CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser REVIEW!!

I personally love this cleanser. I use this morning and night unless I'm trying some new products. This is meant for dry and aged skin. This is a creamy cleanser that has a silky silicone feel to it. The key ingredients are ceramides and hyaluronic acid. The ceramides are good for the skin because it helps to repair the skins barrier. The hyaluronic acid is moisturizing. This helps moisture stay in the skin and it makes skin more plump. This also has glycerin in it which is an emollient. Emollients are good for people with dry skin because we have a lack of oil. This doesn't take my makeup off very good, so I use olive oil to take my makeup off. The packaging is great. It comes with 8 or 12 ounces of cleanser and it has a pump. This is $12. You can find this at Walmart, Ulta, target,etc. This is a drugstore product. I give this a 10/10. It is perfect for my skin.

Alpha Hydrox's Spot Light Skin Lightener Fade Cream REVIEW!!

This is the cheapest but one of the best skin lighteners out there. This has 10% glycolic acid in it along with 2% hydroquinone. This improves the skins texture and appearance as well as lightens dark spots. The glycolic acid helps to exfoliate the skin and treats deeper layers. The Hydroquinone blocks the melanin production which helps lightenen the spot. Along with the great ingredients. The air tight package helps to keep the product stable. It is a tube with a tip on the end that you screw a cap on. This is $10 and you can find it at Ulta or walgreens.

Stila's Stay All Day Foundation and Concealer REVIEW!!

Hey guys, welcome to another review. Today the review is Stila's Stay All Day Foundation and Concealer. This is a nice size foundation and its pretty interesting how they put a concealer on the top of the foundation. The packaging on this is not good. The foundation is not a pump, It had a scooper in the lid so you can get the product out and place it directly on your hand, face, palette, or brush. This came with a brush, I would rather use my own but for someone who's starting out it wouldn't be bad. That is something I don't like. I want my foundation to come in a pump. As far as the coverage goes, its a medium coverage.There are 15 shades. I tried the lightest shade in this. This foundation has a yellow undertone to it. My skin has a neutral undertone to it. This product is not super liquidy but its not so thick. This is great for people with dry skin. My skin feels tight after I use my foundation and this hasn't felt dry. This product really lasted all day. I tried it with two different face primers. It has a nice texture to it, it feels very smooth and it glides on and spreads  very nicely. This is $44. You can find this at stilacosmetics.com, sephora, and Ulta. Overall this foundation is pretty good. I would give it a 7/10. The only reason why it got a low rating was the packaging. If this was a pump one, I would give it a 9/10. The coverage is great, the feeling of it on my skin was fantastic. The fact that it comes with a concealer is terrific. I feel like this product is perfect for someone who looks to get a good value for their money. This is an excellent choice.

All about retinol

Retinol is the go to ingredient for antiaging. But what is it? Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A. Since its an antioxidant, it helps to neutralize the free radical damage in the skin. Which means you can prevent and help treat aged skin. It's a cell communicating ingredient, this means it tells the skin cells to act like newer, healthier, and younger cells. Retinol is also proven to help with acne, age spots, and wrinkles.

There are Retinoids, and tretinoids. The retinoids are the kind that you can get over the counter. You do not have to have a prescription for these. However these are not as strong as the kind that you get a prescription, so you will see results after around 4 weeks of continual use. Some people might not see a difference in their skin with the retinoids because not every over the counter retinol is a good product, alot of them are not strong enough to do anything. Tretinoids are prescription only. These are more strong, but more effective. These ones are definitely going to help with acne, age spots, and wrinkles

The biggest misconception that many people have is that retinol is an exfoliant. It does NOT exfoliate the skin. You can combine retinol, glycolic acid and vitamin c together. Using retinol by itself is not going to benefit your skin as much as a combination of different products would. One product can't change your skin, its the right products used in conjunction with one another that give the skin the best results. The best ingredients to combine with retinol is sunscreen, vitamin c, and glycolic/lactic/salicylic acid.

Some important things when buying a retinol are the packaging. The packaging of retinol has to be in a dark packaging that allows as little air as possible to enter. If you are using a jar, I recommend that you find a new product, because the air breaks down the beneficial ingredients. Another thing is to only apply retinol at night. If you apply it during the day, it becomes unstable. I recommend applying it at night and you must wear a sunscreen every day. This prevents the new cells from getting damage caused by the sun.

Boscia's Bright White Mask REVIEW!!

The fact that this product is a peeloff mask, it instantly made me want to try it. This is suppose to be a antiaging, brightening, hydrating and smoothing mask. This mask doesn't do any of that. Some people might not like the texture of this mask. It's thick, and when you peel it off it hurts. The brightening that people think there seeing is actually the titanium Dioxide. This might leave a whitish cast on the skin when it is removed, which is just temporary. There is also bitter orange extract and polyvinyl alcohol, these ingredients are common irritants for the skin. This mask has almost no ingredients that help lighten dark spots. So there really is no point of putting it on your face. Even if it did have the ingredients that lighten, it won't do much if you only use it 1-2 times a week. This mask is $35. You can get it from Sephora, or Boscia.net.
Overall I give this mask a 1/10. It gets a 1 just for the idea of a peel off mask. But everything else is a fail.

Philosophy Help Me retinol night treatment REVIEW!!

The Philosophy Help Me is a retinol treatment. The packaging of this product is good. it comes in a squeeze tube which is good for preserving the retinol and the other beneficial ingredients in it. This is also fragrance free. This is meant for people with normal to dry skin. If you have acne prone skin, I don't recommend you use this. The downside to this product is the amount of money you spend on this. There are a couple of drugstore retinols that have the same amount of retinol in it for less money. Retinol is the 11 ingredient in the list. Glycerin is the 2nd which is a good ingredient for people who need hydration. This product contains cholesterol which is why it is bad for people with oily or acneic skin. On the skin it feels like a moisturizer. In the morning my skin does feel noticeably softer. I have noticed that i get a couple if any small whiteheads the morning after. And I am not acne prone! This is not an exfoliant like many people think, this helps speed up the skins cell turnover. It tells cells to act more youthful and more plump.  This is $47. Overall, this is a good retinol for me, due to the fact I have dry skin. I have tried better, however this is a good choice.

My skincare Routine for dry skin

I personally have dry skin. Dry skin means that you lack oil. I also don't have large pores and my face feels tight if I don't moisturize it. A couple big things about a good skin regimen are moisturizing, exfoliation, and using skincare products appropriate to the skin type and condition. I don't have dehydrated skin, so my products are more directed towards the lack of oil. First lets begin with the nighttime routine.

Nighttime Routine

1. Remove makeup. I have mentioned in a previous post to use olive oil. It works great at removing makeup and dirt, as well as giving more hydration into my skin. Olive oil is very beneficial for your heath but it is also beneficial for your skin and hair. It has vitamins E and K. Some people with dark circles under there eyes might find that a vitamin K deficiency is the cause for them.

2. Cleanser. The purpose of the cleanser is to remove excess makeup, and remove dirt. The cleanser that I use is Cerave's Hydrating Cleanser. This can be found at Ulta, Walmart, and target. This is only $12.99. This has hyaluronic acid in it. Which binds moisture. This is helpful with the hydration in the skin as well as plumping the skin. This also have glycerin in it, which moisturizes the skin and makes this cleanser feel a little more of a greasy feel, but it doesn't feel greasy when you rinse it off. This cleanser also has ceramides in it which is a cell communicating ingredient. Its telling the skin to act more young, and to help with the cell turnover rate. It's fragrance free, noncomedogenic and it's not irritating.

3. Glycolic Acid. This is a chemical exfoliant, which means you let this product sit on the skin and it helps exfoliate the dead skin cells. I prefer this to manual exfoliation because this helps effect the other layers of the skin. This will help get rid of fine lines and wrinkles and it will help lighten age spots. I use Alpha Hydrox Enhanced lotion 10% Glycolic AHA. This product is pretty basic. It doesn't contain any antioxidants, but this is a good product. This is $12.99. you can find this at Ulta, or Alpha Hydrox's website.

