Beauty Favorites

Hey y'all! After quite the busy summer, I have a few beauty favorites that I would like to share. As I've mentioned before, I am a huge YouTube junkie when it comes to all things make up and beauty and have accumulated a few goodies over the past few months thanks to my YouTube findings. (As a delightful side note, I am pretty sure The Mister knows how to do a mean highlight and contour due to how many YouTube vids he's listened in on...many a summer night in the C household was spent with me watching YT and TM playing PlayStation.)

Let's start with skin care....

Angels on Bare Skin - Lush - 

I was in search of a new cleanser and have very sensitive yet combination - oily skin..I scar easily (and go through spurts of breakouts) that require a daily exfoliation light enough for my sensitive skin but mechanical enough to slough off and eventually erase the dark scarring. (#HighMaintenance, I know.) All of that being said, Angels on Bare Skin, delivers that to me daily. It's a calming (and pretty exfoliating) cleanser for all skin types. The smell is amazing (like every thing from Lush) and your skin feels amazing after every use. If your skin is high maintenance like mine or you are looking for a nice gentle daily exfoliation, I would totally recommend this.

Breath of Fresh Air - Lush - 

On my trip into Lush, I also picked up a toner. I was in Florida and the Breath of Fresh Air toner just seemed like the right purchase. It can go over make up and perfect for the end of the summer heat or midday pick me up!

Sephora Masks - Rose and Green Tea - 

Also for my FL trip, I picked up a few Sephora Natural Therapy sheet masks as my skin always freaks out when traveling and I had heard the rose mask was super calming. I got the rose mask and rose eye masks and the green tea mask as well. The rose masks were my absolute favorite out of the two (though both were great). The smell is divine and it calmed by face right down after a nasty plane breakout or two.

Now, let's move on to make up...

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation- 

Y'all, I have a new favorite foundation and I am not afraid to shout it from the roof tops..This is a full coverage, matte finish foundation and it does not move, get shiny, or melt off your face for HOURS.. I put this bad boy on with a beauty blender due to how heavy it can feel on the skin if you don't apply it right. This is definitely for more combination/oily skin types! One thing to keep in mind - this foundation has a yellow under tone (except for the darkest two shades which are more pink-ish).

Urban Decay Naked Weightless Concealer - 

There is nothing I love more than a brightening under eye concealer (#DragQueen) that is also super light-weight and non-cakey. This is perfect for achieving the perfect highlight and contour look. A good dupe for this is the NYX high definition concealer wand.

NYX Contour Kit - 

Although this is not in my own personal kit, I have a good friend that got this recently and I have been doing her make up with it and LOVING it. It's a great price and the color payoff/pigment is very good. It blends like a dream and always makes sure her #ContourIsOnFleek. The banana shade is my absolute favorite for setting under eye concealer.

Lights, Camera, Lashes - Tarte - 

Believe me when I tell you - this mascara is the.holy.grail. I am an avid falsies user and nothing could ever get me away from my L'Oreal Telescopic....until I got a sample of this stuff during a recent Sephora purchase and OMG...I will never buy another mascara again.

Products in the Queue -

Just today, I picked up a mini GlamGlow mask...YouTubers fah-reak out about this stuff so I had to see what all the fuss is about...I will keep you all posted! I also got a Dr. Jart Brightening Infusion Hydrogel Sheet mask (can you tell I have a thing for masks!?) as it said on the package it is good for dark circles (check), dullness (check), dark spots (double check) and uneven tone...We shall see if it delivers!

Products I am in search of - 

A good body butter! It's so hard to find a reasonably priced body butter with decent ingredients in it. Any suggestions?

Life Update - 

Over the past few months I have been contemplating where I want my next step to be as far as social media goes and I am thinking of re-lauching my YouTube channel around the new year. I am hoping to get a new vlogging camera and start doing things like, tutorials, "get ready with me" vids, favorites videos, unboxing vids, Disney magic (duh) and maybe even some fitness related things as well. So stay tuned for all of that and let me know if y'all know of any 14 year olds that can teach me the basics of video editing!

Also, with the holidays looming and me finally finishing decorating our new apartment in the next few weeks, you guys can expect some fun little blog posts coming your way!

Happy Shopping!
xoxo

Homemade By A Housewife {Skin Care}

Although I am a product junkie, there is something to be said about simple, homemade body care "products." My skin is always on the drier side in the colder temps so I use a homemade scrub every time I shower. The ingredients consist of olive oil and brown sugar. And that's it...ingredients you can easily find at the dollar store! Disclaimer - If you do use this in the shower, be careful! The oil makes the tub very slippery!

Another thing that is not really a product but more of an at home DIY, is the way I steam my face. I boil a pot of water, put it on a flat surface, put my face over the pot and then put a towel over my head. I haven't done this in a while, so I think I am due for a treatment soon! You can also add essential oils to the water for more of a spa like feel. Disclaimer - BE CAREFUL WITH THE HOT WATER AND HOT POT. 

My mom shared this next tip with me. I believe she saw this on The Talk. Step 1 - Cut a tomato, rub all the juice on your face for and leave it for 1 minute then wash off. Step two - Cut a grape fruit, rub it on you face and leave it on for 3 minutes and then wash off. When I was doing this, my skin looked brighter and more even...for pennies on the dollar!

I also like to rest warm green tea bags on my eyes sometimes...it brings down the puffiness and extracts toxins from your skin.

What are some of your favorite at home skin care remedies?

Product Junkie {Skin Care Edition}

I am much more of a skin care product junkie than I am a make-up junkie. When I get a make up product I usually have it and use it for a while. Whereas I usually go through a new cleanser every 2 months or so.

As far as cleaners, exfoliants, toners and moisturizers go, I am not really brand loyal and have used a lot over the years. Currently, I am using a line from Whole Foods called EO-Everyone Face For Every Day -

I really love this line and plan on continuing to use it. The cleanser does not leave that dry feeling and the exfoliant is gentle enough for every other day use. The toner does have alcohol in it (which is a no no in the skin care industry) but, I don't use it every day. The moisturizer is my all time favorite moisturizer I have ever used. It is so light and smells great. It does not have an SPF in it though. 

Now, although I cycle through brands with all the products mentioned above, there are products that I always find myself going back to. I am prone to breakouts, so these next three products are three that I have used to get my skin (quickly) looking back to normal.

This is one of the best products I have EVER used. If you have a breakout and/or acne scarring put this on the night before and the blemish will be almost gone by the next day. It is AMAZING. Beware though, make sure you wear sun screen when you are using this as it makes your skin very sensitive to sun exposure.

I was pleasantly surprised my this mask. Whenever I use it it tends to clear up my skin within minutes of using it. Not kidding, it works that quickly.

This is one of my other favorite masks. This also works very quickly and leaves your skin feeling tightened and glowy. Not to mention this smells divine! Beware though because it is made from all fresh ingredients (like all things from Lush) it expires rather quickly and you need to store it in the fridge. 

What are some of your favorite skin care products?