Dre Does Skincare Answers!

It's pretty rare for me to go more than a few days without a friend asking me some type of beauty or skincare related question. Last week a friend asked me a skin question that I thought needed to be shared because many people experience this (including me!) but don't know what it is or what to do. Emily's question was "Why does your skin get bumpy in the winter?" These bumps usually found on the backs of your upper arms, the cheeks, or your legs are a condition called Keratosis Pilaris or 'chicken skin' if you've ever heard of that.

Keratosis Pilaris or KP for short, is a genetic skin condition that so many people have. It's different for everyone but basically the keratin in the skin hardens in the hair follicles and forms little plugs, which are the bumps you feel. It's more common in people with dry skin and people with eczema. It gets worse in the winter because we are usually dryer then. Sometimes you can experience redness in the areas of the bumps.

What can you do to help it? Exfoliation is key! Whether it is mechanical or chemical, it is best to stay exfoliated and then moisturized to reduce the bumpiness and severity of KP. One of my favorite brands Dermadoctor, makes a product line called KP Duty' designed for KP and two of them are sold at ULTA. Click here to look more! The first is a scrub that gives dual exfoliation due to the physical scrub and the addition of a chemical exfoliant that will help break down the skin cells. There is also ingredients that soothe the skin which is wonderful. The second product is a moisturizer with a chemical exfoliant in it to further help the exfoliation process while still moisturizing the skin. While I recommend both of these products for the body, I would make sure to use products specifically designed for the face if you suffer from KP on the face. 

I hope this helps you if you've ever wondered something similar to this! As usual, if you ever have questions, please feel free to ask! Your question might make it into a post if I feel it could benefit many!

Have a beautiful start to your week,

Dre

Dre Does Skincare and Body Product Empties

Product empty videos and blog posts are some of my favorites to watch because you get a full opinion on the product and get to know whether or not the person plans to repurchase the product. I think it's fun to see what stuff people actually use up because their opinion is more trustworthy to me when they've used the whole thing. For this reason I love to share them with you. I decided to split up my hair and skin care products with the empty makeup products I have because it would be a crazy long post otherwise, so here are my empties regarding hair, body, and facial skin care items!

First up we have hair products:

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo: This is my favorite spray dry shampoo of all time because it doesn't leave a residue in my dark hair. You can't see it or feel it so you don't feel like you have dirty hair. It does a great job absorbing all the excess oils and giving volume. I love the smell of all Amika products too!

Verdict: I am trying to switch to dry shampoos that are not in aerosol form because they contain butane so I am not repurchasing this product if I can find a powder dry shampoo that gives me a similar result. If the butane doesn't bother you, I'd so get this one for sure!

Amika Touchable Hairspray: If you need a moderate hold hairspray that doesn't feel crunchy this is for you. If you'd like more of a review on Amika products I've tried click here for a post I did on these two and some more!

Verdict: I really loved it and once I'm done with all the hairsprays I currently have to go through (thanks 100 Day No Buy) I will probably go back to this one!

Klorane Dry Shampoo: I received this dry shampoo in my Ipsy bag a few months ago and I went through it quickly because it was really great. It leaves a little more residue in touch and color than the Amika one but it was good. I liked having it in my purse incase my hair started to look greasy and I wasn't home. 

Verdict: If I could purchase this small size for travel I would so I will have to look into it!

Next up we have body products!

Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Shower Gel: B&BW products are kind of blah for me. I used this up because I had it but it wasn't my favorite. I do prefer shower gels over bar soaps but I don't feel like this did anything special for my body. I like that they have an array of aromas though. I think I had this because I received it as a gift.

Verdict: I doubt I will ever buy B&BW body products again because there is so much better stuff to try, but if received as a gift again I would use it or keep it for travel.

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub: These scrubs are some of my favorite. I love the mango and Brazilian nut aromas the best. As far as exfoliation goes they are on the more mild side so if you have sensitive skin you would probably enjoy these. They are nice and moisturizing too!

Verdict: I will be repurchasing them after I run out of my current exfoliators. I love to use them prior to shaving my legs. 

Lastly we have face products (my personal favorite)!

Aveda Bontanical Kinetics Exfoliant: This product is a holy grail one for me. I've gone through bottles of it since I graduated from Esthiology school and it is something I will always have on hand. I love how it gently exfoliates my skin chemically as I sleep (I apply it every night after I cleanse). I am a huge proponent of chemical exfoliation over mechanical so I can't be without this product! 

Verdict: Do I really need to say more? Haha I obviously already replaced it!

Ole Henriksen Aloe Vera Cleanser: This is another great product that I always have. Whether I try new cleansers or test out some new ones, this is a cleanser I go back to a lot. It is made for oily/acne prone skin but even though it's winter it doesn't strip me of too much moisture and the aloe soothes any blemishes if I get any. 

Verdict: If you have oily and acne prone skin, give this cleanser a try. It's worth the money, cleanses very well and feels wonderful.

La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water: This facial spray was recommended to me a long time ago and that's what made me buy it. However, I don't have the most sensitive skin so I feel like I can use something a little stronger. I think this probably works best for those with sensitive and dry skin. If you like a facial spray that you can spray on your face in the sun to keep you hydrated you would love this. 

Verdict: I probably won't ever buy this again unless my skin changes and becomes more dry or sensitive.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover: I have really sensitive eyes when it comes to eye makeup remover and a lot of products burn mine. This remover and the regular blue remover wipes are two products that I will keep repurchasing because of how my eyes never burn with them.

Verdict: I already have two backups of this remover under my sink so you know I'll be repurchasing this for a long time. 

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream: I love this eye cream. I really feel like it helps depuff my eyes when I need it and I think it helped decrease the darkness of my eyes. I also love how light it feels on my skin because so many eye creams are so heavy and can cause my undereye concealer to crease later on in the day. 

Verdict: I will probably purchase this eye cream in the summer when I'm done with what I'm using now and my skin becomes oilier. 

There you have it. This is what has been in beauty trash haha. If you like this kind of post and find it helpful let me know! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does My Current Go-To Makeup Look

For most of December and January so far, I have worn the exact same makeup look, give or take a few products. I have been obsessed with making my skin look flawless and then accentuating my lashes, brows and lips. So basically this look has been about taking natural makeup one step further towards glam. Today I'm sharing what products I use to achieve this natural glam look!

The face: The skin is key in this look. Before I start makeup I have been applying Puff Off, the newest product from Benefit Cosmetics that instantly depuffs and smoothes the undereye area. It also brightens and absorbs super quickly. I then begin the makeup with my Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional primer because it smooths out and helps hide the larger pores in my T-zone. I love how smooth it makes my skin feel, which helps my foundation go on better. Speaking of foundation, I next apply the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hr foundation with a brush and really buff it into my skin. After that is my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer which I apply in my under eye area to conceal my dark circles. I conceal any blemishes if I need to with the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Palette. To set my undereye concealer I use the Banana powder from the Anastasia Contour Kit in Light, and then I mix the Banana and Vanilla powders to set any blemishes I've concealed. Next I contour my face using a combination of all three bronzers in the bottom row of the Contour Kit. A little bit of matte Tarte blush on the cheeks in a natural peachy pink color and lastly, all I need for the skin is to highlight the cheek bones. First I use my absolute favorite highlighter Watt's Up by Benefit followed by Sand from the Contour Kit. Now the face is done! I know this seems like a lot of products but it really makes my skin look flawless which is one of the main features of this look. I forgot to show my setting spray in the photo above but I never go a day without my Urban Decay Deslick Makeup Setting Spray for oily skin. I spray this once I'm completely don't with my makeup before my mascara. This is because we tend to squint or squeeze our eyes tightly when we spray our faces and this prevents any mascara from getting anywhere we don't want it. 

The brows: You probably know by now how important brows are to me (if not go read my Top 5 brow tips from last week). Even on no makeup days I do my brows with Benefit's Gimme Brow but for this look I love using my Gimme Brow first and then giving them a touch more definition with my angled brush and Benefit's Browzings wax and powder duo. My brows still look natural, they are just a little more intense than normal. 

The eyes: Most days I just apply my primer Benefit's Stay Don't Stray from lash line to brow bone and blend a nude tone (either Fresh or Legend) from either the Amrezy or Tamanna palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Sometimes I blend a little bit of a warmer tone like Bengal or Caramel into the crease and into the bottoms lash line. Then it's simply curl my lashes and apply my absolutely favorite mascara, Benefit's They're Real. Yes you read that right, I haven't been wearing any eyeliner recently! For some reason I've been really loving the look of just my lashes being dark. 

The lips: The last feature of this look is the lips. I've been lining them with either Wiity Pink from Napoleon Perdis or Spice from MAC. Then I'll either go with Cosmo or Kinda Sexy both from MAC. If I want a browner look I go with Spice as a liner, and for a pinker look I use the Witty Pink liner first. In the photo above I'm wearing Witty Pink and Cosmo. 

You probably noticed that a lot of these products are by Benefit, Tarte or Anastasia. I am not sponsored by any of these brands they are just products that I really love and always give me consistent and beautiful results. What products have you been wearing a lot recently? Is there a particular look you've been loving? Let me know in comment below!

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

Dre Does Top 5 Brow Tips

So you probably know by now that I am an Arch Expert for Benefit Cosmetics. 95% of my job is either waxing and shaping brows or helping women (and men too) learn how to fill them in. With that being said, I've seen a lot of brows and fixed a lot of them. I absolutely love brows and think they are the most important thing about your face. 

If you want to look more put together without looking like you're wearing more makeup, give some attention to your brows. They frame your face and when done right, can be the thing that makes you look so much better that people can't quite put their fingers on. So I bring you my Top 5 a Brow Tips; the things that are crucial and most important when filling, waxing, etc.

1. Grow them out! If you are unhappy with the way your brows look you need to grow them out. I'm talking at least a month of no touching, tweezing, or anything! Even on that hair that you're positive would get removed anyways! You can't expect your esthetician, hairstylist or who ever does your brows, to change much, if you look like you just had them cleaned up. 

2. Go to a professional and get them waxed. If able, go to a Benefit Brow Bar in your area because you will not be sorry. The Benefit Brow wax is an experience; you get to know what your brows will look like before we remove the hair, we conceal you so you aren't red, and most importantly, we can teach you how to fill them in CORRECTLY! Now I'm not just saying this because I wax brows for a living but because I have never met a pair of brows that I can't help. Even if you think there is no hope for your brows and there is nothing to wax, go talk to an Arch Expert at least. Even if you need to fill them in to look like you have something, let us do the hard work by shaping your brows so you have the perfect blueprint to fill them in! It will make your life easier!

3. Bring inspiration. If you like a certain shape or arch bring a picture in. The biggest difficulty when it comes to brows is miscommunication. Clean up to you may mean something completely different and extremely thin to the person doing your brows. 

4. Look at the brows of the person doing yours! I can't emphasize this enough. The amount of women that have told me they shouldn't have had the last person who did their brows, do them because of the look of their own brows is crazy! If you don't like what they do with their own brows, don't trust them with yours! As an esthetician my brows are my biggest billboard and advertisement. Women have told me the first time that I do their brows that they trust me more because of how they like my brows. So don't let anyone touch your brows that you don't want to! Be observant. 

5. Fill them in. So many women are terrified to fill them in because they don't want to look like their grandma who uses a red pencil to draw thick lines where their brows used to be. Brow products have come a long way. There's new techniques and tools to help you. I personally haven't touched a brow pencil in a very long time because I prefer gels and wax/powder duos, so find what works best for you. Also accept that you may never have the fullest and thickest brows in the world. Yes, there are things to help them look fuller than they are naturally, but sometimes you have to sacrifice fullness if you want them to still look natural. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Let me know if you'd like to see my brow routine and how I fill in my brows both on natural and full makeup days! 

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

*This tips and views are completely my own opinion and don't represent Benefit or Ulta. 

Dre Does A MAC Haul

So I'm back and here with a MAC Haul which was technically purchased a few days before the end of 2914. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I have decided to go on a 100 day No Buy, that started on January 1st. So far I'm 12 days in and have been successful so here's to hoping I can make it until April! I encourage you to join me! I am only buying necessities in all aspects of life, not just beauty. Obviously if I run out of my mascara I can go buy another but no trying new things until the 100 days are up! Wish me luck because it's already painful and it's only week 2...

Back to the MAC Haul. I wanted to share it because I can't stop using these products since I bought them. Two were repurchases but the other three were new to me and I'm obsessed.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that my absolute holy grail undereye concealer is the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and I was out of my winter shade (NC20) so I picked it up. I like the slight yellow tone to correct the purpleness of my dark circles. I also had to pick up a new tube of All Fired Up because it decided to go swimming with a load of my laundry and it's a must have color for me. I always get complimented on it when I wear it so it never fails me in completing my look. I love how it's the perfect mix between red and pink without being too bright. It's a retro matte finish like the cult classic Ruby Woo, which I love so go swatch it sometime and you'll see what I mean. Now I've been digging nudes of brown and mauve recently so after swatching Spice, Cosmo, and Kinda Sexy, I knew I had to take them all home. I love the amplified finish of Cosmo and I wear it at least a few days a week right now. I also love how Spice can add a brown tone to any lipstick if you put it on underneath.

I'm going to be doing a makeup look soon for you, showing you what I've been doing almost every day for the past few months, but you can probably guess that Cosmo, Spice, and Kinda Sexy will be involved in it. 

Let me know if you have any requests or ideas for me to conquer in the next couple of weeks! 

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre