Sparkle and Shine?

Hey guys! So, by the title of my post you guys probably think that I'm going to go on and on about how I like this organic product and how you guys should really look into it. Well, you'd be WRONG. This organic product is TERRIBLE. What is it? It's Bare Minerals Illuminating Mineral Veil, a.k.a. 'Sparkles in a jar'. I recently bought this product from Ulta thinking that it would be great to use as a facial highlighter, which is definitely not the case. All that this veil did was saturate my already oily face with even more shine. Instead of bringing out my best features it brought out my worst. I couldn't even get it off of my face with soap. I had to scrub at it for 5 minutes until most of the sparkles were gone. Listen to what it claims to do: "Know that airbrushed perfection that's in all the magazines? We've got the same soft-focus finish right here in a jar. Illuminating Mineral Veil gives you a pearly, ethereal glow that reflects light for a photo-fabulous look. And like our original Mineral Veil, it's the flawless finishing touch to any makeup routine." Yeah, it does give you a glow, which I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't look like my face was a disco ball! They even claim that the powder is "completely translucent, so all you can see is beautiful skin" but that just isn't the case. Maybe it's just me but wearing ACTUAL sparkles on my face as an every day look just isn't going to cut it. I can't wait to take it back and get my refund! Anyways, here's a quick re-cap of the pros and cons.

Pros: Umm...Umm....Umm...Yeah, that's all I got. Wait, It's organic! Yay!

Cons: Is full of ACTUAL sparkles, increases the appearance of oily skin, Doesn't come off easily at all, Is terribly over priced concerning the quality of this product ($20.00).

Rating: 1Star* (For being organic!)

FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with Bare Minerals or any other makeup companies. All opinions are my own and all products used in this review were bought by myself.

Problem Skin

Hey you guys! So lately my skin has been acting up. No, It's not my acne...It's actually my hands. I went to the doctor and they said that the reason my hands were breaking out into a rash was probably because of my purity ring. You see, I have really sensitive skin when it comes to metals so I didn't think much about it. I just stopped wearing my purity ring, like they said, and waited for the rash to disappear. They prescribed this really heavy duty medicated cream for me but I really didn't want to use it. I tried it, and it worked (although the rash came back later), but it was full of chemicals and all sorts of stuff so I turned to my local health food store for an alternative. What I found was actually shocking. The cream that I bought from the health food store worked way faster than the Rx cream. It took 6 uses for the doctor's cream to clear up my hands and only about 2-3 uses with the organic cream. The organic cream was even a tinted cream so when you put it on it totally HIDES all of the bumps and red blotches from the rash. It made my hands look PERFECT! It's even supposed to work for acne and other skin irritations! What's the name of this 'magical cream' you ask? It's called Margarite's Tinted Zinc Cream. You can get it from most health food stores, and it costs $10.00 for a 1 oz. tube. Here are the Pros and Cons :

Pros: Fast acting, Hides Blemishes, Is a multi-purpose skin cream, Isn't too expensive, Lasts a long time, Is organic.

Cons: The only con I can think of is that this product really does dry out your hands. You just have to be sure to apply lotion after using the zinc cream. 

Rating: 5 Stars*****

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FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with Margarite Cosmetics. All products used in this post were bought by myself and as always, all opinions are my own.

Mask Your Acne

Image by mitch98000 via Flickr

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to blog in a while. School has definitely been keeping me busy but I promise to be more consistent and I even have a new beauty product to show you guys. Okay, So you know how I was talking about face masks a couple of posts back? Well I found out that using a clay mask can help oily and acne prone skin more than any other mask out there. The clay from the mask absorbs all of the toxins in your skin while the nutrients infused in the mask get placed into your pores. It's a great trade off! Another great thing about clay masks are that a lot of them come in big bottles for CHEAP prices. I got a 6 oz. bottle of Freeman's Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Mask for only $3.00 at Walmart and I have to say that for a cheap product, it really does deliver great results. Here's my Pros and Cons list of this clay mask:

Pros: Cleans pores really well, Leaves skin soft, Seems to really tighten and lift the skin during treatment (Nice alternative to a face lift, I guess), Is easy to use, Isn't a long process (15 minutes to dry, then just wipe away and moisturize), Comes in a huge bottle, Doesn't cost very much, Smells amazing, Really appears to have helped my acne.

Cons: Really dries out your face if you don't moisturize after use, Feels a little uncomfortable when it starts to dry (Makes face extremely tight), IS NOT AN ORGANIC PRODUCT ='( .

As you can see there are alot of things to consider before buying this product but since it's only $3.00 I think that it's really worth it to give it a shot. I'm still really disappointed, however, that it isn't an organic clay mask. No worries though, because last week I saw a 6 oz. bottle of an all natural clay mask at my local health food store for the same price as the other one. I suspect this mask will be just as good as Freeman's, if not better. I hope to try it once my current bottle runs out. If I do, I'll be sure to post my results! Don't forget to comment and subscribe =)

Rating: 3 Stars ***

FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with Freeman's Beauty Company or any other face mask manufacturers. All products reviewed in this post were bought by myself and all opinions are my own.

***Clay Masks should not be used more than twice a week due to the fact that they could dry out your face SEVERELY***

Stop Flaking Out

Hey there! So everyone knows what a pain dandruff is, right? Well stop flaking out because I think I've found an all natural solution that will knock your socks off. I've been using Jason's tea tree scalp normalizing shampoo and conditioner for about six months now. I think this product is great! And the smell...so sweet. I just love the smell of nature! So here's what it claims (and actually) does: "Tea Tree Scalp Normalizing Shampoo gently, effectively eliminates excessive dead cells and dandruff to gradually normalize the scalp. Australian Tea Tree Oil, known for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal properties, is combined with selected botanicals and protein to purify and fortify hair follicles. Leaves hair soft, adds volume, luster and manageability. Helps keep hair cleaner and shinier longer." I absolutely love this stuff. So lets go through the pros and cons together.

Pros: Smells good, Leaves hair nice and shiny, Made my hair really soft, Removed my dandruff, Lasts a long time, In-expensive.
Cons: To remove all dandruff you have to leave the conditioner in your hair for about 10-15 minutes.

 As you can see, the biggest problem is how long you have to leave it setting in your hair. Other than that I'd say this is a wonderful product. And anyways, everyone's hair is different. Maybe you'd only have to leave it in your hair for a maximum of 5 minutes. Who knows. All I know is that it's way better than using a shampoo that isn't natural and can be harmful, in the end, to your body. Thanks for reading and please comment if you have any questions or suggestions. I love you all! Bye! =)

Rating: 4 Stars ****

Where to get this product: From most health food stores or even Walgreen's.
You can also order online at: http://www.jason-natural.com/

FTC: All products used in this post were bought by myself. I am not affiliated with Jason's company, Walgreen's, or any health food stores and all opinions are my own.

Ten Ways To Finish Off Your Lip Balm

Image by mismisimos via Flickr

Have you ever wondered how you could finish off a whole tube of lip balm? It's only used for chapped lips so that could take forever, right? WRONG. Lip balm has many different uses and today I'm going to tell you what some of them are:

1. It can be used to seal and heal wounds and nicks left by shaving.
2. It can be used to heal tender spots under the nose due to too much wiping and blowing during cold and flu seasons.
3. It can be used to shine your shoes after cleaning them.
4. It can be used to keep your eyebrow hairs properly brushed into place.
5. It can be used to keep hairline from being dyed when dying hair.
6. It can be used to make brittle nails harder and healthier.
7. It can be used to keep heels and feet from blistering when going on long walks.
8. It can be used on a stubborn zipper. Apply to the teeth of the zipper to have it running smoothly.
9. It can be used to moisturize skin and prevent wind burn when skiing.
10. It can be used to remove things that are stuck like rings.

As you can see, lip balm is very useful. There are many different ways you can use it which is great, especially if you're anything like me and tend to lose the tube before you even have the time to use it all. To tell you the truth, I can't even remember ever finishing off a whole tube. That's kind of sad! Haha, anyways I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas that you'd like me to blog about please leave me a comment. I really value your input =)...

Rating of Usefulness: 5 Stars *****

FTC: All products mentioned in this post were not sent to me. All opinions are my own and I am not in any way affiliated with any companies that manufacture lip balm or chap stick.

A Perfect World

Hey guys! So, I recently discovered the power of MOISTURIZING. I never knew how much better it actually makes your makeup look. I used to only prime my face, but not any more! My makeup used to look fake and chalky until I started using Origin's moisturizer, A Perfect World. Since this is basically my first moisturizer I can't really compare it with anything but I can tell you the pros and cons. Here goes nothing!:

Pros: This stuff smells AMAZING, It's an organic moisturizer, It has white tea (which is an antioxidant that protects skin from aging, stress, etc.), It makes you feel refreshed while keeping your skin deeply hydrated.

Cons: This product is expensive ($38.50), You have to wait a while for the cream to sit before you prime your face (I suggest doing something like brushing your teeth while it 'dries')

As you can see the price is the greatest con. I have a free sample that I received because of a purchase so I can't really tell you how long the regular jar will last. The jar in the picture looks tiny because it is a picture of my sample. To see an accurate picture go to:
http://www.origins.com/templates/products/sp_nonshaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY5978&PRODUCT_ID=PROD7704

Rating: 4 Stars ****

FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with Origin's Cosmetics. All opinions are my own. The sample was free but it wasn't just offered to me, it was offered to everyone who bought a product from their store that day.

Fashion With A Passion

Image via Wikipedia

***The contents below are based upon my faith. If you don't like what's being said then that's your opinion. Just don't leave any nasty comments please. Thank You***

Lately I've been noticing that more and more people are starting to wear the ever popular, purity ring! Purity rings are an awesome way to show others your commitment to wait to have sex until the day that you enter into a holy, bible based marriage. This is one thing that I strongly support and believe in. It's also something that everyone should think about and consider. There are so many horrible things that can happen if you don't wait until you get married and I just don't think that it's worth it. Waiting is definitely important. I also know that some of you reading this might have already had sex before marriage and I'm not here to condemn you for that. Is it wrong? Yes. But will God forgive you? Yes, as long as you ask with a sincere and repentant heart, striving to do what is right. God really does love you and when he said no to have sex before marriage, he didn't say it without a reason. He said it to protect you. Just trust me on this, It's one of the best decisions you could ever make. Plus, your future husband will definitely respect you for it. I promise you that you won't regret it.

Faith and Fashion Rating: 5 Stars *****

Purity Rings come in all shapes and sizes. I got mine from Mardel's. I'd definitely recommend the True Love Waits Purity Ring.
 Here's the link: http://www.mardel.com/search/default.aspx?keywords=purity+ring

FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with mardel's or with any companies that make purity rings. All products talked about in this post were bought by myself and all opinions are my own.