Why is my Desk Covered in Powder?

*I received this free for testing/reviewing purposes. All opinions are 100% my own*

Exfoliating your face is one of the ways we can keep our skin looking and feeling great. There are tons of different types and brands on the market, each with it's own pros and cons. I was given the opportunity to try OZ Naturals Ancient Orient Rice Enzyme Dermafoliant, which is quite different from any other exfoliator I've ever tried. This 2.75 oz tube contains a powder, not a cream or gel, which means you actually mix up as much as you need each time you use it. A neat concept, let's see how well it is executed.

This powder contains lots of really great scrub ingredients, like lactic acid and alpha lipoic acid, plus other good for your skin ingredients like green tea. Because it's a powder you mix up, you'll never have to worry about it going bad and separating like some cream or gel exfoliator do eventually. The powder also gives you a very fine scrub, so I'd call it more of a microderm abrasion that a scrub. Because it is so fine and abrasive I don't recommend you use this more than twice a week and if you have very sensitive skin this probably isn't a good fit for you. The actual product did do a really nice job buffing my skin and it felt and looked really nice once I was done, but the smell was a bit of a turn off. To be blunt it smelled like sandy throw up, which really didn't make me want to put it on my face. The color is a gross muddy grey too once you make it into a paste.

While I can get past a bad smell (that wasn't noticeable once it was actually on my face luckily) and a gross color, I really can't get past a bad packaging design. Since this is a powder, you'd think they'd put it in a bottle that sealed up really well. But instead the top is like one of those travel salt shakers that twist open and shut. And just like my camp salt, this thing leaks HORRIBLY. I have so much powder all over my desk that it looks like the 1990's at Club Med. Not very happy about that at all, and a huge reason why I don't like this product. If they changed the container I would get behind it, but as it is it's really more of a pain than it's worth. And for $24.95 you'd think it would come in a leak proof bottle.

Adovia Body Scrub Review

*I received this free for product testing. All opinions are 100% my own*

During the summer months my skin decides I'm really a lizard person and changes to reflect that new identity. I don't know if its all the extra sun, the swimming, or just being outside all the time, but my skin is dry and rough as an iguana by mid-July. Because of this I use a LOT of body scrubs this time of year. Adovia is a brand I've reviewed several times before on this blog, so when they offered to let me test out their body scrub I of course said yes. Will it live up to my expectations?

When I first peeled off the protective plastic seal I was instantly hit by the "Ocean Breeze" fragrance. This is really strong, strong enough it just about gave me a headache. None of the previous Adovia products I've tried have been like this, so I was really shocked to be truthful. It smells like a certain perfume that was popular with the older crowd back in the 80's, not a scent I'd choose for a body scrub is 2015. The blue color is nice though, and the size was good so I was willing to look paste the scent.

Until I tipped it a bit and realized the scrub was almost pure liquid. Instead of being a salt base with some oil in it, this is an oil base with some salt in it. Because of how liquidy this is, it leaks horrible. I have to keep this in my bathtub, otherwise it leaves a big puddle of oil on my shelf or counter. The high oil content makes this a really moisturizing scrub, but it also makes it difficult to use without creating a mess and you're shower will end up very slippery.

I'm very disappointed in this product, I found it to be poorly designed and the scent is so overpowering I think anyone with scent sensitivities would not be able to use it at all. If you are willing to slog through all the problems with the packaging and the oil this isn't a bad scrub, but I'm not going to buy something that requires that much work to it. In the event you want to try some for yourself, you can find it on Amazon for $17.95 currently.

Jelly For My Face Makes Me Feel Great!

*I received this free for testing/reviewing purposes. All opinions are 100% my own*

Unless you are new to the blog, you probably know that facial masks are one of my favorite things in this world. Not only do they do wonderful things to your skin but they just feel so luxurious. I do a mask of some variety at least 5 times a week, and I credit that 100% for why my skin looks so nice. You might find this hard to believe though, I've never done a paper mask or a gel mask. Until I was offered a chance to test out Via Cosmedics's Sea Whip Cucumber Detox Soothing Gel mask.

This bright green jelly is suppose to brighten your skin, soothe and calm it, while firming and providing much needed moisture and healing. A sea whip, if you are like me and had never heard of that before, is a soft coral like sea pens. They are known for their healing properties and actually neutralizes a specific enzyme responsible for all the redness and irritation those with sensitive skin experience. There is also cucumber, oatmeal, chamomile, and marigold in the mask, so this is a powerhouse of good for your skin ingredients. The scent is the only thing I'm not 100% sure of. Sometimes I like it and then I can sniff it again two minutes later and really not like it. I can't even describe it to you, but at least when you apply it to your face it fades quite a bit so it wasn't a big deal in the end.

You can use this as either a standard mask you place on for 10-20 minutes, or you can use this as a sleeping pack and wear it all night. I've only tried it as a mask, sleeping in it seemed way to messy for my tastes. Right off the bat I loved how cooling and soothing it felt. The last week or two has been crazy hot here, so the mask was a welcome break from that. I left mine on for about 20-30 minutes, and it never really dried which I would guess is normal for a gel mask. It did need to be washed off with a wash cloth, but most masks do. My skin felt and looked great afterwards very soft, very hydrated feeling. I don't typically experience face puffiness unless I'm very sick and don't sleep, so I can't comment on the depuffing ability of this mask, but I can see the coolness really helping with that. You can actually place the gel into the fridge before you use it for an added punch of cooling.

I'm really liking this mask, makes me want to explore gel masks more. The company is a new one to me, but after my good experience with this particular product I would for sure try anything else they made. A 2 fluid oz jar retails for $24.95 with free Prime shipping through Amazon, which isn't bad for a gel mask. If you are looking for a soothing sort of mask, this is the one I would recommend. And the one I'll be enjoying at least once a week this blazing hot summer.

Thursday Thoughts

Another week, another Thursday, another weekly link up with Jen of Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for her Thursday Thoughts.

Firstly, sorry for no Wednesday update. I had a 16 hour day after only sleeping an hour and a half and I basically came home from my actual paying job and passed right out. Like half on the bed, clothes still on, super important conversation with my husband forgotten about level of passed out. I slept a glorious 13.5 hours after that, it was amazing.

I won a $20 gift card to Ulta from a fellow blogger (the wonderful Cassandra Morgan) last month, so when NYX went on sale I bought a few items I'd been eyeballing for a bit. They will all be reviewed probably next week, but for right now let me just say NYX is quickly becoming a favorite company of mine. I really need to try some of their non-lip products, what are your favorites from them? What do I need, help a makeup hoarder out.

I accidentally took a pictures of part of my bathroom counter, please tell me I'm not the only one who has some serious clutter/junk mess going on right now. I have a teenie tiny apartment bathroom, so any sort of clutter is awful. But this, this is crazy town level of clutter. So I'm shaming myself into fixing my mess.

I love when my phone makes little movies out of my pictures! This is a great clip of what went into the makeup look I did for the tape wing tutorial the other day. And in case anyone was concerned/worries, the super red eye is from allergies, not from crying or drugs or anything.

Jurassic World and Orange is the New Black season 3 open this weekend! I was going to see Jurassic World on Saturday but tickets sold out to my preferred time earlier this week. So instead I will binge watch the whole season of OitNB in a single weekend like I am intended to. Because if they didn't want you to binge watch they wouldn't put the whole season up at once.

My Birchbox should be here in the next few days, though without the Eyeko Fat Liner in it I'm not really looking forward to it. My sneak peak didn't wow me, so I'm guessing most of the box will go into the swap box after my post. Fingers crossed I win something good in their contest, but it looks like almost everybody is getting a crappy 10% off an order of $50+ code. Maybe I'll have a surprise Benefit item in my box from last month's contest, but again I doubt that. Birchbox needs to step it up a bit, I have a feeling a lot of people will be canceling this month.

The Not So Fun Side of Summer Time

There are probably a hundred songs (at least) dedicated to the joys of summer, The warm breeze, picnics and sandy beaches, summer flings. The list goes on and on, but I dare you to name one song about the reality of summer. The sweat spots under your breasts, bug bites, sun burns, lizard skin, and melting makeup. These are the facts of summer that never gets discussed, or even want to be discussed. But I'm going to discuss the, because that's what I do. Consider this a summer refresher course, and maybe you'll learn a new trick or two. For easy reading I have divided each topic up and bolded the title, so you can find the specific topics that concern or interest you

UV Protection
The big thing everybody always talks about during the summer season is sunscreen, for obvious reasons. Skin cancer is a pretty serious topic, did you know melanoma accounts for almost half of the cancer cases in the United States? Most Doctors recommend wearing a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15 whenever you go out in the sun. The sun's harmful effects don't go away just because its cold outside. More and more foundations and BB Creams come with built in SPF, so it is becoming easier to protect yourselves. But ears, necks (especially the back of the neck), and any other exposed skin also needs to be covered.

Did you know that UV rays can also damage your hair? The dry, crunchy hair you experience during the summer isn't just from extra time in the pool. The heat will dry it out while the UV rays will fry it. Think of it as a sunburn on your hair. Wearing a hat obviously protects your hair and face from the sun, but sometimes a hat just isn't in the picture. There are plenty of spray treatments for hair that protect against heat and UV damage. My particular spray of choice is the Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle Spray, it is specially formulated to provide the sort of protection your hair needs during the summer.

And to round out the UV/sun damage discussion, let's chat about eyes for a second. Just like how the sun damages your skin and hair, it can also damage the sensitive cells in your eyes. Best case scenario you get dry red eyes and need eye drops one day, worst case is cancer or permanent vision damage. Make sure your sunglasses are both UVA and UBA protected, and if you wear regular glasses like I do inquire about getting a protective filter put on. The place I got my last pair offered this as a free add on.

Moisture Loss
Please excuse the creepy sounding header, I literally could not think of another way to phrase that. And now I'm going to use an equally creepy analogy, because that's how I roll today I guess. If you stick a chicken breast into the oven and you leave it in to long, it gets dried out. Dry chicken is nasty, and nobody likes lit. Think of your body as that hunk of chicken and the heat/sun as the oven. You stay in it to long and you get dried out (or burned, but we'll get to that in a second), but unlike the chicken there is hope for you. I highly doubt any of you need to be told to drink more water and put lotion on dry skin, so I won't waste time writing about that. I just want to talk about some of the interesting products out there to help you moisturize your skin. Slather on lotion is not always appealing and can be time consuming, but spraying some on it not only quick but cool and refreshing. Vaseline makes a body lotion spray that I've heard nothing but good things about, and there are lots of face spritzers on the market. Evian makes one, Avene makes one, my personal favorite is the Complexion Quenching Facial Mist by Air Repair. I've talked about it before but this product is really designed to help sun dried and damaged skin.

Feeling the Burn
Accidents happen, or maybe you just burn really easy like my husband. But at one point or another you are going to deal with a sun burn. There are three categories of burns, 1st degree, 2nd degree, and 3rd degree. 1st degree burns are the burns we typically associate with sunburns, a nice red burn that is warm to the touch and varying level of painful. These don't need to be seen by a medical professional typically, unless it is on a sensitive area (hello nude sun bathing) or very large. These can be treated with aloe vera gel (find some with lidocaine in it and keep it in the fridge, you'll thank me later) and some OTC pain pills. 2nd degree burns are when the area is burnt and has begun to blister and possibly swell. These are incredibly painful and may require medical attention. If it is a small area you can typically treat the same as a first degree burn, but if you're talking full back burn and blisters then you should probably seek medical advice instead of listening to a blogger on the Internet. 3rd degree burns are what happen to that chicken if you continued to leave it in the oven. These require medical attention immediately, and are very serious. The burn has gone completely past the skin, this is not something you can treat at home. Those shipwreck victims found after a week at sea who look like someone set fire to them, that's a 3rd degree burn caused by the sun. It happens, so please pay attention and be careful.

I'm going to end this topic here, but I'll pick it back up tomorrow with melting makeup, the great outdoors strikes back, and the products I cannot live without during the summer. If there is a topic or a question you'd like me to cover please let me know down below in the comments and I will do my best to answer it.

Mani Monday: Triangles and Dots

Hello and welcome to another edition of Mani Monday! It has been blazing hot here so I'm feeling gross and a bit sick. Hence, this will be a quicker than usual Mani Monday with less pictures because my hands are super shakey. Yay being overheated! Let's get to this so I can go crawl into my freezer.

To do this manicure you will need:

• Base color. I chose a red polish by Revlon that is not only crazy old but gets everywhere when I use it so I should throw it out. 
• Black polish. I used a black by Sinful Colors.
• Clear top coat. I used my trusty Ulta brand one.
• Small brush
• Nail polish remover and q-tips to clean up your edges.

Step one as always is to lay down your base color. I did two to three coats on each nail, just depending on how evenly the polish applied. Let this dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Now, you are going to use the small brush to paint a small triangle at the base of each nail with the black polish. I find you typically need two layers of the black to make it look nice, but every polish is different. It can be easiest to paint a dot where you want the tip of the triangle to be, then to paint your to side lines down from there. Then fill in and even out your lines. Wait for this to dry before you move on.

Lastly you are going to paint a dot a the tip of the triangle and then two on each side of the triangle. Let this dry, top with top coat, then clean up your edges and you are good to go. Depending on your chosen base color this can be either a really bold or a really subtle look.

The Beauty Essential Hiding in Your Desk

If you spend any time on Instagram or Pinterest looking at makeup looks you've probably seen a few (ok, a lot) of amazing winged out eyeshadow with the crispest, cleanest edge ever. You've probably wondered how they do that, and how you can get that good. Well I'm going to let you in on a little secret: they cheated. Well, not Photoshop level of cheating, but that isn't the skill of the worlds steadiest hand. They get that perfect line with a little help from something you probably have sitting in your desk as we speak. This wonderful little tool is cheap, can be purchased pretty much everywhere, and can even be swiped from your obnoxious office mates desk.

I'm of course talking about tape. Yes, tape. Like the kind you use to wrap presents with or to tape notes onto the wall. You are a stripe of tape away from achieving that same level of precision too. First, the type of tape doesn't really matter. I prefer the cheap frosted stuff from my Dollar Store because A.) it's dirt cheap and B.) it's a bit gentler to peel off than some of the nicer tape out there. One thing to keep in mind, if you do your face makeup first the tape will pull it all up so I recommend doing eyes first.

I take a piece about an inch and a half long and I align it on the same angle my eyeliner would be if I extended it from my bottom lash line out and up. Please me careful not to accidentally tape any of your lashes down, nobody wants to inadvertently wax their lashes. I smooth down the edge that goes against where my shadow will be, just to make sure none travels under the tape.

Now apply you shadow however you see fit. For the purposes of these photos I used a bolder color combo than I usually prefer, which was a fun change of pace for me. Don't worry about getting any powder on the tape, it will all come off when we peel it off.

The tape makes it much easier to apply cream, gel, or liquid eyeliner as well. Just trace against the tape edge and you will have the straightest edge on Instagram. Just be careful to fill in where the wing connects to the lash line, unless you were going for that check mark sort of look.

A gentle tug (in case you taped a hair or two down), and away comes the shadow and liner mess, leaving you with a perfectly clean and crisp line.

A little liner touch up, some liner and shadow along my bottom lash, and a coat or two of mascara later and you have that beautiful and bold look you wanted with none of the mess or steady handed hard work it requires to get. And all thanks to a little piece of tape.