Dre Does an Ipsy Review

Long story short, I moved and my Ipsy Glambags got lost and delayed. So we're here now 3 months behind. Whoops. Instead of completely skipping over two months worth of IPSY Glambags, I've decided to include what I got for my May and June bags with the price breakdown and then I'll do my normal July review within the next week! 

To be honest this bag for May was the most underwhelmed I've felt so far with Ipsy. I was surprised to calculate that it was worth $37.67 because I didn't think it would be. If it wasn't for the Pur-lisse hydra-moist face moisturizer sample valued at around $16 though, it wouldn't have been worth as much. I do like to see deluxe sizes of expensive products though so in the end I think it was a smart move for Ipsy if the rest of the products weren't going to be valued at as much. I think for a spring bag it was great to get more skincare related products than makeup because I really like to keep my skin in check with the summer weather changes. Both the Hang Ten SPF 50 sunscreen and Avène Thermal Spring Water are great to keep in your purse for when you need a high SPF or your face deeps some moisture from a facial spray. Click here to read about my pool routine so you can see why I like to keep them on hand! I always love a good cream shadow base, so it was nice to try one from City Color in a pretty gold shimmery shade. Lastly, the full size Nailtini Polish was a nice addition since in May it's time to start making sure those toes are looking good at all times with the upcoming sandal weather! 

My June bag was valued at almost the exact same at $37.36! While I was completely in love with three products, I threw out the Be a Bombshell mascara (because it smelled so terribly of cheap tar) and I'm not a huge fan of perfume samples in a sample pack I'm paying for, so the Real Tree sample wasn't my favorite. A NYX butter gloss that I already love is always a plus in my book, so when paired with a Marc Anthony Beach Spray for your hair that smells like summer and a universal eyebrow pencil from OFRA, I was happy with the month of June. I like that you can get various shades of the product based on how much pressure you apply, so many people can use it! And can we talk about how great the bag was for June, designed by Rebecca Minkoff?! I love the floral print! 

Stay tuned for my July Ipsy Review friends! We will get back to how I normally review the bags with descriptions of each product individually and price breakdowns! I can't wait to show you how great the July bag is! Thanks for hanging tight in the mean time because I know how much you guys love the Ipsy reviews. If any of the products above caught your attention though, please feel free to comment on them and I'll be happy to answer questions or review them further!

And as usual, here are the links to my previous Ipsy Reviews! You can tell just by the numbers the past few months haven't been worth as much as previous months, but I like that I'm getting a larger variety of products so this doesn't bother me. The whole point of a subscription service like this is to try new types and brands of products, so as long as I'm getting a value of over $30 for spending only $10, I'd consider it worth it!

March Ipsy Review ($46.71)

February Ipsy Review ($45.02)

January Ipsy Review ($38.17)

December Ipsy Review ($57.17)

Click here to subscribe to Ipsy yourself!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does April Favorites

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Can we forget about the fact that I missed March favorites? Great! Let's get to the good stuff! The end of April means tomorrow begins May. Happy May to all of my fellow May babies out there! Isn't it the best month of the year? ;)

Korres Lip Butter and Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegrante: Ok, I try not to buy into the hype of all the products I read about on the internet but when I came across a four-pack of Korres products at my local Marshall's for $12, I figured the universe was sending me magical beauty signs. These two products are full size and retail for at least $12 each. Sadly it looks like the Lip Butter Glazes are discontinued but you can find them on eBay and amazon still. I'm obsessed with these both. They are both extremely smooth and buttery on the lips and I can see why people are so obsessed with them. I love the original Lip Butter for a sheer coral tint and the Glaze gives a slightly more pigmented coral look. The colors are beautiful and the texture is devine. Wish me luck in not buying every shade.

NYX Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake: Clearly I have a thing for products with the name Butter (Paula Deen would be so proud!) The absolute perfect 'your lips but better' shade for every skin tone. It's like a nude slightly more amped up with a nice mauve undertone. All of these glosses are an amazing smooth texture and the color payoff is great. I own at least 7 of them I believe and I love them all,  I just always make sure to have this shade on hand! 

'The New Classic' by Iggy Azalea: I preordered this album the second I heard Fancy for the first time and the rest of it is nothing short of amazing. I love her attitude, fashion, music, etc. Beyoncé can be the queen but Iggy is most certainly the Goddess. Listen now friends.

La Roche Posay's Thermal Spring Water: I was in Sephora one afternoon picking out a toner and the beauty advisor recommended this thermal water in place of one. Normally I think they're just pushing products but since you cannot buy this in Sephora, I figured it must be a good product and I continued further research at home. I bought a massive bottle on amazon and I'm loooooving it. It has Selenium in it which has natural healing and antioxidant properties. I want to use it a little longer before I do a full review but expect that in the next few weeks.

Amika products and Digital Thermal Styler: Incase you missed my last post, I reviewed four Amika hair products and this styler that I recently picked up at America's Beauty Show in Chicago. It's nothing short of a love affair. Click here to see that post since it goes much more in depth!

Sam & Libby for Target Flats: These are my new go to spring flats. I purchased them months ago in January at Target and I can't get enough of them. The design is super comfortable and they go with everything. The base color is black but there is a metallic gold sheen to them that jazzes them up a bit. I especially love the little spikes on the heels. This is my current favorite cut of flat because the top comes up far enough so they stay on your feet yet don't rub anywhere. I hate having to break in flats and getting blisters but these so far keep me blister-free!

I hope you all had a wonderful April and are ready for my favorite month of the year! Happy May friends!

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

Dre Does an Update

Hello Friends!

Sorry for the small absence but here's an update on where I've been the last two weeks. First off, I'm now entering my last week of esthiology school. With that comes exams, practicals, preparing for state boards and much more! The time that I usually spend writing blog posts has been consumed with study guides, watching massage DVD's, etc...The good news is that I graduate on Friday!! I also spent last weekend in great company at America's Beauty Show in Chicago. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I learned about so much. I'll put some pictures at the end for those who are curious what it is like! Lastly and most importantly, I was offered a job as an esthetician a few weeks ago and have already begun training and learning about all the products and makeup I'll be working with! If you are interested in coming to visit me for a service please feel free to message me on my Dre Does Facebook page! I'm so thankful for all of the opportunities that have been coming my way and the support from all of you that has been equally as amazing. When I decided to switch life paths from PA school to being esthetician, I never expected it to work out this quickly and this well. I couldn't feel more blessed and loved. So a BIG thank you to you if you've been a part of my journey! While I'll be getting used to my new post-graduation schedule in the next few weeks, Dre Does will continue on as normal! I have some fun things planned for spring that I can't wait to share, but as usual feel free to let me know of any questions or requests! 

And now for some pictures!

Standing outside the expo center

The expo center

The expo center

Getting my hair styled at the Amika booth

After getting our hair done at the a Amika booth

More Amika magic!

Chicago :)

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Nighttime Skincare Routine

I'm back with my nighttime skincare routine. I know it looks like a lot, but I don't use all of these products every night as you'll see shortly. Once again let me reiterate that this is just a guide for the types of products and steps that could be useful in a routine for you. This is what I personally like and as an almost licensed esthetician... (less than a month till I take boards!!) this is what works for me! If you missed my morning skincare routine or want to know what my skin type is, click here. 

Step 1: Cleansing is one of the most important things you can do for your skin. If you're going to do the bare minimum, please at least do this. I use the Aveda Enbrightenment Brightening Cleanser. Refer back to my morning skincare routine for more on it.

Step 2: Exfoliating is key for managing many different skin types. I do this step just at night because I find it's often enough for my skin. I use the Aveda Liquid Exfoliant because it is a chemical exfoliant which basically means it dissolves and breaks down the dead skin cells instead of your traditional mechanical exfoliant that scrubs and sloughs them off. Chemical exfoliants are great for areas of acne because there is no scrubbing involved so they are gentler on sensitive areas. I feel like adding this product in has helped my skin tremendously. For my post on why exfoliating is important click here. 

Step 3: Once again toning is in my routine because it's important to balance the pH of your skin. For more on this refer back to my morning skincare routine.

