Posts

Bogavia: All Luxury and All Natural

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If you have been looking to purge yourself of chemical and preservative filled hair and skin care, then keep reading... Bogavia is a skin and hair care brand free of: parabens, mineral oil, sodium laurel sulfate, artificial fragrance, and chemical preservatives! Oh yeah, and cruelty-free!! Everything in their ingredient list is easily pronounceable and all natural with a lot of organic plant and fruit extracts. They have a line for adults and babies -- so exciting! I contacted Bogavia after learning that they crafted a baby-friendly skincare line. My sons have grown a little fascination with creams and lotions after watching my AM & PM skincare routines. So, I had been looking for a baby-friendly lotion for them. I absolutely love Bogavia's Extra Gentle Healing Butter for my two angels' soft skin. The Healing Butter, infused with Calendula, is a thick unscented cream with a denseness like Desitin, but feels like a lotion. It can be used and applied all over the fac...

Acupressure Points for Pimples and Acne -- Guest Blog by Yasko

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Here's a great post by Yasko of Bliss Squared Massage on how to prevent pimples and acne through Acupressure. First, locate your acupressure points: ST 2 – The first ones are under the eyes. When you look straight in front of you they are under the pupils of your eyes right on the cheek bone. About a finger width from the eye socket. These are called Stomach 2. Gently press these points perpendicular to the cheek bone. ST 3 – The next set of point are about an inch below those points. These are called Stomach 3. It’s on the edge of the cheek bone. Press them gently slightly upward into the cheek bone. They are still under the pupils of your eyes. These are good for improving the circulation and metabolism on your face and clearing the blemishes and acnes. GB 12 – The third set of points are behind the ears. Behind the earlobe there is a bone. This is called mastoid process. There’s a depression behind it. This is called Gall Bladder 12. This point is good for ...

Holy Grail: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

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The Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in "Trooper" is THE ultimate black eyeliner!!! It is my latest holy grail, and I am never looking back. It is applies blacker than black, and with serious precision. I have shaky hands, so I prefer eyeliner pens with felt tips. I have tried almost all the drugstore eyeliner pens -- NYX's Super Fat Eye Marker is nice at first, but doesn't deliver opaque black ink, and the pen itself dries up quickly. Rimmel's ScandalEyes Micro Eye Liner comes super close as a drugstore dupe because it has a thin and precise felt tip,  but it falls short in delivering an opaque and fluid on the first run. I have to go over my line a few times to get a suitable opaque line -- not a big deal by any means, but the KVD conquers a dark opaque line in one stroke.  I must admit, though, that ScandalEyes is a great beginner's eyeliner not only because it is waterproof and so affordable, but the tip is a little more stiff and allows for more control. ...

Drugstore Contour: Covergirl TruBlend's FIXSTICK in D-5-7 vs. Maybelline FIT ME Foundation Stick in 'Coconut'

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Don't you love finding treasures in the drugstore! I mean why pay $$$ when you can pay $? My latest drugstore discoveries have been contouring tools – Covergirl's TruBlend Concealer Stick in D-5-7, the darkest shade; and Maybelline's FITME Foundation Stick in Coconut, also the darkest shade. Before I go on to compare and contrast the two, I wanted to let you all know that my complexion would be considered light-medium to medium with yellow undertones. Covergirl's FixStick Concealer Stick in D-5-7 I picked up this CoverGirl's TruBlend FIXSTICK Concealer Stick after deciding that it was a tad darker, and thus, probably better for contouring, than the L'OrĂ©al True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer in Medium-Deep Neutral. Neutral Contour Shade. The FIXSTICK turns out to be a great contouring tool. It truly is a neutral brown compared to the Maybelline FITME. It blends easily with my ELF Small Stipple Brush. I love how natural...

Holy Grail -- Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30

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If you follow me on Instagram, then you will know how obsessed I have been with Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in St. Mortiz . It has been on my face 95% of the time since I purchased it online from Sephora a month ago. What I Love. No Side Affects. When I was experiencing weekly breakouts on my chin, I avoided layering my face with anything unnecessary, and so that meant no foundation, bb cream, etc.,  unless it was an extremely special occasion (2-4 times a month max). Recently, when I started experiencing less breakouts, I wanted to venture into the something that would quickly and easily provide an even base all the while maintaining my no make-up makeup look. Super Pigmented Radiance! Most of the time, tinted moisturizers provide light coverage, but this Nars Tinted Moisturizer provides great buildable light to medium dewy coverage, which is so perfect for summer. It evens out my complexion without making it look like I have anything on. I love how it min...

Beautiful Heels Without the Pain

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Before I had kids, I was wearing 5 inch heels everyday. Now that I am a mom, I care more about the comfort factor because I am running around all day long.  I first learned of Julie Lopez shoes through Instagram. I was flipping through my feed, when I came across those beautiful snake print pumps pictured above. The caption read "Beautiful Heels Without the Pain".  I commented on how pretty the snake print was, and then Julie Lopez  reached out and offered  to let me test out their beautiful made-in-Italy leather shoes. Unfortunately, my feet are too small, and at this time, Julie Lopez does not offer my 4.5 wide shoe size. Luckily, my best mom friend/cousin, Nicole, wears a size that Julie Lopez offers. Nicole was the first person to come to mind when I needed a shoe model because she has  worked with high-end shoe labels in the past, and so she knows what to look for when judging shoe quality.  My muse, Nicole, is a young mom like me with t...