6 Ways To Treat Sensitive, Irritated Skin…As Well As Redness

With the cold winter air, dry, irritated skin is sure to happen. And if you are like me where I also have a bit of redness on my face, it can make having BEAUTYful skin, a task! That is why I was excited to partner up with Paula’s Choice Skincare, to try out their Calm line.

They promote this line as a must have for sensitive skin. Now before I get into the product(s), I’d like to address a false assumption, for people who have sensitive skin, as I think it is important to bust this myth!  The myth…“Because I have sensitive skin, I should stay away from anti-aging skincare products.”  But beauties this is not always the case!

I am a big proponent on skincare, even with my sensitive skin!  The key is using the products that have the right ingredients.  First and foremost, you want to stay away from products that contain fragrances; even the natural ones can be irritating and worse yet, like in my case, allergy prone.

Secondly, you want to be using is a skincare line that has ingredients that can rebuild the skin's barrier function as well as an anti-inflammatory.   

So if you want to see how you can soothe your sensitive, irritated skin, continue reading! 

As I mentioned above, I was given some products from Paula’s Choice Calm Line.  This line comes in two formulas. One for dry skin and the other for oily skin. And yes, they are fragrance-free and have a gentle blend of ingredients that help to reduce inflammatory factors within the skin’s surface that trigger signs of sensitivity!

So What Did I Get?

The kit came with six products, which I use in the morning and evening.  And as with all skincare products, layering them in the correct order is essential, and I will share this with you below.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Paula's Choice Skincare. The opinions are mine.

How To Layer Your Products:

Step 1: Calm Redness Relief Cleanser

Cleansing your face is the first step in your skincare regimen.  Seems a bit obvious to me, but for those of you who may have just used water because you were afraid of what a product could do, to your sensitive skin, STOP!  Using a facial cleanser is important as it helps to prep your face so to speak, for the other skincare products that follow.

So how to use this bad boy?  Get your face wet and then apply a small amount to your face in a circular GENTLE motion, rinse when finished.

Step 2: Calm Redness Relief Toner

A toner is going to help to remove any leftover makeup you may have missed with the cleanser.  This is one step I would skip as toners always seemed to trigger a burning sensation in my face. But not this one! As unlike some other toners I’ve tried, the Calm Toner is an alcohol-free formula, which helps to reduce inflammation that triggers sensitivity and redness. Toners also, contribute to softening and calming your skin.

How to Use: Apply with a cotton ball all over your face and DO NOT RINSE!

Step 3: Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Exfoliant

Yes, you read that right I said exfoliant. And no worries it is not irritating at ALL! Aside from it helping to remove that old skin, it also has some anti-bacterial properties, which I SO LOVE!

Calm Redness Relief Repairing Serum

Step 4: Calm Redness Relief Repairing Serum

Your serums are your treatments. If you recall, in the beginning, I mentioned having a product that helps to rebuild your skin's barrier is key, and this serum does just that.  This anti-aging serum is very light weight and can be worn under your makeup, now how awesome is that?!

A few drops of this goes a long way, and it is safe to use near those tired looking eyes!

Step 5: Calm Redness Relief Mineral Moisturizer with SPF 30

The last step in the morning is to apply a moisturizer with an SPF.  Yes, even in the winter time we need an SPF. Don’t let the fact that it is cold outside confuse you into thinking you don’t need one.  In addition to the SPF, hydration is also essential in aiding to repair and strengthen your skin, so it looks and acts less irritated and younger! And who doesn’t want younger looking skin?

For the evening, follow the same steps with the exception of your moisturizer.  You want to use the Calm Redness Relief Moisturize instead of the one with SPF.



My Experience

I am in love with this line.  My favorite is the Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Exfoliant; this is going to be a staple in my skincare arsenal.  First the anti-bacterial properties have helped with some outbreaks that I get. And for the anti-aging lover in me, I loved that this gently assists in removing the built up layers on the outside of the skin, revealing that new skin below.

In case you don’t know, dull skin is what contributes to false wrinkles, and makeup can sit in these lines.  Using a product like “CALM” can smooth out the texture of skin, allowing for a better makeup application!  You can see the new skin reveal from my photo above, it is still a bit red, but the skin has a nice glow that I like. Now I'm ready to apply my makeup!

So beauties you see the missing piece to reducing redness and irritation is… A SKINCARE REGIMEN. As overtime, you skin will become less sensitive, irritated and red.  Enabling you to feel eventually better about your skin's appearance and more importantly, yourself!

Wanna try this or maybe another Paula's Choice Product? Well now you can while saving 20% OFF! 

PLUS...A CONTEST Hosted By Myself and The Other Power Primpers! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Paula's Choice Skincare. The opinions are mine.

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Facebook Adds Emoji Buttons To It's Platform!

Back in October on the Kevin Makes Sense Radio Show, I shared that Facebook was going to be giving people more ways to express their emotions more by adding some Emoji's to Facebook.  If you missed that radio show, click here!

Well, friends, reactions is no longer a talk IT IS A REALITY! As Facebook is rolling out its new “Reactions Feature”, for all of it’s users in the next few days!

On the Today show this morning, they shared that Facebook users will now have five new ways to express their feelings on Facebook.

The new Emoji’s include…. Love, Haha, Sad, Wow, and Angry.  Add that to the like button, we now have six ways to let people know how we really feel!

Now business owners, don’t worry this is not a dislike button, but rather a way for people to express, empathy as well as happiness!

Page Admins: With these new icons, you can also check the reactions of your posts in Insights. So love it! 

...We’re kicking butt with Love! 

Or that thought of the day, got a lot of HAha's!

 


To read more on Facebooks new Emoji’s CLICK HERE

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Too Faced New Peanut Butter Eyeshadow Palette Release Date

This Post Contains Affiliate Links... 

Who doesn’t like Peanut Butter & Jelly, and this all-time favorite is now an eyeshadow palette in the Too Faced Cosmetics line!  I've had the insiders scoop on this palette for some time, as a friend who works for the company, has been sharing some great looks and sneak peeks of this beauty! None the less, this delicious palette, the Peanut Butter, and Jelly Eye Shadow Collection will be on sale starting February 28th on the Too Faced website.   This is also an Ulta exclusive and will be in the Ulta stores on March 13th!

Too Faced is known for having palettes that smell like sweet sensations! From their Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Collection to the new Chocolate Bon Bon line, the signature heavenly scents of coco and more is what makes the Too Faced palettes unique!  And this bad boy isn’t any different with it’s sweet smelling scents of Peanut Butter and more!

According to Too Faced website, "The Peanut Butter and Jelly Eye Shadow Collection was created after fans raved about the peanut butter shade from the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Collection on social media."

Like a lot of  9 Panned Too Faced palettes, the collection is broken up into three different sections of eyeshadow marvel. The collection includes a great mix rich browns, jewels and more, (like purple)! Combining both mattes and shimmer shades, while containing the antioxidants cocoa powder with a peanut butter twist, YUM!

The Shadow Sections

The Soft & Sweet Shades:

• Spread the Love (medium peach w/ gold sparkle)
• Peanut Butter (matte medium orange brown)
• Peanut Butter Cup (metallic golden bronze w/ gold sparkle)

The Rich & Creamy Hues:

• Bananas (soft peachy gold w/ fine gold shimmer)
• Peanut Brittle (metallic burnt orange)
• Jammin' (dark chocolate w/ golden sparkle)

The PB & J Colors:

• Extra Creamy (matte creamy beige)
• Jelly (vibrant orchid)
• Nuts About U (matte brown w/ red undertones)

Check out the sneak peek on Katch from Jerrod Blandino

So there you have it beauties! And as I end this all I have to say is... "It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time, where you at… Well, it will be at Too Faced website starting on 2/28! There he go…"

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Twitter Is Making It's Platform More User Friendly, But Is It Too Late?

You hear me talk a lot about Facebook, and that is because Facebook remains to be king of the social media networks with continued increases.  But today I wanted to talk to you about some changes with Twitter, that was published in a few articles I read this week.  One being in Entrepreneur Magazine and the other a blog post from Twitter.

Twitter has been confusing to a lot of users and, more importantly, there are too many rules, which personally I think has affected them negatively. 

While Twitter is third in social media networks with about 56.8 million users this year, according to Emarketer,  it is having a hard time gaining new followers.

From the article I read from Entrepreneur Magazine, “The company’s market value is down to around $10 billion.  They are not gaining new users.  Beyond a core group of social-media enthusiasts, the media, celebrities and their followers, Twitter never managed to engage mainstream users”.

Some Changes To Twitter

Twitter realizes they need to step up their game so to speak and are attempting to do some of that with some new changes to the platform. While there have been talks for a while about changing their 140 character limit, that is not one of the changes taking place (yet).  Some changes that they did announce included the ability never to miss important tweets from people you follow, to changing the rules around tweets starting with a @username. 

