Evening Skincare Routine- BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 13,2014

EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE FALL/WINTER EDITION

Hello again and welcome to part 2 of my skincare routine for fall/winter 2014.

Enjoy! XOXO

All products mentioned are available @ drugstores, Targets & Wal-Marts unless otherwise specified.

From Left to Right: Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser, Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser, Vaseline Deep Moisture, Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner, Equate Eye Makeup Remover, Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum & Rose Hips Nourishing Oil

From Left to Right:
Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser $9- This is a classic product in skincare history. It is a simple facial cleanser for all skin types (they have different cleansers for different skin types but overall similar product) that deep cleanses and keeping your skin nice and fresh. There isn't any bad chemicals and super gentle. I like to use this at night because of my acne treatment this cleanser won't strip my skin.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner $18 (Ulta)- This is an amazing product not only it cleanses your skin it is also an exfoliate that helps with uneven skin tone and very effective for super dull, dry & sensitive skin. I use this with a cotton pad and just pat is all over my face. I do recommend only using this once a day. Glycolic Acid has different effects on different people and some have had reactions to it during long term use. So adjust accordingly to your skin needs. 

Vaseline Deep Moisture $4- My mother first introduced me to this product this past month and at first I was very skeptical about it. I am not a fan of petroleum jelly especially on my face but my skin was particularly very dry one day and my mother told me to try is and BOOM I fell in love. This product is super moisturizing and actually penetrates the skin. It is a bit greasy and heavy but nothing uncomfortable. It is better to use at night.

Left
Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum $20 (Ulta)- This is a product that I have recently started using this year. My acne for some reason decided to come back and haunt me. This stuff is pure gold. After 2 days I immediately saw a difference. My breakouts had calmed down and my pimples were less visible. It contains salicylic acid along with thyme and other natural herbs. A bonus this stuff does not sting the sh** out of you.

Right
Mario Badescu Rose Hips Nourishing Oil $20 (Ulta)- I always had super dry skin  and it has gotten worse this time around for some reason. This product has become a holy grail item in my skin care. I like to mix it in with my moisturizer and it just adds another layer of moisturizer and rose hips are really great at calming redness. It is more of a watery consistency rather than an oil. 

Miscellaneous

These are products that I use on days when I have makeup to take off.

Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser (LEFT) $5- This is an oldie but a goodie. And when I mean an oldie this stuff has literally been around since our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. This was the classic way women had removed their makeup back then and is still very effective today. I put it on my skin dry and rub it in and wash off. It removes everything to waterproof mascara. Plus it smells amazing. It also works as a great brush cleanser (2 in 1 product!!!). O and did I mention that this stuff is super cheap!

Equate Eye Makeup Remover (RIGHT) $4- This is the Wal-Mart knockoff of the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover but somehow works 10x better for 1/2 the price. This stuff dissolves the toughest waterproof makeup out there.

Morning Skincare Routine- BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 12, 2014

MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE: FALL/WINTER EDITION

Welcome to my fall/winter skincare routine 2014 edition. I change my skin care  every 2 seasons or depending on how my skin is acting. This is my current skincare for the morning. I am by no means a skin expert nor I pretend to be this is just what works for me.Please always consult a professional if needed.All of these products can be purchased at your local drugstores or Targets/Wal-Marts with the exception of a few.

(I have super dry, sensitive, acne prone skin.)

Far Left: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser
Front Left: Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Face Suncreen SPF 30
Far Right: Neutrogena Alcohol- Free Toner
Front Right: Mario Badescu Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream (Top) & Mario Badescu Ginseng Moist Cream (Bottom)
Front: White Cloud Cotton Rounds

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser $7 
Waking up can be a hassle especially if you are not a morning person like me. So the first thing I like to do in the morning to wake myself up a bit is to wash my face. I always tend to get breakouts during the colder season so I like to use an anti-acne facial cleanser. This particular one by Neutrogena is gentle enough to use everyday and contains 2% Salicylic Acid to help keep my breakouts at bay. It also has an AMAZING grapefruit scent that helps you wake up.

Neutrogena Alcohol- Free Toner $6
After cleansing my face, I like to go over my skin with a toner. The toner not only gets rid of gunk that may have not washed off but also refreshes your skin. I like to use this one in the morning because not only it's refreshing it doesn't dry out my skin thanks to no alcohol. 

Mario Badescu Ginseng Moist Cream & Ceramide Eye Cream Both $18 each (Available @Ulta (online and in-store) or Mario Badescu online)
It is super important to always moisturizer your skin no matter what!!! This Ginseng Cream by Mario Badescu is super moisturizing but not heavy at all! Ginseng has anti wrinkle properties as well as helps heal and calm irritated skin.

