August 2014 – Beyond BeYOUty

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

I believe that staying positive in life is the secret to allowing your inner light to shine for the world to see, but obvi in some situations it can be difficult to keep a positive attitude. So as ridiculous as I may sound saying this… I always love to have my GLOW ON ;) especially in the summer! I recently became BEYOND obsessed with the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector’s in Moonstone & Opal. These two pressed powder highlights give your skin just the right amount of glow and shimmer without making your skin feel or look greasy or oily. It seriously looks as if you have your inner glow on and I am ALL ABOUT THAT!

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone & Opal

First, I love the packaging. I always love a compact that has a large mirror in it, I usually use it to apply my false lashes or eyeliner so I can get all up close and personal. Next, I have to say that the formula of this product is just right. It is a pressed powder but feels creamy without feeling wet. If that makes since? It is also very pigmented and blendable. HA, have I sold you yet? I promise I am not getting paid for this, I am just honestly obsessed.

Moonstone as you can see in my swatch above is much whiter and lighter making it perfect for fair skin. Now I did not blend out these swatches because I wanted the true shimmer to show so don’t let this scare you. If blended properly I think it would be great for most skin tones too. Opal is just the right amount of pink and gold without looking like a bronzer would.

It took me awhile to find these products because they were always sold out online and my local Sephora did not carry the line of BECCA products. Until one day as I was passing though JCPenny’s to my surprise SEPHORA!! WHAT? I had no clue that there was a Sephora inside most JCPenny’s now. HALLELUJAH!! This was the best find EVER, not only is it literally 3 miles from my house… they had so many of the products I had been searching for and best of all BECCA!! I scooped up the highlighters I had been searching for along with some other products. On second thought, maybe having a Sephora 3 miles from my house was a bad idea? Pretty sure I “pop in” at least once a week on my lunch break at work. Oops! 😛

This concludes my rant on these products, for now! I know that because of how much I love these two products that I will be trying out many more in the near future. As always please share any favorites you might have and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

Until next time… Always remember…

The first step towards being Beyond Beautiful, comes from being YOU.

“NOTHING makes a WOMAN more BEAUTIFUL than the BELIEF that she is BEAUTIFUL.” – Sophia Loren

As I have gotten older my skin care routine has become more and more important to me. I mean lets be real here… I am not getting any younger over here so caring for my skin is BEYOND important! We only get one face right? We had better take care of it! These are my MUST HAVE skin care products. Obviously, I have & use many more but these are the products that I currently could not live without and my opinions. I hope you enjoy…

EMINENCE – Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant

Philosophy – Purity Made Simple

JOSIE MARAN 100 percent Pure Argan Oil

Clarisonic Mia 2

LUSH – Mask of Magnaminty

PHILOSOPHY Miracle Worker® Overnight

Proactiv Solution Refining Mask

GLAMGLOW THIRSTYMUD™ Hydrating Treatment

EMINENCE – Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant: This is a product line that I discovered when I managed a salon & spa in Scottsdale for 3 1/2 years. All of the esthetician that I worked with over the years helped to educate me on caring for my skin, which ultimatley created this skin care product monster that I am today. Eminence’s product line is all organic and for every product sold they plant a tree!!! How amazing is that right? So great for your face & the planet! A WIN if you ask me! Alright, back to it… the Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant is by far the best exfoliator I have found for my skin. I love that it is a dry powder that can be used alone or you can mix it in with your facial cleanser. It exfoliates my skin without feeling too harsh or irritating and I love that my skin feels so fresh and cleansed instantly.

Philosophy – Purity Made Simple: For the longest time I was in what felt like a never ending search for the right facial cleanser for my skin. Prior to finding Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple cleanser my skin would have the most random break outs that would always be on my chin or near my hairline. They would hurt and last for DAAAAYS. (Ugh so rude!) But thankfully I have got that all under control now! This cleanser seriously cleans my face and removes all of my makeup better then ever. Pairing the Purity Made Simple cleanser with my Clarisonic was LIFE CHANGING! ok, maybe I am a little dramatic but my face is normal now, my oiliness is under control and best of all NO MORE BREAK OUTS!

JOSIE MARAN – 100 percent Pure Argan Oil: Keeping your skin moisturized is more important then most people realize. Just like your body needs hydration, so does your skin! For me, at first the word OIL made me want to run for the hills… My skin was already oily why the heck would I want to add more oil to it right? WRONG! After doing my research and reading reviews I had to give the Josie Maran Argan Oil a try. Within a week this product became a staple in my skincare routine, I noticed improvements in my skins elasticity and it’s hydration. Have no fear this oil is lightweight and never feels heavy or cloggy. Cloggy? Is that a word? HA, now it is… you know what I mean!

Clarisonic MIA2: I got my first Clarisonic about 4 years ago and I have never gone a day without it since. To me, my Clarisonic is like a tooth brush for my face! It gives an added boost to my facial cleanser and deep cleans my skin leaving it so fresh and so clean (go head, you know you sang that) Simply put… just imagine brushing your teeth with tooth paste, but no tooth brush… YIKES! Sure rubbing tooth paste on your teeth with your finger might make your teeth more clean then they were before you “brushed” but they would not be nearly as clean as if you used a brush. That is why I use my Clarisonic every morning and every night just before bed. 🙂

LUSH – Mask of Magnaminty: I use the LUSH Mask of Magnaminty once a week to keep my pores clear and my skin feeling soft, cleansed and my redness in check. Because of the peppermint in the mask it gives a nice little tingly feeling, but it is not too intense, unless you are sensitive to peppermint, if so then beware.

PHILOSOPHY – Miracle Worker® Overnight: I first got the Philosophy Miracle worker moisturizer as a free gift with purchase of another Philosophy product. After a few uses I went out and bought the full sized jar and I have been using it nightly ever since. Each night after I cleans my face I apply this moisturizer in a thin layer and then go to bed. An added benefit to this moisturizer is the Vitamin C , which helps to promote natural collagen adding that anti-wrinkle element that everyone loves. Or at least I do, I mean as I get older I will try anything to keep my skin looking young and fresh. 😉

Proactiv Solution Refining Mask: When I was younger I used the full line of Proactive products, and at that time they worked really well for me. But as I got older my skin changed and it stopped having the same benefits it once offered my skin. However the refining mask stuck by my side as my go to product for spot treatments. Any time that I get those unwanted blemishes I just pop the mask on top of the blemish after I wash my face at night and sleep with the treatment on that pesky spot (or spots) and by morning like magic the blemish is usually gone or significantly reduced in size.

GLAMGLOW – THIRSTYMUD™ Hydrating Treatment: The Thirsty Mud mask is the newest addition to my collection and oh my I don’t know what I was ever doing without it in my life before. This mask is EVERYTHING, I currently use it twice a week overnight and my skin has never felt or looked so radiant or hydrated EVER BEFORE. The Thirsty Mud mask is so easy to use, you can simply apply a thin layer and rinse if you wish or after allowing it to set for 15-20 minutes (or longer) massage into your skin for extra hydration. I don’t know what else to say other then this is the BEST MASK EVERRRR!!