My daily face routine

Hello lovelies! 

Since I had already posted my current nighttime routine because some of you had requested it, especially on my youtube channel, I've decided to post my morning face routine as well..

So in the morning my first step is washing my face with the same cleanser I use at nighttime, which is the Alba Botanica Enzyme Face Cleanser, this time I just wash my face gently and don't use my Clarisonic (like I do at nighttime).

I have a video review on this product here and I just can't say enough good things about it, it has been the one cleanser that removes all makeup without irritating my skin or causing breakouts.

You can find this cleanser in most drugstores for about $12-14 USD

After drying my face I use my favorite moisturizer in the whole entire universe to this day which is the Boscia BB Cream which actually has SPF 27. Its main ingredient (Titanium Dioxide 6.4%) is safer to use than common chemical sunscreens (which I happen to be allergic to) which are  known to be human carcinogen (eek) and contain hazardous ingredients that are linked to hormone disruption issues. 

Please do your research and try to stay away from sunscreens that contain Oxybenzone.

This product retails for $38.00 USD at Sephora.com

After this, depending on how many hours I got to sleep I use the Garnier Anti-Dark Circles roller, I apply it generously under my eyes and let it sit for about 10 mins, then I softly pat the area with my ring finger to blend the product, and I have to say this product can do miracles on most skin tones since it blends so beautifully and it can cover some really serious dark circles...I've tested it time after time...It really is one of the best undereye concealers in the market.

This product retails for about $10.o0 in most drugstores.

On those days that I have the need to use the roller, setting this product is a must, if not, it will crease in a heartbeat, so I use my favorite setting powder, and this one is specially designed for the undereye area, a little bit of Benefit's Powderflage will go a long way, I know it can be a little bit pricey but this product may last you a whole year or even longer, it is so thin that it would not make you look caky but will set the product for the whole day. It retails for about $15.00.

And then, to finally bring it all together I use the one foundation that hasn't failed me in about six years and that is Bare Minerals Foundation, I have personally used the matte finish but I still like the original formula better since it gives you a nice glow that makes you almost look like you're not wearing any makeup... I have tried plenty of foundations but I still continue to come back to this one.

It retails for about $23-30 depending on the size and where you get it. 

So that is my daily face routine, I know this blog post seems lengthly but the process is really shorter than what it seems. To me, protecting my skin from the sun is a must, especially given the fact that I live in the Sunshine State.

Thank you for reading my blog if you've made it to this point....

And as always have a wonderful and blessed day!

Much love,

Jen :)

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/

Updated Skin Care Routine - New Products

Hello beauties!

I have been getting requests for an updated skincare routine, so here it is :) 

It's actually a whole new routine since I started using new products (cheaper ones too!) and no longer use the Skin Medica products that I was using before.

So currently these are the products I am using at nighttime from removing my makeup to hitting the pillow:

1. Sonia Kashuk Makeup Remover

This is by far the best makeup remover I've tried and believe me I have tried a fair share of brands (Neutrogena, Sephora, Estee Lauder and many more) but I think this removes even waterproof eye makeup very quickly, gently and doesn't require rubbing the product in the area which will prevent premature sagging of the delicate skin around the eye. I've purchased this makeup remover at Target for about $10.00 and it lasts about 5 months using it almost every day.

2. Alba Botanica Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser

This is one of the best cleansers that I have tried, it's mild enough to use every night and it doesn't irritate my eyes at all. I use it with a Clarisonic Mia (sensitive skin brush) and it removes every since molecule of makeup from my skin!... Well, I don't know if every single molecule but it's amazing!!!!!! 

At first I wasn't a fan of this Clarisonic but I've come to found out that it works great with this cleanser (Let me know if you want a detailed review on this Clarisonic).

I purchase the Alba cleanser at Target for about $12.00 but I also know that Walgreens and even Walmart carry this brand.

3.  Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner

This toner will take care of everything the Clarisonic might have missed and I believe it tightens up my pores. I've discovered that it is great at preventing breakouts and balancing oily skin, I got this at Walgreens and sadly is the only place that I've seen it in my area (South Florida) $9.99

4. Ziana Gel (Only twice a week)

This is a RX product that was given to me by my dermatologist to control my acne a few years ago when it was severe. I was using it then every day but now I've cut down the use of it to twice a week, primarily because I don't want my skin to be accustomed to prescription medicine and also because it can get pretty expensive. Let me know if you want to know more about my experience with this acne medication and I may write a more detailed review about it, but for now I just continue using it and slowly decreasing the frequency of its use.

The prices of this gel varies depending on the size and whether or not you have insurance that covers it, but I believe that without insurance the cost of it is about $300.00, however a 60g tube could last you up to a year (a little goes a long way) or longer depending on the frequency of its use.

5. Eye cream

Honestly I still haven't found an amazing eye cream that I can suggest to other people, I'm still trying different brands and products, among the ones I've tried are: Benefit, L'Oreal, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Alba Botanica and Avon, I'm currently using a sample of a Chanel one (smells amazing!) but still need to see the long term benefits of it before I can commit to a full size one....Let me know in the comments if there's a particular product that has been a life changer for you hehe....

Thank you for reading my blog if you've made it to this point....

And as always have a wonderful and blessed day!

Much love,

Jen :)

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review and Swatches

Get even MORE NAKED!

Another amazing Urban Decay Palette is here, Ladies here it is NAKED 2!

So as soon as I saw the Facebook post from Kandee Johnson announcing there will be an Urban Decay Naked 2 palette I knew I had to get it. I love my original Naked palette that I didn't even really second guess myself about buying the second one, for starters Urban Decay has one of the best eye shadows in the market in my opinion, and 12 eyeshadows for $50 was not too bad (that's what I keep telling myself). I ordered it right away and received it today. By the way I registered on www.urbandecay.com and they sent me a code for 10% off which I obviously used for this. The palette also comes with a sample size lip gloss and they sent me a bonus sample size 24/7 eyeliner in gold, all of that for $47.70 (after the discount!) not too bad!!!

