How to Properly Use Oil Cleansers

Oil Cleansers are the best thing since sunscreen. It’s so easy to use, and cleanses the thickest, most unwavering mascara right off. I was introduced to oil cleansers on one of my many trips back to Japan. I explained to the lady at the cosmetic counter that I have oily, combination skin and need a good, gentle makeup remover that also cleanses. She introduced me to the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil. It was awesome because it took off all my make-up, cleansed and even moisturized. I loved it and used it for about 6 years.

On a more recent trip to Japan, I was really hit hard by the all-natural products and was brainwashed into only buying lotions, makeup remover, and sunscreens that was as close to all-natural as possible.

So I found Boscia. I really like Boscia and I use a lot of their products now. Boscia’s Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (far right in photo) does pretty much the same thing as the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils, but it has no parabens or harsh synthetic chemicals. It’s extremely gentle and even has a hint of mint so your skin feels nice and tingly afterwards.

So here’s how to use the product:

1. Make sure your hands are clean.
2. Pump a dime size of Boscia’s Makeup Break up oil into your palm.
3. Rub both hands together.
4. Gently massage across face and especially the eye area. You’ll actually feel the mascara crumbling off your eye lashes. Sounds and feels gross at first but that’s how you know it’s working. You’ll get used to it.
5. Once you feel your face is covered pretty evenly throughout with the oil, run you hands through warm water. Don’t completely wash your hands; just run water over the palms.
6. Rub your watered down hands together and gently massage across face (again, especially focus on the eye area if you wear heavy eye makeup)
7. The oils will slightly foam. Very slightly.
8. Rinse and repeat steps 5-7 until all the oils turn to foam and wash easily off face. If you are rinsing and repeating these steps more than six times, you’ve probably used waaaay to much oil.
9. When you feel the oils are pretty much gone, wash face with warm water as you normally do.
10. Pat dry with towel.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how smooth your face feels and how all the make up came right off without using copious amounts of eye makeup remover and cotton balls. And your skin won’t feel oily at all. The oils actually help make you less oily. Conventional cleansers often remove dirt and grime, but they also strip away all the good oils that keep your face naturally moisturized. To compensate for this loss, your face will produce an abundance of oil, which gives you that dreaded super shiny face leading to multiple trips to powder your nose, and even worse, breakout extravaganza.

Seriously, go to your nearest Sephora and ask for a sample of Boscia’s Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil. Sephora’s customer service is excellent and they’ll pretty much let you sample any of their products. So try it today!

Perfect Beach Hair

It’s almost swimsuit season and it’s time to bust out the wave spray for some bomb, beachy hair.

I like Frederic Fekkai’s Wave Creating Spray.  I saw it at Sephora and decided to give it a try since you can pretty much return anything at that store.

So I tried it and I love it!  It totally gives you that bouncy, beachy look all day long.  It adds a nice gloss without weighing it down and making it all greasy.

I just took a look at all the reviews at Sephora.com, and some people hate this product.  I think a lot of people aren’t using it right.

Here are my tips:

• I noticed it’s always better to fully shampoo and condition your hair first.
• The first key point is to let your hair sit in a towel for a bit so your it’s not drenched; it doesn’t work too well when your hair is dripping wet.
• Next, spray about 5-6 sprits (I have long hair) and lightly massage throughout hair.
• Now just take small sections of your hair and twist it around your index finger to form multiple ringlets throughout your hair for better wave definition.
• Here’s the second key point.  You MUST have a blow dryer with a diffuser.  If you don’t use a diffuser, the waves really don’t come out at all for me.
• Diffuse hair thoroughly while holding the diffuser longer on the dampest parts of your hair.

That’s it! Light, wavy, super cute BEACH hair.  You’re ready for summer!

Urban Decay’s Deluxe Eyeshadow Compacts

I love the extra care cosmetics’ companies put into presentation and longevity.  Of course presentation is not everything — if your product sucks, I’m not going to buy it.  But a great product with gorgeous packaging goes a long way.

Take a look at Urban Decay’s Deluxe Eyeshadows for example.  They have mastered product quality and presentation.  Each eyeshadow comes in an adorable hinged, mirrored compact with a unique piece of graffiti-inspired art that sits on top. I’ve purchased quite a few of these cute eyeshadows, and I’m using the sturdy compact as medicine and jewelry boxes (great for stud earings) when I finally finish off the shadows (these will last quite a looooong time, by the way).

They are also great for when you want to carry a mirror with you, but you don’t have room in your purse for a normal sized compact.  This will allow you to go much more GREEN instead of using eyeshadow compacts from the drugstore, which are often cheaper and will be thrown away after a year or so.

And I know I don’t have to mention the extreme vivid color that comes along with the Urban Decay brand. But just as an FYI, if you want your peepers to make an impression, definitely go with Urban Decay.  Each vibrant color has a nice velvety texture which lasts all day (no creasing!) while making your natural eye color POP.  The shimmering colors can be used alone or mixed together for added dazzle.

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