Sun Screen recommendations

I was going to write some long paragraph on the importance of skin care during the summer but screw that. All of you are probably old enough to know the ups and downs and don't need nagging. Although I am quite  pro at nagging. Now here are what I currently use for the summer. Also, excuse the quality of the pictures because they are from my droid and isn't as good as they would regularly be.

I finally got my hands on the Shiseido Sun protectant for $20.00 and I love it. Now I can say that the Dior is better but I don't have $52 to waste on 1oz of product. Screw Dat! Now this isn't as light but it still beats the pants off of the other drugstore ones. It's still pretty light for being a cream and unlike Dior, it isn't a s runny.

It has a light scent that it's too heavy and does fade. It is also non greasy and isn't heavy or mask like on the skin. I've also noticed that it doesn't leave my face feeling like it has heavy mask on nor does it show up white. It blends into the skin well and it also happens to be water resistant. I walked in the sun for a while and didn't feel this sliding or greasing up my face. Adore this better than my previous Aveeno sunblock for the face.

For the body...

I use Clinique's body cream SPF 30 with UVA and UVB protection. Everything I previously said about the Shiseido is something that I would repeat here.

Thick but non greasy and doesn't leave marks on clothing. It does have a heavier sunblock scent but it really isn't troublesome. I do enjoy the spray can sunscreen but they tend to be pretty oily, but this isn't oily but does leave a light sheen on the skin.

Now for safe tanning, I use this Hampton Sun tanning gel with SPF. My arms and face do tend to tan but since I'm quite the prude, I don't wear anything much that exposes any other part of my body. So the white pasty complexion of my legs tend to stand out prominently when I do go to the beach. This gel tans you nicely but not drastically. I go about one to two shades darker rather than complete faux orange and it helps my skin tan and look more natural.

I also got this hair butter that I am really excited to try out. Since my hair is quite long again, it really needs some TLC. So going to talk to you later. Bye.

Face Q's Caviar and Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Mask

 There is a blistering heat wave here and one thing that I use to keep me cool while keeping my looks from deteriorating any further are face masks. I put them in the fridge and after a hard day, I put these on. I usually get mine from The Face Shop because I can get them in store and it's about $1 each but then I saw these Face Q's Caviar and Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Masks. I forgot how much I paid for these but I remember them being a bit pricer than my regular masks.

The packaging looks so adorable and while I can't read what this says, I assume it has something to do with anti-aging and skin repair based on some drawings in the back. I also googled Hyaluronic Acid  and it states that it is used in skin repair when used for cosmetic purposes. 

Here is a list of ingredients, luckily in English and nothing seems out of the ordinary. These have a light scent that may bother some but I found it refreshing. When removing the masks, they were soaked in the liquid and I had to wring them out so that they would actually stick instead of sliding on my skin. The masks themselves were made of good quality and I did not see anything ripping.

This is what I like about these mask. See the edge? Usually most masks would just be a big circle but these had ear hooks that help your mask stay on. It fits comfortably and all around my face.

The other part that I liked were that the mask also extends to the neck and had the piece of fabric come below the jaw and it has an opening for your ear as well. It wraps against your neck comfortably, so that you get the most coverage. Now this did burn for a short time but after you get over that stage, the mask dries down comfortably with no sticky residue. Of course my face did appear brighter, but that's probably just a temporary side effect. I haven't broken out nor am I seeing dramatic changes so this mask is just so-so. Meh, I would probably just this up but save my money for some other masks but I hope that other companies would pick up on the shape and style of the mask.

It's so hot that I've gotten too lazy to cook and have been drinking my meals. Smoothies and juices. Too hot to cook. Do you see my finger?

A mosquito sneaked up on me in the night and bit not only the finger but in between it as well. The only other place that sucks even more than the fingers is the face. Never on the face. My finger plumped up like a juicy sausage and I was in a foul mood. But revenge came fast and swift. With a heroic war cry of " I've killed better mosquitoes than you mother fer" I got it. Haha!

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer Spf 15

I'm melting... Big girls like me that are pale and tend to burn rather than tan should not have to be out in the sun. I've lost hope on applying makeup but still have to be religiously diligent about applying sunscreen. But being the lazy ass that I am, I've been trying to pare down the routine. I know that SPF 15 isn't much but at least it's something. 

One big selling point for this lotion was that it was supposed to even tone and texture as well as brighten skin. It was around $14 dollars at any drugstore and I've been using it for a couple of months in the morning. Although it is a moisturizer, I don't think that it's very moisturizing. Let's see if it brightens. 

I do understand that this is a bad picture of the before shot, mostly because of the flash but please bear with me. As you can see, I still have scarring and red marks from all of the acne. This is a fresh face with nothing on. 

