Victoria's Secret deals, QVC deals, and an update on my surgery recovery

Hello, Beautiful!

Today is shaping up to be a great online shopping day!

* Victoria's Secret is giving out TWO Secret Reward Cards with your $10 or more order -- but it's just for today! Each day in March you can earn one Secret Reward Card but today you get TWO!! You also get FREE SHIPPING on orders of $100 or more with code SHIPVS11

* On QVC just today almost everything on air and online has an Easy Pay offer --- 3 Easy Payments or more!! To take advantage of Easy Pay you need to have a QVC card. Not to mention that a lot of items have FREE SHIPPING!

* Also on QVC they have a Bliss Today's Special Value -- just $36.42 for the Bliss Poetic Waxing kit (with full sized body butter). With Easy Pay it's just three payments of $12.14! They sold out of all quantities that can ship today, but you can still place your order and it will ship out April 18th. CLICK HERE to view the Bliss kit on QVC's website.

* And finally, I just posted a bunch of before/after pics of my nose & chin on my Surgery Journey blog page. CLICK HERE to view the page and pics!

That's all for now! I just wanted to quickly let you know about the deals I found. Enjoy your weekend!



Victoria's Secret Shimmer Lights Eye Kit: Swatches & Review

Hello, Beautiful!

Not too long ago I picked up the Victoria's Secret Shimmer Lights Eye Kit. For just $15 I thought it was a good bargain. They had two eye kits available, but I liked this one better (although I'm sure I'll buy the other one at some point).

Here's what it looks like on the front:

When you flip it open it shows a tutorial:

Here's what it looks like on the inside:

SWATCHES

Unfortunately the eyeshadows, highlighter and gel eye liner do not have shade names.

The eyeshadows are mostly in the violet family, but include some brown/champagne tones.

The cream highlighter is a beautiful highlight shade; a warm pink champagne.

The gel eye liner is black.

So what do I think?

I like this palette! For $15 I think I'm getting a lot of use from it. I like the cream highlighter, which I use on the inner corners of my eyes and under my brow bone. It's also great as an eyeshadow for a bright, wide-awake look to your eyes.

The eyeshadows are nice. Some have better pigmentation than others, but all around really useful and in shades I really like. Out of the six shadows my favorites are the bottom two.

I haven't used the gel eyeliner yet, but when swatching it I found it had a nice creamy consistency but it didn't seem very dense so I'd probably only use it as a liner on your upper lash line. I don't think it would hold up on the inner rim of the eye at all, but without actually trying it I can't say for sure if it will or not.

Overall I would highly recommend this $15 palette! Especially if you receive a $10 rewards card, which makes this just $5!

You can pick up this palette at Victoria's Secret or on their website for $15. You can also check out the other $15 palette they offer, which is their Bronze Tropics Eyes Kit.

Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Instinct: Swatches & Review (from the Love Me Wild limited edition)

Hello, Beautiful!

Not too long ago I was in a Victoria's Secret and noticed a lipstick sitting on the corner with gold zebra packaging. It was sitting there all pretty looking up at me saying "swatch me on your hand, you'll love me!". Well I listened to those crazy voices in my head and swatched the lipstick on my hand, which resulted in me falling in love with the shade!

The shade is Instinct and it's from Victoria's Secret Limited-Edition Love Me Wild Perfect Lipstick collection (which has four shades available).

Instinct is the most nude/neutral shade out of the four. It's actually one of my favorite nude shades to wear now. It's very perfect for me because I like to play up my eyes and keep my lips neutral. It's beautiful by itself but great with a gloss over top too.

Because this is limited edition it cost $2 more than their regular Perfect Lipstick line, but considering the shade was so pretty I didn't really care (plus, I had a $10 rewards card to use, so really, I paid $4 for it).

The lipstick itself is nice. It goes on smooth, feels comfortable on my lips and has the normal wear of a lipstick.

Here's what it looks like (I love the packaging; so girly and fun):

A close up of the lipstick:

SWATCH

Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Instinct

Shade Description: A warm neutral light pink with shimmer.

You can buy the shade Instinct (or any of the other three limited-edition colors) at Victoria's Secret or on their website for $14 each. Check out their regular line of Perfect Lipstick for many other great shades, which are only $12 each.

Victoria's Secret Brilliant Shimmer Shadow in Silverdust: Swatches & Review

Hello, Beautiful!

I love Victoria's Secret Brilliant Shimmer Shadows, but up until now I only had one (Nightdust). But on my latest Victoria's Secret trip I picked up a new shade to add to my collection: Silverdust.

Don't let the name fool you, this really isn't a silver. It looks like a pale gold in the jar, but swatches with a silver undertone. Making it a golden silver (if that even makes sense). Either way, I like it. It has a pretty luminosity to it, making it a really beautiful shade. It's one of those shades that can make your eyes look awake and bright (just like Victoria's Secret Minerals Luminous Shadow in Bubbly).

Victoria's Secret Brilliant Shimmer Shadow retails for $10 each and is available in six shades. Click here to check out this shimmer shadow on VS's website.

This is a loose powder shadow, so if you prefer a pressed powder shadow you may not like these. I like all kinds of shadow (pressed powder, loose powders, creams and liquids), and I'm particularly fond of loose powder shadows because they're generally very pigmented - and yes, this one is nicely pigmented.

Onto the swatches...

* click on a photo to view it larger *

Silverdust

Shade Description: Although it looks like a pale gold in the jar, this loose shadow swatches with a silver undertone. I'm calling this a golden silver shimmer.

Have you tried these loose powder shadows from Victoria's Secret? If so, what are your thoughts and what shade do you like?

Victoria's Secret Sparkling Lip Gloss in Halo: Swatches & Review

Hello, Beautiful!

Victoria's Secret has a new lip gloss out: The Sparkling Lip Gloss. I don't think this is brand new on the market (it may have been out for months) but it still says new on the makeup display in the store, and it's new to me. So that makes it new :)

This lip gloss immediately caught my eye. It sparkles so pretty in person (the swatch photos could not capture that beautiful sparkle). I wanted to buy them all!

Victoria's Secret Sparkling Lip Gloss retails for $10 and is available in six shades. Click here to check out the sparkling lip gloss on VS's website.

I picked up the shade Halo, which was my favorite of them all. This gloss goes on smooth, feels good on your lips, and makes your lips sparkle in a good way. It's not obnoxious sparkle, and it's not barely there sparkle; it's just perfect sparkle!

My only complaint is not a lot of gloss comes out on the wand. I feel like I have to keep pumping it out and applying it several times to get the coverage I want. I wish more gloss came out, and if it did, this would get 5 out of 5 kisses from me on the kisses rating scale. But for now, it gets 4 out of 5 kisses.

Check out the swatch photos...

* click on a photo to view it larger *

Halo

Shade Description: A warm toned pink with lots of sparkle!

Have you tried the Victoria's Secret Sparkling Lip Glosses yet? If so, what do you think and what shade do you love?

Victoria's Secret Minerals Lip Gloss: Swatches & Review (2 shades)

Hello, Beautiful!

Yesterday I was at the mall exchanging my son's shoes for a different size and decided to stop into Victoria's Secret to see if they had any new makeup or sale makeup. Well, they did have some sale makeup! Their mineral lip glosses and mineral eye shadows were just $5 each! I wanted to go overboard and buy every shade, but I'm really trying to not over spend on makeup this year.

I ended up picking up two mineral lip glosses and two mineral eye shadows (click here for the mineral eye shadow post).

Victoria's Secret Minerals Lip Gloss retails for $10 and is available in six shades. Click here to check out the lip gloss on VS's website.

I really like these glosses! They go on really smoothly, feel comfortable and cushy on my lips, and the shades are sheer. I love the fact that they're sheer! I generally like to play up my eyes and keep my lips pretty neutral, but I still like a hint of color. If you're someone who likes bold color on your lips you may not really like these, but I like the fact that all the shades are very wearable because they're sheer. You can control how much color goes on, and I like that. I like that a lot.

Onto the swatches...

* click on a photo to view it larger *

As you can see in the photo below, the actual color of the gloss is way different from what's printed on the box it comes in. Don't base your purchase on what the gloss looks like on the box!

Crave

Shade Description: A sheer bright raspberry pink with shimmer.

Untamed

Shade Description: A sheer pinky-brown neutral with shimmer.

Have you tried these mineral glosses from Victoria's Secret? If so, what do you think of them and what color is your favorite?

Victoria's Secret Minerals Luminous Eye Shadow: Swatches & Review (2 shades)

Hello, Beautiful!

