A lot of products come my way - some are great, some are not. Below are a collection of things I have been using and loving!
The Zoya lipstick in Addie is my new everyday color. It's the most gorgeous pink/mauve/nude and it had great lasting power. If I want to pump up the color I line my lips and fill them in entirely with Chocolate glimmerstick by Avon. I also love this liner with another lip favorite, Clay Crush by Maybelline.
The L'Oreal mask was actually sent to me from Influenster (such a fun concept!! Sign up HERE if you haven't yet. Free products in exchange for honest reviews!) Anyways, I was sent the "Clear & Comfort" version of this mask, and I really enjoyed it! My skin felt super smooth and soft after I used it, and it helped to dry out a pimple I had, without drying out my skin. I will definitely buy a new tub of this when I run out! The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is something I should have told you guys about loooooong ago! I've been using it for over two years, and only recently bought a second jar. You put a tiny dab on your lips right before bed, and wake up with beautifully hydrated lips. We are coming to the time of year where it's getting colder and drier, so I tend to add a bit more at night during the chilly months.
Native deodorant. So, I did an Instagram story mentioning that I was going to make the switch over to natural deodorant, and I've never had so many direct messages in my life, lol! Anyways, I have successfully made the switch and am really loving Native brand! The scent I'm using and loving is Apricot & White Peach. If you've been thinking of making the switch to natural deodorants, I highly recommend it. I switched Tony over too, and he's been really happy as well.
Makeup Forever's nourishing primer was sent to me a while ago, and I finally picked it up recently, and have been thrilled. My skin is super sensitive and for most of my life has been oily. Since I've gotten older it's moved onto combination, and quite recently it's been feeling dry. I switched over to this hydrating primer and am in love! It makes my skin feel great, and holds my makeup on all day.
The Urban Decay Troublemaker is bomb dot com!!! It goes on so beautifully, doesn't flake off and is super black! My one criticism is that it's a bit harder to remove than other mascaras, but I can handle it, for the look it gives off. Also, the packaging is super pretty ;)
What are YOUR current beauty obsessions?! What should I try next??!
I was so excited when my friends at Avon sent me a package of goodies, on how to create one of the looks they did on Project Runway for wine-stained lips. I'm not typically a dark lips girl, but it was really fun to try this look out for something new!
They sent two eyeshadow singles, in Beige and Black Brown, and a great felt-tipped liquid liner in black.
For the wine-stained lips they sent me a glimmersticks lip liner in chocolate, and two lipsticks - oxford wine and cherry jubilee. The name "glimmersticks" is a bit misleading - chocolate is a gorgeous matte lip liner, that is super flattering and goes with tons of lippies.
Like I said, wine-stained lips isn't my typical look, but I really liked it and got quite a few compliments when I was wearing it. In this look I'm wearing the beige eye shadow in my crease, with a shimmery pale white eye shadow, and the black liquid liner. These products all wore beautifully!
The best beauty products I've tried in a loooooong while!
First up is the mascara that everyone keeps asking me about....literally, I've been asked if I'm wearing false lashes or have extensions when I'm wearing Maybelline's "The Falsies Push Up Angel" mascara. Seriously, what is up with these long names? One of my most popular blog posts is my MASCARA SMACKDOWN, so it's known that I love me some Maybelline mascara. I believe this is one of their newest formulas, and I can't recommend it enough!
Evan Healy Wild Carrot Eye Balm. This brand is brand new to me, but I've been using this EVERYTHING balm since I got it from Whole Foods a few weeks ago. It is super rich and super hydrating, and great for anywhere you're feeling dry. I use a small dab under each eye (remember to gently pat things on your under eye area, never rub as you could cause skin damage.) I put it on at night, and let it really soak in. I also love it on my cuticles.
Trade Joe's coffee body scrub. Oh my goodness, this stuff is heavenly! It has a great texture to really exfoliate and give you THE smoothest skin! It smells like freshly ground coffee, with the slightest hint of coconut. It is the bomb dot com! Only downside is it makes a bit of a mess in your shower, but that's not the product's fault, now is it? Try it - it's only five bucks and soooooooo good!
BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder. This is a really beautiful, finely-milled setting powder that has the *tiniest* bit of shimmer. It sets your makeup all day, and that tiny bit of shimmer adds a really pretty radiance. The powder alone is $38, bt if you buy it HERE it's less than $35 for the powder, and the brush!
Infallible Foundations by L'Oreal. Holy crap, you guys. L'Oreal got it so, SO right with both their Glow-Pro and Pro Matte formulas. Both wear beautifully all day, without creasing. My suggestion to you is to look at these swatches (GLOW PRO SWATCHES // PRO MATTE SWATCHES) and then order two you think might work for you, and send the other back. For reference I'm a 204 (or 104 in the matte) I kept the 103 in the matte, because it works when I add just a touch of bronzer. They've got a pretty decent range of colors, and even my olive-skinned mom has found a great shade. I find them to be about $5 cheaper on Amazon than any drugstore, and if you send one back no one is going to hastle you ;)
L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in EVERBLOOM. Run to amazon to grab this right now, because there's a $1 coupon, making it under five bucks! I like this lipstick line because it is super hydrating, and has great staying power. This is the perfect corally-rose color, and is so flattering!
And for my beauty FAIL. Ugh. I don't know if I got a bad batch, or what but I absolutely hated the new eye primers by Physician's Formula. Someone on my Instagram was raving about how much she loved them, so naturally I had to try. They were so bad for me. I used them the way I use my normal primer, and I swear this stuff made my eye makeup crease and flake worse than it ever has, even without primer. Not worth it.
Friends, you've followed along for my fitness journey, and now it's time for my skincare journey. With a background in makeup and skincare I've been fortunate enough to try a multitude of different products promising great skin, but to no avail. I've struggled with acne my entire life, and then melasma after pregnancy. I'm starting to get deep lines in my forehead, and while I'm all for aging gracefully, I would still love to slow down the process, while taking care of my existing skin problems. There have been products here and there that have worked, but only to address one issue - either acne, fine lines OR skin discoloration. I've had a hard time finding what would work for all three.
A few months ago I received an email from the MedSpa at Dr. Mariotti's office inviting me to come in for a treatment of my choice. After speaking in depth with Tricia, the medical aesthetician at Dr. Mariotti's office, it sounded like a RevePeel was the way to go. What is a RevePeel? Well, let's break it down:
I went in for a consultation at the beautiful offices so that Tricia Starke, the licensed Medical Aesthetician who would be performing my peel, could see my skin in person, and decide if the RevePeel was really the right treatment for me. Tricia has been in this business for over thirty years, and was dubbed "The Queen of the RevePeel" by the RevePeel creator, herself! I had a full skin analysis, and took all sorts of fun pictures to see damage not only on the surface, but under it as well, and it was decided that the RevePeel was the way to go!
I was sent home with pre-peel skincare products to start some cell turnover, and get my skin ready to receive the peel in a week. I was given a specific set of instructions of the order to use each product, and how much. I felt very comfortable knowing that I was in great, well-educated hands and couldn't wait for my peel!
One week later was the big day. I lay down on the cozy, heated table and Tricia started to work her magic. The RevePeel itself generally takes an hour and a half, and uses one of each vial of peel solution, but can last longer and use more of the solution depending on your skin issues. Tricia will assess your skin at the consultation and let you know exactly what you're in for.
Be warned - here are some extreme closeups of my naked, not so great skin. The first picture was done at the very start of the peel. The second after about three passes of the peel solution, and the third after six "passes" when my peel was complete.
The peel doesn't hurt, but there is heat with each "pass" of the peel solution, which can be considered uncomfortable to some. I had a little hand-held fan to keep on my face any time I needed it.
I left the office with very red skin, and headed home with strict instructions to stay away from the sun. Your skin is raw, and needs to heal. The healing process takes about a week, and again - not so pretty ;) It is called a PEEL afterall, and your old skin peels off, revealing new, healthy skin.
Here is my peeling, and healing process in the week post-peel. Get prepared for the most unattractive pictures of me ever to hit the internet, I'm not wearing a stitch of makeup and these are completely un-edited:
Days two through five I was looking rough! I didn't leave the house much, except for when I absolutely needed to. I was peeling like crazy, but the peel was doing wonders. I saw improvement in my skin every single day. Once my skin was done peeling I saw such a drastic improvement in my hyperpigmentation and acne scars. I was also really pleasantly surprised to see that the lines in my forehead seem to be significantly less deep, and it really helped to clear up my existing acne. During the week post-peel Tricia texted every single day asking how I was doing, and answering any questions I had. I felt really happy knowing that she truly cared and wanted the best for me and my skin. (She even texted on the weekends!) I loved that the procedure was done in a medical office (actually, the RevePeel can ONLY be done in a medical office.) The staff was warm and friendly, and I can't wait to go back for a facial, so I can keep my skin in the great shape it's in! And they do everything there, so if you're at the stage where you're thinking about fillers or other procedures it truly is a one-stop shop.
Yesterday I had a friend tell me I was glowing (she didn't know I'd had the peel done) and I couldn't help but get a little swell of pride. Having healthier, better looking skin has been a real confidence boost for me! I haven't worn makeup to the gym once since having the peel, and again, even without makeup on people are complimenting my skin. I am so grateful to Tricia, and Dr. Mariotti's office for finally helping me achieve healthy skin. If you want to go the best skin of your life I can't recommend going in for a skin consultation with Tricia enough. Let me know if you have any questions at all, I'm happy to answer them!
You can find Dr. Mariotti's surgical office and Med Spa at:
I'm a watch girl and have been as long as I can remember. I can recall taking off my Auntie Mary's watch at a family party when I was five or six, and wearing it around thinking I was super fancy. I also probably gave her a big kiss on the lips to steal some of her lipstick just like my Coco does, but I digress... Anyways, I was *so* excited to recently learn about Jord Wood Watches and when they asked if I'd like to pick one out and share it with all of you I jumped at the chance! All of JORD watches are made out of sustainably-harvested woods with completely scratch-proof faces. They have an incredible array of unique gifts, featuring some of the most beautiful woods on the planet.
Fun fact: I wear my watch on my right hand (my dominant hand) unlike most people. It feels more comfortable to me.
All of Jord's unique watches are incredibly beautiful, but the one I fell head over heels in love with is The Cora in Zebrawood and Turquoise.
They come beautifully packaged in a gorgeous wood box with full care instructions, and a sweet little JORD pillow to rest on ;)
Do you want one too? Well, here is your chance - JORD is giving away a $75 gift certificate (expires 9.25.16) to one person to use towards a beautiful wood watch! And you literally cannot lose - everyone who enters will get a $20 e-gift card that expires 1.1.17 (how perfect of a Christmas gift would one of these make??) Just CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway. It runs through 7.31.16 and JORD will automatically notify the winner. Good luck!!
My beauty favorites for March 2016, just in the nick of time. I bought very few new products this month - not much was grabbing my attention, but I do have some favorites that I've been using for a little while to share!
1. My S'Well bottle. You're probably like - a water bottle?! How is that a beauty product? Well it is, and it isn't. HERE is a great, little infographic on why drinking water is so darn important, and how it helps with beauty too ;) I got myself and Tony S'Well bottles for Christmas, and the fact that they keep your water cold (like super cold) for 24 hours is awesome (although I try to drink and refill it several times a day) but the fact that they're just so pretty is what really sold me! I have the one below, and Tony has the blonde wood. There are tons more that I want!! If you're local you can also find a huge selection of S'Well bottles at Prim.
2. Clinique Pep-Start eye cream. This is a pretty recent purchase, and when I run out you'd better believe I will be buying another! This eye cream is jam packed with peptides and provides instant hydration, and helps to de-puff and makes my dark circles look WAY better. I only use this in the daytime (I use another at night) and it really does help me to look more awake. I'm a big fan!
3. Garnier Waterproof Micellar Cleansing Water. I am so in love with micellar waters! I used to use the Bioderma micellar water, which I could only get from a friend who went to Canada often (it's now sold on Amazon too!) but these newer versions are much easier to get, being sold in every drugstore, and (of course) Amazon, and come in at a much more budget-friendly price. These super charged waters get off every trace of makeup, without stripping the skin. I use a cotton round and pour the micellar water over it, then lightly rub all over my face at night before I do the rest of my skincare. I also swipe some over my face first thing in the morning, before putting on my sunscreen and moisturizer. Give this a try if you haven't yet!
4. Maybelline Contour Kit in medium/deep. This is probably my favorite item of this month's beauty obsessions, and I use it all the time. I have a light to light/medium skin, but I went with the medium/deep contour kit because I loved the blush color so much! They have a light/medium that would probably suit my skintone beter (especially the bronzer), but the colors are forgiving and very blendable so the darker one works too. I am not a HUGE fan of the whole contour craze, but do like giving myself a light contour and highlight sometimes. I mainly use the blush in this palette, and would buy it again for the blush alone. This kit (right around ten bucks) is a great value - just know going in that the little brush that comes with it is useless. I gave it to my girls to play with.
Here are some swatches in different lights:
5. And finally, my Aveda lipgloss in Pearl Rose. I worked for Aveda years ago, and still absolutely adore their products! I snapped up a new gloss a few weeks back, and find myself using it all the time alone, and on top of other colors. It's the prettiest glossy rose color, with a golden undertone and tiny golden flecks. So pretty!
Those are MY current beauty obsessions, what are yours? Let me know in the comments, I would love to check them out!
Sometimes I receive products and/or services compliments of various companies. I go out of my way to only share products I love and think my readers will too.
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