Beauty Myth: Boots Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil

Hello Lovelies! 
Today's post is all about a recent skincare item i've been adding to my nightly routine, facial oil! I have oily/combo, blemish-prone skin so it might come as a surprise that I would put more oil on my face. Which leads me to a common beauty myth...
"You can't use facial oil if you have oily skin"
Understandably, if you have oily skin you're most likely searching for products that are 'oil free' and 'mattifying' and staying clear of anything with the word oil in it. 
I'm here to tell you that Facial Oil is a fantastic addition to your skincare routine whether your skin is oily, normal, or dry. Often, us oily faced gals make the mistake of stripping our faces with drying toners, mattifying lotions and skipping moisturizing all together. What you may not know is that the more you work to remove the oil, you're also stripping your skin of the natural oils it needs to stay healthy and therefore your skin just starts producing MORE oil to compensate for the loss. Basically - it's a slippery mess! 
I've started to use a facial oil at night when i'm catching up on my beauty rest, this way I can wash off whatever didn't soak into my skin and then use a lighter gel moisturizer during the day to stay shine free under my makeup. My skin is also very sensitive so lately I've been leaning more towards natural, sensitive skincare. I love the entire Boots Botanics line because it's affordable and it works, their facial oil is 100% organic and under $10 - can't beat it! It's formulated with Rosehip extract, which has natural Omega-3 and oils that keep your skin looking hydrated and nourished. 

Other products I love from the Boots Botanics line below. 

 Let me know below if you have any specific questions about them, happy to share more!

1. Organic Softening Cleanser - love this because I can even remove my eye makeup with it 

2. Shine Away Scrub - great scrub for the shower, the one in the picture is actually empty 

3. 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz - smells AMAZING, an absolute must have

4. Ultra Calm Night Cream - love to switch on and off between the facial oil and this, it's very calming and gentle on the face.

Have you tried a facial oil yet? Let me know what you think about this new trendy skincare item.

Hugs from NYC, 

My Summer Cubical Life: Self Tanner Galore

Hi lovelies, 
So you are probably wondering by the title why I'm living in a cube? Well maybe you read before that I have a full-time summer internship this summer and well I'm still getting used to life in the cube. Don't get me wrong, I love my internship!!! It's the whole stuck inside all day thing when the sun is shining thing that is getting to me. I'm sure many of you reading this have full-time big girl and big boy jobs, so you know very well that the 'cube life' (even if you're not sitting in a cube, we're still going to go ahead and call inside the cube life - it just sounds much cooler than...'I work inside a building that keeps me from basking in the sun') 
Hence, I am writing this post to tell you about two of my favorite self tanners that I use to keep me from looking like Caspers girlfriend all summer long.

St. Tropez - I love this Bronzing mousse because it gives a really true brown color that looks real and not live you spent the night before rubbing poo colored mousse all over your body. (which in reality is what you did, but hey no one has to know that) I usually make sure I exfoliate really well before putting it on so that the color doesn't gather in dry spots. Then, I sleep in it because you can't get wet for at least 4 hours after you put it on. It doesn't run onto your sheets or anything as long as you let it dry before crawling into bed! One thing to be aware though is that it does dry very quickly, so do sections of your body at a time. It goes on super easy, and a little goes a long way so be careful when pumping out a big ole handful. The smell isn't bad at all either, it really just smells like sunscreen. Some people use mits for your hands but I just make sure I wash my hands RIGHT AFTER and scrub with an exfoliator and lots of soap! Lemon juice works well too if you need to get the snookie out of your hands or spots on your body.
Sun Lab - This is a lotion consistency so for people who don't like the feeling of a mousse this is the tanner for you. It smells AMAZING, like almond cherry I think i've decided - there is no self tanner smell what so ever!!! Which is fabulous in my mind. You also want to wait before putting on your clothes right away after putting this on, like 10 min or so. I like this one because I can put it on and leave the house and let it sit all day, it doesn't make you look 'dirty' like the St. Tropez can before washing the top layer off. So this one is nice for self tanner beginners because it's a lot like lotion, but you do want to make sure you rub it in evenly or else you will have spots! 
What are you favorite self tanners? Have you ever tried these?
hugs and cube life, 

My Shaving Must Haves

Hi Lovelies!

