Valentia: Royal Rose Hydrating Serum*

For Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum*

What it is:

A hydrating serum that deeply moisturizes skin, provides antioxidant protection, soothes and nourishes dry skin, smooths skin tone and texture, and boosts skin radiance.

Key Ingredients:

rose, aloe leaf juice, botanical hyaluronic acid, witch hazel, vitamin B3, jojoba oil, Vitamin E, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose oil, bearberry, rose absolute, chamomile extract, lavender extract, mullein, Reishi, gotu kola,

How it feels/smells/looks:

It is a white lotion that sinks quickly into the skin. I use two pumps at night and one pump in the morning to cover my face. I use one pump in the morning, because it sinks in quicker with less product. The two pumps takes about 5 minutes to really sink it. My mornings need to be quick and my evenings can be pampering. This part of both routines. It is both quick and pampering. It smells of Rose and those who love Lush’s Rose Jam will love the scent of this product as well. I am not a fan of the scent, but it vanishes when the product sinks into the skin. It isn’t a lingering scent. Sometimes, I do enjoy the scent, but most times, I just find it too rosy. It feels amazing on the skin. It is very soothing and cool. I feel like it plumps up my skin a bit as well. My skin has been on the normal/dry side lately. I don’t really have oily skin anymore since having the baby. My skin has been drier. This hydrates my dry areas and leaves me with smooth skin.

Why I Love It:

I can see myself buying this when I run out. It is actually a Holy Grail item for me, while my skin is behaving more dry. This could clear up after breast feeding and my skin could go back to being oily. This product has really helped my skin be more normal and not as dry. I’m not oily anymore, so I don’t have that natural radiance anymore. I’ve been using highlighters everyday to give my face a glow. This product makes my face look healthy, but not glowy. This product has also cured the little bit of acne that was creeping up from being too tired to wash my face at times and from hormones. The witch hazel is great for acne and so is rose. I’m really enjoying this product that I have been using for two weeks now. It’s not really expensive at 35 USD, so I will be purchasing once I run out. I don’t want to be without it! And really, other high end products sell their serum for that much or more for a fluid ounce.

*This post is sponsored by Valentia.

I received the product for free, but all opinions are my own.*

With Love <3

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Favorites: The Makeup Edition

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

This is going to be a fun favorites blog post on makeup. I have so much of it that I do not even know where to start! I am a makeup person, but a minimalist in this department. I usually highlight one or two features and keep everything else natural and neutral. So, let me begin…My top five favorite makeup products are:

1. Liquid Foundation: My favorite liquid foundation of all time is Rimmel London Lasting Finish 16 hr Mineral Enriched Foundation in 103 True Ivory. Wow. That’s a mouthful! I am almost done with the bottle and I remember paying 8 US DOLLARS for this 1 fl oz bottle. I will definitely repurchase this again. It makes my face flawless and lasts all day. I am not the type of girl that brings foundation with her to reapply throughout the day, so I need something with staying power. This is perfect. It leaves a natural finish and is waterproof. I give this 5 out of 5 stars for performance.

2. Cheek Stain: I have recently rediscovered my love for cheek stains. They look natural and last for hours without reapplying. I am currently loving Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in No. 2 Sun Kissed, priced around 20 US DOLLARS for 0.45 oz. I know this is expensive, but you only need a little bit to pull off a natural look. The color looked totally dark in person, so I had my doubts. IT is sheer, tinted color. This gave me a rosy glow that didn’t look fake. It enhanced the look of my skin. People thought that I looked tanner with this on. This is a four for me, because it does stain your fingers, which I think is a bit messy.

3. Glitter Eyeliner: Who says only teens can pull off this look? I love wearing glitter eyeliner! It cheers me up on dreary days. My current obsession is Too Faced Starry-Eyed Liquid Eyeliner in Super Freak for 10 US DOLLARS for 0.14 oz. I love the purply-pink glitter in this clear liner. I even see hints of green and blue for depth. It is a gorgeous pop of color. The super thin brush allows complete control. I usually line my bottom lash line with this. The bottle itself is cute with a metallic pink cap. It is perfectly girly and the eyeliner lasts through hours of sweating on the dance floor. The most amazing thing? I slept in this eyeliner and woke up with it still applied as when I went to sleep in it. Perfect. 5 stars for performance.

4. Pressed Bronzer: We have all heard about faking a tan and how bronzers can look more fake than real. I love The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in Shade 02 Fair Matte for 20 US DOLLARS for 0.39 oz. This bronzer is matte, so it looks natural and the bronzer has a brown look to it. It was pressed into a cute honey-cone design. I have used it so much, you can barely see it anymore. It is two shades darker than my skin, so it is the perfect bronzed look without being overpowering or too dark. 4 stars for performance, because it can look orange when not blended fully.

5. Eye Shadow: This is a no brainer for most people. Eye Shadow is an essential makeup component. What I am loving for summer is Avon Extra Lasting 16 hr Eye Shadow in Blue Meridian K501 for 8 US DOLLARS for 0.053 oz. I love this blue eye shadow. It is a cream to powder in a sea blue that never creases even without primer. And I have oily lids, too! It comes in a tube like a lip gloss with a wand except shorter and chunkier. The wand makes touchups on the go simple and easy. I give this eye shadow a five for performance.

Some swatches from left to right: eyeshadow, bronzer, eyeliner, cheek gel, foundation.

<——This is when blending all of them.

Now, that you know my makeup favorites, what are some of yours? Please leave a comment or post a blog response and ping it to mine so I can see it. Thanks for reading and following!

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

Favorites: The Hair Edition

Heya Fellow Gurus!

Now that we are nearing the end of July and the unfortunate end of Julamorous, I thought that I would start off my favorites for the month of July. I always have so many favorites a month and choosing 5 in each category seems to be the way to go. These are my top 5 favorite hair products of July. I am always buying different hair products, whether it’s because of packaging brand, or type. I use a lot of hair products, because I enjoy styling my hair all different ways. My hair is medium length. It used to be mermaid long, but I wanted a change a year ago. My hair touches th bottom of my shoulder blades on my back. It’s a good length to style all different looks. My hair is dark blonde with highlights and low lights. My roots are on the brown side. but grows out dark blonde probably from the sun. I’m always outside enjoying the rays and my dogs. My hair tends to get oily on the scalp after the 2nd day of no washing. It is a bit on the fizzy side and is layered, although they are close to being grown out. I was my hair every 2 to 4 days depending upon the season, what I am doing, and if I have dry shampoo. So, without further ado, my top 5 hair picks of July are as follows:

1. Dry Shampoo: My current love is TRESemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo Volumizing for fine/oily hair. First off, my hair is thick and not very fine. Due to my layers, it thins out the thickness, but it is still not fine by any means. I still love this spray though, because it soaks up all of the excess oil. I just wish that the formula was a bit more powdery. It is great for my darker roots though. I give it a 4 star performance out of 5. I just shake and do short bursts. I rub my hair to soak up the oil and I have lift and dry hair in no time.

2. Frizz Shield: I mentioned my frizz problem right? Well, you knew I would mention at least one product of this nature in my favorites. My current obsession is Avon Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield For All Hair Types. I love using this one on my damp hair as a preventative measure. When I want sleek hair, I make ure to use this after a shower. It’s an oil like consistency, like a serum and I just comb the product through. I do not apply this to my roots, because I have oily hair. I give this 5 stars for performance. I do notice a difference in how sleek my hair is after using this. When I want super sleek hair though, I add something extra.

3. Oil Treatment: Remember when I mentioned something extra? Yep, this is it. A hair oil tames away the frizz on my flat ironed or curled hair. My current favorite is M Moroccanoil for all hair types. This light weight oil is a great addition after styling my hair to fight the frizzes. I make sure to use a tiny amount and add the oil to my ends first before applying it to midshaft and down. Keep this away from roots! It can make your style look greasy and weighed down. This adds bounce and a great scent to my hair. I give this product 4 stars out of five for performance, because it can be greasy if you aren’t careful.

4. Beach Hair: Everyone loves beachy waves. They look boho and lock in the laid back feel of summer. My current love affair is with Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa UV Absorber Malibu Waves Spray For Hair. Let me start off by saying that the smell of this stuff is ah-mazing! It smells like summer in a bottle with citrus hints and real sea water. This is the best perfume for your hair! Not only does it smell fantastic, but it gives the best effortless beach waves. My hair is naturally wavy, a bt more on a curly side of the wave. So, I do not know if I am the best judge for beach wave sprays, but I find that it holds braid waves without the crunchy feeling of hair spray. I give this product 5 stars hands down. You will not be disappointed.

Hair Treatment: Wow, it seems that 3 of my favorites revolve around my frizz problem. lol. I did not plan it that way, I swear! My current love is Wen by Chaz Dean Sweet Almond Mint Re Moist Intense Hair Treatment. For the life of me, I can never smell the almond, but the peppermint smell is exhilarating. For the price, this stuff lasts a long time. I have used it a dozen times and haven’t made a dent in it. I scope out two half-dollar sized globes and start with the ends up to my roots being sure to comb everything through. I use this after the shower as an overnight treatment. I rinse it out the next day. It makes my hair really soft and smooth. I have been using this for 12 weeks and have enough for at least that many more. I use this every one to two weeks. This perks my hair up when it needs it. Heat tends to dry hair and the ocean. I make sure to use this after a day in the sun or ocean I give this 5 stars for performance and value for the price.

Well, those were my top 5 favorites for hair products. Stay tuned to see more favorites. I am open to suggestions, so please leave a comment. What are your favorite picks for July? Make a reply blog post and link it to my blog so I can see it. I would love to find a new hair obsession.

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

PS: Can you find my little doggy Serena in the pics?