Anyway enough blabber here are some of the swatches for the NEW NAKED 2:

With natural light.

With flash.

Here's a comparison with the original Naked palette.

Comparison with the original Naked palette with flash.

Also they changed the packaging, while the original came in a velvety case, the second one is a sturdy metal one that also includes the double sided brush (don't know what I think about this brush yet) but here's a pic of both cases.

Here's the lipgloss it came with in "Naked", with and without flash.

And finally the bonus eyeliner they sent me, 24/7 in "El Dorado"

Like I said I just received mine today, and though I've only played a little with it, I can already tell you that I think this will be one of my favorite palettes ever! The matte black is great to create tons of different smoky looks and contrary to the original Naked, this one has more matte shadows and more taupe shades that are great to use by themselves all over the lid.

Thank you Urban Decay for such an amazing sequel!

I will have tutorials coming up in my youtube channel at www.youtube.com/rolita12

Thank you so much for following my blog and as always have a wonderful and blessed day!

Sending love to everyone <3!!!

Jen

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/

My life without Benzoyl Peroxide

Ok so about a month ago my facialist suggested I went completely off Benzoyl Peroxide, according to her this ingredient used to fight acne and breakouts causes dependance on some people. I almost freaked out when she suggested this, I have been on prescription Benzoyl peroxide for about three years ("Duac" specifically).
However, I decided to give this a try because I have noticed that if I ever let a few days without using my then beloved Duac my face would break out like crazy and I didn't want to depend on prescription stuff.
So instead of using this prescription I started just using two products morning and night, these are the SkinMedica Foaming Wash and SkinMedica Purifying Toner. (The active ingredient on both of these is Salicylic Acid 2%).
The first two weeks were a total nightmare I have to admit, many days I was tempted to go back to my Duac tube, I resisted, I was not about to let two weeks go to waste just to start over again in a few weeks. I was determined to get off Benzoyl peroxide.
By the third week my skin was already showing some improvement, no major blemishes but I was starting to get a lot of little tiny ones around my nose and though I could have picked at them, I really wanted to test the effectiveness of these products so I left them alone.
So now it's been a month on these two products and I have to say that I stopped wearing full coverage foundation, I am now using just pressed powder and my skin is doing better than a couple weeks ago, all the blemishes I had are almost gone (even the tiny ones) and best of all, I am off Benzoyl Peroxide!!!! No more prescription acne stuff for me. I will continue to use these products because even though they may be a little pricey, the ingredients are more natural than any other acne products that I may have tried and have success with.
I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!!

Disclaimer: I was not paid by SkinMedica or anybody to talk about these products. I purchased them with my own money and paid full price for them.

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/

Dark brown dye gave me black hair!!!!

So I have naturally dark brown hair, and have highlighted it for a few months, however last time I got my highlights roots done, they came out super blond...the contrast between my dark hair and the blond streaks was too much, not the look I was going for, obviously the new hair colorist I went to missed the point when I said I wanted “subtle highlights” 

Anyway, so I took matters into my own hands and decided to dye my entire hair with a dark brown permanent hair color (I figured the blond streaks will then be subtle highlights) Well, that worked...to and extent, the blond streaks were indeed covered, but now my dark brown hair was completely BLACK, and I mean the darkest shade of black ever! Terrible, I hated it, so after reading about it, a few days after dyeing it and having my hair in buns and pony tails, I did the following:

• Washed my hair with Head and Shoulders, really used a lot of product and let the shampoo sit in my hair for 20 minutes in a shower cap.

·       Smiled! As I was rinsing the shampoo I could see that the water was coming out dark, the hair dye was coming out!

·       After rinsing the shampoo I deep conditioned my hair with Aussie 3 minute miracle which I left in my hair for another 20 minutes (Head and Shoulders and other alike can be very drying).

The Result?

My black hair was not so deep after all, I would say it got one shade lighter than what it was, my hair is now dark brown with subtle highlights just like I wanted, still looks very dark but not to the point that it doesn’t look natural, I got to say I am very pleased with the color...for now. I am now using a shampoo for color treated hair so the color doesn’t fade any more. Let’s see how it changes in a couple of months.

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/

Welcome to my blog

Hi everyone,
First of all I want to thank you for visiting me here, I have decided to create this blog to share my take in being beautiful from the inside out. I want to say that we all have what it takes to be a beautiful human being, a beautiful girl, teen or woman, it's all a matter of bringing out and highlighting the best of you and working on the not so great stuff to become a better person each day.
I'd like to start saying that I love Jesus with all of my heart and my goal is to mirror his character each day, though I have to admit it's VERY VERY HARD, and it is easier to beat myself about making mistakes in every area of my life however, I remember that He loves me anyway and there is nothing I can do that can make him love me any less. He is my savior, my everything and His love never fails.
Having said that, I know that having a loving and kind heart is the most important thing that will make someone a beautiful person regardless of how the exterior looks like. Have you ever seen a gorgeous looking woman and then after meeting her and knowing she's not a kind person, or is maybe too conceited start thinking that she was not that beautiful after all? I have and my point is, everything that's inside of your heart and spirit reflects on the outside. And how we feel we portray ourselves, that's why being confident is so important. This blog is my way to share with everyone how we can look our best by taking care of our body, spirit and soul. I hope you enjoy it!

Much love!
Jen :)

PS:

For makeup tutorials and product reviews check out my youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/rolita12

And for cute and affordable accessories check out my lil sister's store:

http://www.cutethingys.com/