Ingredient Spotlight: Lavender

Hi again beauties, I came up with a new series: ingredient spotlight! Basically I'll be letting you all know about the benefits of basic ingredients that you can find in everyday skincare products...or maybe you'll even find some ingredients you'd like to start looking for!

My first installment in this series is going to be all about lavender.

The lavender plant is a gorgeous flour used for tons and tons of different things such as aromatherapy to aid in relaxation and sleep therapy, but most importantly (for us over here at glitteringgorgeous at least), it's an incredible ingredient to add to your skincare regimen! Here's why...

Lavender has tons of healing properties because it's antiseptic. Know what that means? It helps antibacterialize the pores, therefore helping with breakouts and scarring! The antibacterial properties of lavender are awesome for acne scars because it helps treat cuts and scrapes, therefore helping the skin heal faster.
It also helps with the balancing of sebum production. Sebum is the oil that makes your face look shiny/contributes to the clogging of pores that can lead to breakouts. Its antiseptic properties clean the pores, giving almost a toning effect to pores effected with excess oil, while it adds moisture where it is needed in dry spots on the face.
Lavender is also great for balancing out the skin tone. It reduces inflammation which helps balance redness!
Best skin types to use lavender on: Oily/combination

I'll be adding to this series once a week. That means I'll have a regular post (quick tutorial/review etc.) one day, and one of these on the other day! If there are any ingredients you'd like to learn about just leave a comment below, I'd love to make this a really informative series.

Your Best Lips for Fall

Hi beauties! How many of you get chapped lips the second any weather below 75 hits? I know I do. So here's my favorite routine to get stunning lips for fall, using the most popular fall color this year: oxblood!

Step 1:
Exfoliate your lips. This is going to help soften your lips and get rid of any of the excess dead skin that builds up (I know, it sounds gross) which will eventually lead to chapping. The excess of dead skin on the lips is what causes that flaky look, and no one wants that with lipstick on, am I right?
I use LUSH's lip scrubs, my personal favorite is Mint Julips which has jojoba oil and sugar to moisturize and exfoliate, and it's chocolate-mint flavored! Who doesn't love thin mints on their lips? Oh and it's edible, so when you're done, instead of wiping, just lick it off! It tastes like candy.

If you're not into that one, plenty of brands make lip scrubs! My first was from Sarah Happ called "The Lip Scrub" and comes in flavors such as vanilla bean and brown sugar. Mmm. This one isn't edible though, so don't go licking this one off.

One more lip scrub I'd recommend is the Fresh Sugar Lip Polish. It's a little bit pricey, but this one has shea butter in it, which is a super nourishing butter for the lips that will keep them hydrated.

Step 2:

Condition, condition, condition. This is a pretty easy step, just take your favorite lip balm and slather it on. If you can, leave it on over night. If you're doing all of this in the morning before you put lipstick on, do it at the beginning of your makeup routine before you do anything else, that way the lip balm has a chance to absorb completely.

You all know my current favorite that I raved about in a review: Soap and Glory A Great Kisser lip balm that you can now get in 3 flavors: vanilla bean, juicy peach, and peppermint! I have all 3, they're amazing.

If you're not into that one, I also suggest Hurraw! Balm, which is a raw, vegan-friendly brand that makes amazing smelling lip balms. My current favorite is their chai lip balm for fall! They have ridiculous amounts of flavors, so get a bunch at a time. When I ordered, they even included an adorable little note on my receipt.

Step 3:

Blot off excess balm. If you're putting lip color on, leaving any excess balm is going to cause slippage all over your face, and no one wants that! Take a piece of toilet paper or a tissue and just blot off any moisture that's still on your lips. Don't wipe, that will wipe away all those nutrients, just pat your lips with the tissue until they don't feel slippery anymore.

Step 4:

Lip liner! To get my favorite oxblood look, I line my lips with Sephora Collection Nano Liner in Pleasant Plum. I fill in my lips completely, but you can just line them if you would rather do that. Lip liner keeps your lipstick from smudging all over your face and feathering, which is a total plus if you don't want to have to touch up your lipstick during the day.

Step 5:

Lipstick! Use your favorite oxblood shade, and you're all done!

Let me know how this process works out for you, beauties! Until next time, stay fabulous!

Get to Know Me: Beauty Blogger Tag!

