Beauty Archives - Page 3 of 3

Tips & Tricks for New Glam Glow Users

Hello! I just wanted to write a quickie update to my last post about my New Year’s resolution to develop a better skin routine! So far, it’s going well, but I think my skin is going into a “purge” phase. My acne is getting worse, but I’m not worried because Glam Glow just pulls everything to the surface & I’ve already noticed that my skin is more vibrant! I’m still working on developing a solid routine, but I DO have some tips for those of you who are new to Glam Glow.

1. I know it’s pricey, but Sephora is awesome & they will sample anything, so all you have to do is go in & politely ask for a sample if you’ve never tried it before. Maybe you have sensitive skin & need to see how your skin will react to all the (awesome) ingredients?

2. Warn your significant other that you are Glam Glowing. I have terrified my husband more than once with my Glam Glow face. Or, don’t warn them, and let the spooking fun begin!

3. I like to rinse off my Glam Glow mask in the shower, then Clarisonic with a gentle cleanser (usually Purity by Philosophy), so before you put on the mask, you might want to remove all of your top layers of clothing, lest you stain your Lulu. Then you’d have to read this post.

4. I like to pat my mask on, rather than spreading it. I feel like I get more even coverage patting it on, even though I might use a smidgen more. That said you should use a thin layer. This mask needs to dry completely, and you don’t need a lot to get results.

5. Find out what works for you. I like to leave my mask on for 15 minutes, but I don’t have sensitive skin & I have slightly oily skin. This mask is slightly drying, but not really drying like other masks I’ve tried. If you have sensitive skin, maybe you should try using it for only 10 minutes, or if you need a more intense treatment leave it on for the full 20 minutes. It’s all about finding out what works best for you & your unique skin type.

6. Relax & enjoy. I like to catch up on my favorite YouTubers or watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory while Glam Glowing! Have Fun!

UPDATE:

I just wanted to write a quickie update to this post to say that while I found Glam Glow to be a little drying, it was mostly on my cheeks, so I’ve since stopped applying it there and have continued to use it only on my T-zone. Happy Glowing!

UPDATE:

I’ve now been using Glam Glow for 6 months and I thought I should do a little update. First: over all, I found this masks only works for me on my t-zone. If I apply it everywhere, it dries me out. Second: I do still really like it, but I do find it pricey. Thankfully, by applying it only to my t-zone, I get quite a few more uses out of it. Third: I have started using it only once per week. I used to sometimes use it twice, but I think it works best for me once a week, and I use other masks throughout the rest of the week. (Some hydrating, some skin clearing).

New Year’s Resolution #1 Better Skin

I know, it’s fluffy. I don’t want to save the whales or feed the homeless. I recently relocated & the air here is a lot more humid than what I’m used to & my skin has suffered the consequences. That said, I’d really like to start controlling my humongous pores & new “face friends,” (pimples) with a skin care routine. I know a lot of people already have this stuff down pat, but I’ve never had so much acne in my life & I think I need some serious intervention. Clean & Clear is just not hacking it anymore. So this year, I would like to develop an effective, inexpensive (or at least as cheap as possible) skin care routine that will combat acne, wrinkles & the humidity of my new city.

I have some ideas.

1. Clarisonic. I recently purchased a Clarisonic Mia 2. You can find them here. I think I’m using it correctly, I’ve been spending about 3 minutes a day with mine, usually in the shower. I love it because it makes my skin feel clean & it’s waterproof, so no leaning over the sink hoping water doesn’t drip down your arms.

2. I also recently gave in to the “Glam Glow” hype & bought a jar of my very own. I’ve tried it twice & I’m still not sure what I think. It’s good because my skin feels nice after I use it, but I don’t know if it’s an effective acne treatment. I’ve put a few tips in my next post.

3. Stronger Salicylic Acid treatment. I currently use a 2.0% Clean & Clear treatment, I am going to search for something stronger.

4. I’m very satisfied with my current cleansers. I use Philosophy “Total Matteness” with my Clarisonic in the shower, but if I have already done a Glam Glow or other drying mask, I use Philosophy “Purity.” As for “other masks,” I have also used The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Face Mask. It doesn’t “dry” on your face like most masks do, but I definitely think it works. It’s not a moisturizing mask, -it’s more of a acne treatment/ prevention type of mask which works for me because I think I need something a little more abrasive than most.

5. YouTube videos: Some of my favorite YouTubers are beauty video girls. They review makeup products and share their hauls and unboxings (opening BirchBox or other beauty subscription service box) on YouTube. I plan to watch some of their videos for new ideas on what my routine should be & which new products I might want to try.

Once I develop a new routine, I’ll write a new post with all the details.

What do you do in your skin care routine? Do you have a “routine,” or do you ‘wing’ it, like I do? What are some of your favorite skin care products? Link them below! Thanks for reading!

My Nails Now

My Halloween nails were getting chippy chippy chippy! So, I took all of that off & re-did my nails. They look like this now:

The first photo shows my nails against a Power Purple Catch Me tank & Ziggy Wee September Plum Wunder unders by Lululemon. The second photo shows more clearly the two colors I used on my nails.

This time I used Sephora’s Strengthener as a base coat. The darker color on my nails is called “Just a Little Dangerous,”and the lighter color (the furthest from the nail bed) is called “I Don’t Bite.” I put ‘Just a Little Dangerous’ on my whole nail first, then put ‘I Don’t Bite’ on top and tried to eye-ball a straight line across the tops to create some sort of “french tip” like design, only using purple. As a top coat I used the same as last time, Sephora’s Mirror Shine Top Coat.

I love Sephora’s nail polishes. I had to do two coats of ‘Just a Little Dangerous’, but ‘I Don’t Bite’ went on thick enough to only require one coat.

I hope y’all get a chance to take advantage of the 3 for $10 deal on Sephora polishes. They’re worth it! What are your favorite brands of polish?

UPDATE!

I decided that red nails would go best with my Halloween costume, and even though my nail polish posts seem to be popular, I decided to update here, rather than write a new post, since the technique I used to create the look is the same. I started with my usual Bamboo Nail Strengthening Base Coat, then I used “Kept ’em Guessing for 30 years,” seen below.

Kept 'em Guessing for 30 Years Nail Polish by OPI to celebrate Guess' 30th Anniversary — Kept ’em Guessing for 30 Years Nail Polish by OPI to celebrate Guess’ 30th Anniversary

I then applied “What’s Your Poison” polish I got a Sephora just to the tips. I checked, and it is unfortunately no longer available, so I have a picture for you below.

It’s a delicious sparkly red. I’m going to be sad when I run out of this one. It goes on thick and lasts a while on my nails. That’s impressive.

Then, I followed with my usual top coat, the Mirror Shine by Sephora. I would totally wear this look again.

Finished Look: Kept 'em Guessing for 30 Years with What's Your Poison tips. — Finished Look: Kept ’em Guessing for 30 Years with What’s Your Poison tips.

My First (Mini!) Shopping Haul

I went shopping with a friend yesterday, and I have yet to experiment with YouTube videos, but there’s no reason I can’t share my MINI haul with y’all! So, just for fun here are some products I got!

My friend & I went to the *big* mall in our town & ventured into Sephora! I love all things cute & when I saw a Beauty Haul on YouTube featuring a Hello Kitty Brush Set, I decided to see if they had one. There were none on the sales floor, but I asked if the associate would check in the back for me,— my friend and I both ended up getting these adorable Hello Kitty brush sets! The head opens up & reveals a 5-piece mini brush set.

There are 5 brushes, they all say “Hello Kitty” on them and are each labelled: lip, shader, angled eyeliner, eyeshadow, face. They’re really soft. AND the inside holder pulls out for easy cleaning! The best part is that these were on sale, so I got this set for $13! I also took home two sets of Sephora brand eyelashes, one in Flutter and the other in Mysterious, both on sale for $3. I’ve never tried Mysterious, but I’ve been using “Flutter” for a long time and they are perfect for when you don’t want people to know you’re wearing falsies, but still want to add some length and thickness. Also pictured above are some nail stickers I picked up. Hello Kitty nails are in my future!

We also went to Target, where I scoured the clearance area for deals.

As you can see in the photo, I think I did pretty well. LOL. I’m sure you’re all preparing for Halloween, like me & I got a “Beware” sign that I’ll probably put behind a tray of cookies for a dollar. I figure, for a buck, how can you go wrong? So I got a few other dollar items including a two-pack of Puffs, the “Swanky Hankies” with leaves on them, a mini Dove deodorant for my gym bag, and a travel baby powder, great for stinky feet… which I may or may not get sometimes…

Moving on! I loved the packaging of the EOS Lip Balm, so I had to buy some. It’s so cute, and if you don’t have some, it’s very reasonably priced at $3.29 & smells pretty. I bought the Strawberry Sorbet because it was the pinkest pink one I could find. I also ended up buying a bunch of dental supplies including a mini pack of flossers for my purse, a new Spin Brush (mine fell in the toilet… *shakes head* *face palm*), and TWO Hello Kitty travel kits. Definitely a future purse/ gym bag addition in the future. I also picked up some Hello Kitty body spray for $4- it smells like candy!

I needed a new miniature purse brush without the little balls at the end because I just put my extensions (micro-ring) back in & those brushes will catch and pull my hair. So, I found a Boar Hair brush on clearance for $2.08. It will serve its purpose. I also spied some hair ties for $2.71, which I thought was a good deal, plus I needed more black ones. I don’t know what happens to my hair ties, but I think quantum physics could explain it. Perhaps they escape through a worm hole into another dimension, or maybe they’re all just under my bed somewhere. Either way, I really needed some more.

Finally, I’ve recently become obsessed with false lashes. They just really open up my eyes and complete every look, so I watched a few haul videos and product reviews and found the Ardell twin pack in Natural & some flamboyant Katy Perry lashes and picked those up. Also, upon recommendation, I grabbed some Duo Lash Glue. It’s a darker color, almost a brown/ black, so it won’t leave any ‘clues’ on your lash line. That way no one will see the glue or be able to tell (potentially) that you’re wearing false lashes!

I am most looking forward to trying out the DUO lash glue to see if there is any difference and to see if it makes my false lashes less noticeable/ obvious. I also want to see if its easier to apply than the glue that’s included with most other brands of lashes & if the color makes it harder to know where the glue is being applied on the lash. I will update with a review, once I try it out!

UPDATE!:

I tried out the DUO lash glue. It comes out a little runny, so *squeeze gently.* Plus side: you don’t need very much at all. It goes on a dark grey/brown color, and it isn’t hard to tell where you’ve applied it vs where you have yet to apply it. In my opinion, it’s not that much better than white glue, just because mine typically doesn’t show, but if you tend to use a lot of glue and it shows, this might be a good product for you. I found that my lashes went on easily, and stayed on all day. Then later, they were easy to remove.

Bottom Line: I will probably not repurchase this product because, in my opinion, it doesn’t work better than the glue that normally comes with my lashes. Sephora lash glue works just as well. However, if I typically bought bulk lashes in multi-packs (if you know where to find bulk (10 or more pairs) packs of Ardell lashes, please leave a link in the comments below), I would probably buy this.

I hope this review has been helpful 🙂 If there are other lash products you would like me to review, please let me know 🙂

Beauty (New Category)

I love Lululemon, but more than Lulu, I love to write. So, when I feel like writing, I’m gonna write. I also love beauty & beauty products and all things pretty. So, I’m going to start a series of new beauty-related posts, within this blog, but under a new category.

I found myself with some extra time, so I did a trial run for my halloween nails. (There’s just no way my nails will last two weeks.) As a base coat I used Sally Hansen Green Tea + Bamboo Nail Strengthener. I’ve been using this one for years. It’s my go-to. I don’t know if it works for growing my nails, but it goes on great and works well as a base coat.

Last month in my IPSY bag (which was fantastic), I got a “nailtini” nail polish by “Tini Beauty,” a makeup company that draws its inspiration from cocktails. The name of the colour is Mai Tai, which is a coral/ orange, but closer to orange/ orange. That makes it great for Halloween! I love the company’s concept! They have a guide on how to mix nailtini ‘cocktails.’ I wasn’t really impressed by the application of the polish, I felt like it went on a little unevenly, but it dried quickly. It has been two days since I applied it and it is chipping, but this doesn’t surprise me. I tend to be a little hard on my nails.

Here are a couple of pictures of my nails.

Mai Tai Nailtini Orange on Porcelain Blue DSJ

So, as you can see, it’s a pretty close match to Lululemon’s Light Flare color. I think these will work as Halloween nails 🙂 As a top coat, I used Sephora’s Top Coat: Mirror Shine. I like it a lot, and the extra-wide brush makes it easy to apply. I got the stickers at Sally Beauty Supply. They’re by Cina Nail Creations & they’re called “Haunted Nights.”

Do you have a favorite Orange Nail colour? Or a favorite brand? Why? I don’t think I would have purchased this Nailtini color on my own, just because of the way it applies. I can rock orange though, so if you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comments below 🙂