Liptiful

The idea of a product that gives you bigger lips without making your lips feel like they are on fire like many lip enhancing glosses do and doesn't involve any type of lip injection sounds great but does such a product exhist? Yes it does and it is called the Liptiful!

 The Liptiful is a great product and here is what the company has to say about their product. Liptiful's are a small pocket sized tool that add natural volume, good fluid, erase lines and build lip muscles, and help you to relax as you consistently use them. Created by a certified instructor for Facial Fitness Systems; and being the first to sell pocket suction tools beginning in October of 2012, we understand facial exercise. We hope to encourage those who would like more lip volume or who may have poor circulation to their lips, and to also encourage those who struggle with proper lip closure or lip muscle weakness by giving them an affordable and fun way to strengthen the 14 muscles around the mouth. Our plumping tool, with regular use and weekly simple exercise can prevent the need for costly lip injections or fillers or can add to your experience of getting injections and make it more long-lasting. Recommended size is a medium tool for almost everyone unless you have a petite and small mouth, then use size small. Use daily to strengthen lip, cheek, and jaw muscles, plump your lips, add beautiful color, and stave off chapped lips! With this new inside shape; you can move the tool up and down on the lips to focus on the upper or lower lip depending on which one you need most plumped. Can it strengthen the lip area of a toddler struggling with not being able to blow bubbles? We have customers and therapists experimenting with these very things and are excited and hopeful to hear that the Liptiful will be very fun to use even for kids and helpful to encourage those who just need help. We would like to help people everywhere learn how to use this simple tool. It will help them increase strength in their lip and mouth area, plump the lips, add volume and fluid to the lips and tone their facial muscles around the mouth. I believe it will help wrinkles around the mouth, as well as could possibly increase injection life, as you plump the lips with suction. Check with your doctor first if you’ve already had injections. Overall, the Liptiful is so simple, natural and fun to use for anyone at any age. I am developing these new tools right now that children will be able to use.

I think this product is great because it offers so much more then just plumping your lips. I have anxiety and when I am stressed I tend to grind my teeth or clench my jaw but now instead I grab my liptiful and it seems to help me relax and not focus on those bad habits that cause me jaw pain. I see this as a great product for kids (not to get plumper lips) and adults to use as a tool when they are feeling stressed or they are having problems with anxiety. This would be great for someone with a condition like Bell's Palsy and needs to build up their mouth muscles.

I see this being the next big thing in lip products.

Another added bonus is you can order your liptiful with a hole so that you can add some type of chain or rope and wear it as a necklace!

Dial-a-smile

I did a review not to long ago on whitening Lightning's Super Booster whitening pen. My teeth were definitely whiter but I wanted to see what their Dial-a-smile kit could do to get my teeth even whiter.

     I decided to go with the dial-a-smile combo kit. Here is a little summary of what the kit claims to do. The combo kit is the best way to experience the stand out products of the Whitening Lightning family of products. In the kit you will  receive the DIAL A SMILE professional at-home whitening kit and the SUPER BOOSTER whitening pen. The home kit contains 3 complete professional whitening treatments so you can achieve your ideal brightness quickly and effortlessly. Each session takes 20 minutes without the mess, inconvenience and sensitivity you’ve experienced with other whitening methods. Ideal for smokers, wine drinkers, and coffee lovers or teens who just got their braces off…DIAL A SMILE has given so many people around the world a reason to smile.  The SUPER BOOSTER Pen is the perfect product to maintain your results and works within 7-14 days. Apply before bedtime and whiten while you sleep. Just paint on the gel and say goodbye to your strips and trays.

    I must say the results I received were right up there with the Zoom whitening you can get at a Dentist's office. The kit is very simple to do. You paint the gel on put the blue light in your mouth holding it with your lips or hands whatever works for you for twenty minutes, then you brush your teeth and your teeth are at least three shades lighter ( at least mine were). Then if you want to go the extra step you use the Super Booster Pen (see previous post for details). This kit claims to give you enough for three treatments but I seem to be able to get at least four out of this one kit. I am really shocked with how well this product works. I have tried Zoom whitening and it hurt so bad that I couldn't even finish the process. This however caused me no pain and gave me even better results.