The moisturizer is very heavy and I do have to make sure to warm it up to make it fluid enough to spread. It also has a strong scent that I don't mind but it does linger. It has no visible sparkle in it and is easy to pump on to the hand. Does it provide moisture? Not really. My skin doesn't feel dry but it doesn't feel very refreshing on the skin. Maybe because I'm used to a more watery texture but not a big fan. It also does nothing to control the oil on my face. I'm still oily as heck and this does nothing to help. Let's see if it brightens.

The picture deceives. Natural daylight looks great in photos. It does seem to lighten my skin up a smidgen but it is only temporary. The effects fade and then you're left with oily skin. I honestly wanted the Shiseido cream for ~20.00 but it's sold out. Oh well.

Argh, I have to start writing better reviews. Sorry. I promise to be a bit better.

Quick Park Avenue Princess Bronzer from Tarte

No ramblings to day, just straight to business. I got this from a friend who received it from a 500 perk set. This ended up being too light for her and she passed it on to me. It is a non overtly shimmery bronzer from Tarte and while I do enjoy it, I can't wear it as a bronzer. It retails for $29.00... Ouch.

This is the flashed picture, which shows how shimmery it is. No glitter but just light shimmer that gives a great glow. However, make sure to use this sparingly, just in case.

 This is the no flash color and this color looks to be a bit more true to what you might see. However, when you swatch it, it doesn't seem to be too dark on the skin.

 With flash you can barely see the color on my hand. It's a pretty noticeable color that would show up nicely on light to medium skin but not much use for darker colors. It lasted for a good amount of time on my skin but it is't really sweat proof.

 See, is it me or does it seem to look orangey on the skin? I swatched my Sephora bronzer against it and my Sephora bronzer looks coppery too. I don't know what's happened but maybe I haven't been getting enough carrots in my diet. I noticed that both the Sephora and Tarte bronzers break me out when applied to the hollows of my face. While I no longer really have a use for the Sephora bronzer, I use the Tarte one as a light glowy blush on my skin. I really brightens up my skin and for some reason doesn't break me pout when applied to my cheeks. Would I but this for over $30(tax)? Heck naw. It's too hot for  makeup here anyway.

In conjunction to Memorial Day, NYC had fleet week. My friend and I went the day after memorial day so it wasn't busy but the ship she wanted to see had already sailed from port. I saw a good mix of men and women along but families as well. It was so hot that I blotted and sweat my makeup off. The train station was really far from the ships and I got blisters. My friend teased me by telling me that I deserved it because I was wearing crocs. No! Croc sandals are good for short distances and they are really comfy while being squishy.

 Saw a lot of helicopters as well as guns just scattered for everyone to pick up. I have a weird thing about guns and didn't want to hold one but my friend was all COD and loved it. Telling me about the heft and the range... Like I care. It wasn't loaded but she made a comment about just pistol whipping people with it, I just backed away from her with one eye on her while having the other one search for a safe exit point.

 Everyone on the ships were all so very nice and it was great to see all the guys in uniform. Drool.

 There was also a guided tour of the other ship and we saw and learned a lot.

That was how I spent my Monday. I'm also trying to change up my diet for summer and I'm doing a bit of a lifestyle change with my diet. I don't know if I can actually manage to change it but you know... Cross your fingers and wish me the best.

A quick review on Sally Hansen's Creme Hair Bleach

When I was a child, I once tried shaving my face with my dad's razor and had my hands slapped away but not before I lathered up and managed to shave one side of my face. I've never noticed things like facial hair, but once I started getting vainer, I started to pay more attention to my face. Now, I pluck my eyebrows and my armpits and I really don't have much hair on other parts of my body to worry about. But since that childhood incident, I've noticed a fuller upper stasche on one side of my face. I refused to shave my lovely mane, can't pluck because of the pain and am too broke for electrolysis. 

So unless someone has better ideas, I bleach. This is my second box of  Sally Hansen's Creme Hair Bleach and it's lasted me for about a year. This seems to be a newer packaging but a bit improved and burns a lot less. Follow the packaging directions and this was my experience. 

It took eight minutes and since it was right under my nose, you can smell the bleach. It's not enough to get your nose watering but you do notice a scent. The previous package burned and left bumps on my upper lip but not this one. No bumps and it seems to be stronger than before. I had stubborn hair at the upper corner of the mouth that the older one didn't really get but this worked well. It tells you to mix a certain amount but that always ended up to be too much for me. So I just eyeballed the measurements and don't have any problems. Now the bad part. It is a bleach and it does bleach the skin. There was a lighter outline of my mustache on my skin where the bleach touched it and it took about two to three days to get rid of it on the skin. Another bad thing... Look,

(photo taken day after)

you can see that my hair has turned white, not invisible. I'm pale enough on the lower portion of my face to get away with this but if you are a darker skinned human being, then no suck it up and get it removed some other way. This is pretty close but when at respectable personal space distance, it's not that bad.Other than that, this is probably the only way to make my mustache unnoticeable.

