Beauty

As many of you may know, I received a 90 day supply of Proactiv+ to try out a few months ago. My trial has finally come to an end, so I wanted to share my experience with all of you. I have always had really horrible acne, so I’m constantly searching for the next best product out there.

Day One

I do have to say I was a bit skeptical starting out because I used Proactiv in the past when I was in middle school and the product did not work for me. However, I enjoyed that Proactiv+ (which is a different product line than Proactiv) had three very different products for each step. There is a skin smoothing exfoliator face wash, a pore targeting treatment, and a complete perfecting hydrating moisturizer. When I used Proactiv before, one of the issues I had was my face drying out so I liked that it came with a moisturizer.

Day Thirty

At the 30-day check in point, I have to be completely honest – I was far from pleased. I had seen an increase in breakouts and my skin felt extremely sensitive. There was a point when I had to reduce my use of the pore targeting treatment to once every other day because it would sting my skin so badly. I remember hearing a few times from other people that “it has to get worse before it gets better,” so I didn’t want to give up and decided to stick with it until the end.

Day Sixty

I finally understand why they said it gets worse before it gets better. Pretty much right after the first 30 days were over, my skin began to clear up. I was overjoyed!

Day Ninety

My skin is as clear and smooth as it’s been in a while. I am really happy with how it looks and feels. I find myself using much less makeup on a daily basis when I used to cake it on. Unfortunately, I still have acne on my chest and back, but I understand this product was specifically made for your face so that makes sense.

Overall Impression

I am pleased with this product. I will definitely keep it as part of my daily beauty routine until the product runs out. I might even purchase it again because the products I received are actually really affordable (only $19.95 for a 30 day supply!). I would be interested to see if their body wash works as well as the face products because that might be something I invest in as well.

I know that Proactiv products do not work for everybody, so if you had a different (or better) experience with it, let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

Since Kendall Jenner’s debut of her new hair extension line with Bellami Hair, my blog has been attracting a lot more attention for my posts about their extensions. Since I wrote those posts nearly a year ago, I figured I owed everybody an update on how they were doing!

Personally, I hardly use hair extensions anymore. When I do, I use Luxy Hair Extensions NOT Bellami. I no longer use my Bellami extensions for several reasons.

• Excessive shedding
• Heat damage
• Gross texture
• One-dimensional color

I bought my Piccolina 120g 18″ Bellami extensions in dirty blonde last year and used them for about two months before I switched to another brand. While I originally loved the extensions, problems began after using them consistently for a while.

Excessive Shedding

When I would brush the extensions, excessive amounts of hair would fall out. I was very careful about brushing and treating my extensions with the utmost care. It was extremely embarrassing to be sitting at work or in class and have my lap or desk covered with hair.

Heat Damage

I used heat protectant obsessively on my extensions before styling them. Bellami hair is not cheap by any means, so I wanted to make this a long-lasting investment and treat my hair with care. Unfortunately, after two months, I had extreme split ends and the texture of the hair had completely changed.

Gross Texture

As I mentioned above, heat styling the extensions despite using protective products, the texture of the hair drastically changed. It went from soft, smooth, and natural to brittle, clumpy, and unruly. It became very obvious that the texture of my natural hair was noticeably different than the extensions – leaving my hair looking tacky.

One-Dimensional Color

One thing that bothered me right off the bat with Bellami was that the color lacked dimension. In other words, it was one very solid color – blonde. While this blended with my hair fine for a while, when I was exposed to the sun less and my hair darkened slightly, it no longer matched. With other extensions like Luxy, there is dimensional coloring to the hair so that it adapts naturally to slight changes in color.

I recently received this amazing products from a Mary Kay representative to test out and I have to say, I’ve honestly fallen in love. Each product is high-quality, long-lasting, and performs its function expertly. The best part – Mary Kay products are incredibly affordable!

Products:

• Foundation Primer Sunscreen
• Lash Primer
• Ultimate Mascara
• Nourishine Plus Lip Balm
• Fragrance-Free Hand Softener
• Fragrance-Free Satin Smoothie Hand Scrub
• Fragrance-Free Hand Cream

Click here to order and receive super fast, FREE shipping!

