After Shower Routine!

Its been a while since Ive done one of these, and my routine has changed a little since..so I decided to go ahead and do a new one!

So, since Ive been trying a lot of new products lately my shower routine is never the same, thats why Im skipping the shampoo/conditioner/etc part, and skipping right to my after shower routine.

In the shower, of course, I shampoo and condition my hair. Wash my face, body, etc..
So once I get out of the shower, after drying off, the first thing I do is:

- Tone
The toner Im using right now is the Merlot Skin Care Hydrating Toner.

A lot of people dont do this step after cleansing, and really by skipping this step, youre pretty much only getting half as clean. Toners help clean pores and prep skin for deep moisture. Put your toner on a cotton ball or cotton round and just wipe it over your face. (some toners recommend circular motions, some upward motions, just check your bottle for your recommended directions) Youll see on the cotton all of the gunk thats left on your skin and in your pores after cleansing alone.
If you use a clarisonic or an exfoliating cleanser you might not notice a lot, but its still important to tone. If you dont use a makeup remover before cleansing, youll see a lot of the makeup will show up on the cotton when toning, so for me its a must!
Benefits of this toner:

• Refreshes skin.
• Purifies and clarifies skin.
• Alcohol free.
• For all skin types.
• Helps boost skins tone after cleansing.

- Hydrate
The moisturizer I use is actually a body lotion. I use the Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Body Lotion.

I have really..weird..skin. Haha. My skin is typically really oily, but with dry spots usually around my mouth, chin, and eyes. So when I would moisturize the dry spots would be fine, but the rest would get really oily. But if I used one for oily skin I found that it didnt do much for the dry spots, so I could never win!
So recently, Ive been checking out new moisturizers, and the one that I found worked really well for me was the Peter Thomas Roth body lotion.
This lotion is rich with vitamin C, E, and pro vitamin B5. It leaves my skin so soft, smooth, and feels really moisturized, which is something I havent really seen with other moisturizers.

Next I move to my hair. I used to use all Redken Extreme products, but Ive been looking for other cheaper products lately, because I feel like I go through them so fast and theyre a little on the pricey side.

So lately Ive been using a the Redken Glass 01 Smoothing Serum and Hair Rules Hydrating Finishing Creme.

I know I just said Redken is a little pricey, but I had this in my closet for a while and Ive been trying to use up products I have before I go buy new stuff! So I use a couple of drops of this, spread that throughout my hair then use a small amount of the finishing creme. The finishing creme says to use it on dry hair, but I tried it on wet hair, and I like it. It seems a little to thick to me to use on dry hair. So then I just brush that through and blow it dry using my Sedu Revolution 4000i. (click <- to see my review on that!)

Then once its dry, I apply a small amount of the Bedhead After Party Finishing Cream.

This stuff seriously makes your hair so soft and silky smooth! I love it! So I just finger comb that through my hair, focus mainly on the ends of my hair. Then I straighten it using my Karmin Titanium 1" Flat Iron. (which I could have sworn I had a review on, but I cant find the link right now D: Ill get that up asap!)

And that pretty much all I do after my shower. I know theres probably more I should do, like body lotion and whatever, but I never really feel the need to do that. Maybe a little hand lotion every once in a while, but thats about it!

If you guys have tried any of these products and want to share your thoughts, or if you want to share your after shower routine please feel free to comment below! I love seeing what other people do!

This is not a sponsored post. Some products were given to me to write reviews for, others were purchased by me! All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased. Product photos are from product websites. I own copyright to all content on this page, unless otherwise stated. 

My Natural Bliss

If youve been following me for a while, you might know that lately Ive been getting more into all natural, organic products. You might also know that Ive been struggling with skin problems (oily/acne prone skin with some dry spots) for years. Ive tried so many products to try to clear up my skin. Ill find something that works for a month or so, then my skin gets used to it and just stops working.

I recently started using a product from this really great company Natural Bliss.

