Review: Dr. Song 20% Salicylic Acid Gel Peel

*Disclosure* I received this product complimentary for review purposes. Even though this post is sponsored, all opinions will be 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be reviewing a facial peel for you that I was able to try out and it's the Dr. Song 20% Salicylic Acid Peel. Facial peels can be scary, but this one is pretty good!

Salicylic acid is used to help treat acne, acne scars, wrinkles, large pores and blackheads, oily skin, psoriasis, razor bumps and warts. My skin personally loves salicylic acid because it's the only "acid" that helps with my skin issues, which are large pores, blackheads, oily skin and I do have mild acne. As a teenager it was way worse, but now at 26, it's more hormonal. Even then, salicylic acid was the only thing that helped calm my skin. Most OTC (over-the-counter) products that contain salicylic acid contain at most 2%. This bad boy has pharmaceutical grade 20%, so I knew this would be potent stuff. 

This comes in a dropper style bottle and you put some on a cotton ball/pad and swipe it on the problem areas of the face, avoiding the mouth and eye area. For me, I put it all on my T-zone and also my cheeks as I do have quite large pores there as well. You start off only using it for 1 minute and as you continue use, you can up the time an extra minute if you want to. I'm currently up to 4 minutes as that's all my face can really handle. After the time is up, I rinse with lukewarm water, pat dry my face, and immediately follow up with a hydrating mask which I leave on for as long as possible. Then I use a very hydrating serum and moisturizer and call it a night. In the morning, You have to make sure you're using sunscreen to help protect from the sun.

When I use this, my skin is noticeably different the next morning. It feels softer, my pores look a bit smaller, and my skin is less oily even though I apply a good amount of moisturizer. It's only recommended to use this peel once a week as it can irritate sensitive skin. I do have sensitive skin, and after using this peel, my skin does get quite red. It also tingles quite a bit as the peel is on my skin. It's said that this can cause your skin to peel after a day or so that it's used, but in all honesty, I have not experienced any peeling at all. That could be because I use a hydrating mask afterwards. 

Each bottle contains between 15-20 full facial peels and only costs $14.99 on Amazon. I honestly think that's an incredible deal considering this is a full strength peel you can do in the comfort of your own home. If you have skin like I do, I would give this a try if you're curious about at-home peels. Definitely do a patch test if you have sensitive skin, because sometimes the tingle can be so strong.

Have you tried any at-home facial peels before?

Remember I have my Borghese giveaway and blog sale!

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna Eyehadow Palette

Hey everyone! Today's review is going to be of a palette that I got during the holidays, and it's the Anastasia Tamanna Palette. I've been giving this a good testing out and I'm finally ready to share my thoughts. 

Taken from the Anastasia website, this palette is:

The perfect fall and holiday palette designed in collaboration with makeup artist Tamanna Roashan, @dressyourface.

This collection of versatile shadows constitutes Tamanna’s “must have” shades to achieve her most requested looks on any skin tone. The combination of warm and cool tones combine to create anything from smokey eyes to intricate cut creases, all from a single palette. Specially formulated, high-impact pigments in rich neutrals and shimmering jewel tones go on smoothly and eliminate the need for overbuilding when applying. 

I have to say how much I love the packaging! I think the design is gorgeous, even though it's made of cardboard. The lid is magnetized well, so it's good for travel and the colors inside are so beautiful! It comes with a nice sized mirror as well, which definitely comes in handy.

You get 10 gorgeous colors which to me are prefect for the Fall season, but you can wear these anytime really, there are no rules! Like the description above says, there are a good mix of warm and cool tones that will look good on alot of different people. I'm super fair and I can work with pretty much every color here. 

Fresh, Blush, Venezia, Gilded, Custom

Sangria, Bengal, Chocolate, China Rose, Noir

As you can tell from the first picture, the color Fresh is basically my skintone, so I'm sorry if you can't see it too well. I tried to get a heavier swatch, but I'm just super pale. The colors Venezia and Custom are a bit disappointing, only because I feel the swatches of all the other colors are amazing. Custom in person is just so gorgeous and looks great on the eye, but it just doesn't swatch as well. Can we talk about Sangria?! I love burgundy colors with a passion and when I swatched this, I almost cried tears of joy with how beautiful it is. Love, love, love! Bengal is your transition/crease shade and you can't go wrong with Noir. I think every palette should have a good black shade to work with, and this one is pigmented out the wazoo! You definitely need a light hand with this one. It does come with a double-ended brush, but I have not used it. It is soft though and seems like it's decent quality.

Overall, I think this is a great palette. I bought it when it was still available on the Sephora site for $29, but I did find it on the Macys website, if you want to check it out! If you do want it, don't look on Amazon because I see them going for over $50 and that's just insane. Now Anastasia recently came out with single eyeshadows, and you can find them on her website here. From what I saw there, you can find every shadow in this palette aside from Sangria, Blush, Venezia and Gilded in the single form. I have heard that she's having a hard time keeping shades in stock, so maybe she does have those colors, but they're not in stock right now. I think these shadows are really nice though and if you can find this palette or her other ones, definitely get them, but not for $50 ;)

Have you tried Anastasia eyeshadow palettes? If so/not, what do you think of them?

Also, remember my Borghese giveaway I have going and also my blog sale, which I updated recently!

Blog Sale Update!

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you all know I have updated my beauty blog sale page here. Check it out! I'm going to keep updating it occasionally, so check back every so often. I have a tab on the top of my page in case you just want to click that instead. Thanks! :)

Remember I have my Borghese giveaway going on as well :)

Review: Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

Hello everyone! I have an exciting review today of the new-ish Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. When it first came out, I was so on the fence about getting it because I heard a ton of mixed reviews. My mother-in-law had gotten me a Sephora gift card for Christmas, so I figured I might as well try it for myself and form my own opinion. 

Before I get into the review, here is a description of the palette taken from the Sephora website:

Inspired by Too Faced’s Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection, this Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette is a deeper, warmer version of the original coveted palette. Infused with the scent of sweet chocolate, this collection features 16 antioxidant-rich, cocoa powder-infused shadows in matte and shimmer shades with warm caramels, deep mochas, bronzy chocolate, and vibrant sugared blueberry hues. These rich, high-pigment shades are perfect for any season, and it includes a signature how-to Glamour Guide to help you get started with three eye looks. 

The one thing I absolutely love about this palette is that they put the names of the shadows on the actual palette. The first palette that I also have only came with a plastic sheet with the names on it. As far as I know, they still don't have the shade names on it, but the size of the palette is thinner, like the new one is. This one is a lighter shade of brown so you can distinguish between the two palette. It comes with a little how-to guide as well so you can create different looks. 

Top to bottom: Licorice, Coconut Creme, Cocoa Chili, Pink Sugar, Puddin', Rum Raisin, Mousse, Caramel

Of these colors, my favorites are definitely Caramel, Rum Raisin, and Cocoa Chili. Pink Sugar is nothing but pink sparkles. There is no pigment whatsoever, which I find pretty annoying and the actual pan of it is loose in the palette when I swatch it. The other colors to me are just basic colors that can be duplicated in other palettes and single shadows. 

Top to bottom: Nougat, Truffled, Hot Fudge, Blueberry Swirl, Peanut Butter, Frosting, Bon Bon. Butter Pecan is missing, sorry!

I'm so torn on this side of the palette. I was so unimpressed by the Blueberry Swirl shade, but tried to make it work by using a blue eyeliner as a base. It helped a bit, but the pigmentation is just not that good. Peanut Butter is such a good transition shade and it has to be my favorite in the palette. Nougat is great when blending out harsh lines and bright colors. I also really love Frosting. I'm so sorry Butter Pecan is missing, but on my skin, it just gives alot of shimmer and not much color payoff. 

Ok, so overall, I do like this palette, but it's hardly as good as the first Chocolate Bar Palette. If you asked me which of the two I prefer, there is no doubt that I would say the first one. This does cost $49, just like the first, but with it not being as impressive as the first, I feel that's a high price considering the lack of pigment. The textures of the shades aren't terrible, some are hit or miss, they blend well and some of the colors do look beautiful on the eye. Like I said above, Peanut Butter is just a beautiful crease shade and you can make it darker or less intense if you like. If you're like me and have an obsession with eyeshadow palettes, get it and see what you think. However, I don't think this is necessary to have in your collection. 

You can find the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette wherever Too Faced is sold, but I did purchase mine at Sephora. 

Have you tried this palette? What do you think of it?

Also, if you're in the US, you can enter my Borghese giveaway! 

(CLOSED) Borghese Giveaway!

Hey everyone! If you remember my reviews of the Borghese Eclissare Eyeshadow Palettes and their Lip Glosses, you may remember me saying that Borghese was kind enough to send me duplicates for a giveaway! There will be 2 winners as I'm giving away 1 of the small eyeshadow palettes along with 4 glosses. Make sure to click the links of the review to see colors and swatches of what I'll be giving away! The giveaway will run until March 2nd, so that hopefully gives everyone a fair shot at entering.

There are some rules so please make sure to follow them:
1. This will be a USA only giveaway. I'm sorry to my Canadian and overseas readers, but shipping is just to complicated and expensive for me. 
2. You must follow my blog via Bloglovin' or GFC to be entered, and I will be monitoring that very carefully. 

The first set is the Sultry palette with the gloss colors in Chaos, Odyssey, Omen and Brightside

The second set is the Torrid palette with the gloss colors in Darkling, Simmer, Gilt and Brink




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I'm Now on Instagram!

Hey guys! Just a quick post letting you know I finally broke down and made an Instagram account! I have the link to it on the right side on top of the Bloglovin' button in case you want to follow me :)

Thank you all for your support!

January 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hello everyone! I know this post is overdue, as I received my Ipsy bag sometime last week. I just didn't get a chance to write it up, so forgive me! Anyways, this is the first Ipsy bag of the year and the theme this month is called Fresh Start. 

The bag everything comes in feels like plastic/vinyl and one side is white, while the other side is blue, and it has a orange zipper. It's kinda cute, but I don't really see myself using it honestly. 

I was so excited for the products this month! The first product I got is the BellaPierre Shimmer Powder in the color Whesek, which looks like a dark gray/black color with a hint of dark blue. Looking at the description of the product, depending on the color you get, these can be used as an eyeshadow or highlighter. I obviously can only use this as an eyeshadow, but it's so dark and I don't know if it will look good with my fair skin. I'll give it a try since I am a fan of mineral products. 

The next product I have is the Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer. I have tried this product before that I got in an old Birchbox, and I absolutely loved it! It made my lips look and feel so hydrated and plump. This tube I have now is about twice the size of the one I had before, which makes me really happy. I have strongly considered purchasing a full size of this, but I already have a ton of lip balms and treatments to use up. 

Next up, we have the Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow in the shade Ethereal. I have already tried this, and it's not bad, but it's not fantastic either. The pigment is alright, but the staying power isn't that great, even with a primer. A gripe I have with this product is that the container was stuck inside the box so bad, and there's still glue in the back that's been a pain to remove, and it sticks to everything. I'll probably continue using this as a highlight shade, but Pacifica makeup is not very good. Their body products are really nice though!

The next product I received is the La Fresh Eco-Beauty Good Day. Day Moisturizer. I love me some good skincare, so I'm looking forward to trying this out. Even though this comes in a glorified foil packet, it seems like there's a decent amount of product to try. I'm also reading that this stuff smells bad, but I honestly can't tell because my nose is stuffed up right now. 

The last product I got is the Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush. I also love me some good brushes, so I was happy to have received this! I used this as well already, and I do like it. It deposits color nicely on the lids, it's soft, it's easy to clean, and it's a good size too. Plus, it's pink! Who can resist an adorable pink brush?!

That's everything I got! If you want to sign up for Ipsy, you can do so here! It only costs $10 a month, plush shipping for some and you get 4-5 samples. I am definitely impressed this month, but some months are a miss for me. I highly recommend this bag if you want to try out new brands for a good price!

If you're already signed up to Ipsy, what did you get in your bag?