Hyurolic

Out of all the skin care products on the market devised to keep our skin from aging prematurely hyaluronic acid is one that I haven’t really heard much about until recently. According to Aura Naturel, their Vita C Elixir with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C does everything a women needs in a skin care product. It’s supposed to remove fine lines and wrinkles thanks to the collagen stimulation, it reduces blackheads, shrinks your pores and helps get rid of blemished left behind by acne. The company also says that this product keeps the skin hydrated and moisturized. Those are all some pretty big claims from just one serum that’s being sold for less than $15. 

 Even with a bit of skepticism I decided to give this product a try anyway. Luckily my skin is the type that isn’t very sensitive to products and something will either work well or do absolutely nothing, but it won’t make my skin worse or cause me to break out. I used the product as directed: I washed my face with my cleanser and exfoliator, added the serum to my face and neck and just waited. My skin didn’t feel heavy or tight which I liked and I didn’t feel a burning sensation. 

After a few days of use I did notice that some blemishes were starting to fade and my skin was looking a bit better without having to use my tinted moisturizer so I was relay happy about that. One thing I know that’s for sure is that I’ll keep using it because I need all the help I can get if I want to keep wrinkles at bay!

If you want to enjoy 10% off a bottle of this product click here and mention where you heard about it. Then of course, let me know what you think! 

Going Natural with Organic Hydrating Serum + Cleanser

I have a friend that is super green. She only eats organic food, her household products are all natural and recently she trashed hundreds of dollars with of skincare and makeup products because of all the chemicals in them. And yes, I almost cried when she did that. She's the reason I eat organic produce and try to be consistent with taking care of my body and even though I'm a huge believer in science, love hardcore skincare products, little by little I'm changing the way I do certain things because she is one to do her research and doesn't have her head in the clouds.

Having said all that, even though I have tons of skincare products that have unpronounceable words I am going to try to change things up so that eventually all of my products are as natural as can be and Purxury's Organic Hydrating Serum and Cleanser is the first item on my list. When I received the package I loved the way the bottle and label looked. Simple, looked like something that could be found in an apothecary shop and with all the ingredients listed on the back. And to my joy the word organic is on 10 of the 15 ingredients in it. With Vitamin E, A and Carrot seed oil, as well as steam-distilled rosewater not needed it.

I used this as a cleanser in the morning and then at night to wash away residue from makeup, sweat from the gym and just being outdoors in general. I followed their directions which is to rub 3 drops to the face and eye area in a circular motion and then using a sot washcloth with warm water and press it into your skin and then wipe off. Pretty simple. The second time I used it though I rubbed it into my skin and then used my Soniclear brush to let it penetrate a bit deeper into my skin and so far I'm loving it.

While I was only sent the serum and cleanser to review the company also let me try some of their handmade soaps which were also a hit! I'm obsessed with the scent of roses lately and to my surprise I was sent a sample of their rose, honey, and detox charcoal which I've been hearing nothing but good things about so that was pretty cool. Oh, and the serum has an expiration date and comes in a dark bottle. These are key because sometimes light can ruin the effects of a lot of vitamins and because they contain no preservatives they still last about a year but no longer than that. However, I'm sure the serum will be used up a lot quicker than that.

Now I know that most of my readers are avid Sephora shoppers and are pro chemicals but I urge you to give this product a try. I'll be writing a lot about natural skin care products and hopefully makeup once I find the right ones for me so this is a great way to start. And because my readers are super awesome, Purxury is letting you guys get 20% off using the discount code: Fascination20.

Try this and their their soaps out and let me know what you think!

All About The Scents!

Lavender and roses. Strawberries and pumpkin. These are a few of my (new) favorite things. Ever since experiencing the intensity of pheromones I started associating scents with happy things again. The smell of freshly cut grass never fails to take me back to the time I lived in Florida as a kid and curry always reminds me of an amazing restaurant I went to in Brighton, UK so the scent association thing isn't too far fetched for me.

I spent the summer obsessing over lavender and smelling like roses and now that a new season has begun I've added a couple of new ones. I've also been reading up on the benefits of certain scents and was surprised to know that lavender and roses are really great for mood elevation and are really soothing. I'm at a place where I've got some really great momentum so surrounding myself with feel good scents is what I want to do. 

And who doesn't want a body scrub that smells like strawberries? While I hardly eat the fruit, or any fruit for that matter, it's fun to sometimes switch out my coffee scrub with this. Or to have my face smell like pumpkins because isn't that what this season is all about?

This week, I'm going go over my favorite scented products and what it is that has me drawn to them. Trust me, you're gonna wanna pay close attention!

Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy 14-Day Smoothing Treatment

A few months ago I was going on vacation but didn't have the time or money to do the keratin treatment I so desperately needed. The one I had done in NYC lasted a full 4 months thanks to the care that I gave my hair and it was time to do it again. I was heading to Punta Cana and then NYC and wanted my hair as perfect as possible.

I purchased the Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy 14-Day Smoothing Treatment and gave it a try. The night before the process I washed and conditioned my hair in order to get rid of all the knots and have it easy to manage with the treatment on. I set my alarm for 7am that morning and got to work. I washed my hair with a regular clarifying shampoo in order to get rid of any oil and residue that was in my hair from the previous night and put the keratin on. The 14 day one comes with a spray nozzle but my thick hair needed more than the little bit I was getting so I just sectioned it off, poured the product into my hands and applied it that way being careful not to over saturate like the instructions warn.

After leaving it on for 30 minutes it was time to blow dry my hair. I hate doing that. I have so much hair and I'm so lazy that my arms get tired after being up in the air for too long. As I started blow drying my hair dried easy but was still a bit frizzy at the ends and I was disappointed but whatever. The more I passed the blower the straighter my hair became and i didn't have that volume that i usually get from not putting enough tension with the brush.

45 minutes after that it was time for my flat iron. I put it at the highest setting, sectioned my hair yet again and applied the heat to  small sections of hair 8-10 times. The frizz at the end began to disappear and my hair was falling fabulously. This portion took me about an hour because I was taking my time, ate breakfast and was watching Alien.

It was December in LA so it wasn't THAT cold so having the windows open wasn't too much for me. You definitely need ventilation because your eyes can get really irritated even though the at-home doesn't contain formaldehyde.

My hair survived the entire day and even though I took a nap on my 6 hour flight to Philly that night it remained straight. When I landed in Punta Cana later on that day the humidity made my hair puff up a tiny bit but NOTHING compared to what would have happened had I not applied the products.


Overall I think it's a great alternative and a quick fix. I was able to use the left over product for two more treatments which isn't bad for something with really thick hair.

For some reason I can't find the 14-day treatment in stores anymore but I was able to purchase the 30-day one and I plan on using that one as soon as I have three hours to spare.

Time to Straighten Up!

Keratin. I have been discussing this with my friends for years but a move to LA is what finally made it happen. You see I am very picky about who gets to touch my hair due to it being a bit fickle and having the ability to be described in just one word.

My hair is very dry and never grew part my shoulders until I became majorly stressed a few months ago. Within 2 months my hair grew almost 4 inches and it was awesome. I'm so glad the stress didn't cause it to fall out! When it air dries my hair gets really frizzy, the curls tighten up and I end up looking like an oompa loompa and it becomes extremely difficult to comb through. When I got to the salon my hair is really easy to blow dry and the length stays, its super shiny with very little product and it lasts for weeks. Unless there's any humidity.

Oh, and because the powers that be hate me my scalp is rarely every dry. So on the the keratin.

I was afraid to death of not having my hair dresser in LA nor did finding a Dominican hairstylist in LA promising so I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment to get this done.

Please note that this all happened in NYC in mid-May 2012 where all it did was rain!

I showed up for my appointment at a hair salon in Washington Heights and was told how the process would go and  was whisked to a chair after. The shampoo girl washed my hair with a super clarifying shampoo that made my hair squeak. She did this for about 15 minutes and then the woman doing the application put me in her chair. She passed the blowdryer lightly--my hair was in no state to have a brush go through it because of how fragile it was at this point--and put a hairnet on me and then I was under the dryer for about 20 minutes to allow my hair to 'air dry'.

When this was done the application process began. She put my hair in sections, put on a pair of black gloves, gave me a mask and went to work. She applied the Evos Keratin Straigtener* and while it was happening my eyes started to burn a bit. it smelled like rotten apples but I've never smelled formaldehyde so I guess that's normal. After a full application she then put my hair in curlers and I was back under the dryer. This time for an hour.

It was the worst hour of my life. My eyes were on fire, my throat was killing me and I felt so bad for my lungs. The only thing that kept me in the chair was the years that I've spent researching this process and so I knew that all of those things were to be expected.

Next came the blow dryer. At this point I am already 2 hours in by the way. She removed the curlers and went over my hair with a blow dryer making it pin straight. She did every section meticulously and went from root to tip. She then heated up the straightener and did the same exact thing. She must've passed it onto each section 5 times.

When I left I was given instructions to not let my hair get wet, pin it back, tie it in any way for 72 hours. After the 72 hours were up I could go there to wash it out of my hair (for an extra charge) or I could buy special shampoo and conditioner. These were the most important steps. Without the proper aftercare my hair could revert and my time and money would have been for nothing.

DUring the days that I had to wait I was nervous. I couldn't sleep properly, I was living in fear of the frizz and the weather didn't help at all. I was so surprised when I was able to walk from home to the train during that awful weather and my hair only gained a teeny bit more volume and didn't look like cotton candy. It was amazing.

I went to a beauty supply store and came across these products that had great reviews. The shampoo and conditioner that I purchased were $10 each and the Coppola Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner was $21.

Fast forward to me in LA. When I wash my hair my curls aren't gone 100% but as it starts to dry the length remains. My hair now air dries in less than 20 minutes and I finally have the ability to blow dry it myself because so much volume is gone. I can wear my hair wavy just by combing it down with a paddle brush while it's drying. It is simply amazing. I am 6 weeks in and I cannot wait to get it done again.

*Please note, I linked the Keratin used just to show what brand it was but I do not recommend purchasing it. I wouldn't trust a site selling a product that should only be purchased by professionals because there is a high chance that it could be diluted.

Quench That Thirst

I really do believe that our generation is aging so well because we have better products and skin care is touched on at an earlier age. One of those products that we see every time we open a magazine, opt for a skin consultation or feel the roughness of our skin during the winter is the need to moisturize. Aside from a perfect primer, moisturizer is key to any good face. I’ve tried so many over the years I’ve lost count of the ones that failed to make a difference but there is one that has me unable to stop touching my soft and perfectly moisturized face.

Lately I’ve been into Philosophy’s products and with reason. They are simply amazing for skin care. Philosophy’s hope in a jar is a moisturizer that I always received as samples but never purchased because I KNEW that somewhere out in the world I could find something that worked just as great for a few bucks cheaper. I was wrong.

The first thing I love about hope in a jar is the smell. It smells like heaven. It’s very subtle yet there. If Philosophy carried body moisturizers with this scent I would be in heaven. The texture of the product seems whipped so it’s very light and absorbs into the skin really well. After a few days of using it day and night (after washing my face with yet another one of their products) people have been noticing and commenting on how radiant my skin looks before I have a chance to apply my foundation. If that's not a plus then I don't know what is.

I suggest everyone give it a shot. I don’t use the one with SPF because my foundation already has some in it. I’ve heard from people that the hope in a jar SPF 25 moisturizer is thicker and harder to apply. I’ll check that one out and get back to you ladies. In the meantime let's get moisturizing!

Public Service Announcement

I just realized that in order to make this blog a bit more fun I’ll need to take photos so in the upcoming weeks pics of my amazing face with fun makeup with start getting uploaded. You have been warned.

Now it’s time for a little FPSA (face public service announcement):

Ladies, lets get real here. I’ve said it time and time again but it often gets ignored. No one cares how amazing your eye makeup or lips look if you have dry, flaky, sullen, powdery or splotchy skin. No one no one no one! Sometimes I don’t know what’s worse: powdery or dry looking skin.

Not everyone needs concealer and I have plenty of friends that hate the idea of foundation but even on a regular work day something needs to be done. The answer: tinted moisturizer. This post is brandless because I’ll take anything at this point! So ladies, take my advice, heed the warnings: if your face is dry- moisturize, if it’s sullen- tinted moisturizer and if it’s powdery- wear less!

And for those that don't want to take my advice just think of all the times you've heard people compliment me on my skin and how many times you've done it yourself! This isn't god's work, it's all thanks to my insane skin obsession!