Managing Breakouts During Hormonal Fluctuation

Hey everyone! This post will be speaking specifically to my ladies, but gentlemen, feel free to share it with your sisters, friends, mothers, or the special lady in your life. Ok, now ladies, I know I'm not the only one who breaks out around the time of my cycle. Some of us break out a lot, some of us may get a pimple or two, but most of the women that I know experience some form of skin changes around the time of their monthly cycle. I'm going to give a few really quick tips that will be helpful during this time that will work for every skin type. Keep in mind, it is not always possible to completely prevent breakouts due to hormonal changes; however, you can significantly decrease the severity of the breakout or pimples by following these tips.

1. Learn when your cycle is coming. For some of us, this may prove to be very difficult since every woman's body is different. However, when you know what to expect, you can start preparation ahead of time.

2. Drink lots of water before and during your cycle. It's always good to drink water, but it's important to increase intake during this time to flush out any toxins that may cause breakouts or a pimple to pop up.

3. Cut down on greasy and fried foods around the time of your cycle. We shouldn't be eating much of this anyway, but I digress lol.

4. Avoid sweets and sodas/sugary drinks! Sugar already breaks some of us out, but when your body is under the stress of a menstrual cycle, it can get a LOT worse.

5. Increase your fruit, grain, and vegetable intake. Berries, grapes, tomatoes, watercress, fennel, broccoli, kale, and more have all been shown to help improve skin in ways varying from flushing toxins to improving overall tone. For a more detailed list of these skin clearing foods, please visit this site: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/features/health-fitness/2011/02/top-20-skin-clearing-foods

6. Don't fall asleep with makeup on. Falling asleep with makeup on is already bad, but it can make a breakout that is coming much worse, since sleeping with makeup on clogs up your pores.

7. Invest in a good spot acne treatment. There are times when even if you follow the steps above, a pimple or two will still surface. When this happens, it's important to be able to deal with it, and a spot treatment is the way to go. My two favorite spot treatments are Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment and Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream on pimples and small areas where there is a breakout. Both are awesome! Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream can also be used as a facial mask (it's AMAZING!)...but I'll talk about that in another post.

Hope you enjoyed these tips and that they're useful to you in some way! If you have any budget beauty products that you would like for me to review (makeup, skin care, hair care, and related items), please send your request to me at lindsi.green@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you! ;)

Let's Talk: The "Kim Kardashian" Highlighting

Hey y'all! If you've been a makeup lover for quite some time, you're probably familiar with the highlighting craze that was created by Kim Kardashian's makeup. If you're not, I'll explain it a little bit here and will show a picture. Underneath her eyes in a triangular shape, Kim usually has a concealer a few shades lighter than her natural skin tone. The purpose of this is to erase any bags that may be underneath her eyes and to bring light to the center of her face. This creates the awake, youthful look that she has become known for rocking.

In the picture above, she is shown with it before blending (left) and after blending and adding the rest of the makeup, including her contour, blush, etc. (right). I absolutely love the concept and the look! However, the issue that has arisen from it is unfortunate. Many people, too many, are walking around with the "before blending" look! Even I have been guilty of it, as much as it pains me to admit. But makeup is a learning experience that is often filled with trial and error, lots of it for some of us. Makeup trends don't last forever, but the pictures that we took while the trend was hot do. Some of us will look back at our pictures five years from now and wonder, "Why didn't anyone tell me I looked crazy?!" much like we do with some fashion trends. I'm still learning about techniques and what works on and for my skin, but in this area I think I've pretty much learned what works for me, and I'd like to share it. As you all well know, I'm not a professional, but I enjoy sharing in hope that you'll benefit as well.

1. Choose concealers no more than 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone for your undereye area. There are some professional MUAs who use products 4 or more shades lighter, but they're pros who may know how to make it work better than those of us who are just enthusiasts. Be sure to consider your undertones when making your selection.
2. If you will be taking pictures with flash, avoid using makeup products that contain titanium dioxide. They will make your skin look washed out and will make under eye concealer look whitish!
3. Be sure to blend really, really well, although that goes pretty much without saying.
4. Don't forget to set your concealer, either with a translucent power or a flesh tone powder close to the color of the concealer you chose.
5. If you feel the concealer looks too light, mix in a bit of the regular concealer that you use on your blemishes, or set it with the powder you use on the rest of your face. This should tone down the brightness.
6. Contour! Highlighting and contouring go hand in hand in terms of sculpting and shaping your face. Learn your face shape and how to appropriately contour for the specific shape of your face. Everyone's is different. There's a great questionnaire to help you determine your face shape at The Beauty Department's website, here is the link: http://thebeautydepartment.com/2012/11/finding-your-face-shape/ . There's also a wonderful blog post by Jade (from Make Me Stunning) with instructions on how to contour for your face shape right here on blogspot! Here's the link to that: http://makemestunningjade.blogspot.com/2011/11/contouring-for-all-face-shapes.html. A basic face shape chart to help you get started is below.

Alright folks, I've rambled on long enough lol. Bad highlighting can make even the most beautiful of people look ridiculous. Hope this helps in some way! Be sure to let me know if it did. ;-)

Take care,
~ Lindsi

Beauty Product Fails! (For me at least...)

