Skincare Routine with Urban Skin Rx!

Skincare wasn’t something I learned early on like some women did. In fact, I didn’t learn about it until my late 20’s early 30’s. So for me, learning about the different kinds and methods of skincare was very overwhelming for me and costly. Brands would say their products the best, and I’d try it. Then immediately stopped when I noticed no good results.

Fast forward, I saw this brand being talked about by a lot of women, especially black women. Women who had the same issues as me. Despite my having a keloid, it doesn’t deter me from perfecting the quality and longevity of my skin. Sometimes, its not just drinking water and minding my own business, I gotta put some extra work in it too.

I started out with the Even Tone Cleansing bar and the Super C Brightening Serum. I got them from Target. They were kinda pricey for me, but, I look at it as an investment. Still drinking my water and minding my business, I noticed some improvements after a week. My skin tone was mellowing out and I had a glow. My face started brightening up, didn’t have any redness, or breakouts. Alright, what else you got?

So I visited the site and started searching. Oh y’all pricey pricey! For my pockets. I was willing to try more things but was still skeptical about the costs, so at the time, they had the Even Tone products in a travel essentials bundle. If I remember correctly, it was the cleansing bar, the serum, moisturizer, SPF, and a spot treatment. This should last a couple weeks for some real results.

DO NOT GET THIS STUFF IN YOUR EYES! IT WILL BURN! ESPECIALLY THE SERUM.

If I had to tell you, its because, I got it in my eyes, LOL. It’s disgusting too. Yeah, some always gets caught in my mouth too.

After two weeks, I looked different. I looked refreshed, not tired, more lively. Being a new mom, working from home with plenty responsibilities, and not much sleep will have you looking like a zombie or in my case, a “mom-bie.” So I’m walking around my home looking refreshed but tired! My makeup started looking better.

It will be almost a year that I’ve tried these products and I still use them, branching out to new products and even trying out different brands (little by little), but I am loving these products. Like any other brand of skincare, consistent use is key. I used these products morning and night, consistently. The pregnancy glow that I lost after Harper was a few months came back with interest. My skin was overall one color. My pores around my nose shrunk more than normal, and my makeup looked better. Even though our skin has texture and makeup will never be that smooth (unless your skin is super perfect), I could tell my makeup went on better. The oil on my t-zone seemed to be nonexistent. My favorite moisturizer to combat my t-zone is the Hydra Balance Instant Moisture Infusion (night) and the Radiant & Bright Glowing Moisturizer (day).

If you notice in the March photo, the perimeter around my face is slightly darker from my cheeks down to my jawline. Now, its even throughout. Thanks to the serum, my under eyes are not that dark anymore, including around my nose.

Here is my most updated skin care routine and how my skin is looking right now! Don’t forget to subscribe for new content to come! And stay tuned for a night time skincare routine!

Black Girl Magic Series: Lip Bar Review

It’s a beautiful, hot scalding day here in Charlotte, where your makeup is guaranteed to slide off your face no matter how much setting spay you put on and your clothes will stick to your body! But none the less, it is beautiful, right. So, remember how I said I’m a late bloomer? Yeah right, me either. But I’m a late bloomer. I’m late th show for everything and I’m always the last to get anything. However, that doesn’t meant that I don’t research in the meantime. With that being said, let’s talk about a little Black Girl Magic, shall we? I am loving all of it and I love how my beautiful sisters are out creating and putting their passions out in the world and I’m here to support. So, my first post is dedicated to The Lip Bar Products.

Background

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Meet Melissa, the founder and creator of the brand, The Lip Bar. If you remember, she and her partner were on Shark Thank a couple of years ago promoting their brand and hopefully gained investors to take her business to the next level. Now, I never watched  the show, but from what I can tell, you have several investors listening to business ideas and deciding which to invest. After listening to their pitch, they turned them down, but not before referring to them as colorful cockroaches. I felt like they belittled the brand, and they laughed when she said they created a Lip Bar mobile! I’m like, fashion and beauty on wheels is where it’s at!

She created this brand because when it comes to beauty, our health is always at risk with so many harsh chemicals. Also, the beauty industry only seems to cater to a particular type of beauty. So, she created these beautiful lipsticks with vibrant, show stopping colors that can be worn on ANYONE. Also, she made them in her kitchen. A few years later, The Lip Bar is a hit and their beauty mobile is awesome. Her lipsticks are in high demand, everyone is wearing them and some are always sold out. I feel bad for the investors. I don’t know her, and maybe she’ll read this, but she persevered! I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with.

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I finally got my hands on a couple (we have a budget, remember?) and I tried them out and I loved them. Each lip color was $13. I picked two colors for the summer, Boy Trouble and CurlFriend both part of the liquid matte collection. For me, orange is really hard to pull off. I either find one that is a sheer, or not pigmented or the wrong undertone. I’ve only found a couple lippies in orange that fits me, but I ran out, so I needed a new one. Boy trouble is super vibrant, bright deep orange color that is perfect for summer. Like any matte lippie, make sure your lips are good and moisturized before applying. This goes on wet and dries matte.

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Curlfriend is the everyday nude that I can wear, everyday! Because I would wear it everyday, I’m a little sad that the packaging is smaller though.  I love the fine point of the brush applicator that lets me get into the smaller parts of my lips and I love how this is a universal color.

Boy Trouble is a fiery orange that is a showstopper; someone will always ask about it. My favorite makeup look is a simple face and a bold lip, so picking this color was a no brainer. One thing I will say, is make sure you exfoliate your lips before applying because your imperfections (chapped lip, cracked skin) may show.

There are a few more of her colors I intend to try like Bawse Lady, however it is currently sold out. Overall, I love how vibrant these colors are and that they are vegan! Definitely head over to Lip Bar’s site and pick up a few for yourself.

Simple, Affordable Makeup Starter Kit

Simple, Affordable Makeup Starter Kit

I get a few questions from friends and love ones on how to start using makeup. When I was getting into makeup, I learned the old fashion ways: looking at magazines and trial and error. Yup! I didn’t have those YouTube tutorials to help me out back then so I researched and experimented on my own. First, I used to play in my Mommy’s makeup which she only uses Lancôme. I started playing with the colors of an eyeshadow pallette and then lipstick. When I got older, I learned there was more than that so I bought one item at a time. I decided to put together a real simple basic Starter Kit you can try out for yourself that will not break you’re  coins, it won’t be as confusing. Majority of these products are my favorite to use as well.

1: Foundation

My favorite foundation is shown in the picture above and it’s the L’Oreal Infallible 24 hr Pro-Matte wear. A little goes along way and this will give you full coverage with a matte finish. The color variation is excellent and  is under $10.

2: Concealer

This is used to hide those imperfections that you don’t want to show, like dark circles and puffiness. My favorite concealer is actually the LaGirl Pro Concealer (not shown) and it is life! You can find this at your local beauty supply store for under $5.

3: Face Powder, Translucent Powder and Setting Spray

The NYX translucent powder is what sets the concealer in place to prevent sliding. Yo want it to stay, no slide over your face. This powder not only keeps my concealer in place, it also gives me a matte finish. A face powder is the overall finish to your look and it brings everything together. Some people, blessed people, can skip the setting spray but the purpose of this product is to keep your entire face set and on fleek! This Elf setting spray works really well and is under $5.

4: Eyeshadow, Mascara, and Eyeliner

I rarely use eyeshadow, but when I do, I always go for a neutrals. If you’re a beginner, I feel like you can’t go wrong with them and the look is easy to fix if you mess up. Elf (shown above for under $5), Maybelline, and WetnWild has awesome neutrals for an affordable price.

Even though false lashes are optional they are a great “pop” to your look and it actually takes your look to the next level. To play it safe, a bomb mascara will help too! If you already have long thick lashes, a few coats of mascara will not only make your eyes pop, but you don’t have to work about glue on them either. Eyeliner creates depth and drama to the eyes the Elf liner is of really good quality. Make sure you have a steady hand. 😀

Contouring?? Highlighting?🤔

Although these two two things create a very dramatic look, they’re optional. There’s a skill to contouring and highlighting because you can’t to make sure you don’t overdue it and look a hot mess. Contouring defines the hallow points in your face and highlighting is…well…highlighting the highest points on your face. BH cosmetics has the all in one palettes for under $20.

*with the exception of the blush/contour pallet, you can find these products in your local drugstore, Walmart, or Target. 😛