Product worth the purchase

Let's take a minute to talk about Rimmel Show Off lip lacquer. If you're looking for some highly pigmented lip colors, these are for you. Not only do they come in 9 beautiful colors that range from a nude to a hot pink, they also go on like butter. They leave you with a satin smooth shine that feels incredibly comfortable on the lips like you're not wearing anything. Incredibly smooth and creamy and last on the lips much longer than a normal lipgloss, almost like a stain. Aside from the weird smell, that almost smells floral like, these beautiful lacquer lip colors are a must have. Try them out, you will be surprised how much you end up loving them and for a price tag of only $4.99 these can't be beat.

Wearing the Rimmel Show Off Lip lacquer in "Stellar".

 

Facial Scrubs

 

I know we all have had moments of desperation and grab any facial scrubs at the drugstore hoping that it would do the job it says it's going to without hurting our skin too badly. I know I religiously used the St. Ives apricot scrub for many years without even questioning what it's really doing to the skin. After learning more about skin and earning my license as an Esthetician, I'm here to tell you, STOP USING ST. IVES! As the granules of the scrub are too large it ends up just scratching and tearing the skin as opposed to exfoliating. Thus, it allows bacteria to grow in the surface of the tiny scratches/tears. It can even end up causing inflammation and if used over a period of time, it can cause premature aging (fine lines and wrinkles).

 

Picking out a good exfoliator can be a tough task and sometimes leaves your brain in a massive jumbled mess. I know it's taken awhile for me to finally find scrubs that do the job they are intended to do and are gentle on the skin. The key to exfoliating is to not over do it. Start out by exfoliating just 2-3x a week, if you eventually want to do it more, work your skin up to it. Over exfoliating is just as bad on your skin as using harmful products on it. Try these products out, they might cost more, but ingredients is always critical, especially when you're putting it on your face.

 

 

 



• Lush - Let the Good Times Roll - Probably my favorite exfoliator/cleanser ever. It smells amazing like a delicious cookie. Not to mention the ingredients consist of popcorn, corn meal and cinnamon. It cleans the skin gently and leaves it oh so soft!
• Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion - Made with Aluminum-oxide crystals, the same as dermatologists that smooth, refine and renew the skin. A great at home micro dermabrasion scrub that gives you results and leaves the skin smooth and improves the texture.
• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant -  Great for all skin types, this finely milled rice based powder is incredibly gentle on the skin. Makes it so soft and smooth. Just add water and exfoliate away!
• Michael Todd True Organics Tropical Fruit Facial Polish - Another one of my favorite scrubs. It smells like heaven and it works so amazingly on the skin. Made with enzymes that eat away dead skin cells leaving the skin soft and smooth. Great for all skin types!

Physical and Chemical Sunscreen; what's the difference?

There's no doubt that sunscreen is one of the most important elements in anyone's daily regime. As an esthetician, I am always taking extra caution as to what I apply to my skin and how it will make my skin look when I'm older. Sunscreen is an absolute essential to prevent premature aging and potential cancers. Before you go and stock up on sunscreen for the rest of the season take into consideration the two types of sunscreen and how they can benefit you.

 

Sunscreens fall into two different types of categories; physical and chemical. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to minimize its impact on the skin, while physical sunscreens work by reflecting UVR away from the skin. Here's a little more about each:

 

Chemical:

• 
  Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun's rays although some chemical filters can scatter sun rays, but still mostly just absorb them. They contain ingredients such as avobenzone, oxybenzone, and helioplex that act as filters to absorb UVR. They are usually colorless, odorless and more on the runny side than physical sunscreens.

• Chemical sunscreen is best suited for ladies (and males) with a minimal skin routine. They tend to be more irritating on the skin and can cause a reaction if you have sensitive skin. Can also be doubled as a makeup primer depending on the formulation.

 

Physical:  

• Physical sunscreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking the sun's rays. They contain ingredients such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Titanium dioxide protects against UVB rays, but not the full spectrum of UVA rays. Zinc oxide protects against the entire spectrum of UVB and UVA rays. They also tend to be thick and opaque and tend to be harder to apply. They also leave a white cast or tint on the skin.

• Physical sunscreens are best suited for all skin types, although if you tend to break out when using mineral makeup, avoid physical sunscreens with titanium dioxide as the main ingredient. This type tends to rub off easily, so make sure you apply it more frequently than you would a chemical sunscreen.