Anyway, I'm having a bit of trouble at home and am really cranky 24/7. Mood swings when I'm not PMSing or menopausal means that you should stay far away from me. I'm also trying to make Bboppki at home but yeah...

No Makeup But Slushy Magic

Has anyone tried this? I watched an ad for it while babysitting my cousins. It looked so much fun and who doesn't like slushies? Evil people who can't stand the cold with sensitive teeth can't appreciate a good  slushy.  However, I have slightly sensitive teeth, enjoy moderately cold weather and have a dash of innate goodness in me (sometimes) and even I can appreciate a Slushy. Throw that in with any flavor I want... I am sold. Not really, I waited till I saw this for $14 at Rite Aid. The main thing is to wait until the three cubes of a questionable nature is completely frozen before use.

Also make sure that your drink has sugar in it. None of the artificial sugar. I didn't know that and tried it with water. Not smart because I just started shaking it until my bat wings got a good workout but was left with cold water. For this demonstration, I used a Green Tea with ginseng and honey from Arizona.  

 With your frozen cubes, fill until the line... (If you have soda, make sure to let some of the gas out once in a while)

Put your hands on the hole and shake. It's crazy shakin' time. It might sound a bit lewd but the best motion to use is to put both hands and just... Remember the shake weight commercial and how it moves? Yeah.. tons of sexual innuendo. It involves a lot of shaking and it's not like the infomercial where kids just toss it around three times and BAM. Shook it silly for about three to five minutes.

F YEAH! Slushy Magic. What sorcery is it? None. Just a lot of elbow grease. I told my sister about this and she said "What kind of chemicals go in the cubes to make this possible? Have fun eating slush while mutating slowly on the inside." Wow, I had to shut her up and made her a Mountain Dew slush. That shut her up real good.

Wanna know something weird? When I started typing this and misspelled slushy, the auto correct wanted to change this to sluts. Lol. Now read this whole thing using sluts instead of slushy and have some immature fun.

Quick Look At Personal Favorite Spring Nail Polishes

In the springtime I always have nail polish on my hands and feet. For some reason, it makes me feel better and happier when I have it on. During the winter I tend to wear a lot of darker colors but during the spring and summer I just put on anything. Now, this isn't a trends list where I put in what's hot but more of my personal classic polishes that I wear. These are my top 5. 

 Now let me tell you beforehand that the camerawork and the application  can look a bit shoddy, especially the last one so bear with me. This is also a non in-depth look so don't expect descriptions and reviews. Sorry. 

The first one is Essie's Aruba Blue. Now this is more of an on your toes rather than you hands kind of  a color but this is my favorite out of all five. It reminds me of tropical beaches and is so mesmerizing to look at. It just has a beautiful sheen that I adore. 

This is Sephora Opi's High Maintenance. It's a bright red with an orange tinge to it that looks great on all skin tones. It  just pops on your nails and is bright and fun and just looks great. It's not a vampy or deep red but reminds me of the color of ladybugs. Weird. 

Next is a not so bright pale pink that's from the Face Shop called PK108 (lol original name) topped with two coats of Sinful Color's Pinky Glitter (straight to the point names for these polishes). This is a childish, chock full of glitter that looks almost like fake press on nails, but ... that's the reason why I like it. I know that the base pink may be harder to find but Essie's Fiji looks similar to this. Just get any bright baby pink.

I got so may compliments and questions sbout this color. Sephora Opi's Midnight Mambo. This is a real pain in the ass to remove but I refuse to ever put it to rest because it looks so great. People thought that my nails looked fake but they all loved it and asked where I purchased it. This looks even better with Aruba Blue as a base and then two coats of this on top.

 Last but not least is Mint Candy Apple from Essie. This was my must have color that was sold out everywhere I went. I ended up buying 5 look a likes but wasn't satisfied util I got this color. It makes my pale skin look paler.

A tip for all of you who can't apply polish well is to make friends with thinner and top coat. Most polished will be too hard to apply, especially is they are on their last legs. Put in a little thinner and it brings the polish back to a watery consistency, which makes for an easier application. Also, make sure that your nails are mostly dry before applying top coat. You can easily put a dent or streak up you polish if it's still wet. I always put a big glob of top coat to smooth out any messes that I've made.

Now my all time favorite polish ever would be Essie's Wicked. I could wear that color all the time and would not get sick of it. It also happens to be my mother's favorite color as well. Is anyone else dumbstruck on what to get for Mother's Day?