Drugstore Haul

Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend, and Easter if you celebrated it!

I'm going to share a few things that I picked up from the drugstore recently. It's mostly skin/body care so nothing too exciting, but I thought I'd share anyways because I did get two things that I haven't tried before (new things to review!!). 

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser- this is just a repurchase of the cleanser I use everyday. 

Shea Moisture raw Shea butter body wash- another repurchase of my favorite body wash. I tried another scent and didn't love it as much as this one!

Shea Moisture strength, grow, and restore Leave in Conditioner- this is a new product for me. Since I love the Shea moisture body wash, I've been wanting to try their hair products. These are organic, cruelty free, and free of a ton of things (sulfate, parabens, etc.). I ran out of my usual leave in conditioner so I thought I'd try this one out. My hair needs all the help it can get since its very damaged so I will definitely be doing a review on this later! 

Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara- a repurchase of my holy grail mascara. 

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation- I'm seriously running out of all my foundations! I haven't purchased any new ones in forever. I put myself on a no buy for a little while but I decided to repurchase this one when I ran out last week because I love it and it's the cheapest of all the foundations I use lol!

Burt's Bees natural acne solution clarifying toner- I did a review for this a few weeks ago. It's my favorite toner at the moment, and I already ran out of the first one I purchased! 

Batiste Dry Shampoo for dark and deep brown hair- I've been using the floral and flirty blush scent of this and I love it, but I wanted to try out the one for brunette hair because I hate the white cast the other ones leave if you aren't careful!! Will be reviewing this as well!

Edit: I actually ended up going to Target soon after published this post, so I'm editing it to include these two items I picked up! I found a $10 gift card in my purse so I was excited!

Wet n Wild Ombre blush in The Princess Daiquaries- I picked up a different shade of these ombre blushes a while ago but I was unsure about the color, so I've been wanting to pick up another shade so I can see if I like them! 

Elf Illumanting Eye Cream- I've been dying to try out a lot of the things in Elf's skin care line. Target had this eye cream and a moisturizer, and then were out of two different things (not sure which ones). They don't have all of their skin care line but I was wanting to try this eye cream out, and since I currently don't have an eye cream I was excited to see this there!

I'll be doing reviews on both of these items too! 

I'm still on a no buy (sort of!). Most of these were essential things that I ran out of and needed. I could have held off on the foundation, but hey it's only $7! 

Have you picked up anything new from the drugstore lately? Let me know in the comments!

Skin Care Sunday | Favorite Products for Acne

Hello!! It's been a while since I did a Skin Care Sunday post! Today I'm going to share my favorite products to use for acne. Most of these aren't specifically for acne, but they are what works for me and what I use to keep any acne or belmishes at bay. 

I do like to use mostly organic stuff on my face, but the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser has way less ingredients in it than other non organic face cleansers. I started using this about 2 years ago and it cleared my skin up really well. This isn't my current everyday cleanser, but it'd still one that I love and use quite often. 

The Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel is something I've talked about a lot recently but it also does really great things for my skin. It's very soothing to any problem areas on my face. 

Aloe Gel is a recent discovery of mine (for other than sun burns!) and I started using it as a spot treatment to help the healing process of blemishes. I have stated using it all over my face as well, after I use a toner and before my mousturizer at night time.  

 I have mentioned before that I love Michael Todd Skin Care and I had a set for Acne prone skin that was amazing. In currently using a different one, and it's no where near as good, but the first two products here are what I have left from the acne set. Michael Todd products are all organic and I've had really great results while using them. 

The Jojoba Charcoal Scrub is my favorite face scrub/exfoliater. I use this about twice a week and it's the best one I've ever used. Charcoal is great for your skin to draw out impurities!

The two face masks that I like to use are the Michael Todd Kaolin Clay Mask and the Lush Mask of Magnaminty. Lush also uses all natural ingredients and this is one I've been using for about 2 years also. It's done great things for any acne and oiliness in my skin. The Kaolin Clay mask is super gentle on the skin and always makes my face feel so clean and fresh. 

Spot Treatments

I mentioned that I like to use Aloe as a spot treatment but I wanted to share some other things I like to use too. 

-Face Masks. I sometimes just dab a little bit of either of my face masks on a blemish and leave it on overnight. It helps to dry up the spot.

-Toothpaste is also a good spot treatment that helps dry up blenishes. I leave it on overnight like I would the face mask. This is something I've been doing for 10+ years. 

