Review: QuickTan Instant Self Tanner by Body Drench

Confession: I hate being pale, I feel so much better with some color. I definitely don't have a olive skin tone and I'm not Italian but I have light to medium skin. I use bronzers all the time and don't get me wrong they definitely help, especially Bare Minerals Warmth. But, I feel that they look more natural with some sort of base color. I used to go tanning all the time, from my freshman year of high school up until a few years ago. Then I finally realized I was going to have leather for skin soon if I didn't stop. As painful as it was to stop, I finally did. So I've been on the look out for a self tanner that instantly gives you color because I know there out there. 

I'm not talking about all the self tanners out there that take hours to build up. I've tried a lot of them and some work really well, actually I've been using Neutrogena's Micro Mist Sunless Tanning Spray this winter and it's probably the best drugstore self tanner in my opinion (especially for your face). But even with that one you still have to wait for 4 to 6 hours to see any color. 

Five Favorites: January 2012

When I went to pick my five favorite's for January I was a little surprised that I didn't buy too much this month. I guess that's a good thing, because I did tell myself I needed to calm down a little with the excessive shopping ,especially with beauty products. There are a few new things I bought this month but overall everything else are products I've been using more.

Bare Minerals 9
piece Starter Kit

I always wanted to try Bare Minerals ever since I saw their first infomercial a few years ago. So when Sephora came out with their exclusive introductory kit for only $60, I jumped at it. I mean, that's a really good price. Even though there the smaller sizes it's plenty of product since you only need a tiny bit. I got the Medium kit that came with: 2 of the foundations in medium-tan and tan, All over face color in Warmth, Tinted Mineral Veil, 3 brushes and their Prime Time foundation Primer. I was a little nervous since I tend to have dry skin but after reading all the reviews and how it helped people with dry skin, combination skin & pretty much every type of skin, I was confident that I

would like it. I love it actually! I mix the two foundations together and the color is perfect, even though its powder it almost feels like a cream. I love my bronzers and  the warmth is probably the best I've ever tried. You just have to make sure to only use a tiny bit or it will be too much. Then there's the mineral veil that really brings the whole natural look together. I'm still not too sure what the difference is between the full flawless face brush and the flawless face brush besides the size. The light stroke brush is domed shaped and great for covering up any small areas. The prime timer primer is so nice & silky, it makes application a thousand times smoother.

They still have this kit at Sephora for $60.

Review: Face Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner

Believe it or not this is the first brush cleaner I’ve ever bought, I’ve always washed my brushes with baby shampoo and never had a problem. I purchased Face Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner about a month ago and I’ve been meaning to try it and do a review. The only reason why I bought it was because it was 50% off at Sally’s Beauty Supplies, I think I only paid $4.99 for it. I have never heard of this brand so I figured I would clean a few of my older brushes that I don’t use that often, just in case. .


For this review, I cleaned three different brushes, eyeshadow, concealer and a medium sized powder brush. They were all spot cleaned and I have to say I’m happy with the results. The brushes I used for this need to be deep cleaned so I wasn’t expecting them to be 100% makeup free, they had a lot of built up makeup on them. I ‘m surprised at how quick they dried, I guess I'm used to using baby shampoo and water so that’s why. All I did was pour a little bit of the cleaner into a small plastic bowl and dipped the bristles in for a second then wiped them on a paper towel until I couldn’t see anymore makeup on the paper towel. For my powder brush I poured some in an empty spray bottle, I learned that tip from YouTube guru EnKore, he said its better to use a spray bottle on your bigger brushes. There is one con to this product,  I don’t like the fact that its blue only because when I cleaned one of my lighter brushes I noticed that it stained a small part of my brush. It could have been worse and stained all the bristles. I did have low expectations for this product mainly because I’ve never heard of the brand. I am glad I bought it though. That just shows you cant judge a beauty product by its cover..lol

How do you guys clean your makeup brushes and what products do you use?

Review: Generic Version of the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

Generic Value Products is a line that makes generic versions of high end hair products. The one I'm reviewing is Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum. They have a lot of different comparisons to some great brands, to name a few, (Biology, Redken, Matrix and many more). The beauty of this is that they claim to have the same exact ingredients that Paul Mitchell's super skinny serum does. On a scale from 1 to 10 I’m giving this product a 10 and here's why:


I should tell you a a little about my hair type so this makes sense. I have very thick hair, that is now cut short layers and long layers (which has helped to thin out my hair a lot), and the length is about 2 inches past my shoulders. If I was to let my hair air dry w/o any products applied it would be fizzy, dull looking with no shine or body at all. (not a cute look for me).


I’ve tried so many different serums including Paul Mitchell’s and I was in love. I never ended up purchasing it bc it was a little on the pricy side, I want to say it was around $25 for a medium size bottle. I was determined to find something just as good with a smaller price tag.


I was at Sally’s Beauty Supply with my friend one day and she pointed this out and said it really does the same thing as Paul Mitchell's brand. Of course I was skeptical especially after seeing that it only cost $7.99. She showed me the back of the bottle where it lists all the ingredients in the generic brand and in the real brand, and they both had the same exact ingredients. So I had to give it a try.

 ( it was hard for me to get a good picture showing the back of the bottle bc of way the bottle is shaped, but if you look closely I think you can see that both brands have the same ingredients)

I came home and took a shower, applied my leave in conditioner then applied this product. *Quick Tip: The best way to apply styling products (especially serums and gels) is to put a dime size amount into your palms, rub them together then flip your head over and start at the ends of your hair and work your way up till the mid shaft. You want to take your time while doing this to make sure every strand has been coated.** I don’t apply this past the mid shaft because that will just weigh down the top leaving me with no volume. I use a root boosting spray for the roots and the crown for extra body and volume.


I was highly impressed with this product, after blow drying my hair it was frizz free, soft and shiny! I would usually make a pros and cons list but I cant really think of any cons, except if you apply too much it could make your hair look greasy but that applies to any type of hair serum. I am so happy I found this product . Seriously! It’s three times cheaper than Paul Mitchell’s skinny serum, the bottle is bigger and I got the same results that I would if I was using the more expensive brand.


I’ve had this bottle for about a year now and still have a little less than a half a bottle left, I would have more If my mom didn’t use it time from time on her hair, lol she loves it too so I’m happy to share. I’m very eager to go to Sally’s and try their other products to see if they’ll also have the same effect. I strongly recommend this for you girls that either are using Paul Mitchell’s serum but don’t want to spend as much or if you’re looking for a really good product to eliminate frizz. You wont be disappointed, trust me!!!

Suggested Retail price $7.99 at Sally’s Beauty Supply stores or if you order it from their website http://www.sallybeauty.com it’s usually cheaper