As I mentioned in another post, I picked up some Victoria's Secret Mineral Lip Glosses and Mineral Eye Shadows for just $5 each at my local VS. This post is about the mineral eye shadows. Click here for the mineral lip gloss post.


Victoria's Secret Minerals Luminous Eye Shadow retails for $10 each and is available in six shades. Click here to check out the shadows on VS's website.

I like all Victoria's Secret eye shadows. I have almost every shade they make, but this was my first purchase of their minerals line. I really like these, almost better than the other shadows I have. The colors are beautiful and really luminous (hence the name "Minerals Luminous Eye Shadow"). I bought only two shades, but I want them all! My favorite shade is Bubbly - which is perfect if you want your eyes to look bright and awake. Use all over your lids or just on the inner corners. It's that perfect, pick-me-up shade for eyes!

Onto the swatches...

* click on an image to view it larger *

Shown below: Bubbly (on the left) and Luxe (on the right)

Bubbly

Shade Description: A luminous white gold champagne.

Luxe

Shade Description: A luminous sable brown.

Have you tried these mineral shadows from Victoria's Secret? If so, what do you think of them and what color is your favorite?

Great nail polish finds - New Victoria's Secret makeup - My Swollen Knees

Hello, Beautiful!

Today we had to travel out to state for a car part, and along the trip home we stopped at every Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and The Dollar Tree that we could find. We also stopped at a Five Below, Icing, and Victoria's Secret.

I'm always on the hunt for great makeup deals, and today I found some pretty sweet deals. In fact, so good of deals that my nail polish collection just grew by 38 new shades!!!


So what did I get?

* At TJ Maxx I found two different Goldie nail polish sets. Each set includes 8 full sized nail polishes for just $7.99 per set!

I'm so glad I held off on purchasing these on another discount beauty site (which sold them individually for $2.99 each), because now I have 16 Goldie nail polishes for just $16 (which would have cost me $47.84 for the same amount at $2.99 each).

I love the colors and I'm really happy with the find, but one thing that bothers me like no other is the fact that these shades are un-named! GRRRR! I can't stand that!! I tried to find some sort of web reference for shade names, but I had little luck with that. Oh well, I'll just name them "Goldie #1, Goldie #2" and so on.

Also, between both sets there were three dupe shades. No biggie - they'll be a back up, end up as a gift, or put up in a blog contest :)


* At Icing I really hit the jackpot! I've never had the chance to go to an Icing store, since there are none near me. But were were in four states today (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania), so I was able to run into one (In Maryland, I believe).

I picked up two colors from their current line, which were buy one get one half off - a deal good enough for me! But then, just as I get in line to check out, I hear my husband say "Crystal, turn around... look at the clearance rack". And there it was: 5 for $5 nail polishes!!!!  It just happened they had 10 shades available in the clearance bin, so I picked up 10 Icing polishes for just $10 (regular price is $4.50 each) - I just saved $35 just on the 10 polishes themselves, plus an additional $2.25 on the half off polish! Woo Hoo!


* At Five Below I picked up three Funky Fingers polishes - which are 3 for $5. This Five Below actually didn't have many polishes to choose from, which was a disappointment. But I did find one really pretty Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polish (a black with silver and multi-colored glitter that I can't wait to swatch).


* I made purchases at two Dollar Tree's. At the first Dollar Tree I found these great L.A. Colors Nail Dazzling! sets. Each set includes a mini nail polish and two glitter pots (jars). I love glitter - especially on my nails - so I picked up two of each set they had (three different sets to choose from). Of course, just $1 per set (duh - it's the dollar store!).

At the second Dollar Tree I ran into some Sally Hansen polish, sold 2 per pack. I think I picked up 4 packs. Each pack was different with what it included, some Xtreme Wear, a Maximum Growth formula, a Diamond Strength, and then there are the Star Opal Nail Glazes - which I haven't heard of and never used, so I'm really excited to go swatch them. Again, just $1 per set of 2 polishes. I did get two dupe colors, which again will probably end up in a contest on this blog.


* And finally, I stopped by Victoria's Secret (I had a gift card) and picked up two makeup finds. The first is one of their new Perfect Lipstick's in the shade Instinct. This is such a pretty nude shade! The perfect pinky nude to wear with smoky eyes. It goes on super smooth, semi-sheer yet plenty of color, and it feels good on my lips (moisturizing, not drying at all). This was $14.