In my previous post I talked about how great their customer service was but this time.... Not so much. I placed an Oder on March 1st and didn't receive my order until the end of April because the order number I was given did not work and they couldn't find a record of my purchase but the money was charged on my account. Long story short there was a lot of back and forth emails until I finally received my product but it was a big headache. I am not sure if it is because they changed their website around or what happened but it was very frustrating. You would think after all that they would throw in a discount or some type of samples or gift card for all the hastle but nope not even a note in the package apologizing for the delay.

    In the end I would have to say that the product is definelty worth trying because it does do exactly what it claims but stay on top of them about your order and keep a record of all your emails and confirmation numbers and proof of payment just in case you run into the same problem.

*Also keep your eye out for huge discounts on Hautelook and on Whitening Lightning's Instagram page.

The Show Must Go On/ Update

Last week I finally unhappily agreed to start my Lupus meds. I was hoping to hold off until June when my kids are out of school and I was done work for the summer but like most plans in life things changed and I agreed to start on a low dose of meds until June when my dosage will go up and my immune system will go down. I am still trying to wrap my head around why in the year 2014 we can't come up with a better approach then wiping out my immune system leaving my body defenless to viruses and sickness to make me feel better but as they say the show must go on especially when I have three little people who depend on me. I depend on them as well to keep me motivated and focused on the blessings in my life. The first few days of meds left me groggy and   In bed but on day three I felt more like myself and less like a zombie  so I was good to go. I have my moments but my goal is to do my best not to let this disease change my littles (yes I call my kids my littles) because no child should have to worry about a parent being sick. Yes I have moments I break down but mostly behind closed doors or after they have gone to bed. I am good at hiding how sick I feel because the idea of my family worrying about me only makes me feel guilty. I am well aware that things could be MUCH worse and that what I am dealing with is nothing compared to what other people have to deal with on a daily basis. I am not thrilled with how the meds make me feel but if they do their job and I do mine by taking care of myself and eat and live as healthy as possible it will all be worth it. That's what I tell myself when the room is spinning and I  start feeling sorry for myself. I promise as soon as I get some time and energy my blog and posts will be more frequent and focused on fun things like new product reviews and some giveaways. 

Tightline Full Length Black Mascara Primer

I have never been a mascara person. I wear contacts and the fact that I find myself touching my eyes a lot makes me think that if I wear mascara everyday I will end up looking like a panda bear. I am blessed with long lashes but they turn down instead of up so mascara does make my eyes look more awake and bigger. If I am going out to an event or out to eat for dinner then I will go the extra step and put on mascara and the extra 20 minutes at the end of the night to get it all off with most of my eyelashes still intact. Then I found IT Cosmetics Tigtline Full Length Black Mascara Primer. When I fist opened the bottle I was confused on what the product actually was, was it an eyeliner or a mascara? It is a mascara with a very thin long wand that gets so close to the root of your eyelashes that it gives the effect of tightlining with eyeliner. 

IT Cosmetics describes this product as

Tightline Full Lash Length Black Eyelash Primer is a true game-changer in mascara and eyeliner technology. This multi-tasking beauty must-have utilizes an ultra-skinny wand, allowing you to start coating your lashes at their actual root, so you coat black along your entire lash length (unlike most mascara brushes that are too large to get to the root, leaving the first 1/3 of your lash roots bare!). This gives you ultimate length and volume. But the best part is, if you have sparse or missing lashes, the Tightline brush lays down black pigment along your entire lash line, filling in spare spots, giving you a full beautiful lash line and the look of an eyeliner! This creates instant definition without taking up extra eye lid Space. The skinny wand also allows the conditioning serum to infuse a blend of lash-enhancing ingredients including peptides, collagen, proteins, biotin, nettle extract, green tea, jojoba, and vitamins all the way down to the root of your lashes, giving your lashes the most effective dosage of nourishment and protection. Tightline is also paraben-free, fragrance-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, and is it great for even the most sensitive eyes.

Who is it for: Anyone who wants lashes for miles! Anyone with sparse lashes who wants the look of a full lash line. Anyone who wants thicker, longer, fuller-looking, amazing lashes that reach their full potential. Anyone who wants the look of the Tightline eyeliner effect. Why is it different: Tightline Full Lash Length Black Eyelash Primer Skinny wand gives you the power to coat each lash beginning at the root, unlike most mascaras wands that leave the bottom 1/3 of your lashes uncoated. This also creates a natural Tightline eyeliner effect along your upper and lower lash line, because it lays down black pigment between each eyelash at the root, creating instant definition without taking up extra eye lid space. The skinny wand also allows the conditioning serum to infuse a blend of lash-enhancing ingredients including peptides, collagen, proteins, biotin, nettle extract, green tea, jojoba, and vitamins all the way down to the root of your lashes, giving your lashes the most effective dosage of nourishment and protection. Tightline is also paraben-free, fragrance-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, and is it great for even the most sensitive eyes.

I am not sure why the call it a primer but for me it is all in one mascara that provides the least amount of mascara needed to make your lashes look long and fabulous without pounds of mascara on your lashes. I get a very natural long full lash look with only a few swipes of the mascara wand. I love that I don't have to worry about it smudging if I touch my eyes or that it's going to take me forever to get off because I don't want to spend any added time to my makeup removal process. After a long day the last thing I want to do is waste time and eyelashes getting my mascara off. This mascara has converted me to wearing mascara on a regular basis rather then just wearing it for nights out. It really does open up my eyes and makes my eyes look bigger and more awake and refreshed.

For The Love Of Animals Boutique

Today's review is going to be a little "out of the box" for my blog and my very first clothing and apparel review. I know it's not my typical review but I just had to share!

For The Love Of Animals Apparel has taken over my closet and my collection will most likely be even bigger by the time this post goes up. The basis of FTLA Apparel (For the Love of Animals Apparel) is about high quality, Eco friendly, custom hand screen printed line of clothing for Animal Lovers, Advocates, Rescuers, pets AND their Humans!!! 

IT'S PAWSOME!!!! 
If you like super comfy, high quality clothing AND animals...YOU WILL LOVE FTLA APPAREL! 

As the line began to grow I decided to get in on the action and see about getting a "Gluten Free" custom design by Kim Panzarella and since we are family she came up with the perfect design that she added to her growing list of custom apparel.

As you know my sensitive skin even reacts to certain materials so if it is uncomfortable, itchy and made from some cheap material it's not going on my body. Since most of our weather here in New England is what I consider cold (anything below 70 degrees is cold to me). I am always cold and in need of something soft and comfortable to keep me warm. In our very short summer season I need something that is light, breathable and comfortable enough to chase three kids around in. FTLA Apparel meets all my needs with the added benefit of a custom design that supports animals and the added bonus of supporting other awarenesses like Celiac disease, Lupus, etc.... . I highly suggest checking out the website before it all ends up in my closet.

Red Apple Lipstick

When I learned I had Celiac disease and realized that not only was my diet going to have to completly change but my beauty products and pretty much anything I touched would have to be gluten free. I was so confused about labels and what was safe and what wasn't especially when it came to makeup, skincare and hair care. Go take a look at the labels on your products and tell me if you have any clue what is in them and what isn't. One of the first few companies I was lucky enough to come across was Red Apple Lipstick. As soon as a clicked on the website the first thing that caught my eye was that the products were gluten free, paraben free, cruelty free, allergen free, soy free and vegan. I have very sensitive skin as you know but my lips and eyes are probably the most sensitive. The first thing I did was contact the company headed by Jay Harper and believe it or not the person that responded to me was Jay Harper. How often does the head of the company email you back? In my experience it almost never happens. The thing that amazed me the most was how passionate he was about RAL products and the direction he wanted the company to go in and grow. The very first product I tried a few years back was their   Raylle Balm. A balm that not only hydrates your lips but heals them as well and as an added bonus can be used on your cuticles, dry patches of skin and even under your eyes to help hydrate and heal. It is just a great product that everyone should have because it is multi purpose and has high quality ingredients that will not irritate people with the most sensitive of skin. I also ordered RAL 's Rubby Slippers, Secrets, Red, Petal  Pusher lip sticks and a gloss in Bridesmaid. Since I already did a review on those already I will just let you know that Red is the perfect red that looks great on everyone and makes your teeth look whiter. Ruby Slippers and Secrets are perfect everyday colors that I always grab for and compare other lipsticks to. Petal Pusher  is a gorgeous bright pink that reminds me of the perfect summer lip and if you top it of with the Bridesmaid you have the perfect pink lip with added shine and sparkle.

The company has expanded and now has eyeshadows, lip pencils, eye liner and even an exfoliating lip product that according to the website is packaged like a lipstick but is used to exfoliate the dead skin off those chapped lips leaving you smooth soft lips perfect for applying any lipstick, gloss or Maybe even some Raylle Balm before bed so you wake up with beautiful hydrated lips. I have been wanting to try this product since a subscriber emailed me about how much she loved it but keep forgetting to order it but it will be my next purchase.

