Dre Does Products I've Used Up

If you watch any beauty related YouTube videos consistently, you're probably familiar with people doing videos on products they have used up or 'empties' as they're sometimes called. If you are unaware of this topic, I think it's a very valuable one because it allows you to see the stuff I'm using. If I've used it until it is gone, I think it gives me enough time to really decide how I feel about a product and give you ladies a better opinion. Plus it allows me a chance to say whether or not I would repurchase it! So here we are with a post devoted to products I have recently used up!

1. Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes (the original blue pack): These are my favorite wipes to this day. I always use a makeup wipe to remove my face and residual eye makeup before I cleanse and I have been using these for years! I've tried numerous other brands and even the store brand versions of the Neutrogena ones but I always come back to these. They are gentle enough and don't burn my eyes, but still manage to get all of the makeup off. I like the texture of the actual wipe too! I actually have a bag that I have been collecting all of these empty products in and it holds 3 of these! Case in point. Haha 

Verdict: Buying, bought, will continue to buy them again. Haha

2. Bioré Makeup Removing Towelettes: Here I was trying out a new wipe and I hated these. They burned my eyes so terribly and I wasn't even using them to remove my eye makeup. These got reassigned to switching duty. I always keep cheaper makeup wipes on hand by my makeup collection and where I do my makeup so that if I need to remove anything off my hands or fingers, whatever, I have something to wipe with. These were only used for this reason. Haha

Verdict: Don't waste the money!

3. Forever 21 Love & Beauty Lavender Makeup Cleansing Tissues: I'm not even going to pretend I tried these on my face because to be honest, I'm a little scared to let something so cheap ($2.80 for 30) touch my face so these were bought with the intention of only using them for swatching and they got the job done! Loved them for this! (The only picture I could find was of the grapefruit scent. As with most Forever 21 stuff, the actual colors and styles you find in the store are really hit or miss so who knows what scents they currently have! Haha) 

Verdict: For the face? No, but worth it for swatching reasons.

4. Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil Deluxe Sample: I'm obsessed with this stuff and so sad that I used it up. It lasted me a long time because you need hardly any but it really is the perfect facial oil. Even though I'm oily I loved how plump and bright it made my skin feel. Some people like to use it as their moisturizer but you can also use it before or after it. While the big bottle is pretty expensive at $45 I know that it will last a long time, so I'm excited to be picking it up soon. I got my sample through Sephora so keep an eye out if you're wanting to try it. They do make a smaller roller ball version if you don't want to commit to trying the huge bottle but I will always recommend this awesome product. 

Verdict: Yes! Let me bathe in Maracuja Oil. Hahaha ok slightly dramatic...

5. Jane Water-Resistant Eye Liner in Black: I've mentioned these eyeliners before and I love them. This is seriously such a hidden gem as far as drugstore makeup goes. It's so inexpensive and I've gone through at least 3 of these. They come in a multitude of colors too! It is so creamy and dark and really stays on so well. I love that it is a twist up pencil so you don't have to worry about sharpening it, but it doesn't break constantly. Sometimes I find that twist up products dry out and break super easy but this isn't the case with this liner.

Verdict: Yes! Get one in every color, especially black.

6. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector in Medium: This honestly got thrown out because it was old. The reason it sat so long and got old was because I wasn't the biggest fan. It's not that it was specifically bad, it just didn't do much. It was too thin of a texture for me. As far as BB creams go, I think there are far better products to try since everyone is creating BB and CC creams now, so I think I would want something with more coverage that has better ingredients in it.

Verdict: Probably won't ever try again and wouldn't recommend. 

There are the first six products that I've used up. These posts will usually be really random collections of products but I'd love your feedback on this type of post! I like stuff like this so I can get people's opinions but I want to know how you enjoy it!

Have a beautiful day, 

Dre

Dre Does Quick Skin Care Tips for the Eyes

I can't believe how long it's been since I've done a quick tips post! So here I am with some of my go to tips regarding a very important skin care topic; your eye are. The eyes are one of the first areas to show signs of aging so it's never too early to start thinking about incorporating some steps into your skin care routine, no matter your age!

1. Eye Cream First! Always apply your eye cream before you apply your moisturizer for the rest of your face. I see a lot of women apply it last or not really thinking about what step it should be. If you're applying a product for a specific problem (say to de-puff and moisturize under the eyes) you want that product to penetrate first in your target area before you put something more general (like an all over face moisturizer). The skin around your eyes is the thinnest and first to get dehydrated so applying the products in the correct order is crucial!

2. Under-Eye Concealer: I am no stranger to dark circles under my eyes so when it comes to doing my makeup I don't ever skip the undereye concealer. Regardless of what concealer you are using, always make sure you are tapping the product into your skin with your ring finger instead of swiping it. This will allow you to really warm up the product with the heat from your finger tips, while being really gentle. It will also help it blend into the area instead of smearing over it. You'll get a much more natural application that will cover the dark areas more effectively. 

3. Cold Spoons: If you have a problem with puffiness in the mornings because you're either tired or have allergies, try leaving two spoons in the freezer overnight. In the morning, pop them out and place them right over your eyes to cool and help taking down any swelling. The curves fit perfectly into your eye sockets! This is a great tip for the summertime to stay cool too. 

Remember, preventative skin care is always a good idea! Do you have any tips and tricks relating to the eyes that you'd like to share? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

Long story short, I moved and my Ipsy Glambags got lost and delayed. So we're here now 3 months behind. Whoops. Instead of completely skipping over two months worth of IPSY Glambags, I've decided to include what I got for my May and June bags with the price breakdown and then I'll do my normal July review within the next week! 

To be honest this bag for May was the most underwhelmed I've felt so far with Ipsy. I was surprised to calculate that it was worth $37.67 because I didn't think it would be. If it wasn't for the Pur-lisse hydra-moist face moisturizer sample valued at around $16 though, it wouldn't have been worth as much. I do like to see deluxe sizes of expensive products though so in the end I think it was a smart move for Ipsy if the rest of the products weren't going to be valued at as much. I think for a spring bag it was great to get more skincare related products than makeup because I really like to keep my skin in check with the summer weather changes. Both the Hang Ten SPF 50 sunscreen and Avène Thermal Spring Water are great to keep in your purse for when you need a high SPF or your face deeps some moisture from a facial spray. Click here to read about my pool routine so you can see why I like to keep them on hand! I always love a good cream shadow base, so it was nice to try one from City Color in a pretty gold shimmery shade. Lastly, the full size Nailtini Polish was a nice addition since in May it's time to start making sure those toes are looking good at all times with the upcoming sandal weather! 

My June bag was valued at almost the exact same at $37.36! While I was completely in love with three products, I threw out the Be a Bombshell mascara (because it smelled so terribly of cheap tar) and I'm not a huge fan of perfume samples in a sample pack I'm paying for, so the Real Tree sample wasn't my favorite. A NYX butter gloss that I already love is always a plus in my book, so when paired with a Marc Anthony Beach Spray for your hair that smells like summer and a universal eyebrow pencil from OFRA, I was happy with the month of June. I like that you can get various shades of the product based on how much pressure you apply, so many people can use it! And can we talk about how great the bag was for June, designed by Rebecca Minkoff?! I love the floral print! 

Stay tuned for my July Ipsy Review friends! We will get back to how I normally review the bags with descriptions of each product individually and price breakdowns! I can't wait to show you how great the July bag is! Thanks for hanging tight in the mean time because I know how much you guys love the Ipsy reviews. If any of the products above caught your attention though, please feel free to comment on them and I'll be happy to answer questions or review them further!

And as usual, here are the links to my previous Ipsy Reviews! You can tell just by the numbers the past few months haven't been worth as much as previous months, but I like that I'm getting a larger variety of products so this doesn't bother me. The whole point of a subscription service like this is to try new types and brands of products, so as long as I'm getting a value of over $30 for spending only $10, I'd consider it worth it!

March Ipsy Review ($46.71)

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

Dre Does July Favorites

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I never really realize how fast the months go by until I do my favorites posts. I feel like yesterday was the 4th of July! As usual my month was really busy, getting used to a new job and dealing with a severe allergic reaction to something so while I didn't try that many new products out, I have been loving some good ones! So let's recap the items I've been obsessed with this month! 

1. Browzings by Benefit Cosmetics: I have been using this product nonstop since I started working as a Benefit Arch Expert. I use it on every guest to map their brows for waxing, but also use it daily on my brows. I love that it comes with both a tinted wax and powder. I use a quick tap of them both together to fill and define my brows. The wax helps hold brow hairs in place and also makes the powder adhere better. It gives a very natural, yet defined look that I love!

2. Revlon Colorstay Foundation: I hadn't tried this foundation until June but I'm obsessed. It really does last all day and I love that it comes in two formulas (one for drier skin types and the other for combo/oily skin types). I really like mixing it with other foundations to give a long lasting flawless finish to my skin. 

3. Tarte Amazonian Full Coverage 12-HR Foundation: This foundation is a holy grail product as well. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it before, but I love the texture. It's a mousy one that gives a liquid to powder feeling to the skin. It's buildable from medium to full coverage and for oily skin it's a dream! When you rub it in, it really feels like nothing on the skin! It's no secret that I have a love affair for tarte cosmetics so if you're oily and wanting to try out a new higher end foundation, go give it a look!

4. Benefit's They're Real PushUp Liner: I know that this new product from Benefit has been getting mixed reviews but I truly love it. I have a very hard time finding a liner with an applicator that I love but this one is amazing! One unique feature that I love is that you control the amount of product you use by clicking it up at the bottom. If you're comfortable with liquid and gel liners I definitely think you should try this one. I can apply a big dramatic winged liner in the morning before work and know that when I get home 10 hours later it will look the exact same as when I left. I love the matte finish too. It looks very natural. I love to show guests how using the flat and wide applicator you can create a "no eyeliner, eyeliner" look to make your lash line look fuller. Comment below if you'd like to see how I accomplish this!

5. White Straw Tribal Clutch from LOFT: I hate to include things you can no longer find but I like the idea behind this bag so I had to include it. I bought this at LOFT probably about 2 or 3 summers ago because I loved it. It was neutral and summery, but could fit a lot. The tribal print trend has been going for awhile but I thought this was a more subtle way to incorporate it into my wardrobe because it wasn't as flashy. I can't even begin to tell you how much I use this bag. It pairs with everything in the summer and gives an interesting texture to outfits and can be paired with black and white or even bright colors! If you find something you love and you can picture using in multiple ways, I say always get it. 

6. Essie quick-e Drying Drops: I can't do my nails without these drops anymore. Half the time I skip out on doing my nails because I don't have time to sit around and wait for them to dry. Not anymore! Just use the little dropper to apply a 1 to 2 little drops per nail and you're polish will be dry in no time! I love them and highly recommend them to all nail polish junkies or women on the go!

7. Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Bronzer: I bought this bronzer because the ULTA I work at is no longer carrying Cargo Cosmetics so it was ridiculously discounted. I actually bought 12 other products too for a steal so look for a review on all of that soon! Luckily you can still buy the products on Cargo's website so when I fell in love with this bronzer I had to share. While I haven't gone swimming with it on because I'm not a fan of wearing makeup in the water, I do find it has great lasting power all day! The tone is really nice, a little warmer then I like to use for contouring but since it has shimmer I use it to give my face more of a glow anyways! It's also very smooth and blendable.

What were you loving this month? Leave a comment and let me know! I'm always down to try new things :) Hope your July was fantastic and happy August!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does an Announcement!!

I'm here with a quick post to announce that I have just started working as an Arch Expert & Makeup Artist for Benefit Cosmetics!! I'm really excited for this new opportunity that I have been given with two companies that I have loved for years; Benefit Cosmetics and ULTA Beauty!! Unfortunately the spa I worked at had to close it's doors suddenly, so I am extremely grateful to move on to bigger and better things! Throughout life we are handed challenges that can cause a bit of a struggle. But with some reevaluation and strength we can always move on and get through them. Don't be afraid when something like this happens. I heard someone talking last week about how when something hard comes along it's adding to your story. When you look back years from now, it's the rough patches that will make your success story that much greater! So keep on fighting for your dream because it will be that much more worth it in the end when you've achieved what you want! 

Have a beautiful start to your week,

Dre

Dre Does an Influenster Go VoxBox Review

So you might be wondering what that little Influenster Button is on the side of my blog. Let me tell you a little bit about Influenster before I get into the amaaaaazing products they sent me to try out. Influenster is an online community of reviews basically. As a member I can review products I already own that I love, take surveys on products I've tried, and share all of my lovely opinions on various types of social media. Depending on how involved with the site you are (they have a point scale to determine this), what your interests are and what your expertise is in, you can qualify for various VoxBoxes that they send out from different brands. Beauty, health related, food, etc...the diversity of products they have on the site is awesome! As a blogger I naturally like sharing my opinion on products I like and dislike, so I obviously I quickly got addicted to the site. One day, I got an email saying I might qualify to receive a free VoxBox so they asked me to take a quick survey, and said I would be notified if I was chosen to receive some free products. I ended up qualifying and here we are with a review of the Go VoxBox.

Below is a picture of all of the products I received (Disclaimer: while yes I did receive all of these items for free, all of these opinions are my own and Influenster does not require you to blog about it or say how awesome everything is. 100% honesty on my blog ONLY)

From left to right, starting on top we have: the Vitamin Shoppe Next Step Shaker with the little Jaxx mixer, 3 sample packets of The Vitamin Shoppe Next Step Fit N' Full Shake, Aqua Spa relax Body Creme in Lavender + Camomile, the ProFoot Pedi-Rock, Playtex Sport Tampons, a coupon for a free Müller yogurt, Blue Diamond Blueberry Flavored roasted almonds, the ProFoot Triad Othotic shoe inserts, and lastly a coupon for $5 off my purchase at the Vitamin Shoppe until the end of May.

The Vitamin Shoppe Next Step Shaker and 3 Sample Packets of Fit N' Full Shake: I was really excited to see these come in the Go VoxBox because I'm always looking at different types of protein supplements. I've never tried anything from The Vitamin Shoppe so I was excited to be introduced to the brand. I love the shaker first off with the little Jaxx Mixer because it really doesn't make it so easy to shake up and dissolve the protein shake so you don't have any gross clumps of powder in your drink. I received the flavors Swiss Chocolate, French Vanilla, and Fresh Berries and while they were all great, chocolate will usually always win for me.  With 14g of protein per serving and only 1g of sugar, these shakes are meant to be used as a meal replacement to curb hunger and cravings. They do however contain milk, soy, and wheat so warning to those who avoid those ingredients. All you do is add them to shaker with 8 fl oz. of cold water and shake it up! I tried them out as meals every time and I have to say they really did leave me feeling satisfied. I really think I'll look into buying some of these next time I'm looking for protein. You can get a 16 serving tub of the powder mix online at www.vitaminshoppe.com for $24.99 or buy a 14-pack of individual packets for the same price. Overall opinion: HUGE thumbs up on this yummy product.

Aqua Spa relax Body Creme in Lavender Camomile: Aqua Spa is another brand I had never heard of so I was interested to receive this parabens free body creme. First off, it smells wonderful and it's texture is nice and smooth. On their website, Aqua Spa claims that this body creme is "formulated to help stimulate cell renewal, enhance skin elasticity, strengthen skin, boost collagen, and keep skin hydrated" with the addition of the Marina Youth Complex. It also calms and relaxes with the wonderful aroma. While it's too soon to tell if it's actually boosting my cell renewal rate and collagen, it is nice and hydrating and calming so I like using it. This full size of 12 oz. retails for $9.99 on their website at www.aquaspabath.com (I received a generous 9 oz. size).

ProFoot Pedi-Rock: I am a very active person and with that comes calluses on the bottoms of my feet. I am obsessed with this product. My two favorite aspects of the Pedi-Rock are the shape and that you can use it dry. I love the shape of the rock because you can easily grip it to use it on your calluses. It can sometimes be tricky to hold pummus stones and use them on your feet, however the shape of the Pedi-Rock makes it really easy to control. I also love that you can use it wet or dry. While obviously it's better to soak you feet to soften the calluses, sometimes it's awkward to reach your feet and not fall over in the shower. Plus if I forget to do it in the shower and remember I'm going to be wearing sandals or heels where my feet will be seen, it's nice not having to jump back in the shower to get rid of those calluses. While you can't buy directly from the ProFoot website there are links to places you can the Pedi-Rock. I found it on Amazon for $14.99.

Playtex Sport Tampons: While most women probably have a good idea of what tampons they prefer, it's always nice trying out something new that I know I have to use. I've never generally tried any kind of Playtex tampons surprisingly. I always stick to either Tampax Pearl or U by Kotex and generally base it on which one is on sale at the moment I need them. I have to say I will probably add these tampons to the mix of comparison next time I'm at the grocery store because as far as tampons go I only require two things; they get the job done as hygienically and freshly as possible and they have plastic applicators. So these tampons did that and are good. The pack of 18 retails for about $7 depending on where you buy them. Also sorry if you're a guy reading this. Ew. Periods. Gross. Deal with it.

The Müller Coupon: I love Müller yogurt already so I was really excited to see this coupon for a free yogurt! They have really great flavors and mixes of greek yogurt so I highly suggest going to your grocery store and checking them out! I especially like the one with the mix in almonds!

Blue Diamond Blueberry Almond Sample Pack: I've always loved almonds and when cocoa roasted almonds came out I was all over those. When I opened up the VoxBox to find Blueberry flavored almonds I was really excited because I didn't know such a thing existed! They were so delicious and I will definitely be looking for them the next time I go grocery shopping. I got this convenient little sample pack that is perfect for snacking but I like that you can purchase them in a larger bag as well if you don't want snack packs! They also have strawberry and raspberry flavors so I'm interested in trying them all. These almonds make a great snack between meals because they have protein and fiber while only having 6g of sugar and being very low sodium as well. I highly recommend checking these out. I could only find these on amazon.com and they were $8.99 for the larger 4 oz. bag or about $16 for a pack of 12 of the snack packs.

ProFoot Triad Orthotic Shoe Inserts: As soon as I came across these in the VoxBox I ripped the packaging open and placed them into my work shoes. They are awesome and really comfortable. I like that they are squishy and can fit multiple sizes of shoes. They claim to improve not only the pain in your feet, but also in your legs, knees, and back. While I don't have leg or knee pain, I do think that these helped sooth some of my back pain when I was at work. I'm going to continue to wear them and let you know how it goes! Once again you can't purchase directly from the ProFoot website but I found them on Walgreen's website for $10.99.

Let me know if you enjoyed this type of a review and if you've tried any of these products before! Also be sure to check out Influenster yourself and get involved!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Pool/Beach Routine

With the 4th of July this week, I know a lot of us will be spending time outside either by the pool or on a beach! I know a lot of bloggers and YouTubers do what's in my pool bag videos, but since I've never really seen much about Pre and Post sun activities, here I am with my version of this popular topic! I've included what I like to do before I enter the sun, what I like to have with me for during, and then what I follow up with immediately after getting out of the sun.

PRE
Before I go out into the sun I ALWAYS make sure to do my skincare routine. I do my normal routine except there is one thing I change up because of the sun. I have oily skin so I like to make sure that I use a moisturizer that's a bit heavier than I would typically use on a day to day basis. The sun can dry you out so I like to combat this by using a moisturizer that's not only hydrating but also moisturizing. (In case you didn't know, hydrating means it helps restore the water balance of your skin and moisturizing means it helps restore the oil balance in your skin; two VERY different things that you need to know about before buying products). I like to make sure that I also moisturize my body with a great body butter before heading out to make sure that I stay hydrated. While everyone's skin type is different, I find that I am less likely to burn if my skin stays moisturized, so I do my best to stay on top of it. After moisturizing is when I add my SPF. I like to do it at home, before I put my bikini on so I know I've gotten every spot even if my bikini moves around! I also like to make sure my hair is moisturized beforehand so I like to add a leave in conditioner to my ends that are typically dryer than my roots. Lastly, I always add an SPF that is different than the SPF for my body because it's different skin and generally more sensitive to products. I really like applying my La Bella Donna Loose Minerals because they not only reduce redness and even out my skin tone, but one of only four ingredients is a mineral sunscreen, so I know I'm protected!

DURING
While I'm at the pool/beach I keep your typical beach bag items; towel, headphones, water bottle, SPF, physical copy of a book haha (I'm too accident prone to try my luck with my iPad near water), sunglasses, and more. However, there are some key things I like to make sure I always have. First, a lip balm with SPF to make sure my lips don't get too dried out or sunburned. Then, I always make sure to have a mini can of facial spray with me. Essentially it's just water in a fine mist (sometimes with extra minerals and antioxidants) which sounds super unnecessary and fancy, but I like to make sure my face stays nice and moist and doesn't burn. This is honestly one of the easiest ways for me to make sure I'm doing it. It's really easy to lose track of hydration in the sun so I really like making sure I have my facial spray. I always make sure I have some sort of snack with me as well. I like to have almonds or cashews a lot of the time because they won't melt and provide protein which is important. Hungry and dehydrated is a bad combo for when you're in the sun. One key item I never leave the house without, especially in the summer is a yummy and refreshing smelling body splash! With the heat and humidity of summer, the last thing you want is to be smelling kind of funky and not have access to a quick shower (the same goes for deodorant but we're probably all normal adults here and have that covered I think). Lastly, I always make sure I have a notebook and pen with me because I never know when inspiration will hit for my blog or anything else in life. I typically think of things at the most random times, so I like to have something I can jot notes down on with me at all times.

AFTER
I like to make sure that I wash my face as soon as I can after being in the sun to get any chlorine or other impurities off of the surface. If I can't make it to a sink right away, I like to keep a good small pack of cleansing towelettes in my purse to just refresh my skin and help remove anything that's lingering. If you visit the travel section of your grocery store or Target, you can generally find packs of 5 to 10 towelettes to keep in your purse for this reason! I also make sure to use a moisturizing body butter all over my body and that same good hydrating and moisturizing facial moisturizer on my face. If I've spent a significant amount of time in the sun, I try to stay away from any form of heat styling on my hair for a few days to give it a chance to rehydrate. A good deep conditioning mask is always a must for me as well after I've spent time outdoors. Look for a post in the next few weeks on my favorite masks!

So that is my pool/beach routine! If you have any recommendations of must haves of your own, please feel free to share them for everyone else to enjoy! Remember, being outside and soaking up some rays is always a good time, but we have to make sure we are protected and taking care of ourselves (End the esthetician's PSA...haha)!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre