CoverGirl The Super Sizer Mascara | Review & How-To!

February 2016 Beauty Favorites!

Hey guys!  Today we are gonna be talking about all the products I have been loving this month!  First up I have to mention my Healing Skin Trio.  I did a post about these 3 products, in case you missed it and would like to check it out just click here.  Basically, whenever my skin needs something to be healed these are the products I reach for.  This month I had really chapped lips and super dry skin on my chin and these had everything back in good shape in just a couple of days.

My favorite face wash of life is the Dove White Beauty Bar.  Super affordable, readily available, and so effective.  It's gentle, doesn't strip your skin, and is 1/4 moisturizing cream.  The Cetaphil cream is also super gentle, very moisturizing, and it traps moisture in your skin to keep it from getting dehydrated.  I also LOVE dabbing this under my eyes with my ring finger to use as an eye cream.  So hydrating!  This particular coconut oil is my favorite coconut oil to use for anything beauty related.  I did a whole blog post on coconut oil - how to pick the best ones, basically everything you need to know about it - and if you wanna see that just click here.

A true testament to how much I love these!

As I mentioned above, I had really bad chapped lips this month.  It happened after I did my YouTube video on my favorite orange makeup products.  I tried on numerous lipsticks in that video and with all the applying, removing, wiping, reapplying, etc., my lips were ravaged after filming.  To heal things up QUICK  every night before bed I used a regular lip balm that kind of sinks in and topped it with some Rose Salve.  The salve kind of traps that first balm in, and it moisturizes literally all night long.  I always wake up several times a night, and every time I did I would rub my lips together and it just felt so nice.  I've actually been doing it ever since and my lips have never been softer!

Favorite body products of the month are a bubble bath and a body butter.  I have purchased Dr. Teal's epsom salts for years now.  I love them sprinkled in a bath, in a hot tub of water for a foot soak, and I also use them in my DIY bath bombs.  This particular Foaming Bath has the epsom salts I love but it also bubbles so well!  Dr. Teal's is super affordable but just a really great quality brand.  The Juara Candlenut Body Creme that I've been loving actually came in my FabFitFun Winter box.  It's probably my favorite body butter of life!  Everything about it, from the light whipped texture to the super clean smell, is Heavenly. 

This tub was full to the brim and I have used almost all of it.  Every single time I bath or shower, this is ALL I have been reaching for.  Candlenut Oil has been used in Indonesia for decades, and it is just now making it's way to products here in the States.  I'm not sure that is what smells so fresh and clean, but this stuff smells AMAZING.  Love, love, love, love, love.

I am going to do a blog post on this soon, and I will go into a little bit more detail about it then.  My mom actually purchased this for me and it's the Perlier Body Honey Miel Anti-Age Body Balm made with 100% Italian Organic Honey.  While this is made to go all over the body, I use this as a foot cream.  This stuff is expensive, and I use it very sparingly lol, otherwise I would slather this stuff on from head to toe.  As someone with SUPER dry feet, this stuff has been a total life changer.  I no longer have to sand my feet.  That's right, I no longer have to buff the dead skin off my feet, this stuff has totally changed that for me.  Amazing, totally worth the price tag, highly recommend trying this if you have dry skin/feet as well.

I am back on an Estee Lauder Double Wear kick.  This is just so dang good if you have oily skin.  I still get oily with it, but not as bad.  Great coverage (you can build this up to full coverage very easily), but doesn't get cakey.  Love.

As far as face makeup goes, I have totally been on a Milani kick. 

I have totally been loving their Baked Blush in Luminoso and their Rose Powder Blush in Romantic Rose.  I have also been loving their Baked Bronzer in Soleil.

The Luminoso blush is a gorgeous glowy peach, and the Romantic Rose blush is a totally matte rose shade.  The Soleil bronzer gives you this gorgeous golden bronze glow.  Sweep it over the high points of your face for that JLo glow!

A product that totally doesn't get enough hype to me is the Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer.  My eyelids are the veiniest lids I have ever seen, and they are also almost transparent.  So hideous!  A primer that goes on like a paint and covers like a concealer is best for me.  This does a great job!  I also really love the doe-foot applicator.  So handy.

I picked up another L'Oreal Infallible shadow this month in the shade Eternal Sunshine.  I had a haircut this month and the girl who was cutting my hair was wearing this and it just looked so good on her I had to go pick one up for myself.  I haven't been disappointed!

A gorgeous gold shadow that really pops on the eye.  The Infallible shadows by L'Oreal are one of my favorites from the drugstore.  LOVE.

I have been loving these two eyeliners, one high-end and one drugstore, the Modster eyeliner by Ardency Inn and the Maybelline Master Precise Skinny Gel Pencil are both excellent in your waterline.  They are super pigmented and last really well.  Highly recommend either!

There are two mascaras I have also been enjoying - the CoverGirl Super Sizer and the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill.  This is usually how I roll - either a super affordable drugstore mascara or a super high-end one, I kind of skip all those guys in the middle, lol.  Both are great for a more dramatic lash look (which is what I typically go for).  The Super Sizer has to be applied a little differently, but once you get the method down it really works well.

And the hair products I've been loving this month are the Moroccanoil Treatment Light and the L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray.  I always always always use an oil in my hair and this one is one of my favorites.  It moisturizes and makes your hair more shiny, but it's super light and doesn't weigh it down.  Back a couple of years ago when I first purchased the Elnett Hairspray I simply couldn't get over the smell of it.  It smells like an old lady's powders or something.  I despised it.  But, here lately I totally got over it and I am fine with it now.  What makes this hairspray more expensive and totally different than any other hairspray, is the fact that you can totally go crazy with this, spray like crazy, and your hair never feels like it has hairspray in it.  And, you can just brush it out and it's like you never sprayed hairspray in your hair at all.  You keep all the movement and natural look of your hair, but it does a great job at holding.  If you hate the smell they offer a scent-free version now, but like I said, I totally got over it and it doesn't bother me in the slightest now.  Totally worth the steeper price tag, ($12-$15). Thanks for stopping by everybody!  Let me know what you've been loving lately!!!

Holy Grail Skincare: My "Healing" Skin Trio

Hey guys!  A couple of weeks ago or so I did a YouTube video on my favorite orange makeup products.  (If you want to see it click HERE).  In that video I tried on every lipstick I mentioned, which was dozens, and with all the lipstick application/removal/wiping/reapplication/etc., my lips and skin were in terrible shape when I finished that video.  I will probably never do a video like that again because my skin and lips are just too sensitive for it.  My lips cracked and bled for about 3 or 4 days, and the skin all around my mouth (mainly my whole chin) was super dry and peeling.  I really didn't think it would be that bad, so for the first few days I just kind of ignored it and went on with my regular skincare, but it got kinda worse after a while and I knew what I needed to do.  I pulled out my trusty Healing Skin Trio as I like to call it, 3 Holy Grail skincare products that are literal miracle workers.  Tried and true, ride or die products that have never failed to deliver.  And, surprisingly, all 3 are pretty affordable and readily available.  They are:

Dove White Beauty Bar (pack of 2), $4.33

Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, $11.33

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, $13.59

The Dove White Beauty Bar has to be one of the best products EVER made for your skin.  Years ago I used to spend a LOT of time at the dermatologist's office, I actually had skin cancer.  I became really close with the PA (Physician's Assistant) that worked in the office and I often grilled her about the best skincare products, what she used/recommended.  She told me that the Dove White Beauty Bar was the best thing for your skin, and I have basically used this ever since then.  There have been times when I've fallen victim to temptation and purchased NUMEROUS face washes from the drugstore and from Sephora, but I never use any of them for very long as I ALWAYS go back to this. It's super gentle, does not strip your skin (as it contains 1/4 moisturizing cream), has no perfume, and so on and so on.  I think expensive face washes are a waste of money, as it's simply going down the drain.  I have definitely learned my lesson and will never again buy a pricey face wash.  This cleanses perfectly but still manages to feel nourishing.  Perfection in a soap.

Again, back to the PA at my dermatologist's office.  I asked her what the best night cream to use was, and that's when she told me about the big tub of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream.  This stuff is nothing shy of glorious.  Literally no scent in this, it's the most mild and gentle intense moisturizer.  This has extra-strength emollients and humectants that bind water to the skin and prevent moisture loss.  It's fragrance free, mild, totally non-irritating, and it's thick and emollient without being greasy.  This stuff rocks.  After I wash my face and pat dry, I scoop out a little dollop of this and apply it liberally to the face and neck.  Then I go back in and get a little dab and tap this under my eyes with my ring finger and use it as an eye cream.  The totally cooling/refreshing feeling this brings on tired/dry under eyes is indescribable.  Hands down one of my favorite "eye creams" to date.  This comes in 2 or 3 different sizes, but I get the large 16oz tub and it lasts forever.  As someone with oily skin this is not a cream that I would use under makeup, but on days I'm not wearing makeup I do use this as a daytime moisturizer.  But this is an EXCELLENT night cream/eye cream.

Ingredients (in case you're interested)

A mostly empty tub of this size is a true testament to how much someone truly loves a product! 

And the last product in this trio is Coconut Oil!  Not all Coconut Oils are created equal, you really need a great quality one when you are going to be using it on your skin.  Check out my Coconut Oil 101 blog post to learn EVERYTHING you need to know about picking the best ones.

This particular one by Dr. Bronner's is the best I have ever found.  It's fair trade, organic, fresh-pressed, virgin, whole kernel, unrefined, kosher, non-GMO, etc.  When a Coconut Oil is made in this fashion it retains it's delicious coconut scent.  It's just so pure and lovely.  So, as part of my Healing Skin Trio regimen, after washing and moisturizing (with the Cetaphil), I wait about 30 minutes or so to let the Cetaphil absorb into my skin.  Then, I get maybe 1/2 tsp. of the Coconut oil and warm it up with my fingertips to melt it.  Then I just pat it all over my face, neck and lips and then rub it into my skin.  As someone with oily skin it really worried me when I first started using Coconut Oil, as it seems crazy to put oil on oily skin.  But, it hydrates like you wouldn't believe.  When you first apply it it does make your face greasy.  I find it best to put it on about an hour before I go to bed to give it some time to sink in.  When you wake up you have the softest, most moisturized skin ever.  The whole Coconut Oil hype?  Turns out it's 100% true.  As with any other oil I don't apply this to my upper eyelid area.  The heat of your skin can make the oil run into your eyes.  Not that it burns or anything, I just don't want oil in my eyes.

If you have anything you need "healed" on your face - eczema, a rash, broken skin, dry skin, whatever - try this trio and see how it does for you.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Broccoli Chicken Skillet Recipe!

Hey guys!  Tonight I wanted to share a super simple recipe for a one skillet meal that is so easy to throw together for dinner.  One dish meals are really popular in our house, they're just so handy and quick - everything you need altogether.  This Broccoli Chicken Skillet dish has your meat (chicken), vegetables (broccoli, carrots, onion), and bread (stuffing).  Serve it up with a glass of sweet iced tea and you're all set!

I found this recipe in one of my Taste of Home cookbooks.

Begin by sautéing 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken, 2 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of carrots, and 1/2 cup of chopped onion in 1 TBSP of olive oil in a large skillet.  Cook 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

I added some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to mine.

Then, stir in one can of Cream of Broccoli soup, 1 cup stuffing mix, and 1 cup of milk.  The recipe also called for 1/4 cup raisins but I omitted that from my recipe as I don't really care for raisins.  Cook over medium heat 5-10 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Lastly, sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded Colby cheese.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand till cheese melts.

(My supermarket doesn't have shredded Colby cheese so I had to buy a block of it and shred 1/2 of it in the food processor.  I sliced the rest of it to eat on this week with crackers).

(Sprinkled with the cheese)

Voilà!  Your masterpiece is complete!

This meal is super easy to throw together.  Hot and hearty and so good!  You could definitely tweak this and change it up to suit your family's taste - cheddar cheese instead of colby, Cream of Chicken soup instead of Cream of Broccoli, mushrooms instead of carrots, etc.
Happy cooking :)

Small Sephora Haul | Winter 2016

Howdy, folks!  I recently picked up a few items from Sephora and thought I would share them with you today.  (This is two separate orders).

Ardency Inn Modster Eyeliner in Black, $20

I picked up this eyeliner strictly based on Jaclyn Hill's reviews of it.  It is a super black eyeliner that is great for your waterline.  I have used this a few times and it does have really good staying power.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink (LE), $46 I have mentioned before that pink highlights are my favorite, and this one is probably the best one I've ever used.  So unbelievably gorgeous.  This was a limited edition product, part of her Holiday 2015 collection.  I'm sure you could probably still get this online somewhere like eBay if you are interested in snagging one for yourself.

I had a coupon code that allowed me to get 2 deluxe size samples of various products.  I chose the Nars Audacious Mascara and the Ren Glyco Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask.

Samples included a foundation by Becca, a Dry Bar Sake Bomb shampoo and conditioner, and lastly a sample of the Laura Mercier Candleglow foundation.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara, $32 My second order was just for this mascara.  Mascara is one product you have to replace most often, therefore I almost always use a drugstore one.  But, sometimes you just want a glamorous mascara, you know?  I have always enjoyed the Armani mascaras, they look great and they last so much longer than other mascaras.  The packaging on this actually states it contains 6 months of product.  I had a deluxe sample of the Black Ecstasy Mascara and it lasted for about 4 months.  Granted I don't wear makeup everyday, so it might not have lasted that long for someone else.  But, where I don't wear makeup everyday, I don't feel very bad about investing in this.  It should last me a while.

I used the coupon code HOOLAGIRL and received a deluxe sample of the new Soft-Matte Liquid Hoola Bronzer by Benefit.  I have always loved Hoola bronzer and I was so excited to grab a sample of this. I have used it once so far and I have to say, I really like it.  It went on SO fast and I was all bronzed up in no time flat.  My only concern is that I think it slightly affected my foundation underneath, even though I was super careful with application.  I will need to play around with it some more before I say for sure.  But it really is a very pretty, very warm, liquid bronzer.

And the samples I chose for this order were a hair mask, the Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cleansing Oil, and another sample of the Laura Mercier Candleglow Foundation.
Thanks for stopping by guys!  Let me know what new products you guys are loving!