Saturday, October 5, 2013

Pacifica Beauty Products Review

Recently, I was fortunate enough to WIN a contest that Pacifica Beauty was holding. I was beyond excited. Let's just be real, I never win contests. Along with a few prizes, I also received a $200 gift card for their website. So cool!!!

Pacifica products are formulated with natural ingredients. They are also vegan & 100% cruelty-free (no animal testing yay!!!). Now let's talk about the products I purchased.


 

I'll begin with the skincare items. The Sea Foam Complete Face Wash (pictured left) is a gentle sulfate-free foaming cleanser that is supposed to remove daily toxins & makeup. These claims are TRUE!!! At night I grab this bad boy (after removing my eye makeup) & cleanse my face. It really does remove ALL of my face makeup. I used some toner on a cotton round to make sure it got the makeup deep in there, & had hoped to take a picture for evidence, but there was such a tiny amount that you had to look very close to even notice. This truly is an amazing facial cleanser. It's gentle on the skin, but tough on makeup, which eliminates the need to use a harsh toner. The only gripe I have is that (to me) it smells like children's tylenol haha. 

Next, is the Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream. An everyday natural anti-aging moisturizer that contains Pacifica's own Fleuracell Complex (proven peptides, high potency antioxidants, floral stem cells and advanced natural extracts). All of these ingredients together help minimize the look of fine lines & wrinkles, deeply moisturize & protect the skin, help support collagen & promote a lifting effect, & improve skin's natural radiance. It's very light-weight & non-greasy. It actually sinks into the skin & leaves it feeling moisturized, without looking oily. I never really used moisturizer (I know, that's bad) under my makeup because it would look so oily, but I love this. I've had no issues with it. I use it in the morning & before bed.



Now to the makeup. First is the Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream. An all-in-one bare skin tint, illuminating primer that's supposed to perfect the skin & match to the shade you need. The shade that you see above is the only one available. They claim that the sheer formula will match most skin tones. Now, as you can see, it's practically my shade already, so it works fine for me. The founder is a lighter complexion than me, so I would imagine that the "skin matching" claim may be true, but I can't say for sure. As you can probably tell by the bottom right picture, it is in fact illuminating. It doesn't have chunky glitters in it (that would be awkward), but it does have an iridescent glow to it. If you're not into that, you probably won't like this. It's also oily. I DO NOT recommend using it with a moisturizer. If you don't have a lot of redness or uneven tones, this will work well for you. Also, if you choose to use it under foundation, I recommend using powder instead of liquid.



The Solar Complete Color Mineral Palette contains 3 cream highlighters (1), a blush & bronzer (2), & 6 coconut-infused eyeshadows (3). The cream highlighters (from left to right) are Gold Dust, Island Rose, & Pink Opal. Personally, Gold Dust is my favorite all over highlight. It really compliments my skin & gives me a natural glow. They're very creamy & easy to blend. The blush (Flushed) & bronzer (Bronzed) will give you an awesome natural look. The blush looks dark, but as you see by the swatch (2, left) it comes off lighter. It also has nice gold reflects in it. The bronzer (2, right) doesn't really have gold reflects like the blush, but it does seem to have a subtle sheen to it. The eyeshadows (from left to right) are Neptune, Glow, Treasure, Coral, Mermaid Aqua, & Sandalwood. They so velvety smooth & all of them are highly pigmented. They are also iridescent. None of them are a matte finish. I love them. This would make a great travel palette. It has everything you need for a soft natural look.



Lastly, these 2 lip products. The first is the Coconut Kiss Creamy Lip Butter in Lava (left). Like many of Pacifica's products it's infused with coconut (which if you didn't know by now coconut is awesome). This makes it very smooth & hydrating. I will say that unlike other lip butters, it's doesn't appear smooth in the container, but all it needs is some warmth from your finger. It does last for a good amount of time & although it looks like a deep red, it actually comes off the perfect "natural lip" shade for me. You can sheer it out for a natural look or build it up for something more intense. Second, is the Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shine in Nudist (right). Also infused with coconut & antioxidants. This lipgloss is AWESOME!!! I'm not a fan of lipgloss, but this changed my life. It's the perfect nude (for me) with a more brown undertone (unlike their "Opal" which is more pink) & it's NOT STICKY at all. I put it on & forget it's there. You will also get a nice amount of wear out of it.


