Melaleuca Renew Intensive Skin Therapy

Hello everyone! I'm a terrible blogger, I'm so sorry. I got another writing job writing for The Odyssey so watch out for my shameless plugs, I haven't had an article published yet but tomorrow or Tuesday the first one should be up.

But like I said last week, I'm going to review a moisturizer/lotion if been infatuated with lately. I have very dry skin and lately it has been getting worse, and none of my usual moisturizers are cutting it. I've run out of options (literally, I ran out of everything), and I found the Melaleuca Renew Intensive Skin Therapy sitting on my bathroom shelf.

 credit

I totally forgot about this! I bought it when I first got my tattoo and it did a wonderful job moisturizing and aiding the healing process. I planned on using this until I could get to the store and buy something new that would hopefully work. 

But I was pleasantly surprised. I applied it after I showered and washed my face, and I noticed my face was so smooth! All my rough and dry patches were almost gone. It has a faint scent which is a little annoying, but it's not too overpowering. 

I guess I never thought to use this because it's more of a body lotion than a face moisturizer; if you have acne prone or oily skin this may cause a breakout, but I haven't had one so far. 

I use it twice a day, once in the morning and once at night after I get out of the shower (or in the morning after I shower, whichever happens). 

So I do recommend buying a small bottle of this to try if you have super dry patches like I do. It's thick so I do worry about breakouts on other people but it just works so well for me! 

What is your favorite winter moisturizer? I'm of course always up for suggestions! 

Happy Friday! Weekend Picks

Happy Friday loves! 

The weekend is finally here! I think it's fair to treat yourself to some shopping this weekend for making it through the week, right? Especially if you completed the water only goal. I failed :( I'll try again this week/weekend though. 

But really it's time to stock up on spring and summer clothes, so start this weekend! 

Express is having some pretty good sales right now. Those sandals are only $20 and they have a ton of other colors. Shorts and Skorts are buy 1 get one 50% off, so if you need any shorts for the summer now's the time to get 'em. And of course my favorite accessory in the world (scarves) are all 50% off. 

Forever21 has some insanely cheap swimsuits if you need or want a new one this year. Of course you can get your trendy sunglasses on sale there as well. Another thing you might not think of when you're shopping for summer - a cute beach towel. It's kind of been instinct for me to grab a ratty old towel or bathroom towel for the beach, but when I was on vacation last year I bought a shark towel that I adore. You all know how much I heart sharks! 

BLACK LACE SHORTS! Ahhhh! Ok I'm seriously considering going to H&M tomorrow to get those. If you read my last post (Inspired by Jelly Bellys) then you know I'm in the market for some cute black lace shorts. Only $22! I've never really looked at the H&M home items but they have some super cute paper cups if you're planning on having a summer get together! 

Last but not least - Ulta! PSA: CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES! It's disgusting to see how much gunk comes off. Brush cleaner probably isn't something you think of getting when you're on a beauty run, so make sure you don't forget. Don't forget eyeshadow primer, too. Oily eyelids + hot/humid summer = insanely creased shadow. 

So I'm going to be a bad influence on you this weekend. Treat yourself! Even if it's just a $4 headband. Make yourself a drink, relax, and enjoy the weather (hopefully it's good where you are). Hope you all have a good weekend, and congrats on getting through the week! 

Drink water.

Are you going to treat yourself to something this weekend? Are you all stocked up on your summer clothes? 

Products I Will Be Repurchasing

I know I've done some of these before, and I will continue to do them! I think some of these products were even on my past posts on things I would repurchase, because I did and will continue to repurchase them!

1. Mario Badescu Rose Hips Nourishing Oil- I used to mainly use this in the winter time because my face would dry out so badly, but I use it in the summer as well because it just adds a little extra moisture in spots that are needed. For some reason my skin gets very dry and flakey around my eyebrow area, so I use it before I put on my moisturizer and the flakes are gone! I also have a Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow that hadn't been used in a while and had dried out. I put a drop of this in the shadow, mixed it up with a toothpick, and it was good as new! It didn't look as smooth and pretty in the container as it did when I first got it, but still looked the same when applied to eyes. I'm not use exactly how safe it is to use around the eye area, but I have been and haven't had any problems so far! A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way too!

