My Purse Beauty Bag

Hi lovelies and Happy Easter! Today I wanted to give you a peek inside the beauty bag I keep with me at all times. This little pouch holds essential beauty related products that I might need on a daily basis and they come in handy all the time!

I didn't always carry something like this. It wasn't until I stared my journey on Retin-A that I realized how important touching up your makeup was throughout the day. I had extreme dryness on my chin area and if left unattended it could crack and peel like nobody's business. I didn't want to include my everyday makeup items that I kept at my vanity because transferring products to and from my purse would be a hassle so I took to my makeup collection and this is what I came up with.

For my face I needed some type of moisturizer, concealer, and powder. Since I am a simple girl I would typically use my hand lotion for the little dry areas I would tend to so here you only see my Stila Perfecting Concealer in Shade A and MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light. I decided on this concealer because it was the only extra one I had lying around! I used to love this stuff years ago but now find it to be quite sticky and hard to blend. It's gotten the job done in a pinch but the good news is that it is almost gone!

For powder I had purchased this MAC one because it is all I ever hear about online. It is really nice but for me a lot of face powders act the same on my skin so it wasn't life changing. I chose to keep it in my purse because it is compact and packs enough coverage for quick touch ups. I carry this little Too Faced kabuki brush around for application as well and got it a few years ago in a Black Friday sale. It is a nice size for setting that tacky concealer and for buffing out redness around my eyes.

For eyes I have a couple random items that I will quickly touch on. That mascara is Lancome Definicils and I am embarrassed at how old this sample is. Believe it or not though I love it now more than ever! It has gotten the chance to dry out quite a bit and I find that I can still achieve major volume and length with 2-3 coats.

I then just carry around 2 kinds of eye drops and I only began having these on hand because Jerome needed them. Lately however I have been having major trouble with my eyes when wearing contacts so I've found these extremely helpful. The older one I have here is the Clear Eyes Contact Relief formula and the latest addition is that Rohto Redness Reliever. I have heard so much about this Rohto eye drop brand online recently but it is a very unusual formula that makes your eyes feel minty and cool. Jerome hates it but I don't mind it haha!

For lips I carry around a few of my favorite products that are great for on the go. This Hydration Lock Chapstick came in my Birchbox a couple months back and I have already repurchased because this one is running low! It does a great job at keeping my lips moisturized and it's also a great base for lipsticks.

As for my Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose you should already know how much I love these! This is the shade that started it all and even though the lid has seen better days it hasn't dried out or run out in a couple years of good use. It's the greatest consistency, the price is super reasonable, and they hydrate my lips so much that I can skip the chapstick. Keep in mind that I do carry some other lip products and lipsticks in my purse as well, this is just what I keep lip wise in this little bag.

Last but not least are these 3 random items that come in handy the most! Starting with this adorable Tweezerman nail file that I got in a previous Birchbox, I use this sucker all the time! I have very thin nails that break and peel almost daily so this is something I use a lot.

You may be thinking that I screwed up and combined this contact case in the wrong category right? I have news for you though... this serves a whole other purpose! In here I keep a little bit of Neosporin and Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Lotion. It's the perfect way to store these types of products in my opinion and I have had no issues with it spilling or causing any problem at all. I keep the Neosporin for obvious reasons but also use it on my lips occasionally. As for the lotion, it helps calm my mild Psoriasis but it's also something I turn to when my lips are severely dry and nothing else helps.

Finally, every girl needs to carry around some Band-Aid's. Whether it's blisters, cuts, or annoying cuticles I can never seem to have enough!

Lastly I am sure you can tell that my bag is from Ipsy and it is one of the earlier bags that I received after signing up. I love using their monthly pouches for storage and found this one to be the perfect size and shape for my purse! If you are interested in seeing what I got in my Ipsy bag and Birchbox this month I just posted my Beauty Subscription Showdown a few days ago!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my on the go beauty essentials!

What products do you keep in your purse?

Love, Lacey

Beauty Bits I've Been Loving #2

Hi lovelies! It is finally that time again where I share with you some products I've been loving! The last time I did this was on Valentine's Day so it is way overdue. I hope you enjoy seeing what I have been reaching for and make sure to leave your current favorites below!

Victoria Secret Refreshing Body Mist in Love Spell ($14.00): This scent brings back soooo many memories for me! I think every girl in middle school wore this but to this day I still love it! For me, this is an easy product that I can spritz on before running out the door. It's never too overpowering no matter how much I spray and it's just so fresh and girly I can't leave the house without it! The only downside to this is that the new packaging STINKS! I purchased a new bottle a few months ago and actually poured the entire thing into my old one because it felt super cheap and the pump sprayed weird.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara ($23.00): Everyone and their sister raved about this new mascara when it came out about a month or two ago but I didn't catch on to all the hype until now! Don't get me wrong I did like it right out of the gate but I didn't think it was anything life changing until a few weeks ago. Once I really started playing around with this formula I figured out a way to achieve mind blowing length and volume and guess what... it's with LESS product! At most I will only dip the wand back into the product one time during application. I just simply coat my lashes, allow about 10-15 seconds for it to set, and keep building it up with the left over mascara on the wand applying 2-3 coats. Less is definitely more and with this technique I get super long and full lashes that are flared out and clump free!

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20 ($19.00): Can you say new favorite concealer? I seriously can't even believe that I am saying that right now!!! Nothing in the past few years has EVER come close to my beloved Clinique Advanced Concealer and this one from MAC may have just taken a slight lead. This has flawless coverage without being too heavy but also has a very natural finish unlike the one from Clinique. After playing around with this formula and wearing it everyday for the past month I have realized how much easier it is to blend out (especially under the eyes) and it also has a much lighter feel. If you are looking for a great concealer that will last forever, stay put, and be perfect for the upcoming warmer months I'd definitely give this a try.

MAC 'Fantasy of Flowers' Heavenly Hybrid Lipstick ($16.00): Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't this in my last "Beauty Bits I've Been Loving" post?! I have fallen even more in love with this shade of lipstick and haven't taken it out of my purse for months! Something about this color brings so much life to my face and it's gotten to the point where I am already wanting to buy a backup... The love is that deep! This pinky berry shade gives me enough color without being too bright and pairs perfectly with simple makeup and lots of lashes! If you want to see what it looks like on I practically wore it everyday in Chicago so here is the vlog! 

Real Techniques Setting Brush ($7.99): How did I manage without this brush for so long! I picked it up within the past three or four months after seeing one of my YouTube friends LindseyLand22 using it. I had been setting my under eye concealer with either my huge Elf Powder Brush or an eye shadow blending brush for as long as I could remember so I couldn't refuse the upgrade. The price is reasonable, the quality is amazing, it is super soft and just the right size! I reach for it every time I do my makeup and love using it to apply my Bare Minerals Concealer in Bisque. Occasionally I also find myself quickly using it to powder the small areas around my nose as well buffing out the redness on my eyelids if I am not wearing shadow. I know I keep going on and on but now that I think about it, due to it's size it would be a great highlighting brush as well! I'll be right back... I'm going to pick up another one! :D

I hope you enjoyed reading about my recent favorites! In case you missed it I announced some exciting news in my latest video so I'd love if you checked it out!

Have a great day!

Love, Lacey

My Top 5 Sigma Brushes: A Great Starting Kit!

Hi lovelies! I have some really exciting news to share with you! I recently affiliated with Sigma and couldn't be more excited to start this working relationship with a company I have known and loved for so long. In honer of this partnership I decided to create a video sharing with you my top 5 brushes that I couldn't live without!

I wanted to choose a variety of items that would be great for anyone who hasn't experimented with brushes yet. However, they would also be great every day essentials to add to any growing kit. In the video you will find demos of each brush as well as more information and my review! I hope you find this helpful and please keep reading for an awesome COUPON CODE!

Brushes Mentioned...

Angled Kabuki F84

Large Fluff E50

Small Tapered Blending E45

Small Angle E65

Large Angled Contour F40

If you were to purchase all of the brushes mentioned here it would run you about $78 but if you use the coupon code SPRING2014 you will get 10% off! If you aren't ready to purchase now have no fear! That code is good through April 30th and can be found in the description of all my future videos as well as in the banner to the right of this post under my Bloglovin' link. Since I am now affiliated I will be updated on every code and promotion Sigma has to offer so I'll make sure to pass that information on to you!

Do you have any favorite Sigma brushes that I need to check out?!

Love, Lacey

My Skins Scarred Past

Hi lovelies! Today I wanted to share with you a more personal post revolving around my skin. Believe it or not I get compliments on my skin in the comments of my YouTube videos as well as my blog posts and each time I do I am blown away! Obviously I am very flattered, thankful, and humbled but most of all I am shocked. Two years ago I would have never dreamed of someone commenting on my skin and having nice things to say about it. It has taken a lot of time and effort getting my skin back to the healthy and clear place that I wanted it to be so I am here to share with you exactly how I did that. Granted, I know my skin wasn't as bad as some of the cases out there but for me it was a real struggle..

- Senior Prom 2010 -

My skin was great up until I started college. In high school (roughly 4 years ago) I never washed my face unless I was in the shower and like many girls my age I didn't have a solid skincare routine. Once my skin started acting up I realized that my normal way of doing things wasn't working so I tried incorporating a few more products.

Luckily, I didn't waste my time and money for very long. At this point I would say I had mild acne and I quickly got tired of searching the drugstore shelves for that miracle product that would be my cure all. On top of that realization acne ran in my family. My mom had struggled with it in her 20's and instead of waiting for things to get worse I decided to talk to her about visiting a dermatologist as a preventative measure. It took a little convincing but ultimately I made an appointment and was excited to finally have some answers! Little did I know it was going to take some time to get me on the right medication.

At my first appointment the doctor put me on Minocycline as well as a topical lotion I barely remember. I was on two pills everyday and would take one in the morning and one at night for three months. This is the amount of time it would take to see if the medicine was making a difference. It didn't end up doing much for me- I remember referring to it as almost a roller coaster as far as my skin went. I would have slightly clearer days and slightly more blemished days but nothing too extreme.

When I went back after the trial period I wasn't completely satisfied with the way my skin was looking so my doctor recommended Accutane. This is where the story gets a little dicey because even though that might have been the answer (my mom had great success with it in her past) I wasn't so sure. If you aren't familiar with Accutane it is a very strong acne medication that requires many steps and has countless side effects ranging from very dry skin to more serious reactions. There were endless problems with getting me on the actual medication and after a while so much was going wrong that I truly felt like I wasn't meant to be on it.

From there I wanted a second opinion. I ended up visiting another dermatologist in the same practice that was located closer to me. At my first appointment he immediately prescribed me Retin-A as well as Spironolactone. This combo was definitely a doubled edged sword. I fell in love with my Retin-A and after getting over the dreaded pealing phase of the first few months I really owe my skins evenness and clarity to this product. As for the Spironolactone it was a NIGHTMARE... Of course I had to stick it out for the three month trial period but my skin flared up like crazy (refer to the first picture in the collage below). This was the worst my skin had/has ever been and I would say by this point it was considered moderate acne.  Not only did my skin look bad, it felt terrible. It wasn't just red, uneven and unattractive it was sore and uncomfortable. This is the point where I fell in love with the idea of taking great care of my skin. All I wanted was my skin to be healthy. Sure, the red bumps were a hit to my confidence but my skin hurting every night when my face touched my pillow was even more annoying.

Now don't worry there is a happy ending and it is what I'm about to share with you! After finishing out those terrible three months I went back wanting change! Thankfully this time around he found the perfect solution which for me which was continuing the Retin-A and combining my current Spironolactone with guess what... Minocycline!

This is currently the combination I am on and it is working perfectly. I take one Minocycline in the morning, two Spironolactone around lunch, and one more Minocycline before bed and my skin has been consistently normal for going on two years. Notice how I say "normal" and not "clear". As far as I'm concerned nobody will ever have perfect skin even someone like me who is on medication to keep it blemish free! I still breakout occasionally and even scar from it but it's no where near as bad as it once was.

Don't worry we are almost done with this long story! Getting the breakouts under control was only part of the solution, the other part was getting the hyper pigmentation evened out. This is where my beloved Retina-A comes in. It works wonders by exfoliating your skin at a very fast rate and even though that can be annoying in the beginning it pays off like crazy once your skin gets used to it. It has improved my acne scarring by 300% or more in the past two years. You have to stick with this product though because the best results are seen after 12+ months.

The photo you see below represents the progress of my skin from July 2012 to February 2013. The first picture shows you the aftermath of being on the Spironolactone and from there I got on my current medication so it started getting better. Also, I took all of these with my Macbook's webcam so please excuse the quality!

Today, I am just getting to the point where I feel comfortable going out without foundation or concealer. My skin is radiant and smooth but still shows signs of where the scars used to be. Will it ever be perfect? Probably not but I am extremely happy with how far it has come.

Keep in mind that this is solely my story- what worked for me may not work for you. I just wanted to share my experience to give you hope if you are currently struggling with your skin. Your perfect answer is out there it just may take awhile to find it.

If you have ANY questions about anything mentioned in this post please don't hesitate to ask!

Love, Lacey