Paula's Choice C15 Serum

About a month ago I got an email from BuzzAgent asking if I was interested in trying out Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster serum for the face. I immedately signed into my account and jumped on the chance to try this product. It's been on my radar since one of my fave youtubers ttsandra raved aboout.This stuff is supposed to QUICKLY brighten skin, VISIBLY reduce brown spots, and promote firmer looking skin. Being a 32 year old mom with finicky/acne prone skin, this sounded like something that would be worth trying out. After using this for about month I can definitely say that I noticed brighter and plumper skin when used consistently. My under eye area looks less dry and more radiant. I also noticed some of my post-acne marks are looking a tad lighter, but nothing crazy! The biggest plus is that my skin is more even in tone and breakouts are noticebly less frequent (AMEN!). The C15 serum is now a staple in my skincare regimine, I just ordered the full size along with their retinol serum. Have you heard or tried? If you are interested LMK and I can give you a 20% coupon code.


                                                 

                                   
                                                 

xoxo
-Wendy

Kick back and enjoy a coconut.....mask

This past Monday night my daughter chunks decided she would go to bed early. So I took advantage of that extra hour of quiet time to test the Montagne Jeunesse Creamy Coconut mask that I received for review in my Infuenster VivaVoxBox (try saying that 3 times fast). Let me start out by saying that I normally go for clarifying, detoxifying, or drying masks because of my combo acne prone skin. The word hydrating normally sends me running for the hill, last thing I need most of the time is hydration. But I figured it was my job to take one for the team in the name of beauty.

Upon first inspection the mask was definitely creamy and had a cream yet somewhat liquid-y consistency. I applied it to clean, dry skin and it took me a minute to get the hang of applying it. Once on I enjoyed the cooling effect it had. The instructions said to leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, so I decided to iron some work clothes while I waited. About 20 minutes later, I check myself out in the mirror and noticed that the mask had dried down to a almost clear somewhat hard consistency on most of my face. Definitely not what I expected. I rinsed my face with warm water and instantly noticed how smooth and plump my skin felt. No need to follow up with moisturizer, those with drier skin might need to. I went to bed and woke up the next morning with soft glowy skin, even though I only got about 4 hours of sleep. My make-up went on without a hitch and I loved how great my skin looked.

Overall, I was very surprised with results. I mean, who doesn't love waking up with soft, glowing skin?  Definitely adding this to my Ulta shopping list. This product is available in most drugstores, as well as Target and Walmart. The Ulta website list these masks between $1.99 and $2.49. I'm guessing you can get about 2 uses per pouch, which is a steal in my book. Have you tried any Montagne Jeunesse masks? Which once is your favorite??

XO-Wendy

Baby must have: sound machine

My daughter has been a light sleeper since birth. It also didn't help that she had acid reflux for the first four months of her life. My hubby and I had to find creative ways to help her stay asleep.p, which meant spending countless reading up on the latest and greatest sleep gadgets. We ended up with 3 that have so far kept Chunks sleeping through the night since she was six months old. 

First up is the Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother. I love that this soother provided both sound and lights. This unit comes with an adjustable strap that helps secure it to the crib. It has the options to play white noise or music. The soother stays on for 30 minutes, with four modes that include a combination of white noise, melodies, and light. The built in drift feature reduces the volume and lights every 10 minutes. It takes 4 D batteries, has a red light indicator that let you know the batteries need to be changed, and includes a remote to turn on the unit up to 15 feet away if needed. Overall, this is awesome for those nights when she's in and out of sleep.

 

Second up is her Tiny Love Tiny Princess Soothe N' Groove Mobile, boy that's a mouthful!
 This mobile has the most darling little mobile that matches her room decor perfectly. It has a total of 18 different songs divided into 6 categories. You also have a choice to have the mobile rotate with the night light on or off. This mobile also has child friendly buttons that Chunks can turn on when she wakes in the middle of the night. I usually find that it helps her go back to sleep, without my hubby or I having to get up. This unit also has the option to remove the rotating portion and use it for the music. We haven't reach that point yet, but it's a nice option to have as our daughter gets bigger.

Lastly is the Munchkin Nursery Projector and Sound machine. I purchased this after one of the youtubers I follow, Lisasz09, talked about this in one of her videos. What I loved about this unit is that it is voice-activated. So if Chunks wakes up and starts making noise, then the until will turn on automatically. This is nice for those moments when an unexpected noise like the dogs barking wakes her early. I find that she usually goes right back to sleep, which to me is a life-saver when I am trying to get some work done or doing something around the house. We don't use the projector option, I find that it keeps her up which results in a cranky sleepy baby.

While it may seem like this is baby soother overkill, I like having options, as well as the peace of mind knowing we have a few back-ups just in case one is left at grandma's. Last thing we want to do his drive back just before bedtime to pick it up! What were your go to baby sleep aids or sleeping techniques?

Xo-
Wendy

A little drugstore haul.....

I had a few CVS Extracare bucks and coupons to use so I popped into my local CVS to see what I could find.  First on my list was to see if the happened to have the color tattoo's from the new Maybelline Dare to Go Nude Collection. Unfortunately my store had everything but the color tattoo's.  I did happen to find my shade in the CG Outlast 3 in 1 foundation, 857 Golden Tan. For some reason this shade is always sold out, so I was excited to pick it up. I'm normally a NARs Sheer Glow or Smashbox Studio Skin, while I've tried a few drugstore foundations here and there, I've never found one that works. Let's hope this one lives up to all the rave reviews!

Next on my list was a nice cobalt blue polish. I'm a sucker for anything navy but have seen bright blues popping up all over twitter, instagram, and pinterest. A blogger I follow on twitter posted a pic of her latest manicure and I couldn't get that shade of blue out of my mind. I headed to the Sally Hanson and promptly added #435 In Prompt Blue in the Insta-Dri formula. I can't wait to put this beautiful blue on my nails as well as see what this insta-dri is all about.

Lastly I wanted to try a new one the new Revlon Color Burst Matte balms, so I picked the shade Elusive. Since I have darker complexion with yellow undertones, it's hard for me to find a light pink that won't wash me out. As you can see by the swatch below, this shade is a bit warmer than the normal cool toned pinks and it looks like it has decent pay off. Fingers crossed it works out!

Have you picked any good finds from the drugstore lately? I would love to hear about them!

-Wendy

What's in my make-up bag....

I normally put my make-up on in the morning before leaving the house, except for mascara! For some reason I always find myself applying it in the car before heading into the office or at my desk. I have tried to change this numerous times, but I always go back! Anyway, here's a peak at what's in my bag currently.

I bought this make-up back at Sephora quite a few years back. I loved it so much that I bought a back up! The color is not only fun but I really love the stud detail. Now, more importantly the contents:

At first glance you can see a lot of lip products, eyelash curler, and face powder.

While I usually put my make-up on at home, I seem to have a thing for putting on mascara at work or in the car. Right now I have quite a few mascaras that I am trying to finish up am done that I am testing. I can tell you that I don't care much for the MAC Extended Play Gigablack WP mascara. It does absolutely nothing for my lashes and even flattens out any curl I have prior to applying it. For reference I have short, straight, stubborn lashes. I almost always buy the WP version because they help hold any curl I have longer. I really love the L'oreal Telescopic mascara and layer it with Benefits They're Real for nice thick and full lashes. I'm still trying to decide how I feel about Clinique's High Impact Extreme Volume mascara. My initial thought is that the formula is a bit too wet for my liking, which causes any curl I have to go completely flat. On a positive note, I am really impressed with Cover Girls Bombshell Volume. The first step is a normal plastic brush like lash blast, which is great for separation and also good for applying mascara on my bottom lashes. The second step is more of your classic mascara brush that is good for thickening and really darkening your lashes. And even though it is not waterproof, it has good staying power with minimal transfer on the the under eye area. All these mascaras are black or blackest black when available. I also have two eyeliners that I am trying to use up. One is the Urban Decay 24/7 liner duo in black and brown. Sadly this liner always smudges on me so at this point I'm just trying to get my money's worth. The second is the Make Up For Ever Aqua eyes in 23L, a golden pink champagne. I use this to brighten my inner corner or to line my lower lash line. This liner has awesome staying power.

Lastly we have lip products. First up is Stila's Kitten gloss. This is your average glitterly gloss. It doesn't have chunky glitter but it is quite sticky. My hair seems to always find its way to my lips when I am wearing it. It provides a pretty sheen but not worth the sticky mess, so I will not be repurchasing once this is done. Next is Too Faced La Creme in Teddy Berry. For me this is a lovely my lips but better moisturizing lipstick balm. It's a darker nude that leans a bit more berry. On days when I want a bit more shine, I top this it YSL's Gloss Pur #8 Pur Watermelon. This is one of my favorite glosses!! I love how smooth this glides on my lips and the fact that it has no stickiness what so ever. I also the amazing watermelon scent. I'm guessing these glosses have been discontinued because they are no longer listed on the Sephora website, where I originally purchased it. This would be a definite repurchase if it was still available. Alas, my hunt begins to find a replacement. The Revlon Lip Butters are surprisingly great lip balms with a hint of color. I have the shade Pink Truffle which is just a tinge darker and more pinky nude then Teddy Berry. This is one of those colors that I can apply on the go and not worry about looking like a clown. I will definitely be repurchasing this one, I might try another color, but since most are pretty sheer I am afraid they won't show up on my pigmented lips. Next is MAC's Plumful, is lustre finish lipstick that I consider a pinky-slight plumy color. This is another my lips but better color that isn't as bright as Teddy Berry. I like to wear this when I do a bolder eye because it gives my lips a subtle natural touch of color. Lastly, I always have some kind of clear balm, this on is by CO Bigelow. It's one of their Lip Cream in Lemon & Pomegranate. This has a sweet lemonade and berry scent that leaves my lips soft and super moisturized. It doesn't come out completely clear from the tube, it's a bit opaque but leaves no color behind on my lips. Below are some swatches everything but the lip cream.

The swatches are in order as pictured above, starting with Stila's Kitten on the left.

What do you have in your make-up bag at the moment? I would love to know, especially if there is something you are really loving at the moment. I'm off to feed my cold, have a good weekend!

-Wendy