I hope you guys enjoyed this review & found it informative. Sorry it was a lot to read, but I like being very thorough. All of these products can be purchased from your local Target (they sell select items), health food store, or the Pacifica Website.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Horrifying Discovery

Last week I was reorganizing my makeup drawers for my Makeup Collection post (which will hopefully be up next week). As I was doing so, I came across some foundations I haven't used in a while. I picked up my bottle of Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation. I loved it when I first bought it, but after awhile it started turning orange on my skin, hence why it was sitting in the "junk" basket. As I picked up the bottle, I noticed something very odd. The pigment (color) of the foundation was off to one side of the bottle... On the other was the most DISGUSTING thing I've ever seen. It was this white/yellow substance, which immediately reminded me of a "loogie". GROSS RIGHT?? I apologize if that made any of you want to puke, but that's how I felt when I saw it. All I could think was "oh my gosh...this is what I was putting on my face!!!". Yes, I realize it had been sitting in my drawer for probably more than a year & hadn't been shaken up, but I have other foundations that are older & they looked NOTHING like that.

Seeing that really made me stop & think about the substances that are in these products that I use on my face weekly. Did you know that the cosmetics industry is one of the LEAST regulated?? Companies can put all kinds of harmful chemicals in their products & they don't even have to tell us. Finding this out made me immediately want to change the makeup I use.

Now I am starting my mission to transition to more natural brands. Notice how I say "transition". It is not going to be an automatic thing. I basically make zero money off Youtube (well, not exactly zero, but it takes me months to reach $100, & they don't send a check until u pass that amount), so I can't just go out & buy everything at once (although that would be nice). Natural makeup brands are usually more expensive (my meaning of "expensive"), so I am starting out with the basics. I'm beginning with my base. Foundation.

While grocery shopping in Sprouts (my new fave store) I saw the brand Mineral Fusion & decided to give it a try. I picked up their Pressed Powder foundation in Olive 3. I don't think I've ever told you guys this, but my undertone is olive. Some days I wake up & my skin is so green!!! Anyway, I'm excited to give it a try. Of course I will let you guys know how I like it.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tip Tuesday!!! Smoothie in a Bag



My family & I have been TRYING to be more healthy this Spring & Summer, so we've been breaking out the blender.... A LOT!!! I am actually a HUGE fan of fruit, so I'm all about that Smoothie Life.

Somedays people are in too much of a rush to take the time to make a smoothie, so a majority of the time they grab what's convenient: The Donut, The  Bagel, The PopTart, etc.

Something as simple as placing all (well most) of the ingredients into a bag the day before can benefit you greatly. Why only make one bag?? You can make a whole weeks worth of smoothies!!! Trust me. Your body will thank you for it

My Smoothie Recipe:
**About 1-2 cups of Coconut Water
**2 Spoonfuls of Plain Greek Yogurt
**1 Kale Leaf
**A handful (about 5-7) of Strawberries
**A few Blueberries (about 5-7)
**1 Banana
**A (BIG) spoonful of Peanut Butter (Almond Butter is a healthier option, but YOLO)
**1 & a half tablespoons of Chia Seeds


BONUS TIP!!!
You don't want to put things such as water or milk into the bag with your other ingredients. It'll just be a mess.

Got any empty ice trays??

Pour the water, milk, or even the yogurt into the tray, then you'll have nice cubes that you can just throw into the blender or place inside of your bags.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I'm BAAAAAAAAACK!!!

Hello my Peeps.

As some of you may know, I started this blog years ago, when I first started my Youtube channel. I thought that was how everyone did it. Youtube & blog. I soon realized that blogging was not for me.

Recently, one of my friends asked, "hey, do u just do videos or do you have a blog also?". I replied, "I only have videos". She is a mother to some adorable children & she informed me that because of her schedule she cannot find the time to watch my videos. So she asked if I could start up my blog again because she wants to learn more about makeup & such.

So here I am.

Yes, I am starting this blog for ONE person. Is that silly?? Who knows. This could blossom into something great & I might just fall in love with it.

Please be patient. I am new & don't fully understand how stuff works on here, but I am excited to learn.


-xoxo, Phee