Hope everyone had a wonderful week - sorry for not getting a chance to blog this week! I'm still getting used to working full time ( big girl problems ) 

Today's post is about my shaving must haves and products I use to get the perfect shave! 

I have really sensitive skin when it comes to shaving. I can't use disposable razors or even most women's razors if I want to keep my sin from breaking into razor bumps and rashes. Ouch! So here are the products I have found most helpful in getting the closest to perfect shave without all the sensitive skin uglies. Enjoy! 

Left to Right: Pure Romance Skin Therapy, Men's Gilette Razor, Pure Romance Coochy cream, Ulta Smoothie Shower Gel, Johnson's Baby Oil Gel  

*Descriptions below are in order of how I use them

1. Pure Romance's Coochy Cream - Yes, I did just say 'Coochy' Cream! This is the best shaving cream I have ever used and trust me i've tried them all to attempt to accommodate my princess picky legs. It's a unisex conditioning shaving cream (so men can also use it for their faces, which the lady told me many of her friends husbands end of stealing it from them) that helps prevent razor bumps and rashes. It comes in multiple lovely scents but I chose the Pink Cupcake which makes you feel as if you are rubbing a delicious cupcake on your skin to shave! (Which is perfect if I do say so myself especially without the frosting mess) It is semi pricey for shaving cream, but worth every penny if you're like me and have a hard time finding shaving cream to suit your skin. I usually try to use it only on my legs every other shave and save it for my most sensitive areas like my underarms and bikini area for every time use. 

*You can also use this as a deep conditioner for you hair! Which I haven't tried yet so I didn't comment on how it is as a conditioner :) 

2. Ulta's Beauty Smoothie 3-in-1 Shower Gel, Bubble Bath, and Shampoo - This is what I use on my legs every other shave when I don't want to over use my holy grail of shaving coochy cream. It says it's a 3-in-1 product but I have never used it as a shampoo because I have a feeling it might just not work well with my hair but for shaving purposed and body wash it does the job! My skin doesn't seem to react to it and they have wonderful fragrances to choose from and Ulta always have sales on their brand of products! I also love the pump style bottle, it's perfect for the shower and so easy to use!

3. Gilette Fusion Pro Glide Razor for Men - Move over boys, i'm taking over your razor! My theory is that if it's designed to shave someone's face then it's certain worthy of my sensitive skin, and that it is. I've been using men's razors ever since I started shaving because that is what my mom used so when we had the whole mom and daughter 'you're growing up, let's learn to shave' shinanigans, it only made sense that mom would teach me to shave with what she used. Maybe that's how my skin became princess picky skin? 

Ah Ha! Oh well, nothing can be done about it now! It gives me a fabulous close shave and doesn't give me the razor bumps and rashes that other razors do. One downside though is that the cartridge refills get very pricey when you need to change them as often as I do! 

4. Johnson's Baby Oil Gel - I use this after I put my conditioner in my hair and put it on my body while I let my conditioner sit for a minute. If you don't put it in before you might have baby oil gel left on your hands and end up conditioning your hair with it instead! This really helps add moisture to my skin in the shower so that I can put on less (if any) lotion on my legs after the shower - because princess picky doesn't do well with many lotions right after shaving. After putting it on, I then wash my body with my loofa and wash some of it off so that it isn't too oily when I get out of the shower. That is a step that is up to you and how you feel after putting it on your skin. Also note that use the Baby branded one because for some reason it's cheaper than the Vaseline brand which is essentially, if not, the same exact thing but baby brand is cheaper! 

5. Pure Romance's Skin Therapy - Lastly, after the shower I spray this Skin Therapy mist everywhere that I shaved. (legs, underarms, bikini, etc.) It's supposed to tighten the pores and have soothing minerals that help tone down any irritation your skin might feel after shaving. I really think it works nicely and it's also semi moisturizing, so sometimes I spray a little extra on my legs and rub it in as a lotion and let it dry. This is definitely an added step the the whole process and might be a little less important that the ones before but I enjoy the product and will think of re-purchasing it again when it's gone.

Well I hope you enjoyed my favorite shaving products! Since it's summer and we are all looking for ways to be 'bikini ready' and wearing dresses and shorts I thought I would share 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll be sharing my May favorites next post! 

hugs and Princess picky skin, 

xx Jess 

My Secret to Second Day Hair

Hi Pretties 

It's the weekend finally! 

I started my full time internship this week and I have to get up around 6am everyday so when Friday came I was like...

source: google images 

I love my internship though, it's just the whole waking up part that I'm not ecstatic about! Anyways, today's post is my second day hair secret helper because like I said waking up at 6am + my super long, thick hair makes styling it in the morning quite difficult sometimes. If I want to sleep in a little longer I use this to keep my hair fresh and from looking greasy around the roots or sometimes when I take a shower at night I will put this on in the morning to fresh in up. My hair has never been the type to be able to take showers at night then styling it in the morning, I usually need to style it in the morning if I want to wear it down. (high maintenance hair sorrows) 

The left is right after I sprinkle it onto my hair. Yes, it looks like I just had a fight with the powdered sugar but I promise it's just the dry shampoo! After I sprinkle it onto the areas I want to de-grease-ify or just fresh in up, I take my hand and just gently work it into my hair. It has a lovely citrus smell to it - which I think is perfect, clean scent for dry shampoo. The picture on the right is after I have worked it into my hair and there really is no detection of dry shampoo left in your hair! 

Voila! Fresh Hair! 

What is your secret to second day hair? Have you used dry shampoo's before? 

Well I'm off to clean the garage now - I know it sounds like so much fun doesn't it? 

Then I might run to the mall to check out Express' 40% everything sale!!!

Do you have any exciting plans for this long weekend?

hugs and powered sugar hair, 

Jess xx 

Putting on my Birthday Suit with Too Faced Boudoir Eyes

Hi Lovelies!!! 

And so you're I'm back from outer space....I just walked in to find you here with that foundation on your face...bum bum bum 

So I might have changed the lyrics a bit but for some reason that song was in my head because I haven't posted in a long time BUT "I'm back"! (Hence, the I will survive lyrics)

How have you all been? Sorry i've been MIA for the past month and half life just got crazy and I had to focus on that for a while. Hope everyone has been doing well and can't wait to hangout with my bloggy friends once again! I missed you all! 

Today's post is a mini review of the Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette - which I love and blush every time I read the creative names of the eyeshadows! After I hop in the shower in a bit and get ready for dinner at my cousins' I will do a look using it and post pictures later! Enjoy!

Too Faced Summer Eyes Palette: Review & Swatches

Hi lovelies! 

I apologize for being away from my blog for the past week, school has been crazy busy lately and might be for the next month until the semester is over - so please hang in there with me! I'll be back in action posting more regularly soon enough! 

Anyways, we're finally getting some beautiful spring weather here where I am and it's getting me so excited for summer and sun! I tried on something swim suits with my roommate this weekend and I found the cutest one (okay well she found it and suggested it to me - so i'll give her the credit) It's by Jessica Simpson and here is the top - this style is so cute and flattering for especially people like me who wasn't exactly blessed with huge boobs just normal-ish ones haha

So enough catching up and blabbing about the weather...here is some swatches on the new Too Faces Summer Eyes Palette so get you ready for all the lovely weather! 

cute packaging!

Cleaning your brushes on a budget!

