Look At These Cool Beauty Products

Hola,

I know... I know it's been quite a while since I've posted anything new. I've seriously been slacking when it comes to my blog. I have so many drafts waiting to be completed but for some reason, I lost the feel for it. I had nothing but writer's block and no inspiration. I can't quite find an explanation as to why, but I am determined to keep this going regardless of how often or not so often I post so here I am just in time for spring. :)

Well then my lovely fashionistas let's keep the "spring" theme going because let's be honest, this winter has been extremely brutal to us.  As I browsed through my blog, I noticed that my beauty/spa posts have been some of the most popular so going with that flow, I've decided to make a comeback with what else? A beauty post! Because there's nothing more fun than finding awesome new products to pamper the skin with especially after the kind of winter some of us have had. Our skin gets dry, rough, super sensitive, dull, etc. We therefore need to keep it hydrated and well taken care of.

I've had lots of time to try new products these past few months. I love to experiment and see what works and what doesn't. If you've followed my blog, you know that I love all things natural and usually will find things in my kitchen to mix up and create something nourishing and wonderful. However, I also like to try some of the new products I see in my local drugstores. I have some favorite brands like Aveeno (I have super sensitive skin) and Olay, I love going to Sephora to check out their selections of all things beauty, and for my "natural fix" I adore Mountain Rose Herbs' website. Everything is natural, organic, unique and safe to use. So below are some of my new and favorite products I've been using lately. There are a bunch so get comfy, prepare to take notes and let's do this my lovelies...

COCONUT OIL:

Coconut oil has been all the rave lately. It seems like everyone is recommending it for just about everything. As a Dominican woman, I already knew about the wonders it does for your hair. It makes it grow, restores damaged hair and gives it shine. It's a great conditioner. All this is true because I've used it on my hair plenty of times through the years.

Coconut oil is wonderful as a skin moisturizer. If you have dry skin, this oil is excellent. It prevents flaking and dryness and heals the skin. It's also great as a makeup remover. You can remove all your makeup with a cotton ball, wash your face and ta daa... you're left with moisturized skin (just apply a tiny bit more after washing your face to moisturize overnight).

This oil (and I've mentioned this in my "Spa Time... How To DIY At Home" post) is fabulous to soften chapped lips. Apply to your lips at night and you'll have baby soft lips in the morning.

Lastly, and the most important one for me because I started doing this back in January, is "Oil Pulling." I kept reading about this on social media, magazines, etc. and was very curious to try it. I did my research and everybody who spoke about oil pulling pretty much said the same thing. It's great and it works. So I tried it.

I have to say while it was weird the first few times, I'm feeling it my loves. I give it two thumbs up. I mostly wanted to try it because I read that it could help with sinus problems which I have plenty of. I have nasal polyps so I suffer from everything sinus related 365 days a year. I also wanted to see if it's true that oil pulling whitens teeth. I whitened my teeth about 8 years ago and have taken very good care of them. However, since I became addicted to Starbucks [damn you Starbucks!], I've noticed they've lost their brightness. The third is cavities. While I love to gloat about not having any cavities for the last 7 years, again, I've become addicted to certain candies so I want to prevent developing cavities at any cost. So yes I've been oil pulling on and off for the past two months. I've seen some improvement in my sinus problems and my teeth are definitely whiter (no lie). I have to pay a visit to my dentist so I will get back to you on the cavity issue.

All in all, I'm glad I tried it. It's weird at first but once you get used to it, it's not so bad. Basically, you take a tablespoon of the oil and swish it in your mouth and through your teeth without swallowing. I do my oil pulling in the mornings before eating anything and while in the shower. I try to do 15-20 minutes then I spit it out (never swallow because you'll be swallowing bacteria) and brush my teeth as usual.

I purchased the above at Mountain Rose Herbs. It's preferable to use unrefined oil and organic. Here is the link if you'd like to check it out, read more and/or purchase.

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/coconut-oil-unrefined/profile 

ARGAN OIL:

Argan oil has also been all the rave in the beauty world lately. This oil comes from the Moroccan Argan tree. It's rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins A and E (and you all know how much I love vitamin E as a moisturizer). I purchased this oil back in January along with the Coconut oil and have been using it ever since. It's simply fabulous!