Step 4: Treatment! This is the main focus of my nighttime routine. I have three products listed but I don't use them all every night. This is where I really try to listen to what my skin needs and use products accordingly. First off I have my Aveda Enbrightenment Brightening Correcting Serum. If I'm working on fading any hyperpigmentation or discoloration (which I usually am...haha) I press the smallest amount of this serum into those areas of unevenness. Next, is the tarte Pure Maracuja Oil. I've been trying out a sample of this from Sephora for awhile and I'm loving it. Just 3 drops all over my skin and it feels so much softer when I wake up in the morning. It's supposed to help with fine lines and evening out skin tone, so I'll keep you updated on that. So far my skin seems to be loving it. Lastly, if I notice my Ezcema flaring up on my cheeks, I'll use a little bit of my Aveda Beautifying Composition oil on it. It's amazing at dealing with Ezcema and I just skip the moisturizing in that area since it's enough of a moisturizer. 

Step 5: Lastly, just like any skincare routine, we have moisturizing. I use the tiniest amount of the Enbrightenment Brighting Correcting Creme even though I have oily skin because I'm just going to sleep and especially with this winter weather, I feel like it gives my skin the hydration it needs. As it starts to warm up and my skin returns to its more oily state, I'll probably switch back to the Embrightenment Brightening Correcting Lotion I mentioned in my morning routine. 

Prevention is key is skincare. These may seem like a lot of products but as an esthetician with skin cancer in her family history, I want to take care of the only skin I'm going to get. The skin is the largest organ in the body and it can tell you a lot about your health so it shouldn't be skipped when living a healthy lifestyle. As usual, if you have any questions please let me know. A lot of you have been reaching out to me recently with questions and I love helping answer them! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Morning Skincare Routine

Having a skincare routine for both the morning and evening is the most important part of having healthy and beautiful skin. What products you specifically use will be completely unique to your skin type and liking, but I thought it could be helpful for me to share my routines for those of you who may have similar skin types to mine. You'll notice this says morning skincare routine. Depending on your skin type you may have the same routine both day and night, but I personally like to apply more products at night. As a natural born multi-tasker, you can bet I'm going to put my skin to work while I'm sleeping...haha

So here's the morning routine that I've been using that I love:

While the actual products will be specific to your needs, the basic steps of cleansing, toning, eye cream, and moisturizing are a good quick route to go for the mornings. As far as skin type goes, I have combination skin. I get oily in my T-zone but I have more dry and red skin on my cheeks due to Ezcema. If you're confused on what type of skin you have, click here to read about the different skin types and how to figure out what you are. As a Mediterranean and South American skin type I also tan extremely easily and never burn. While that is great for getting a summer time glow, when it comes to acne and blemishes, I joke that just looking at a blemish will make it scar. Normally scarring comes from picking or popping blemishes, but mine scar regardless. Therefore I am obsessed with Aveda's Enbrightenment Skincare System. It is targeted for hyperpigmentation, scarring, and discoloration. Using Salicylic Acid and a brightening blend of skullcap, mulberry, and grape, Enbrightenment focuses on increasing cell turnover in order to get rid of old discolored skin cells which will in turn reduce the appearance of discoloration. It also helps improve skin clarity. 

Step 1: Cleansing is crucial, even in the morning. It's important to start your day with clean and fresh skin before applying anything else to it, whether makeup, SPF or other products. Ridding your skin of any excess oils and dirt from sleeping is the best way to begin. I use the Enbrightenment Brightening Cleanser. I actually keep it in the shower to speed my mornings up by a few minutes. One key thing to remember with cleansers is that no matter what cleanser you use, only keep it on your skin for 3 minutes maximum. Cleansers are designed to strip your skin so after 3 minutes you can start doing  harm to your skin. If you missed my post on the right cleanser for you, click here! 

Step 2: A key step that many people don't know much about is toning. Since cleansing strips your skin of oils and debris, you have to balance the pH of your skin. Your skin has a barrier that has a natural healthy pH that must be maintained in order to protect you from factors such as environment irritants, the sun, pollution, free radicals, etc...Toning your skin will help restore your skin's barrier and therefore protect you from day to day factors. Toners also help bring moisture into the skin and allow for a better product penetration of whatever products you apply afterwards. I use the Enbrightenment Brightening Treatment Toner. 

Step 3: I love the Origins Ginzing Refeshing Eye Cream. As an extremely busy person, I have chronic puffiness and dark circles around my eyes. This eye cream is really light, which I love since a lot of eye creams can be pretty heavy. Now I know what you may be thinking! You're only 23! Why do you use an eye cream already? But the truth is using an eye cream is going to not only make my eyes look more awake and even toned, but it's going to keep that area nice and hydrated. Hydration is key in preventing wrinkles, so if I can do something that's going to help me in the long run, I'm going to want to do it! Haha 

Step 4: Moisturizing is also key in a basic skin care routine. It's important to give your skin the hydration it needs for the day. My favorite part about the Enbrightenment line is that they make a lotion for those of us with more oily skin and a creme for those that are drier. In the mornings I use the Enbrightenment Brightening Lotion so that I'm not putting anything on that's too heavy and creating too many oils for the makeup I normally apply after. 

Additional important step: Another huge step in morning skincare is SPF. Luckily, my foundation has one in it so I don't have to add the additional step, but if yours doesn't or you don't wear makeup, be sure to apply one for sun protection!

I hope this helped! Remember it's just a guideline. I know it may sound like an Aveda Enbrightenment ad but it's the line that works best for my skin right now, and you can interchange any of the steps with the products that work best for you! Just be sure to get a routine down and stick to it because it's important to start your day with clean and healthy skin if you want it to appear that way. Makeup applications will always be easier if you take care of your skin first! Leave me a comment if you have any questions!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

It's that time of month again! I'm here with my February Ipsy Glambag Review and I'm sorry that I'm a little later than usual. You will see why though when you read on!

My apologies but my overall shot of all of my Ipsy products doesn't include all five. I did however snap individual product shots before I either a, gave away a product because it smelled so bad...(yes haha read on) or b, used it up! Whoops! I got a little excited...The bag itself is adorable as usual. It's pink and a great wipeable material. The inside has a cute pink leopard pattern which is fun. But let's get to the good stuff :) 

The first product I want to talk about is my favorite from the bag. A full size Zoya polish! These babies retail for $9 and are 5-Free! Incase you're unfamiliar with this nail term, it means that the polish is formulated without Formeldahyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate, Formeldahyde Resin, or Camphor, which are all harsh chemicals that we don't want to be putting on our nails. (3-Free nail polishes are also good which are formulated without Formeldahyde, Toluene, or Dibutyl Phthalate! The 5-Free just takes it a step further!) Polishes formulated without these chemicals are generally more expensive so it's awesome that Ipsy included a full size one this month! I love this gray/purple shade called 'Odette'. I feel like it's a happy medium between nude and color. I just got a gel manicure last night though so this is why I had to swatch it on my hand...haha However, I can tell it's a nice cream formula that would apply well. I've only heard great things about Zoya. 

The next product is a face mask and being my background in esthetics, I was ridiculously excited to see this included. This post is a little delayed because I wanted to wait and use this mask when I had enough time to really enough it. It's the Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud by Skyn ICELAND. It's a two Phase mask which means that there are two pouches of product that you apply on top of each other. First you apply phase one which is made of Blue Clay and 13,000 mud from the Ice Age (haha this made me chuckle). It had a cooling sensation that feels nice and is supposed to oxygenate, smooth, and clarify your skin.Then you apply phase two right on top, which is a clear AHA gel complex that refines and detoxifies your skin. You massive the gel into the blue clay and it becomes warm and foamy. It's pretty fun to do, not going to lie...hahaThere's also Aloe in the mask which makes it soothing and good for all skin types, even sensitive. Overall my skin felt really awesome afterwards. I would definitely consider purchasing the full size product which is $39 for 6 mask sets (six of each phase). That makes this mask worth $6.50 and brings our Glambag total to $15.50 so far! 

And because what's a face mask without an awesome selfie for you to see what it looks like on? :) 

Next up we have lashes from Jcat Beauty. While I don't wear fake lashes very often, they're always a nice thing to get and have on hand. I've never tried lashes from this brand but they look like a nice length and shape, while I don't normally use it, it's awesome that they come with a mini sized lash glue incase I ever forget my favorite one by Duo. I'll keep you updated on how I like them when I use them! These retail for $3.99 bringing our total up to $19.49!