 *Please excuse the all caps - I'm trying to figure out why it's doing that 

How to Clean and Dry your makeup 

brushes on a 'Broke Girls' Budget:

It's really important to clean your makeup brushes/sponges everyone now and then (every two weeks or more would be best) because not only do they look gross from all the makeup residue on them, they build up bacteria very easily. (yuck) Which can eventually lead to break outs, and no one wants that OR the nasty bacteria all over their face. 

Sad Dirty brush ew

You're Going to Need:

- Towel

- Brush Shampoo (gentle hair shampoo)

- Clothes Hanger

- Rubber Bands

- Your Dirty Brushes/sponges

Ulta Brush Cleaner

I am using this Brush cleaner that I got from Ulta for around $6.00 but i've also used Elf's brush shampoo that they sell for arounf $3.00 or you can use a gentle hair shampoo or baby shampoo.

Bye Bye Blemishes!

Hello Clear Skin!!! 

google images 

As I have mentioned before my face this past semester had been breaking out ALOT. 

Over Christmas break, however, I came across a few things that helped clear up my skin so much and I wanted to share what has been working for me the past month in case you share the same frustration. 

So, here is my current skin regimen!

Five Steps to Clearer Skin 

First: I take my makeup off EVERY NIGHT which is SO important to do.

 Plus my mascara irritates my eyes every time I sleep in it.

Since visiting Japan I've been using cleansing oil to take my makeup off. 

So I bought this one to bring back with me, the cleansing oil is nice and moisturizing and does a GREAT job of taking off all your eye makeup, even waterproof!

make up removing cleansing oil

October Favorites!

HAPPY TURKEY MONTH! 

hee hee 

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween! 

I can't believe it's already November and that Thanksgiving is in just a few weeks!

I love Thanksgiving and getting together with my family that I don't always get to see. I also love the FOOD, my dad is an amazing cook and I can't wait to Aunt Kim's sweet potatoes.(which is basically a dessert) She always makes extra because I love them so much! 

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

 Here are some of my favorite products of November! 

1.  It's a 10 for Blondes

At first I didn't think I liked this version as much as the It's a 10 with Keratin but the more I used it the more I loved it. I really actually think that it has kept my color nice and not turning brassy like it tends to do. I do think that it might have a little less of the conditioning and de-tangling 'power' but I just spritz a tiny bit more instead and seems to work great. I would definitely recommend trying this out if you have blonde hair to see what you think!

I bought mine from Ulta like always cause they have the most amazing customer rewards system!

Ulta is also having 20% any one item THIS WEEK ONLY! 
or FREE shipping over $25 order online with code HOLIDAY2012
( all information is on the main page of the website)

Awesome Sales!

Like Sales? Me too!

Super quick post about some online sales going on today!!!

Laura Geller is having 30% everything on her site TODAY ONLY!

Laura Geller 

I've been wanting to get another Bronze and brighten because i've hit pan, perfect time! 

Ulta online is having $15 off $75 purchase OR $25 off $100 purchase 

TODAY ONLY!

Ulta 

Urban Decay is having friends and family 20% everything until 10/13

Urban Decay

Happy Shopping!!! 

Have a good Day

Jess 

FOLLOW ME TO HEAR ABOUT OTHER FUN STUFF ! 

* I am not in any way associated with these brands. The links are just copied and pasted and I do not receive anything for clicking on them

September Favorites!

Happy October!

I love fall weather and the smell of fall candles, my favorite is leaves from Bath and Body Works! The name gets me every time, because I think of crunchy fall leaves and then the scent and they just don't go together. I think my roomates and I are planning on carving pumpkins, eating tons of carmel apples and maybe some haunted houses? :O

Anyways here are some of my favorite products from the month of September! 

1. Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse Foundation

Right out of the bottle

After swiping my finger over it 

At first mousse foundation sounded kind of weird to me so when this first came out I didn't not want to try it. However, after my friend let me try some of her mousse makeup from a different brand I thought I would give this a go. It's light to medium coverage and because it's Revlon's PhotoReady collection it does have very fine light diffusing shimmers in it, it doesn't seem noticeable or bother me. The only this about this is that you have to be careful to push the button down carefully or else you will get enough foundation for five faces! A little goes a long way. I like this for when I want more coverage on the weekends or i'm going out!

