Dre Does April Favorites

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Can we forget about the fact that I missed March favorites? Great! Let's get to the good stuff! The end of April means tomorrow begins May. Happy May to all of my fellow May babies out there! Isn't it the best month of the year? ;)

Korres Lip Butter and Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegrante: Ok, I try not to buy into the hype of all the products I read about on the internet but when I came across a four-pack of Korres products at my local Marshall's for $12, I figured the universe was sending me magical beauty signs. These two products are full size and retail for at least $12 each. Sadly it looks like the Lip Butter Glazes are discontinued but you can find them on eBay and amazon still. I'm obsessed with these both. They are both extremely smooth and buttery on the lips and I can see why people are so obsessed with them. I love the original Lip Butter for a sheer coral tint and the Glaze gives a slightly more pigmented coral look. The colors are beautiful and the texture is devine. Wish me luck in not buying every shade.

NYX Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake: Clearly I have a thing for products with the name Butter (Paula Deen would be so proud!) The absolute perfect 'your lips but better' shade for every skin tone. It's like a nude slightly more amped up with a nice mauve undertone. All of these glosses are an amazing smooth texture and the color payoff is great. I own at least 7 of them I believe and I love them all,  I just always make sure to have this shade on hand! 

'The New Classic' by Iggy Azalea: I preordered this album the second I heard Fancy for the first time and the rest of it is nothing short of amazing. I love her attitude, fashion, music, etc. Beyoncé can be the queen but Iggy is most certainly the Goddess. Listen now friends.

La Roche Posay's Thermal Spring Water: I was in Sephora one afternoon picking out a toner and the beauty advisor recommended this thermal water in place of one. Normally I think they're just pushing products but since you cannot buy this in Sephora, I figured it must be a good product and I continued further research at home. I bought a massive bottle on amazon and I'm loooooving it. It has Selenium in it which has natural healing and antioxidant properties. I want to use it a little longer before I do a full review but expect that in the next few weeks.

Amika products and Digital Thermal Styler: Incase you missed my last post, I reviewed four Amika hair products and this styler that I recently picked up at America's Beauty Show in Chicago. It's nothing short of a love affair. Click here to see that post since it goes much more in depth!

Sam & Libby for Target Flats: These are my new go to spring flats. I purchased them months ago in January at Target and I can't get enough of them. The design is super comfortable and they go with everything. The base color is black but there is a metallic gold sheen to them that jazzes them up a bit. I especially love the little spikes on the heels. This is my current favorite cut of flat because the top comes up far enough so they stay on your feet yet don't rub anywhere. I hate having to break in flats and getting blisters but these so far keep me blister-free!

I hope you all had a wonderful April and are ready for my favorite month of the year! Happy May friends!

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

Dre Does an Amika Review

I don't even know where to begin when it comes to this brand, so let's just begin with how I discovered it! When I was at America's Beauty Show in Chicago a few weeks ago, we kept seeing people walking around with bags that had this beautiful flower print. I noticed that they said Amika and since many booths were giving out free bags, I told my friends we needed to find the Amika booth and get our hands on these beautiful bags! When we found the booth we were greeted by a beautiful eye catching display and really friendly Amika representatives. All of a sudden we were offered free stuff and the opportunity to try out products and get our hair done. We obviously jumped on the offer and I immediately fell in love the products and the styling tools. The Obliphica line is centered around the Sea Buckthorn Berry (aka Obliphica) which grows in Siberia, one of the harshest climates, and is loaded with antioxidants, essential amino acids, beta-carotene, Omegas, flavonoids, and Vitamins C and E. I ended up purchasing a dry shampoo, texture spray, heat protecting hair serum, hairspray, and straightener. 

Perk Up Dry Shampoo

This is the product that initially drew me into the line. I am so picky about my dry shampoos and before this one I was never happy with what I was using. As a brunette I hate the white cast that they generally leave, but the thing I hate most is the dirty feeling that is left after spraying them into your hair. This dry shampoo however is amazing! I will never use anything else. The clear formula makes it a breeze to apply and work with and I'm being 100% honest when I say you can't feel anything in your hair. This is because this dry shampoo, unlike most that are out there, contains no aluminum shavings so your hair still feels clean after you use it! They use a rice starch to absorb oils instead, leaving your hair feeling soft and clean instead of heavy and dirty! This also helps you get more volume which is something I am always trying to achieve.

Undone Texture Spray

I've never been a fan of adding any product to my hair when I curl it because it typically weighs my hair down, dries it out, or makes it feel dirty. This texture spray is a serious game changer. With no salt in it, it definitely won't dry your hair out. It also uses zeolite, a natural mineral, to build serious volume. Once again you can't feel this product in your hair which is my favorite thing about the line. I really like adding this to day two curls because it refreshes them and makes them look put together again. I also love spraying it in before I do a top knot bun to give my hair that extra texture to make a bigger and better bun! 

Heat Defense Serum

We should always use a heat protectant before heat styling and I love this one. It's light and doesn't make my hair greasy. Free of parabens and artificial colorings, it is 95% silicones to protect your hair from heat damage. It's also great at taming frizz, which is necessary as we're approaching summer! I apply it when my hair is still damp, even if my hair is just going to be air drying. Sometimes I'll even use the tiniest amount to smooth random fly always or frizz if I'm wearing it straight or curly. 

Touchable Hairspray

If you like a strong but flexible hairspray that doesn't feel crunchy, this is it! It doesn't dry your hair out and does a great job of holding styles. The Obliphica is not only great for your hair but it helps give your hair shine as well. It goes on dry, which is really unique and awesome too. 

All of these products have the amazing Obliphica smell which is to die for. Your hair will smell amazing even going into day two. I couldn't be happier that I tried all of these products out! I would recommend all of them for everyone but if I had to pick two favorites I would definitely say the dry shampoo and the texture spray. They are life changing for someone who wants good smelling, good for your hair, clean, and light products. 

Digital Titanium Heat Styler

This is a miracle straightener! I can completely curl my entire head in 10-15 minutes with curls that will last at least 2 days! I've never been able to do this before so this has made getting ready in the morning quicker and more fun! The negative ions seal the hair cuticle creating smooth and silky curls. It also heats up in about 5 seconds which is insane. I got a ridiculously great deal at the hair show, so I paid less than half the price for this, but even at its original price I recommend it if you're looking for a new styling tool!

Overall, these products and the styling tool have made my hair look amazing. Now I don't have extremely damaged hair because I've never dyed it and don't normally heat style it that often, so my hair is healthy to begin with. However, the Amika products have taken my hair to the next level, making me look like I just got a blowout at the salon, when in reality it took me 20 minutes at most in my own bathroom. You can visit the Amika website at www.loveamika.com to learn more about the products and tools. You can also use a salon locator to find where you can purchase products near you! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

I'm back with a review on my March Ipsy Glambag and it was an awesome bag this month! I only received four products compared to the normal amount of five, but as you'll see in the totals later, this didn't decrease the value of the bag at all. Three out of four of the brands were higher end products which is great to see! Below is a summary of all the products and the bag.

The bag this month was really unique and featured the artwork of the artist Klari Reis. The design was inspired by the neighborhoods of San Francisco and I love the unique print. I think this is an awesome aspect of this months bag! 

First product up is the Marvelous Moxie Lipstick by bareMinerals in the shade Get Ready. It's a great natural shade that will look good on most skin tones, as it isn't extremely cool or warm. I absolutely love the formula of this lipstick and would definitely look into purchasing more after trying this mini one. As a typical woman I'm obsessed with the cute little size of this lipstick and I think it's a great shade and size to keep in your purse for everyday wear since it can match any makeup look and outfit choice. This 1.5g mini lipstick is valued at $7.71 (full size is $18). 

Next up is the Chella Felt Tip Eyeliner in Indigo Blue. It claims to be water resistant, smudge proof, and stain resistant as well, while being free of parabens which is awesome. While I found all of these claims to be true when I wore it, I did have a problem with the application using the felt tip. When you swatch it on the back of your hand it has great flow and pigmentation, but when you hold it up to your eye to draw a wing like I did, I found the tip didn't get enough saturation so it took a long time to get an exact fine tip to my wing. The color is gorgeous however and I received many compliments on it, so I'll definitely keep testing it out! This is a full size product valued at $24! This brings the total so far to $31.71.

Next I received a Love in Rio Eyeshadow Trio from NYX Cosmetics in the shade Voodoo Love Spells. I really like these shades. It's a great little everyday palette as there are two mattes (the darker shades) and one shimmer (the lightest). While these shadows aren't the most pigmented that I've ever tried from NYX, they are still good for that everyday eye look. This is the full size palette and it's value is $6.00, bringing my bag total to $37.71 so far!

Pixi is a brand that I always seem to swatch and look at when I'm in Target, but due to their larger price tag (for Target) I have never actually bought anything from the line before. I'm a sucker for face primers so I was really excited to see this really deluxe sized sample in my Glambag. It has a great sheen to it but it doesn't make you look oily. It doesn't have that silicon texture that a lot of primers have (i.e. Smashbox photo finish and Benefit's Porefessional) so if you don't like that, I recommend trying this one out. It has a subtle pink undertone to it, but it doesn't show up when blended out on your skin. I really like the smooth texture it gives my skin before applying my foundation. This deluxe sized sample is valued at $9.00 so my grand total value of my March Ipsy Glambag is $46.71! This is an awesome value for only getting 4 products! It's the second highest valued bag that I've gotten so far! Good job Glambag :) 

As usual I've linked my previous month's bags and my link to sign up if you're interested! 

February Ipsy Review ($45.02)

January Ipsy Review ($38.17)

December Ipsy Review ($57.17)

Click here to subscribe to Ipsy yourself!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre