Caudalie Instant Detox Mask | Review

There is always going to be one thing in your life that you go back too. Maybe it's a perfume. A mascara. A toner. For me, it was the Neutrogena Two in One Cleanser. But now, I have a new love. A mask that I will be returning to time and time again. And let me tell you, this is love forged from money well spent.

I don't typically encourage any of my readers to buy something out of their price range. Nor am I suggesting you do it now. But if you're looking for a good mask that will really pull all the crap out of your face and don't mind paying forty bucks for it, then start saving up!

It was by chance that I found this on Pinterest. Actually, I've been finding a lot of my holy grail beauty items from the site. You can browse through my findings here. Pinterest is such a wild thing. I never wanted it at first, but once I got into it I couldn't stop! Anyway...

The Caudalie Instant Detox Mask is AB-SO-LUTE perfection. Never have I had something take everything nasty out of my skin so fast before. And it's so fun to watch it work. Unlike most masks, you only need to leave this on for ten minutes. The first time, I left it on for twenty, just to really let it do it's job. It dries fast. The parts that are darker when everything is said and done are your problem areas, and the mask has just drawn it out.

I have oily skin and that also means that I have some large pore areas around my T zone. This mask got rid of all the oil and closed up my pores so fast it was like they had never been there. Because of my pores, I have some blackheads on my nose that are typically stubborn and come back every now and then. Yep, you guessed it. Completely gone! I was amazed! This works so well on spots, too. It brings them to the point of no return and they're gone the next day.

Seriously, if you have problem skin and have tried EVERYTHING, you need to try this. It will change your life!

♥



*This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own, as always*

Banning the Frizz | Product Review

I think it's no secret that I've been having issues with my hair the last couple of years. Two to be precise, and yes, I'm counting. At the moment, frizz is the plague that's become most prominent, though my other problems are still there. 

So naturally, I set out to find something that would calm the frizz. And no, dryer sheets DO NOT WORK. For some, maybe. But for me? Oh no. That would be too easy. Instead, I had to look to the shelves in the hair care aisle.

My first stop was John Freida's No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner. I went through half the bottle before I realized that it wasn't working well enough. Sure, it left my hair soft and smelling nice, but it wasn't getting rid of the frizz as much as I would have liked. I shower 95% at night, because I wake up way too early to even consider taking a shower. So I'm sleeping on my freshly cleaned hair. Which means I need something that's going to take care of the frizz overnight and keep it that way in the morning when I wake up.

Thankfully, I didn't have to go through too many products before I found Garnier Frutis's Air Dry Frizz Control! Don't ignore those YouTube ads, people! They do sometimes give you good things to try, as is the case with this gem. The best thing about it is that it's made for hair that... air dries. As in the name, duh. I don't like to blow dry my hair at night, so this was perfect. Something that was going to banish my frizz while I did what I normally do? Excellent. However, the biggest test was to see if it held up overnight. I tried it for a few days before... yes! This was it! My frizz was practically non-existent when I woke up in the morning and brushed through my locks.

It smells great and gives my hair an extra boost of shine! If you're looking for something to kill frizz, you need to try this stuff. It's AH-MAY-ZING!

*This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own, as always*

Thirteen Reasons Why | Book vs. Netflix

Like a lot of other people, I slid my way into watching Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix a few days after it had come out. And it was heartbreaking and moving and at one point I actually got so depressed about it that I had to have a Netflix fast and move on to something else. Anything else.

But I finished! And then I got the book. This is my first discovery of it. I never found it in school, for one reason or another. I bought the tenth anniversary edition from Thriftbooks, the one with the alternate ending in the back. The one where Hannah lives. I know a lot of people would have preferred that ending.

SPOILERS!

01. One Night | Unlike the show, which seems to take place over the span of a month, maybe longer, we see Clay listening to the tapes on and off. Actually, this was something that bothered me. I know it was for the show, to make the episodes last longer and to really build suspense. But oh my God, it was so annoying. How he kept questioning what it was that he did to belong on the tapes instead of listening through to find out what it was. I shouted at my computer screen quite a bit throughout this show. And mostly at Clay.

02. Clay's Parents | Am I the only one who thought his mother was a bit overbearing in the show? She nagged him, and his father, so much that I couldn't quite stand it. Of course, I can understand why. She's a lawyer in this case about a girl who killed herself, defending the school, and her son is acting out. Doing things he wouldn't normally do and then the father isn't doing too much to help, aside from talking to him once and a while. I get that she's concerned and worried for him. But I much prefer the mother in the books, who was understanding that her son might just be going through something. But that goes back to the whole one night compared to a month scenario.

03. Clay's Classmates | This is kind of something I didn't quite understand. Were they, and by they I mean Justin and his stupid friends, constantly mean to Clay because they didn't want people to find out what happened? Or were they subconsciously protecting Bryce? Justin didn't want Jessica to find out what had really happened the night of that party, but does it really make it okay to beat on Clay when it was his fault, essentially? I don't know, I think a lot of his classmates could have been a million times nicer to him.

04. Tony | Not going to lie. I loved Tony in the show and in the book. He's like this guardian angel watching over Clay and Hannah. But in the show, I really liked how he gave the tapes to Hannah's parents in the end. They aren't mentioned much in the book, and considering that Hannah didn't leave a note for them, giving them something so they know what happened must have meant a lot. Even if it hurt them more to know that they could have helped or something.

05. Hannah's Death | So, in the book, Hannah commits suicide by overdosing. Which, from research, shows that that is kind of the most popular way teens do it. It's painless and rather fast acting. In the show, she fills up a tub and cuts her wrists. I believe they chose his route because it was more visual... like way more visual, and it gives more impact on the viewer. Trust me, I felt incredibly low after watching Hannah's death scene.

Regardless of whether you watched the show or read the book, or both, Hannah's story is very important. Millions of people feel like her and there are so many things that we can do to prevent this from happening. If you or someone you know feels this way and needs help, please go to https://13reasonswhy.info for information.

♥

Le Temps Viendra

Hello, my dears!

As this Friday marks 481 years since Anne Boleyn was executed, I thought I would dedicate a post to her, as I've spent a good portion of my life reading and obsessing over her. I'm still not entirely sure what it is about her that I love so much, but I feel that I don't really need a reason. She was just a remarkable woman and has left an impact on my life, many, many years after her life ended.

A good website to learn more about her from is The Anne Boleyn Files. They don't just have information on her life, but they also delve into everything Tudor, so you can learn about everything having to do with the family.

The Tudors is a great show to watch if you really wanna get into the whole thing. Do take it with a grain of salt, though. Some of the things put into the show were for entertainment purposes and don't quite stick with the historical timeline. Though for the most part, they do a wonderful job at telling the story of Henry VIII and Anne, especially in the first two seasons.

Next is the very extensive list of books that I would HIGHLY recommend you jump into. I'm going to stick with my top five favorites, because if I do more, this post will be a book in itself!

• Le Temps Viendra by Sarah Morris - This is a fun book about a woman living in the 21st century and in a personal love affair with Anne Boleyn. (Much like myself, LOL). Without giving anything away, something happens that allows her to really see things first hand about what it was to be Anne living in the 1520s to 1530s.
• The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives - The best biography of Anne to date, in my opinion. The author is very open minded and logical, talking about the rumors of Anne, but dispelling anything that might seem far fetched.
• The Anne Boleyn Collection by Claire Ridgeway - Author and owner of The Anne Boleyn Files website, this is a composite book about everything and anything you could want to know about Anne and her immediate family. 
• Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robin Maxwell - Anne's life through her own eyes, from France to England. This is historical fiction beautifully written!
• The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell - Another by Robin, this is yet another historical fiction book about Elizabeth finding the long lost diary of her mother. This of course never happened, but oh to only imagine! How amazing would it be to know everything that Anne was thinking about events that we have only been able to wonder about!

And voila! That is everything I have to offer to help celebrate and remember this poignant but amazing woman in history. I know this was slightly different from what I usually post, but I like to feel that this blog and the people that come here to read it share in my life, and this woman is a good chunk of it. Just ask my husband!
♥

Beauty Favorites | April 2017

Another month has flown by!
I feel like 2017 is just blowing by me and I'm trying very hard to keep up. I haven't done a monthly favorites in a while, but I feel like I've gone through a lot of things in the last four months to finally make up my mind.


My signature scent for the last month, and maybe a couple more this year, has been Zoella Beauty's Blissful Mistful. I absolutely love this scent. It's floral, it's feminine, it's light. And it just makes you feel fresh and happy.

I have an extensive collection of mascara's, but Maybelline's Lash Sensational has been what I've been reaching for a lot this month. I've always felt like my eyelashes are lacking, but this mascara really helps. I've raved about it before and I feel like I'm always going to.

A new addition to my beauty regime has been Rimmel London's Brow This Way. I've been using a brown eye shadow from one of Urban Decay's Naked palettes for a while now. This has completely changed up my eyebrow game and I don't think I'll ever go back to my regular eye shadow.

Essie's go ginza has been a long time favorite polish of mine since I found it two years ago. Or was it a year ago? Either way, I've been in love with it and I find myself reaching for it time and time again.

Since this past winter, I've been having a lot of lip problems. Chapped lips, to be more specific. So I've been going through a lot of lip products. Yes To Coconuts Lip Balm is a really nice formula balm. It's basically coconut oil in a tube. Aquaphor has been the real hero though, saving my lips throughout the day. Clinique's Lip Moisture has helped a lot during the night. It's a really thick type of balm so it stays on while I'm tossing and turning.

My skincare hasn't really changed, but I have been using a face mask more frequently. I've gone to Valentia's Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask. You can find the full review of this mask here. I love how this makes my skin feel so soft and just cleaned out.

St. Ives Even & Bright Scrub has been amazing. This brightens your skin and seemingly polishes away any imperfections. I've been looking for a good face scrub since I've ditched Clean & Clear's Orange Burst. This has SAVED ME.

For under my eyes, I've been continuing to use Tarte's maracuja C-brighter eye treatment. You can see my review on it here.

The Body Shop's newest edition, Almond Milk & Honey is amazing! You know something is good when your significant other is even using it. It's light and gentle and it smells perfect. I will be using this for the end of my days.

Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer. Just yes. I love self tanning moisturizers. The fact that you can use this while wet and right out of the shower just saves so much time and leaves out all the hassle.

I've been using Garnier Fructis' Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil since my high school years. You can use this for your hair, your skin, and on your face. I specifically use it for the ends of my hair. I have oily roots and dry ends, so this gives those ends a bit of life between cuts.

♥

Something About Books | As Old As Time

Originally, I wasn't going to do a completely separate post for this book. I had already mentioned I was reading it in my last post and figured that would be the end of it. But this book was a million times more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be.

Maybe it's because the after effects from this year's Beauty and the Beast remake still has me all giddy, maybe it's because this is my favorite Disney tale ever... whatever the case, I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I briefly mentioned in my last book post that this is part of a trilogy of twisted tales from Liz Braswell and Disney. So basically, a retelling. All of the books have a question of 'what if's', that dramatically change the stories. The question for this tale was 'What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast?'. I mean, how crazy, right? We don't actually know anything about Belle's mother aside from the fact that she was there one moment and gone the next. In the 2017 movie, we find out that she died from the plague that ravaged Paris not very long after Belle was born.

In As Old As Time, Belle's mother, Rosalind, is a charmente. A witch, basically, but the term in French I believe means charming. So a charming being, or a being who can do charms. I'm not sure, but the term is used throughout the book to describe a large group of magical people. You get this entire backstory on the kingdom, Maurice, and Rosalind. I loved getting more information on these characters because we only know about the curse and then Belle's story.

We learn a little more about the people who were in the castle when the curse was placed; Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, etc. There are some other characters as well that become connected in this giant mystery of what happened to Rosalind after she cursed the castle because she obviously didn't come back. I don't want to spoil it, so I'm not going to go into anymore detail.

I found the other two books in this series a little wanting, but this one had just the right amount of intrigue for me. There are, of course, the scenes we practically know by heart; the tale of the curse of the prince and his kingdom, the terms of the curse and such. As well as Belle be ambushed by Gaston of a surprise wedding, Maurice getting locked up in the tower and brought to an asylum by the townspeople once he returns. So there is a familiarity to the whole thing, but I don't feel that ruins the story.

Would you consider reading this?
♥

Finesse Hair Care | Review

I am always on a constant quest to find the perfect shampoo and conditioner for my hair. It's a fickle and irritating thing, always changing bottles and clogging up my shower space. Believe it or not, I have about six different pairs of various bottles, always changing them to see which one will work better. The truth is, I haven't really found one yet.

But I have a contender. One brand that has risen above the others for the moment. Finesse. I'm not going to lie, this brand might not last long as my favorite. But as I have been going back to it for the last two weeks, I have to say that it's putting up a good fight. My hair has been smooth, silky, and... wow, strong.

Dealing with my dandruff, I have some fall out from all the scratching I can do when I haven't treated it properly. This stuff has stopped most of the fall out by at least eighty percent. And that is impressive! The scent is light and gentle, so if you don't  like strong smelling shampoos, this is going to be the perfect option for you.

You can find these at your local drugstores and they're SUPER affordable!
Walmart | Walgreens
♥
UPDATE: My mother has now stole these from me! 😂






*This post has been kindly sponsored by Brandbacker and Finesse. All opinions are my own, as always*