Skincare Series: Overview

Hi gals! So as mentioned in my last post, I am doing a skincare series for the next couple weeks and will be posting on Mondays and Fridays. This first post will just be an overview of all the products I use daily and weekly for my specific skin type (see the previous post for my skin type/issues) because that way I can zero in on certain holy grail products and you guys can request reviews on any of the products specified in this post. So let's get started!

 Cleansers

Starting with the cleansers, on a daily basis I use Pevonia Botanica's SpaTeen line for All Skin Types Cleanser (GOODNESS that is a mouthful). The other cleanser I use is the Yes to Tomatoes Daily Clarifying Cleanser, which lives in my shower. This is fantastic at taking off makeup but is not my favorite for daily use. 

 Toners

This is one area of my skincare routine I am extremely happy with. I don't know what it is about toners but they just feel so amazing on my skin and they are the one thing I use every night. The two I use is the Pevonia Botanica toner which is from the same line as the cleanser mentioned above, as well as the Tea Tree Water Toner from Lush. The Tea Tree Water is what I use as a "finishing spray" sort of thing because it has a convenient spray nozzle, while the Pevonia one I just put on a cotton ball.

 Moisturizer

This is the only moisturizer I use and it is, once again, from the Pevonia Botanica SpaTeen line. I will probably do a review of the trio later on in this series just because it is really the only repeated brand.

 Masks

My favorite part of skincare is definitely my weekly masks. The three I've been using for a couple months are the Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask, the FAB Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask, and the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask. I'm going to do separate posts on each mask because they all do relatively different things for my skin.

Other "Stuff" :)

The final products I use are a facial scrub and spot treatment. The scrub I use is nothing special, just the classic St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub and I use this around once a week. The spot treatment I use is my #1 HOLY GRAIL skincare item, and the bottle looks really bizarre because I never travel without this, and it is my Lush Grease Lightning Spot Treatment. I think every person and their cat needs this product... just saying. 

Whoo! That was a lot of products. Sorry that was so long but I thought this post would be really useful to refer back to throughout this series and I wanted to include as many pics as possible. I hope you are having a fantastic day and I will see you on Friday! 

What does your skincare routine consist of?

-Rachael

Overview Pics

Guess Who's Back!! + New Series Intro

Guess who's back, back, back. Back again, again, again. Rachael's back, back, back. Tell a friend, friend, friend. Sorry I couldn't resist :) So obviously I am back and will be blogging again! I've missed this blog a lot and I'm really excited to start this up again. I felt so bad about how I took a GIANT leap of absence from this blog but to be honest I felt like nobody was bothering to read or even look at it which is why I was hesitant to start it up again. However with over 230 pageviews I figured that it was time to feed the beauty-obsessing monster in me. As far as the second part of the title, I will be starting a new series for the next couple weeks involving all things...(drumroll)... skincare!! I know you are probably thinking "Rachael, how in the world are you going to make skincare interesting to look at/ read about/ care about?" Well my doubtful friends, I am going to be sharing not only my personal skincare routine, but my selective knowledge on facials, my holy grail products , as well as some tested DIY's that everyone can benefit from. So to start, I am going to tell you a little about my personal skin type and issues:

Skin Type: Oily/ Combination Oily (Much more oily in the summer with some dry patches in the winter)

Skin Concerns: Redness, Blackheads, Acne Prone (Teenage Skin)

Usual Steps in Routine: Makeup Remover, Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer, Spot Treatment, Finishing Spray

Any Occasional Products: Scrub or Exfoliator, Face Masks

Sensitivity: Moderate

I will be most likely sticking to a Monday and Friday post schedule which means there will be a brand  new post tomorrow which will most likely be my skincare routine overview. I hope you like this series and I'm really excited to be back! Do you have any requests for this series?

-Rachael

Blogmas Day 4: NARS Lip Gloss in Rose Gitane

Hi lovelies! I'm so sorry about the delays in Blogmas but I had such a crazy weekend because it was my birthday and the whole weekend passed without me doing a Blogmas Post, but I promise I will be caught up soon. Today's post is about a lip gloss I bought on my birthday trip from Sephora, and it is a NARS lip gloss in the shade Rose Gitane. I have wanted to try NARS lip glosses for awhile now, but considering the hefty price tag they are not something I am constantly picking up. I tried on multiple shades, but the second I put this one on I knew I had to get it.

This is described as a sheer deep wine and I think I basically agree with that. Ever since I got this, I've been wearing it everyday and love how it looks on me. I normally wear a pretty neutral or light pink lip color so this has really helped me step out of my box.

I know at $24.00 this is a pretty expensive gloss, but I think it's worth it. This gloss isn't sticky and has beautiful color payoff. I promise I will be caught up on Blogmas soon, but for now I hope you like this post.

Love you guys!

Have you tried any NARS lip glosses?

-Rachael

Blogmas Day 3: Holly Jolly Holiday TAG!

Hello! For today's Blomas post, I decided to do a TAG that goes around a lot during the holiday season called the Holly Jolly Holiday TAG. It's about 15 questions just about everything holiday-ish, so let's get started!


THE QUESTIONS!
1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute?
        So for the first time EVER I went out on Black Friday this year at midnight and it was pretty insane, but I actually did get some holiday shopping done. I typically get all my shopping done about 3 days before Christmas so I'm not sure if that's considered last minute...

2. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?
        I'm not sure, maybe the Santa Clause 3 because I'd love to be all dressed up as an elf, but I also think Christmas Vacation would be fun to be in to because it's such a crazy movie!

3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
        That's a really difficult question... maybe Christmas Eve because my family has a really nice dinner and I get to exchange gifts with some of my friends. Christmas Day is fun but also makes me kind of sad because the holiday season is over :(

4. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
        We put it up the day after Thanksgiving and it's kind of a joint effort, my dad puts up the actual tree (we have a fake one), my mom strings all the lights, and I put on the ornaments.

5. White lights or colored lights?
        COLORED!!! White lights are very pretty but I think I will always be a colored lights girl :)

6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?
        I have actually never been the kind to peek at my gifts... well ONE year, that's it! I spied something under my parents furniture one night and I couldn't resist. I was like 8 years old, so I felt so guilty and ended up telling my parents about it the next day. Luckily it was only one gift.

7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or in Santa's Workshop?
       No contest, Santa's Workshop.

8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions!
      The only real Christmas Eve traditions our family has, is to have a couple families over so we can all exchange gifts. Once everybody leaves, we watch all our favorite holiday specials in our pajamas including How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph, and Shrek the Halls (my dad's favorite!)
9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?
      Well, if we are talking fantasies here... Scotty McCreery or Taylor Lautner :)

10. What tops your tree?
      An angel my parents received as a wedding gift. 16 Christmases later and she still works!

11. Can you name the 12 days of Christmas?
     Hmm... I think.
     1st- Partridge in a Pear Tree
     2nd- Two Turtle Doves
     3rd- Three French Hens
     4th- Four Calling Birds
     5th- Five Golden Rings
     6th- Six Maids a Milking
     7th- Seven Swans a Swimming
     8th- Eight... shoot

12. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
    No, my family isn't that cool...

13. Do you countdown to Christmas? If so, how many days are left?
    Yes! And 19 days!!!

14. What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?
    My dad's roast ham and knockoff Thin Mints (which are the best by the way!!)

15. How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you've grown older?
   Honestly, Christmas will always have a special place in my heart. I have so many memories and traditions that make it so special so just staying in the holiday just makes it so magical.

So that's it for the TAG! Leave me a comment if you have any requests for Blogmas! Love you guys!!

-Rachael

Blogmas Day 2: Nicole by OPI Kardashing through the Snow

Hi guys! So Blogmas Day 2 is here and I knew what post I wanted to do the second I thought about it this morning, and that would be a NOTD on a nail polish I picked up for only $4 at Target this weekend. It's another glitter polish from the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Holiday Kollection and I was so excited to see this on sale at Target because I was intending on picking it up anyway and I just happen to get it for about $3.50 off which is always exciting! By the way, I picked up a little clue on Pinterest a couple weeks ago that Target discounts cosmetics and nail polish on Fridays, and you never know what you are going to find on clearance. I still cant's find my camera, but fear not because I decided to take pics with the second most HD thing I own... my iPhone. I know it won't be as high quality as my other posts but I'm sure that you are already tired of Pinterest posts... Okay let's get to the nail polish :)

 So Kardashing through the Snow is a perfect Christmas nail polish, and features green, gold, red, silver, and turquoise micro-glitter. It applied really well and would look great over numerus polishes, but for the sake of this blog post I wanted to show you what it looked like on all the nails. I hate to say it, but I actually like this better than A Gold Winter's Night which is a gold polish from the same collection.

Natural Light, 3 coats

Overall, I really love this polish and will probably be wearing it throughout the whole month of December. I hope you are enjoying Blogmas and I will see you back here soon! 

What's your favorite holiday nail polish? What do you want me to post for Blogmas?

-Rachael

Final Closeups:

Update and Blogmas Day 1!

