Review: Alba Even Advanced Sea Lipids Daily Cream

Face lotion is always a product that I feel like I struggle with. I just settle for whatever I have at the moment and I've never really used a great lotion for my skin. However, after using the Alba Sea Lipids Daily Cream, I now realize how important it is.

This lotion caught my eye because it's supposed to help the appearance of skin to make it look more even and less blotchy/dull. It's also hypoallergenic and Alba is generally a more natural based brand. It's paraben free, too- very important!

I am almost finished with this product and I will be repurchasing it. It's a really light moisturizer but it's still hydrating. It doesn't clog my pores or cause me to break out at all. I actually feel like it has improved my skins texture. This lotion has a nice, fresh scent, but it's not overpowering. It wears nicely under makeup and doesn't cause me to get greasy during the day. One thing I will say is that if I shower with this on my face at night, it tends to get in my eyes and this stuff burns a little. So watch out for that.

The container has lasted me about a month and a half and it costs $16.99, so it's not too bad on the price. I would recommend this for any skin type. This comes in a night cream as well and I'm interested in trying that out, too. You can find this at most drugstores, Target, and some health food stores.

Link to Alba lotion

--Ms. Makeup

How To: Inexpensively Clean Makeup Brushes

If you are as addicted to makeup as I am, then cleaning your brushes is essential. The pre-made brush cleaners are often expensive, so I have a cheap alternative: Johnson's No More Tears Regular Baby Shampoo. I used to use the Sonia Kashuk one (Target, $6.99) and honestly, I think the Johnson's works better. It's about $2.99 from Target. Can't beat it! Because this shampoo is for babies, it is extremely gentile, even enough for your precious brushes. Plus, it has a great, clean scent!

To clean, all you need to do is place your brush under warm running water (bristles down so that water doesn't get into the brush handle) and get the brush completely wet. Place a small amount of Johnson's into your palm and swish the brush around until most of the brown/pink comes out. Wash off the soap and repeat this process until the soap comes out white and clean with no color. Gently squeeze out the water and place the brushes flat on a towel to dry overnight. Simple as that!

If you have a lot of brushes this can be time consuming, especially for large, dense face brushes. It can sometimes take up to three washes. But it's worth it! Dirty brushes hold bacteria and germs that you do NOT want to spread around on your face. I recommend washing your foundation brushes a few times a week and all other brushes maybe once every 1-2 weeks, realistically. Who is really going to take hours a week cleaning their brushes?? For spot treatment, I know this isn't the most effective thing, but I just wipe my brushes off on a clean tissue. Not the best, but it gets some of the powder off!

Be sure to try this out!

--Ms. Makeup

(Will upload before/after pics later!)

Review: Simple Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes

Today I have a review on my new favorite makeup remover wipes-- Simple Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes. Love! Simple is a great drugstore line because they use ingredients that are good for your skin. No alcohol, no artificial perfume or dyes, they're dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic, and

hypoallergenic! There are a few different types in the Simple line, but these ones are for oily, sensitive skin (me.) I am obsessed with these things. I get excited to take my makeup off at night just because I know I get to use these wipes! They are unlike any makeup remover wipes I have previously used because they leave my skin incredibly soft! Literally feels like I just put on moisturizer! They're not greasy, gentile on the eyes and all over the face. The classic Neutrogena ones (which I usually use) always leave my skin feeling weird, sort of a film feeling over my face. They get the job done, but not great. These ones however, remove my makeup just as well and my face feels great after! I use these at night before washing my face, but the packaging says that they control shine as well. So, I would definitely use these during the day when I am not wearing makeup and my skin feels like it needs a little pick-me-up. I got them from Ulta for $5.99 and they come in a pack with 25 wipes. I think these are going to be my new holy grail item. I think they might be improving my skin, too!

Please do yourself a favor by trying these out and let me know what you think!

--Ms. Makeup

Beware! Silicone Based Hair Products

I was recently watching a video on the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner containing wax. This intrigued me, so I looked into it and I found out what the wax really was...

Have you heard of silicone? Well, it's a cheap filler that companies put into hair products, like conditioner, to make the hair seem shiny, soft, healthy and smooth when it really doesn't do anything of the sort. The product coats your hair in silicone, giving off the soft feeling, but in actuality it's choking your precious strands! This compound also leads to build up, which is no fun.

Think about it, when you buy a cheap shampoo/conditioner from the drugstore, what happens? You use it for a while and it works pretty well, gets the job done, but suddenly you get the feeling that the product isn't doing anything anymore. I used to say my hair was just used to the product, but now I know that it's covered in silicone!

When your hair is covered in this slime, any product you put in your hair after your shower will basically do nothing. It will go on top of the silicone and just sit there (even more build up...) And the only way to get it out of your hair is to use a clarifying shampoo (most silicones are not water soluble.) The only one I've ever tried is the Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo. Now, when you first use this, don't be turned off! It makes your hair feel pretty weird, but that's because it strips off all the gross product buildup from months of use.

I am not saying that silicone is the worst thing in the world for your hair, because everyone uses these products, but it's really doing your hair no good. So, try to find products that don't contain the word "cone" "one" "col" "conol" "xane" in the ingredients list. I'll be honest, it's sometimes really hard. Go for the most natural product you can find with the least ingredients or a brand that is known for being natural based. Water soluble silicones (will wash out since they're water based) that are okay to use are titled "behenoxy dimethicone" and "stearoxy dimethicone" in the ingredients list.

If possible, try and avoid these shampoo/conditioner brands: Herbal Essence, Pantene (the worst,) Garnier Fructis, TRESemme, Suave, etc. Look for silicone free, but be sure to look at the ingredients because they'll trick ya with those long words! Your hair will thank you!







It is with much sadness that I have to admit that my favorite hair product in the world contains this horrible ingredient... MACADAMIA NATURAL OIL DEEP REPAIR MASK. Now... I do know for a fact that it also contains really great ingredients like Macadamia oil, Argan oil and Tea Tree Leaf oil, so this one's a toss up. (We all know I am still going to purchase, shhhh...)

What do you think about silicones? Will you ditch them or keep buying?

-- Ms. Makeup

First Impressions: Covergirl Flamed Out Mascara

Yesterday I picked up the Covergirl Flamed Out mascara and I thought I would give my first impressions on it. It was $7.49 from a local grocery store in the shade Black Blaze.

I wouldn't say there is really anything special about this mascara. The wand has an hourglass shape with a wire brush  and has a very dry formula. I don't really see what the hourglass shape does, I mean my lashes looked nice but nothing special. It applied pretty well (2 coats,) not clumpy or anything. Didn't add much curl but a pretty good amount of length. I lasted all day without smudging but that should be standard for any mascara. It was supposed to give a "bold winged-out lash look" (similar to Falsies?) but my lashes just looked normal.

My thoughts: for the price this is a decent mascara. Nothing amazing, nothing really special but it does make your lashes look "nice." But not like WOAH look at her eyes!!! I give it a B. My favorite drugstore mascara is falsies if that gives you an indication of what I like in comparison to this.

Here are some photos to see how it held up throughout the day

No mascara

2 coats Flamed Out

After a full day

Have you tried this mascara?

-- Ms. Makeup

Currently Using: L'Oreal Youth Code

I recently went home for the weekend and forgot to bring a moisturizer. I headed over to CVS just to buy something cheap to hold me over until I got back to school. But the cute pink packaging of the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream reeled me in... The box says, 

Why is Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream right for me? Your skin is still young, but its quality is not always perfect. Skin's texture can be rough and uneven, with visible pores and fine lines. Scientifically developed for all skin tones and types, Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream helps to improve overall skin quality over time. 

I am 20 years old and I have some acne scaring, pigmentation problems and large pores (so beautiful, right?) This is a pretty expensive lotion for the drugstore. I didn't even look at the price when I grabbed it, but the total came out to $24.99 at CVS! And it's not even a big jar, only 1.7 oz. At the time I thought I was crazy for buying it, but I'm so happy I did! First off, the floral-y scent of this lotion smells amazing. But this stuff really does work. I had never used a texturizing lotion before, but it's supposed to visibly tighten pores, diminish lines, and reveal petal soft skin. And it actually does that. I use this in the morning and the night and it is never too heavy or light. The lotion has a velvety finish and my skin has never been so soft. I don't have any lines to diminish, but I have pretty large pores, and this stuff shrinks them right up! I also have oily, acne prone skin and this doesn't break me out or make me too oily or dry. The packaging is also to die for- hot pink! I highly recommend this day/night cream if you're looking for something new to try! They also have a Youth Code serum that I really want to test out!

What lotions are you currently using?

-- Ms. Makeup