Next up we have the Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow and Base in One in the shade Violette which is a pretty lilac shade with shimmer (it's a nice nod to the 2014 Pantone shade Radiant Orchid). It's a cream base for your eye shadows that is supposed to be a creamy base and powder shadow in one (as the name clearly states haha). This combo is supposed to prolong the wear of your shadow by preventing any fading or creasing throughout the day. I have only used it once before I will have to play with it a little more to give a strong review on it, but so far the wear seems pretty average. It applies nicely and the color is beautiful. With a retail value of $18 since it is full size, I'm very happy to have received it. Current total = $37.49!

Lastly we have the item that smelled so terribly that it was given to a friend within seconds of opening my bag because they could stand the smell and wanted a free lip gloss...haha! It always disappoints me when companies don't spend as much time working on something like the smell of a product. I personally can be completely turned off from something even if I love the actual product, if it smells terrible (especially a lip product because hiiiii...my lips are pretty close to my smeller!). The actual gloss looked nice and pigmented and was a beautiful color but I couldn't get past the 'awful, chemical, disgusting, I don't even know smell'. I did however snap a photo of it before it was adopted. The full size 8.5g product retails for $16, so this mini guy is valued at $7.53 at 4g. This brings our grand total this month to $45.02! Not bad Ipsy, not bad.

Overall I really enjoyed this bag once again! Even without that gloss it was worth over $37 so I'm thrilled! Let me know if any of you have tried any of these products and if you are an Ipsy Subscriber let me know what you got! As usual Ipsy has all the discount codes for all of the brands they worked with this month, listed on their website so it's an awesome opportunity to try out a full size of something you enjoyed from your bag! Below I've linked my two previous months' reviews and the link for you to subscribe yourself if you'd like to! 

Click here for my January Ipsy Review.

Click here for my December Ipsy Review.

Click here to subscribe to Ipsy! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does February Favorites

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Happy March friends! We're officially one month closer to spring and warmer weather! While that is one of my favorites I'm here with the things I loved most in the month of February. 

1. tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara: In February, tarte sent out a coupon code for valentines day so I took the opportunity to pick up their Christmas gift set I had wanted since it was already marked down. It came with two of these mascaras and I'm obsessed. It lengthens and volumizes so well and I feel like it holds curl really well too. The only con is that it's a little more difficult to get off at night than some of my other favorite mascaras but it's nothing compared to Benefit's They're Real, so that's good. I gave my sister a tarte eye set for Christmas and this came in it and she's obsessed too! While it is $19, I think it's a great mascara to keep on hand even if you use it only for special occasions. 

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstic in 01: I love the finish of these lipsticks. Great pigmentation and they really do stay on for a long time. I love the finish because it's a happy mix of matte and gloss but I'd say they lean more to matte side. Whenever I wear this shade I get compliments and people think it's a really high end lipstick. So if you're daring enough to try something bold, go out to your local drugstore and pick this one up. I haven't tried the matte line by Kate yet, but after such success with the Lasting Finish line, I know it won't be long. 

3. Aveda Botanical Kinetics Liquid Exfoliant: I'm working on a few posts dedicated to my skin care routine so I'll go more in depth about this product there, but I recently added this chemical exfoliant to my night time routine and I think it's helping tremendously with getting rid of the acne and scarring on my chin. If you're new to exfoliation, check out my post on why it's so important here.

4. Bubble baths: We can't rid our lives of stress, but we can work on how we manage it so it doesn't affect our mind, body, skin, and everything inbetween. Bubble baths are one of my favorite stress management techniques. I made a promise to myself that is was going to take more of them in 2014 and so far I'm doing pretty well. If you're having trouble sleeping at night, try a bath beforehand to calm and relax you. 

5. MAC Cosmetics Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb: How does one stay away from beautifully packaged Rose Gold products? Don't look at me for the answer because I took one glance at the MAC counter and I was sold. Right now since I'm a little paler, I love using a little of this with a matte blush to give me more of a glow. I think in the summer time though this would make an amazing highlight for bronzed skin. I'll keep you updated on that if we ever see the sun again here in Michigan...

6. Thank You Power by Deborah Norville: My dad gave me this book for Christmas and I absolutely loved it. It's a quick and easy read about focusing more on our gratitude in all aspects of life because situations will not only turn out better for us, but we will be much happier. It's filled with many short stories and examples of how thank you power has helped others in all kinds of problems, big and small. I really recommend reading it. We can't control the things that happen to us, but we can control our attitude while we handle them. Gratitude plays a huge part in making us stronger through the tough times. 

