Review: Frank Body

There has been a ton of hype surrounding Frank Body for a while now and I totally understand. First off, let's talk about their most popular product, their body scrub.

"Every body needs a little tough love." - Frank

I have the Original Body Scrub. It consists of a coffee blend, almond oil, brown sugar, and sea salt. The scrub is supposed to scrub away flaky skin and target cellulite, acne, stretch marks, etc.  I was breaking out on my back and since using this my back has been much clearer. This stuff really works and leaves your skin so soft and moisturized. Plus it is only $14.95!

How to: I get in to the shower, get wet, and then scrub the product into my skin. I let it sit on my skin for 5 to 10 minutes. I scrub 2 to 3 times a week. Beware, this is SO messy, but it is worth it.

Now on to their new face range. It consists of the Creamy Face Cleanser, Creamy Face Scrub, and Everyday Face Moisturizer.

"I look dirty so you can look clean." - Frank

The Creamy Face Cleanser has green coffee bean extract, marshmallow root and echinacea extract, charcoal (I love any product with charcoal), and coconut, grape seed, and almond oil in it. Just so you know, it does contain nuts. The cleanser targets impurities, locks in moisture, and repairs skin. I use this every night. It is priced at $19.95.

"Some cream with your coffee?" - Frank

The Creamy Face Scrub is a lot gentler than the body scrub. It has freshly roasted and ground coffee, white clay, and rosehip, coconut, almond, and grape seed oils. Contains nuts! It scrubs away dry, flaky skin, targets impurities, detoxifies, repairs, and hydrates. I use this scrub about 3 times a week. I think this product smells the most like coffee and I love it. This is my favorite product out of the bunch. It is priced at $19.95.

"I want to be on you all day, every day." - Frank

The Everyday Face Moisturizer is great for people with sensitive, blemish-prone skin. My combination skin loves this product. It contains green coffee extract, cocoa and shea butters, vitamin E, and coconut, almond, and grape seed oils. Contains nuts! I use this every morning. It is priced at $21.95.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup spinach

1/2 cup kale

1 diced apple

1/2 avocado

1 lemon

Directions:

1. Blend water, spinach, and kale until smooth.

2. Add apple and avocado. Squeeze lemon, then blend until smooth.

3. Enjoy!!

January 2015 Favorites

I cannot believe that January is already over! I have had so much to do these past few weeks. I moved back into school, so now I have a very hectic schedule. Is it bad that I'm already dreaming of summer? Anyway, let's get into my January 2015 favorites:

1. Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer - I am in shade Vanilla. It is perfect for brightening up my under eye and makes me look wide awake. It glides on my skin and lasts all day long.
2. NUDE Purify Daily Moisturizer - I love this skincare line. This moisturizer is perfect for the day time. It hydrates enough without making me greasy.
3. Simple Cleansing Micellar Water - This is a great cheap version of Bioderma. It takes off my makeup and in the morning I use it before putting my moisturizer on.
4. Sara Happ 'The Lip Scrub' in Vanilla Bean - My lips have been so chapped this winter, so this lip scrub works amazingly. It wipes away any flaky skin leaving a nice soft lip.
5. Nars Portobello Duo Eyeshadow - This is probably my favorite duo eyeshadow by Nars. They are the perfect every day shades. My "go-to look" lately has been swiping the left shade all over my eyelid and the right shade in the crease.
6. Bumble and bumble Surf Spray - I have naturally wavy hair, so this surf spray just makes my hair even more beachy looking. I have been obsessed with this product for years, so it is definitely an all time favorite.

xo, Sam

My Story with Accutane

What is Accutane?

Accutane is a very strong medication to treat cystic acne. Accutane is a derivative of Vitamin A. It decreases the amount of oil production in the skin. The only way to get on this medication is if your acne is so severe and has not responded to any other type of medicine.

Since the medication is so strong there are many rules you have to follow while being on it. All girls and women have to be on birth control, no matter what, because there could be horrible birth defects if someone was to get pregnant. Once a month blood tests must occur so the doctor can keep any eye on the triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. You must also sign the iPLEDGE program and answer questions every month while being on Accutane.

My Story: I was on Accutane twice.

I have had a pretty rough, annoying battle with acne for the past 11 years. It all started when I was 10 years old. I tried so many different treatments by the time I was 13, but it was just continuing to get worse and worse. When I was 13, I went on Accutane for the first time. Since I went on birth control at such a young age, I learned that I had PCOS (I'll get into that in another post).

I had the side effects that were expected: extremely chapped lips, dry mouth, my back hurt (still hurts a little to this day), and very dry skin. My triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar went up incredibly high, but they went back to normal quickly after my treatment. I never felt depressed or suicidal, which you have to keep an eye out for.

After the five months of treatment, my skin was amazing. I was acne free and had nice, soft beautiful skin that I could finally be proud of. A few months later, I started breaking out again. It was a slow process, but it ended up being just as bad as before the first round of Accutane. When I was 16 I went back on Accutane. My second course of treatment was much better. The only side effect that I had was chapped lips and some of the back pain. Other than that it was a breeze. After the second round my skin was beautiful once again. Sadly, that only lasted about six months.

For anyone with acne, that does not have PCOS, I would highly recommend going on Accutane, if your acne is that severe. If I did not have PCOS I probably would have had great skin from the first round of Accutane. My skin has never gotten as bad as it was before Accutane though. Accutane definitely helped my skin in the long run.

Have you ever taken Accutane? What were your experiences?

xo, Sam

Sunscreen in the Winter

I am writing this as Winter Storm Juno is hitting New York City, so I feel a little silly, but sunscreen is incredibly important no matter what time of year. I always knew that sunscreen was important. I always made sure to wear it in the summer because I have very fair skin and I use acne medicine that makes my skin burn even easier. I never really thought about how important sunscreen was in the winter though, until I did a project for my chemistry class. I go to the Fashion Institute of Technology for Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing. I did a project on anti-aging products, and that is when I learned that wearing sunscreen rain or shine, no matter what time of year is the MOST beneficial thing you can do for your skin, especially when you are young. Sunscreen is the number one product to keep your skin from premature aging, and who wants to age, especially prematurely. Even on cloudy days you have to wear sunscreen. UV rays penetrate through clouds and fog. You're probably thinking well my makeup has SPF in it so I do not need to worry, well think again. Did you know that you need to apply about six times more foundation than usual to actually get the SPF it says it contains?

Now my two favorite sunscreens are the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion + and Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid-Lotion. I feel like many people choose not to use sunscreen because it tends to break them out. These two sunscreens do not do that, and I have the most sensitive acne-prone skin so I would know.

Shiseido's comes in SPF 50+. It is lotion, so it is a bit liquidy and you have to seriously shake it before you use it. This sunscreen is a bit pricey, but it is amazing quality so it is worth it. It is priced at $39. I use this more in the summer and especially when I am at the beach and going to be in the sun all day long.

Neutrogena's sunscreen comes in SPF 30 and 55. I use 55. It is liquid-lotion, but not nearly as liquidy as Shiseido's. I love this sunscreen because it is only about $10 at any drugstore. This moisturizes my face without making my face greasy looking. I use this during the winter months for every day use when I am not going to be outside for very long since it is a more affordable price.

What are your favorite sunscreens?

xo, Sam

Review: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation

Say hello to Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation aka the best foundation I have ever tried. This foundation controls shine, is oil free, and provides complete coverage so it is perfect for those who have oily, acne prone skin.

I have combination skin - very oily and very dry. Since I have combination skin I mix this foundation and Origins Make a Difference Plus + Rejuvenating Treatment so the formula becomes more moisturizing. I also find that by mixing those two that I even get less shiny throughout the day than just wearing the foundation alone. It creates a flawless, powdery finish that lasts all day long.

My perfect shade is No. 20. What I love about Make Up For Ever is that they have so many different shades so every one can find their perfect match.

My favorite way to apply the foundation is with Sigma Beauty's F80 Flat Kabuki brush. It works perfectly for liquid foundations and helps create the flawless finish that this foundation provides. This is by far my favorite foundation brush.

Have you tried either of these products?

xo, Sam

Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara vs. Benefit They're Real Mascara

I have two favorite mascaras and every morning I have trouble deciding which one to use. Dior Addict It-Lash mascara and Benefit's They're Real! mascara are incredibly similar, but I love them both for different reasons. They have very similar plastic wands, which is why I was drawn to them. Both volumize, lengthen, curl, lift, and seperate the lashes.

I love the chubbiness of Dior's wand. It never clumps and creates such natural, beautiful lashes. It has a special latex gel polymer, which makes taking the mascara off at night easy breezy. (I love using Bioderma to take it off). Dior's comes in black and pink. I don't know if I would get the pink, but it sounds cool.

Benefit's has a bit thinner wand, compared to Dior's. The wand has a domed tip, which makes it easy to apply the mascara to the bottom lashes fairly easily. Benefit's mascara makes my eyelashes long and dramatic, which I love. The one problem with Benefit's is that it takes forever to get off at night, but the mascara does stay curled for much longer. Benefit's comes in black.

Ultimately, when I run out of them I will probably buy Benefit's over Dior's, but I really do love both.

The left eye has the Benefit's They're Real! mascara and the right has Dior's It-Lash mascara. If you want something dramatic, definitely go for Benefit's, but if you want something natural, go for Dior's. What are your favorite mascaras?

xo, Sam