Skincare | 2014 Blogger Challenge

Hello, hello! So Topic 2 of the 2014 Blogger Challenge is here! Now the topic is about winter skincare, but I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and say that I have an amazing skincare routine for the winter season. Lol To be honest, my skin has been quite a nightmare since mid-December; I usually have moderately good skin, but I started having pretty bad breakouts around my chin, forehead, and cheeks (basically everywhere!) since I got home from Las Vegas! I mainly blamed the climate change from Orange County to Vegas to Orange County, but they would not go away! Plus, my dry patches have gotten dryer. Anyway, this post is going to be the products I've been using the past week that are helping my skin immensely and the products that I'd like to purchase to aide in the fight against bad skin! ;P

1. Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask - I've had this product for quite a long time, but never found it that great. I would use it as a mask every now and then, but other than that its been very unloved on my shower rack. However, due to the severe breakouts I've had, I started using this four times a week and I felt it did help to calm down the blemishes quite a bit. I'm glad I've held onto it! The only downside, for me, is that it is quite drying (I'm assuming because of the benzoyl peroxide) which isn't helping my dry patches.

2. Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser - I've talked about this cleanser before so I'll just say a bit about it. It's a very gentle cleanser that is really good daily, night and day; ticks all the boxes for me. :)

St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub - Love this scrub; does what it says to a T basically, simple as. :)

3. Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Creme - During the fall season, I was using my Botanics Hydrating Day Cream and Botanics Hydrating Night Cream, but the past month it just has not been cutting it unfortunately. It'd probably be great in the spring, but I've had to to back to my trusty Eucerin moisturizer. It's a much thicker cream and it soothes my dry skin really, really well.

4. Tazorac - This product is actually a prescription cream product that I used to use back when I was about 14, but as my skin cleared up the past eight years, I haven't had to use it. Well I renewed my prescription and it's still just as good as it always was! I've only used this for the past three days and my blemishes are completely starting to clear up! This product is not for everyone, so please consult with your dermatologist before thinking about getting it. :)

Now, onto the products that I'd like to get in the very near future. ;) I like the products I've been using but I would really like to step up my skincare regime. 

1. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - I'm sure you've all heard about this cleanser as countless beauty gurus love it (including the amazing Zoe Sugg!). I trust the opinions of the beauty community and really, really look forward to trying this out. :)

2. Boots Expert Sensitive Hydrating Eye Cream - My allergies have been severely acting up lately and my eyes have been so itchy! Don't scold me, but I always rub them! :( So now I'm left with red, dry, puffy eyes and am in need of an eye cream. I found this at my local Target a while back and debated getting it, but now I think I'll actually go purchase it. If any of you beautiful people have suggestions for a really good eye cream, leave it in the comments. :)

3. Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins - I grew up knowing that Origins is an amazing brand for skincare because I would always take a look through my sister's products and she had plenty of Origins products on her counter and shelves and the time has come for me to finally purchase my own! Lol The price put me off for a long time, but I've come to accept that you get what you pay for with skincare (with the exception of a few products, of course). This moisturizer contains moisture-rich replenishers and it is said to best for combination to dry skin. Sounds good to me!

So there you have it, folks! My second post of the 2014 Blogger Challenge! If you have any suggestions for skin products for me, please feel free to leave them in the comments! Ta for now! Xx

Mini "Drugstore Haul"

So last night I went to Walmart with my parents. Now, I know Walmart is not the swankiest of places, but there are a lot of really good products that are super affordable there. As a struggling student, that sounds good to me. Lol I got some new make up and new hair products that I'm super excited about so I thought I'd make a post about them all. :)

Milani Color Statement in 01 Sweet Nectar

Maybelline Color Whisper in Orange Attitude 40

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 109

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector

Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Deep Coral

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Sun Kissed

                                        

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Day Cream 

St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub

got2b Rockin' It Dry Shampoo

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray

L'Oreal Power Moisture Hydrating Conditioner

Tresemme Tres Two Ultra Fine Mist Hair Spray

Organix Moroccan Sea Salt Spray

• Milani Color Statement in 01 Sweet Nectar - So this is a really bright orange color and it goes on really well, but I think it's a little too orange for me. I didn't think it would come out so opaque. It's pretty good quality and it smells nice, but the color just is a little too much for me, but I would consider buying a different color because the quality of the lipstick is pretty good for the price.
• Maybelline Color Whisper in Orange Attitude 40 - I really love this color, it's a little bit sheer on my lips because my lips are kind of dark, but it definitely adds just the right touch of color. It's a bit greasy for my liking, but overall a good lip product that I can definitely see myself reaching for often. :)
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 109 - This is by far my favorite lipstick of the three! It's amazing quality and sooo affordable! It's a pale orange color and the pigmentation is so good and it's more of a matte finish, but it's not drying which I love. Plus it smells good. :) I will definitely be buying more from this line!
• Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Deep Coral - So this looked like a gorgeous dark, coral color in the packaging, but when I put in on my cheeks, it wasn't very pigmented at all. After applying it 2 or 3 more times, it did show up a pretty pink, natural flushed color, I was just a bit disappointed that it wasn't as pigmented as I'd hoped. Maybe it's because I have slightly tanned skin, but honestly if it's a good quality blush, it shouldn't matter that much. Hopefully it'll grow on me.
• Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Sun Kissed - This nail polish is a bright orange (I know, clearly Zoe's love for orange is growing on me lol) and it goes on quite opaque and beautifully. We'll see how long it lasts without chipping. 
• L'Oreal Power Moisture Hydrating Conditioner - My hair's been a bit dry these days so I bought this in hopes it would help and I used this last night and just from that one use, I can already tell a difference! I'm looking forward to using this until it runs out as it seems to work quite well. :)

I re-purchased my Maybelline BB Cream and St. Ives Apricot Scrub because I love both of them so much and I ran out of them a few days ago and the other products, I have yet to try. I'm very excited to try them out though, especially the sea salt spray. :) If I end up developing a strong love for any of the above items that I haven't talked about yet, I will definitely write a little bit about whichever ones they are. :)

6 Products I Couldn't Live Without Tag

So as I said in the earlier post, I've been watching Zoella's YouTube channel and reading her blog for years, but I was going through a bunch of her old posts and she did this tag and since I have no idea how to start blogging on here and she tagged anyone that hasn't done this I thought I'd have a go at it. :) My "6 products" are ever changing, but these are items I have loved for years or currently use at least twice a day.

1. The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care - This shampoo is incredible! It moisturized my scalp and hair overall and it smells so good. :) This is definitely for you if a dry scalp is a problem, like it is for me. I've only purchased it once and I've been meaning to re-purchase it ever since I started running low, but unfortunately I still have yet to get a new bottle. However, the next chance I get, I will be heading over to The Body Shop to re-purchase. :)
2. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple Action Toner - In all honesty, my skin care routine for the past two years has been complete crap. Basically, all my skin care routine consisted of was my Neutrogena foaming cleanser and my St. Ives Apricot scrub because I never felt the need to make much of a fuss about my skin because thankfully, it was always pretty good. A week ago, however, I decided that even though my skin happens to be in good condition, I should probably still do a bit more to take care of it, so I purchased this toner. As far as I can tell, its great so far and my face always feels refreshed after I use it. I will say this: if you tend to have dry skin, I probably wouldn't recommend this (or make sure you use a proper moisturizer.)
3. Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Cream - I have combination skin, so the sides of my mouth and my nose tend to get very dry, but my forehead is usually a bit oily and this moisturizer works very well for me. It moisturizes the areas I need it to, without adding an oily look to my entire face. It especially helps now that I've been using the Neutrogena toner. 
4. L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream Deep - BB creams already have a light coverage, but this one in particular has very light coverage, which I like on most days with a bit of concealer. I also love the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfecter Medium/Deep for days that I want a bit more coverage without using a foundation. Definitely really love these two, especially not being a huge fan of foundations...or maybe I just haven't found a foundation that works well for me. Suggestions please? :)
5. Revlon Colorstay Under Eye Concealer Light/Medium - This concealer is perfect! I, luckily, don't really have under eye circles or bags, but if I'm looking a bit tired or something, this brightens up my eyes so well! I know it says "under eye", but I also use it for my spots (redness, acnes scars, etc) and it also does wonders for those. Combined with one of the above BB creams, its all I need to wear really. :)
6. Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - I've been obsessed with liquid eye liners and gel lineres for years now and I've noticed that this gel liner doesn't run or smudge nearly as much as other things I've tried, especially on a night out. I love it especially for when I'm going out and doing a cat-eye or, as my friends like to say, my "bat wings" because I make the wing a bit more dramatic than most. Haha

There you have it, my 6 products I couldn't live with out! Well I wouldn't like to anyway. :)