit goes a long way.

What I didn’t Like:

I did find this to be a little drying on my skin. I can’t really use this during the winter time.

The bottom line:

I think this would be a good cleanser for people with oily/combination skin. People with dry skin might find it a little drying. Since it refreshes the face, it’s an ideal cleanser for summer time.