Hi beauties! I decided to throw a tag into the mix amongst all of the reviews I've been doing; I'm a little stuck with my cruelty-free beauty series I had going on because I'm not getting much feedback on any of my posts so I don't know if I should continue it or not. If any of you would like to vote either way, that would be awesome and please do so in the comments section of this post! Also, if there are other topics you'd like for me to write about, don't hesitate to ask. I would love to cater to all of my readers, and I want to get to know all of you!

I got this tag from Citra's beauty blog which is absolutely stunning and you should all definitely check it out. So here's a little bit about me!

1. Is your hair natural curly or straight?

So curly. Obnoxiously curly.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I used to go to the salon to have it dyed chemically, but I switched to henna and now my mom and I do it together because it's definitely a 2 person job.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I change it up; I work at LUSH so my dress code is typically black and white with accessories in any color if I want...but I tend to forget how to wear things that aren't black and white. Summertime I'm told I look like a hippie, wintertime I wear (faux-)leather boots with spikes and beanies. It all depends.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I get major anxiety when my nails chip and I have to take it all off no matter what so I tend to avoid having my nails done...I wash my hands a ton on a daily basis so they'd chip in like 15 minutes. I'll usually just do it myself so I can fill the color back in as they chip.

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Like once every two weeks.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just in the summer?

Mostly summer.

7. How long does it take for you to put on your makeup?

On a good day, between 15-20 minutes. On a bad day where my cat eye won't even out or I get glitter on my face around 35. -sigh- Those days aren't fun.

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face! 

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I don't ever really neeeeed any, it's just a matter of "OH MY GOUHSGOUHFIHBSG I DON'T HAVE GLITTER IN THIS COLOR YET"

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Pretty much never, I think I only ever have once. My eyes are super sensitive, they don't really like them much.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

Nope, I usually just do a BB cream with SPF. :)

12. Do you wear makeup when your home alone, or with family?

When I'm alone pretty much never, when I'm with family it's usually just mascara unless we're going out somewhere together.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

I do pretty frequently lately, actually. I'll come home from work and take it off but then decide to go out later, and I try to give my skin a break so I'll just leave it bare.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

I used to have more MAC than anyone I knew, but with them being owned by Estee Lauder who has a pretty icky policy on animal testing, I gave it all to my sister because ethically I was getting upset using it. So right now my collection is pretty small, I'm working my way back up with Tarte and Stila!

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

LOL I don't even remember the last time I planned an outfit the night before! I always pick my outfits while I'm getting dressed.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Probably like once a season, maybe twice if I'm feeling adventurous.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I've been waking up at around 9ish lately, not later than that, and I usually fall asleep around midnight. Maybe a little later if there's something good on tv. 

18. How often or when do you workout?

I try pretty hard but I lose my motivation so I try to around 3 times a week.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right!

20. How tall are you?

5'6" approximately. Haven't measured myself in a while!

21. Do you speak any foreign language?

I'm almost fluent in Spanish :)

22. How many pets do you have?

Two if you count the one that's my sisters, we share a dog and she has a rabbit.

23. How often are you on blogger?

Oh goodness at least an hour a day.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

If I got any on mine I would :(

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I have a Stickie note on my computer!

26. How did you come up with your Blog name?

I love glitter and I love feeling fabulous! I used to be glitterazziandkisses which was half inspired by Ingrid on youtube, and half inspired by a Jeffree Star song that has the phrase "glitter and kisses" in it. He's my go-to for makeup inspiration. 

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

...Samsung Galaxy S3 ohhhh yeah. I'm saving up for a real camera. Maybe Christmas!

28. How often do you clean your house?

My room gets cleaned daily, and so does my corner of the bathroom!

29. What’s your favorite color?

Pink or black...or mint...or silver as long as there's glitter...

30. Do you swear?

If I need to. It usually just slips.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

It's kind of late right now, 11:34 where I am, so I'm probably going to catch up on my youtube videos that are piling up in my subscriptions page, then going to bed!

I tag all of you to do this along with me, then give me a link in my comments so I can check out all of your answers! I'd love to know what you all have to say!

Best Spot Treatment

Hi beauties! So I decided to write this post after my skin freaked out on me yet again, because I know many people struggle with those little blemishes that pop up right before important events. In my case, I have NYCC (New York Comic Con) on Friday, and I'll be wearing liquid latex to keep my mask on. (I'm going as Harley Quinn from Batman, I'll be the Harley with red hair in pigtails instead of blonde, in a black and red jersey dress with her costume's pattern and combat boots in case any of y'all see me and want to say hi...I'll also post pictures afterwards! :D)
So I know my skin is going to be incredibly unhappy with me, as it is showing me signs that it isn't too happy with me right now. So I've done lots of research on spot treatments, and here's what I learned:
There are plenty of spot treatments out there, but not all of them seem to get the job done. It's all what ingredients are in there and how your skin reacts to those ingredients!
When you're looking for a good spot treatments, look for ingredients that are going to antibacterialize the skin without drying it out. Sometimes dryness is good if your pimple is filled with lots of pus and producing excess oil around the pore, but most of the time, we need to keep our skin hydrated and that will help prevent acne because it is balancing the amount of oil that is being produced and pushed to the skin's surface.
Here's a list of some good antibacterial ingredients:
-Tea tree
-Witch Hazel
-Hydrogen Peroxide
-Honey
-Thyme
-Peppermint oil
-Grapeseed oil
-Grapefruit
That's just naming a few that occur naturally!
If you put tea tree oil or witch hazel on a blemish, it will help to detox the pore and bring down inflammation. Honey provides natural moisturization while still antibacterializing your pore...not to mention it tastes and smells awesome!
I would not recommend hydrogen peroxide for topical use on the face because it will probably be too harsh, however it does occur naturally.
Some other ingredients I have found to be helpful:
-Sulfur
-Salicylic Acid
-Aloe Vera
-Benzoyl Peroxide
-Kaolin clay
...It is said that benzoyl peroxide is too harsh on the skin as well and may cause redness and irritation as well as excessive dryness, but when I get acne I know that this stuff helps at least a little bit overnight and then I just add a little bit of extra moisturizer the next day.
Look for these ingredients in your spot treatments and you'll be set to treat those pesky pimples!
Just be sure to use moisturizer afterwards, because dry skin could lead to even more irritated, breakout prone skin!

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow Review

Hi beauties, I have another review for you today! There's a lot of controversy over the price and quality of the Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish shadows, and I figured I would try it out to form my own opinion.
I have a very mixed opinion about these. I have two shades: Metallic Lavender and Metallic Dusty Rose. I have both swatched below, with and without the primer they tell you to use them with...

The yellow star is what the colors look like when mixed with the primer. The swatches without the star are the ones that were just applied with my finger and nothing else.
They recommend that you don't use brushes with these because they are a really strange consistency; they're like a crunchy cream shadow, if that makes sense. It doesn't feel dry, it doesn't feel wet, it doesn't feel smooth but it also doesn't feel like you're putting chunky glitter on...I have to say you have to feel them for yourself to decide what you think it feels like.

So here's how I feel about Metallic Lavender:
I absolutely adore this shade. I have to say, it isn't really a lavender, it's more of a gunmetal grey with some purple undertones. In the packaging it looks much more purple than it does when you put it on.
You can see from the first swatch without the primer it looks like a shiny, fabulous grey that would be awesome for wearing out. I wore it to work and it got quite a few compliments because it's really, really sparkly. I put my usual Sephora brand primer underneath and just applied it with my ring finger (PAT, do not rub) and that's how it came out. I was so happy!
Then when you add the primer, you get a gorgeous opaque silver/gunmetal with more of a shimmer than a sparkle. I haven't worn this out yet, but I do love how it looks on my hand!

Here's how I feel about Metallic Dusty Rose:
No.
I actually really hate this one. The shade itself is stunning; it's a beautiful champagne pink with gold shimmer/sparkle. It reminds me of a MAC eyeshadow I had a few years ago and I can't for the life of me remember the color, but it was a part of their Halloween collection and they had gorgeous baked eyeshadow duos. *If anyone remembers the name of this collection please please please let me know!* It was my favorite eyeshadow in the world and it went with absolutely everything, it was so naturally colored but the shimmer made my eyes pop...I could go on for days about how much I adored that eyeshadow.
Anyway, this one is SUPER chunky. Like depressingly, foil falling in my eyes chunky. With and without the primer. So all in all, I'm incredibly disappointed. I don't know if maybe I got a bad one or something, but this color is gorgeous, just the quality and opacity of the shadow itself was not so great for me. There's such a significant difference between the look and feel in the two shades that I bought, and this one reminds me of your cheap first eyeshadow that came in some cheesy kit you got when you were 9. It flakes, it smudges...-sigh- I'm so sad.

So I'm incredibly torn about these, I may buy just one more to solidify my opinion. We'll see. I don't really want to spend another $30 on an eyeshadow but...for the sake of beauty! And you!

Let me know about your experiences with these, I would love to know how they've been working out for the rest of you!
Thanks for reading guys!

Soap and Glory A Great Kisser Review

Hi beauties! I've been on the hunt for an amazing lip balm for as long as I can remember. No, really, one of the first "beauty staples" in my bag was actually a Burt's Bees original lip balm. Which didn't work for me. Nothing against Burt's Bees, I love most of their products, but their lip balm was just not my cup of tea...my lips are so chapped 24/7 and that mint flavoring made the cracks burn like nobody's business.


Cut to a few years later; I have advanced my beauty collection, and with that, my lip balm drawer. (No, really, I have a lip balm drawer. I probably have about 30 in there.)

So clearly I have been around the block with my share of lip balms. There has never been one that I love more than I love the Soap and Glory A Great Kisser balm.

A close second would be the Rosebud Salve you see on top there also, you can get that one at Bath and Body Works and/or Sephora for $6, I believe.

Let's talk about Soap and Glory though...

This lip balm is magic. My lips are chapped beyond belief 24/7 no matter what I do. I scrub, I keep balm on them all day every day, and yet still, within a few hours, they're feeling like someone took a hairdryer on high to them. (That was a horrible visual but it's true) Cracked lips are so not cute.

I've been checking out Soap and Glory for a little while now, I picked up their Righteous Body Butter and their Hand Food, and I decided that since I'm always looking for a good lip balm, why not? Let's grab one. So I got A Great Kisser in the flavor Juicy Peach.

There are options now, you can also get Vanilla Bean and Peppermint (which I will be ordering as soon as I finish this post)...Vanilla Bean is a pink balm with gold shimmer and Peppermint is clear; Juicy Peach (which Sephora has been carrying as long as they've had Soap and Glory) is a pretty, sheer pink balm.

It is a tiny bit stickier than I would like, and I prefer lip balms in tubes, but with the quality of this one, it doesn't matter at all, I'm willing to sacrifice sticky fingers for fabulous lips.

I put this balm on before I go to bed at night and I wake up and it's still on! My lips feel so pillowy soft and hydrated...it's like nothing I've ever felt before. The cracks are virtually gone, and any that are left are dramatically diminished.

I'm rating this a 9.5/10, only taking off the .5 for packaging and a teeny bit of stickiness. It's totally worth it though, I promise. Just try it out and let me know how much you love it!

Cruelty-Free Beauty (Murad edition)

Everyone is always looking for a good skincare brand that's going to solve their skin woes. There are plenty out there, but not all of them test on humans instead of bunnies and cats! Murad, however, is an awesome skincare brand that only tests on humans, and they let you know right on their packaging.
I mean really, is the chemistry of a rabbit's skin going to react the same way to an acne treatment as one of us? (And our skin doesn't even all react the same!)

On to what Murad is all about...
Their products have won tons of awards for effectiveness, for every skin type from sensitive and redness-prone, to maturing acne-prone skin.
The company was founded by Dr. Murad, who is a dermatologist and considered a leader in skincare. He has patented tons of advancements in skincare that have saved peoples' skin and turned it around entirely.

I highly recommend this brand; I've been using there soothing gel cleanser for redness reduction, and it has worked wonders for my skin. Normally it is incredibly red, sensitive, and sometimes even so combination that I have oil slicks in some places and flaky dry patches in others. After using this cleanser in conjunction with the Murad Blackhead and Pore Clearing Duo (which is a mask and serum to clean out dirt and debris and loosen it all up and then a refining serum to seal the clean pore), my skin looks completely different in the best way! It's much less red, can handle the elements better without becoming red and irritated, and is all around much more hydrated and less flaky.

There are hundreds of testimonies on the Murad acne systems for clearing the skin that you can find on Ulta.com and Sephora.com, and I believe it! From my experiences with this brand, I would send anyone in their direction if they're looking for a legitimate dermatologist-based skincare brand without the animal testing.

Let me know if any of you have tried Murad products, which ones they were and whether or not you liked them! Thanks for reading beauties!