7. Sharpie Pens: I'm not really sure how I survived life before these guys, but they are the only pens I will use. I love how they come in many colors so that my planner can be super organized. Just stay away from the clickable ones because I find those dry out faster. I like the simple skinny ones with the caps.

8. tarte Lipsurgence Lip Cremes: This set of 4 came with that Christmas set I mentioned earlier and I'm obsessed with them. The Lipsurgence line has multiple finishes but this is by far my favorite one so far. Great pigmentation with just enough gloss to keep your lips moisturized. I especially love the shade because it's a dark brown nude that I honestly might never have tried if it hadn't come in this set. It's a great color if you want something besides red to stand out boldly. I'm excited to try more shades like this.

9. Stila's Stay All Day waterproof liquid eye liner in Intense Black: I had been hearing tons of great things about this eyeliner so I decided to pick it up last time I was in Ulta. It has the best staying power I've ever seen in a liquid eyeliner which is exactly what I need when I'm doing more dramatic cat eye looks. I also love how fine the felt tip is so you can get a really precise and thin wing. I'm curious to see how long it lasts before drying up though, so I'll keep you updated on that! 

What were your favorites this month? Leave me a comment below if you're loving something you think I should try. I'm always excited to hear what others are loving at the moment!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does Dry Lip Quick Tips

If you live in the Midwest or anywhere else that's been getting ridiculous amounts of snow and cold weather your lips have probably seen better days. Don't worry though. I'm here with some quick tips on how to help get some moisture back into your pretty pout!

1. If you don't have a lip scrub on hand, when you're done brushing your teeth use the wet bristles of your toothbrush to gently exfoliate any dry skin off your lips. Exfoliation is key when your lips are chapped and dry. 

2. Before you start your makeup routine, apply a good conditioning lip balm so it can work on your lips while you're doing the rest of your makeup. I do this regardless of whether my lips are dry or not, but it's especially helpful on super dry lip days or days I want to wear matte lip products (which tend to exaggerate any dryness). 

3. Use that same good conditioning lip balm or even an oil, like the beautifying composition oil I posted about earlier this week (click here to see that post), to apply a nice thick layer every night before bed. It'll help give your lips a deep hydration while you're sleeping!

4. Keep a lip balm in your coat pocket so you can apply it before you step into the cold as a guard from cold air, wind, and all the other yuckiness found outside these days. However, make sure you remember to take them out of your pockets before you wash them! R.I.P. to the 25,672 lip balms I've accidentally killed in the washing machine and dryer...

5. Drink more water. Drink more water. Drink more water.

Now for my favorite lip products. My favorite lip balms for awhile now have been the Nivea Lip Butters that come in pan form, but I highly recommend Aveda's Beautifying Composition Oil. I've also been loving my Maybelline Color Elixirs for days when my lips are dryer but I want some color. What do you like to use when your lips are chapped and dry? 

Have a beautiful and more moisturized day,

Dre

Dre Does Beautifying

Since being in school at an Aveda Institute I've fallen in love with many Aveda Products but the standout is definitely the Beautifying Composition Oil. It's an amazing conditioning oil that has so many uses that I promise you can find something you'll love about it. It's targeted for bath, body, and scalp but I've made a list of my favorite uses below for you. Made of organic olive, soybean, and safflower oils, Beautifying softens and conditions skin, as well as repairing the lipid bilayer of your skin. The organic lavender, rosemary and bergamot mixture give an amazing and relaxing aroma as well. One of the best parts about it is that you don't have to use much product, so the bottle will last a long time. I can't speak highly enough about it and here's why:

1. Hair deep conditioner: If I know I will be washing my hair the next morning and it's feeling dry, I'll add a few drops to the ends of my hair, throw it up in a bun on top of my head, and sleep on an old pillowcase. In the morning, after I've shampooed my hair feels so much smoother and softer.

2. Eye Makeup Remover: Adding a few drops to either water or your eye makeup remover on a cotton round will help remove any stubborn or waterproof mascara. The best part is it'll also condition your eyelashes while it removes it.

3. Bathtime: Adding a few drops to your running bath water will help the amazing aroma relax you. It will also help moisturize and condition your skin as you soak in it. 

4. No More Dry Patches: This is a huge tip that I love for the current freezing winter time conditions. If you have any dry patches on your body adding a few drops of it directly to the areas will help get rid of them. If you notice dryness on your face and your current face moisturizer isn't cutting it, mix in a few drops and you're good to go!

5. Anti-Eczematic: One of the uses that I've noticed the biggest change due to Beautyifying is with my Ezcema. I've had it on my cheeks since I was little but I've never really found anything that took care of it. When my instructor mentioned months ago that it could help I bought it immediately to see what would happen. I use it in place of a moisturizer on my cheeks and I've definitely noticed a reduction in the little Ezcema bumps. I would buy Beautifying for this reason alone, even if it had no other uses.

6. Massage Oil: At my school we use this composition oil for massages and it's amazing. The aroma really helps with relaxation and it gives a good slip to the skin. As you probably already guessed, it also conditions the skin. I find people's skin usually soaks it right up from dehydration. 

7. Bye Bye Chapped Lips: Applying a drop or two on your lips throughout the day or before bed will really help hydrate and rid your lips of being chapped.

8. Pre-waxing oil: If you do your own waxing at home this is a great pre-waxing oil to use to cleanse the skin of any dirt or makeup that maybe be on the surface beforehand. I use it for all of my waxing at home and I love it.

9. Pre-Cleanser for Makeup Removal: If you wear foundation or heavier makeup on your face sometimes it's hard for your cleanser to break it all down in one cleaning. If you apply the beautifying first as a pre-cleanse and your cleanser second, it will help break down the makeup better and give you a better cleanse. Just like the oil helps emulsify your eye makeup, it'll help breakdown your other makeup too. 

10. Dry hands or feet: Since I have chronic dry hands in the winter, massaging some beautifying into them helps with flakiness or redness.

11. Cuticle Oil: If you get dry cuticles, this is a great oil to use to soften and keep them from cracking and splitting, which can get pretty painful.

Have you ever tried Beautifying Composition? If you have, let me know your favorite ways to use it! If not, you can either purchase it at www.aveda.com or let me know and I can get my hands on some for you! 

Hope you're having a beautiful day!

Dre

Dre Does a Skin Type Guide

The first step to getting your skin to look and feel the way you want it to is to know what your skin type is. Essentially, you can't fix the problem unless you know what the problem is. So I've made a description of each skin type. One of the biggest misconceptions about skin is dehydration. I have mentioned it before but in case you missed it, it's important to know that any skin type can be dehydrated. Hydration refers to the moisture or amount of water in your skin, and dryness refers to the amount of oil. So whether you are oily or dry or inbetween, you can be dehydrated. Your skin is the last organ of the body to receive water, so water consumption is important for all skin types.

Dry Skin feels rough, tight, itchy, flakey, and lacks oil.  The pores of dry skin tend to be very small and not very visible. It is the skin type that is most likely to be dehydrated and requires gentle cleansing and creamy moisturizers and cleansers.

Oily Skin feels waxy, greasy, looks shiny, has an over production of oil, and can be flakey around the nose. In the T-Zone area, true oily skin has larger and more visible pores (T-Zone refers to the forehead, nose, and chin area). People with oily skin generally want their skin to 'feel clean' because of these symptoms. Oily skin can also be dehydrated and requires light moisturizers and gel cleansers. 

Normal Skin has just the right amount of oil. Depending on the season, it can be dryer on the cheeks (winter) or be oilier in the T-Zone. If you find you get slightly oily throughout the day and only in your T-Zone you most likely have normal skin. Combination Skin is a more drastic difference in cheeks and T-Zone. 

Sensitive Skin is generally red, warm, inflamed, light sensitive, and affected by the wind and touch. You should make sure you use gentle, soothing, and calming products. Also make sure to stay away from heavy fragrances in skin care products.

I hope this helps you at least establish what type of skin you have. If you ever have questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

It's already time for another Ipsy Review and I absolutely love this month's Glambag! It's a great mix of skin care, hair care, and makeup. It was my second bag and I'm still incredibly happy I chose to start my subscription with Ipsy. Read through to the end to see how much it's worth! Here is an overall glance at my January Glambag!

First off the bag is adorable. I really like the material of it because it's got that plasticy feel that seems like it would be really easy to wipe off and clean, so I look forward to using this for travel! Not to mention the cosmetic bottle cartoons are really cute. 

Now for the products, first off I got this MICA Cosmetics tinted lip balm. Seeing as I've never heard of this brand, at first glance this looked like it would turn out being a sheer tinted lip balm that wouldn't do much. Boy am I glad was I wrong! This is one of the most amazing lip products I've seen in a long time! It's a ridiculously pigmented product. Probably one of the best I've ever used. It's extremely thin and comfortable on your lips and even though it dries to a matte finish it didn't feel extremely drying. I wore it to school the night I got my Glambag in the mail and I got so many compliments on it! I love the shade I received (#6 Fiesta) and the wear was also really great through the evening! I found myself researching the price of these normally before the night was even over. So basically I'm already hooked and will be purchasing more of these as soon as possible, especially since Ipsy gives you a 40% code for MICA Cosmetics! A tinted lip balm normally retails at $30 for 4g, but this sample isn't too far behind at a value of $18.75 for 2.5g. So your bag is already paid for with this product!

The next product is from the new Proactiv + line. They sent me four Mark Fading Pads which contain Salicylic Acid in them. I like that they sent me more than one so I could get more of a feel for the product, but since fading is a gradual thing, four isn't really enough to see a difference and see if they work. I was excited to try them however because hyperpigmentation and dark spots are my biggest concern for my skin. The main thing I didn't like though is that Ipsy included a product that you can't buy on its own. You have to buy the whole Proactiv + line to get them so I probably wouldn't ever purchase them. It also made it pretty hard to calculate its value, but it looks like it only added a dollar so that brings our total to $19.75.

Now for something I loved. I have heard of the Nourish Organic brand before is I was excited to find their Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion in the scent Argan + Rose Water. It smells sooooo amazing and is a great sample size. You can get many uses out of it. The product is just like they say, lightweight and moisturizing so it's a great daytime lotion for me since I get oily throughout the day in my T-zone. The 1.7 oz full size retails for $21.99 so the deluxe sample at 0.5 oz is worth $6.47. This brings the current total to $26.22.

At first I was really excited to see a eye product called the Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil from the brand Elizabeth Mott because I love eye shadow bases, especially neutral ones. This one is in the shade Pearl and while I like the color, I don't like how much chunky glitter is in it. It was hard to photograph exactly how glittery it was but we're talking disco ball here. I will probably use it up since I have it and just place other eye shadows over it to tone down the glitter but I like bases that I can use on their own in a rush if needed. The 1.5g full size retails for $14.99 so this mini guy is valued at $7 at 0.7g. This brings our total to $33.22.

Lastly, we have the Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask. Depending on how much hair you have you can probably get a good two or three uses out of this sample which is pretty good! I recently got 9 inches cut off so my hair is pretty healthy. Therefore, I can't really judge it on how well it repairs but I can say it made my hair really soft and it smells nice. The 5.25 oz full size retails for $26 so this deluxe sample comes in at $4.95 for 1 oz. This brings our final Ipsy Glambag total to $38.17!! That's almost 400% the price you pay for the bag!

Overall, I'm still extremely happy I started my subscription with Ipsy last month. I loved this bag even more than the first, and as an esthiology student who loves skin, I was happy to see the broad range of types of products this month. I still recommend subscribing and will continue to review them every month! If you'd like to join the link is below!

http://www.ipsy.com/r/1ji4

If you'd like to see my review on last month's bag, click here!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Quick Tip

Happy Monday!

I'm here with a quick tip dealing with dehydration and exfoliation. As I previously wrote about, you can check your skin to see if you're dehydrated. Click here if you missed that post where I show you a cool trick to do it yourself. I recommended water intake of at least half your body weight in ounces every day. If you're drinking this much water but still finding that your skin seems dehydrated, this is a sign that something else is the issue. A huge reason for this could be that you need a good exfoliation. If you have a lot of dead skin cells sitting on the surface of your skin, it doesn't matter how much water you drink, you will not hydrate that top layer. So I recommend giving your skin a good exfoliation. I also recently did a post on exfoliation that describes it's importance and what happens to the skin cells as they reach the surface. Click here if you'd like to read about that!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre