Beauty By Amera: skincare

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer Review

8/09/2016

I wanted to do a mini review on the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. This has been a product I've been eyeing for a while before finally purchasing it. After seeing this concealer in every makeup tutorial and monthly favourites video, I decided that I would purchase it. I probably sound melodramatic, but dishing out $35 for a concealer this small is hard for a girl! I went to my nearest Sephora and swatched it on my hand. I was surprised with the outcome! I am used to concealers feeling very patchy and dry when I put it on but this was different. It was silky and went on smoothly. It also hydrated my skin a ton.

I like the simplicity of the packaging. Yes, the concealer is as small as it looks in the pics. It's 0.22 oz/ 6mL. I guess you're paying for quality more than you are for quantity! It has lasted me a while though, but that's probably because I only whip it out when I'm going somewhere special.

This concealer does look a tad bit light but when I blend it out it matches perfectly. I mainly use this concealer to conceal acne and dark spots and to clean up my brows. I feel like it won't run out for a while because I only use a small amount every time. The shade I bought this concealer in is 'Biscuit', which is a medium dark natural balance of pink and yellow undertones. Something that I did not know about this product is that it has skincare benefits! When you put it on, it works to correct— not mask your imperfections. This is my new holy grail concealer because it is lightweight, crease-less, and full coverage. I sometimes wear this without any foundation and it gives my face a flawless radiant look. I have oily to combination skin and I did not find that this product made me greasy. Everyone has different experiences, so I would recommend buying the product physically from a store so that you can swatch it on yourself. Even though I was a little worrisome buying this because of the price, after using it I can tell you that I won't think twice about repurchasing it!

Price: $35 CAD

Thanks for reading folks! Comment down below on what you would like to see next!

acne

How to get rid of acne FAST

7/30/2016

Hello love bugs! Acne is something that a lot of us suffer from and it can be very frustrating to get rid of it. Imagine the agony you feel when you have a date tomorrow night but to your surprise, a giant, red creature decided to embed itself onto your face. I'm still convinced that acne is the devil's work. You may have heard of many products that can remove your acne, but these products can be quite costly. I have personally found that I get more acne when I eat oily foods. I have a ton of natural remedies that work well!

The most important thing to do is to prevent acne before it appears. A ton of us eat oily foods on the daily and that is a main source of acne. Try eating a healthier diet that gives you all your essential vitamins and proteins. Green tea is great at cleansing your body and giving your skin a deep and thorough cleanse. It is loaded with tons of antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, phytochemicals and polyphenols. You don't have to drink green tea to get all of its benefits, but you can also use it in a face mask. Green tea improves your skin complexion and flushes out toxins from the skin. On top of that, it aids in rejuvenating the skin! Here is a yummy recipe that you can follow to get clear and supple skin!

Green Tea Mask

Step 1: Boil two tea bags of green tea and remove its content into a bowl
Step 2. Add 2 teaspoons of honey (honey also has antibacterial components that improve the condition of your skin)
Step 3. Apply it on your face and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
Step 4. Rinse it off with water and pat your skin dry

* Use this face mask twice a week.

When life gives you lemons you make lemon juice face masks! Now what if I told you that lemon is the key to many skincare solutions? Lemons contain L-asorbic acid. L-asorbic acid is a natural astringent which dries out acne. Lemon juice can help with treating acne as well as with treating acne scars.

Lemon Face Mask

Step 1: Remove all makeup from face

Step 2: Cut a lemon in half and squeeze out the juice into a bowl. You can also rub the lemon slices on your face if you'd like.

Step 3: Leave on for 20 minutes and then wash off with cool water

* Make sure you do not get the lemon juice in your eye. If contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water.

* If you notice your skin getting irritated or if you have extremely sensitive skin then remove it when you feel discomfort.

Tomatoes are used in our every day lives. We add them to sandwiches, salads and even drink them in smoothies! (What? You guys don't drink tomato juice?!) As a skincare blogger I have put even weirder foods on my face, so tomatoes doesn't really come to me as a shock. Tomatoes are filled with antioxidants and vitamins that help make the skin clear. It also includes a powerful antioxidant called Lycopene. Lycopene helps your skin cells rejuvenate as well as increasing the skins elasticity.

Tomato Juice Face Mask

Step 1:Cleanse face thoroughly with water and remove all makeup

Step 2: Take one tomato and scoop out all of the contents into a bowl

Step 3: Put the tomato into a blender so that it could become a liquid consistency

Step 4. Leave mask on for 20 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.

* Use mask 3 times a week.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Comment down below on what you want to see next!

acne

VICHY Double Glow Peel Mask REVIEW

7/29/2016

I have been testing and trying new products for the past few weeks. I recently wrote about the St.Ives Apricot scrub (which has been and always will be my go to) but I came across this product by VICHY and I could not take my eyes off it! It is one of three of the new face masks they sell. I chose this one because I needed a product to help brighten my dull complexion while also adding moisture and nutrients back to my face. This face mask contains VICHY's infamous thermal spring water. Ah, how refreshing!

This is the packaging it came in. The mask claims to brighten dull skin though a double peel action with AHA (fruit acids) to remove dead cells: mechanical action with rock of Volcanic origin to gently exfoliate. I have never heard of volcanic rocks before but after my research I found that it gives a deep cleanse. The added vitamin C is the key ingredient that will brighten your skin and even out the skin tone. I love storing my face masks in the fridge because I love the cooling effect it gives! This product should be used one 1-2 a week (3 if you a bad gal and can't resist lol).

This face mask is a water-gel like consistency. I use this in the morning after washing my face with my Biore Baking Soda cleanser. Don't use a face wash that has exfoliating beads in it because if used in combination with this it will DRY out your skin. You only need a small amount of product to use for your whole face ( I also use it on my neck and shoulders because those are my problem areas). It has a tingly effect but that shouldn't concern you because that is the fruit acids working. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Cold water is going to help close your pores. Make sure to use your favourite moisturizer when you are done.

This product contains no parabens, is hypoallergenic, and great for sensitive skin. It is a product that everyone could enjoy! The smell is also another reason why I fell in love with this product! It has a light fragrance of peach, white musk and black tea. Does that combination not sound delish?! I will probably be reaching for this product every time I need a little TLC.

beauty

Monthly Favourites: May Edition

6/03/2014

Hello loves! Here is a list of products and other miscellaneous things I've been enjoying the month of May! I have included makeup, skincare products, books, and everything else under the sun!

I have been loving this concealer by Maybelline! I probably wore it every day of May. I just love how the product comes out of a sponge because I feel that it soaks the concealer into your skin. I use a concealer brush or just my fingers to blend the concealer in.

The next product I am obsessed with is the L'Oreal True Match foundation. This foundation is my holy grail product you guys! I can't get over how perfect this foundation is! I was skeptical of using a drug store foundation because I've always had a hard time finding one that worked for me. I saw so much hype on this foundation that I decided to jump on the bandwagon.. and I'm glad I did! The thing I love most of this product is that it comes in 23 shades! They are also divided into categories depending on your skin tone. I'm in the shade n 5.5 sun beige~ This is a liquid foundation and is light-medium coverage but you can easily build it up. It has a satin-like finish which I adore. You should use a translucent powder if you have oily skin because this foundation can make you look oilier than you are.

My lips are a dry mess in the summer time and basically all year round. I just found out that Nivea has lip products so I decided to purchase the 'Raspberry Rose' lip butter because it smells amazing and is PINK. The texture is like butter and I let it melt on my fingers for a bit so that I could apply it to my lips. Since it's a butter it moisturizes very well. The only concern I have with this is that it's not sanitary because you keep dipping your fingers in it. I just make sure that I sanitize my hands well before applying this onto my lips.

Next favourite product is this curl cream by Marc Anthony! I rarely wore my natural hair before I found this product. I like to enhance my curls with this curl cream so that I got softer curls. This cream tames my frizz and turns my curls into silkier and more loose curls. This is a great product to have if you ever step out of the shower and don't want to do your hair. I know you're supposed to use a dopple sized amount but I like to saturate each strand with product. I use this product alone but if you want you can use a blow dryer and lightly diffuse it.

I've been loving the Naked 3 palette! I bought it in May which is why I've been using it repeatedly! I love this palette because even though some shadows have shimmer they are still everyday wearable. I like to wear neutral eye shadows and this palette has mauve, taupe and nude shades. It's all in the rose-gold category. I also love the brush that it comes with! It's so soft and does not shed much! I will be writing a full review on this, so stay tuned!

These lip crayons by tarte are amazing! Rimmel has also got similar lip crayons! They look alike right? The shades are also quite similar. Although I found the tarte crayons to be more soft compared to 'Color Rush' by Rimmel. I have the tarte lip stain in 'hope' which is cool pink with blue undertones. The pigmentation is great and it lasts for a few hours before having to reapply. I purchased the Rimmel one in the shade 'Illusion' which is a mauve-pink colour. You know how when you eat a red or pink Popsicle, your lips get tinted into a cute pink colour? This stain gives me that exact colour! I love how natural it makes my lips look! I use this on days where I want to run errands and don't want a full face of makeup~ The Rimmel 'Color Rush' is an amazing dupe for tarte's lip crayon, plus its half the price!