My hands are already pretty soft, but it’s always so nice to have luxurious hand treatments like these to make you feel like a goddess. Smooth, moisturizing, and refreshing, these three products are perfect especially in the cold winter months.I never tried a lash primer before now, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this. Between the primer and the mascara, my lashes looked extremely full, long, and natural. There was absolutely no clumping. In addition, I was worried that the mascara wasn’t waterproof. But when I wore it outside in the rain, it did not run or leave residue under my eyes. When it was time to wash it off for the night, it came off incredibly easy. These lip balms are so gorgeous! I’ve never been able to find a lip gloss that was long-lasting until now. These are highly pigmented, so they look exactly how they do in the tube as they do on application. My favorite was the hot pink color because it went on semi-sheer, but with enough coverage to give my lips an extra pop. This has to be my favorite product out of all of them. This primer is magical. I naturally have a very greasy face so my makeup sweats off quickly throughout the day. However, with this primer, I hardly need to touch up during the day at all. I went through an 8-hour day without looking in the mirror once. When I got home, my makeup looked the same as it did when I first applied it. Honestly, finding a high quality primer will save so much money and time because you won’t have to keep touching up throughout the day and wasting makeup. I am so happy with this product!

My January Birchbox came! It came with Neil George shampoo and conditioner, Sumitra Color Contrast eyeliner, Silhouette by Christian Siriano Eau de Parfum, and Perlier Intensive Nurturing Body Balm. Overall, I liked my December box better because it had more of a variety of products. However, I do like that it had such large samples of the shampoo and conditioner so it’s actually realistic for me to take them with me somewhere when I’m traveling.

I love how large these samples are, but I was unimpressed by the shampoo and conditioner. I think for most people, you have a shampoo and conditioner that works for you and then you stick with it. Personally, I have my very specific products I use for my natural curly hair and others I use when I want to heat style. So for me, this missed the mark. But I am sure for some people they would love it!

This body balm smells like a dream! Absolutely incredibly rich lavender. I wish it was a bigger sample because this is really just the size to throw in your purse and use as hand cream. It would be so great to have it for an actual body lotion! If you’re looking for a gorgeous, creamy, long-lasting, and pigmented eyeliner, this is it. I really cannot say enough good things about this eyeliner. It was a beautiful, rich gold that I had to literally SCRUB off! Gorgeous color and texture – I just need to figure out a way to style this.I don’t LOVE this scent but I also don’t HATE it. It has an light, floral small which is great and usually what I look for in a perfume. But for some reason, there was a little something off. I would recommend trying it though!

What was in your January Birchbox? How did you like it?

Welcome to my first ever Birchbox review! My older sister gifted me a 3-month subscription, so I’ll be showcasing the products I receive here. For those of you who don’t know what Birchbox is, I’ll fill you in. It’s essentially a monthly subscription service where you receive a fun box stuffed full of beauty product and fragrance samples catered to your tastes. It’s extremely affordable and a great way to discover new products! Plus, who doesn’t love receiving packages in the mail?

The following products were included in my box: Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy body wash (retail $15 for an 8 oz. bottle), N.4 Lumiere d’hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect (retail $32 for 6.7 fl. oz. bottle), The Balm Stainiac lip and cheek stain (retail $17 for 0.3 oz.), Harvey Prince Ageless perfume (retail $55 for 50 ml. bottle), and Real Chemistry Luminous 3-minute Peel (retail $48 for 1.7 fl. oz.).

Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy body wash  (retail $15 for an 8 oz. bottle)

This body wash smells amazing – just like you were sitting by the ocean. I don’t know much about body wash or what separates a good one form a bad one besides smell, but by going off of just smell, this one’s a winner in my book!

N.4 Lumiere d’hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect  (retail $32 for 6.7 fl. oz. bottle)

I rarely heat style my hair any more so it took me a while to end up trying this product When I leave my hair natural, I don’t comb it for days on end (it sounds gross but it’s what you’re supposed to do with curls, I swear!). Anyways, I used this before blow-drying and then curling my hair and it worked wonders. It detangled it well, reduced frizz, and provided shine. 

The Balm Stainiac lip and cheek stain (retail $17 for 0.3 oz.)

This stain is phenomonal. It only leaves a tiny hint of residue on your lips so it feels like you aren’t wearing anything at all. You don’t have to worry about this stain rubbing off either – it’s so thin and durable. I loved the color as well, but it was definitely not what it looks like exactly. It turned out to be a more of a dark rose color – less red than it appears in the bottle. 

Harvey Prince Ageless perfume (retail $55 for 50 ml. bottle)

This fragrance is different than what I usually go for but I was surprised by how much I liked it. I typically chose very floral and sweet fragrances, but this one was much more refreshing and light. It made me feel like I was at the ocean – very clean and clear. 

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-minute Peel (retail $48 for 1.7 fl. oz.)

I’m a newbie when it comes to face masks and peels, but I was so blown away by this product. As soon as you begin rubbing it on your face, it exfoliates and peels the dead skin away immediately. It was so instant it felt like magic. After I washed it all off, I felt like I had brand new baby skin! So fresh and clean! I absolutely loved this. Doing a peel like this one once a week would be so refreshing, I might have to consider investing in a bigger tube.