Current Likes: Summer Edition

Just a quick post to share with you some of my "can't live without" products this Summer. Hope you girls are having an amazing time!

1. Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

My favorite hair oil!: I find myself using this product sooo much since after the beach and pool my hair gets very dehydrated. This oil works wonders to provide shine and smoothness without making my hair feel greasy or weighing it down. 

Extra points: It smells so nice!

2. NYX Blush

My killer combo: Pecan (PB22) which I use to bronze and contour my face and Dusty Rose (PB02). The perfect combination to create subtle-yet-defined cheeks.

3. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen

My no-fail recurring product: Sunblocks/sunscreens are a must on summer and no matter how many products I try within this category, I always see myself going back to this one. Is my one and only since it doesn't feel sticky and it's super easy to apply.

4. L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm

My ultimate long time favorite: Caring Coral (418) since it provides a very peachy and natural color with the added benefit of hydration and oils to pamper my lips during this hot summer days.

5. Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover

Just what your skin needs during harsh sunny days: A very simple paraben-free cleanser that will remove makeup traces as well as excess oils from your skin without making it feel tight or dehydrated. 

6. güd Body Wash 

My new fave: I bought this body was in the scent Vanilla Flame a month ago and have been in love with it ever since. Why? It smells amazing and relaxing, it's natural and doesn't contain harsh ingredients, plus it leaves my skin very soft. End point: Great product!

Natural Plum

     When this year started I decided to add little by little some color to my eye makeup, so one of my buys was a plum eyeliner which is sort of neutral, but it's still color! My selection was Rimmel London Special Eyes Eye Liner Pencil in 140 Burgundy (which is not a Burgundy color at all so don't let the color name guide you). To be honest it's not my fave, but it works for now. I think this specific eye liner is not longer available but you can choose one like N.Y.C. Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil Smoky Plum or the Sephora Collection Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner in 21 Matte Deep Plum. I love it how it looks combined with a bronze eyeshadow behind such as the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr cream gel shadow in Bad to the Bronze. I think this two colors complement each other so well and look perfect for summer since it goes great with sun tanned skin. 

Summer Wish List

Summer is already knocking at our doors, so here are some products I would love to try during this wonderful season of the year!

1. Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Cherry Me

Summer or not, lips should always be protected with SPF. This lip balm is such a great combo. It’s inexpensive, has SPF 20, moisturizes your lips, plus it provides just the pinch of color you need to keep those lips of yours looking gorgeous in or out of the beach!

2. Organic Lavender Sea Therapy Bath

There’s no better way to pamper your body after a sweaty and drying day at the pool or beach than a relaxing bath filled with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids that will drench your skin. I for sure want to try these bath salts since not only they contain all those incredible goodies but it’s also 100% natural and vegan. Plus it contains lavender which has aromatherapy properties to help you relax. 

3. Korres Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Lip Cooler in Peach

This product is very appealing to me for multiple reasons. First…I just LOVE the peach color with just a hint of sparkling particles to give you that great watery summer look to the lips as if you had just eaten a yummy orange popsicle. Second…it’s a cooling lip treatment that will also hydrate and soften your lips. Last but not least, it has a rollerball applicator that will give you that cooling effect which I'm sure will be glorious after a whole day under the sun. Another plus: it does not contain parabens, sulfates nor phthalates (read my harmful substances post!). 

4. Vichy CelluDestock

Let’s be real…the vast majority of women suffer from cellulite and it’s such a hassle to disguise or get rid of it. But Vichy has this very talked about intensive treatment that claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite, smooth the problem zone and tone up skin in 4 weeks. The company says that this product was tested and showed positive results so I would love to give it a try…anything to vanish away the cellulite curse! 

5. Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelée in Poppy Paradise

I think this cheek color will be great for any given day that you find yourself outside in a picnic or pool party. It is infused with coconut water to provide hydration plus the color is supposed to last 14 hours. It is sort of a cream blush and a gel stain in one pot. Also the poppy color is just amazing and will give that pinched-cheeks look. And as some of the other products mentioned, it does NOT contain parabens, sulfates nor phthalates. 

