Lorac Private Affairs Pallet Review

...And I'm back!

So sorry for the extreme delay in posts, but I just finished my freshman year of college! Now you have my full, undivided attention for the summer!

Today I wanted to talk about an eyeshadow pallet that I am just in love with and have been meaning to share for a couple of months now. Back in February I went on a little Ulta splurge for my birthday and to my surprise they were having huge sales. I never get anything besides drugstore brands because I am all about a good deal. But when I saw so many higher end brands shed their prices, I had to pounce! 

So this pallet was originally $38 at Ulta, but I got it on sale for 50% off! It was pretty easy to make the purchase seeing as it hales such great reviews from customers and the packaging is adorable! So, again, I will make a pro and con list and leave you with a few images of the packaging and some color swatches.

I find this pallet leaves you with a stunning finish and with the right look, it creates the perfect smokey eye, or something totally elegant, or just something cute and fun!

Pros:

-Extremely pigmented

-A little on the brush goes a long way

-Long lasting

-More affordable higher end eye shadow

-Comes with two sided brush (application/blending)

-Comes with eye shadow primer

-Adorable packaging

-Mirror

Cons:

-Fall out, make sure to tap the brush first

-Wish it came with refills to avoid wasting package

-Price is a bit steep but doable. 

  

Beautiful colors, many great options!

Enjoy!

-Bree

:)

Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil Review!

Hollywood Tea Tree Oil

I love having tea tree oil as a go-to when I need to zap a zit! Sometimes, you have a really stubborn one and you have tried product after product to get rid of it, but it only seems to irritate your skin even more??? Well, why not try a more natural approach?

Tea Tree Oil is a natural way to dry out a pimple before it gets out of hand. As you all know, I suffer from acne :( But I have a few tricks up my sleeve to calm it down.

I wanna keep this post short. So I am just going to list you off the great pros and maybe a con or two.

Pros:

-Dries out pimple quick

-Only have to leave on a few minutes

-Can even skin tone

-Prevents future breakouts in spots applied

-Also heals scars!!!!!

-Moisturizing (leaves your skin feeling soft)

-Ultra gentle!

-Works on blackheads, whiteheads, and cysts

-Anti-bacterial

-Works on all skin types

-Works almost overnight

-Generally inexpensive (depending on where you get it, brand, etc.)

-Natural!!

Con(s):

-Smell (it's smell can be a bit much at first, but you get used to it)

And there you have it! If you are getting breakouts just try this, it won't hurt anything!

A few other uses:

-Dry/Itchy Scalp

-Aloe Vera

-Contains Vitamin E (great for your skin!)

-Fights Fungus!

Bundle Monster 15pc Studio Pro Makeup Cosmetic Brush Set w/ Case Review!

Bundle Monster 15pc Studio Pro Makeup Make Up Cosmetic Brush Set Kit w/ Pink Faux Crocodile Case - For Eye Shadow, Blush, Eyeliner, Etc.

I purchased this brush set about two months ago off of Amazon. I had been using EcoTools brushes for awhile, but I wanted something new. I ended up getting this set because it seemed to have pretty decent reviews from customers. 

I purchased the pink set because I liked the pink case better than the black; the only two color options it offered. Here is a look at some of the brush heads that are included:

                      

Let me just say, I think the quality of the brushes are pretty great. They are very soft and do what they need to do. The brushes are made of synthetic fiber so they last a longer time. Who doesn't want long lasting tools?!

When I received these brushes, they were each individually wrapped and the three biggest brushes have a special plastic cover which I keep on them. You have plenty of brush options as far as I'm concerned. It covers foundation, powder, eyeliner, mascara, lips, etc. 

My only complaint is that my medium powder brush head popped off. I plan on just super gluing that piece back on. Other than that, no complaints. The set only cost me $18.75 on Amazon.com, and they work just as good as most other brands. I really want to splurge on Real Techniques brushes, but for the amount you get for the price you pay, it doesn't seem affordable to me at this point to buy all of their brushes.

                         

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a HUGE bargain/clearance/sale shopper. I am super cheap and want as much bang for my buck as I can get. So far, this package seems worth it to me. It covers my whole face and overall, I am happy with the purchase, plus, the case is really adorable. It folds closed with a magnetic snap.

That's all for now!

Complex 15 Theraputic Moisturizing Face Cream Review!

LET'S TALK MOISTURIZER!

If you are anything like me, then you may have super sensitive, dry, and very acne-prone skin. I have tried every facial moisturizer under the sun and faced little success. Everything I tried seemed to make me break out with either pimples or hives! Over summer 2012, I was introduced to this product called 

Complex 15 Therapeutic Moisturizing Face Cream.

This has become my HG for facial moisturizers. I HATE the feeling of any moisturizer, cream, lotion, etc. However, I can hide my legs for example, but my face, my face has to weather the storm everyday uncovered.  

So let me list you out what I find to be so great about this product:

-hypoallergenic

-noncomedogenic

-fragrance-free

-very light on the skin

-does not leave shine

-does not cause break outs

-dermatologist created and approved

-not greasy 

-does not contain mineral oil, parabens or lanolin

-cheap!!! (approx. $6)

-absorbs super quick

-water-based so it hydrates well

-does not burn or cause any irritation

-2.5oz tube lasts a really long time

-tiny drop covers the whole face

-Some people complain about the consistency (I actually like how thin it is, it glides right onto skin and you don't have to work so much to get it in)

-No SPF (a lot of people are into SPF containing products these days)

I wasn't really able to find fault with this product. Like I said, it is my holy grail moisturizer. Others make my skin feel like it's about to crack, but this one soothes like no other and leaves me feeling like I actually just washed my face or something.

In quoting the package, "formulated for mild to severe dry skin with a system modeled from nature. It contains lecithin, a phospholipid water-binding agent found naturally in the skin. Each phospholipid molecule holds 15 molecules of water, restoring the natural moisture balance" The front of the package states that it "contains phospholipids: which restore & maintain natural moisture balance in dry, sensitive skin"-Makers of Complex 15.

If you haven't already, I recommend you try this stuff out! It is pretty cheap. I buy mine on Amazon. They also have body lotion as well, but like I said, I only use stuff on my face. 

Leaving Your Makeup on All Night? DON'T DO IT!!!

Hello Again!

Today I want to scare you out of sleeping with your makeup on! You may think it is harmless, but you think wrong. I am very guilty of sleeping with my makeup still on many nights. By the time I get home from a night out, I am simply too tired to bother washing my face.

When you leave your makeup on overnight your face mashes into your pillow rubbing all the gunk off. Your skin dries out and as you toss and turn throughout the night you are essentially redepositing dead skin cells you may have rubbed off onto your pillow back onto your face! Your pores are already blocked at this point. The sebum oil is trapped and has nowhere to go but boil and grow into a whitehead! I don't know anyone who likes a bumpy complexion. I know I hate it! a lot of those whiteheads that never reach the head and poking through the surface of the skin turn into blackheads. 

Now you used makeup to make you look beautiful and give yourself that extra oomf! factor before leaving the house, right? Well by leaving your makeup on before you go to bed, you are just asking for a breakout and another reason other than the simple fun of wearing makeup. You now want to use it to cover the breakout. But that doesn't help your face heal! You have now entered a vicious cycle of covering up the breakouts and giving yourself more breakouts (if you tend to have more acne-prone skin anyway..)

From my experience, I find that I get the most sebum-type pimples around my chin. They are really hard and don't form a head. I just have to wait for them to go away. My advice- you may have read some of my earlier posts. I use a wipe, then my Clarisonic brush, and then another makeup removing wipe to make sure I get off as much makeup residue as possible.

If you have any questions about this subject, or if you see I have left something out, feel free to leave me a comment below and we can discuss it further!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream Review

Hey Ladies!

Today I'm going to be reporting on a lovely little product that I have been using every day for a little over a month now. 

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream! 

Now trust me when I say, a little goes a long way! This product has a very thin, water-like consistency that makes it glide right across your face. Beware that this product does only provide a sheer tint. This is not a full coverage bb cream! I want to make sure people get that point because I see a lot of store reviews of girls saying it doesn't cover well. The package clearly says on the front it is a sheer tint, so you shouldn't expect more than that. 

What's great about this product is that it comes in five different shades. What's even cooler to know is that when the cream makes contact with your skin and you don't think it quite matches, just give it a minute because it will oxidize to the color of your skin tone(given that you have purchased the correct shade)!

Many girls seem to be saying they'd be replacing their tinted moisturizers for this and others said they'd be replacing their sunblock for this in the summer. Which brings me to my next important piece of information. This bb cream offers SPF 30! UV rays as we all know can be harmful to the skin, and this helps protect you from harmful exposure. So this would be great to slap on right before heading off to the beach!

Like I said, I use this every day. During the week, it is all I wear aside from eye makeup and lipstick. But for date nights and special occasions, I make sure I look my best. I haven't gone out and bought any face primers yet and I don't know if I really need to now because I begin with putting on my bb cream to protect my pores from my foundation, powder, blush, etc. From my experience of wearing makeup without anything underneath to having my bb cream on beneath my makeup, I see far less breakouts than I normally would. Another great thing to note is that the product itself does not make you break out. 

Let's move onto the benefits it says it provides!

This product claims to have 8 skin benefits. I will list them and tell you how I feel about each one. Let's begin!

• Blurs imperfections
• Brightens
• Evens skin tone
• Smoothes
• Hydrates
• Enhances
• Protects with SPF 30
• 0% oils and heavy ingredients

It does do a pretty good job blurring any imperfections. It can't hide a zit, but it does cover up redness.

It does seem to give my skin a noticeable glow without making me look shiny or oily.

It does hide spots of hyper-pigmentation and makes me look all one skin tone.

My face has never felt more smooth.

My face doesn't dry out with this product. Most products I use on my face will. I have eczema, dry skin, acne, you name it, and this does keep it hydrated with its watery consistency.

Makes my skin feel rejuvenated and beautiful.

It's winter so I'll let ya know about the SPF 30 later!

I love that there are no oils and heavy ingredients, and you can definitely tell. Once it's on your face, you don't feel it there. It is very light which I love!!

Compared to a lot of BB Creams that I had researched before making any sort of purchase, the price is not that bad. I get mine for about $8 and some change. *Hint* Walgreens always has them Buy one Get one 50% off!

And there you have it, my review! I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you have eczema or acne!! It is helping me so much more than I had expected it to. I take daily pictures of my face to see the improvement over time and I see drastic results. If you have any questions feel free to comment. It's early in the morning so I probably forgot to talk about some things!