Sephora Chic Week Sale

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If you’re a beauty junkie, Sephora Chic Week is one of your favorite times of the year! That’s when everything is 15% off at Sephora and Sephora.com. The sale ends 4/22.

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Real Life Skin Care Routine

skin care routine

I’ve been getting heaps of comments and questions about my skin lately. I hesitate to tell you all my routine because it’s NOT a routine really. I’ve read tons of these and watched tons of skin care routines. They usually have so many steps and so many products. Am I the only one who thinks “I ain’t got time for that!” ?? So lets talk about my skin care routine. The products I use, exactly how I actually use them.

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Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

I know a lot of you are probably  like “Mother’s Day? ALREADY?!” but it’s on my mind because my mom has been on my mind a lot lately. About a week ago we had to say goodbye to one of our dearly beloved family pets, Silver the cat. He lived a very long happy life to the ripe old age of 16, but he was quite ill and we had to make a painful decision. Mom has taken it very hard as she and Silver had a special bond and spent a lot of time together. Sooo it’s gotten me thinking a lot about my mom and then logically, Mother’s Day. [Read more…]

Top Splurge Purchase Picks

This is kind of a different “top picks” post. Yesterday I wrote about Renee Rouleau’s Anti-Cyst treatment, which at $38.50 for .5 oz is pretty expensive. However, for skincare that works, I feel it’s worth spending the money if you have it. This post is all about the expensive stuff that is completely worth it. I’m not saying that all cheaper options suck, I’m just saying that these products are awesome, worth the money, and if you have the means to try them out you might enjoy them just as much as I do.

Alterna Moisture Caviar hair care products – Geez have I raved about Alterna enough yet? I love the shampoo, conditioner, and overnight hair rescue treatment. I’m playing with the working hair spray too and it’s not bad at all (I’m not a huge hair spray person). The rapid repair spray is also in occasional rotation as needed, too. Sephora has a little set that has travel sizes of my favorites from Alterna for $30.

LeAine Dehmer skin care – everything I’ve tried is phenomenal! I love the Maximum Daily Requirement moisturizer, Skin Breather exfoliating peel, and the basic gentle cleanser. I’ve also reviewed the completely awesome eye makeup remover. The downside? The price! That’s it! But if I could afford it I’d use this stuff like crazy. Instead I hoard what I have. ;) Available at LeAine Dehmer.

Clarisonic skin care brush – This is hotly debated in the beauty community. Worth it or not? Yes. There are less expensive “similar” products, but they aren’t sonic like the Clarisonic. It’s like comparing a budget electric toothbrush to a Sonicare electric toothbrush. Or comparing a VW to an Audi. I have no regrets about my Clarisonic. If you have an issue with keeping your pores clear, you won’t either. Note: I use the delicate brush heads and always use it with a gentle cleanser. Available from a variety of retailers – Sephora, Ulta, Beauty.com.

T3 Pro Hair Dryer. Yes, there are many cheaper hair dryers that work, but I still have no regrets about splurging for the T3 pro. I’ve had it for several years and it has never done me wrong. My hair dries faster and with less frizz, the dryer is very lightweight, and quieter than others. And it’s pink. So, come on.

GHD Flat Iron – When I started flat ironing my hair, I started out with a very cheap Revlon flat iron. It didn’t matter too much to me because I flat ironed my hair maybe once every other month, and used heat protector. But when that one died an untimely death I decided to upgrade to a Sedu. When my Sedu went missing mysteriously in a move, I was heartbroken. The difference between an extremely cheap flat iron and a higher end iron was already cemented in my habits. I didn’t spend full price on my GHD as mine was a salon demo model (it had only been used on a doll head), but it was still $100 so it was a significant purchase. I freaking love this flat iron. It heats up so fast and it takes me about 15 minutes to flat iron my hair. I don’t have that horrible tearing sensation as it glides over my hair, and my hair stays straight for a long time. GHD irons are available from Sephora. Please do not buy them on ebay as there are many fakes out there and they are DANGEROUS. Also try Folica.com for a lot of really nice straighteners (including Sedu!).

Makeup Forever Foundation – $40 is a lot to spend on a foundation for most people, but if you’ve got the money it just can’t be beat. I really adore HD foundation as well as Face & Body. It doesn’t hurt that both have perfect matches for my skin, either. ;)

Beauty Blender Sponges – This is another one I see discussed all the time. I admit, when I saw this I had the reaction that most of you do: “$20 for a sponge? WTF?” but, alas (for your wallet) it’s worth it. I first tried the cheaper alternative by Sonia Kashuk (available at Target), but then when I had a gift certificate I splurged on the set of 2 Beauty Blenders. They are so much sturdier than the SK version. If you wear makeup often, or do makeup on others, it’s worth having a tool that is of a higher quality that will last. My SK sponge already had a couple of chunks missing that tore out from washing/use. Beauty Blenders are going strong! Note: While I love the sponges, I don’t think the Beauty Blender Cleanser is worth it. Just use your regular brush cleanser or what you use to break down foundation on your brushes. Dawn soap works great too.

Alright. Capitalismfest is over. Going back to saving money posts after this. But if you get that bonus you’re hoping for, I hope you’ll refer to this list of splurges. ;)

Current Skin Routine

It seems to me that some bloggers, youtubers, and even beauty pros will talk about their “problem areas” but we never see them. We see the perfectly made up version and sometimes it’s hard to imagine how they get from point A to point Fabulous. So when I got the idea to tell you my current skin care routine, I thought you might like to see my point A, too. So okay, here’s what I’m working with. Pics can be enlarged if you dare.

Those spots on my chin are all scars. I love being pale, but I do not love how every single tiny bit of imperfection shows up so easily, and scars take FOREVER to fade. If anyone knows of something to help me out with that, I am definitely open to recommendations. 
When spring sprang and everything started blooming and blowing around, I officially entered skin and allergy hell. I don’t usually have ANY dark circles but I do now from allergies, and my eye area in general looks very fatigued. And my skin? It’s the freakin’ Sahara. I used to be oily. Now I have dry skin. Super. Oh and this is actually the improved version. It’s been getting better lately.
Here’s what I’ve been doing…
Cleansing:
Caudalie foaming cleanser w/ Clarisonic OR Ponds Wipe OR Philosophy Microdelivery Wash (only a few times a week)
Moisturizing:
Morning – The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream
Night – The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream and/or Vitamin E Cream Intense (I have some super dry patches that need the extra help, like my nose which is still raw from blowing my nose every five minutes)
Toning: 
Youthful Essentials Revitalizing Facial Toner – as needed. It’s a spray. Very refreshing.
mark. Mist Opportunity refreshing spray – also as needed, whichever I have on hand.
Eyes:
Morning – Garnier Anti Dark Circle Rollerball (I just picked this up today to integrate into my routine)
Night – Vasanti Eye Wonder eye cream

5 September Favorites

I cannot believe September is over. This month positively flew by. I am ready for fall and winter (ok, California does have seasons. Sorta. They’re just not as dramatic as other places. Really.) but California has other ideas. It’s been hot as hell here lately. A couple days ago it was 105. That’s absurdly hot for where I live. The sudden increase in temperature has my allergies going nutsy cuckoo. Lovely. :)

Anyway, favorites! My favorites this month are not very makeup-related because I haven’t been wearing much makeup this month, but they’re still on the topic of beauty.

Sally Hansen Extra Strength Nail Polish Remover
Finally. This nail polish gets the job done. It really is “extra strength”. Even with glitter polishes it takes everything off very quickly. I love it. The best part is it’s extremely cheap! It’s under $2 for a 10 oz bottle. Hooray.

Mango Extreme Hand & Body Creme by California Mango
This stuff is awesome. A friend of mine sent me this nifty little kit of California Mango products that included a small tube of this. It’s very thick, about the consistency of toothpaste, and so moisturizing. I use this on my hands occasionally (especially after a manicure because using nail polish remover can make them dry) but where this product really shines is for use on my feet. If you have a problem with dry feet and heels, try this. I don’t generally have dry skin but from the ankles down I am the Sahara. If that sounds familiar, get yourself to Sally Beauty! It’s the only place I know of that carries it.

Clarisonic Pro Skin Care Brush
I mentioned this in my “what’s in my shower” post, but it deserves another mention here. For the entire month of September I’ve been really vigilant about using my clarisonic at least every other day if not every day. I’ve been absolutely loving the results I get with it. I have had much fewer clogged pores and virtually no breakouts except for in the last day or so, but I chalk that up to allergies because I always break out from all the wiping/rubbing my nose.

Bath & Body Works Dark Kiss Shower Gel
I’ll do a more in-depth review of this shower gel soon on Beauty Debutante, but this shower gel is flippin’ fabulous. The scent is just plain sexy without being overpowering. The shower gel gives a great, luxuriously smooth lather, with or without a lather puff.

NYX Makeup Remover Gel Type
I like that this is a gel because you don’t have to worry about it getting in your eye when you’re removing your eye makeup. It works pretty well, and it smells incredible. It smells like coconuts! I wish this product was more accessible in brick & mortar stores. Actually, that’s my complaint about the NYX line altogether. It’s so hard to find in-store. Ulta’s selection is pretty lousy and they’re the only chain I can find the stuff in. Do try this out though, it’s so yummy!

That’s pretty much it for favorites this month. I haven’t tried that many new things that I’m ready to call ‘favorites’ yet.

I’d also like to mention that today I finally had to ‘retire’ (throw away) my tube of Revlon Grow Luscious mascara because I’ve had it open for about 4 months and I try to be good about replacing my mascara on a regular basis. It was starting to dry out a little bit. RIP Grow Luscious. But I should also mention that despite the fact that I have tons of mascaras I have been meaning to try, I grabbed another tube when Revlon was 40% off at Walgreens because it’s a really nice mascara and I wanted to have it on hand for the next time I try one that sucks and I need to be reminded that mascara is not my enemy. ;)

Samples of NYX All Purpose Makeup Remover (Gel Type) and BBW Dark Kiss Shower Gel provided for review.

Down memory lane with Hard Candy

I was really into painting my nails in junior high. I always had some wild combination of colors on my fingers. Anything from striping to a different color on each finger. You name it. One of my favorite birthday gifts of that era was a trio of Hard Candy polishes. I have since lost or discarded them (weep!) but they were beautiful colors! So when Hard Candy went 75% off, I was completely tempted. I am so thrilled with my order, too.

I ordered a Mini Nail Kit in “Delinquint”. It comes with 7 mini size nail polishes. They are mini (.17 oz) but plenty for a bunch of manicures. They come in a super cute metallic hot pink case, too! The colors are:

Angel – Champagne w/ gold & silver shimmer
Trailer Trash – Silver with silver shimmer
Earth – Beigey taupe with multicolored shimmer
Scam – Hot pink with silver shimmer
Stop – Bright red w/ red shimmer
Vinyl – Very dark purple-black
Vibe – Black w/ shimmer

I’m wearing Angel right now. It’s such a classic, go-with-everything mani but looks really elegant. It took 2 coats to get fully opaque coverage.

I also grabbed a full sized polish in Jailbait, which is pale lavender with pink and purple shimmer.

These polishes wear extremely well. Normally a manicure is chipped to hell on me by a week. It’s been a week since I did this mani with HC Angel and it looks pretty good still! There’s a couple teensy chips and the color is wearing off the tip of one nail but you have to really inspect my nails to notice.

As far as makeup goes, I didn’t have that much interest in Hard Candy’s offerings. However, Sweet Spot lipgloss caught my eye. They list the scent as “orange blossom”. Sounds yummy! So I picked up Sweet Spot gloss in Love Child, which received great reviews. It’s a my-lips-but-better nude shade, and the scent is everything I thought it would be and more. Orange blossom = sugary orangey goodness. I almost want to eat this lipgloss. I find myself opening it up just to smell it! It feels light but moisturizing on the lips. It’s thin/not too sticky for those of you who aren’t into sticky lips (I don’t mind them myself).

So all and all not bad, especially since I spent only $17!! Hard Candy is not 75% off anymore, but it is still 50% off, so check them out. :) www.hardcandy.com