4. Retinol. This is not an exfoliant like most people are confused with. Retinol is a cell communicating ingredient that helps the cell turnover rate. This product tells your skin to act younger, therefore making the skin cells appear more plump. I have been taking home a couple of samples from my work. The ones I like so far are: Algenist Retinol Firming and lifting serum. $98. And  Peter Thomas Roth's Retinol Fusion PM. $65. I recently bought Alpha Hydrox's Retinol ResQ. This is $14.99.

5. Moisturizer. Moisturizer is important because it helps with the hydration in your skin. If your skin is flaky then it is most likely dehydrated. I use Ceraves Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM. This is a great moisturizer. It contains hyaluronic acid, which again helps with hydration. This helps plump the skin. It also contains ceramides and niacinamide. These are great for the skin because they are cell communicating ingredients. They help the skins cell turnover rate, and they help make the cells act more younger.

6. Skin Lightener. This is important if you have age spots. I have a freckle that I absolutely hate. The skin lightener I have has 2% hydroquinone and it has 10% Glycolic acid. I use Alpha Hydrox's Spotlight Skin lightener.$10. I use this only at night and I put a dot on my spots but I don't rub it in. I find it works faster if i let it sit there rather than rubbing it. Over time you will find that the spots will seem flaky, that is suppose to happen. You should expect to see results in 4-6 weeks.

7. Vitamin E oil. this is beneficial because it is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help neutralize the free radicals found in the skin. Free Radicals are caused from sun exposure, alcohol, smoking, and pollution. The free radicals re what causes fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, and the decrease the production of collagen and elastin. I buy the biggest cheapest bottle of Vitamin E softgels. I break the softgel open and apply it on my face. sometimes I won't do this step but when i want more hydration i will use this.


My Morning Routine.

1. Cleanse. I use my Cerave Hydrating Cleanser again.

2. Moisturize. I use my Cerave facial moisturizer PM

3. Sunscreen. This is a very important product in my skincare routine. The sunscreen helps protect you from the suns rays. It has been proven that 90% of the way your skin looks is due to the sun. Only 10% comes from genetics. the reason why is the sun causes free radicals to be present in the skin. Free Radicals are what causes collagen and elastin breakdown, age spots, and fine lines and wrinkles. I use SPF 50. You should use a minimum of 30.

Best High end eyeliners

I did a test at my work yesterday about eyeliners. I drew a swatch on my hand of every brand and when they were dry I smudged them. I was looking for: The color payoff, the texture of it going on, if it lasted long, if it smudged, and the packaging. So lets begin I will start from the best to the least impressive.

1. Too Faced Perfect eyes Eyeliner. This was in my opinion the best. It went on very black, it stayed very black for the hours I had it on my skin. It was the 2nd longest lasting eyeliner. It didn't smudge as much as the others. This is a pencil and I prefer a retractable, but I would purchase this. This is $18. You can get it at Sephora, Ulta, or toofaced.com.

2. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner. This had the 3rd best pigment payoff. Regardless of the name, this eyeliner smudged the least! If you want to smudge it you would have to do it when you just put it on. This is $20. And this is a retractable. You can purchase this at Sephora, Ulta, and stilacosmetics.com. I do have this product and I really like it.

3. Tarte's skinny smolderEYEs Amazonian clay waterproof liner. This eyeliner has the 2nd best pigment. Its is the 3rd longest lasting. I was pleasantly surprised how black this went. This is a pencil eyeliner. It has a creamy texture to it. It has a brush on it, so if you want to smudge it make sure you do it fast. This is $19. You can purchase this at Sephora, Ulta, or tartecosmetics.com. I do like this product and I would purchase it.

4. Nars Larger than life long-wear eyeliner. This eyeliner has a good pigment. It did smudge a little bit. It went on pretty smooth. This is a pencil. It is $24. I probably wouldn't buy this, I would rather buy the previous ones. You can get it at Sephora, and Narscosmetics.

5. Smashbox's Always sharp waterproof kohl liner. This has good pigment. I prefer it to be more black. It smudged more than Nars but with that being said it didn't smudge too much. I like that this is a retractable, but it sharpens it when you put the lid on and when you take it off. I feel like that would be too much sharpening, and it would waste the product. I would not purchase this product. This is $20. you can buy this at Sephora, Ulta, or smashbox.com

6. Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes. This is long lasting. the pigment is not as good as all of the above, which is why it is here. I personally do have this liner. I like the long lasting of it. The color payoff is not as great as some others. This is a pencil and its $19. You can purchase this at Sephora and makeupforever.com

7. Benefit Cosmetics BADgal waterproof liner. This liner has a better color payoff than Makeup Forevers. However this doesn't last very long. Another disappointing this is this comes in only 3 colors and it is a pencil. This is $20, you can get this at Sephora, Benefitscosmetics and Ulta.

8. Sephora collection retractable waterproof eyeliner. This had good pigmentation. But this smudged quite a bit. Still not the worst but it doesn't last long. There is a lot of colors in this line. And the price is not bad at $12. You can get this at Sephora.

9. Bareminerals Round the clock Waterproof eyeliner. This had great color payoff. The downside is this is very creamy,it smudged a lot. On the eyes this would definitely get on the upper lid. This is also a pencil. It is $15. You can get it at Sephora, Ulta, and bareescencials.com

10. Urban Decay's 24/7 liner. This had good color, not as good as Bareminerals. But this smudged the most. I have this liner and in my experience it hasn't always gotten on my lid. But it has happened a couple times. I would not repurchase this liner. This is $19. you can get this at Sephora, Ulta, or Urbandecay.com.

This is just my test. You can try it yourself. You might find that your results would be different than mine. But I thought this would be interesting to share with you guys.

A few of my favorite things by too faced REVIEW!!

Too faced came out with two limited edition sets for the holidays. A few of my favorite things was one of them. I was very excited that I got this for Christmas. I am very happy with this kit. It comes with 20 different eyeshadow shades, 2 bronzers and 2 blushes. It also comes with The Better Than sex mascara and the Lip Injection Color Bomb in the shade Bee Sting. It sells at $56. You can purchase this at Sephora, toofaced.com, and Ulta. Okay first, let's talk about the eyeshadows. Too faced has a lot of great pigmented eyeshadows. This set contains a lot of neutrals and a few nice colors that can be played up and toned down with the other eyeshadows in the palette. These shadows are very pigmented, they are applied very easily and effortlessly. They blend well and stay all day. I applied the eyeshadow at around 7 in the morning and didn't take it off until around 9:30 pm On Christmas Eve. The eyeshadow still looked good, I could of used a touchup throughout the day. But it still looked good. Here's some swatches

1st row

2nd row

3rd row

4th row

The better than sex mascara is one of my top favorites. The brush is an hourglass shape. Usually I wouldn't like this kind of brush but for some reason it works. The formula is not too wet. It works really well with the brush in making the lashes look more voluminous and long. It makes the lashes look very full. This would be in my top 3 mascaras. If you wanted to purchase this separately, it is $23. You can find it at Sephora, Toofaced.com, Macy's and HSN.

The Lip Injection Color Bomb, in the shade bee sting is a nice dark pink. It's very natural looking on. It glides on nice and creamy. It feels tingly about a minute after it's been on your lips. It's not an intense feeling like the too faced Lip Injection Extreme. But this one is a nice subtle one for people who don't like the feeling of burning. They do sell these individually. It comes in 6 different shades. It doesn't include Bee Sting. They are 21   Dollars each. You can purchase these at Sephora, toofaced.com, or Ulta.

I would give this kit a 9/10. This is a great kit, it comes with various different eyeshadows, a nice lipstick, and a very popular mascara. The reason I didn't give it a 10/10 is because I have looked at other sets and this was the second best kit for the price. The first was the kit from Tarte. But this is a great kit and I would recommend this to beginners and people who are very experienced with makeup.

Steps on a good skincare regimen

The first step to a good skincare regimen is to find out your skin type. For example: Dry, Combination Dry, Normal, Combination oily, or Oily. The next step is regarding your skin conditions. Do you have sensitive skin? Acne prone skin? Possibly dehydration? You want to come up with a skincare routine that takes a factor into all of that.

1. At night take your makeup off before your cleanser. A great makeup remover that is inexpensive is Olive oil. This is beneficial because it not only take off the makeup, but it has a moisturizing effect on the skin. As well as supplemented it with good fats. Even if your skin is oily you can use olive oil. It wont clog pores like most people would assume.

2. Find a good cleanser. The purpose of a cleanser is to remove a bulk of the dirt, oil, and residue from your makeup remover.
-A good cleanser with someone who has oily skin is clean and clear daily pore cleanser, it is oil free. You should avoid oil in your products. If its a natural oil like olive oil its fine. Clean and clear has another moisturizer that is good for someone with oily skin but its sensitive. Its called Essentials Foaming facial cleanser. These are both a little under 6 dollars each.
- A good cleanser for someone with dry skin is Cerave's Hydrating cleanser. I use it everyday unless I want to try out a new one for a review. This cleanser is around 12 dollars. If you have sensitive skin, try olay's 4in1 daily facial cloths for sensitive skin. These are very nice and they are only 7 dollars for a pack of 33.
-If you have combination oily, try Biore's Combination Balancing cleanser. Its around $8 from most stores. If you have sensitive skin try foaming face wash for sensitive skin by olay. This is around $6.
- If you have combination dry, a great cleanser for you is the gentle hydrating cleanser from eucerin, Its about $6. If you have sensitive skin try, Say yes to Cucumbers gentle milk cleanser. This is around $10.
- If you have normal try: Alpha Hydrox foaming face wash. This is found at Ulta and is around $8. If you have sensitive skin try: The body shops Aloe calming facial cleanser for sensitive skin. This is around $15

3. Next is toner. There are a lot of bad toners out there some good ones are:
Soothing Toner with anti aging pycnogenol. This is around $16 and it can be used for all skin types. This is a great choice for people with sensitive skin

4. If you want to get rid of aging or prevent aging, this is the time for serum. A good one is Olay Regenerist Microsculpting. This is good for all skin types. It is around $28 dollars. If you want to add in some vitamin c, a good one is Philosophy's turbo c powder. All you have to is take a pinch of this powder and add it into the serum. It works well with age spots, and helps boost your collagen production. It costs $36. You can purchase this at sephora, philosophy.com, or Ulta.

5. Exfoliate. This is beneficial for keeping skin clear. It helps with preventing the aging process and It also helps all of the other products to be absorbed better.
- some good manual exfoliants are Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle smoothing scrub. This is about $6. This is meant for people who dont have acne.
- A good chemical exfoliant is Alpha Hydrox 10% Glycolic Acid lotion. I use this and its great. Its around $12. A salicylic acid treatment would be Advantage Oil Absorbing Treatment Oil free from the brand Clean & Clear. It is $6.

6. Moisturizer is the next step. This is very important for all skin types, moisturizer is why your skin stays hydrated. Even oily skinned people need a moisturizer.
- A good one for oily skin is Algenist Regenerative Anti-Aging lotion. This is more on the expensive side but it is worth it. This costs $75. If you have sensitive skin a good one to try is Moisture Defense Antioxidant hydrating gel. This costs $45.
- If you have combination oily, you can try the moisturizers above as well.
- If you have dry skin try MaryKay's Timewise Night Restore and recover complex. This can be used for combination dry and normal skin. This is around $40. If you have sensitive skin try Boscias Restorative Night moisture cream. This costs around $48.
-If you have combination dry, try the products mentioned in the dry skin section.
-If you have normal skin try Cerave's facial moisturizing lotion PM. I use this moisturizer and its very good. It costs $12. One for sensitive skin would be MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Hydrating Gel. This costs $45.

7. If its daytime, you will need an SPF.This is essential in protecting the skin from getting age spots, fine lines and wrinkles, and more important skin cancer. If you want to use retinol, glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids you need to use a SPF in the morning.
-Some good ones for all skin types include Kiss my face Face + Neck Face Factor 30 Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It costs round $15. Another one is Clinique's Sun SPF 30 face cream. It costs $21.

8. If you want to get rid of age spots and fine lines and wrinkles or acne, you should use these products at night. Some of my favorite Antiaging products are:
-Alpha Hydrox's Spotlight skin lightener treatment. This is a 2% hydroquinone and 10% glycolic acid lightener. Use this product after your moisturizer. It costs $10.
-Another good product from Alpha Hydrox is there 10% Glycolic Acid lotion. I use this before my retinol and moisturizer. It costs around $13.
-A good Retinol is Peter Thomas Roths Retinol Fusion PM serum. This is used after the glyclolic acid and before the moisturizer. This costs $65. Another good retinol product is the Algenist Retinol Firming and Lifting serum. You use this just like I mentioned before. This costs around $98.
-Some good products for people with acneic skin are : Clear Days Ahead oil-free salicylic acne treatment and moisturizer.This product is around $40, This can be substitute the other moisturizers, those are good if your skin is feeling sensitive to these treatments. A good spot treatment is clearasils Daily clear Vanishing Acne Treatment Cream. This costs $6.99.

9. Something that you should do 2 times a week is a mask. Masks help replace hydration, take out impurities, or help absorb oil.
- A good face mask for someone with dry skin or sensitive dry skin is the First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask. I use this mask and love it. Its great for moisturizing the skin. This is $22.
- A good face mask for people with oily skin or normal skin are clinique Acne Solutions Oil-control cleansing mask. This helps absorb oil and remove impurities from the surface. This is $22.
- If you have sensitive oily skin a good choice is the miracle skin transformers miracle revival mud skin restoring treatment mask. This is $38.

The steps to a good skincare regimen are remove makeup, cleanse, use exfoliant, toner,  use serum, Retinol, moisturizer, skin lightener. Some steps you wont use but if you do use all of these like I do. This is the order.

Algenist Retinol Firming and Lifting serum REVIEW!!

This is a retinol serum that is over the counter. The packaging for this product is one of the best for protecting the product from going bad. It has a pump and is in a clear glass bottle. It is 1 fl. oz. I am in love with this retinol product. It is a lightweight moisturizer that delivers a lot of hydration, while vanishing the appearance of fine lines and dark spots. This product does not contain parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. It contains an ingredient called, algae exopolysaccharides. This ingredient is hyped up to be an all time anti aging ingredient. Although the claims have not been proven, it still has great features like antioxidants and moisturizing capabilities.  The ninth ingredient is retinol which is not bad considering it is over the counter. With that being said, this product did not make my skin dry and flaky like some retinol creams do. I have sensitive skin and this retinol treatment didn't cause any problems with my skin. I recommend this for any skin type, as the texture of this is like a light moisturizer. It also doesn't leave a greasy look to the skin. You can purchase this at Algenist.com, sephora, or QVC. However I do want to mention that any over the counter retinol isn't going to get rid of deep wrinkles, only prescription strength retinol can do that. However this is a great serum to help prevent the aging process.

benefit 'Hello Flawless!' oxygen wow foundation REVIEW!!

 

 

I have recently tried benefits 'Hello Flawless!' oxygen wow foundation. this foundation is a liquid. The features of the foundation are: it comes in a glass type bottle with a pump, it has SPF25, it is oil-free, it has light diffusing properties, it comes in 9 shades, it has a natural finish, and its hydrating. I have the shade 'Im pure 4 sure' Ivory. This is the lightest shade available. The foundation has a slight yellow undertone to it. It has a light to medium coverage, that is buildable. It stays put for hours. It glides on very nicely. I do agree with the claim that it has a natural finish. I would recommend this foundation to people who are not prone to blemishes, as I have heard that it causes breakouts. It retails for 36 dollars. You can purchase this foundation at Sephora, Ulta and benefitcosmetics.com. I would give this foundation a 7 out of 10 the coverage is great, the pump is excellent. I like the way it goes on the skin. However I don't have a yellow undertone to my skin. its a decent foundation, but I have tried better.