2. Bare Minerals Original foundation 

I used to use bare minerals when I was in high school but then ventured out to try different brands. I just recently picked this up at Ulta because my face has been breaking out and I wanted something that covered and would be gentle on my skin. They have added a variety of shades since I use to use it and i'm really glad I picked this up because it covers AMAZING and perfect for everyday  when you're in a hurry to dust some on.

3. Anastasia Brow Wiz Eyebrow Pencil

Retractable Pencil on left and spool on right  

 Brow Wiz in Medium Ash

Filling in your brows can make a HUGE difference!!! You don't have to draw them on like tiny lines, but just coloring in parts that the hair is sparse and defining them can really frame your face and complete a look. I love this pencil because it goes on very natural and with just a light touch you get the  perfect amount of color. The picture makes this look a lot more red than it really is, in person it's more ash. I did find that this might be a little too dark for parts of my brow so I might look into picking up on shade lighter. Oh, and don't forget the spooly on the end is awesome to blend everything out at the end!

4. Benefit Boiing Industrial Strength Concealer 

Like I said i've been breaking out and this has been my go to concealer to cover up blemishes this past month. It really covers and stays put! 

5. MAC Eyeshadow (Tempting) and NARS Eyeshadow (Cyprus)

Right: MAC Tempting Left: NARS Cyprus

Tempting is a gorgeous red bronze color with a lustre finish. I've been using this all over the lid for the start to a pretty bronze smoky eye. Cyprus is a light beige/gold color with shimmer, it's really pretty all over the lid and in the inner corner of the eye.

6. Vaseline Lip Therapy and Maybelline Baby Lips Balm

I've been using the Vaseline Lip Therapy more at night before bed because it's a lot thicker and you have to apply it with your finger out of the cute little tub. I actually JUST got the Baby Lips the other day at CVS because all my roommates have it and love it, but I thought I would add it in here because i'm already obsessed with it and carry it everywhere. (I think it smells like fruit pebbles!?)

7. Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara 

This is my second tube of this mascara. I originally bought it with a gift card to Sephora from my amazing girlfriends for my birthday! I always wanted to try it but couldn't see spending that much on mascara. Well I ran out and went ahead and splurged this summer, it's just perfect because it does everything it says it does VOLUME, LENGTH, and CURL!!! I've found mascara that volumizes  and lengthens but never holds curl as well as this! 

Hope you Enjoyed seeing some of my favorite things from September! 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think about them or do you want to try them?

Thanks for Reading! 

Jess 

FOLLOW ME to see what I blog about next!  : ) 

Want to cut down on blow dry time?

Hey Guys! 

I've definitely been neglecting to blog after I started the blog earlier this year BUT I promise to start posting fun things on a regular basis now! So get excited because I'm super excited to share new things!

If you have long thick hair like mine then you probably share the hatred for the time it take to blow dry AND style your hair! (Not to mention your arm starts to hurt after 20 minutes of holding the hair dryer)

I started to look for products that would cut down on drying time and found one online at Ulta so wanted to make sure it worked before I spent the money on it. Well I ended up asking an Ulta employee her opinion on the best product for my need! 

(She also had very thick shoulder length hair) She swore by Kenra's Blow-Dry Spray, so I bought it and now I'm in LOVE with it!!!

 Any who, don't ask me how it works but it honestly makes your hair dry faster!!! While also making it less frizzy (which makes styling faster) and softer. Plus it smells really nice, kind of a beachy scent I would say. So if you're looking for ways to speed up the getting ready process this is for you!

image from google images 

How I use it:

After the shower I spray in my It's a 10 leave in conditioner then brush it through and towel dry. Then just spray the blow dry spray evenly on my head and dry!