Hey y'all! I'm back with another post. Have you ever been really excited to try a beauty product and been disappointed in its performance once you finally got it? Chances are you have. It may not be that the product is a fail overall, but you just know that is isn't for you. In this post I'll talk about four beauty products that I was really excited about initially but less than pleased with once I finally bought and was able to use them. Every product isn't for everybody. Thank goodness we have such a vast variety of beauty products to choose from ;). This isn't a review, just my general feelings on these four products. As a disclaimer (though it's probably not needed), every product I review has been purchased with my own money, not sponsored.

1. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer (with SPF 15) - This is the greasiest feeling moisturizer I've ever used. Even underneath the best mattifying primer, this stuff makes my skin so oily and slides my foundation and concealer all over the place. This type of formula may work well with dry skin or combination skin, but it's horrible with my super oily skin. I will not buy this product again unless they change the formula.

2. Wet n Wild Megalength Mascara - The only thing this mascara lengthened was the time it took for me to put on my mascara. It separates lashes very well and doesn't clump, but it doesn't lengthen my lashes at all.

3. Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Under Eye Concealer - The color is perfect, but this concealer creases like nobody's business, regardless of what I set it with or how well I blend it. I have fine lines underneath my eyes, and the concealer settles in and then disappears a few hours later. I've tried setting this concealer every way I know how, but to no avail.

4. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - All I can say about this product is "ugh". I initially tried it out over a year ago and gave it a decent review, but the more time passed the less I liked it. If you have oily skin, I do not recommend this BB cream. I've set it with every mattifying powder that I own and also have used mattifying primer before putting it on, but it still turns into an oily, oxidized mess. For those who aren't familiar with the term, oxidation is when your makeup changes to a reddish, orange, or yellow (for fairer skinned women) color on your skin due to chemical reactions from being on your skin.



If you have any budget beauty products that you would like for me to review (makeup, skin care, hair care, and related items), please send your request to me at lindsi.green@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you! ;)

Combating Smelly Winter Feet

If you live in a cold region, chances are you wear lots of layers, socks, and insulated shoes in the winter time. This can cause sweaty feet, and sweaty feet usually end up turning into stinky feet! Foot Sprays are a good option, but can be costly depending on the brand and where you purchase them. A cheaper option is to use a combination of roll on deodorant and baby powder. The cheapest roll on deodorant I've seen was $1.50, and travel size baby powder is usually no more than $0.99. Here's how to do it, step by step.

1. Put a light coating of baby powder in the bottom of your shoes.
2. Before putting on socks, roll a layer of the deodorant onto the bottom of your foot.
3. Allow deodorant to dry for 30-45 seconds, slip on your socks and shoes, and you're ready to go!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. If you have any budget beauty products you would like me to review, please feel free to contact me at lindsi.green@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!

NYX Shine Killer Review

Hey all, Happy February! As promised, I'm here with the review for one of the new products I've been testing out. The product I'm posting about is the NYX Shine Killer. I first saw this product in Target when I was picking up some Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (on sale!) and I wanted to give it a shot since I was running out of the primers that I usually use. As someone with extremely oily skin, I don't normally have high expectations of primers. Even with the best of primers I still have to carry oil blotting sheets and mattifying face powder with me everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised with this product. It's a little on the pricey side (I'll put the price in the review below), but I think it's worth it if you struggle with trying to keep your skin matte. I will say this though as a word of advice, if you have oily skin, all face products you use, from your cleanser to your moisturizer to your foundation, need to be geared toward the specific needs of your skin. This means that they need to be oil-free and products specifically formulated for and to combat oily skin. This will help with your shine control goals. Ok, I've rambled on enough...sorry. Here is the review, hope it helps!

1. NYX Shine Killer (0.67 fl oz.), $12.99 (Target)

Site Description: "Your ultimate weapon in the war on shine. Smooth it on before your favorite foundation for a fresh, flawless, marvelously matte look that lasts and lasts. Wear it solo, too, for a naturally shine-free look."

Pros: No smell, light weight, controls shine very well, can be applied over makeup as well
Cons: Expensive, not a lot of product for price, still must use oil-blotting sheets after 8-9 hours of wear

Overall: I genuinely like this product. I was displeased with the price initially, because I'm super cheap, but I must say that so far I have been pleased with the product. A little bit goes a long way, you don't need to use tons to get the desired result. I have worn it under makeup, over makeup, and by itself, and each way has worked pretty well in terms of shine control. There's no offensive smell, it's clear and doesn't leave a whitish tint like several other oil-control primers that I've used (maybe due to powder particles in them) and it's light on my skin. It also doesn't settle into my fine lines, which I love. Like most products, it doesn't last all day. After about 8-9 hours a bit of shine starts to seep through and I have to use oil-blotting sheets, but so far it is the longest lasting oil control product I've used. The only thing I still don't like is the price, but it's worth it to have help with oily skin. I rate this product an 8.5 out of 10. 

If you decide to try this product out, please let me know how it works out for you! If you have any budget beauty products that you would like for me to review (makeup, skin care, hair care, and related items), please send your request to me at lindsi.green@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you! ;)