Then, while in line (the lipstick was going to be my only purchase), I saw they had a new makeup palette out. This was the "Shimmer Lights Eye Kit" for $15 (they have a purple one and a green one available - I chose the purple one). The kit includes 6 eyeshadows, one cream highlighter shade, and one cream eye liner.

The shadows are just what I like to wear! Pretty grays, taupes, and violets. I will do swatches on this soon because it is so pretty!!

The green palette was also pretty - but I liked the purple one way better (I'm sure I'll get the green palette eventually).


That completes my day of deal hunting!


And on a personal note...

I'm not really sick anymore, but I still feel a little run down. My voice is also almost completely gone right now. I'm sure tomorrow it will be gone. This normally happens to me after I get a bad sore throat and it lasts several days. Fun times.

So, I have swollen knees...

I've been having major issues with my knees since last weekend. They are swollen... like tree trunk swollen! So swollen that just sitting down (bending them) or having to get up (making them straight again) is one of the most painful things I've ever felt.

I don't know what I did to them exactly. The only thing I can think of is last weekend I moved a bunch of furniture around. The pain started the next day and has been here ever since. So I guess I did something, I just have no idea what I may have done to them.

Getting in and out of the car hurts. Sitting down to pee hurts. Getting up from the toilet feels impossible. Seriously, I thought today I would be stuck on a public toilet because it was so low that I barely made it back to standing (and I let out a small groan/scream of pain while trying to stand up... which followed by strange looks from other people in the bathroom when I came out of the stall, haha).

Then today I also thought I'd be stuck down on the ground in the dollar store. I had to get down to see something and on my way down I felt like I ripped every ligament, tendon and muscle in my knees. Getting back up was worse. I had to rely on a store shelf, which I pushed all my weight down on just to stand back up (I was sure the shelf would break, but it didn't, thankfully).

For the past week I've been icing my knees and trying to stay off of them, but that isn't possible at all times. I mean, I have a business to run and I have a 5 year old to take care of! But when I can I do prop my knees up to try and reduce the swelling and at night I also sleep with pillows under my knees. Nothing has taken the swelling away, so I have no choice but to go to the doc on Monday.

According to my grandmom, who has had this done a few times, they will need to drain the water from my knees and inject some sort of medicine. Just hearing that makes me want to run and hide. But I also know that I like to sit, stand, walk, and move like a normal person without pain in my knees. So because of that I will do what I need to do. This pain is ridiculous.


Tomorrow the Katy Perry OPI collection is released at Ulta stores. I will be there, swollen knees and no voice, when they open so I can get the shades I want. But then I will do nothing tomorrow but prop my knees up, ice them, and stay off my feet!

Wish me luck at the doctors on Monday. I'm seriously freaked out!

Skin Care Boot Camp

Hello, Beautiful!

Right now I'm feeling anything but beautiful. I've been very stressed the past several weeks and that is never a good thing with my Cushing's Syndrome. My hormone levels are going crazy and my skin has gone crazy too.

I have been so busy on some days that I didn't even have time to shower or wash my face. Gross, I know, but it's a fact of life. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that can skip a day (or two) of showering when they're super busy and not leaving the house. I know I'm not the only gross one out there!

My skin was improving greatly. I had limited blemishes and the new ones that were showing up were less crazy and didn't bring a whole group of them. And now back to bad-skin-city!

So now it's time to kick my skin back into shape with what I'm calling Skin Care Boot Camp. I'm using a lot of the same products as previously listed in other blog posts, but I've added some different products and when I apply them, so I figured I'd update this blog with that post.

I did take a before photo, which I don't even dare to post until there is a major improvement with an after photo. But once I do post the before and after photos you may be shocked at how awful my skin gets in such a short period of time with lack of care and too much stress (thanks a lot, health problems). I look like one of those before photos in those Proactive commercials... maybe even worse than some. It's so bad that not even makeup can make me feel good - although I still have a great routine for covering my awful skin.

Here is my Skin Care Boot Camp product list:


MORNING ROUTINE PRODUCT LIST:

• Sephora Face Complexion Brush
• Patricia Wexler Dual-Action Foaming Cleanser
• MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (2 to 3 days per week)
• Olay Refreshing Toner (only on days I'm really oily)
• Patricia Wexler Anti-Aging Acne Serum (only on days I am breaking out a lot)
• Patricia Wexler Skin Brightening Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
• Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream

MORNING ROUTINE REGIMEN:

First I begin by prepping my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush. I just run it under water to get it wet and then apply my cleanser directly to the brush head. I massage the brush head onto my skin in circular motions. There is no real rhyme or reason, I just do circles. I normally will go in one direction (such as only doing clock-wise), then rinse the brush head off and go back over the same area in the opposite direction. After I wash my entire face with the face brush (taking 20 to 30 seconds minimum per main area), I rinse off my face and the face brush. I pat my face dry (don't rub your face, especially if you have any breakouts - you can spread the bacteria or cause more skin irritation).

Every other day, or every two days, I will exfoliate my face with a good exfoliator. Currently I'm using MAC's Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. This works good to make my skin feel nice and soft, but the smoky smell is hard to deal with, but then again I'm pretty sensitive to certain smells. I apply this with my fingers to my entire face, and most times just use my fingers to gently rub it in circles to exfoliate my face. However, if it's been awhile, or if my skin just needs it, I will use my Sephora Face Complexion Brush to work in the exfoliator. Using the brush adds an extra layer of exfoliation.

Then, if my skin is oily (mostly in the summer time - not so much in the fall/winter), I will use Olay's Refreshing Toner - which I apply with a cotton ball. I apply this to my t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) but also to my cheeks, which is where a lot of my breakouts happen. This toner will help balance out your skin so it controls oil. I don't always remember to do this step, and it's not a step that will hurt or greatly benefit my skin care routine. It's just helpful.

If my skin is breaking out alot, or if I see new breakouts forming, I will apply Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum to problem areas (which for me is everywhere). I don't always do this step in the morning, even if I need it. I try to because it is very helpful, but I will also use this at night if I forget to do it in the morning.

Finally, I will apply Patricia Wexler's Skin Brightening Daily Moisture SPF 30. I love this moisturizer. It's perfect and I can't really explain why. It just works. Then I'll apply my eye cream, which right now I'm using Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream. That completes my morning routine.

TIP: I should mention that if you are applying an anti-acne treatment (like Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum) you should wait 15 minutes before applying your moisturizer or anything else on top. If you don't wait you're just diluting the anti-acne formula and not getting its full benefits. This can hold true with all nighttime serums and treatments too. I like to fill that time by brushing my teeth, brushing my hair and picking out my clothes.




 
NIGHT ROUTINE PRODUCT LIST:

• Makeup Remover (usually Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover and Make Up For Ever Sen's Eye Makeup Remover - but I will use whatever makeup remover I have on hand)
• Sephora Face Complexion Brush
• DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser 
• Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser
• Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion
• Philosophy Help Me
• Patricia Wexler Skin Brightening Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
• Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream
• Philosophy Hope in a Tube

NIGHT ROUTINE REGIMEN:

First I begin by removing any makeup I may have on my face. I don't wear makeup everyday, but most days I do. Even if I don't have makeup on I will still use a makeup remover over my face just to take off any excess oil and dirt so my cleanser can really get my skin clean and not just clean off my makeup.

Next I prep my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush. I just run it under water to get it wet and then apply my cleanser directly to the brush head. I massage the brush head onto my skin in circular motions. There is no real rhyme or reason, I just do circles. I normally will go in one direction (such as only doing clock-wise), then rinse the brush head off and go back over the same area in the opposite direction. After I wash my entire face with the face brush (taking 20 to 30 seconds minimum per main area), I rinse off my face and the face brush. I pat my face dry (don't rub your face, especially if you have any breakouts - you can spread the bacteria or cause more skin irritation).

Then I use Patricia Wexler's Exfoliating Cleanser. This is for the treatment of acne and I love this. I can feel it working - although not so much of an exfoliator, but since I use it daily that's okay (save harsher exfoliators for 1 to 4 times per week depending on the type). I apply this cleanser onto my face with my fingers, smearing it onto each main area. Then I use my Sephora Face Complexion Brush and work it into my skin. Then I will rinse my face and pat dry.

Next I will apply Patricia Wexler's Overnight Acne Repair Lotion. I apply this to my entire face (minus the eye area) because I break out everywhere. You may only need to apply this to one or two problem areas. If I forgot to use it in the morning, or if I'm really breaking out, I'll also use Patricia Wexler's Anti-Aging Acne Serum, allowing 2 to 5 minutes in between to dry.

Then I apply Philosophy's Help Me, which helps with dark pigmentation, pores and fine lines.

Finally I can apply my moisturizer and eye cream and get to bed!



Well, that's the plan! I know it worked before, so it should work again. We shall see...

Victoria's Secret Soft Focus Liquid Foundation

Hello, Beautiful!

Another late night post... it seems I have insomnia lately. But that's okay because I get a lot more done. Like tonight, I'll continue organizing my closet. I have a rather large walk-in closet. Within it I keep all my makeup, hair supplies, nail stuff, etc. - plus the usual clothes, shoes, accessories, jewelry. I've been working on making it pretty and organized. I can't stand dis-organization, but I'm not a neat freak (and yes, there is a difference). I've been putting off this project for awhile now and it's become a giant mess at this point. It's really bad right now actually. Maybe I'll take before and after pics so you can see the transformation.

Anyways, back to the topic on hand. I picked up the Victoria's Secret Soft Focus Liquid Foundation several months ago. In fact, I think it may have been last November or December. I really can't remember when, but I do know I loved it then and I love it now!

For just $16 you get a really amazing foundation. It gives you a natural dewy finish, with light to medium buildable coverage. I stopped using it because it's not full coverage enough for me, but when my skin is behaving I like to use it because it really is a great foundation.

To me, it's almost a dupe for Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation (which I also own). It's a dupe in the way it applies, the way it looks natural and the way it wears. Although MUFE's HD Foundation is medium to full coverage, so that's why I prefer that over this - but that's the only reason!

Really, you need to try this if you haven't already. It also comes in a great range of shades! You need to go to your local Victoria's Secret to test out the shades for yourself or you can try to match your shade online but they don't give you any shade descriptions - just color choices and shade names.

I have this in Light 40 - which is a little light for me now in the summer, but worked perfectly when I bought this. Here are some pics & swatches for you:

Have you tried this foundation out? If so, what are your thoughts?

If not, click here for a link to check it out on Victoria's Secret's website.


xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

Skin care - my current miracle workers

Hello, beautiful!

I had mentioned in a previous blog post that I would talk about my current skin care routine. So here it is!

I have a new skin care routine that works like a miracle. I'm telling you, my skin has changed so much!! And the more I use it the better the results! It's been nearly 3 years since I've seen any improvement in my skin, and now I can finally see a dramatic improvement!

Here's what I'm doing:


MORNING:
1. Patricia Wexler Dual-Action Foaming Cleanser
2. Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser
3. Olay Refreshing Toner
4. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
5. Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream


NIGHT:
1. Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover
2. Make Up Forever Sen's Eyes Eye Makeup Remover
3. DDF Blemishs Foaming Cleanser
4. Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion
5. Philosophy Help Me
6. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
7. Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream
8. Philosophy Hope in a Tube



So let's start with the morning routine:

I use my $5 Sephora Face Complexion Brush to apply all my cleansers (Dual-Action, Exfoliating Cleanser, and DDF).

I wet my face brush and apply one pump of Patricia Wexler's Dual Action Foaming Cleanser to the brush head. I then massage it onto my skin in circular motions. There is no rhyme or reason. I just do circles. I usually go in one direction all over an area and then reverse the circle motion the other way. I then re-wet my face brush and re-brush over the same area. Then I repeat the same process another 2 times (one more pump for my other side of my face and one pump for the forehead). Keep in mind sometimes one pump isn't a full pump of product. I can control how much comes out. I probably only use two full pumps over my entire face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

Next, I squeeze out some of the Patricia Wexler Exfoliating Cleanser onto the back of my hand and put it on my face in spots (a smear onto each cheek, a smear on the forehead, a smear on my chin and a small smear on my nose). You don't need a lot of this product. Just squeeze out what you would use on your entire face and distribute it onto your face. Then I take the face brush, wet it again, and massage the product into my face the same way I did with the cleanser. This exfoliating cleanser isn't harsh and you can barely feel the exfoliating pieces, but it's helpful, especially when combined with the face brush. I re-wet/rinse out my face brush after each area of my face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

This next step is something I don't do everyday, but you can if you want (it won't hurt). I use Olay's Refreshing Toner, which I apply with a cotton ball. I normally only apply this on days I'll be outdoors most of the day, or on days I'll be indoors cleaning all day (basically for any situation in which I could start sweating). My face can get very oily, so this toner helps control oil (at least in my opinion it does).

