Blush Me Up! Favorite MAC Blushes

Winter time is here (obviously... it is currently snowing outside my window) and nothing completes a perfect look without a hint of pretty blush. Having a paler face in winter is hard-- you can't put on too much bronzer or foundation without it looking like too much. It's always important to not make your face too tan or too dark compared to your skin tone. Always go with lighter face colors so it looks as natural as possible. When it comes to MAC cosmetics, I have found two blushes that have satisfied me for my skin tone in both summer and winter. These colors are so easy and simple. Especially on any skin tone. Lo-o-oveeee.

First, I love MAC Melba. Its a slight mix between peachy and coral with hints of pink. It is matte, so there aren't any shimmers. Love this for a pretty natural look. 

Next, I adore MAC Peaches. This is more for summer time, because it is more on the peachy side (more peachy than Melba). It has a pretty tint and gives a nice matte glow. For the winter months, go lightly with this. It still looks gorgeous on paler skin. Peach is pretty on the cheeks, but looks bad if you overdo it. So don't! 

I love the brand MAC and their face blushes/bronzers. These are my two favorites from this brand and have never disappointed. Just a little on the apples of your checks and bam! 

Love,
Daniela

Bronzer Basics... How To Naturally Get That Bronzed Babe Look

I think it's safe to say that almost everyone loves to wear bronzer. Having a nice, golden glow is super flattering on anyone. A pretty glow is the way to go. :)

For me, my makeup routine is not complete without a little touch of bronzer and blush. It highlights/contours the face and gives it color. There are different ways of applying bronzer-- I'll explain how. To begin, don't overdo it with the bronzer. Some girls get desperate for that tan and will overdo the color (sometimes not matching their neck!). Remember that less is more! If you have an all over face color, like my all time favorite Bare Minerals Faux Tan powder, then that can lightly be applied on the forehead, checks, chin, nose. If you have a stronger pigmented bronzer, like Lorac Hot Flash, then you apply the bronzer where the sun naturally falls: the forehead, cheeks, and below your cheeks towards the jaw. Let me give you a visual... Consider the bronzer to be applied in an almost "3" shape.

No matter the face shape, applying bronzer in these areas looks flattering on anyone. It really defines the face and cheek bones. Bronzer is supposed to look natural. If it looks like you are noticeably wearing bronzer, then it may be too much. Good luck. 

I will be writing a post soon about blush basics. Stay tuned.

-Daniela

Breakout No-No's

Having a breakout is one of the worst feelings in the world. I remember I used to have really bad breakouts in high school- so bad I didn't want to go to school. Even though my mom said it wasn't that bad, it was bad to me. I just wanted it to go away! After many attempts to zap away my breakout quick, I learned what worked, and what didn't. No breakout is healed overnight, it all comes with patience.

First, please promise me that you will not pick at your face! You know how I feel about that... it's very bad. You can make the breakout worse. Leave it alone and let it heal. Secondly, drink lots of water. Drinking plenty of water is always the best solution. Also, try not to stress! Whenever I get really stressed out, I breakout. Relax, take deep breaths, drink tea and get plenty of rest.

Also, don't overkill it. Don't get obsessive with the face masks, topical treatments, zip zappers, and so on. I recommend maybe doing one mask, but then leave it alone after that. One time I did like 4 masks during a breakout and it made it so much worse. Your skin needs to heal and repair itself naturally. Face washing is only necessary twice daily. 

Try to keep low on the makeup too. The more layering of makeup, the more pimples to come. 

Stay calm & breakout free,

Daniela

When Is a Good Time To Start Wearing Eye Cream?

When you think of eye cream, you probably think its purpose is to help wrinkles look, well, less wrinkly. Well, surprisingly, experts say you are supposed to apply eye cream long before you even get wrinkles. 

Having parents from Puerto Rico, it is safe to say that I adore the sun. Every time I visit Puerto Rico, I always leave with a killer tan. Before that tan though, I always get sunburnt and usually peel (even with SPF on). Especially on my face. Yes, the sun is that strong. After a few bad sunburns on my face, I can only think to myself, "Is this healthy? Am I going to get wrinkles?" I am actually that paranoid about my skin. After a little research, it said an appropriate time to start using eye cream was in your early 20's. I bought some and still currently am, and I am 19 years old. You can start with cheap ones of course, nothing fancy. I believe my eye cream was around $8 from TJ Maxx. The beauty section at TJ Maxx is pretty awesome. 

I would suggest to start using eye cream around 19,20,21,22, and definitely before any time after that. You start developing eye wrinkles around your mid to late twenties, so putting on eye cream before that is all preventive. Preventing is always a good idea. Don't you want to say young and fab forever?