 

Another misconception about sunscreen is, the higher the SPF the better. This is not entirely true. It is recommend to use at least an SPF 50 whenever you're in the sun, or an SPF 40 on the face daily. Sunscreens with really high SPFs, such as SPF 75 or SPF 100, do not offer significantly greater protection than SPF 30 and mislead people into thinking they have more protection than they actually do. Additionally, in order to have broad spectrum protection, the UVA protection should be at least 1/3 of the UVB protection. High SPF sunscreens usually offer far greater UVB than UVA protection, thus offering a false sense of full protection.

 

To read more about SPF in sunscreens, check out FDA's page.

 

Tip (#1)

When it comes to contouring, always apply in an upwards motion, never drag it downwards. Dragging downwards will give your face the opposite effect of which you're going for.

6 under-rated beauty products

 

I know the drugstore can be pretty overwhelming and trust me, I still tend to walk into a drugstore and stare at the makeup isle for hours. With so many products available, it's hard to decide which products are worth the money and which products to avoid. I'm sure you have heard of all these brands, but have you checked out these products? These 6 products don't get the hype they deserve, so I'm here to tell you if you find yourself exploring the makeup aisles with no idea what to pick up, try these products out!

 

• Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder ($7.99 at Target) - This powder is so finely milled and goes on like a dream. It doesn't feel like you're adding layers of powder on your face and actually reminds me of a high end powder. Doesn't oxidize on the skin and although it's not a full coverage powder, it gives you just enough coverage so you don't end up looking cakey.

• E.L.F Studio Eyebrow Kit ($3 at Target & Eyeslipsface.com) - I'm a big fan of E.L.F products as they are very reasonably priced and actually are really good products. Talk about beauty on a budget. The eyebrow kit includes a wax and powder and are so pigmented and easy to blend. Comes in 3 different colors and a perfectly priced makeup essential.

• Ruby Kisses HD Set N' Forget Setting Powder ($5.99 at beautyonlinesupply.com) - I just LOVE this 100% pure silica powder. It's perfect for touching up and setting your makeup without looking like a cake face. It mattifies your face and comes in various colors. I love the banana, it's a dupe of the ever so popular Ben Nye Banana powder. 

• Maybelline Volum' Express One-by-One mascara ($6.99 on Ebay) - I'm not sure why I don't hear about this mascara more than I do. It reminds me of the Clump Crusher by Cover Girl. It doesn't clump up and makes my eyelashes look incredibly full. It's a very dark color formulation and you can build it up if you're not happy with one coat.

• Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer ($6.99 at Ulta) - This is one of my favorite primers, especially since my face is overly oily. If you don't look the matte look, I wouldn't recommend this, but if you're oily like me, you must try this out! It's a thicker consistency, but it glides on your face incredibly smooth and feels like you're not wearing a thing.

• Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils ($2.99 at Walgreens) - The price point of these eyeliners can't be beat. They go on so smoothly, the colors are so pigmented and they don't budge. I tight line my eyes with the black one everyday and I don't have a problem with it wearing off mid day like normal. These remind me of the NARS Larger than Life long wear eyeliner but without the $24 price tag.

 

 

Highlighting 101

 

 

 

Gorgeous glowy skin is in! Highlighting your face is the perfect way to make your best features more pronounced and will add and reflect light that will give you that healthy, fresh faced dewy look.

 

Some common areas to highlight in which the sun naturally hit your face are as followed:

• The top of the cheek bones
• Bridge of the nose
• Under the brow bone
• Cupids bow

Some less common areas to highlight include: the center of the forehead to bring dimension, the center of the chin to make your lips look bigger and the inner corner of your eyes to make your eyes appear larger and more open. Make sure to stay away from highlighting any problem areas you may have like pimples, wrinkles or large pores.

 

What to highlight with:

 

Highlighting can be done with various products, not just an illuminator or a product containing some shimmer; highlighting can also generally be done with a foundation or concealer that is 2-3x times lighter than your actual foundation. Like every other makeup product there are various formulas to which you can highlight your skin:

 

• Liquids: The most common of the illuminators. They blend into the skin very easily and look the most natural. They don't cake up and are very light, almost creating a second skin finish. They don't oxidize like some foundations can do on you and are commonly blended in using the fingertips. Try Benefit High Beam

• Creams: Creams are also very popular, and like liquids are best blended in with the fingertips. Although they don't give you that second skin finish. They do however create a very natural look and finish. Try Benefit Watt's Up!

• Powders: Powder illuminators are perfect for oilier skin and although powder is the less common of the illuminators, it's what I prefer. Not only do powders come in an array of colors you can also try using a loose pigment or a powder shadow. Powders are best applied with a small powder brush, or a fan brush. Try BECCA shimmering skin perfector in opal