Hi gals, I know I haven't posted in awhile but I have a good quality explanation!! I can't find my camera... I know there are a lot of blog posts I can do without pictures, but I want to provide you with the most high quality blog posts possible and I feel like pictures just make the blog post more... classy :). Hopefully I will find it soon, and be back to my usual posts. So you may see in the title, that I will be starting Blogmas which is where every other day I will be posting a new blog post on this blog (say that 10 times fast!). Yesterday I felt a little under the weather, so that was my skip day, and for today's post, since I still don't have my camera :(, I'm going to do my current favorite pins on Pinterest!!! If you don't know what Pinterest is, it's pretty much a website where people share or "pin" photos that they like or other people may like to their "board". There's lots of different categories like Women's Fashion, Gardening, Film, DIYs, and Hair and Beauty (the last two are my most visited sections!). Bottom line, Pinterest is basically the best website in the entire universe... no joke. SO, enough intro-ing let's get into my favorite pins of the moment!

My first pin is a recipe that I found the other day, and made it that night when my friends came over.

Guys, I made this in a bout ten minutes and it was AMAZING. I felt like I was eating a legit brownie but it was all for me! Just to warn you though, once you are done the mug is a huge pain to clean so be ready to scrub. 

This next pin, I did last weekend when I needed to paint my nails and it turned out great. I used OPI's Danke Shiny Red and Nicole by OPI's A Gold Winter's Night to do this look.

You start by doing one coat of the base polish and letting that dry, followed by a coat of some kind of glitter and another coat of the base color. Mine didn't turn out exactly like the picture, but pretty darn close and it looked great!

This pin was one of my fashion inspirations for the month because I've been loving my denim button down shirt. This look is perfect for fall and I love the chill yet chicness of the outfit. I also really love the boots!

Another pin I've been loving (more for the concept than the workout!) is the Dance Moms Workout Game! I know Dance Moms is off season right now but I literally watch a rerun everyday and this is a good way to get my workout in. It also makes you realize how trashy the show is but I can't help it, I'm obsessed!!

This final pin is a quote that I've been trying to apply to my life and I just think it's a great quote to live by. 

So that's it for that Blogmas post! I hope you liked it and keep your fingers crossed that I find my camera!! Love you guys! Do you have a Pinterest? 

-Rachael

November Birchbox!!

Hi guys! So I have a monthly subscription you may or may not have heard of called Birchbox, where for $10 a month I recieve 4 to 5 deluxe (and sometimes even full size!) beauty and lifestyle samples in the mail. I found out about this service through one of my favorite beauty girls Ingrid a.k.a. MissGlamorazzi (I will link her channel below). I've been really happy with my boxes so far and I thought I would share this month's box.

This is just an overview of when I opened the box. Every month has a theme, and appropriately in the month of Thanksgiving, this month's was Give. The letter you see is just a small little explanation of the thought process behind the theme and this one also had a segment about the charity being supported by Birchbox called The Art of Elysium who encourages actors, artists, designers and musicians to dedicate their time and talent to children battling various medical conditions. 

This box seemed to have more samples than usual which I was very happy about, and it also contained a full size product!! The first item I received was the Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray. It is said to work for all hair types and is a 1oz sample. The description says that this spray "gives dry hair a voluminous, sexy, tousled look" and that it is also great for updos. 

The next product is a lip gloss from ModelCo, an Austrailian company, and it just so happens to be FULL SIZE which is also a nice surprise. It is a very pretty light pink color, and for me is a perfect my-lips-but-better color with golden shimmer. Another thing that is really cool about this lip gloss is the mirror on the side of the package which is made for easy on the go application. 

The next two products were in a cute little reusable envelope. Not sure if I'll use it, but you never know! The first one is a perfume sample from Stella Cadente called Miss Me Eau de Parfum. It is said to be a French scent from a blend of exotic blossoms. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of this perfume. It smells a little like fabric softener to me, but not every sample is going to impress. 

The other product in the little envelope is the Per-fekt Beauty Brow Perfection in Caramel. I've never used any products from this brand, but I have seen it sold on Sephora.com. To be honest, I'm a little worried that the color will be too dark for me. I much prefer clear brow gel but I will have to try it.

The final sample I received is a food, which I actually frequently receive but no complaints here! I got a  chocolate treat from Chuao Chocolatier, which are said to be made from Venezuelan cocoa and come in unexpected flavors. And boy was this flavor unexpected! As soon as I bit into the bar, there was an instant tingling and spicy flavor and I'm pretty sure there were pop rocks in the bar. I can't say I'll be purchasing one soon, but it was certainly an experience!

There was also a coupon in this months box for $15 off a pair of shoes from Chromatic Gallerie which is cool, but these shoes are $88 dollars a pair! I'm not sure if I can afford that for one pair of shoes, but it was still really kind of them to include. 

So that's it for this months box! I would say I definitely received my $10 value for this month especially the fact that I got a full size lip gloss. If you don't subscribe to Birchbox, you should totally consider it because it really is a great service. If you do subscribe, I want to know what's in YOUR box this month so tell me in the comments what you got this month because every box is different. 

What beauty services do you subscribe to?

-Rachael

Ingrids Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi?feature=g-user-u

Her Video about Birchbox: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX3utrjcIJA&feature=plcp