Beauty Wise Wednesday: Cinnamon Honey face mask

It is 9:45pm on Beauty Wise Wednesday and I have just now discovered what to write my blog about. I haven't gotten my July Ipsy bag yet, I wanted to write about BB Creams but I want to try out one more before I write a blog about it, I even took to twitter to get ideas. I got some great ideas but I didn't really feel like I was able to do a lot of them with my little collection of beauty supplies, but they gave me some great ideas for future blogs!

My last resort was going to Pintrest and looking through my beauty pin board. I was thinking I might attempt a make up skill, or a hair style but then I came across the Cinnamon Honey Face Mask.

I have done tons of homemade masks with honey but never one with cinnamon. I have to be honest all I could think of was the cinnamon challenge that people do one YouTube, where they try and hold a spoon full of cinnamon in their mouth. I just imagined my face burning up, but I had the stuff on hand so I went at it!

The pin I found was actually a mask made with nutmeg, cinnamon and honey but I didn't have nutmeg on hand, so just cinnamon and honey was all it was.

The Supplies

Here is the blog that the pin linked to: Guide to Good Living

Honey uses it's natural antioxidants to balance out acne which I really need right now cause I have a garden of zits blooming on my chin!

The cinnamon is known to bring blood to the surface of the skin sometimes flattening out fine lines. The post did say be careful around the eyes or other sensitive areas of the face. Cinnamon is also a great exfoliate also apparently which is great for the face, especially when you've been sun kissed as much as I have been recently.

2 teaspoons of honey

1 teaspoon on cinnamon

mixed together

So I measured and mixed the ingredients and when measured out it was a lot more cinnamon than I thought it would be, making me even more worried about the burning factor.

I applied the mask to my face with the rubber scrapper because basically getting my fingers all sticky didn't sound very appealing, plus it would be harder to take pictures of my progress.

Once on, it wasn't too bad. It did sting a little bit on the upper lip area, you could probably skip applying the mask to that area.

the smell was very nice, but it could be too sweet for some people.

The only issue I had was that it was a bit drippy and it seemed to move down my face during the 30 minutes that it said to keep the mask on.

Once the 30 minutes were up I got some water on my fingers and rubbed my face in a circular motion exfoliating. it was very surprising to me how exfoliating cinnamon really was. They should make more face scrubs with cinnamon.

Rinsing off was pretty easy but I have a couple tips to keep in mind while rinsing. First: Keep your eyes closed! I can't even imagine the burn you would get if the cinnamon got into your eye. Second, make sure that you rinse your hair line well, it would suck to have honey it your hair for any extended amount of time.

 

Final thought is that I would defiantly do this mask again! My face is amazingly smooth and feels so refreshed, like an all new face! I do wish I would have exfoliated my temples a little more but that's just an over sight on my part.

While doing this face mask and writing this blog I was watching the pilot for Camp, a new show on NBC. I love summer camp shows, probably because I've never actually been to summer camp. Did anyone else catch the show? I liked it, but I'm not sure it will have lasting power. As long as it's on I'll watch it though.

I made good use of my "me" time tonight and I feel nice and relaxed now. How do you spend your "me" time? maybe the next opportunity you'll try out this mask.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: June Ipsy Bag reveal and review

Wow, so before I knew what was going on the month was over and here we are into July and I haven't blogged in what, 2-3 weeks? I'm not really sure what happened this month, I'm feeling a little off and I think my blog is taking the brunt of it, but I'm here to deliver not only the much over due June Ipsy reveal blog but also the review post.

I'm very impressed with the products that were given this month but to be honest a couple of the products I'm not sure how of often I would use them. That's the beauty of this subscription service however, I get to try out things I wouldn't think of buying myself, and once I used them I just might be won over and start using the products, even if it isn't necessarily the same brand I got in the bag.

This months bag is leopard print with a neon green zipper on the front instead of on the top and Ipsy tag on the side. So adorable. I just love how they switch them up so much from month to month.

Product #1: NYX Powder Blush in Espresso... $5.00 on nyxcosmetics.com

Product Description: It is a silky blush that goes on pretty smooth. The color is a warm tan with a slight under tone of pink.
Coupon: 15% off the entire site or 30% off Tango with Bronzing Powder.
First Impression: When I first opened the blush I was a bit worried about the color.
Review:  I tried it out and I feel like it has a pink under tone that gives a nice glowing tan. I'm not sure if I'm sold on this blush being better than any other I've tried but I have enjoyed using this blush this month.

Product #2: J. Cats Sparkling Cream Palette called Volta. $4.49 on jcatbeauty.com

Product Description: A palette of 5 cream glitters, gold, dark teal/blue, a black silver, a silver black and a silver blue-ish color.
Coupon: 25% off any product on the website.
First Impression: I had heard a bit of controversy about this palette being for the eyes or not. Upon opening it I thought it was possible to use it as a slight glitter accent in the crease.
Review: I went into using this product with a pretty positive attitude after hearing some pretty negative thoughts on it. I decided to try it out while going to a Mariners game. I found it hard to put on in a controlled fashion. I tried using the wands they provided and my fingers and neither really gave me a good application. I will try using the product again but my hopes are dashed and this might be just a wasted product.

Product #3: J. Cat Eyelashes with eye lash glue $3.99 on jcatbeauty.com

Product Description: 100% human hair, style EL20 with latex free glue. They look a bit natural just thick, which I like cause I am not very familiar with fake lashes.
Coupon: same as the glitter palette, 25% off jcatbeauty.com
First Impression: I was very excited to get these in the bag. I think I might have worn lashes once in my life. For no other reason than I don't ever really feel like wasting my money on them. These I'm excited to try out!
Review: I haven't worn these yet since I feel like I need to wear them when I'm going out somewhere or something.

Product #4: Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Crayon $18
Product Description: The name of the product is pretty self explanatory, it's an ivory colored highlighting pencil. What I like is that it doesn't have the shimmer that an eye shadow would typically give you when used as a highlighter.
Coupon: 20% off any order at Chella.com
First Impression: I was super excited about this cause I just love using highlighter under my eye brows and in the inner corner of my eyes.
Review: I have used this every day I have worn make up. It goes on so easily and gives a nice subtle highlight. The only issue I have with it at the moment is that I need to go and buy a bigger pencil sharpener to be able to sharpen it. I like the pencils that u can twist to get more.

Product #5: Star Looks Lip Pencil in K308 Bare $12
Product Description: Once again pretty self explanatory in the name. The color is a light tan color.
Coupon: 35% off any order on starlooks.com
First Impression: I was also worried about the color of this product, not sure if a brown is a color I can pull off but I figure I can always mix it with a different color lip gloss to brighten it up.
Review: To be honest I didn't use this product this month, basically because I forgot about it. I rarely wear lip products and when I do, it is just an easy glide it on and forget about it product. I will have to make the effort to try it out and get back to you guys on my thoughts.

Total value of the bag: $43.48 plus the leopard print bag.

Overall I am very happy with the bag. It's just too much fun being able to expect the bag of goodies each month. I have seem three preview pictures of the July bag and it's going to be just as exciting I think.

Thanks for coming back and reading my blog again after I took far too long of a break. I hope you keep coming back cause I am getting back on track and writing every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

 

Beauty Wise Wednesday: Beauty tips from an other generation

I had so much fun interviewing my mom for mothers day I thought I'd interview her and my grandma (my mom's mom) on a little lighter subject, Beauty!!! It's interesting to see what the older generation says about make up and how their view on make up has changed as they have gotten older.

What is your must have beauty product?
Mom: Mascara/eyeliner every day of my life I have put it on, it's a habit
Gramz: Lotion Cera Ve renewing lotion "I'm obsesses with it", Mouse and my Bobbi Brown lip stick: doesn't have lead in it.

How old were you when you first started wearing make up?
Mom: 13 years old, without mom knowing
Gramz: Lip stick when I was 16, never wore make up till I got to be in my 40s. Mascara in my 20's.

Who taught you to wear make up?
Mom: girlfriends; kinda learned together from magazines.
Gramz: No one, mom my passed away when I was young. I learned from ads and that type of thing.

Does make up make you feel better about yourself? why?
Mom: if I am wearing make up I fell better to face the world. "my best face forward" I have more confidence. If I ran to the store and saw someone I know without make up I would be mad
Gramz: It does because I think I look better, it is part for other people but mostly it makes me feel more put together.

What is one beauty tip you would give a person new to make up?
Mom: don't over do it. make sure all your foundation is all blended in. IE: no jaw bone line "one of the grossest things I've ever seen"
Gramz: Start washing your face at an early age. I didn't wash my face till I was older and don't forget sunscreen!

What beauty product do you find unnecessary?
Mom: eye lash curler b/c I've never had to use one in my life.
Gramz: False eye lashes (side note my grams says she only needs to use an eye lash curler on one eye cause they other is perfectly curled already. She's too cute!)

If you could do your make up like any celebrity who would you choose?
Mom: "That's a toughy" I would say Eva Longoria I just thinks she's gorgeous

Gramz: Jennifer Lawrence She looks so well put together.

How has your make up routine changed from when you were younger?
Mom: from wearing blue eye shadow to NEVER wearing blue eye shadow. It all has dwindled down, became more natural. I cringe when I see blue eye shadow now
Gramz: I am actually using make up now and using a brush to put on foundation.

How would you like your grand daughter (Sloane) to look at make up?
Mom: I wish she would never look at make up but if she does, keep it simple. mascara! Gotta have mascara!
Gramz: Sparingly. I would hope she would take care of her skin first or for most. good cleanser and moisturizer. not to look at it like it is going to change her, just enhance what she has.

Any last beauty thoughts you would like to share?

Mom: Make sure you wash your face and put on moisturizer at night!!
Gramz: can't over emphasize the use of sun screen or sun block... no one should be without it anymore!!!


Overall I can see why I am so natural with my make up style, my main influences growing up just aren't that into make up. It's also nice to see what they find important since they have had the time to learn what's important. I will for sure be teaching my daughter a good skin care as soon as possible.

So what are your answers to these questions? Leave your answers below or leave me a link to your blog, I'd love to know what you have to say.

And with that I am off to do a face mask and put on moisturizer!

 

Beauty Wise Wednesday: My May Ipsy Bag

Sorry this post is late. I have been suffering from a horrible stomach ache and haven't really been able to function. Anyways, time to get to the exciting stuff... My May Ipsy bag!!!

This months bag is a fun blue, orange and white chevron print. I'm so in love with chevron print these days that this bag is very exciting!

(sorry for the horrible picture, my stomach ache made me not try so hard to capture a good image)

Product #1: Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter 2fl oz: Sells on their website for $7.00
Product Description: Shimmer and glow with coconut oil, pearls and sea minerals; ultra-nourishing tropical phytonutrients.
Coupon: 20% off on the Pacifica web site
First Impression: I'm super excited about this product! I absolutely loved the last Pacifica blood orange body butter I got in my first Ipsy bag so I know I will love this one. The shimmer is a fun addition for the summer!

Product #2: Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-on .33fl oz. This is a full sized product that sells for $12 on their website.
Product Description: From their website: Sensual blend sets sweet and sultry vanilla absolute, with honey-jasmine notes and a touch of fruitiness, against a deep and beautiful base of tea.
Coupon: Same as product #1
First Impression: I'm excited I got the vanilla scent because I'm always drawn to vanilla products. This is a great size to keep in my purse!

Product #3: Juice Beauty Lip Gloss in Champagne .14oz. This is half the size of the gloss they sell on their web site so it's worth about $7.50.
Product Description: From the website: This Reflecting Gloss will give your lips the most brilliant shine on earth. The combination of antioxidant-rich berries, minerals and sweet agave will wrap your lips in radiant color
Coupon: 20% off on the Juice Beauty web site
First Impression: Pretty excited about this product as well. It's a perfect color for me, not too far out of my comfort zone. Plus it will look great over other lip products to maybe tone down their color.

Product #4: Concealer refill in the color Buff. This seems to be a full sized refill that they sell on their website for $4.85
Product Description: No real description available but a concealer doesn't really need much describing.
Coupon: 20% off the Yaby website
First Impression: This was something I wasn't sure about when I saw it in the preview pictures from the Facebook page because I wasn't sure if they would send me the correct color, but they did and I'm excited to try it out. As you know I am still on the hunt for the perfect concealer.