The Ceramide Eye Cream is also pretty amazing (I did a separate review on this). It is super thick but like the moisturizer it is not heavy and can works either alone or under makeup (makes applying concealer effortlessly). I also use this eye cream @night. 

Left: Ginseng Moist Cream
Right: Ceramide Eye Cream

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Face Suncreen SPF 30 $10
And of course you can never forget your SPF. I can't stress enough how essential it is to include some type of SPF in your skincare routine. It not only protects you from UVA/UVB rays which can cause skin cancer but it also helps prevent premature aging, sagging, sun spots and more. This one has a nice coconut scent to it and is actually very moisturizing on its own. I like to put this on top my moisturizer.

White Cloud Cotton Pads $5 for 300 (100 per pack 3 packs total)
I like to use this for my toners as well as removing makeup. You can get this at Wal-Mart for $5 for a pack of 300.

Weekly Playlist: 90s Boy Band Edition- BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 11,2014

I thought for this week's weekly playlist I mix it up a bit and go back to the 90s and pull up some of my favorite boy bands. This definitely takes me back to my childhood and makes me wonder why we don't have these awesome bands today lol. Enjoy :D

LISTEN

1. Tearin Up My Heart- NSYNC

2. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys

3. Truly, Madly, Deeply- Savage Garden

4. This I Promise You- NSYNC

5. Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely- Backstreet Boys

6. I Swear- All 4 One

7. Back Here- BBMak

8. Faded- Soul Decision

9. Girl You Know It's True- Milli Vanilli

Quick & Healthy Fall Inspired SNACKS- BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 10, 2014

1.) Frozen Mangos 

This is definitely more of a summer snack however it is also great for the early fall season. Inspired by frozen grapes the snack we all grew up and loved frozen mangos though take it up to a whole new level! You can either cut up your own fresh mangos when they are in season (they keep in the freezer for about 3 months) or you can just buy them all ready cut up and frozen. The only thing is not all brands of frozen mangos taste the same. My favorites are either the Great Value brand at Wal- Mart or the Trader Joe's brand. 

Wal-Mart's Great Value Mango Chunks

Trader Joe's Mango Chunks

2.) Homemade Apple Sauce
I know what you must be thinking is she crazy who makes their own applesauce these days? Hey don't hate till you try it. Store bought applesauce contains massive amounts of sugars and unnecessary ingredients. Homemade allows you to control what you put in and be a little more creative. You can make a big batch and just store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks although you will probably finish eating it right after you make it! The other great thing about this recipe is that there isn't exact amounts of each ingredients you can just add as much as you like. 

Here's how to make some...

Cut up as much apples as you like, any type is fine you can also do a mixture of apples.

Get a large pot and put your apples in it.

Add enough water or apple juice to cover the apples

Add some cinnamon, sugar (or stevia), nutmeg and whatever other spice you like.

Cook until apples are soft and use an immersion blender to blend to your consistency. It you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender just be sure to cool the sauce down first and blend it in batches so the sauce doesn't explode in the blender.

After blended put into containers and store in the fridge for at least an hr then ENJOY!!!

Optional: Add other fruits like strawberries to pump it up even more

3.) Yogurt Balls

These are so fun and delicious and another homemade recipe. Take some blueberries and dip them in some greek yogurt. Then place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 3 hours. They are so delicious and easy to eat.

American Horror Story Freak Show Thoughts and Tibits - BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 9,2014

Ready to get FREAKY?!?!

WARNING SPOILERS ALERT!!! 

AHS is finally back!!! I look forward to this show every year since it came out. There really isn't any decent horror TV shows these days. They all seem to try to hard to be scary but only AHS has been successful.

Season 4 Freak Show is set in Jupiter, Florida during the 1950s at one of the last remaining freak shows on Earth. The premiere never disappoints and this one definitely didn't. Many of the original actors from the previous seasons return like the amazing Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, etc... 

In the premiere we are introduced to amazingly freaky characters. Sarah Paulson plays a pair of conjured twins and let's take a moment at how amazing she was at it. This woman deserves an Emmy. I recently read an article that Sarah had played both twins and didn't ask for someone else to voice. 

We also saw a murderous clown (IT much?) a little person (who is actually the smallest person in the world), and much more.

I don't want to give away too much but all I can say is please go watch it you won't be disappointed!!!

AHS is on FX Wednesdays @ 10

Favorite Fall Lipsticks High-End BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 8, 2014

A couple posts back I talked about my favorite fall drugstore lipsticks. Today I am going to show you guys my favorite fall High-End Lipsticks. These are all a great investment if you guys do choose to go for a more pricer lip color.

From Left to Right:

MAC Rebel:

I love love love this color!!! This is a lipstick that will always be on trend for the fall season. It is the perfect plum color and goes well with any skin tone. The texture is super creamy and glides on smoothly. The wear time with MAC lipsticks isn't the best but for this color it is totally worth every penny!!!

MAC Violetta:

For those of you who want to be a little funky try this one on for size. This pretty violet color is great paired with winged eyeliner and full lashes. Another bonus it makes your teeth look whiter :D

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in Raise the Bar:

This is for those of you who don't really feel comfortable with dark and funky colors this fall. While it is a bit on the nude side the coppery undertone definitely screams fall. This color reminds me of the leaves changing colors.

YSL Rouge Volupte in #12:

This is one of more pricer lipsticks but totally worth it. Rich, creamy and not to mention the GORGEOUS color you can't go wrong with it! 

From Left to Right:

MAC Rebel- Medium plum (Satin)

MAC Violetta- Bright Violet (Amplified)

Raise the Bar- Coppery nude (Satin)

YSL #12- Bright raspberry plum (Satin/matte)

Swatches below

e.l.f Disney Good vs. Evil Beauty Book- BLOGTOBER OCTOBER 7, 2014

With the re-release of Sleeping Beauty on DVD today (before it goes into the Disney vault) I thought it was only fitting to do this review 

Disney Good vs. Evil
$9.99 @ Walgreens (Exclusively and for a limited time! NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE)

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a cardboard material shaped like a book. The inside is composed of a soft foam (holds the products).

-The cover is Aurora & Malificent

-Contains 12 Eyeshadows (6 neutral shadows called Day Beauty & 6 colorful shadows called Nigh Villain), 2 lip colors, & 1 "brightening" black eyeliner.

-The Beauty Book also contains instructions on how to create the Day and Night looks

- There is a clear plastic that covers and protects the eyeshadows, it does get in the way when your are trying to get to the shadows. It can be removed by cutting it off from the palette.

-The packaging for both the lip products and eyeliner are very fragile. The caps on these products were very loose especially the liner.

FORMULATION:

Eyeshadows:

e.l.f (aka www.eyeslipsface.com) is known for their very inexpensive makeup (everything is usually under $20). From their dollar eyeshadows. blushes, and so forth e.l.f has created an empire that allows women and men to look great w/o breaking the bank. 

e.l.f usually launches a couple of these Disney Beauty Books every year. Aside from Sleeping Beauty this year they also launched Ariel and Snow White themed products.

The eyeshadows in this Sleeping Beauty Beauty Book definitely depict the characters very well. The texture is very soft and smooth. The pigmentation varies among the shadows and a primer is definitely recommended. TIP: Layer the shadows on by thin layers to build the color. Do keep in mind that in order for e.l.f to keep their prices down, not everything is going to be great quality. The colors Briar Rose and Evil Fairy are the worst ones out of all the shadows. Both lack a great deal of pigmentation. Briar rose is very powdery and Evil Fairy for some reason is very streaky.

The wear time was actually very surprising. They lasted for about 5-6 hours with a primer and about 2-3 hours w/o a primer. They did crease a bit but nothing too dramatic. When I did swatches on the Night Villain shadows the shadows took a great deal of scrubbing to come off (no primer underneath).

Top Row:
Sunlight- Matte beige
Innocence- Shimmery Sand
Briar Rose- Rose w/a satin finish

Bottom Row:
Sunbeam- Golden brown w/a satin finish
Forest Beauty- Dark cocoa brown w/a hint of shimmer
Woodland- Dark brown w/a satin-matte finish

Top Row:
Sorcery- Shimmery gray/taupe
Magic Spell- Teal w/a satin finish
Evil Fairy- Matte violet purple

Bottom Row:
Hedge of Thorns- Dark Gray w/a satin finish
Green Flames- Shimmery hunter green
Black Magic- Semi matte black

Lip colors:

The lip products featured in this Beauty Book are a cross between a gloss and lipstick. The colors are super opaque however they do lose their pigmentation when blended out too much. They are very thick and messy to apply. They are not too drying but can get uncomfortable to wear for longer periods of time. I don't recommend using the doe foot application that comes with it but rather a lip brush instead. 

Left:
True Loves Kiss- Fuchsia red
Right:
Betrayal- Raspberry mauve

Top: True Loves Kiss
Bottom: Betrayal

Left: True Loves Kiss
Right: Betrayal

 Eyeliner:

I was very surprised at how well this liner worked. I am not a huge fan of the pencil liners from e.l.f. They are either too hard or so soft that it makes it impossible to use. 

This particular liner is known as their "brightening" liner. I for one didn't see any brightening effects however it was very pigmented and easy to apply. It is still a bit on the softer side but it smudges and creates a nice smokey effect. You can also just use it as a regular liner or even as a base for the shadows in this Beauty Book. 

Brightening Eyeliner in Wicked