The eye cream I use is by Ellen Tracy called Advanced Eye Lifting Cream. This is the $8 one I purchased from TJ Maxx. Not a bad cost, and it smells heavenly. It also looks pretty fancy too, if you ask me. 

**ALWAYS remember, the biggest prevention from wrinkles is wearing SPF. I'm not going to tell you to completely avoid the sun, but be safe with it. Don't overdo it. 

Wrinkle free,
Daniela

Brrr.... Keep Skin Moisturized During These Cold Days!

I don't know about you guys, but here in the East coast, it's been freezing. It's supposed to snow sometime tonight and I'm dreading it. I am definitely not a cold weather type of girl. I love the sun! You can't blame a Puerto Rican, right?

It is so important to moisturize your skin during this winter season. My skin feels so tight when I go outside and it burns! Sometimes my moisturizer just isn't enough. I have to go above and beyond.

Well, of course, I recommend a coconut oil mask to hydrate your skin. Also, I love to put honey on my face. Not only is honey sweet, but it is extra moisturizing for your skin and full of antioxidants. It is also a great acne-fighter. Egg yolk also has moisturizing properties. I like to separate the egg white and the yolk and scramble the yolk then apply it to my face.

Also, remember aloe vera is very moisturizing as well! Drink lots & lots of water too. And tea. :)

Brrrr,
Daniela

Coco Oil... The Obsession Continues

One of my very first posts in this blog was my post on the amazing benefits of coconut oil. You can say I'm obsessed, to say the least. I have been so happy with the results coco oil has done for my skin- it has cleared it up, made it so soft, and made it look smooth and glowing. For more info on coconut oil for the face, check out my post "Why I Love Coconut Oil".

Little did you know, coconut oil can be used for so much more than just face. I put coconut oil on my lashes before I go to sleep, because it nourishes them and makes them soft. I only put a light layer because if you put too much, it can irritate your beautiful eyes.

You can also use coco oil for a fabulous hair mask. If you notice your hair to start getting brittle at the ends or you just can feel it's dry, I definitely recommend to use a coco hair mask! Make sure the oil is fully melted before you apply it anywhere. After the oil has been melted, I like to apply the oil from the bottom of the hair up. If you have dry scalp and/or dandruff, then the oil will be beneficial for your scalp area. Just a warning: since you are putting oil in your hair, it will obviously make your hair a little oily. It make take 2 washes to fully get all the oil out. I usually do 2 shampoo washes to rinse out the mask. Be light on the oil though- a little goes a long way. Remember: the more oil you put, the oilier your hair will be! After I rinse the hair mask out, my hair is so soft and smells like coconuts. How much better can that get?

I'm not done yet! You can also use coconut oil on your lips! Coco oil works as a natural lip balm, and really hydrates those lips. In addition, it can work as an eye makeup remover and can be applied on dry skin. Coconut oil absorbs quickly so it shouldn't leave you with a greasy after feel. These are the very few uses of coco oil and I encourage you to try them! I'm sure there are so many more ways you could use the oil, but here are just my favs.

I bought my coconut oil at Trader Joes. It's around $8 I believe. It will also last you forever. When buying coconut oil for beauty reasons, make sure it is organic and virgin. 

Coco oil 4 life,

Daniela

Scrubby Dub Dub On The Face: Exfoliation Tips

~Before we get into exfoliation, I want to apologize for not being so frequent with my posts. Being a college student can be overwhelming and I'm trying to make time for my blog as much as I can. Hopefully you all understand and I can't wait to share my new posts in the future. :)

Exfoliation is key to a smooth, even-complexioned face. Exfoliation rids your skin of dead skin cells and allows your face to glow and look alive. I personally like to exfoliate around twice a week, sometimes once. Over exfoliating is not a good thing because it can dry out your face and actually promote more acne. Just a gentle, simple exfoliation once/twice a week should do the trick. Depending on your skin type, some people may like to do it two/three times a week. That should be the max though! Don't overdo it. Your skin won't thank you.

There are two different ways to go about exfoliating. You can pick to use a deep exfoliator, which you can buy at the store or make at home, as your weekly exfoliation. For example, I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub as my once-twice a week exfoliator. It's harsh enough to exfoliate my face but not too gentle where it doesn't do anything. Or, you can use a daily cleanser with light exfoliants in it, like Aveeno Skin Brightening scrub that gently exfoliates your face but nothing too harsh. I've used a daily gentle exfoliator, but I would rather use a daily cream cleanser and do a once/twice a week exfoliation with a good scrub. That's just me though... everyones different.

I really like St. Ives Apricot Scrub. This is the only product that I have that contains salicylic acid, but I really like the results. I recommend this scrub for people with acne-prone/oily skin. If you have sensitive skin, I recommend St. Ives Green Tea scrub. It's gentler and has soothing ingredients. If you want to make one at home, then try a brown sugar scrub with some coconut oil. It works wonders. 

*Make sure after you exfoliate that you don't forget to moisturize! Moisturizing hydrates the new layer of skin. 

Scrub scrub,
Daniela

What To Look For In A Toner... So Important!

As you all know, toning is a very essential step in the CTM routine (cleanse, tone, moisturize). Toning helps balance your skins complexion, pH levels, and helps clean any remaining oil and makeup your cleanser did not take care of. To me, a toner is SO important! It's so funny because a few days ago, my friend had asked me what a toner was (she saw me using it). I looked at her like, "Excuuuse me?" Most people completely forget about it. 

If you're still not convinced, let me give you an example: I will use a makeup removing wipe to get my eye/face makeup off, then proceed with my Burt's Bees cleanser. Still, after that, my toner takes off leftover makeup and dirt I didn't even know was there. I thought just the makeup wipe and cleanser did the trick, but apparently it's not enough! Sometimes you may think you got everything off, but you didn't. Even for guys! My dad came in my bathroom one night and saw I was toning my face and asked if he could try. He looked at the cotton pad after, saw it was a little dirty, and freaked out. He didn't know it lingered! May sound gross but trust me, everyone has it.

The amazing benefits from toning honestly comes from what toner you use. I've used such harsh toners that it actually did the opposite of balancing my pH levels and complexion. It completely dried out my face, made it burn, and actually gave me more pimples. Some toners left an oil slick on my face that made me want to wash my face again. So, after much experimentation, I've learned that natural toners are the best. (The natural way is always the best)

You can use green tea toners, witch hazel toners, cucumber toners, I could name them all. It all depends on your skin type. A few examples:

-Acne prone/oily skin: Witch hazel, green tea 

-Sensitive/dry: Cucumber, green tea, chamomile, rosewater

My biggest thing is to make sure the toner is ALCOHOL FREE. Alcohol dries out your face and disrupts your skin's pH levels. Alcohol is fun for other occasions, but not for your precious face. My toner that I currently love is by Simple called soothing facial toner. Alcohol-free, all natural, contains no harsh irritants, and has witch hazel and chamomile. Works great for my skin and keeps its nice and smooth. It's a must!! Can I also add that it's affordable? :)

Never, EVER forget to tone! Xo

-Daniela

Email Me!

I would love to hear from my readers about their skincare journeys- what products worked for you, what products didn't, your skincare ritual, and more! Also, if you have a request for a blog post, I would love to hear that also. Gives me new ideas! 

danielaskincarebliss@gmail.com

Xo,

Daniela

My Dream Cream (Topical Treatment)

I have tried many topical products in my day, but one of them has really earned the title of the "dream cream". Well, it's not necessarily a cream, but a gel... and I couldn't really find a catchy phrase rhyming with gel so I will stick to cream. Anyway, this gel is fabulous and I want to tell everyone who struggles with acne to get this. It's important to remember that everyone's skin is different, but I've recommended this gel to a few of my friends, and all of them have had awesome reviews. It's called Acanya.

Let me begin to say that Retinoid topical treatments and I have not always been friends. I had a pretty ugly reaction to it. I know in the beginning of a topical treatment it gets worse before it gets better, but for this I could not wait any longer. My skin began to breakout in a reddish rash, and it got bumpy and dry. I immediately got off of it and never looked back. Even though this did not necessarily work for me, I have heard that products containing Retinoid has worked great for other people. Me not one of them. Yikes.

So one day my dermatologist gave me a sample of something that would save my skin forever. Like I said earlier, the name is Acanya, which is a topical antibiotic for acne. It is pretty mild and consists of a mixture of clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide. I have been using this gel for about 4 years now, and it still works wonders for me. Before bed I'll put a little on all over my face, or I'll just put it on a few pimples. A little goes a long way! I wake up with significantly reduced redness and my pimples are almost unnoticeable. Now, on the other hand, if my sister were to try this, this would be a big no-no. Her skin does not react well to benzoyl. Remember, even though this works for me it might not work for you, especially if your skin is sensitive!! 

Good luck everyone. Keep in mind that you have to go through a few bad products before you find out which one works best for you.

Love,
-Daniela