Thursday, April 23, 2015

Clairol iThrive


Recently I got a campaign through bzzagent for Clairol Professional iThrive. I got to sample a shampoo and treatment for free. I chose the blue Style Soothe. The shampoo makes my hair feel great and clean. The treatment makes it feel super conditioned, easy to comb, and repaired from the heat styling I do. It has a light, pleasing scent. Plus it doesn't effect my color, nor squash my volume. The price is reasonable at only $8.99 per bottle. The only things I wish are that they made bigger sizes, that it was sulfate free  and that you could purchase at more places than just Sally Beauty Supply ( mainly because my local one has witches for employees so it's not the most friendly place to shop ). I look forward to trying the purple Keratin, and pink Color Vibrancy. I did try their hairspray, and I didn't think it was anything special so  I'd skip that.

* I have to update how amazing Clairol's customer service is. When I went to redeem my coupons at Sally's I ran into a HUGE issue with the cashier. She was rude and unprofessional. I  complained to bzzagent, and Sally's corporate office. Sally's could not care any less, but bzzagent apologized and contacted Clairol. Clairol mailed out an apology, and a bunch of free product. I got the entire line of iThrive, a tshirt and a reusable tote bag. Like I said amazing customer service. Thank you Clairol!

Acne Woes



So by some miracle I was not that pimple laden teenager. Somehow I got to be that way as a 35 year old woman! Say what? My hormones must be going crazy because my face started to break about about 4 months ago like nobody's business. How can I as an adult be experiencing this??? I tried everything under the sun from changing my diet, to increasing my water intake, to every acne product available to man.

A friend recommended that I try Dermadoctor. She said that she had cystic acne issues, and that this helped resolve them. I checked out the bottles in person in Ulta and talked myself out of them simply because of the shock of the cost. But by the time I got home I checked out Sephora online to browse them again ( thanks free flash shipping ) and thought why not?   I was a step away going to the Dermatologist, so I figured I had nothing to lose. And lets face it an appointment with a dermatologist would have cost me $50 just to walk in the door before any prescriptions or treatments, and that's with my amazing insurance.

There are plenty of products in this line to chose from, but I mostly wanted a face wash, treatment, and moisturizer. $160 later ( Ain't Misbehavin face wash $27, Ain't Misbehavin acne serum $48, Calm, Cool, & Corrected moisturizer $85 ) I was ready to try it all out. I really wanted to try the sulfur acne mask, which I think I will but haven't yet, and that's an additional $48.  These have lasted me 2 months each, so $80 monthly is what it really amounts to. At least that's how I justify the cost.

The directions specifically state you must use this on dry skin. So I removed my eye make up with a cotton ball and remover. Patted my face dry. Squeezed a small amount of cleanser ( about the size of a nickel ) into my palm and dabbed it all over my face. Used circular motions to rub it in. At first it almost tingled, so I figured it must be working. Now I don't even notice it so I'm assuming you just get used to that. Thoroughly rinsed my face. Applied the moisturizer, then the serum. This is important. The first time I did it reverse, and I had all these lil product gooey balls on my face. You must apply the moisturizer first, THEN the serum. The moisturizer has a great application. You press down on the top once, and it dispenses the exact amount to use on your face. Same with the acne serum. One pump is enough to cover your entire face.

I do this twice a day. Once in the am ( just the face wash and moisturizer ), then once in the pm ( all three products ). Once I do purchase the mask, I believe I'll use it about 2-3 times per month. But the results are in, and my face is nice and clear. Even the marks that the acne had left are starting to fade. This is likely because of the aha/bha in the products. You are going to want to make sure that you are using a good sunscreen with these products. Dermadoctor does make one for $32, but there are so many on the market far cheaper that I never even thought about buying this one. Keep in mind this is non-foaming formula. Some people don't feel clean unless they see suds. You won't get that with this but your face will still feel nice and clean.

So again here are some details about the products that may help influence your decision:
Dermatologist Tested & Approved
Allergy Tested
Non-Irritating
Non-Comedogenic
pH Balanced
Soap Free
Oil Free
Fragrance Free
Dye Free
No Animal Testing

So if your skin is freaking out like mine was, give this a shot. Oh and my teenage daughter uses this as well and her skin looks nice and clear now too. So it's good for all ages.






Natural, Flawless Complexion

I came across a regimen that has given me a beautiful, natural, flawless looking complexion.

The first is Benefit's Flawless Four Kit. I'm naturally pretty pale, but even with that I chose PETAL vs Ivory ( there are 4 shades to choose from ). It was perfect! This kit contains Stay Flawless 15 hr primer, fake up concealer, hello flawless oxygen wow foundation, and hello flawless pressed finishing powder & brush.  I put them on in that exact order too. The kit is ONLY available at Ulta. It retails for $24. These are trial sizes of the product. Roughly about 2 months worth of make up. It lets you get acquainted with the products before you have to commit to purchasing the full size, full price. You will not be disappointed. Even though that seems like an awful lot of make up to be wearing, it  feels light on the face.

After I got everything on I dusted a small amount of Too Faced Sweetheart Highlighting Blush across the apples of  my cheeks. I picked up the shade Something About Berry, but there are three to chose from. It retails for $30. Pricey for a blush, but it will last you an entire year, and you can find it on sale quite frequently ( I picked mine up for $15 ).

Pictured below I only have these products on. Nothing else. As you can see it's a nice, natural glow/finish. I have combination skin, that is sensitive and lately acne prone. This hasn't been an issue at all with these products. No irritation, and the make up really lasts on my skin. Give the kit a go, and see if this is right for you.

Yves Saint Laurent Mascara

So once again life has gotten in the way and I haven't been able to update you like I once was. My apologies.  I wanted to come online though and take a minute to talk to you about the new mascara I tried. I got it free through Influenster. It's Yves Saint Laurent MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS. This mascara has quickly become one of my favorites. The nylon fiber brush coats each lash in deep color and maximum volume from root to tip, while B5 Pro-Vitamin strengthens and protects lashes. Giving you that false eyelash effect. It also doesn't give you those raccoon eyes, nor clumpy spider eyelashes. It's secret is the Triple-Intensity Formula: intense volume, intense color and now intense care. It retails for $32, comes in 6 shades and is found in department/specialty stores. Now I realize that is pretty pricey for mascara for some, but it's worth it. This is NOT a drugstore quality mascara. This is so much more than that. You will be able to tell the difference with your first swipe.
 @Love_YSL_PRGirl  @YSLBEAUTYPRGIRL