-If I can tell a spot is infected I like to use peroxide or rubbing alcohol on it. This cleans the bacteria and helps to dry out the spot as well. I know some people say not to do this and it helps slow healing but it has always worked for me! 

What are your favorite products to help treat acne? 

Skin Care Routine + Tips for Keeping Clear Skin!

Hello Everyone! Today I am going to share my skin care routine with you all plus some tips for keeping your skin clear, healthy, and minimize acne and breakouts.. Skin care is really important to me and I always try my best to take really good care of my skin. I have very sensitive and acne prone skin so a lot of different products and foundations that I have tried have broke my skin out. Most of the products in my skin care routine are ones that I have been using for years and they work really great for me. Please keep in mind while reading this that we all have different skin and skin types. Just because a product works/doesn't work for me doesn't mean it will or won't work for you!

Skin Care Routine:

To remove my makeup at nighttime before I wash my face I use the Neutrogena Cleaning Towelettes makeup remover. I use this to remove my face makeup as well as all of my eye makeup. This doesn't irritate my eyes while taking off my eye makeup which it really great because I found that a lot of these from different bands do.

For my facial cleanser I use the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleaner. I have been using this one for a few months and it quickly became my favorite face wash. Before I used this one, I always used face scrubs or cleaners that had the tingling sensation to them. I still like those, but after seeing how well the Cetaphil one worked for my skin I opt for this one now. I prefer the Gentle Skin Cleanser to the Cetaphil Facial wash because this one is gentle enough to use as an eye makeup remover as well. Also, after seeing how well this worked for my face, I looked at the ingredients on the back and I noticed that there is hardly anything in this cleanser. There is probable 10 or less ingredients in this, and as apposed to the cetaphil facial cleanser and all of the other ones I've tired (the neutrogena one above included) there is like double the ingredients in those cleansers. This has made me more aware of what I am putting on my face and makes me want to chose things with less ingredients/chemicals in them because of how well this cleanser worked for me. I also noticed that after I started using this product, my acne has reduced and it helps get rid of any blemishes faster then any other face wash has before. I also use the Neutrogena Deep Clean gentle Scrub about once or twice a week to exfoliate all of the dead skin cells away. This was my favorite face wash before the Cetaphil. This cleaner is really abrasive (even though it says gentle) so if you do not like face washes like that then this wouldn't be for you. If you do not mind, then I recommend this one! I really love using face scrubs because my face always feels so clean after using them. 

After I cleanse my face I always use a toner. I have been using the Olay oil minimizing toner for years and it is a really great product. It has a slight tingling feeling but it is not too harsh or drying on the skin. Using a Toner is really important because toners help remove the excess dirt, oil or makeup from the skin that a facial cleanser didn't remove. Toners also help restore the pH balance in the skin.

The Olay Complete all day moisturizer and the Olay active hydrating cream are my two favorite moisturizers. I like the active hydrating cream better because it is a little thicker and it moisturizers my skin really well and better than the other Olay one does. The Olay all day moisturizer is great because it has SPF in it so it helps protect your skin from the sun.

About once a week I like to use a face mask. This one is a sample from Lush called Mask of Magnaminty. I really love this product and can't wait to purchase the full size. It is really minty and refreshing, it feels great on my skin when I use it. 

I like to use the Neutrogena Rapid Clean acne eliminating spot gel for any blemishes that I have. I wouldn't say that this get rid of the blemishes, but it definitely helps reduce the size of them and it dries them out so they go away quicker.

Tips for keeping you skin clean and to minimize acne and breakouts:

-Do not sleep in your makeup!! I always, always, always take off my makeup and wash my face before I go to sleep. No matter where I am or how late it is. Sleeping in makeup will clog you pore. It is important to let your skin breathe at night. Your skin sweats and your body gets rid of waste through your skin at nighttime, so if you don't remove your makeup all of the oil and bacteria will get trapped in your pore and cause more breakouts.

-Wash your face in the morning. This goes hand in hand with what I said above. My face is always really oil when I wake up in the morning. It's really important to wash away that oil because if you don't, then when you apply your makeup the oil will get trapped underneath and clog your pore as well. 

-Wash you makeup brushes. Dirty makeup brushes hold a lot of dirt and bacteria. Especially your foundation brushes. I try to wash my brushes every other week or at least twice a month. I wash my foundation brush every two or three days.  Also, do not use those little sponge or pads that come with your face powders, this are not sanitary and the makeup builds up on them easily. If you do not apply your foundation with a brush, make sure your hands are clean before applying it. 

-Change you pillow cases often. Oil from your hair and face gets on your pillow cases along with dead skin cells and bacteria. You lay your face on them for long periods of time while you are sleeping so all of this bacteria goes into you skin. It's a good idea to change them once a week.  Also use a clean towel after washing your face.

-Don't touch your face. Your hands are dirty! And also clean your phone often. I heard the other day that our phones are more dirty than a public restroom!

-Keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. Drink lots of water and use a good facial moisturizer or oil. Even if you have oily skin this is really important. Some people think that if they have oily skin then they shouldn't put oil on their face. The opposite is actually true. Essential oils help slow the oil production in your face. Oils such as Tea Tree Oil and even Olive Oil are anti bacterial so it helps kill the bacteria that cases your face to breakout. 

This is all for my skin care routine and my tips for keeping your skin clear! I hope you all enjoyed reading! 

New Blog + Summer Beauty Essentials

 Hello Everyone! First I wanted to say Welcome to my new blog! I have a love for makeup and anything beauty related, and I have also been wanting to create a blog for a while now so I am really excited about this! 

For my first post, I am going to do a list of my Summer Beaty Essentials for you all. 

When the summer season comes, I tend to change up some of my most used products from the winter and fall seasons.

I find that sometimes the sun can dry out and damage our hair! To keep my hair healthy I always make sure I use a leave in conditioner. My favorite ones is It's a 10 because it helps repair dry and damaged hair as well as reduce frizz which is always a plus for summer. This is a great product that also does a lot more great things for your hair. Another great product for summer is a Sea Salt spray. This gives you a natural beachy wave and textured look. My two favorites are the Not your Mothers Beach Babe and the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray.

   

     

I think that keeping your skin and lips moisturized and hydrated is also important during the summer months. You skin will achieved a better and even looking tan if it stays moisturized. Also sunscreen is really important in the summer if your skin is sensitive to the sun like mine is. I use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer dry touch sunscreen. This is nice because it does not have the sunscreen smell to it, and it does not leave any greasy feel to your skin like most sunscreens do. (I hate the smell and feel of sunscreen!) I also like to keep my body and hands moisturized with the Soap and Glory Hand Food lotion and any lotion with a summer scent is nice. (Bath and Body Works lotion shown in picture in the scent Coconut Vanilla, yum!) For my face I like to use an oil control moisturizer with SPF in it like the Cetaphil Derma Control moisturizer.  For my lips I like to used the Lush lip scrub to exfoliated my lips. This keeps the dead skin off and I follow up with a lip balm to make them smooth and hydrated. 

Whether you are wearing a lighter coverage/BB Cream or a full coverage foundation it is also important to have SPF included in them. Especially if you are like me and do not like to put sunscreen on your face. I think most BB creams have SPF in them, but my favorite one is the Revlon Photo Ready bb cream (SPF 30). I also like the Covergirl outlast foundation, it has an SPF of 20. I always used a makeup setting spray after applying my makeup to help to last through the day. Right now I have the Urban Decay De Slick makeup setting spray, but I actually prefer to use the All Night Spray. And please excuse how dirty the bottle looks in this picture!! Lol.

Bronzer is a great product for summer to give you face a nice and healthy looking bronze or glow. I am really loving the Hoola Bronzer by Benefit, and I like to use the Park Ave. Princess by Tarte lightly on my face because it has a pretty shimmer to it. 

I love wearing highlighters and brighter colored blush in the summer. Nars Albatross is my favorite highlighter for a pretty glow on my cheeks. I love Coralista by Benefit for a nice coral color, and I like the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface for a brighter pink. 

Waterproof and long wearing eye products is a must for my summer makeup. If you are going to be outside all day or going swimming and want your makeup to last then these products will help. The Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows make for a great long wearing eyeshadow as well as an eyeshadow base/primer. I love the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners for my waterline, and a waterproof liquid eyeliner like the one from Marabella shown in the picture. Revlon Fabulash waterproof mascara is a great product as well. 

I tend to wear brighter nails polishes sometimes in the summer. I'm not much of a bright nail polish person but sometimes I get in the mood for something brighter. I really have been obsessed with the Essie polish In the Cab-Ana (bright blue on the left) it's such a pretty color. I also love Essie Tart Deco (middle) and China Glaze Shocking Pink.

This is all for my Summer Essentials post! I hope you all enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!