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- I freaking love this stuff! I've gotten some samples of other eye primers (e.l.f., Lorac, and some others I can't recall right now) and this one takes the cake. Not that the others were bad, the Primer Potion just makes my shadow stay on alllll damn day. Sometimes I'm bad and fall asleep in my makeup, and when I wake up it's still there! Not as perfect as the day before, but it definitely works. Lorac is a close second, and the e.l.f. one isn't bad for the price, I just prefer the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

3. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater- I really, really like Mario Badescu products in case you haven't noticed. It's absolutely perfect to keep in your purse and spray it on your face throughout the day. Since I tend to have dehydrated skin, this acts as a little pick me up so that I don't get too dry. I also use it as a makeup setting spray so that my setting powder doesn't dry out my face too much. I am way too in love with this stuff, I'm on my third bottle!

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil- Eyeliner that doesn't have good staying power drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't want coon eyes halfway through the day. These puppies have insane staying power. I use it on my upper and lower lash lines and I get no coon eyes. They also apply very smoothly, so there is no tugging on my eyes when I put it on. I've gone through 2 full sized black pencils, and I also have a purple pencil that I sometimes put over my black liner. I love love love love these things. Get them. Now.

5. MAC Face and Body Foundation- I'd heard recommendations for this back when I first started wearing foundation, but I also had problem skin that needed heavier coverage. Now that my skin is acne free, I don't need such a heavy foundation. It's VERY watery, but it sets into your skin very quickly. This is especially good for summer because it feels so light, but I usually add another layer once the first one dries just to cover up a few trouble spots. I could use concealer for this, but I feel like concealer is too heavy to cover the extra redness around my nose and cheeks. I use e.l.f. studio concealer if anyone is wondering. I've had no breakouts so far, and it stays all day! I do set it with powder, though, just to make sure.

6. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin- It doesn't make my face too oily, it doesn't break me out, and it doesn't dehydrate my skin. It's also affordable and I can get it pretty much anywhere. That's pretty much all I'm looking for in a moisturizer at the moment.



Apologies again for the repeats, I couldn't help myself. What are some products you loved that you will be repurchasing?

I Tried It! Mario Badescu Skincare

Ever since I tried that Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater (looong name!), I've been very interested in the Mario Badescu skincare line since it seem fairly affordable and I've read some good reviews on that line. (My experience with the facial spray also confirmed that it was a good brand, but a separate post on that later).

I filled out the skin care analysis on the website, and got an email asking if it was ok that they sent free samples (yes, every one of you can do this too! Just fill out the questionairre and put a valid email address). A week or so later I got my samples, which included the Enzyme Cleansing Gel, Special Cucumber Lotion, Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream, Collagen Moisturizer (spf 15), a Flower and Tonic Mask, and a Kiwi Face Scrub.

I've tried all but the Flower and Tonic Mask and the Kiwi Face Scrub, and I am so impressed! I haven't been committed to a skincare regimen for a while now, mainly because I haven't found one that totally works for me. I have dehydrated (NOT dry skin), which can be hard to work with at times. I'd been using a sample of SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel that my facialist gave me (retails for $70!) to keep my skin under control.

During the time I've been using these samples, I haven't had to use the B5 gel at all! If I can find products that are cheaper than $70 that do the same job, you best believe I'm going to invest!

The only problem I ran into was when I first started using these samples, a few whiteheads popped up around my chin. They were gone within 2 days though, and didn't turn into horrible mountainous pimples :)

With the samples, a little booklet was included that listed ALL of their products, what their purpose is, what skin types they are good for, and prices. They also send you a card that lists products they recommend for you, day and night skincare instructions for the products they sent, and how to apply each one.

I am definitely considering ordering some of these products when my samples run out. (Things like the Special Cucumber Lotion and the Ceramide Herbal Eye cream will last a LONG time, because you don't have to use a lot of them). Good products and good customer service, I'm pretty much sold. I would definitely recommend anybody to go fill out the skin care analysis online and see how you like their products.

What do you think? Do you use Mario Badescu? What is your favorite skincare line?