6. The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

During the heat of the summer my face develops more sebum (a.k.a. “face oils”) which clogs my pores forming the terrible blackheads. A friend recommended this Tea Tree toner that works wonders for him so I definitely want to give it a try. It removes makeup traces and impurities plus the tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties that will help you prevent and/or fight blemishes. The added benefits: 100% vegetarian, never tested on animals, contains Community Fair Trade Ingredients (for definition of this go here), and is formulated without sulfates, phthalates, GMOs nor triclosan.

7. Victoria’s Secret Smooth Me Over Exfoliating Body Polish

Since the exposure to sun is higher on summer time our bodies need extra exfoliation to remove dead skin cells that make our skin look dull and dry, so an exfoliation at least once a week should be mandatory in our body-care routine. I really want to try this one since it has a buttery feel combined with Himalayan sea salt to buff your skin and leave it feeling silky smooth. Plus VS products always make me feel so feminine and I just love them. 

So, which product(s) are you looking forward to using this upcoming summer?!

Inner Glitter

It's been so long since my last post! My vacations from school started so I went to a cruise ship for a week and then moved from Puerto Rico to Miami. Life has been crazy but amazing this couple of   weeks and I had no time to write. Anyway, I'm back! Ready to get inspired by my new life and experiment with new products as well as makeup ideas that I will for sure share with all of you lovelies. By the way, Summer is just around the corner!!! Yey! I'm so excited. Aren't you all?! Specially June for since it's my birthday :)

Anyhow, I decided to quickly share with you this very easy, fun and fresh look you can try for this summer. I got this idea from an editorial in one of my zillion magazines which now I don't even remember which one was. What I like the most about it is that you can easily add it on to practically any eye makeup look or use it alone. You can easily achieve this look by adding a glitter eyeliner to the lower lash line but just to the first third of it from the inner corner out. I wouldn't recommend applying the glitter to the whole lower lash line since you could easily end up looking like a crazy person. So be prudent and concentrate to just that one third. The product I used here is the e.l.f. Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Stardust. Complement the look with a good coat of mascara like my CoverGirl Clump Crusher in Very Black.

Hope you try this soon!

Harmful Chemicals in Cosmetics

This post will be more of an informative note (although I will obviously add my opinion and personal recommendations in the topic!) but I think it's such an important one to touch when speaking of beauty related products. I also decided to make a post about it since I think many people are not aware of some of the downsides of cosmetics. Not to be a downer or anything by any mean! Come on I'm a beauty blogger so I obviously deeply LOVE cosmetics but the idea is to raise awareness and be more conscious about the use of these amazing products.

Using cosmetic products can make you look and feel beautiful! But it can also have an ugly side to it...say hello to harsh and harmful chemicals. Many cosmetic companies opt to add to their products harmful ingredients that could possibly cause cancer and/or other biologically disruptive actions on your body. There are several reasons to add these ingredients, the most common of them being to preserve the products which can stand for months on store shelves and can last months and even years in a consumers possession. Some of these so called ''preservatives'' are necessary for the product to last without acquiring bacteria and/or molds but the problem is that many of them have been linked to adverse effects in the human body.

So why would they add them or why would the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) permit the use of these ingredients? Well, research can be inconclusive at times and in order for a chemical to be banned from use it needs to be proved that there is a direct link between adverse events and the substance being studied. By law, cosmetic companies can't surpass the maximum quantity allowed to be added of these talked about substances which at the majority of time is a very small one. Even when many of these chemicals are present in very low concentrations and could possibly not be directly linked to adverse effects I do personally worry about them. Go back and think how many cosmetic products you use per day...moisturizing body lotion, face cleanser, antibacterial soap, body wash, face cream, eye cream, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and the list can go on and on! And many of these we use more than once a day! So even if it's only an insignificant amount of a certain harmful chemical in each product you own, you can see that the amount of it accumulates and multiplies in concentration with every product you use.

For these reasons I have been trying to be a more conscious buyer by looking at the ingredient labels before buying a product to at least be aware of what I'm applying to my body. The reality is that it could be very difficult and at times expensive to completely change your cosmetic products to ''organic'' or free-from-harmful-chemicals ones but I think it's definitely worth it reducing the amount of harmful containing products that I use on a daily basis. There are many emerging beauty companies that are introducing to the market more ''safe'' products that clearly state that their products do not contain substances such as parabens. But don't be fooled and keep your eyes open. Many times they market their product as Paraben-Free but when you look at the ingredients label they contain another form of harmful substance such as Methylisothiazolinone.

I know...we live in such a complicated world, but that's just how it is. It can be annoying and time consuming to be reading the freaking labels on the store but when it's for the safety of your body and your own health, I believe it is definitely worth it. Below I provided a list of some of the most common substances or chemicals that can be assaultive to your body.

• Phthalates
• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Nitrosamines
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
• BHT(butylated hydroxytoluene)
• Formaldehyde
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Talc

Below are some links for those of you who want more information on these or other harmful substances found in cosmetic products.

1. EWG's Deep Skin Cosmetics Database (EWG's Skin Deep is an online database which contains easy to understand safety information for thousands of ingredients, products, and brands. Really cool site!)

2. Breast Cancer Fund

3. Safe Cosmetics

So again, it's not about totally abstaining yourself from the use of cosmetics that contain these substances since they are still subject of ongoing research. It's about being conscious about the possible hazards and making more intelligent buys by looking at the labels as well as sometimes opting for the product that does not contain these substances. Obviously it's YOUR decision, I just wanted to make you aware of this topic!

Hope this was an informative post. What is your take on this topic? Where you aware of these substances?

Spring Nails: Lilac

Spring is the best time of the year to rock out pastel colors and my new go-to nail polish shade is LILAC. I love it because it reminds me of lavender and brings a sense of serenity and calmness to my mind. Besides, its such a beautiful color! You can use it alone or add a subtle nail art such as white spots which I think will look absolutely amazing yet keep them looking subtle and very feminine. I bought this Bettina nail polish in the shade Haze and have been using it constantly.

In a perfect world we would have all the time of the world to go to a salon or give ourselves complete manicures to show off perfect hands at every moment. But sometimes life gets in the way and you only have like 30 minutes or less to make your nails look decent. So to make your mani extra good looking when you have no time to spend, use a cuticle balm to moisturize the skin around your nails which can get a bit dry at times. I have been using the Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser + Balm which has been recommended in several beauty magazines. The instructions say it should be used daily, but lets get real...who has time to give themselves a cuticle massage daily?!...At least not me. So I try to use is at least 1-2 times per week. Below you can see the Before and After cuticle balm shots. This balm is very creamy and thick so I use it AFTER my nails are polished and dry to prevent the nail polish from chipping faster than usual. After applying the balm in each finger, remove the excess with a cotton ball and voilà! Healthy, beautiful looking mani in no time.

You can see in the Before photo how the skin around
my nail looked dry and sort of flaky.

Which is your favorite Nail Polish this Spring?!

New Garnier Oil-Free BB Cream Review

I've been a fan of BB creams since they made a boom in the US stores because I love the idea of a lightweight cream that will hydrate my face, protect it from the sun with SPF and give me a little coverage to perfect my skin tone. I was using the regular BB cream from Garnier and I really liked it, but by the end of the day my oily face would look REALLY shinny. To counteract that downside I used a shine-control powder and it sort of did the trick. So when Garnier released their new Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream I was SO excited, and even more excited when I was sent a free sample from BzzAgent to try and review.

What the company claims

• Controls shine (through an oil-absorbing substance called Perlite)
• Minimizes pores
• Evens skin tone
• Hydrates
• Protects with SPF 20 Sunscreen
• Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Non-acnegenic (won't cause breakouts)

My personal experience

Since the first day I tried it I felt as if I was in BB cream heaven! This thing is amazing for oily skin because it contains almost the same benefits from the original product but with the added benefit that your skin will look great throughout your entire day. The product kept my face shine-free without looking dull and the lightweight coverage did not fade away, even without a primer underneath. I still use a shine-control powder but very slightly over my T-Zone instead of over my entire face as I used to. The product comes in 3 shades, I used the light/medium one which when I initially put it on looks a bit too light for me but somehow after the product sets it ends up looking just right for my tone.

Cons

• The product did not minimize the appearance of my pores
• The hydration is not as great, I still use moisturizer before applying the BB cream

Final Verdict

If you have combination or oily skin as I do, you should definitely give it a try since there are not many products in the drugstore beauty market that will give you all of these above mentioned benefits without controlling shine. This is a MUST TRY!...Specially for the hot Summer weather which is just around the corner!

So, have you tried BB creams?!...If you had, which is your favorite one?