A few months ago, I had the pleasure of purchasing myself a Clarisonic Mia from Macy's. Being that I'm an employee of Macy's, I used this opportunity to purchase a Clarisonic with extra discount. (When you work at Macy's, you get an extra 20% back of house discount on every purchase.) They were having a pre-sale and I would be getting up to 30% off back of house I believe. The Clarisonic when from being over $100, to being about $80 or so after my employee discount. Since I heard great reviews, I figured this would be the best time to make my purchase. I got the Clarisonic Mia in lavender.

It comes with a protective cap for the brush head

This is a great product and I'm so glad that I invested my money into it. It came with a Lavender Mia, universal voltage pLink charger, sensitive brush head, and a trial size cleanser. The trial size cleanser works wonders on my skin. I have normal to sensitive skin, so I have to be careful with certain products I can use. The trial size cleanser was perfect for my skin. I hardly break out, and when I do they are very small pimples that aren't too noticeable and last only a couple of days. After using my Clarisonic, I immediately felt the difference between how my skin felt now and then. My face was very smooth, felt time, and my little pimples felt like they were ready to go away. It amazed me! I would never want to go back to hand washing my face again.

The Clarisonic is a good product because it cleans your skin, better than your hands, and it's very gentle. When washing your face with your hands, there is a lot of pulling and stretching of the skin. However with the Clarisonic, it gently massages your face. Having more than 300 movements per second. Not properly washing your face can lead to your makeup, dirt, and oil destroying your skin. They cause blackheads, blemishes, and dullness. Your pores get clogged, and your face just doesn't feel right. The Clarisonic has the power to get rid of any extra makeup, dirt, or oil. It cleanses your face perfectly so when you apply your daily moisturizers, creams, and serums they absorb better and work even better on your face. You would think that since it moves very fast it would be hard on your skin, but no! It's very gently and effective.

When using a Clarisonic, everyone is different. How I use mine is that I first start off with removing my makeup. Nothing is worse than trying to clean your skin with makeup, dirt, and oil still on it. After that, I like to take my Clarisonic and wet it a little bit. Then I would put my favorite facial was, mine being one from Neutrogena, and put some of it on the head brush. You just turn it on after than and beginning rubbing it on your face in circular motions. The Clarisonic is set to be on for just 1 minute. 1 minute?! I know right, that sounds crazy for washing your face but trust me when I say it's all that you need. I believe the paper that came with it say you should spend 20 seconds on your cheeks and 10 seconds on both your forehead and chin. Well it's something like that, but I just spend more time on parts of my face that have acne than others. After that, just rinse and apply any cream, moisturizer, or serums of your choice.

Trial cleanser it came with

To make sure that you keep your face as clean as possible, I started off by using my Clarisonic daily. I would use it both at the morning and night. However when I noticed my skin getting better, I cut it down to just once a day. Preferably being at night when I removed the day's make up. I know of some people who only use it once a week, but it's really up to you and how you want to use it. There isn't anything wrong with using it daily at all. Just be cautious not to overly wash your face, especially if you're not putting any moisturizer on after it. The brush head is detachable is and should be replaced every 3 months or so to ensure that you aren't using a dirty brush. To charge it up, just simply plug in the charger and put the end of the Clarisonic to the end of the charger. It doesn't take very long to charge and it's said that you should keep it charged before you use it.

When charging, it flashes green

This was definitely a product that I'm so glad I invested my money. It is something I would recommend to any and every one! It will change the way your face looks and feel. Of course there's good diet and such to ensure that too, but this beauty tool is definitely something everyone should consider. It may be pricey, but it's a great product to invest in. You will not be disappointed. It comes with a year warranty and if you don't like it, you have 90 days (from the purchase date) to return it for your money. I will not be returning mine because I'm just in love with it. You can check out Clarisonic's site here or go to any store that is affiliated and purchase one for yourself. Clarisonic Mia is such a life saver and I'm completely happy that I was able to purchase one! There are many different versions and colors for you to choose from. You can also buy a brush head that's perfect for you skin type as well. There's so many different choices, so be sure to check out Clarisonic's site and do your research for what would be best for you! From one beauty lover to another, see you soon.

On the Wild Side: Ipsy's June Glam Bag 2013

Ipsy's June glam bag 2013 is called on the wild side. It features products from NYX, Freeman Beauty, Cailyn Cosmetics, J. Cat Beauty, Star Looks, and Chella. With my personal quiz answers, I got a blush, dry shampoo, glitter palette, lip liner, and eyeliner. The bag is an awesome cheetah print with a lime green zipper.

The bag design for June 2013

A product that I got was a lip liner from Star Looks in the color tipsy. It's sort of a deep pink, but when applying it on my lips I noticed that it does look a bit brighter than when I tested it on my hand. It's very smooth and you can actually go out without putting lipstick or gloss on top of it. The texture just feels great on your lips and you're just going to need a little bit of chapstick so your lips don't dry out.

Star Look's lip liner in Tipsy

A NYX blush was also in my glam bag. I got mine in the color silky rose. It's a nice, creamy blush that's a little bit darker than the lip pencil I received. It goes really good with my complex and blends pretty well. It's not really shimmery so that's always a plus for me. 

NYX's blush in Silky Rose

With Cailyn Cosmetics, I got the gel eye liner in purple. It's a creamy, waterproof eyeliner that's intended to last up to 24 hours, smudged proof. I was scared about the purple because I thought it was going to be too vibrant for my skin tone, however it showed to actually look like I did have black eyeliner on. It's dark but not too dark and you can still see the purple. It comes with a small liner brush that gives it an easier way to apply.

Cailyn Cosmetics' eyeliner in Purple

J. Cat Beauty provided me with a glitter palette in Suzie. It's a collection of golden toned cream glitter. I noticed that only color that was actually creamy was the second one on the left side. All of the rest of them felt very dry. Glitter isn't something I would use on a daily basis, but this is why the bag is called, "on the wild side." This is something I would use for Halloween, New Years Eve, or parties. Just a special occasion where glitter is appropriate. This is NOT  a glitter eyeshadow. It's a body glitter that can also be used for your hair or nails.

J. Cat Beauty's glitter palette in Suzie

The last product I received was from Freeman Beauty. It is a small can of their dry shampoo. I was never a believer in dry shampoo when it first came out. My experience with one for the first time was not very pleasing. It left my hair feeling very dry and sticky. However, this particular brand left my hair feeling soft, looking pretty shiny, and just as if I just got it done. All you do it shake the can, spray it on various parts of your hair and let it sit for a few minutes. It's going to have your hair looking like you spray painted it grey, but after you brush it out it's like having freshly done hair.

Freeman Beauty's dry shampoo

I loved all of the products in this month's glam bag. I always get products and brands that I never tried before. It is all well worth the $10 a month. If you would like to take the beauty quiz and sign up for Ipsy, please click here. I highly recommend it. Each month you get 4-5 different products from different brands. Some come full size, which is also a bonus. You also get promotional discount codes for each brand every month that last up until the first week or two of the next month. If you love to try new products, I insist you sign up for Ipsy. From one beauty lover to another, see you soon.

RiRi Hearts Mac

Earlier this week, I fell into the hype of Rihanna's new summer lipstick collection (Hearts). The collection is selection of 3 different lipsticks called RiRi Woo, Heaux, and RiRi Boy. Now RiRi Woo is your classic , cool blue-red lipstick. Heaux is a muted berry red and RiRi Boy is a vivid lavender-violet color. Guess what? All three of the lipsticks are matte too. The lipsticks are only $15 a piece. I personally ordered RiRi Woo and Heaux. There's nothing like a classic red lip and a deep kind of berry red. I ordered them last Monday and they came to my house by Friday. It literally took me about 2 hours just to ordered them. Only because the site must've had too much activity on it since everyone was trying to get what they wanted before it sold out. I was about to give up too because I tried on my phone and then my home desktop. Then after a while, I just went on my Mac and did it. At first it timed out a few times, but then quickly I got to the check out page and after that it was taking very slow, maybe 10-15 minutes on each page, but I finally was able to purchase it.

RiRi Woo (left) Heaux (right)

These are personally now my two favorite lipsticks because I prefer matte lipstick over any other kind of lipstick really. Matte lipstick just compliments my skin and these colors compliment my skin tone very, very well. Although, RiRi Woo will be saved for more special kinds of occasions because I don't like to wear a bold red lip all the time. However, Heaux is a bit more toned down and deeper so I will feel more comfortable wearing it, not on a daily basis, but definitely more than RiRi Woo.

RiRi Woo (top) Heaux (bottom)

What I also noticed when putting the lipsticks on is that if you're not very careful, or if you're a bit messy when you put lipstick on, you will have to be very careful with these. This is because it's kind of hard to just wipe off of your face because I noticed that it does tend to stain a bit. I mean c'mon, the colors are very good and you can tell the quality is good and long lasting since it's a bit hard to take off. I would recommend either using a lip brush, or just being very careful when applying it freely. You can also just take either concealer to clean it up or you can get a pointed q-tip, (post on this next) dip it in some make up remover and try to take it off that way. When putting on the lipstick, I also noticed that it doesn't leave your lips feeling dry. It actually does leave them feeling pretty soft and smooth. I can't say it enough also, I LOVE matte lipstick.

The only reason why I didn't get all 3 lipsticks to complete the collection was because I was personally scared to get the lavender one. Only because I felt that it may have been too bright of a color for me and it's not something I'm particularly interested in. Maybe because I'm scared of trying too bold of a lip. If you did get RiRi Boy, and you can pull it off well, man kudos to you. I wish I wasn't so scared to try it out but maybe I will break out of my shell soon and try bold colors like that. 

I highly recommend these lipsticks if you love MAC lipsticks and you're into matte lipstick. You don't have to stick to keeping it matte if you don't want to either. You can always put a gloss on top if you prefer your lipstick glossy. I'm not sure how long these lipsticks are going to be available, but I suggest you act fast in getting them. Heaux is already sold out and who knows when RiRi Woo and RiRi boy is going to sell out as well. I hope you enjoyed this post and will invest in this great product. From one beauty lover to another, see you soon. 

Self Doubt

Everybody goes through self doubt once in a while and it's truly the hardest thing to overcome. Nothing hurts more than knowing there are people out there who believe in you, yet you can't see to find the belief in yourself. I didn't create this beauty blog so that I can achieve internet fame or become one of the most talked about beauty "gurus." I created this blog so that I can share my passion and love for beauty with other people who feel the same way towards it as I do. I just honestly want to help other people out when it comes to trying out new makeup and expand my knowledge from learning from them as well. It's just hard going through what I have to and I'm trying my best to overcome my fears of rejection/failure. I have to make promises to myself and try my best to keep them in order to keep myself sane and happy. This isn't an easy process and hopefully my blog will help me to achieve my goals. I got too comfortable with my safe space and it's time for me to explore outside of my personal boundaries. I've been dragging myself around the house for a week and enough is enough. I cannot expect to see improvement if I'm not willing to work on it myself. Only time can tell what will happen and with new found patience, I hope to see great results. In due time, everything I want will come true with hard work and dedication. Never give up on your dreams. No matter how small, big, or foolish they may seem, you can make it happen. You just have to believe and have faith in yourself.

DIY Lip Scrub

It's summer time, which means your lips can dry out if you're not putting lip balm on every couple of hours or so. These quick and easy DIY Lip Scrub will be a way for you to remove the dead skin off of your lips making them smoother and soft.

For this, you will only need 2 ingredients:
Vaseline
Sugar

You just want to take a little bit of vaseline in your hand and put just a small amount of sugar with it and mix. Gently rub this on your lips for a couple of seconds and wash off with a damp wash cloth. It would be a good idea to put lip balm on right after you cleanse your lips so that you can lock in moisture and keep your lips soft. The vaseline will help to moisturize and soften your lips while the sugar will scrub away all the dead, flakey skin. This is a very effective, easy, and affordable away to get rid of flakey skin on your lips. From one beauty lover to another, see you soon!

DIY Makeup Brush Cleanser

After doing some research, I decided to try 2 different types of DIY make up cleansers for my makeup brushes. Being that makeup brush cleansers can be expensive, these too mixtures can be an easy way to save money while still giving your brushes a good cleanse. Generally you should clean your brushes around once a week. For brushes that you use liquids with, you should clean them daily. This is because your brushes can carry bacteria on them and if your acne-prone, it can cause more break outs on your skin. Also, you won't get the good quality use of your brushes if they're load up with tons of old makeup. Especially dark shadows on your eye brushes.

So the first one that I tried was a combination of the following: 

1 cup of warm water

1 tablespoon of liquid detergent (I used dawn)

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

You can get a cup, bowl, anything that can hold more than a cup of liquid in it. Pour all the ingredients into your container and give it a little mix. One by one, you want to dip your brushes in the mix and swirl them around. You will begin to see the makeup come off the brushes and change the color of the water. After, you just want to run them under warm water and reshape them so they can dry. Its best to let them dry hanging upside down so that the water doesn't drip inside and detached the glue holding the bristles. I wasn't able to do this so I just reshaped them and let them dry on a towel. Generally you want to let them dry overnight, but for best results I let majority of mine dry for a day being that I wasn't going out the next day. For this particular mixture, I used it on my bigger brushes. Powder, blush, highlight, and all of that jazz. After the first couple of brushes, I disposed of the cleanser and started a new batch. 

The new batch of cleanser consisted of the following:

1 cup of warm water 

1 teaspoon of hand soap

1/4 cup of white vinegar

Like said previously, you just want to swirl each brush individually, rinse with warm water, reshape, and dry. For this mixture I used mainly my eye and lip brushes. 

Initially you would think that the vinegar will leave your brushes smelling after they dry, but it doesn't. If you rinse them out well enough, the vinegar will not leave a stench afterwards. However, surprisingly the mixture that I used with the least amount of vinegar did leave some brushes of mine with a light scent of the vinegar. The brushes were my bigger brushes so next time I'm going to have to rinse them afterwards a little bit longer. Both mixtures did leave my brushes feeling very soft and brand new when the drying was finished. This was my first time doing these DIY makeup brush cleansers. I found both to be very effective. 

Next week I will try out another DIY cleanser that consists of olive oil. I will most likely use the one that Michelle Phan did in one of her videos and tell you ladies how it turns out.

 I also noticed that you can tell which of your brushes are low quality by when you clean them and how they come out afterward. If you reshape your brushes before they dry, they should come back to their natural state. It should be as if they're brand new, fresh out the package. Your lower quality brushes will not return to the shape that they originally are. For me, I had about 2 brushes that did this and I just threw them away. Remember when it comes to your makeup brushes, the better the quality, the better the brush will be. Your makeup brushes should be your beauty tools that you do invest your money in. I'm not saying you should buy $50+ brushes, but do your research and invest in brushes that have good quality. Like an artist, these are you tools. Create your art with good brushes, not ones that can't do the job right. From one beauty lover to another, see you soon.