Then I apply my moisturizer (Aveeno Positively Radiant), followed up with my eye cream (Korres Evening Primrose). And my morning skincare routine is complete.

This takes me about 5 minutes to do, so it may seem like a lot of steps but I assure you it doesn't take up a lot of time and after seeing the results I will do this every single morning!



Now let's talk about the nighttime routine:

At nighttime my routine is a little different, and there are more steps.

First, I remove all my makeup. I use two makeup removers - one just for eye makeup and one for everything else. I normally use Victoria's Secret Total Makeup Remover for all over my face and then I use Make Up Forever Sen's Eyes Eye Makeup Remover to remove my mascara, liner, brow powder, etc. I use cotton balls to remove my makeup and q-tips to remove my eyeliner and mascara.

I like to remove my makeup first before using a cleanser because I feel like my cleanser will work better if it's cleaning makeup-free skin (although using the brush cleans out all the makeup - even makeup the makeup remover couldn't get to!).

Then I bring out my Sephora face brush and wet it. I apply a pump of the DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser to the brush head. I then massage it onto my skin in circular motions. There is no rhyme or reason. I just do circles. I usually go in one direction all over an area and then reverse the circle motion the other way. I then re-wet my face brush and re-brush over the same area. Then I repeat the same process another 2 times (one more pump for my other side of my face and one pump for the forehead). Again, keep in mind sometimes one pump isn't a full pump of product. I can control how much comes out. I probably only use two full pumps over my entire face. Then I rinse my face and pat it dry.

Next, I apply Patricia Wexler Overnight Acne Repair Lotion. I pump out 3 pumps onto the back of my hand and apply it all over my face (except the eye area). I allow this to dry for a minute or so before applying a thin layer of Philosophy's Help Me (which is a retinol treatment to help fine lines, discoloration, and large pores). I allow that to dry before moving on.

Then I apply my moisturizer (Aveeno Positively Radiant), followed up with my eye cream (Korres Evening Primrose). I will also use Philosophy's Hope in a Tube as my lip line cream. I apply it to the smile lines (parentheses around your mouth) and above my lip. That completes my nighttime skincare routine.



So there you have it! Those are my current miracle workers. I don't care how tired I am at night I will always do my skincare routine. The results are too amazing to not put the time into it.


And now: 5 Skincare Lines that Failed Me!

1. Anything Neutrogena! They always make it sound soooo promising. So far, everything I've tried has failed me. I even tried Neutrogena Skin ID - big fail!

2. Murad (their acne line). It semi-worked, but was far too drying to my skin.

3. Olay. I like their toner and their moisturizers (some) - everything else failed for my skin. I also can't stand the smell of their products. A lot of them have a hint of rose or some other floral scent. I'm not into those type of scents at all.

4. Clean & Clear - nope, didn't work for my skin!

5. Philosophy - just the acne line that I didn't like. I really like Philosophy in general. I stuck with their brand for a long time and I still use some of their products. But their acne line didn't help all that much. It was their regular skincare that worked, and I love their bath & body items.



xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com

Five Favorites: December 2009 Edition

Hello, Beautiful!

These are my current five favorite beauty products for December 2009:

1. The Dior holiday eyeshadow palette
This is a beautiful palette to have! I received this as a Christmas gift from my mom (thanks mom!). I was giddy upon receiving it, as I am upon meeting any new beauty product for the first time.

This palette contains four beautiful iridescent shadows that I would describe as the perfect neutral palette. It contains a dark brown/plum, a light pink, a taupe and a champagne gold. The champagne gold color is more of a highlight color than it is a shadow, but it's beautiful in its own.

The pigmentation does not disappoint. I've tested these out with and without shadow primer. Of course they lasted longer with the shadow primer but they still held up for hours without it. The colors also show up beautifully, with or without shadow primer.

Pics & Swatches:

[no shadow primer beneath]

You can purchase this palette at Sephora for $42. They just took it off their website on December 22, so I guess they no longer carry it online. You may still have luck at your store but it's evident that this palette will be gone before we know it!

2. NARS Oil-Free Foundation
This is the only foundation that I've ever purchased more than one bottle of in a row. I normally try out a foundation and half way through buy a different one because I've become bored or just aren't satisfied. I have terrible skin due to my health issues so I need a full coverage foundation. Not many pass my test, but this one makes the grade!

It gives you a near flawless face with a beautiful matte finish. I don't always need to use concealer with this foundation, which I love. It is fast drying, which seems to be the main complaint from some women who have tried this. I actually find that to be a good thing.

I prefer to apply this with a foundation brush (I use MAC's 190 foundation brush), but I also get great results using a sponge or even my fingers (which is the method NARS endorses).

 

Sephora no longer carries this product on their website but you can still purchase it directly from narscosmetics.com for $40.

TIP: When selecting your shade go by the shade description and not what it looks like on your computer screen. My perfect shade (Budapest) looked too dark on the screen but the description matched my skintone perfectly. I'm also mostly Hungarian so it's not a big surprise that Budapest matches my Hungarian skintone so well.


3. NARS "I Want You" Lipgloss Set
This was my first introduction to NARS lip glosses and I gotta say I'm impressed! This set features five mini lip glosses in these popular shades: Turkish Delight, Greek Holiday, Orgasm, Striptease, and Dolce Vita.

It may say "mini" but they're not very mini at all. In fact, if you've ever owned an original Smashbox lipgloss they are the exact same size. What I love best about these glosses is they're nicely pigmented, feel comfortable on your lips and aren't sticky at all. They last a good length of time, considering they are a gloss.

Because you receive five beautiful shades it's hard to pick a favorite, but I think I like Dolce Vita the best. It's one of those "must have" colors that every girl should have in her collection.

Pics & Swatches:

[Colors from left to right: Turkish Delight, Greek Holiday, Orgasm, Striptease, and Dolce Vita]

[Colors from left to right: Turkish Delight, Greek Holiday, Orgasm, Striptease, and Dolce Vita]

[SIZE COMPARISON BELOW: (pic 1) Smashbox original next to NARS "mini" -- (pic 2) NARS "mini" next to NARS full sized]

[The NARS full sized gloss above in pic 2 is the color Tempest]

You can buy this set at Sephora.com for $45 - that's less than $10 per gloss!! NARS also has a 5-piece lip gloss collection on their website for $40, but I don't like the color selection as much as the one I have.


4. "Best of Make Up For Ever" Value Set
This is one set I couldn't pass up... in fact, I purchased it twice! It's a "beauty insider only" set at Sephora (although I've recently seen it at HSN too). It's a limited edition set so you better buy it now while it's around.

If you've never tried Make Up For Ever's brand this is a great introduction into some of their best products. If you're a fan of Make Up For Ever's brand then you must have this set! The value is amazing considering what you receive:

• A full sized Smokey Lash ($22 if purchased separately)
• A full sized Aqua Eyes liner ($17 if purchased separately)
• A full sized HD Microfinish Powder ($30 if purchased separately)
• A travel-sized HD Microperfecting Primer ($15 if purchased separately)
• A travel-sized Sens'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser

[Keep in mind the pics below show the products used... and I forget to get a close up of the primer]

Get it now at Sephora for just $49!! That's an AMAZING value ($91.50 to be exact)


5. My $2.99 "makeup brushes"
I have a mix of brushes in my makeup brush collection. Some from Victoria's Secret, a few from MAC, some from IMAN, and then there are non makeup-makeup brushes. I usually go to Michael's craft store (or any craft store for that matter) and browse their paint brush section. Usually you can find some good brushes at great prices.

I recently picked up two brushes that were $2.99 each. One I use for a concealer brush (although applying cream shadow would be another use). The handle isn't super long like some paint brushes and the bristles are soft, yet dense enough to handle the application of concealer.

The second one I use as a liner brush. Like the other brush, the handle is still short enough to handle the brush with ease. The bristles aren't as dense as some of my other liner brushes, but this will create delicate, soft lines. I don't think this will be an everyday brush, but it will definitely come in handy. I have also tried this brush when applying brow powder and I actually prefer using it for that method.

 

So those are my five favorite beauty products for the month of December. Check back in January for my January favs!!

Until next time....

xoxo with love & beauty,

Crystal Valentine B.
- The woman who runs ValentineKisses.com