Moisturizers for Summer and Winter

   Finding the right body and face moisturizers are very important because after cleansing, skin needs its moisture to be replenished.  The correct moisturizers can be the difference between smooth, clear skin and cracked, broken out skin.  I only use moisturizers that are intended for both bodily and facial use because they tend to lack irritating fragrance and unnecessary ingredients, and they will save you money. The following are the moisturizers that work well for me.  They are both noncomdeogenic, so they won't clog pores.  They work very well with Retin-A and other retinoids, too!

Summer Moisturizer- Cure Care Hair & Skin Conditioner

Water, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium bromide, hydrolyzed keratin, methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, propylparaben, citric acid 

  As you can see the ingredients are very gentle.  I love how this makes my skin super soft and smooth without also creating oil.  Additionally, because it is so light, you don't really have to worry about overdoing it, on your face or body.  This is just the perfect facial lotion!  It's a little too light for my body, though, but I combine it with coconut oil, and I think I might have an HG (Holy Grail) body moisturizer :)

  This can be used for hair as well.  I used to use it regularly as a co-wash (washing you hair with conditioner as a part of the Curly Girl method,) but now I only use it every once in a while as a protein treatment when my curls are feeling limp.  If your hair loves protein, though, you'll definitely love this too.

  You can buy it at Sally's for only around $3 for 20 oz or $8 for a gallon!  It's worth trying.  

Winter Moisturizer- Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

Water, Petrolatum, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, PEG-30 Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol

  In winter, I get horrible, horrible dry skin.  It flakes and burns really badly, but this hydrates my face and makes it smooth again...without breaking me out!  It's a little too heavy for summer, but in the winter, it is really a lifesaver.  I also mix this with coconut oil for bodily use.  What I love is how gentle it is on my sensitive skin and how it is also able to relieve redness if you have Rosacea (or so I've heard.)  

  I used to use Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, but even though it's thinner, it actually clogged my pores.  This is thick enough to provide tons of moisture, yet it doesn't break me out!  I guess like Starbursts, this cream is a...

  Cetaphil Cream is, I think, around $10, but I have been using this since December and have barely even skimmed the top.  A little goes a loooooooong way!  I would give both of these moisturizers an 8 or 9/10 :)

~Jaime

MAC Foundation

Although rather pricey, one of my favourite makeup brands has got to be MAC. The products are generally well-pigmented and just overall QUALITY. As an introductory blog post, I thought I would review the two liquid foundations from MAC that I personally use!

                                       MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15 Foundation

   

    The MAC Mineralize Satinfinish provides a lovely dewey look with medium coverage. The colour selection ranges from MAC's normal rather wide range of NC15-NC45. I'm in NC20 because I'm on the internet and don't tend to get outside much... The foundation is priced at $30 which might seem a bit steep at first but keep in mind, it is very high-end and should last you awhile!

     First off, I'll talk about the pros. I'd say the best recommended user of this product would be someone with a fairly normal skin type and not too many blemishes. The satin finish allows you to get a nice even skin tone without looking cakey or covering up your natural beauty. You'll notice it almost adds a natural highlight to your whole face and gives you a youthful glow. The formula spreads very easily and blends out within a few brush strokes. Another plus is the convenient pump it comes with that allows you to get the perfect amount without overusing it or wasting this product. You can definitely use it without a powder if you're looking for a lighter, glistening look. I personally prefer to use it with a translucent powder that I just buff in with a Kabuki brush.

      Now for the cons. The first problem I have with this product is the consistency on my skin. I personally have oily skin and find that the sheen look can mix with the natural oils of my skin makes and sometimes make me look shiny. The coverage says low to medium but it's essentially just a low coverage. If you try to build it up more than a few layers, it just comes off on your brush and gives you the same coverage. It might just be my skin type giving me these problems, but oily skinned people beware!

Overall Rating: 6/10

While overall this product is well-made and gives the skin a great finish, its runny nature and shine-inducing formula make me have to deduct a few points. If you have oily or blemish-ridden skin, you're probably going to want to invest in a different foundation. But for those with normal or dry, this would probably work perfectly!

                                       MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation

    

      The MAC Studio Fix Fluid provides the optimal coverage for blemish-ridden skin and gives a mattified look overall. The colour selection ranges from MAC's normal rather wide range of NC15-NC58. I'm in NC15 because with the mattified look, my skin tends to appear paler. The foundation is priced at $27 which is slightly less than the satin finish.

     First off, the pros! This product works wonders for my oily, pimple-filled skin! The coverage starts off medium but quickly builds into a heavy, without being cakey, look. It conceals every single blemish and gives the skin the smoothest-looking texture I've ever seen a foundation artificially provide. As well as having nice coverage, the blendability is brilliant. You can easily move this foundation all over every part of your face while it is still tacky and blend well into your hairline and neck. I personally use this with a translucent powder and a bit of dewey setting spray and can achieve the best glow possible.

      There aren't many cons that come with this product but one does stand out to me. The bottle design is definitely not as convenient as the satin fish. It does not include a pump and therefore must either be slathered onto your hand or scraped out with a q-tip. It is hard to find the perfect amount.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Despite its poor bottle design, I widely consider this my favourite foundation. I can see this working for any skin type and allowing a multitude of finishes. It is initially matte but with a few other products can provide a great dewey look. It is well worth the price in my opinion. I recommend this to almost anyone looking for nice coverage!

Well that's all for my MAC foundation opinion. Feel free to tell me how these products worked for you! I will be reviewing a few other brands of foundation soon so keep a look-out if you're still not sold on the MAC. 

Kisses,

Pearl

Yes to Carrots/Cucumbers/Tomatoes Review

I know I am going to sound like a hipster, but I used Yes To products before they were popular...just sayin...

I have tried so much by them! Let's begin with the reviews.

Yes to Tomatoes

Shampoo

The shampoo was the first Yes To product I had ever used.  In fact, it was one of the first natural/organic ones.  This was back when I was freaking out about sulfates and parabens. I was known by my friends as "The Girl with Tomato Shampoo."  (Hmmm...kind of sounds like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." I really need to read that.  Off topic.)  I think I stopped using it the first time because it stopped working.  That was back when my hair was straight.  It's wavy/curly now, and I decided to revisit it this year, but it left my hair dry and scalp oily? Ew. I don't even know how that's possible.

Conditioner

I tried this with the shampoo.  It didn't have too much slip and left build-up.  Not impressed.  It does smell good, though!

Facial Wash and Moisturizer

I really liked this stuff this summer! I was having horrible skin until I bought this on a whim.  I used it religiously every day and got beautiful, soft, clear skin.  All of the sudden, though, it just stopped working and gave me bad breakouts.  I started washing my face twice a day, but that didn't help.  I tried incorporating the moisturizer, but that stuff will clog your pores yet still leave your face feeling dry.  I think it was the fragrance in these. Yes To products have too many tedious ingredients that can irritate skin.

Yes to Carrots

Shampoo

This was pretty much the same as the Tomatoes.  It worked for a little then did nothing for me.

Intensive Repair Cream

I tried this for my horrible dry skin and dry skin bumps on my legs, but this irritated them more and made them dryer and worse. I'm guessing it was the fragrance.

Daily Cream Facial Wash

Broke me out.

Yes to Cucumbers!

Facial Wash

I loved this stuff for a really long time! This line was my favorite because it was a lot gentler than the other ones.  It ended up breaking me out, but I used it for a good few months.  

Shower Gel

I used this for maybe a year.  Body wash can't really be something good or bad, though, so I'm pretty neutral.  My dermatologist told me that the fragrance in this might be causing the bumps on my legs, so I stopped using it. 

Conditioner

When I started the Curly Girl method of washing hair with conditioner, I heard this was the stuff to use.  You could wash your hair with it, detangle, and even leave it in.  I loved it for a few weeks.  It was so smooth and left my hair pretty silky and soft.  Again, like all the other Yes To products, it stopped working for me and gave me dull, frizzy, gross hair :(

Shampoo

This was good to remove build-up, but it's not anything special.

BOTTOM LINE...
Yes To has a good variety of products (I would know; I've tried practically all of them!) that cater to a variety of needs.  However, the big problem is fragrance! These products have good ingredients and lack the bad parabens, plastics, silicones, and sulfates, but they are heavily, heavily perfumed.  If you have fragrance issues, stay away!  If you aren't sensitive, though, you should be fine.  


The other problem I had was these effects did not last long.  They'd work fine then just stop. If you're planning to buy these, I would suggest using them in a rotation.  


All in all, I give this brand a 4/10.


Thanks for reading!
~Jaime

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

This stuff is amazing.  Period.  I used to use this a while back and had problem-free skin, but I went on a trip and forgot, and my face was horrible.  After that, I started buying more and more, just worsening the problem by using harsher products.

When I started Retin-A, my dermatologist recommended this, and it jogged my memory back to when I had clear skin.  I found a bottle somewhere in my house and have been using it since December, which is an incredibly long time for me! Haha. I have already gone through a bottle, and that never happens.  I found I don't even need to apply the Retin-A anymore.

In colder months, I use this with Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, but lately, I've been using it with Sally's Cure Care.  Cetaphil is around $10 for 16 oz, but Costco sells it for a much better price for 20 oz.

I would give this cleanser a 9.5 out of 10!

Thanks for reading :)
~Jaime

Hello!

Helloooooooooooooo!
My friend and I, being product junkies, decided to create a blog for tips and product reviews.
...and cat talk :)  Cats are lovely.
Anyway, we hope you find our reviews helpful.  She will post as Pearl, and I will post as Jaime. Thanks for reading!