Argan oil has so many great noticeable benefits. To name a few:

As a moisturizer - It absorbs quickly, it's not oily, it's safe to use around the eyes. I use it every night as my night time moisturizer and I see the difference.

As an exfoliator - Use with sugar or brown sugar to exfoliate your face and it'll leave you with a radiant glow.

It's great for acne, this oil can lighten dark spots (tried and tested), and it's a wonderful lip and hair conditioner as well as great for your nails/cuticles. Rub oil into your nail beds before bed to moisturize and soften your cuticles.

I'm in love with this oil! I purchased the above at Mountain Rose Herb's website as well. Below is the link if you'd like to learn more and/or purchase:

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/argan-oil/profile

Side Effects: If you're allergic to nuts, please be careful when using this oil.

CLEANSING GRAINS:

While perusing Mountain Rose Herbs' website, I came across this gem. You all know how much I love the gentle exfoliation process and this is fantastic. These cleansing grains do wonders for my skin.

Again, this is made from completely organic products that consist of: organic oat bran, white kaolin clay, organic almond meal, organic rose petal power, organic corn meal and a blend of pure essential oils.

To use, pour a bit of the grains into your palm and add some warm water. Mix until it becomes a paste and gently rub into your face. Rinse with warm water. I use this once a week or every two weeks when I feel my skin needs a boost.

Here is the link with more information (If you click on this click, you will have to scroll down some until you reach the cleansing grains info):

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/bath-body/facial-care  


LEMON BALM HYDROSOL:

Mountain Rose Herbs' Hydrosols are a less concentrated form of your typical essential oils. They are very mild and refreshing to the skin. I love this Lemon Balm Hydrosol because it's great for skin irritations. I use this after I shave to prevent razor bumps. It's also very calming so if you're in the mood for a bubble bath after a stressful day, add a few drops of this to your bath and it will soothe your senses. It's similar to aromatherapy but in a milder way. 

Here is the link (Please scroll down the page until you reach the Lemon Balm info):

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/aromatherapy/hydrosols 



LIP BALMS:

My lips get dry so fast and so often that I MUST carry some type of moisturizer with me at all times. It's one of the things I never leave home without and I apply it throughout the day. The above lip balms are my new favorites from Mountain Rose herbs. They are made with organic herbs, oils and butters and leave your lips super smooth while conditioning and healing chapped, dry lips.

The top one (Fawn Lily Botanic) comes in five different combinations. I went with the spiced chai + coconut because I'm all into the coconut theme lately, but I am definitely going to try the others.

Here is the link to both.

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/bath-body/facial-care

Please scroll all the way down the page for the info and you can click on the "more details" link for more information about the Fawn Lily Botanica combinations.

AVEENO POSITIVELY NOURISHING SMOOTHING BODY WASH:

I discovered this glorious product by Aveeno while looking for my Olay body wash at CVS drugstore. It's a gentle exfoliator with pomegranate, rice beads and walnut shells. I use it every day because it's really gentle and it leaves your skin feeling so smooth. Plus, it smells absolutely wonderful!

Check it out here:

http://www.aveeno.com/product/aveeno-+positively+nourishing-+smoothing+body+wash+.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn


AVEENO POSITIVELY AGELESS FIRMING BODY LOTION:

Of course I could not leave out a body moisturizer. This one by Aveeno as well is excellent. I've been using it since December of 2014 and I love it. I'm not sure about the skin firming deal but I like that it's not sticky or heavy and glides onto your skin. Your skin feels noticeably soft throughout the day. This also smells delicious.

Go here for more info:

http://www.aveeno.com/product/aveeno-+positively+ageless-+firming+body+lotion.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



EOS HAND LOTION:

Aren't these the cutest lil things? I love these "take everywhere" hand lotions by EOS (Evolution Of Smooth). I always keep hand lotion in my bag to prevent dry hands. These are great because they're small enough to fit anywhere. I can stick this in my wristlet and be on my way. They come in three scents: Berry Blossom, Cucumber and Fresh Flowers. They really do leave your hands super smooth and it last for hours. You can find these in any drugstore near you.

BENEFIT - "THEY'RE REAL" - MASCARA:

I don't use makeup on a daily basis. I only go all out when I'm going out to an event, girl's night, date, etc. During the week and weekends if I'm going to work or running around doing errands, I only use lipstick and lip gloss and I'm out the door. However, there are times that I will do a little extra (depending on my mood) and apply some mascara just because or like I said if I'm going out on the town...

I discovered the above mascara last summer while visiting Sephora and one of my favorite brands of makeup - Benefit. It was fairly new around that time and was being advertised. I read the box and decided to try it and have been hooked on it ever since. I ADORE this mascara so much that I've even gotten a few of my girls to use it and they love it as well.

The brush is just everything! It extends your lashes to lengths you'd never imagine and it's got tiny bristles at the ends that you use to extend the tiny lashes in the corners of your eyes. It's magnificent. Yes, I said magnificent. If you haven't already tried this, please do. You'll fall in love as well.

Below are links to both Benefit and Sephora's websites:

https://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/theyre-real

http://www.sephora.com/they-re-real-mascara-P289307?skuId=1343938


HONEY PERFUME BY MARC JACOBS:

So if you've read my blog post "Who Is This Blogger... AnnaCris," you'll know that I suffer from anosmia which is the loss of the sense of smell due to nasal polyps in my case. My sense of smell is not permanently gone. When my doctor prescribes certain medications to reduce inflammation, I can smell like normal. When that happens, I hit the stores in search of new fragrances that I can try. LOL for realsies! I mean I have to know that I smell great when the polyps attack.

So a few months ago I went in search of new and wonderful scents and discovered "Honey" by Marc Jacobs. It smells absolutely delicious. It doesn't make me sneeze and it has that "fresh" scent that I'm always drawn to and yes, there's honey in the mix. Plus, how CUTE is this bottle?! I purchased the gift set with the lotion and rollerball at Macy's.

SEPHORA'S EYEBROW TOUCH UP RAZOR SET:

It's interesting that about a month ago I saw on Good Morning America a piece on how shaving your face with an eyebrow razor is now a "thing" that women do to exfoliate. They say it's the BEST form of exfoliation for your face. Well what do you know... I've been doing this for a couple of years now. It started with me shaving my mustache because waxing irritated my skin. One day I decided to experiment and did my whole face and it left it so smooth and silky and it looked so clean and fresh that I started to do it more frequently. It's perfectly safe and no your hair does not grow back more coarse as is the myth.

I was buying the eyebrow razors from the drugstore but found that two out of the three that come in the set always have a dull blade and that really annoyed me because I'd have to go over the same spot several times. I decided to head to Sephora in search of a better one and found the above kit. These, while more expensive, are a lot better to use and do the trick so you don't have to continue to go over your face a second or third time which can then cause irritation. It's a great beauty secret that I'm sure not many women know about but it's worth a try.

Here is the link:

http://www.sephora.com/eyebrow-touch-up-razor-set-P136216?skuId=895490 

... The End...

Phew... That was quite a mouthful but I hope you enjoyed reading and that you'll try some of these products. I have tried all of them and as your "guinea pig" can say that they are all safe to use. We all have different types of skin so just read all the labels before buying to make sure nothing will make you react to any ingredients. Although I am very careful with what I use as I do have very sensitive skin and ridiculous allergies, what works for me may not always work for you. Usually organic products are safe but like the Argan Oil, it contains nuts so if you're allergic to nuts, this may not be the product for you.

For the products that you do decide to try, I hope that you will come back and share your experience. Let us all know your opinions, did you like or dislike, did you find any other good uses for any of these products that I did not mention (I love to experiment at home and see what else I can use something for). After all, we all just want to feel, look and be beautiful and fabulous so why not go the easy, safe and natural way?

A side note: Some of these products (like the oils, exfoliators, lip balms) will also work great for any of the gentlemen reading this post or if you're a fashionista, why not try it on your special love? I mean let's face it, men also want to look and feel great and a little pampering is always wonderful for them too.

This being said, you should all remember the drill... try out whatever has caught your interest then come back and comment below. Let us all know the outcome of this new beauty adventure. Also, if you'd like to add any new and fun products that you've discovered lately, please feel free to share in the comments and I will give you a shout out. I look forward to reading your comments. Go! #engage

Until next time...

Gracias,

AnnaCris <3