I've been loving this facial cleanser recently. If you can't tell already, I looooove Nivea products! I just love how efficient all their products are and it's still affordable. I picked this up for $7 at my local drug store. This cleansing gel comes in three different colours: pink for normal skin, blue for dry skin, and mint green for combination to oily skin. I use the green one since I have oily skin— especially in the summer time. This cleansing gel wakes me right up in the morning! It smells like the ocean because of the aloe. This cleanser has small beads that you massage into your face. I wash it off with cold water and its refreshes me. There is also a foaming cleanser and toner that comes with this line.

This is my hands down favourite shaving gel! I heard everyone rave about this product for months now and gave in to buy it. All the scents smell amazing but my fave would have to be 'Raspberry Rain'. This shaving gel leaves your legs and arms silky smooth! It leaves a faint scent which I love. It is also very moisturizing! Skintimate products make me feel really luxurious for some reason! Plus, it's only $2 at Walmart!

One thing that's been helping me fall asleep better is this baby right here! This is a lavender chamomile mist that you spray onto your pillow before you sleep. This will help relax you and you will fall asleep before you know it! I don't have any sleeping problems but on those nights were you just want to lay down and relax, this comes in handy. The scent isn't overwhelming and your head will smell like a garden when you wake up! I just love aromatherapy! I bought this from Bath and Body Works~

I don't normally include food or drinks in my monthly favourites, but why not? I just wanted to share how amazing this tea is! Tea is probably my drink of choice any day. This is my current fave because it has a really sweet/fruity taste. I drink this before I sleep and it is really soothing and relaxes me. I think this is an excellent alternative to soft drinks. Plus, the tea bag contains actual pieces of mangos and peaches, so you're getting the real taste! I even managed to get my mom addicted to this tea. She prefers to add milk to hers but I prefer it plain. I drink this every day and can't stop! I prefer fruit flavoured teas because they taste sweet and don't need sugar to be added to it. How do you guys make your tea? I always boil water in a kettle and add the tea bag in there so that the flavour boils well. I then store it into a large thermo cup so that it's warm for about 10 hours without heating it up. I've always done this and people find it quite strange!

I haven't had much time to read this past month since my life has been so hectic. But I re-read this book for the third time! I don't want to spoil anything about this book but take my word for it and read it! It's a sci-fi mystery book which I found different than my usual romance or mystery novels I read. It is called 'The Adoration of Jenna Fox' by Mary. E Pearson. This book has meany different novel covers so don't get startled if it does not look like the picture above! What are your favourite books? Leave your comments below!

Song of the month is: "This Is What Makes Us Girls' by Lana Del Rey.

balea

Facial Wipes

3/24/2014

2014

Grow Long Eyelashes and Eyebrows

2/16/2014

How many of you girls dream about having super long lashes? I certainly do every night! But what about our eyebrows? These two babies help define our whole face, but what about if they're too thin or sparse? Well, these tips are going to help you achieve luscious lashes along with two thick brows! Everything you will need will be found in your own house! You don't need to any spend money on lash injecting products which contain loads of chemical. These tips will give you natural growth in hair. Shall we start? We shall~

Oil combo Ingredients: Measurements:

- Olive oil 1 teaspoon

- Coconut oil 1 teaspoon - - Castor oil 1 teaspoon

Directions: Mix these three oils together in a small container. Use a clean mascara wand to apply a thin coat onto your eyelashes. Make sure you are wearing no makeup while doing this. This can also be used on your eyebrows to make them thicker, just use a spooly if a mascara wand is to thick for your brows. Do this before you sleep and wipe it off when you wake up. If you do it during the day you must keep it on for at least 6 hours so the oils can absorb. If there are any extra, you can easily store it inside your refrigerator.

Vaseline Ingredients: Measurements:

- Vaseline petroleum jelly 1 teaspoon

Directions: Take a cotton swab and apply it onto your lashes gently. You can also use a clean mascara wand for this one too. For the eyebrows, use your fingers to massage the Vaseline onto each hair.

Onion Juice Ingredients: Measurements:

- Onion half an onion

Directions: Cut an onion in half and squeeze the juice out. Take a spooly and apply this juice onto your eyebrows. The onion juice helps circulation and will stimulate hair growth faster. Do not use the onion juice on your eyelashes because it can burn if it gets into your eyes. Leave this on overnight and wash it off in the morning~

TIPS:

- Use an eyelash curler before you apply mascara. Eyelash curlers can pull off a lot of your lashes.

- Do not over-pluck your lashes because the hair won't grow. When plucking, only remove the stray hairs. Don't remove too much hair to create an arch, but rather follow your natural arch shape.