Becca Cosmetics- Brand Focused Review

It's no secret that when I find an product I love, I tend to drown myself in that brand.

This is one of those posts. My local JC Penny carries the Becca Cosmetics line. Lucky lady am I!
I'm gonna start off with complexion products, then move onto color & highlighters.
I first was introduced to their line with the Ever-Matte Primer.
When my skin was SUPER oily last summer, I was in LOVE with this stuff!

 

You have to shake it up before you depense a pea size amount on your finger tips. Then you rub it together to warm it up & then pat it into your areas of oiliness. Super amazing for absorbing oil & lasts really well throughout the day!

Their foundations are definitely some of my favorite high end foundations. 

 My first intro their foundations was the Matte Skin Shine Proof Foundations. This is the shade Buff. I am between Buff & Nude in the summer so I have to both so I can adjust it based on how much sun I get.

 As you can see, it's a thicker formula but not like a mousse. Just a nice thick cream. It does take some blending but I love using either my beauty blender or the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki to buff it out. It is a medium coverage natural matte finish. It really does control oil nicely & I never look greasy. Just a touch more dewy as the day goes on & I actually like that sometimes! I do blot a few times a day, but I always do! Especially in the Nashville heat & humidity. I really LOVE the finish of this!

Next is the Radiant Skin Foundation. I got this in the winter b/c my skin was wicked dehydrated & bc of that, it was acting oily but I couldn't use a mattifying foundation b/c it clug to my dry patches. This is the shade Shell, which is a great match for me in the Fall-Winter-First part of Spring.

 This has a demi-matte finish on my skin but gets more "radiant" as the day goes on b/c it doesn't control my oil. I will just set it with a matte powder & bring one along with me if I want a more glowy look from my foundation. Medium coverage. This one isn't as thick as the Matte Skin & has more slip. Love this one as well!!!

Finally, this foundation...ahhhh...The Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme. I am usually NOT a fan of the words FULL COVERAGE b/c my skin is clearing up nicely & I have very minimal redness & acne anymore with my diet & skin care changes, but who doesn't LOVE to look flawless on occasion but still have your skin look like YOUR SKIN?!

This formula is the thickest formula they have. The greatest thing about it is how LITTLE you need to use to cover your face. This is a full pump right here, but I use maybe 1/4-1/2 of that for my whole face for full coverage! This foundation is not like anything I've ever tried in terms of coverage. Here is the deal...this formula contains a balance of 21 percent pure pigment and 22 percent water, which work in synergy to completely conceal imperfections, redness, hyperpigmentation, and uneven texture in a weightless cream.
That is why you need the tiniest bit & get amazing coverage & finish from it!
It's a skin-like finish but has excellent oil control. I set it with powder as I do with all my foundations & it lasts ALL DAY. Seriously long wear!!! And it comes off so easily at night with my cleanser. No breakouts from clogged pores from a long wear foundation! When a foundation finish can look like REAL skin & not like a full coverage foundation, it's pretty amazing in my book! I love this foundation! It's easily making its way into my HG category! This is the shade Buff.

Next are their powders that I love!
Perfect Skin Mineral Powder is really lovely!! It can be applied with a dense brush, like the Sigma F80 for a powder foundation with great coverage & amazing skin like look or just to set your foundation without a matte finish. I love it! I have the shade sand & it's great for me for summer.

 Blot Powder is something I always keep in my purse. It's a translucent powder & it really takes away the shine & makes my makeup look fresh again. I can't use it in the winter b/c I tend to be drier in the winter but for Spring-Fall, it's my go-to!

Oh man... now onto their highlighters. I love their pressed shimmering skin perfectors!!! I own Opal & have just gotten Moonstone the other day. Here is opal.

It is the pretties shimmer beige-gold color!!! I love it so much! It's great for all seasons even for fair skin. It's just a bit darker than moonstone, which is a very light. Here is a swatch of them next to eachother on Karen's Blog. Her skin is darker than mine but Opal is on the left & Moonstone is on the right.

Now onto some color!
I love Becca blushes! I only own one right now, Damselfly. Wild Honey is next on my list!

 It's a gorgeous peach shimmery color that is just amazing! It's super pigmented but looks so soft & natural on the cheeks! It's a great pop of color for the fall/winter & a really beautiful glowy color for the spring & summer!

I love their Beach Tints too! I have grapefruit & dragon fruit.

Dragon Fruit (on the left) is a really beautiful poppy pink color that gives the cheeks & lips a flushed bitten look & it's stunning! Grapefruit is a softer color...so much like the inside of a grapefruit. They apply beautifully & I love dusting them with a bit of the shimmering skin perfector powder to finish them. These can also be used on the lips as well!

Becca Colour Gloss is my HG lip gloss...the colors are just lovely.

left to right: palm breeze, pink lotus, hummingbird, fallen angel

I think the hummingbird & pink lotus have been my staple every day lip colors this summer. But depending on my outfit, I'll go for Palm Breeze or Fallen Angel. I will also put these over a lip stick or lip crayon to some more color & gloss. Love them SO much!!

So that is my over view of all my Becca Cosmetics products!! I absolutely ADORE this company!! Their branding is so sleek & classy & the color are fresh & natural & the quality is amazing. Not one of their products has caused my super sensitive skin to breakout. Their foundation shades are by far the best I've ever experience. 

You can find all the products below!

Pureology Hair Care Review

If you get your hair colored professionally, you know that the products you use on your hair really make a difference in the appearance of your color & your hair's texture. When my hair wizard, Ray, & I decided we were gonna take me RED, he knew that I needed serious color care after getting all that black out of my hair & to keep up my copper red hair. He absolutely RAVED about Pureology. When he washed my hair after we added my fresh red color & he began to blow dry it, I could tell that the difference was gonna be amazing. Once I started feeling my hair after he was done, the smoothness & softness of my strands were nothing like I ever experience before. No lie. My hair is very coarse. Frizzy. Straw like. This was nuts. And the smell...oh my gah....the smell. Like so good. Like, between my hair & my essential oils I wear, there is NO reason to every use perfume again.
Here is some info on the brand.

Created especially for professional colourists and their clients, Pureology is a salon
haircare brand unlike any other. Our highly concentrated ZeroSulfate® shampoos and
the exclusive AntiFadeComplex® help colour-treated hair retain its fresh-from-the-salon
vibrancy with every use, while our 100% Vegan, Dual Benefit Formulas provide custom
care for every hair type.

So I took my Pureology collection home & started using it every time I washed my hair, which is like 2-3 times a week. 
I go in about every 4 weeks for my root touch up b/c my roots grow in gray. Like since I was 16. The biggest thing I noticed was my RED was still RED...it hadn't faded to brown. Sure, it was a bit lighter red...but still RED. Gorgeous color!!! And the health of my hair... I'm so in love with the smoothness & softness!
So the shampoo & conditioner...perfect!!!
Now, I knew I loved this as I started using it regularly. In fact, Im now on my second bottles but have tried the Smoothing Formula. Anyway, I knew I loved it so I thought I would try it on Josephine's hair. 
She has the most beautiful naturally loose curly hair. That is amazing but super hard to brush out after a bath b/c it tangles really easily even with a detangler spray. With the kids shampoo I was using on her, I used to have to chase her around the house & bribe her with TV time or candy to let me brush out her hair after a bath. And even then, she would whimper through it even with our Wet Brush. 
The first time I washed her hair with it, I could tell immediately as I was rinsing that this was going to be a game changer for our hair brushing war. I applied the conditioner to her hair & twisted it up in a clip & left it for a few mins while she played some more then rinsed. Holy smoothness. I was floored. She could actually tell when the hair was being rinsed & laid on her back that it felt different. And she LOVED the smell. She said, "Mommy, I smell just like YOU!"
Here was the real test. To brush out her hair. I kid you not, I took our Wet Brush to the ends, as usual, to start to detangle there & move up. I brushed 2 times through the section I was working with then was able to take the brush from the root to the end with no resistance!! I freaked out. Like...totally freaked out. I went around her head root to tip in 5 mins or less. And she didn't even say a word! The end results was just a good! Since she inherited my curls, she got a wee bit of my frizz too but with just this shampoo & conditioner, the frizz is almost completely non-existent!!! 
We have NO more brush wars!!! It's amazing!  

Now b/c I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week, I love me some dry shampoo. 

 I have dark hair so dry shampoo is usually not my friend b/c of the white residue it can leave when it sprays. This stuff is gold to me... NO WHITE RESIDUE!!!! And it smells just as good as the shampoo & conditioner. It's a super light weight dry shampoo so it doesn't feel heavy. It freshens the root & the smell freshens your hair as well. I love it!!

Hairspray...ya....it's amazing too! Nice hold. Lovely scent.
My favorite part about this brand is that I know it's NOT gonna mess with my color...it's actually gonna CARE for it while I use it.

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm using the Super Smooth line now since Ray got that in & b/c Spring/Summer bring out my frizz & so far, love it just as much!!
If you want to get your hand on some Pureology & try them, shoot Ray an email!!!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation & Airbuki Brush Review

It's no secret that I absolutely LOVE Tarte Cosmetics. They are a "gentle naturals" cosmetic company & I have always had wonderful luck with their products! I always love having a reliable powder foundation for the quick days of just needing to even out skin tone, pop on some blush & mascara & head out the door. But this one is so MUCH more than that. It's super amazing coverage & so beautiful on the skin! More of a demi-matte. Think healthy looking skin. I'm so down with that! I would rather look "healthy" than completely matte & flat looking.
So the packaging is super great!!! It's a loose powder that has a sweet little mesh barrier so things don't get crazy messy. The Airbuki brush they suggest to use with it fits in the space perfectly & applies this powder like a dream.

Fair-Light Neutral Shade

I have used this with only a primer & used it to set a foundation. I actually prefer it with just a primer b/c it has such a great natural look & looks really light on the skin & just look so healthy. If I do set my foundation with it, it's a lighter coverage foundation or BB so it just adds a bit more coverage if I need it & to set the liquid products.
I do still need to blot with this after about 4-5 hrs but it's not a greasy kinda blotting result. Just more "radiant" than I would like on my oily/combo skin. Once it do blot though, it looks freshly applied & I don't even need to touch it up. Just blot.
The staying powder of this powder foundation is seriously legit. As long as I blot every 4 hrs-ish, I'm good & don't even have to powder! I hate the look of so much powder on top of powder on top of powder so if I can use a product & only need to blot rather than actually touch up with powder, it's a winner for me!
I wore it the other day & took a fresh face photo!

No touchup work has been done on my skin.

This is also a shot of all the products used on my face for this look.

The lipcolor is actually a different shade than what is actually on my lips in the photo. It's "hummingbird" in the photo, but in the product photo, it's lotus pink. I picked up lotus pink that day & ended up putting it on after I took the photo.
These are definitely some of my favorite products right now.

Feel free to ask any questions about any of these products in the comments!

Current Skin Care Regimen | Paula's Choice + Tarte Cosmetics + Young Living Essential Oils

Here is my whole regimen. Now don't freak out on me. I don't use all these products BOTH morning & night. Some are only morning use & some are only night time use. 

Skin. My skin. Goodness. I had amazing skin when I was in highschool & college. Very few breakouts. Even tone & soft texture. Small pores. It was lovely. At some point in my mid-twenties, that changed. After Josephine weaned herself at 19.5 mths, my skin went crazy! Cystic painful acne all along my jaw line & chin. Red. Swollen. Painful. Totally foreign for me. I jumped on the Proactive bandwagon & that was awful. Benzyl Peroxide fries my skin. Red, flaky, dry, peeling...So then tried Murad for like 6 months or so. No luck. Then we got pregnant with Reuben & with the extra hormones, my face cleared up! Cool. Then when Reuben was born & about when he was 5-6 weeks old, my face freaked out again. At the same time, we were dealing with some issues with Reuben as well. He was developing a rash all over his torso that I was spreading to his back. He was screaming every night after I would nurse him & lay down. This went on for a few weeks. Josh's mom suggest we take him to our chiropractor who practices applied kinesology to help pinpoint allergies. So we took him & most of the foods I was eating on a daily basis. He tested fine with everything except bread. So I stopped eating gluten the next day. And he stopped crying. His rash went away. He stopped spitting up. It was amazing! Now you are probably wondering why this is included in my skincare post. 

When I went gluten free, within weeks, my face started to heal. On it's own. No additional medicine or anything. It was insane. My cystic painful acne went away & never came back. My scars were actually healing on their own. Post acne scars fading. I was shocked. Seriously shocked. 

So that's cool right? I also started taking probiotics as well b/c we needed Reuben to get them through my milk since he wasn't on solids at 2 months old. That helped a LOT! I totally know that your gut health is related to your skin health! Or your skin represents your gut health. However you wanna spin it. 

Over the past year, while my skin has cleared up dramatically, I was still have uneven tone & a lot of redness & rough texture. Not smooth supple skin. So I was on the search to learn about skincare a bit & ingredients. I came across this youtuber esthetician named Veronica Gorgeois. I started watching her videos & learning about skin & products you should avoid in your skin care. Most of my products included the ingredients you should avoid b/c they irritate your skin. Go figure. She had talked about Paula's Choice products in one of her videos so I decided I would look them up. I recognized the website b/c I had found some product reviews in her "Beautypedia" before. I never thought to look into her own line though for skincare. But if Veronica raved about them, they had to be good. So I emailed them & told them about my skin & what I was dealing with. They sent me a load of free samples & I got started. This was back in July I think. I started using them 2x a day & following the regimen they suggested. I am already pretty religious about washing my face anyway so it wasn't a challenge for me to have a "regimen" instead of a wash & moisturizer if I felt like this regimen was going to transform my skin. I didn't see an immediate difference in just a week of samples but definitely didn't have a bad reaction to the products so I decided to get full size products. 

This was back in the summer so my regimen is different now with it being winter so I'll share my winter regimen with you!

AM Routine

Cleanser: PC Moisture Boost Cleanser. Super creamy & light cleanser! I love it!!! It's been so good to my skin for redness & removing makeup! 

Toner: PC RESIST toner. It's almost like a lotiony toner. Super light & feels so lovely! It's balances out the ph of your skin after washing it with water. Super important!

AM Moisturizer + Sunscreen: PC moisture boost treatment cream & PC Super Light Daily Defense Moisturizer. My skin is super dry right now so I use the moisture boost cream b/c it's a pretty emollient moisturizer before I apply my lighter weight more matte moisturizer/sunscreen combo. The treatment cream will tackle my dry patches from this winter weather. I didn't use to use sunscreen on my face unless I was laying out. Now, I realize it's super important & it really has made a HUGE different in the appearance of my skin, even though it's winter. I know Im going to LOVE this moisturizer when I'm more combo/oily in the spring & summer. 

So that is my morning routine. Super simple. I was using the BHA exfoliant in the AM but it was too drying for the winter as well as the serum. 

PM Routine

Cleanser: PC Moisture Boost Cleanser. Super creamy & light cleanser! I love it!!! It's been so good to my skin for redness & removing makeup! 

Toner: PC RESIST toner. It's almost like a lotiony toner. Super light & feels so lovely! It's balances out the ph of your skin after washing it with water. Super important!

BHA Exfoliant: PC 2% BHA (acne killer). This stuff is going to completely clean out your pores, keep them clean & change the way your face feels to the touch. I have been AMAZED at the transformation in the texture & feel of skin through all this!!! It can be drying so that is why I only use it at night. 

Super Antioxidant Serum: PC RESIST ultra light serum. Loaded with vitamins & antioxidant. It really helps smooth my skin as well. 

Moisturizer: PC moisture boost treatment cream  & Tarte Maracuja Oil + YL Frankincense & YL Lavender. I put a little dollip of the PC Moisture Boost Treatment Cream all over. Then in the palm of my hand I put about 4 drops of Tarte Marcuja Oil & 1 drop of my YL Frankincense & 1 drop of my YL Lavender & massage that all over my face. 

Spot Treatment for blemishes: I still get the occasional break out. I use 1 drop of YL Purification diluted with a few drops of my maracuja oil in the palm of my hand & just take my finger & dip & apply to stubborn blemishes. 

I've been using the YL Frank & YL Lavender in my skincare routine for about a month or so now & I am so excited with the results. I have some stubborn post acne marks from some breakouts. The frank has faded them from a dark red/brown to a light pink. I was floored. The texture of my skin has smoothed out with this especially on my forehead. I've had tiny bumps there for a while & they are finally going away!The lavender helps with any dryness as well as healing skin from blemishes. 

It may seem like a lot but honestly, it only takes me 5 mins from start to finish & I have always removed my makeup at the end of the day so why not do it with quality products that are going to be good for my skin!

It's worth it to me to have clear skin & to not be lazy with my skincare b/c I suffered with bad skin for a few years. I take extra good care of it now & it shows!

I also have a $10 off your FIRST PAULA'S CHOICE ORDER code so follow that link if you are interested in trying some of their products!

I'd love to encourage you to watch Veronica's channel! She is so knowledgeable & I have learned so much! 

I would LOVE to answer any questions you have about my regimen, your regimen, product questions, ingredient questions...all that stuff!

Just shoot me an email or comment here so we can get some conversations going between readers & share stories!

What I Wore | 2

We had a weekend in Chattanooga a couple weeks ago. We absolutely LOVE that city!! Loads of gluten free menu items. Beautiful landscapes. Fun city spots. Lots of warehouse lofts.

Out West Cardigan: Forever 21

Fresh Western Booties: Forever 21

Distressed Jeans: Pac Sun

Neckace: Thrfited
Gold Thin Nose Ring: A Heart of Many Pages

Let's Chat Makeup-Primers & Liquid Foundations- Winter Edition

Confesssion: I am a MAKEUP JUNKIE. Specifically a foundation or mascara junkie.

It's weird b/c it's not like I do all these different "looks" or cool ways to do new things with makeup.

I just like finding the HG products. 

HG=Holy Grail.

Like, the ONLY product you'll EVER use forever kind of products. 

Am I the only one that does that? Please tell me no. 

Sephora is literally like 5 mins away. It's a problem. No really. It is.

They all know my name & my children. One of the girls & I have made "friends" & follow each other on instagram. 

Don't judge. Please. 

So let's chat primer & foundation. 

I feel like this is a good place to start since it's the "canvas" & all. 

First lemme tell you about my skin type. 

Combination with oily t-zone & large pores in other areas & cheeks & some occasional dryness. 

Crazy all over the place & high maintenance when it comes to makeup. My skin care regimen has made a dramatic difference & I'll have a whole separate blog post on that. 

Winter has given me skin that can get dry throughout the day in spots but oily in others. Stupid. Crazy stupid. Right now, it's super dry so I have to moisturize REALLY well if I'm going to wear a mattifying foundation. 

Oddly enough, I'm sampling a certain powder foundation that I'm officially obsessed with that I will be sharing in a post of it's own in the next couple weeks!

So primer has been my best friend for keeping my makeup looking fresh for longer. Heck, I need primer all the time b/c I'm wicked oily in Spring-Fall. 

My favorites are Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer & Benefit POREfessional for this season. Summer is a whole other ball game when it comes to primers for me so when it starts to warm up, you better believe I'll be sharing about my warm weather makeup products. 

To minimize my oil, I dap a tiny bit of Paula's Choice Shine Stopper on my cheek area & my t-zone first. 

**I do have a $10 off your FIRST Paula's Choice order link. It's HERE.**

The Hourglass Veil Mineral primer is dreamy. It's like angel lotion for my face. It's a white velvety lotion type primer that tones down redness, minimizes pores some & can control oil a bit. It creates the most beautifully smooth canvas for applying foundation. It makes foundation last SO much longer & IT'S GLUTEN FREE! Since I have a gluten intolerance that reeks havoc on my skin, that is important to me. 

The Benefit POREfessional is the best thing ever for my large pores on my cheeks & crease of my nose. Seriously amazing. I apply this in a patting motion just in those areas after I have applied my Hourglass Veil Mineral primer everywhere else. 

Now onto my winter foundation favorites. 

Before I buy any makeup product, I consult Paula's Choice Beautypedia Reviews. If it has a rating of good-best, I would consider that product. Anything average or below, I definitely don't purchase.

I love love love Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Plus. I am shade 20 in the winter & shade 30 in the Spring-Summer. I will preface with this. I don't need a full coverage foundation anymore b/c of my new skincare regimen & going gluten free. So no foundation I use is super heavy looking. Mat Velvet is definitely light weight feeling & I love that. I don't want to "feel" like I have makeup on my face...nor do I want to really look super makeup-y. I know that is not a word. Lets move on. Mat Velvet hasn't broken me out either! I am super sensitive to a products ingredients & my skin totally gets mad at me if it doesn't like it. I was testing out a BB cream & it contained alcohol. By the end of the day, I had 4 pimples & they were the kind that I literally felt happening. Alcohol is any face product is NO GOOD! I'll cover that is a different post. So I love Mat Velvet plus! For me, it looks like a perfected layer of skin when I apply it with a light hand using either my stippling brush or my beauty blender. It controls my oil nicely as well. I always have to blot about 4-5 hrs in but wearing this, there is MUCH less oil on the paper & once I've blotted, the foundation looks perfect again. Also, as the day goes on & into the evening, as the oils in my fave break the makeup down, it never looks cakey or heavier than it did earlier in the day. It also lasts a crazy good amount of time. Pretty much all day for me. Now, I still touch up with powder & blot but that is part of having oily/combo skin. 

There are two drug store foundations that I've been loving lately as well. 

Revlon Nearly Naked & L'Oreal True Match. NN is uber light way & super skin like! The finish is lovely & slightly dewy. I really LOVE it. I just had to blot & powder more when I wear it but I don't mind. True Match is a bit more coverage than NN. It leaves a more matte finish than NN too but not as oil controlling as Mat Velvet. Did you follow that? The shade range for NN & True Match definitely out do Mat Velvet. True Match is like the king of all shade matching foundations. They have different "spectrums" for whatever undertone you have. Warm, Neutral, Cool. I use a warm (yellow) one. And within those undertones, they have loads of shades! It wears really well throughout the day too just not has long wearing or oil controlling at Mat Velvet so I have a powder with me & blot papers to take care of that...but again, that is the norm for me. 

My favorite way to apply liquid foundation is my Beauty Blender or my E.L.F. stippling brush. The application is super light as long as you use a light hand & not much foundation. Super natural looking & easy to use. 

I've really enjoyed trying new foundations, even if there are a lot of hit & misses along the way. When you find that HG product or products that you love, it feels so good! Finding something that makes you feel amazing about your skin is HUGE. 

So next post...my skin care regimen maybe? Leave me some comments below on what you'd like to see in the "Lady-Like" category. If you'd like me to do detailed reviews of any of these products, leave that in the comments below as well!

What I Wore | 1

This week, we had our first meeting day in a very long time. Running our own business out of our home with two children under 5 is quite eventful on it's own & trying to pause & wrap our heads around what we want to do in 2014 has not been able to happen. More on that later.
This is a What I Wore post, not a goals, hopes & dreams post.
As a busy mom/business owner, I stay home with the kids more often than going out. So when we have the chance to go out, I like to dig somethings out of my closet & put something together.
I always gravitate toward floral. Always.
And with it being winter season, plaid is another fave I reach for. I happen to have two of those things that the color palette worked out with! I love playing with texture so adding a chunky grandpa style cardigan is always a go-to item for me. The outfit is feminine but not girly. I love that look.

Checkered Top: Forever 21

Chunky Grandpa Cardigan: Forever 21

Floral Leggings: Charming Charlie

Fringe Booties: Target

Did you like the first edition of What I Wore? If so, let me know. If you want me to feature certain styles or pieces, comment below! Really excited about this category!! 

Hello again...

It's been a really long time. Like years since I've shared here.
That is all about to change.
I'm still working on what this blog will be for me & I think that it will constantly be changing based on where we are in our lives.
I do know this.
I will be sharing about the things I am passionate about. Things that I find delight in. Things that fascinate me. Things that amaze me. I want to share them with you. Is that ok?
So that is it so far.

Please be patient with me while I figure out how to do this again.
Life is super busy & I will probably only be blogging once a week at first.

If there is something you'd like me to blog about, please don't be shy. Just shoot me an email or comment here.
Good night.