New In: Beauty & Skin

I am back today to share some of the past couple weeks beauty faves!

I have been loving all things BECCA Cosmetics this week!! The excitement continues for me, I try a new product every day....my most recent fave will be below

Any requests for new posts can be emailed to emasonbeauty@gmail.com

Also, I am starting a 60 day challenge with my box tomorrow I can't wait!! More on that to come



1. Derma Roller

I had to get a new roller this past week since my other roller started sticking ah!

Think: I was rolling my skin and it would stop mid-roll OUCH!

Yes I am still needling and I love it!!!!

2. Makeup Geek Shadows & Crown Brush

 Shadows L to R { beaches n cream, brown sugar, creme brulee }

Loving the pigmentation on these shadows! And at $5.99 each they are extremely affordable

Also loving my new synthetic Crown Brushes! Reminds me of my fave  Sigma brushes
but super duper cheap and excellent quality

3.  Sigma brushes

Speaking of Sigma...

I pulled out my synthetic kabukis and I just love them for blending out everything on my face

Why did I ever quit using them???

4. BECCA Beach Tint Souffle

 

OMG....this stuff is awesome

Not super pigmented but I kind of like that because you can build it up. Also looks great on all skin tones I have played on!

This stuff is da bomb. I love that it has the signature BECCA highlighter throughout the product

What are some of your favorite new products???

XX
E

LORAC Pro 2 Palette

I have been playing around with the LORAC Pro 2 palette at work, getting a feel for the colors and I just love it.

Below are a couple looks [ sorry for the poor shots of the eyes ] that I created with some of the shades.

Cannot wait to invest in this palette! Such a great mix of colors esp if you are just getting into eyeshadow, the LORAC palette or my other favorite the original Naked palette both have a great mix of neutral and darker shades.

Look 1

Both looks are very subtle and matte but I will list below exactly what I did

1. Used 'Buff' all over the lid all the way up to the brow bone

2. Used 'Nectar' which is an orangey shade to play up my fading tan as a transition shade

3. Followed that with 'Lt Brown' on the outer corners and crease as well as smoked out the lower lash line with the brown

4. Finished off with a little more 'Buff' below brow bone

Super simple day time smoke with a hint of peachy-orange. Nectar is such a gorgeous shade  

And of course all over my face was iT Cosmetics { !!!! } 

Look 2

A bit more of a cool toned look and still all matte

1. Used 'Buff' all over lid and up to brow bone 

2. Started with 'Lt. Brown' as my transition shade

3. Followed with 'Cool Gray' on outer corner and into crease

4. Smoked out lower lash line with  some 'Lt. Brown' and a Mally eye liner

Check out this palette!!

XX
E

Skincare Fave: Indie Lee

I am very, very picky about what I put on my skin. I know that everything that goes on our skin gets absorbed into our bloodstream (think about all those chemicals and cancer causing ingredients in your favorite brands like MAC, MUFE, Dior, Chanel etc!). That's why I am so anal about natural cosmetics and natural skin care! It's just about being informed.

Here's where Indie Lee comes in. I read this amazing article almost a year ago and I just had to see what she is about as well as what her brand is about. Here is a snippet of her story from her website:

"I’m Indie lee. On Earth Day 2009, I was given a new life — I awoke from brain surgery to discover that a potentially fatal tumor had been successfully removed. Having learned that environmental toxins may have been the culprit, I began devoting myself to making all natural beauty products from the finest ingredients across the globe. Remember, what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. We also need to nurture our soul to let our inner beauty shine through. Life should be lived to its fullest, one moment at a time."


I was inspired by her strength and eagerness to create such an amazing line. I have spoken back and forth with her quite a few times on Twitter and she is truly an inspiration! Now this is a skin care company I would love to work for.


The Products

I purchased each of these on Hautelook about 6 months ago! And I still have a ton in each of them. I am so pleased by the quality and delicious smells!

The Cleanser

I LOVE this cleanser so much! I use it only at night on days I wear makeup to remove the makeup before my other cleanser. Usually, I recommend a creamy cleanser to remove makeup, but this one does it better than other creamy ones I've tried! Now I've used this for many months now and it is still almost half full!

If you have normal/dry skin types you could just use this morning and night, but since I have combo/acne prone I use a different cleanser with salicylic or tea tree in it.

Let's talk about the scent! Oh my it is delicious! The first time I used it I was stunned at how amazing it smelled, like fresh, ripe strawberries! It didn't smell artificial at all, and I hate when products go overboard on nasty artificial ingredients. I will definitely repurchase this when I run out because I love it so much!

Shop all Indie Lee Cleansers HERE!

Ingredients: 

100% Natural: Purified Water, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium, Coco- Glucoside Citrate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Xanthan Gum, Strawberry Oil, Lycopene, Phenoxythenol*, Ethylhexyglycerin * *Derived from natural sources

The Eye Balm

The eye balm is another amazing product I purchased. You can't really beat an eye product with just 4 ingredients! I only use this product at night, I just find that it tends to take a little while to sink in and sometimes I just don't have the time to wait that long in the a.m.! I love the first ingredient Calendula Oil because it is very healing and has an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It soothes dry skin and calms redness. But I also love the scent!! Anyone who knows me knows my favorite scent in the whole world is lavender! This product has definitely helped with under eye circles and puffiness when I wake up.

I apply this product with my ring finger only. I always make sure to wash my hand before touching any potted products like this and before touching my face period. I just swirl my finger around and glide under and around my eyes!

Find the Eye Balm HERE!

It really is a balm!

When warmed up on fingertips it instantly melts!

Ingredients:

100 % Natural: Calendula Oil, Beeswax, Magnifera Indica (mango) Seed Butter and Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) Oil

Shop all Indie Lee Balms HERE!

All in all, I highly recommend these products. I can't wait to purchase more from Indie!

It always makes me feel better when I purchase product from a small business or a wonderful person such as Indie, rather than some huge "popular" brand that tests on animals in some crazy country (ahem, Estee Lauder, Mary Kay & Avon I'm talking to you!!!).

xx

e

Summer-ize Your Skin Care Routine

Just like we take the layers off in the summer, we need to do the same with our skin care! This is mucho important. In the summer we're sweating more, and usually tend to have oilier skin. I am going to show you some of the products I use on my face in the summertime.

 Cleanser: It's very important in the summer to lighten up your cleanser! Use one with tea tree or salicylic acid to keep your oil at bay. I use this one year round because I have combo/acne prone skin! I got this huge bottle on Vitacost for a very good deal.

Toner: This is a must year round, but a toner with moisturizing and balancing ingredients is great for the summer. Some people forget we need to re-balance our skin after cleansing! And this is how you do it!

Moisturizer: Crucial and very important! One thing I don't understand is why people with oilier skin don't want to use moisturizer!! Oily skin needs moisturizer as much as dry skin, here's why. When people with oily/combo skin don't use a moisturizer, its like telling your oil glands to go into overdrive to produce MORE oil!! But more on that in another post. I just found the amazing organic brand Acure Organics, and let me tell you I'm obsessed! Its organic AND such a good price point! A good oil control facial moisturizer is crucial for a summer skin care routine to keep it all balanced. 

Mechanical Exfoliation

In the summer (and year round too!) exfoliation is key to glowing, beautiful skin! I use my Clarisonic Mia at night to help remove the excess dirt and debris that my cleanser can miss. I also use the sensitive skin head so it does not irritate my skin. If you are more sensitive maybe do this two or three times a week. Once you get a Clarisonic, you can never go back!

Chemical Exfoliation

Also important is chemical exfoliation. It goes deeper into the layers and provides an anti-aging effect too. These extra strength may be too much for some people, they also have a regular one which I used for 3 or so months before I started on the extra strength. It has helped with my post inflammatory hyperpigmentation too. BUT when using this you must pair it with a sunscreen during the day. Also, use this 2 step system at night, not in the morning! Your cells repair and turn over much faster when we are sleeping.

Sunscreen: The MOST important summer skin care staple! I got it for a discount on this website. It is a complete mineral block and it does not smell like sunscreen at all! I put this on before applying my makeup and let it sink in for 5 or so minutes. Using sunscreen everyday for me is a total must year round, but I make sure to never get lazy in the summer. It has the coolest gel like consistency and it semi mattifies after sinking in. This is the best sunblock I've ever used.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!

xx

e