Natural Bliss natural skin care products are handmade using the highest quality of organic ingredients. We focus on healing and protecting the skin, by using organic  virgin vegetable oils and butters, essential oils and botanicals in their products. Natural Bliss stays away from synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, detergents and petrochemicals. Nevertheless, we still create simple, beautiful and sweet smelling products for a spa like experience at home. Let your skin truly experience the amazing wonders of mother earth and love! 

The really cool thing about Natural Bliss is that you can buy sample sizes of all of their products, so you can check out a few different products and find out which you like best then buy that..The sample sizes are pretty decent sizes, its not like those tiny little one time use samples most companies send out, its enough to use for days, maybe even a couple of weeks, depending on how often you use it.. Theyre also priced really well in my opinion.

The product Ive been using is their Kaolin Powder Scrub. Ive never used a powder scrub before, so I wasnt sure how it would work or if I would even like it, but I was excited to try it! I love trying new things.
(I also got a few other things from them, Ill post those reviews later)

Its suitable for sensitive, dry, mature, and acne prone skin types. It contains kaolin clay, botanicals and pure essential oils; which reduces redness and itching, calms irritation, treats broken capillaries without drying the skin.
You mix some of the powder scrub with water or other liquid (i dont know what other kind of liquid you could use, I just use water) mix it up in the palm of your hand to create a paste, then just scrub it around your face in little circular motions. Theres a little texture in the powder, which I love because you can feel it exfoliating your skin.
I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I love the way it feels on my skin, I love the way it makes my skin feel, and since I started using it, Ive noticed an improvement in my skin!
Before I started using this, my skin was extremely dry but still oily and I was getting breakouts pretty regularly. I started using this, then moisturizing with a Peter Thomas Roth moisturizer, and my skin has been feeling and looking soo much better! Normally my skin gets oily again within a few hours of washing, but this kept my skin clean and oil free for most of the day!
This scrub is definitely going to be part of my routine for a while!

You can get Natural Bliss products on their site, MyNaturalBliss.com.
The scrub sample 1 oz. jar is $2.75, or you can get the full size 4 oz. jar for $11.

The products in this review were provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased. Product photos from MyNaturalBliss.com. I own copyright to all content on this page, unless otherwise stated. 

L'oreal EverSleek Review

Im always looking for really good quality drug store brands. Especially hair care products. So I like to try new ones often. Theres been som really good, some alright, and veryy often the downright bad!
Some of my favorite drug store brands are Garnier Fructis, a few products from Pantene, and John Frieda.

Today I tried a new product I expected to really like. And that is

L'oreal EverSleek - Sulfate Free Smoothing System.

In the eversleek line, I think, there are 11 products. Two different kinds of shampoo and conditioner, deep conditioner, leave-in creme, super sleek intense serum, finishing creme, frizz taming serum, and precision oil treatment.

(I could be wrong about this, Im going off what I see on the L'oreal website, which is a little weird to look at the product line)

I tried the Intense Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Humidity Defying Leave-In Creme.

Shampoo.

When I tried used this shampoo, I really didnt even feel like it was cleaning my hair. I had hardly any product in my hair, nothing that causes build up. But this shampoo felt like I was washing out hairspray, and it wasnt doing a good job. It left my hair feeling kind of dry after rinsing. NOT a shampoo I would buy again.

I think the shampoo costs around $7. 

Conditioner.

This conditioner was really thick, it felt like it wasnt going to do much for my hair, especially after what I saw with the shampoo. However, I actually liked the way my hair felt after I rinsed. I left it on for a few minutes while I washed my body, probably 2-3 min. It rinsed pretty clean and my hair felt pretty soft after. I might buy this conditioner again.

The conditioner costs the same as the shampoo, around $7.

Leave-In Creme.