I bought the Kenra blow dry spray and It's a 10 at Ulta because I love their member rewards program! They make it so easy to rack up point and then allow you to use them to get dollar amount off your future purchases!!! However, they don't sell either of these lines online so you have to visit the store. (which in my mind isn't such a bad thing) hee hee 

Thanks for Reading! Have a wonderful day!!!!

Jess

** Products were bought with my own money and all opinions are my own.

What I'm lovin'

I thought I would share some of my favorite products that I used the most during the month of February! Enjoy! 

1. It's a 10 miracle leave in product Plus Keratin - I have been using this leave in conditioner for a while now, but I just recently purchased the one with keratin in it and turns out it's even better than the first one! I spray it all over my towel dried hair and them brush it through. I have long, very thick hair and this helps with tangles, as a heat protector, and makes my hair super shiny!! I love love this product, it's much better than using 5 different products when this one can do it all.

p.s They also just came out with a lite version for those of you with thinner or short hair!

Only Con I have about it, is that it's kind of pricy. However, once you see what amazing results it brings for you hair, not eating out so much to save money will be all worth it! ( I also have to use a lot of it because I have so much darn hair!) 

 I bought mine from Ulta (which I just found out you can only get in their stores and not online) or your hair salon might carry it, I have also seen it at Walmart and CVS!

If not any of those, click here to go to the It's a 10 website and find the nearest retailer!

2. Laura Geller's Bronze N Brighten (Fair) - I used to use the Nars Laguna Bronzer, I bought it simply because I had heard amazing things about it! I have to be honest I never really understood what all the hype was about after using it. I didn't think that it blended very well on the face nor was it very pigmented. I bought this after I tried some of my step-mom's and instantly fell in love! It is a baked bronzer and has multiple colors (pinks, browns, skin tone) mixed together to create the perfect color. It has very small shimmers, which I usually wouldn't like but you really can't see them on the face unless you are in direct sunlight and even then they just make your face glow! It's blends beautifully and adds just the right about of bronze to where you don't end up looking like an oompa loompa! 

You can get it at Ulta (which has their usual $3.50 off any $10 purchase coupon) or Laura Geller's Website! ( free shipping off every order of $25 or more) 

3. Real Technique Stippling Brush - I first saw these brushes on the PixieWoo blog and didn't even realize that Samantha Chapman (one of the two sisters, and makeup artist on pixiewoo) created them! Then when I saw that my lovely roommate, Rachel, had this brush I knew I had to try it out! I had been using Sonia Kashuk's version of the beauty blender sponge to apply my foundation. Even though I still love this sponge for my concealer, I love love love my Real Techniques Stippling brush to blend my liquid foundation all over. It really does create a lovely natural, airbrush finish to your skin. Not only do they do a great job, and are of amazing quality, they are SUPER affordable!! This brush is only $9.99, which for the quality level of these brushes, is fantastic! 

I got mine at Ulta, where they also have some nice sets for $17.99 or you can order straight from the Real Techniques' website where they have awesome tutorials where Samantha Chapman herself tells you how to all the different brushes! 

4. Missha Perfect Cover Blemish Balm - I found this while researching the new hype about BB creams and what they are all about. BB creams have just become a thing in the U.S. but have been popular is Asia for a while now. They were first created by dermatologists to treat and protect skin after skin/laser surgery. Now companies like Smashbox, Estee Lauder, Clinique, and many more all have their own version of a BB cream. I love this because it's lightweight, but gives a very good amount of coverage. Because I have been breaking out a lot lately (thank you school) I have been wanting something with more coverage than a tinted moisturizer. It is also supposed to help lighten dark spots, cover redness and other discolorations in skin tone, help with acne, anti aging benefits, and finally UV protection! I got shade #21, just to warn you it does have a gray undertone to it but I don't think it stands out after oxidizing on the skin. 

I got mine from Amazon where I found it for an amazing price of $9.99, or here is the link to the Missha website where they have other formulations of BB creams. 

Thanks for reading! I know that was a mouth full!

Have you tried any of these products? Comment to let me know what you think! 

Jess