LA LIFESTYLE + BEAUTY BLOG: Beauty

INTENSE

2/03/2017

S O N G O F S T Y L E + F O R M U L A X

1/28/2016

One of the first blogs I started reading when I start this one forever ago was Aimee Song's blog Song of Style. What got me hooked was her style. It was California with a bit of an edge -- the girl knew the power of a good bootie and denim shorts. Not only did I love her fun tone of voice but her phrase "Aimeeways"made the creative writer in me love her even more. She was super sweet and as she kept blogging I kept reading. Since then both online and in person Ms. Song's vibes and personality have never changed.

Nude For You Song of Style x Formula X

When Aimee announced her collaboration with the nail polish brand Formula X I had to get myself to Sephora and support. I picked up Nude For You which is described as “The ultimate universal nude that elongates your fingers.” And let me say it did not disappoint! I'm a nail polish lover and hoarder which means I'm constantly buying, coveting and eventually tossing nail polish. Recently I've gotten strict with the quality of my polish and this one meets all of my criteria:

1. Not too thin and not too thick: The formula apply smooth and this color only requires two coats but you can totally get away with one.

2. Fast to Dry: Two coats dries in 4-5 minutes. I found out after brushing my nails against my over the knee boots that I don't have to do the my nails are wet dance for an hour waiting for this polish to dry. And it passes the pillow/mattress imprint test. Went to sleep 30 minutes after applying the polish worried about imprints from sheets and woke up the next day with them still in tact/

3. High Shine: I've applied this twice since purchasing and opted out of top coat both times. Going on day 3 of the second application and my nails are still shining!

4. Chipping: Made it through washing pots and pans and only chipped at the tips after full house Sunday scrubbing.

5. Color: Aimee created this as a universal nude color and I agree. The color looks great on fairer skin tones such as hers and still looks great on a deeper tone like mine. All nudes aren't created equal but Nude For You is!

If any of you were thinking about picking up one of these colors go for it! With that said, Aimee you did an amazing job with this collaboration -- I've tested the others in store and they look just as good. I've got a ride or die nude polish now and that's just one more reason to love you!

C H A M P A G N E P O P X J A C L Y N H I L L

11/06/2015

SKIN CARE SUNDAY

3/22/2015

In my last skincare related post I mentioned learning what works as I get older. I'm not headed into my 30s or anything but I will be 24 this year and I've got to get a start on this stuff. Recently, I found certain problem areas. I've also seen my skin go from dry to a combination of oily and dry after a few years of wearing makeup. So finding the right products that will take care of each little aspect can be tedious.

Lindi Lip Balm: I use as a pre-lip product moisturizer. It makes my lips feel like pillows and assures my lips are crack free which is key when wearing the daring lip colors I tend to gravitate toward.

Products c/o Lindi Skin

I've added the Lindi Skin Face Serum + Lip Balm + Face Wash + Eye Hydrator to my routine. And to be honest I didn't expect them to make such a big difference in such a short amount of time. The kit works together to keep my skin smooth and cleansed.

Take my under eyes for example. Over the past year I've developed dry patches underneath my eyes. Lotions and moisturizers only acted temporarily and they would be dry again a few hours later. So when I saw the Lindi Eye Hydrator I had little hope that this would be able to penetrate the situation. To my surprise after one application my eyes felt really hydrated — with a bit of the dry texture lingering. BUT after the second use it was like butter! It's been almost three weeks and that dry feeling has yet to resurface (and I haven't had to apply it much since). I'm just gonna go ahead and say "Holy Grail" because it's solved one of peskiest problems within a week.

Like I said earlier makeup has changed the condition of my skin so confiding in a daily cleansing routine is key. The Lindi Face Wash and Face Serum have been the perfect duo. The light weight face wash is a great soap alternative that cleanses to balance the PH balance and rid of dirt. The face serum comes right behind and puts the moisture back into my skin and leaves it that way all day. I went a whole day feeling my face (which is a skin care sin I know, I know!) and my face felt as soft and smooth as it did that morning.

Actually the results shouldn't be so shocking if you consider the products background. Lindi Skin was originally created as a skin care line for cancer patients undergoing treatments. If you are familiar with chemo, radiation, and other therapies you know it comes with skin related side effects (dry skin, itchy skin, hyper pigmentation, photosensitivity - tendency to sunburn easily, and rashes). The twelve items in the Lindi Skin line takes on those side effects. The brand prides itself on making smart ingredient choices considering what you put on your skin get's absorbed into your body. And what's exceptional enough to safely restore the skin of cancer patients is bound to work miracle on other's. So as my skin care regime develops these will definitely remain within it.

I was also given a special code for my readers. If you purchase any items with the code BLOG25 you can receive 25% off and free shipping — this last until May 31st. Also any purchase made until then Lindi Skin will be donating to the American Cancer Society's "Look Good Feel Better" program.

Note: This post contains a product review for which I was compensated or gifted.

Happy Styling

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LIKE GOLD

2/19/2015

Note: This post contains a product review for which I was compensated or gifted.

I have been wanting to share some type of skin care regime with you all for a while now. I'm no pro dermatologist but I know/have tried/been taught a few things. A combination of my tween acne clad years and my college product junkie phase I've found my go to's and wanted to dedicated post to all the things make my skin feel like gold.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: The MOST important thing is having clean skin. It's the base of every skin problem you can have: huge pores, pimple, blackheads, etc. I prefer a more tame cleanser void of suds (I can't stand soap in my eyes). It's a thin but not watery texture so this cleanser leaves my face feeling clean and tight (in a baby butt way not in a leathery botox way) without any of the mess. One pump goes a long way.

Palmer's Coco Butter: Coco butter is one of those things I have been I was told as a young girl can do EVERYTHING! It moisturizes the skin, cure chapped lips, works miracles on dry hair, and best of all heal scars. Put this stuff on a burn or a scab and after few weeks you'll look up and it will be gone. I have many curling irons wounds to prove it.

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub: As I mentioned before I had pubescent acne (who didn't). Luckily for me I only never had a cestic case or more than a few red suckers at a time. My skin was (and still is) prone to a million tiny pimples a top my forehead. I found creams and serums did no good. A good scrub in the form of some clean and clear became my savor. As I got older I had to find a more "grown up" version of a face scrub. The St. Ives Apricot scrub was that! It smells amazing and gives a good scrub without being too harsh.

Emjoi Epi Slim+ e18: I'm at an age where hair removal is important but just gotten a bit to lazy. A pack of disposable razor used to do it for me but I've don't have the time or energy to stand over with a mess of shaving cream. This razor has made it easier to get at facial hair (we all have it don't judge) body hair.

For something so small it's pretty powerful! It has 18 tweezers that rotates at 540 motions a second. I was a bit intimidated but after few second the little pokes the razor were nothing and I let it glide against the skin. Each disc set contains one fixed disc and two that open and close to gently assist in skin stretching to increase comfort. That means I can move it back/forth and circular on my skin safely. Which is great for my sensitive skin. I definitely don't know what i was doing before a electric razor but I'm glad my first was this little buddy.

Happy Styling

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