The products I did order are new to the line and I don't know how they did it but these high definition glosses and new lipsticks are even more amazing. RAL states that the glosses are high definition and that they are so pigmented that a little goes a long way. So if you want a bold lip you give it a swipe and your good to go and if you want just a wash of color then you can sheer it out by using
less product. As for the lipsticks I must say I completly disagree with RAL's advertising because they are not labeled high def but they are so creamy and pigmented that they  should be considered high def and long wearing.

Let's start off with RAL lipstick in Mix and Mingle. It is a beautiful fuschia that is so pigmented you can wear it as a really bold look or just or put a tiny bit on the center of your lips to give you a wash of pink. It almost has a purple undertone to it (I think) so I love it and purple/Radiant Orchid is this years color. 

Next up we have Firefly an orange color with a hint of sparkle. I know your thinking who wears orange lipstick? Well look in any beauty magazines or websites and you will see that this summer orange is going to be one of the top lip colors for summer.

On to RAL's High definition glosses. Let's start with the beautiful Bashful a perfect pink that is your lips but better. I don't want to say its a nude because on me it isn't a pale pink nude but it's a deeper almost rose nude rather than a pink nude. A perfect everyday looks good on everyone color that is highly pigmented and last a long time (I swatched both glosses on my hand and they were there all day even though I wash my hands a million times a day).

 Finally my favorite a high def gloss called Pink Lady, a perfect hot pink that is bold and easy to build the perfect makeup look around with the main focus being your lips and if the hot pink color is to much for you to handle you can use a tiny amount for a wash of pink rather then a bold shiny hot pink that makes your lips pop.

I can say without a doubt that every Red Apple Lipstick product I have tried  I love. They are high quality products that beat high end makeup brands because the formulas are creamy and not sticky and they last a really long time. Plus they are made without harmful ingredients that you see in products at your local drugstore,  sephora, Ulta or MAC stores. The customer service you get from RAL is top  knotch and they are so passionate about getting high quality products  out there and making them with only the best ingredients that are safe. I know one day this company will be on QVC or available in stores all over the United States. Once you try one RAL product your hooked and will want to try them all.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

We all know that when it comes to flawless looking skin that you see in pictures that a lot of it has to do with lighting (and maybe photoshop). Hourglass has a line of powders that offer you that perfect lighting for you specific skin needs.                                      WHAT IT IS:
A universal finishing powder that features state-of-the-art technology to recreate the most exquisitely flattering types of light. 

WHAT IT DOES:
Create your perfect light. Ambient Lighting Powder is a groundbreaking collection of finishing powders that capture, diffuse, and soften the way light reflects on your skin. Unlike traditional powders, which merely cloak imperfections, Ambient Lighting Powder utilizes photoluminescent technology to filter out harsh light and refine the appearance of the complexion. The powders deliver a multidimensional luminescence to every skintone, making it appear softer, younger, and lit-from-within. The finishing powders enhance skin in any type of light, including flash photography. With six universal shades available, you can create your desired effect—not unlike having a personal lighting technician. Ambient is free of talc, gluten, fragrance, and nanoparticles. It is available in six universally flattering shades from least pearl to most pearl.

ETHEREAL LIGHT: A sheer, cool tone that eliminates shine and mimics a moonlit glow—even in broad daylight.
DIFFUSED LIGHT: A soft, warm, pale yellow that reduces redness, eliminates shine, and gives skin clarity. 
DIM LIGHT: A neutral soft beige that provides a perfect balance of warm and cool tones to blur imperfections. 
MOOD LIGHT: A soft, sheer lavender pink that mimics the softest, most forgiving light and brightens the complexion. 
LUMINOUS LIGHT: A champagne pearl that creates a soft, incandescent candlelit glow—day or night. 
RADIANT LIGHT: A sun-kissed golden beige that enhances the overall complexion with believable, subtle warmth. 
 The Hourglass powders are gluten and paraben free.

  I myself own Diffused Light because when I went to Sephora to look at all the powders Diffused Light seemed to match my skin perfectly and I can use it all over my face to cover redness and almost blur out pores and imperfections in my skin. Other people use it only as highlight but my skin is fair and since there is no sparkle I can use it as a face powder. I apply it by dusting it over my face to set my makeup. It is almost like using a filter on a photograph to give it that flawless look. This is my everyday go to powder. I have had it for about six months and still haven't even made a dent in the compact because you only need a small amount of product to get the job done. I am very interested in trying the other Ambient Lighting Powders out to see if maybe one would be a good higlight or the perfect go to summer powder when my skin is tan and I am looking for more of a glowy powder.

Hourglass also just came out with Ambient Lighting Blushes that are supposed to work with the powders to give you the perfect match up of blush and powder without all the guesswork of finding your perfect shade. I can't wait to give them a try and see if they are as great as the powder.  

My Lupus Story

As many of you know from my other blogs I was diagnosed with a Systemic Lupus back in December. I was dealing with what I was told was pain from a kidney infection that just didn't seen to go away no matter what medicine they out me on. At one point I was heading to the hospital everyday for IV meds. So to make a long story short my blood test came back positive and I started seeing  a Nephrologist (speacializes in Kidney disease) and got bombarded with more information then my brain is capable of processing. I was not surprised by the fact that I was diagnosed with another autoimmune disease becauses the chances are if you have one then you are more likely to have two. I always thought Lupus only caused problems with your joints and had no clue about all the other symptoms like fatigue, kidney problems, swelling, rash, and numbness in your hands and feet just to name a few.

   I just started my journey and have not exactly figured out which path I will take. Most likely I will wait until June when my kids are out of school and I am off for the summer to start my first cycle of immune suppressants and steroids but until then I am looking into more of a "Chinese Medicine" approach so that I can continue to work and keep things at home on a normal schedule that doesn't involve me taking a medicine that pretty much poisons my body and shuts my immune system down (as you can tell I am not thrilled with my options). I do my best to not let my children see me sick because I don't want them to ever worry about my health. So I plan on being as healthy as possible and push through the times when I feel like staying in bed and feeling bad for myself because my body doesn't want to cooperate with me.

     I will of course continue to review beauty products and makeup because I Love doing it. It makes me feel like I am helping other people out there who are dealing with similar problems. Everybody deserves to feel beautiful inside and out no matter what skin issues, allergies, diseases, etc.. they are faced with on a daily basis.

     I hope this answers your questions but feel free to message or email me if you have any other questions.

xoxoxo Diana

Whitening lightning

If you watch YouTube or ready beauty blogs on a regular basis then you have most likely heard our read about Whitening Lightning. The products that's I am going to review are there brow bar to go, lipglosses (Fiji and pink frosting), and the Super Booster whitening pen. All their products are gluten free and cruelty free.

I am going to start with the brow bar to go. This products as you may have guessed is used to fill in, lighten or darken your brows as well as using the wax to keep your brows looking polished and set. You are given a clear wax, a light powder and dark powder as well as an small brush. You can use both powders to create the perfect shade for your eyebrows. I was never into doing anything to my eyebrows except plucking them. I only realized what a difference your brows can make by doing the one thing I think we all do at least once, over plucking. You start off fine but as you look into your magnified mirror you feel like you should just take a little more, a little on that side, then poof you have almost no eyebrows. That was the look a few years back but now it's all about the fuller brow. Which would have been great if we didn't pluck them off for years and now we don't have much to work with and the hairs we do have refuse to lay in the same direction. That's when the brow bar to go comes in. First you want to grab a spooly and get all the hairs going in the same direction. Next add some wax and work it into the brow with a spooly so the hair stays flat. If you have perfect brows and that's all you need then your good to go but if you have areas that need to be filled in or you want to make your brows look fuller or change the shade or shape then you grab the brush and start filling in your brows at the fullest front section, working your way back making small hair like strokes. It is a good idea to do a little at a time and stop and look to see what progress you have made otherwise you might end up looking like you used a sharpy (not a good look on anyone). Once you like the look you can add a little more wax and comb through with a spooly to make sure everything is blended and looks natural. The two powder shades you are given in this palette are also perfect for using in your crease to blend out your eyeshadow because they are both matte. I know all this sounds like a lot but it literally takes 2 minutes and really can pull a look together and make it seem more polished. Once you start filling in your brows you will see what a difference it makes and you will find yourself reaching for this product everyday. I prefer this method to fill in my brows rather then using a eyebrow pencil because it comes out natural and softer then when you use a pencil and you are less likely to look like you used the sharpy and decided to give yourself a "Disney Villain" makeover.

When it comes to lipglosses I am not ashamed to say that I have a bit of a hoarding problem. I have way to many and I am sure by the time I post this I will have more. It's a problem. I am aware but I like it. Okay back to the Color your Smile lipglosses in Fiji and Pink Frosting. First off the packaging is pretty cool because when you unscrew the wand it lights up and there is even a mirror on the lipgloss for you to look in if you are out and need a touch up. You can even do a touch up in the dark if you need to! The formula of these glosses are great they are not to sticky or overly scented and they really feel nice on your lips. Fiji is a Barbie pink color and Pink Frosting is a nice natural pink with sparkle. These glosses are shiny and last longer then most but you will need to touch up after you eat or drink. The colors are beautiful and I can see them working for all skin tones.

Last up we have the Super Booster Whitening Pen. This is the product I have read about everywhere and was excited to try because it has great reviews. All you do is dry your teeth off and twist the pen until a clear gel comes out the end and you put a thin layer over your teeth, smile big for 60 seconds while it dries and go to bed (for best results). I have read review after review of people seeing a huge change after 1 or 2 uses but on the box it says to do it everyday for 14 days for best results. After my first week I really didn't see that much of a change so I emailed the company to make sure I was doing everything correctly and they emailed me back immediately with suggestions and all the steps I had been following already. Now that my 14 days are up I am glad to say that I do see a difference and my teeth are a few shades lighter. I think in my mind after reading all the reviews I thought I was going to get the whitening effect you get when you have your teeth whitened at the Dentist. A result a lot of other people seem to get but for me it was only a few shades which is still great. Especially because my teeth are super sensitive and the one time I tried to have my teeth whitened  at the Dentist I had to stop not even half way into the process because I was in so much pain (never again). This product was easy to use and they have an amazing customer service team who answer all your questions and immidiatley get back to you. Another great thing about Whitening Lightning is they are always doing sales or bundle deals and you can always find codes online to get huge savings on any of their products

Simply Smooth Magic Potion Shampoo

Shampoo is one of the hardest things for me to find that is gluten free and that doesn't contain anything that will not only leave my scalp feeling like it has been set on fire and not make me break out. My scalp is just as sensitive as the skin on my face and I truly believe that topical products we use on our skin and hair are absorbed and can cause damage.  So when I find a shampoo I like the first thing I want to do is blog about it, but because I like to really test the products I review I wait until I am sure about a product before I recommend it.

Simply Smooth Magic Potion Shampoo is hydrating and reparative. Perfect for those of us who highlight, color our hair or just have dry damaged hair. When I ran out of this shampoo and didn't have time to stop at the salon to pick it up I just grabbed another gluten free, parben and sulfate free shampoo that I have used in the past and thought it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either but I was in a pinch so I decided to use it. BAD IDEA! My scalp became dry and flaky but also oily at the root (I didn't even know that could happen). I try to go every other day with shampooing my hair but my hair looked so greasy and I had flakes from my scalp being so dry that I had to wash my hair everyday otherwise I would have been a hot mess. Even my neck shoulders and the sides of my face were breaking out. Finally I managed to get to the salon but I honestly thought that there was no way shampoo was going to be able to fix my hair drama and that maybe my hair was having a midlife crisis maybe my diet or medication was causing the problem. Thank Goodness I was wrong! All I had to do was wash my hair once using Simply Smooth Magic Potion and my hair was back to feeling and looking healthy. The shampoo is really light weight but it leaves you with hair that feels and looks clean unlike other shampoos that can leave your hair feeling heavy and like you need to maybe wash your hair twice to get that clean feeling. My skin immidiatley got better and the break outs were completely gone after a week. I am finally back to washing my hair every other day sometimes even more if I put my hair up in a messy bun or any style that requires my hair to be pulled back. We all know the texture of dirty hair makes it much easier to pull back and keep in place.

So if you are looking for a gentle shampoo that hydrates  and brings damaged hair back to life without weighing it down I would highly recommend this shampoo. Especially if you have sensitive skin or allergies.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness

    Let me first start off by saying that IT Cosmetics does not label their products gluten free (at least that's what a rep told me when I called) but since this was a requested review I decided to do some testing of my own. As most of you know I have the gluten tester kit (Glutentox.com if you want more info on it check out my old product posts section). So like I do with all products that are from a line I have never tried (yes even the ones labeled gluten free) I used the test and it came back clean with no traces of gluten. Horray!!

The product I am talking about is one of the best products I have ever used on my highly sensitive and red skin. (Drum Roll) The product is  Bye Bye Redness from IT Cosmetics. I have had many people ask my opinion about it, Could I do a review? Are their products worth the money? 

    Let me start off with saying  IT Cosmetics customer service are not only friendly but very knowledgable about their products and trust me I am sure they think I am a little crazy for all the emails and questions I sent them. They went out of their way to help me and answer all my questions. I got my first Bye Bye Redness a few months ago and when I first saw it I immediately thought of Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer that I am sure you have read about on beauty blogs and seen on YouTube videos. Bye Bye Redness comes in a small jar that contains 0.37oz. I know it seems like a small amount but you need such a small amount of product because it is so pigmented. The product claims to neutralize redness and contains skincare ingridients that are supposed to help nourish your skin and over time help get rid of some of that redness. So your not only concealing your redness, you are helping heal it as well. You all know I love the idea of makeup and skincare all in one especially if it really is a two in one product. Unlike some of the CC creams and BB creams on the market today that really don't give you the added skincare benefits like the original ones did that were created in Germany and then became very popular in Korea years ago. Most drugstore brands here in the U.S. literally just repackaged their tinted moisturizers to say CC or BB cream. Back to my review, I was skeptical at first because the product only comes in one shade and for me that usually means way to dark or way to orange. How to use the product seems to be confusing for some people because it can be used as a spot treatment to cancel out the redness of a blemish or the areas of your face that always have a little redness like around your nose, on your cheeks, (if you have Lupus and have the "butterfly" redness then you know what I am talking about) or to cover up hyper pigmentation left behind from a break out. After spot treating you can continue with your normal makeup routine and you won't have to use as much foundation/base because the redness is gone and you won't have to worry about applying more layers of foundation and ending up with that cakey makeup look that we all try to avoid. 

       I on the other hand have all over redness and use my Bye Bye Redness as my foundation. It gives me full coverage that looks like natural skin. Plus it has the added benefit of skincare ingridients that I spoke of earlier so why wouldn't I use it all over my face? In my opinion it's a win win situation because it cuts down on the time I spend getting ready and leaves my skin looking flawless and it feels like I have nothing on.

Application: The application I am going to share is on how I apply  Bye Bye Redness as a foundation. I decided not to go into a full face application with blush, eyes, lips, contouring and highlighting. You have read and seen me do many full face tutorials and I wanted to focus on the product itself. My very first step no matter what I am using is to moisturize IT Cosmetics suggest applying Bye Bye Redness with one of their brushes but as you know I have dry skin so I prefer to use a dampened Beauty Blender and do the usual bounce and press into the skin method. I follow it up with some powder to lock it into place. Sometimes I just use a a powder brush and apply it by getting the powder on my brush, then I knock the brush a few times so that I can apply a very light amount of powder to my skin sweeping (sweeping not buffing) it very lightly across my Tzone and anywhere else I feel I need it, making sure not to move any of the product. If I really want lock it in place and have it stay put for a long period of time (from early morning to when I take my makeup off right before I go to bed at night) or if I feel I have used to much powder I just spray my face with some setting spray and I am good to go.

 Who this product is for: This product is perfect for people with very sensitive skin, rosacea, hyperpimitarion, people with autoimmune diseases who have skin issues as one of their symptoms or because of their medication, people with acne who have really red blemishes or those red spots that breakouts can leave behind, someone who has had a face peel or microdermabrasion, anyone on a a perscription topical medication for acne that causes your skin to be dry and red.

Would I buy this product again? YES and if they ever discontinue it I will buy every single one I can find. This is a HG product without a doubt. I have had issues with my skin being red, broken out, super sensitive, etc.. For as long as I can remember. This product not only does everything I want my foundation to but it is also making a difrence in how my skin looks. Even when I am not wearing it I notice my skin is looking much better and it is doesn't look as red as it used to. It has been confidence in a jar for me. I definitely give this product 5 stars. Have you ever tried anything from IT Cosmetics? Leave a comment and let us know about your experience with their products. I myself plan on trying more of their products and of course keep you updated. Let me know what other products you would like me to review by leaving a comment, emailing me or messaging me on Facebook.

Sneak Peak: My review on some products from Whitening Lightning will be up soon as promised:)