Drum Corps Problem #1

So the saying is not mine and I changed the noun to fit my version of it!

My go-with-me-everywhere Beauty Bag

This post is about my beauty bag. I take it with me EVERYWHERE. This bag carries all the things I feel I may need at any point or place, like if I get stuck some where and need to spend the night there. Eek! right?

MyGlam Bag Revisited

MyGlam Bag Ipsy $10 us + tax where applicable  
(the Ipsy online community is free.)

This is my second review of this beauty sample bag subscription. Click here to see my first review.

I am pleased that I stuck with Ipsy as it journeyed along it's path to coveted monthly beauty subscription. Every month you get 4-5 deluxe samples and full size beauty products. The products may not always be the one or what you wanted or even something you'll use, but that is the risk you take when participating in subscriptions like this. 50% of the time the products are from companies you've never heard of and some times you get multiple products from one beauty brand. Some times you get your 5th different type of Argan oil, and some times you get sample pouches. Ipsy is the only subscription box/ bag, what ever you want to call it, I currently subscribe to. Yes, I tried others like Glossybox and Sample Society, and both were pretty awesome. I chose to stick with Ipsy for 3 reasons.

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper .35 oz, $16.99 us

UDPP, Shadow Insurance, Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base, Stay Don't Stray... If any of these sound familiar to you and your shadow still seems to wander throughout the night and day... Then we need to have a talk.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

Soap & Glory

The Righteous Butter Body Butter

1.69 US Fl. oz. $5 us

The Righteous Butter Body Butter's fragrance,  smells of Chrysanthemums, Rose, a touch of grapefruit, and a hint of the sea. It's a very pleasant smell if you like citrus-y smells but very powerful. This body butter is made with a mix of Shea Butter, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, and Rosa Moschata Seed Oil. It doesn't really claim to do anything other than be a very dry skin formula. I don't have very dry skin so I don't know how effective this would be on very dry skin. On my normal skin the Righteous Body Butter works pretty good to keep my legs and arms moisturized for several hours. The palms of my hands... not so much. It feels like it dries them out a little after about 2-3 hours, but this might be because I handle paperwork all day.

Olivia Care Hand Soap

Olivia Care
Olive Oil & Herbs Liquid Hand Soap - Mandarin
$10.00, 20 oz

This stuff is pretty awesome. Not only do I use it for my hands at home but I use it on my oily to combination face! I know I know.... It soooo bad to use hand soap on your face, but this one is different! It contains chamomile, aloe, comfrey, and rosemary, all of which help to heal the skin. The only thing this soap is lacking to make it a fantastic facial cleanser is an anti-bacterial component. As is it lathers real quick, smells super awesome, and doesn't dry out my skin. The secret to this product is the olive oil they use in. It leaves my skin so soft and it doesn't get oily later on, well... any more then it normally would with some other expensive facial wash that cost $60 for less ounces.

Beauty from the inside

This time of year is the beginning of a very busy season for another hobby/ activity I love. Even more than makeup! I'm talking Drum Corps. Drum Corps is music's Major League. Students from all around the world ages14-22 pay a lot of money to march with their favorite Corps each year. My tuition when I first joined Drum Corps in 1998 was $475. That very same Corps today costs $2600!!

MyGlam Bag

My GlamBag

$10.00 per month US Via myglam.com

I have to say just a little bit about this new beauty sample subscription program that came out in December of 2011. Subscriptions for this company, created by Michelle Phan and a couple other youtube beauty guru's, sold out quickly out in December. More subscriptions became available in January for a limited time. This service promoted that each month for $10 you will receive 3 - 4 deluxe size beauty samples. I wasn't sure what to expect from them so I waited to see what their first bag had, thinking it would be a good representation of bags to follow. Their first bag was AMAZING! The first bag had 2 deluxe size samples and 4 full size samples and the enticing part was it was ALL makeup! Makeup junkies dream! I jumped at the chance after I saw their first bag and saw that more subscriptions had opened up in January. Now I understand that they never promised the bag would have all makeup products, deluxe or full size makeup samples, or even that makeup would be in the bag. They advertised the bags as having beauty products in them. 