As I was putting this on my towel dried hair, I thought I was going to love it. It felt pretty smooth, not sticky, not oil. I ran it through the ends of my hair and up the length of my hair a little, but didnt apply much to the roots of my hair. I brushed it through and started blow drying my hair. It felt like it was taking a little long to blow dry, normally my hair dries pretty quick with my Sedu Revolution 4000i. I put the blow dryer and brush down for a minute and was absolutely disgusted with what I found. I ran my fingers through my hair and felt greasy, built up just gross feeling hair. It felt like I applied a million products to my hair and didnt wash it for a week. Im not even exaggerating. This stuff made my hair feel so disgusting. I literally had to go wash my hair again! I will NEVER buy this product again!

The leave in creme costs $9.

If I had to rate the line based on the products I tried I would rate it a 2 out of 5. And thats only because the conditioner I tried was pretty good, the price isnt bad on some of the products, and theres about 8 other products in the line I didnt try. 

The products in this review were not provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased.

Blum Naturals Makeup Remover Wipes: Review

I talk about how to apply makeup all the time, but what Im focusing on today is how to take it off!

Ive tried so many different makeup removers! From wipes, to pads, to so many cleansers & more. 

Out of all the different options out there, my favorite thing to use to remove my makeup is definitely makeup remover wipes. 

Ive tried a bunch of different brands. Neutrogena, Garnier, Yes To Cucumbers,  store brands like Walmart and Target, etc. 

But, none of them have been  the best. I did like the Neutrogena, but I recently tried some that I like much more!

Blum Naturals is a new line of natural skin care products developed by Jean Pierre Cosmetics. Blum is built on the simple things in life, and uses ingredients found only in nature!

Ive been checking out a lot of organic, all natural products lately. So when I got these makeup wipes I was very excited to check them out!

Blum's products are developed primarily produced in Isreal and the US. Their manufacturing processes are natural, energy efficient, and environmentally conscious. They remain committed to the environment with recycled and recyclable packaging and use soy ink when possible for printing!

That is HUGE for me, being a vegetarian, a fan of all natural products & an environmental enthusiast. Anything to help the environment & the world, count me in!

Blum offers a bunch of great products such as facial cleansers, eye makeup removers, femanin cleansing and intimate wipes; but what Im gonna focus on today is the cleansing and makeup remover wipes.

On the left is their Daily Dry/Sensitive Skin Towelettes. They contain organic chamomile extract, which soothes and regenerates itchy, flaky, and dried skin for a smooth and healthy glow.

These wipes are super soft and gentle on the face. They smell so good! And they effectively remove pretty much all of my makeup. The only thing they had a little trouble with was mascara, but mascara is sooo hard to get off! They left my skin feeling really soft. 

On the right is the Daily Exfoliating Towelettes. They contain organic orange peel extract, which naturally exfoliates the skin for a fresh look and feel.

They have little microbeads on them, which exfoliates your skin as its removing makeup, dirt & oil. They remove the makeup just as good, maybe even a little better, than the other ones. You really feel like youre exfoliating your face, and it feels so good. This might be a little rough for some people, but for me its not to bad. The one side if soft, so its gentle enough for around the eyes. They also leave my skin feeling soft, but not as soft as the other.

I used one wipe on one side of my face, and the other on the other, so you could see the difference. Really the only difference here is the lighting. (sorry) They both removed all of my makeup. As you can see above, I have eyeshadow, liquid liner, and mascara on. (as well as all of the rest of my makeup) And both wipes removed it all. I even used them on my lips to remove my lip stain and gloss. The sensitive skin one made my lips feel really nice, but the exfoliating one felt a little rough on my lips.

Here you can see all of the makeup that they took off my face! I only used each one on one half of my face, so they might not have taken everything off as easily if I used one for my entire face. I use one every day, and they do remove everything. But I always wash my face after with a facial cleanser and my Clarisonic, which removes anything left behind. So I do recommend using a cleaner after to actually cleanse your face. I have problematic skin, so I cant just use a makeup remover wipe, even if it says theyre for cleansing. 

One thing I do have to mention that I didnt like about these, however..The packaging they come in is now the best. The exfoliating one doesnt clip closed, and Im sure they would dry out pretty fast. So I left the little sticker seal on both of them to ensure they stay moist! This is a problem Ive found in all makeup remover wipes in this type of packaging though. 

These wipes are also available for combination/oily skin, normal skin, and aging skin. Each contains 30 towelettes. They cost around $7.50.

You can find Blum Naturals products at Whole Foods, drugstore.com, or go to BlumNaturals.com to find other places!

The products in this review were provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased. Product photos from BlumNaturals.com, other photos from myself. I own copyright to all content on this page, unless otherwise stated. 

Beauty Box 5 Review

By now, Im sure youve heard of the Beauty Box.
I had heard of it a while ago, but never put too much thought into checking it out..but they recently sent me a sample month, so I decided to review it for you guys and see if its worth it.

First, a little about the box.
Once a month youll get a little box with 4-5 samples in it. The samples could be makeup, skin care products, hair care products, fragrances, etc. Sometimes youll get a small full sized product, but mostly just sample sizes of things. Then if you like the products, or want to find out more you can find information and even buy right from the Beauty Box website. 

They offer 3 different pricing options. Monthly, quarterly, and yearly. 
Monthly, they will charge you $12 once a month, every month (costing you a total of $144 in one year). 
Quarterly, they will charger you $30 four times a year (costing you a total of $120 a year). 
And lastly, yearly, for $100 you will only be charged once a year. 
So the yearly option is the best deal, but youll need to pay $100 all at once, rather than broken down into 4 or 12 payments. 

Now whats inside.
My box has the following products in it. (Ill do full reviews on some of the products if you want, let me know what you want to see reviewed)
-Lash Card. Comes with 2 individually wrapped disposable mascara shields.

Honestly, pointless in my opinion. I dont have a problem applying mascara, and I actually found it harder to apply mascara while using this! - $6.99 for one pack of 10 cards. LashCard.com 

-H Wood Beauty Lip stick in Rose. I think this is a full size lipstick.

I couldnt find on the website the size of the full size product, but if this is a sample size, its a big sample! I havent really tried this product, I put it on like twice just to check it out. I like it, the color is pretty, but it doesnt go on very opaque. it just gives a light tint of color. It goes on smooth though. - $16 for the full size. HWoodBeauty.com

-Evie Evan Moisture Creme. Full size Mini moisture creme.

I havent used this at all yet, so I cant say whether or not I like it, but I can say that it smells like bug spray. So Im kind of grossed out about that.. It looks like its the same size as the Mini moisture creme available on the website. - Mini .5 oz $13, Full 2 oz $41. EvieEvan.com

-Everyday Mineral blush in Girl Friday. Might be full size mini.

I havent actually worn this blush yet, but I swatched it and checked it out a little. But I really like it so far, I like the color, and it goes on really smooth. I dont usually like loose powders, but I really liked this one so far. The site doesnt have sizes, but they do sell a mini, so this might be the mini size available. - Mini $6.99 Big $10.99 - EverydayMinerals.com

-MaskerAide Beauty Rest'ore hydrating facial sheet mask. 1 mask.

I actually forgot about this, so I just put it on. I had a hard time getting it on my face right..the openings are too big or something, and it feels like its sliding down my face. The price seems steep for one mask in my opinion..and Im not a fan of the product. I much prefer a regular mask, and I think Ill stick to my Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Masque for now. - $4.99 for one individually wrapped mask. MaskerAide.com

So is it worth it? I think it is, if this is how the samples are every month, it is definitely worth it. These are big samples, and looking at the prices for $12 a month, it is definitely worth it! Especially if youre like me, and love to try out new products all the time. :)

To buy your beauty box subscription, or for more information go to BeautyBox5.com

The products in this review was provided to me for the purpose of writing a review on the BeautyBox5, not the products themselves. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased.