My Unblemish Story (and a Rodan + Fields full regimen giveaway!)

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I'm reviewing Unblemish by Rodan + Fields, the same folks who made Proactive. If you have problem skin, you'll want to listen up to this!

It can be easy to fall prey to the assumption that everyone on the Internet is perfect. Perfect home, perfect family, perfect wardrobe, perfect skin, perfect life. But it's important to remember that PHOTOSHOP. And professional photography, and great light, and that you are seeing a filtered version of reality, not the real reality. I try to keep it real on this blog, and that's why I'm writing about my skin today. It's not the best. It's never been the best, but about two years ago it decided to FREAK OUT on me, and ever since then I've been waging this war against adult acne that can be very  frustrating and embarrassing at times. Bonnie, a Rodan + Fields consultant, contacted me to sponsor several months back, and that's when I first became aware of the Unblemish line. After his first stint advertising with me, I bartered some ad space for the Unblemish regimen, on the promise that I would review it IF I had a good experience. And you guys, I did! I really did. 

I debated even posting this before and after picture because I look like death warmed over in the first photo especially (just got out of a hot shower, so my skin was still angry and I had no makeup on except for the eyeliner I did a terrible job of washing off). But I think it's important to see what a difference 6 weeks of Unblemish made for my face, specifically my forehead, which I have the most trouble with. If it takes the shittiest imaginable photo of me to do so, so be it.

I know, I know. Nevvverrr looked better! But this gets the point across, right? That ish WORKS! It worked for me anyway. I feel I should also mention I spent a little time in the sun between the before and after, which I'm sure helped clear me up a little, too. But I haven't been in the sun for about a month now at this point, and my skin is still clearer than it has been in two years.  I am so grateful for Unblemish, and plan to continue using it as long as it continues working for me.

Now excuse me while I go hide my face in shame for posting those god-awful pictures of myself on the Internet. I did it because I love you, people. I did it because I love you.

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If you're interested in winning your own full Rodan + Fields regimen (a $160 value!), then consider entering the giveaway below. There are several different lines to fit all different skin types! Go here if you want to bite the bullet and purchase a regimen today.

GOOD LUCK!

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Misikko Valentine's Day Special

You may recall I've written a couple reviews for Misikko.com in the past  (the first for a hair dryer, the second for a flat iron), and today I have the pleasure of once again filling you all in on the good stuff going on over there at Misikko! These fine folks sent me over a curling iron to try out this time, and also so that I could show you how darn awesome their Valentine's Day swag box is.  If there are any guys out there reading... hello?! PERFECT Valentine's Day gift for the lady in your life. You can shop Valentine's boxes here (Misikko's top rated items).

This is what my particular box arrived looking like:

top layer: faux roses, teddy bear, bath petals, cute heart thingees.

bottom layer: your styling product of choice, makeup brush, lipgloss, eyelash curler, and case for your styling tool.

I am basically a failure as a woman, because I have never, not even once, owned a curling iron or even attempted to curl my hair with one. I sometimes use my flat iron to make curls, but this curling iron thing.... all new to me. And it's funny, because learning a new tool makes one (me, anyway) feel like the biggest loser in the world. I must have watched 14 curling iron tutorials on YouTube, burned my fingers, hands, and ears about that many times, and generally felt like I had two left hands (I am right-handed). BUT, I finally started to get the hang of it, especially after poor Shalyn came over and helped me (thanks Shayboo!). Here's a few photos from my lesson... I'll have to do another post with a full head of waves!

I certainly don't blame Misikko for my ineptitude in the hair-curling department. This curling iron was fantastic, and the package it came in was really over-the-top awesome. Misikko makes their customers feel special and goes above and beyond to provide you with the best buying experience. The swag box is always awesome (see my first and second reviews for proof!), only this time it's Valentine's Day themed (packages here). So certainly consider this fine website for all your hair styling needs... or email this post to your men who might need a little hint on a gift for you. :) Happy Weekend!

*note: the curling iron I have above is not on the website yet, but there are lots of other great ones here.

Best Birchbox beauty products (according to me)

Hello my friends! Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite Birchbox products I've used over the last year of my subscription.  I've heard varying reviews of Birchbox, from people like myself who are super happy with it, and from others who were continuously disappointed by their samples. Personally, I think the trick is to have realistic expectations. You won't LOVE every single sample you get. For example, over the last 12 months and probably around 10 perfume samples, I LOVED two of them (this one and this one). But taste in perfume and most other beauty products is very subjective, and I have just been so thankful to have such a fun way to try out products I would have never discovered if it weren't for my Birchboxes arriving in the mail each month!  For me, the $10/month fee is well worth it, and I love that I can go on the website and review each product to earn points towards free stuff, too. Score!

Also, let it be known that I am something of a beauty product hoarder. In all honesty, I haven't even used many of my samples of the last year, but I keep them, ALL OF THEM, because I love the look of product packaging and design... just makes me happy. Especially the fancy French stuff. I know, I'm weird.

But I'll stop rambling now and tell you about my favorite favorite Birchbox products of the last year. These have all made it into my regular beauty routine, and some I have bought the full sized product of already. Hope maybe this helps any of you who may be in the market for some new stuff!

1. Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm

I have very weird skin. It can't decide if it wants to be disgustingly oily or dry and peeling. This weirdness is exacerbated in the winter and by acne treatments, to where my skin just becomes one giant clusterf***, which makes me sad. I feel like I can't use anti-aging treatments on my face because they're too oily, and products I use for acne dry me out like crazy. When I try to put on foundation, sometimes I feel like it makes my skin look worse, as it draws attention to the dry spots. What to do, what to DO? This Dr Jart "beauty balm" came as a sample in one of my Birchboxes, and I fell in love with it immediately. It's a four-in-one primer, moisturizer, sunscreen, and treatment serum, which I use as foundation. It goes on smooth like buttah, and moisturizes instead of drawing attention to my dry spots. It also has excellent coverage for such a lightweight "primer." Between this and the concealer I mention in #6, I don't feel the need for any other base makeup (except a little power, because the Dr Jart will make you look shiny.)

2. Oribe Royal Blowout heat styling spray

This is what I use each and every time I blow-dry and straighten my hair. I love the smell and feel like I'm helping to protect my hair from all the heat. It also seems to make my hair extra silky and shiny, which is muy buen. It claims to repair split ends, which I think must be true! I just checked, and I have almost no split ends - miraculous, since I haven't had a hair cut in a year. Not sure what else to say about this one... except that I wish it was cheaper?

3. Miss Jessie's Quick Curls

As a human with extremely unruly, frizzy, and wavy-wannabe-curly-hair, I am always searching for the perfect product to tame the mane, so to speak. I'd say Miss Jessie's products are the closest thing I've found to something that actually works for me. It smells fun, and really does seem to help actually shape my waves into something almost curl-like and less frazzled. I also like the Pillow Soft Curls product probably just as much, and the smell a little more. Not sure exactly what the difference is, though I think the Quick Curls makes for tighter waves or curls.

4.  Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo

This stuff does just what a dry shampoo is supposed to do: soaks up your grease and helps you go longer between washes - or at least look less dirty between washes. Smells great, works great, no residue. Need I say more?

5. Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder

Ok, hair "powder" is a little trickier than the aerosol type like the Oscar Blandi above, BUT I'd say this particular one is worth the potential mess.  IT SMELLS DIVINE. Like, I want to dump it all over my carpets and vacuum that ish up for a little room refresher, WHILE i'm rubbing it into my hair to soak up oil. No but really, it smells incredible. And it truly does work, though you will see more residue (especially in dark brunettes such as myself) until the powder fully absorbs the oil. Just follow the directions, though, and you'll be fine. This stuff is fabulous!

6. Miracle Skin Transformer Concealer 

I am in love with this concealer. I have super dark circles under my eyes (it's genetic - no amount of sleep will cure them), and for years I searched for the perfect under-eye concealer... one that truly conceales. This concealer makes great claims to treat as well as cover up (diminishes fine lines, hydrates, reduces puffiness, etc), and while I don't have too many lines around my eyes yet, nor do I suffer with puffiness, I am super happy with the level of concealment and assume this is also helping me to fight aging around my eyes. And one last thing: IT LASTS FOREVER. You need such a tiny bit for each eye as it is very concentrated, and I have been using it for probably six months now and feel like it's only about half gone. Well worth the price.

*Note: this is not a sponsored post, though I do get points to be used towards products if you sign up for Birchbox through this link! Hooray!

Kiss Slavery Goodbye

The other day Matthew and I watched that movie Taken about the young (I think college age) girl who was abducted by human traffickers in Paris and sold into sex slavery (before her father, some secret agent guy, shot up half of Europe to get her back), and I couldn't help thinking about Radiant Cosmetics and the work they do to prevent and end the travesty of human trafficking (slavery) that truly does exist in our world today. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Radiant has a campaign going called "Kiss Slavery Goodbye." For every lipstick sold, Radiant will donate another lipstick for outreach programs to current victims as well as survivors (on top of the 20% of proceeds that they already donate to the cause).

I know it's hard for many of us to even fathom this atrocity, but it really does happen, and right in our own backyards. Read more about it here.

The shade I'm wearing above is called Moscow and it, along with many other lovely lip colors, can be found and purchased here. (this particular lip color is a matte, but I paired it with a bit of chapstick to combat dry winter lips.)

You can make a difference, just by buying a pretty new lipstick. Let's kiss slavery goodbye, shall we?

Let�s talk hair again.

  oh yes, I just put that on the internet.

 
And what, pray tell, caused such a transformation? My Hana Elite flat iron, of course (pictured below). Yep, this is a review, but I�ll make it quick. This flat iron rocks my face off. As you can maybe tell from the �before� picture, I have some hair. And by �some hair,� I mean masses of coarse, wavy/curly, and extremely puffy hair. The first picture is how my hair looks immediately after blow drying� so yeah, flat irons have always been my friends. I used to profess my undying love for my Chi, but now I profess my undying love for my Hana Elite. You know, in life, sometimes relationships just grow apart. Chi, it was nice knowing you�

No but seriously, while both are excellent irons, the Hana is less bulky and has temperature settings, whereas Chi does not.  Also, it comes with 5 million other little awesome things in the massive swag box you get, just for ordering. (it came with a hair brush, a blush brush, lip gloss, an eyelash curler, hand sanitizer, nail files, a sleep mask, a case for the flat iron, and a rubber pad for the flat iron�. holla???!)

Thanks so much to Misikko and Hana Salon for allowing me to try out their fabulous products. And if you�re in the market for a new blow dryer, check out this review I wrote a while back. Happy Thursday!

$350 worth of styling products, anyone?

A while back I wrote a review of a seriously fabulous hair dryer sold over at Misikko.com, and I meant every word of that little rave I posted. So when I discovered Misikko is holding a �Dream Gift Package Giveaway� right now, I had to participate. Check out the contest rules:

 

There will be three winners, and I�m hoping that two of them might be YOU. The other one I�m hoping will be me, DUH. Here�s my entry! 

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1.HANA Elite Flat Iron 1� | 2.HANA Styling Iron Cleaner | 3.Moroccan Oil | 4.Paul Mitchell Smoothing Gift set

So, I have massive amounts of coarse, wavy, frizz-tastic hair, and I would use this flat iron to tame the heck out of it. I�ve been using a Chi for quite some time now, but I�ve heard the Hana Elite is in a class of its own, and I�d like to see for myself. Secondly, of course, you need a good styling iron cleaner so your iron doesn�t goop up (you should see my Chi� *hangs head in shame*), and third, I�d love another bottle of Moroccan Oil. I absolutely love that stuff, though it�s a bit pricey. Free would be nice. Last but not least, I�d like the Paul Mitchell smoothing gift set, mainly because it has �smoothing� in the name, and that�s what my hair is in dire need of. So, pick me, pick me!

*(If you choose to create your own entry, just be sure and leave a link on the Misikko Facebook page so they know where to find you.)

Playing Dress up

If you recall, last week I attended a little event for Radiant Cosmetics, a fabulous local company dedicated to ending the fight against human trafficking. Well, this week I decided to play dress up with some of my new Radiant products!  I felt sort of like a little girl who�d gotten into her mother�s makeup� it was fun. I�m not used to seeing myself in bold pink lipstick (or bold red gloss, for that matter), but I was actually feeling it. I think these two lipcolors might be my new favorites!  The pink was creamy and wonderful, and the red gloss (called �Rue,� which makes me think of Hunger Games,) smells good enough to eat. I also tried out a pretty mauve-ish eye shadow and a peachy blush� winners, all around!  Here are a few photos of all the shenanigans, with links to the products I used below.

1 (rue) | 2 (utopia) | 3 (not quite terracotta) | 4 (peony)

Happy Wednesday!

Radiant

Like I mentioned yesterday, I had the real pleasure of attending the �Beauty for a Purpose� event by Radiant Cosmetics, a local Austin company I am a HUGE fan of!  Not only are these cosmetics high quality and fabulous, they�re also deeply rooted in an excellent cause: 20% of ALL sales go towards ending the fight against human trafficking.  Nicole, the owner of this fab AND socially conscious company, has a very compelling story here on her website.  Just makes me so happy to see people following a dream and a vision that not only includes successful entrepreneurship, but also furthering a cause they�re passionate about.  You GO girl.

So anyway, I just wanted to help spread the word about this company, because you�re going to spend money on cosmetics anyway� might as well support a good cause while you�re at it.  I�ve tried these products myself, and I�m completely sold!  Browse the shop here, if you�d like. And if you�re looking for a fantastic red lip gloss, try this one in �Rue.�  Another post on my favorite Radiant products coming SOON�

Now for a few photos from the event!

Kelly, thanks SO much for coming with me and helping me with pictures! :)

DJ Mr. Burnz

The event was held at 2nd Street�s own Plain Ivey Jane� LOVE this store! And they have the coolest website!

Beautiful Nicole, the face behind Radiant.

Makeup artist Lauren Davis with Hint of Shimmer

Happy Tuesday!