Not Pictured above:

Product #5: Zoya nail polish in the color Jacqueline. This is a full sized product that sells on their website for $8.00.
Product Description:  Light creamy beige has slight warm undertones and a glossy crème finish.
Coupon: Buy 2 get 1 free on the Zoya website
First Impression: I wasn't in love the color simply because it seems very similar to colors I already had and I wanted something a little different. Luckily my friend got a minty green color so we are trading. Unfortunately I have given her the polish I got but haven't gotten the one she got from her so I don't have an actual picture to share.

Total value of the bag: $39.35... Once again I only paid $10!! Such a great value and I love everything I got. Don't forget you can sign up at Ipsy.com

 

 

Beauty Wise Wednesday: April Ipsy Bag Review

My May Ipsy bag is about to be sent out tomorrow so I knew it was time to give you guys my final thoughts about my April Ipsy bag...

Product #1: Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal w/Argon oil. .85 fl oz. The full size product is $21.95 for 4.2 oz on Ulta.com. I figure that this sample size is a value of  $4.40.
Coupon Code: Save $5
Product description: Nourishing Styling Treatment. It says that it helps speed up blow drying or to reduce frizz.
Review: I love this product! the smell is so lovely; kind of a sweet and spicy vanilla scent. You need to use very little through your hair and it makes your hair so soft. I did try using it by it's self in my curly hair and it didn't really kill much of the frizz but paired with other hair products it holds up well and doesn't make my hair feel greasy. The only down side I'd say is that it's difficult to get the product out of the bottle because you can't squeeze it but I guess that is to prevent you from using too much at one time. I must say I didn't try this out to see if it reduced blow drying time but I'm willing to bet it works.

Product #2: Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks. This is $16 on the Be a Bombshell website.
Coupon Code: 30% off + Free eye shadow
Product Description: It's a light pink shade with a bit of a shimmer.
Review: I really like this color. It seems very bright in the package but it goes on more mellow and it gives you such a sweet pink glow. Upsetting cause the coupon code expired too quickly so I won't able to take advantage of the free eye shadow. Note for the future: take advantage asap.

Product #3: Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache. This is currently on sale on the Two Cosmetics website for $5.75.
Coupon Code: 25% off + free lip gloss
Product description: It is two shades of pink. first is a rosy pink that's matte and the other is a light shimmery pink.
Review: These are still a couple of iffy colors for me. I have used them with a variety of base colors and I still feel a bit paranoid that they are making my eyes look tired. I love the concept of sweet, romantic pink eyes so I will continue to experiment with these. Overall I'm happy to have gotten these so I could have the opportunity to play around with pinks.

Product #4: Miss Professional Nail Sation Nail Lacquer in Love at First Byte. This is $5 in the Miss Professional Nails website
Coupon Code: 20% off
Product Description: It's a bit of a salmony pink.
Review: I wore this color twice this month hoping that it would grow on me. I asked nearly everyone what they thought of the color and the rest reaction I got was that it made my fingers look like they are cold. I just wasn't really attached to the color and I probably won't choose to wear it again. It did make a great gift for my mom.

Overall I'm very happy with this months bag. I truly have not real complaint about my ipsy bags so far. I look forward to next months bag, the teasers they've shown on their Facebook page look pretty exciting!

If you are interested in joining Ipsy let me know and I can send you a referral. Of course this is for selfish reasons... I can get a free eye shadow or bracelet with two referrals! If you don't want a referral I still encourage you to sign up. $10 a month is totally worth all the fun products you get to try out.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge

I just learned about these beauty blender sponge not too long ago and I was instantly interested. I haven't become a fan of putting on the foundation with a brush just yet and I always feel gross when I rub in my foundation with my fingers. I first found out about these from a YouTube video (of course) by Glamour Wonderland. She did a review of drug store beauty blenders to see if she could find a dupe for her high end beauty blender.

When I bought the Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge, I thought I had gotten the preferred one in her video but I actually got one similar to the one less preferred but still a good dupe. Mine is also a different brand which might make a difference in quality as well it was just slightly more expensive. I paid $6.49 at Walgreen's.

To use the sponge u run it under water and then ring it out. This part took a little getting used to because I wasn't sure just how wet I was suppose to get the sponge. It took me a few times using it to realize that the more water I put onto the sponge the softer it became and the better it would blend our foundation.

After you wet your sponge you dab a bit of your foundation onto your face and then blend it onto your face with little patting motions. I will mention that the first couple of time you the blender sponger it does seem like you need to use more foundation that usual. It might have been just because I hadn't put enough water on it. The pointed edge of the sponge is great for getting around the nose and under the eyes. I typically use the pointed end to blend all over my face and then the flat side I'll go back over to make sure I got it all blended together perfectly. I also love using the flat end to blend in my concealer that I put on after my foundation. 

Overall I really enjoy the Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge. I especially enjoy the cool feeling the damp sponge gives in the mornings. I would defiantly recommend this to any of my friends.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: Face wash

Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Silly me, I kept thinking it was Saturday because I had two days off in a row. Today Mat and I both had the day off together so of course we had to make the most of it. I actually was able to sleep in till nearly 8am because Mat got up early and got Sloane up and dressed before I had to wake up! It's so nice to have him home in the mornings. After looking out the window and seeing that it wasn't likely to rain we decided to head to Green Lake in Seattle (our favorite park).

As we were driving there I thought of what I wanted to write my blog about. FACE WASH!! I have used the same face wash for years. I grew up with quite an acne problem and had serious self image issues because of it. While in my need to become more girly and high maintenance I thought I would try out a new face wash. I didn't have much direction but every night at work I noticed a face wash that was on sale and finally one night I bought it.

L'Oreal Youth Code: Youth Regenerating Skincare Foaming Gel Cleanser: This foaming gel cleanser gently exfoliates and removes impurities down to every last trace of eye make up, without over drying. Skin will become luminous, smooth and younger looking with continues use. $3.99 on close out at Safeway.
My Thoughts: I have used it more than several times in several different situations. I have used it in the morning in the shower, at night to remove my make up and at night after using a face wipe to remove my make up. First impression is that it has a strong smell that is pretty floral. I could have dealt with the smell if I hadn't tasted the soap while washing my face. I don't ever remember tasting my face wash before and the flavor of this face wash seemed unavoidable. it just seemed it get into my mouth every time i used it. I also feel like it didn't foam up as well as I hoped it would, I really needed to work the wash into a lather in my hands before I washed my face with it. Finally I didn't notice an youth renewal to my face, however I probably don't really have that many wrinkles to worry about. Now I have sensitive skin and have a history of patches of dry flaky skin in the T-zone so I'm not sure if it was just conscience or what but I did have a flare up on dry skin in my eye brow area while using this face wash. I continued to use it maybe once a week since and haven't had too much problem. Also I still had eye liner/mascara on my face the morning after washing it off.

Clean and Clear: Essentials foaming facial cleanser: Washes away problem-causing dirt, oil and make-up without over drying. $3.95 regular price at Walmart.
My Thoughts: This face wash has a very mild smell that probably is just a typical soap smell. I haven't ever noticed a taste to it during a normal face washing session (of course if you put it directly into your mouth I'm sure it would have a taste.) This has a nice foam that I feel like really helps with lifting the oils off my face. This cleanser also gets my face really clean feeling. I know it is possible that people might think it is too clean and it has been stripped of it's natural oils but I find with my oily-combination skin this kind of squeaky clean is really nice. Again I might be biased but since using this face wash but I really feel like it doesn't over dry my skin and I typically only get dry skin out breaks while using this face wash if I change my face lotion. I will admite this doesn't remove all my eye make up, but I have come at accept that. Maybe one day I will find an eye make up remover I love.

Overall I still favor my old trusty face wash by Clean and Clear. I think the real clincher is the fact that I can taste the L'Oreal face wash while washing my face. I also don't really enjoy the strong floral scent. On the other hand I bought one of my best friends that same face wash at the same time and she said she really enjoys it. She, however, also has the face hydrating system that she bought on clearance for $20 at Target, that might make a difference. I wil note also that while writing this blog post I looked up both face washes on the Walmart web site, just to get the pricing and I saw that the L'Oreal face wash got a much higher rating. Ever face wash and how you like it is a very personal thing so I wouldn't take my opinion at a be all end all.

What face wash do you use? I think it is possible that there is another face wash out there that I will love even more, I just haven't tried it yet. Also what eye make up remover do you use. I think it has become clear that I need to find one I like.