Smashbox Shades of Fame Pallet

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SmashBox Shades of Fame Pallet and Brush

$48.00 US at Sephora

This pallet is just in time for spring. The color selection is very neutral, with just a few colors to brighten it up and make it fun. It comes with nine shadows, two cream liners, and a double-ended brush with a flat, fluffy blending brush and a flat liner brush. Out of the nine shadows all are warm toned except Pacific, which looks to be cool toned. Most of the colors show true from pan to swatch and some just don't have the same effect swatched as it does in the pan.

Benefit The POREfessional

Benefit's The POREfessional

.75 fl oz. $29.00 US

Available at Sephora

(Picture is of a smaller size)

Benefit's The POREfessional says it's a PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores. The POREfessional is oil-free but if you tend to have oily skin you may want to use a product that controls oil and shine along with it. It is super lightweight, it isn't heavy when using it with other products or on it's own. The product is a creamy natural beige color but thins out to be translucent. This isn't like a face brightener so it doesn't have any shine or sparkle to it. It's a bit on the matte side of finishes. The creamy formula finishes silky smooth like velvet and just like most of benefit's products (at least the ones I have used) it has a fruity smell to it. The green tube packaging has a velvety feel to it as well and is flexible with good construction. You can use it under makeup, over makeup, as a touch up during the day, and on it's own.While applying it pat it on so it can settle into your pores and remember a little goes a long way with this stuff.

I have fairly large pores in places like my T-zone and chin, and I found it to work pretty good on minimizing the appearance of them. I enjoy using it when I don't put on any makeup so I have a barrier against dirt trying to clog my pores and my skin has a smoother finish to it. I find that I have to touch up at least twice during the day. Only once if I'm not going anywhere that night so it has about a 5 hour wear without makeup on oily skin. It's a good product but doesn't eliminate the appearance of pores. (Which it doesn't claim to, so don't expect it to.) It does minimize the appearance of pores which it DOES claim to! I give this product a thumbs up for Winter and Spring but I am not sure about Summer since I don't think it will survive sweatier the days.

Enjoy your day my Cuties!

Smashbox Shades of Fame Launch Party

Sephora's private VIB Party last night was pretty awesome! It was launching Smashbox's new pallet Shades of Fame, and was held at Smashbox Studios in LA. Take a look at how the night went!

Also check out my review of the Shades of Fame Pallet

Jenni (my sister in law) and I were the first people there! Nerds? Maybe! Wanting not to wait in long lines or get caught in traffic? Yes! ha ha But we were REALLY early, like they weren't even completely set up when we got there at 5! haha

Once they started letting us in a lady escorted us over to the bar first and we grabbed some pink drinks and then over to the makeup stations to get our makeovers done by the amazing Smashbox and Sephora makeup artists.

This was my makeup artist Tuesday! (Loved her name!)

Then off to get our professional head shots taken. The photos were eventually taken by Davis Factor, world famous photographer but since we were the first people to get them done he wasn't there yet. The guy who took our photos is one of the photographers for the studio and was awesome! They gave us a CD right on the spot of all the photos they took for us to keep.

After the photos we mingled and met two really nice women Marieke and Danielle. We laughed and got to know each other over mini kobe beef burgers and other yummy stuff.

Here is the debuting pallet Shades of Fame. Super pretty colors! Nine powders and two creams.

I had to take a picture of this lady. She was dressed so cute in her vintage dress. She got it from Elsewhere Vintage in Orange she told me.

This was our swag bag. It came with a $10 Sephora gift card, a sample size Smashbox Lid Primer, and a sample size Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. Pretty cool!

We had so much fun joking with the waiters, nibbling on the hors 'd'oeuvres and getting to know new people. They had this awesome spinach pesto feta cheese pizza thing that was to die for and warm chocolate chip cookies! YUM! So yummy one lady pushed another girl out of the way just to get to the food! Sephora promises to do more of these events and I would recommend if you have a chance to go, do it! You'll have a blast! There were about 200 people there that kind of filtered in and out through the night so it was never crowded.

