Are You Tired of Flat, Oily Hair?

Hey Everyone!

Something I have really struggled with it FLAT, OILY hair.

I HATE IT!!

It doesn't help that I have a pretty intense widows peak too. Makes for a strange hairline.

I have tried so many things. I even started to use conditioner only once a week in order to reduce the weight of my hair. I have moderately heavy, long hair, and especially thick in the back, so I try to reduce weight to get volume.

Dry shampoo helps but is not good for hair growth as it clogs up the pores and dirties your scalp :(

The #1 thing that has helped is switching to a SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO with some natural ingredients.

In my opinion. this is the closest thing you can get to the no-poo method without actually doing the no-poo method.

I started using a more natural, sulfate free shampoo a few years back and it was awesome and I took it for granted. I just got so used to using natural, sulfate free shampoos and I had forgotten what a difference they make. About 2 months ago, my dad purchased Pantene shampoo for me and I just used it because why not.

At first, I liked it because of how much it lathered and how incredibly CLEAN it felt afterwards. However, about 2 weeks in I started having problems with flat hair and greasy scalp. More so than I had before. The condition of my hair went back to how it was before I started using sulfate free shampoos. No matter what I did, it was sooo flat, and my 2-day hair felt like 4-day hair. (Soooo greasy!)

About a week and a half ago, I purchased Acure Volume Shampoo. Within a week I saw a difference. I soon remembered why I stuck with sulfate free shampoos for so long.

So much less oil. So much less flat.

The reason? Shampoo with sulfate strips the hair of everything, including its natural oils. When you dry out the scalp, your body produces even more oil to compensate. Usually the ingredient is called sodium lauryl sulfate. Sulfate free shampoo takes dirt and excess oil out without stripping the hair. Resulting in healthier scalp and healthier hair! Please try it out!!

Shampoos I recommend:

Any Acure Shampoo (I like the volume one!)

Giovanni 2chic Blackberry & Coconut Milk Ultra-Repair Shampoo

Any SoapBox Shampoos (I like the Acai Berry one!)


Other ingredients I try to avoid but are not essential to maintaining volume: Parabens, Silicons, isopropyl alcohol and DEA. I just try to buy shampoos that are more on the natural side

OTHER TIPS ON HOW TO GET VOLUME AND KEEP OIL AT BAY:

- Flip hair upside-down, and brush from root to tip with a boar bristle brush. This takes the oil from your roots and distributes it down the hair shaft. Also makes your hair look shiny.

- Spray some dry shampoo on a boar bristle brush and brush it over your roots. A (healthier) way to soak up excess oil without dirtying up your scalp so much.

- Learn to do a blow-out using a round brush.

- Use conditioner BEFORE shampooing your hair. Put it on, wash your face, shave your legs, etc., THEN shampoo. Do not rub shampoo on anything but your scalp. This has made a big difference too.

- If you use a leave-in conditioner, use a light one. Don't use anything heavy. (It's a 10 leave-in conditioner is very light!)

Thanks for reading! Let me know about any hair issues you deal with!

Love,

Sara

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel DUPE!

Hey Lovelies!

Today I'm going to share with you and AWESOME dupe I discovered.

 (Quick rant on exfoliation) When it comes to skincare, I almost always prefer to take the natural route.  I like to buy products will natural and organic ingredients, paraben free, silicon free, etc. However, when it comes to exfoliation, I prefer not to go the natural route or the DIY route. A lot of people will use DIY sugar scrubs, facial scrub cleansers, etc.

Do you know how calluses form?  From skin being rubbed too hard, had too much irritation or too much friction.  Now using a facial scrub is not going to turn your skin into a giant callus, but it is simply not gentle on the skin!  The thickness of your facial skin is different from the bottom of your feet.  You do not need to rub it with a harsh scrub.  I remember back when I was in middle school I thought the more I scrubbed my face with this apricot scrub I had the better I would look.  I got out of the shower to see my skin look duller and I didn't know why that was. I thought when it came to exfoliation, the more the merrier,  Nope! You do not want to over-exfoliate the skin.  You will just end up irritating it.

So now you may ask, how do you exfoliate your face?

The answer is: CHEMICAL PEELS!

I hate the word chemical and it seems even harsher on the skin than the word facial scrub but it really isn't!  And no, you do not need to go to a spa or dermatologist for this, you can do mild peels at home, thanks to peel pads and other products.  When I first decided to buy a chemical peel product I decided to try out the product I found many beauty gurus talk about: Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel pads.  So I bought them from Sephora, and since I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, I bought the pack of 5 for $16.  Pretty pricey. :/

The Alpha Beta peel pads come with an exfoliating wipe and a serum wipe.  I used the peel about once a week.  (I know that it says to use it everyday but I don't think you need to remove the top layer of your skin everyday,  I think it's just a marketing scheme to get you to buy more.)  It worked well, had a slight tingling sensation where I had some sensitive parts of my face.  No complaints.  However, I could not justify buying more because of the price.  I had to find an alternative!  One day while surfing Pinterest I came across these:

Pixi Glow Peel Pads. $22 for 60 pads.  Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel pads are $148 for 60 pads. The price difference is insane.

These give the same slightly tingly sensation and the results on the skin are the same.  The only difference is they don't come with a serum wipe, which doesn't matter to me because I already own a serum I like.  Even if you don't own a serum buying a serum with the Glow Peel Pads is cheaper than buying the Alpha Beta Peel pads.

There's only ONE difference between the two that I actually care about.  The Glow Peel Pads you have to rinse off.  The Alpha Beta pads you don't have to rinse off.  But for the price? I'll happily rinse it off LOL.  And again, I only use these pads once a week.

Here's what the inside looks like.

You can buy the Pixi Glow Peel Pads online or at Target.

Have you guys tried either of these products?  Let me know!

Love,

Sara

The ACTUAL Best Drugstore Products

Hey Everyone!

Today I'm going to be sharing my favorite, and the best, drugstore products.  The products that you see are ones that I reach for over and over again.  And when I'm done, I repurchase them.  Sorry, most of them are NYX, but it's one of my all time favorite brands.  I recommend these products to anybody! Hope you enjoy this list! ☺

NYX HD Concealer



This product blends great, the formula is nice and creamy, lasts all day, and has a great color selection (including color-correcting shades)!  I use the color CW04 (beige with yellow undertone) under my eyes and CW10 (soft yellow) on the outer edges of my under eye area to add some extra brightening. I can think of only one downside, the product runs out fast.  I blend it with a beauty blender (which absorbs much of the product) and I have to repurchase every month to month and a half.

NYX Dark Circle Concealer



This concealer is GREAT to cover up those dark eye bags.  I have very dark under-eyes and I always used concealer but they always looked a little ashy, no matter how much concealer I applied.  I did some research and purchased an orange concealer to go underneath my normal flesh-toned concealer.  Makes the under-eyes looks GREAT.  This formula is great and is easy to blend with a finger.  I can apply a creamy concealer on top and there's no muddiness.  It's inexpensive and lasts forever, I wouldn't buy any other brand!  I use DCC03, Medium.

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer



Sorry, this is the last concealer, I promise!  This concealer blends well, last all day and brightens the under-eye area.  The formula is great.  It's everything a concealer should be.  Only downside is the applicator.  I always just rip out the spongy top, but it's still a mess.  I recommend this concealer to ANYONE, young or old, beginners or experts.  I use the shade Light.

Just want to add this in, these concealers are the drugstore concealer holy grail products in my opinion, before you splurge on a high-end concealer, PLEASE give these a try!  They are amazing and inexpensive.

NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator

Love the color selection for these illuminators, they give your skin that perfect glow.  I use it on top of my foundation, on the high points of my face, underneath my powders.  A little goes a LONG way!  I blend them with a beauty blender.  Only downside is they are not very bendable, so you have to be careful and fast as they set into the skin quickly.  Otherwise, I totally recommend them to anyone that wants that great glow.

Here are some quick swatches.  I use the colors GLEAM and PURE GOLD.

Gleam on top, Pure Gold on bottom.  This is under indoor lighting.

Here are the colors under natural light.

NYX Waterproof Eyebrow Gel

I love this eyebrow gel.  I simply apply a little bit of product to an angled brush and fill in my eyebrows.  The formula is perfect and the color matches perfectly.  It's waterproof and last all day!  Please give this a try before splurging on an expensive eyebrow product!

Milani Baked Blush

Milani has a beautiful color selection of baked blushes.  The formula is SUPER blendable (which I love) and very build-able.  They easily compare to high-end blushes.  Here are some swatches of Luminoso (top) and Dolce Pink (bottom), my two favorite colors.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post!  Please try out these inexpensive products, they are really worth it! Hope to see you back soon!

Love,

Sara

My First Post! Intro To This Blog ☺

Hello Readers!

My name is Sara and I love beauty and skincare. I am a 18 y/o girl living in Oregon, USA.  I currently attend college and work part time.  I spend much of my money on makeup and skincare products! I think makeup can be a hobby.  Your face is the canvas, makeup is the paint, you are the artist!

I've been wearing makeup since I was 11 years old and have really learned from my mistakes!  I am not a professional but I am passionate! :)  I consider myself to have pretty decent skills. ^_^

Why call this blog Cute & Beautiful?  Because what girl doesn't want to be both! 

Some things to expect on this blog:

♥ Reviews of natural skin care products, why I choose the more natural route when it comes to my skin, and what sort of results I have noticed.

♥ Reviews about beauty services, such as eyelash extensions, body enhancement and tanning.

♥ Beauty product/makeup reviews.  I use a large extent of products, luxury brands, drugstore brands and foreign brands!

♥ Makeup tips, tricks and advice.

Expect to see these posts in the near future:

Eyelash Extensions Review
Fool Proof Dewy Skin that LASTS!
What is Worth the Splurge?
The ACTUAL Best Drugstore Products

Thank you for reading, I hope you return! :)

Love,

Sara