Favorite Items of July

Here's an end of the month recap of my favorite beauty items.

You can check out my YouTube video and hear me ramble about these items.

ITEMS MENTIONED:
-Jergens Natural Glow & Protect Daily Moisturizer SPF 20 (for medium to tan skin tones): A daily moisturizer that gradually creates a natural-looking color.  With the broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection with SPF 20, this is great to build up your summer tan or maintain your color beyond the summer months.

-LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter: This butter cream is great to soften dry, cracked cuticles and nourish your nails and any other dry spots on the body.  The container contains 1.5 oz. of mango butter, organic avocado oil, beeswax, and lots of fresh lemons to brighten skin and lighten nails.  A little goes a long way with this batch.

-bareMinerals Prime Time Brightening Eyelid Primer: An eyelid primer that provides a great base color for all eyeshadows.  The "sheer" golden color brightens the eyes and can be worn alone.  This is great for those who have sensitive eyes, even those who wear contact lenses.

-Benefit BADgal Liner Waterproof (Extra Black): A waterproof, black eyeliner contains a unique formula that glides on smoothly and doesn't smudge.  It has a blending tip on one end so you can achieve that perfect smoked-out eyes.

-NYX Lipstick (Haute Melon/LSS 583A): A classic lipstick that's great all year round.  This color is a mix of coral, pink and melon that looks a tad orange in the tube.  But once applied, the soft, glossy color is very giving with how deep you want the color.  It's rich and moisturizing and very affordable.

Thanks for reading this.  Until next month's favorite items...

Just Another Manic Monday

Hey friends!  It's been a while since I've posted something but here I am.  If you follow me on YouTube, I did a Haul video of a few products I've purchased online.  I finally opened one of my purchases and tested the products to make sure it was worth every penny.

The Bobbi Brown Instant Pretty Collection was last month's QVC Today's Special Value (TSV).  This kit comes with 7 products including a full size face palette that comes in 5 different shades.  Before I purchased this, the only Bobbi Brown item I owned was the long-wear gel eyeliner in black ink.  This was my first gel eyeliner which I was really (still am) happy with.  I wasn't sure what new Bobbi Brown product I wanted to get my hands on.  Luckily, I was watching QVC that day and voila!  I placed an order before the shade I ordered sold out.

The summer has been about "au naturale" and this kit delivers.  The natural colors in this kit goes well with any complexion where the end result looks effortless.  Your look is pretty hands on as the kit does not come with makeup brushes.  In the face palette, the foundation, concealer and corrector are creamy so your fingers are your best tools.  When you apply the corrector and concealer, you immediately see your eyes brighten and the dark circles and fine lines fade away.  The mascara is very lengthening after applying 2 coats.  The 2 lip glosses compliment each other and are great shades all year round.  To complete my eyes, I applied my gel eyeliner and NYX false eyelashes.

After wearing this look for a few hours, I'm happy with the overall look.  It was worth every penny!  The shade I purchased is natural which turns out to be too light for the summer.  Other than that, this kit can still be purchased on the QVC website.  Let me know if you like my look.

 Look, @BobbiBrown retweeted me!  Cloud 9 :)

Side Note: I've been watching Team USA at the Olympics like a hawk.  Really excited to see more action from men/women basketball team, men/women beach volleyball, women volleyball and women soccer.  Go #TeamUSA!

Show Your Red, White & Blue

The 4th of July is a special day for me because it's my parent's wedding anniversary and my chance to try a new "red, white and blue" dessert.  This is one of my favorite holidays of the year to spend with my parents outside of traditional family holidays.  I love grilling with my dad, watching my mom sit on the hammock and seeing my daughter stand underneath the sprinklers.  I think my parents went over the top with celebrating the big "red, white and blue" this year.  They've been married for 27 years so they're allowed to.  Instead of your typical BBQ eats, we had a seafood festival right in our backyard.  My parents had lobsters, crabs, shrimps, mussels, clams, potatoes and corn for 6 adults and a toddler.  An extra bonus to our seafood festival was eating on top of banana leaves.  That's right- we ate like barbarians!

Skincare Challenge: Exuviance

An unfortunate battle that people deal with or have dealt with in their lifetime is acne.  It's punishment from Eve eating that damn apple- just joking.  I have oily combination skin and have dealt with acne since I reached puberty (and so did everyone else).  Since then, my face has gone through the challenge of me using different products to reduce acne, scarring and hyperpigmentation.  Products I've used range from prescribed ointments to drugstore products such as Neutrogena and Clean & Clear.  Those are the only 2 drugstore products that I stick to.  I've had great success with these brands on separate occasions.  Overall, my skincare routine is very sacred to me that if I skip it, I feel a difference in my face and will have to suffer the consequences a few days later.

Right now, I'm testing out different skincare products that target my skin condition (oily/combination), acne, scarring, hyperpigmentation and smoothing my skin and complexion.  I used Clean & Clear Advance acne kit throughout college.  It was a great starter kit and I still use the acne treatments every night to reduce scarring.  I was using Boscia Best Set, which I already rambled about back in May, for six weeks.  The kit included a cleanser, under eye cream, moisturizer with SPF15, night cream, and blotting sheets.  My review for this kit is not good therefore not recommendable to anyone who has the same skin issues as me.  I knew after purchasing Boscia, I wanted another kit or brand to compare to.  That's when I found Exuviance.

As you can see from the title, I'm "challenging" my face as I start to use the Exuviance kit for six weeks.  I aim to blog weekly and share with you my results whether good or bad.  I have high expectations for this kit due to the reviews from the saleswoman from Ulta.  She has recommended and sold this brand to family and friends who consulted with her about their acne issues.  Whether she was acting like a good employee, her selling point caught my attention.  We both have similar skin issues and she understood my need to make my face look and feel better.

The kit comes with 5 items: a cleansing gel, toner, moisturizer with SPF15, evening cream and treatment masque.  I already used the products this morning and already felt a difference after following the routine.  I'm going to avoid using other products that didn't come with the kit.  I plan on doing a video too so that you can hear what I have to say.

Here are a few pictures of the kit and my current face conditions.  Let the challenge begin!

 The top flap opens upwards where there are instructions underneath and the products shown here.

No makeup taken this morning under natural lighting in room.

 Scarring next my right eyebrow and on my cheek.  There's discoloration under my lip.  I already feel a pimple making a appearance...sadness!

Scarring on my left cheek with some discoloration.  I started breaking out on this side.