This next part really has nothing to do with the actually pallet. I was a bit disappointed with Sephora's staff. I was told by the ladies who work for Sephora selling the pallets that this pallet was not going to be released to the general public till April, yet they have it for sale on their website RIGHT NOW! So maybe I heard them wrong and they meant to say it wasn't going to be sold by any other companies to the general public till April... But wait, another beauty store online is selling it already too! ha ha, I am not disappointed that all you cuties out there can buy this pallet already but I am disappointed with the ill informed staff they had there. Unless it was a marketing ploy to sell more pallets that night to the attendees that thought we were "so cool" (ha ha) to be able to buy it a couple weeks before the general public. HAHA, WOW They saw me coming! =( 

I hope you enjoyed coming to the party with me (well in photos.)

One Tired American Cutie Beauty.

Launch Party

Hello my Beauties! I have super exciting news to tell you all about.

 Me and My Sister-in-law Jenni will be going to a VIB Launch party tonight sponsored by Sephora, for the launch of Smashbox's new eyeshadow pallet Shades of Fame. *SQUEALS* I was lucky enough to be one of the few to get on the guest list for this event. I hope I'll be able to take pictures and take you all with me to the party. This will be a first for me so wish me luck I don't trip on my way in the door!

Have a great night from an Excited 

American Cutie Beauty!

Nerium AD

Nerium AD Age-Defying Treatment

1. OZ $80.00 US Only

Available through Nerium AD

Nerium AD is a face and neck cream designed for nightly use which in clinical trials was said to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin texture, enlarged pores, and aging or sun-damaged skin. Nerium AD is a cream that is applied to slightly damp face and neck after nightly cleansing. It has the strong scent of aloe with whiffs of other earthy aromas.

I was asked to do a five day challenge to see for myself the results that this product can achieve. I now understand how important before and after pictures are for testing out a product like this. Immediate first glance results weren't noticeable until I compared the before and after pictures side by side. One result that didn't need a picture for immediate results was how smooth my skin felt after just one use. My skin continued to retained that soft smooth feeling texture for about 7-10 days after I stopped using the product.

Nerium AD is like a face mask you leave on all night. It is a thick heavy cream that felt like a face mask even after it dried but it's texture after drying wasn't as thick feeling and had a velvet like texture to it. The oryza sativa bran oil, is what gives Nerium AD this velvety texture. It has a dry feeling to it that was a little annoying at first but after the first couple uses I got familiar with the feel and it didn't bother me as much. In the morning I did my normal routine. Washed my face with my normal cleanser and before putting anything on my face I could tell my skin was softer in texture. I then toned and applied lotion. After the five day challenge I did not see results till I looked at the before and after photos. Deep wrinkles under my eyes weren't as deep as before. My laugh lines were starting to become less predominant, and my skin had a smooth even texture to it. With results like this in five days I can see this product has great potential for very noticeable results if used for a prolonged period of time. In the five days of use it helped tone down some of the hyperpigmentation and sun damage. I can't say if it helped with the size of my pores, I didn't really notice a change but, it does have ingredients in the formula that suggest they help combat enlarged pores like Nerium Oleander extract and tocopherol, so results are possible with prolonged use just not in a five day challenge.

Before/ After

Before/ After

Before/ After

I was happy with the results I got after five days. If it can give very subtle but noticeable results in five days it has the potential for amazing results after three months. I got immediate results with the texture and minimal but noticeable results by comparing the before and after photos. Nerium AD is however pretty pricey but might be worth it depending on your opinion of acceptable results. My skin felt a little dry after application but this was definitely not the case after washing it off in the morning. My skin did not feel dry and had a velvet like feel. The scent is a little overwhelming the first couple times of use but you get used to it; although, this product might be overwhelming for people with sensitive noses. I can see Nerium AD becoming an addition to many peoples anti aging routine.

Hope this review was helpful. Please visit Nerium AD for more info.

I was not paid, nor did I receive anything other than the product used during the five day challenge. The link does direct you to the family member who asked me to do the five day challenge. I was in no way was I influenced by the family member to do this review, give a dishonest review, nor did they influence my opinion of the product. I do not receive any compensation for people visiting or purchasing from the link either.

Happy New Year to all my cuties!

Jamie Fox

Make that Acne Sulfur!

I have decided to do some simple short posts about simplifying the different types of masks there are and which will work best for your skin. There are so many different facial masks to choose from today and many different kinds and purposes for each mask. With so many out there it is hard to figure out which kind is right for you. First you have to ask yourself, What does my skin need?

Skin tone evening

Pore refining

Moisturizing

Drying

Detoxifying/ Cleansing

Tightening/ Anti-aging

Acne clearing

I am going to tackle the subject of Acne and how sulfur is your friend. You need a mask that will kill bacteria, unclog pores, and dry, but not over-dry, your skin.

So what makes sulfur so good for helping clear acne? Sulfur is known for killing bacteria with its germ killing properties. It acts as a peeling agent to help rid your skin from dead skin cells that can cause clogged pores, and finally it has drying properties to help dry out your oily pores. Effects from a sulfur mask are most evident with continued use and more effective with each use and as apart of a consistent beauty routine. You will need to have a good moisturizer to go along with your beauty routine so you do not over-dry your face and cause dull, lifeless, flaky skin.

I have used Murad Clerifying Mask, with great results. My skin type can range from oily in the Summer to combination during the Fall and Spring, and dry in the Winter time. So I'm all over the place. I also have a problem with stress acne and some times just plain painful acne. Murad Clerifying Mask is made with the acne prone person in mind with 4.0% sulfur content.

I hope this helps out with some of your questions on Acne and Sulfur masks. Thank you to Danielle for posing the question to spark this series.

Hugs and squeaky clean faces your American Cutie Beauty.

Waxing...The Good, the Bad, and the Scary

Are you tired of having to shave every other day or even everyday? Well so am I! So I took that determination and turned it into courage to brave... The Wax!!

... OUCH...

Yes, I waxed my legs! Lets just say the key to waxing is determination, good technique, and a "Just Do It" attitude.

Is at home waxing right for you? If you are tired of having to shave 3 or more times a week, and you are okay with having not "completely" smooth legs... then at home waxing is the option for you. At home waxing was right for me because I wanted to minimize the frequency of shaving and achieve the removal of at least 90% of hair on my legs. If you want to have completely smooth legs for 2-6 weeks then this might not be the option for you. With the time, effort and certain level of pain, at home waxing can be, you need to be okay with having not "completely" smooth legs and the possible need to run a razor over your legs once every two weeks until you have to wax again to get the completely smooth legs your looking for.

I chose the Nair Milk & Honey formula mainly because of it's convenient roll on applicator. Later while doing research for this blog I found that there were even more benefits to my choice in product. The Nair Milk & Honey formula is a sugar based wax so when it came time for clean up of the extra wax it just washed right off my legs without the help of oil which is needed for removing other non-sugar based waxing products.

Before braving the wax, you must brave growing out the hair you intend to remove. This is going to SUCK! The hair needs to be about 1/4" long in order for the wax to grab a hold of it. This took me two excruciating weeks. This made wearing leggings or jeans almost unbearable by rubbing and irritating the skin and hair.

Total time to wax both legs, have pizza, and take a couple breaks... 2 hours. No Advil, numbing creams, or illegal substances were taken before hand!

7 steps to waxing with the easy to use Nair Milk & Honey hair removal waxing kit.

1. Warm up wax in microwave for 15 seconds.

2. Apply talc powder to area intended to be waxed.

3. Apply wax to a small area in the same direction of hair growth.

4. Firmly apply cloth/ paper strip to the wax rubbing in the same direction as hair growth.

5. Firmly grip the cloth/ paper strip and remove QUICKLY in the opposite direction of hair growth keeping your hand close to the skin.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 SEVERAL times!

7. Rinse excess wax with warm water and exfoliate with a gentle exfoliating cleanser.

8. Pluck stray hairs that you missed.

**Important**

If you decide to buy the same thing I did, you will need to pick up a separate pack of cloth strips or else you will run out of them mid-waxing and might just say screw it at that point. haha

Now for a more in-depth look at these steps.

Follow the directions on the package for warming the wax. Too hot can burn your skin and change the dynamic of how well the wax works. Too cold and it won't apply well and will tug on hairs as you apply it. 15 seconds was good for me and to warm it up during the procedure 5 seconds is enough. If you get it too hot set aside for 10 mins to cool. Apply baby powder to the area intended to be waxed with a dry clean dish cloth. This will aid in a less painful removal of hair from the skin by limiting the cohesion between skin and wax. Applying the wax to a larger area will remove more hair obviously but will also hurt more. Your pain tolerance will determine the size of area you apply the wax to. Start with smaller strips and work your way up to your comfort level. Applying the wax and cloth strip in the direction of hair growth helps to pull the hair taut in preparation for removal in the opposite direction. Holding firmly onto the cloth strip when removing gives you something to hold on to when you feel the sting after removal (ha ha) and prevents your hand from slipping off the cloth during removal which can cause unnecessary pain midway through the removal, which can cause you to miss hairs or have ingrown hairs later on.

Why pull quickly? To get it done quicker, Duh! ha ha. Pulling quickly in the opposite direction keeping your hand close to your skin all help to prevent the wax slipping off the hair causing  ingrown hairs and unnecessary pain. Hold the skin taut during application of wax, cloth, and removal. This helps you remove the hair and keeps skin from moving and preventing maximum hair removal. Depending on your coverage area and size of area wax is applied to each time will determine how many times you will have to repeat steps 3-5. I used at least 50 and I only removed hair from the knees down. I know that seems like a LOT, and it is! I feel the outcome was worth it. After washing off the excess wax with warm water I used an exfoliating cleanser to wash my legs which will help prevent ingrown hairs. I waxed about two weeks ago and I have experienced one ingrown hair, which I removed immediately with clean tweezers and applied alcohol to prevent infection.

No, my legs were not completely smooth after I waxed. No, I was not able to remove all hair from my legs. Yes, I have at least 95% less hair on my legs right now. Yes, I have had to shave once in the past two weeks! Mission accomplished!

A couple things the package won't tell you.

~ To remove Knee hair, bend knee while sitting down. Apply and remove wax in smaller patches. 

~ To remove hair from the back of the calf, rest foot on something solid, toes facing the ground and twist your torso as if you were trying to check out your own butt.

~ DO NOT shave right after waxing. Pulling the hair out of your skin can cause damage to the skin surrounding the hair follicle, so shaving right after will cut any raised skin cells and cause ingrown hairs.

~ If you must have completely smooth skin wait at least two days for your skin to recover before shaving. There will be redness and heightened sensitivity for a couple hours after waxing, this is normal.

~ Applying a little bit of baby oil to the skin will help sooth and repair the damaged skin.
~DO NOT use oils or lotions that have a fragrance in them for at least 24 hours. Both can cause irritation and ingrown hairs.

Before picture

ha ha ha (I really didn't want a picture of my fuzzy legs online so I thought this was comparable to the fuzziness on my legs before... and way cuter too!)

After Picture

After waxing and before plucking. Notice that I didn't remove all the hair with the wax, but is drastically less fuzzy then the before picture.

Does waxing hurt? Yes, but it is more of a sting rather than blunt force ouch. If you have a tattoo I can compare it with getting a tattoo just on a larger faster scale. Some places do hurt more than others. ( I'll let you find those out on your own) I can also compare the sting to a dogs nails scratching your bare legs for a second. The sting goes away within 3-5 seconds, but instead of thinking about the sting factor each time you go to pull that strip, don't think, don't count, just apply and pull. Take a few 5 min breaks in there. Inspect what you have already done during your breaks. This will encourage you to continue on. Being able to see the difference between fuzzy and not so fuzzy is great encouragement.

I hope this helped will you in your quest to become fuzz-less.

Your American Cutie Beauty

**No dogs were waxed or harmed in the process**