Bottom line Twitter has not stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to social networks. Unlike Facebook, who is continually changing and adding new features to make its users happy. Twitters fear of alienating its current users has prevented them from growing and gaining new ones. 

In conclusion, while these changes may seem good, are they enough to put Twitter on the road in the right direction?  Facebook and others appear to get it, so the following suit, by starting with making the platform easier to use is a good start!

What do you think?  Do you use Twitter?

Until Next Time...

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15 Tips To Achieve The Perfect Lips For Valentine’s Day

Lips are going to be getting lots of attention this Valentines Day Weekend, so wouldn’t it make sense that they are perfectly kissable?  Well, beauties I am going to help you attain the perfect pout for Valentines.  From picking the correct color, to tips on achieving a fuller pout, I have it all in this lip tips round up!

Choosing the Perfect Color

Lipstick is a must have accessory for Valentines, but selecting the best color can be a daunting task.  But not anymore with these top tips on picking the correct lip color.

Lipstick 101

Your lips will be Valentine’s Day ready with this one!  From selecting the right colors, to deciding whether you should use lip liner, gloss or not, I will have you pucker pretty in no time!  Read more here: 

Mastering A Bold Lipstick

Want to wear a bold red lipstick for Valentines, but are afraid you can’t pull it off?  Well, fret no more, as now you will be able to achieve the most kissable lips, by following these five easy steps to the mastering the perfect red pout this Valentines.

Lipstick Dupes

Looking ever so fantastic and in this case lipstatic on Valentine’s day can sure cost a lot.  Aside from our lips, we have to worry about our hair, shoes and the perfect outfit.  So if you can save some money on some of those high-end lipsticks and instead find a cheaper dupe, wouldn’t you want too? Check out these 10 Lip Smackin MAC Lipstick Dupes.

So there you have its beauties and don’t forget to shop for your favorite shades below!

This Shop Contains Affiliate Links

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Love Is In The Air With These Valentine's Beauty Deals

Love is in the air, and so are some BEAUTY deals!  Check out these awesome BEAUTY deals just in time for Valentines!

Too Faced Cosmetics Offers 
This Post Contains Affiliate Links

I'm really crushing over this deal. Too Faced Cosmetics is offering the "crush-worthy" set.  With your purchase of any of their Chocolate Bar Sets you get a gift of love.  The gift of love includes: A Better Than Sex Mascara, Mini Melted Candy Lip Gloss, and a cute Too Faced Is My Life Makeup Bag.

Just use code: CHOCOLATEXO at check out!

Another Deal with TOO FACED is 20% off your purchase,  but you can’t combine the two offers. Click here to get that 20% offer.

Tarte Deals

Tarte has something sweet for you beauty lovers! Now through 2/7 you can receive 20% off, a free sample and free shipping on orders of $40 or more.   Use code XOXO.

Ulta Deals

Ulta is so showing the love with tons of deals! 

Buy More Save More Deals:   Shop here!

Coupon to Ulta: Get $3.50 off a $10 Purchase! 

Image source, Ulta's Website

Gift With Purchase: Who doesn't love getting rewarded for making a purchase? Now you can by going here! 
 
Makeup Revolution Sale: If you are looking for inexpensive makeup palettes, Makeup Revolution has some you may want to try! With Buy One Get One 50% Off!

So there you have it beauty with this weeks Valentine's BEAUTY DEALS, until next time!

  

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Give Your Eyes The Royal Anti-aging Treatment, The Natural & Vegan Way

Everyone loves to be pampered and treated like royalty. But what if this luxury could also apply towards aging skin? Sound good? It’s better than good with VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask.

Beauties, you’ve heard me say it time and time again, getting older has both its ups and downs.   And although some may say that “wrinkles indicate where smiles have been”. Or “I’ve got designer bags under my eyes”… While those quotes are cute to read, there is nothing cute about tired, aging eyes!

So, if you want to see how you can help to bag some of these under eye issues a natural and vegan way, continue reading!

For this post, I have partnered up with VIIcode.  This company has been around for over 200 years!  Starting with Byrne Victor, who believed “every woman (including Queen Josephine, wife of Napoleon), could be the most beautiful in her way”.  Now, two centuries later, his belief has not only been confirmed universally but also has the continuous impact on the growth of the beauty industry and their company.

There is tons of money that is spent to treat aging skin, and honestly most are very costly! That is why VIIcode developed two categories of skincare.  VII Beauty for basic skin care and VIIcode for luxury skin care.  Enabling all women to look as if they belonged to that high social status of beauty and royalty, allowing them to say: "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fairest Of Them All?"

In addition, to them making it affordable, I also liked the idea that the VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask was a natural vegan approach to replenishing and reviving your skin, enabling a more resilient and youthful looking appearance around the eye.  

So How Does VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask Really Work? 

• You get three boxes of the oxygen eye masks, which is considered a full application.
• After cleaning your face, you want to peel off the plastic protector and gently press the mask around your eye. 
• Apply them at night, and it will work while you sleep! Giving yourself an 8-hour anti-aging sleeping beauty treatment!
• Treatment is 2 or 3 times a week. 

What Are The Ingredients In The Under Eye Mask? 

As I mentioned early the VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask is both Vegan and Natural. It is also Alcohol-Free & NonComedogenic!  Awesome, right?

The main ingredients are…

• Ecological Oxygen Plant Extraction (EOPE) from the Vadaniya plant
• Extracts of the Resurrection Fern
• Welwitschia mirabilis is also added to make the skin around your eyes more radiant

Other Secrets to Help Bag Those Puffy Eyes

In addition to an anti-aging product, like the VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask, there are some other secrets you can implement that can help to bag those under eye issues.

Sleep: Changing up the way you sleep by elevating the head, can help to reduce fluid retention.  Hence, you will need to sleep on your back, with your head propped up on a few extra pillows.

Your Diet: Reduce the intake of alcohol & salt as these both can cause water retention, which can cause puffiness.

Makeup: It is important to make sure that you remove your eye makeup every night before bed!

Lastly, lack of oxygen delivery to tissue can cause darkness and other aging signs around the eyes.  And using the VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask can help to get rid of puffiness, wrinkles, and eliminate dark circles. The mask contains a variety of special plant oxygen extracts that re-activate  the oxygen intake of blood.

My Final Thoughts On The Product

This product couldn’t have came at a better time.  While I don’t have darkness under my eyes, stress and starring at a computer screen from 8 plus hours a day, has had an adverse effect on my eyes, these past few weeks.

The fact that these masks could be used at night while I was sleeping was a bonus for me. They were very easy to use, and I love that each pair came individually wrapped. The gel-like membrane that adheres to your under eye area has a pleasant cooling feeling; which was the royalty treatment I was looking for after hours of staring at a computer screen.

Overall, I could see a reduction in puffiness under my eyes.  As far as the wrinkles have to go, I don't have any, but I could see if a difference in the texture of my skincare where the mask laid.

Where Can You Buy The VIIcode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask?

They can be purchased right here, so come get yours today! 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  VII Beauty LLC

All opinions are my own and were not influenced in anyway.

 

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Just In…Facebook Is Making Changes to What Posts Will Be Shown At the Top Of Your Newsfeed

With the New Year always comes new changes, and it is not any different with Facebook.  Yes, Facebook is once again making some changes to the News Feed algorithm, helping to weed out posts you may not want to see.

Facebook's goal is to make the users experience better, and this is why they are always conducting surveys. You may have recently been asked: "What would you like to see on your news feed or to rate a story," now you know why.   Facebook's goal is to place the content in front of people that want to see it.

Facebook said on Monday, “The goal of News Feed is to show you the stories that matter most to you. The actions people take on Facebook—liking, clicking, commenting or sharing a post—are historically some of the main factors considered to determine what to show at the top of your News Feed. But these factors don’t always tell us the whole story of what is most meaningful to you.”

Facebook also mentions, “That this update should not impact your reach or referral traffic. But, some pages may see increases in referral traffic if your posts are considered meaning while other may see a decline if the rate of which people are clicking on your stories does not match what the survey indicated people wanted to see.”

How does this affect your business Facebook page?

While these may seem like small changes, in my opinion it is not.  Why? Because, the posts that will be shown or seen will now be determined by the likelihood that your audience wants to see it, not just by the actions that are taken on the posts. For example, if there are a lot of actions on a post (likes, comments, etc.), but this type of post was not one that was indicated as a post that would like to be seen, it could have a negative effect on your page.

Facebook's software engineers Cheng Zhang and Si Chen suggests: "That page owners need to avoid engorging people to take a particular action (like clicking or liking). While this type of activity will show a temporary spike in your metrics, if it doesn’t match what your audience has said they want to see, it can have a negative effective on your page."

Overall this Facebook update is going to help re-balance the actions on your page to what people have reported that they want to see.

Want to read more on how Facebook is using qualitative feedback to show relevant stories click here!

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