Is This The Best Day Cream? It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+Illumination With SPF 50+ Review!

 I thinks its the first time that I sit down and review a product the first time I try it, thats how stunning It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream looks and feels on my skin. I have been on the market for a great day time routine makeup, and this will be my go to. The finish is perfection, one pump gave me a medium to full coverage but my face still looked "natural". The best way to describe it is it looks like your Your Skin But Better! 

I love when a product actually delivers what it claims to do, after wearing it for around 10 hours my makeup never cracked or budge. Every other product that I applied after it went on flawlessly. I am really impressed by this CC cream, and even with such a high SPF there was 0 flashbacks. I am very curious to see how it wears on me when my skin gets a little oilier in the summer time, but that will have be another review... 

 I'm Wearing Shade: Tan
Skin Type: Normal Winter - Combination-Oily Summer

Heres what It Cosmetics Has To Say About it: 

• Full-coverage color-correcting cream, anti-aging skincare, SPF 50+ UVA/UVB broad-spectrum physical sunscreen and illumination for your skin but better!
• Drops of Light Technology™ for a lit-from-within glow
• Anti-aging peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, vitamins and antioxidants
• Delivers 7 products, all in one:
• Full-coverage foundation
• SPF 50+ UVA/UVB broad-spectrum physical sunscreen
• Brightening color corrector
• Anti-aging serum
• Pore-minimizing primer
• Dark spot corrector
• Moisturizing day cream
• Price: $38
• Sold Here: It Cosmetics Sephora Macys Ulta

Allure Best Of Beauty 2017 Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner Review... Is This Really Best Toner?

I have been using toners since I was in middle school, I can only be thankful to my grandmother for that. See most of what I know and do now is from watching her when I was little. She used to create her own toners from ingredients found in our kitchen or in our back yard. We had the most beautiful rose trees in the front and side of our house and she used to use them for her baths and facials. So you can imagine how hard it is for me to believe how a lot of woman still to this day do not use or some don't even know what a toner is used for. 

My Ever So Gorgeous Grandmother Mamaniña

Well I'm here to save your skin today, and thanks to Fresh you wont even need to plant a rose tree to make your toner. Ok before I tell you more about the toner I want to tell you what is the purpose of a toner (puts on Esthetician hat). 

The main purpose of a toner is to restores your skins PH. Our skin is acidic, when we wash our face with any cleanser (alkaline) the perfect balance which if you were to measure is between a 5.5-6  gets out of whack. Using a well formulated toner will help restore the perfect balance. When you wash your face and don't use a toner you are making your skin work over time and that may cause issues for your skin like over production of oil. 

Toners also offer so much more to your skin, its another layer of protection, it helps remove any impurities missed by our cleansers and so much more. 

Ok now I can tell you about Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner and how its a perfectly balanced toner. My skin is loving it so much, especially now in the drier months. I am not surprised it won Allure Best Of Beauty 2017 and I wont be surprised if it wins 2018 and the year after that and so on. Below is the description from Fresh. 

PRODUCT DETAILS

Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner softens the skin and refines the appearance of pores for a healthy-looking complexion. Infused with real rose petals, the gentle formula cleanses the skin, helping to clear it of surface debris, pollution particles, and residual impurities, while leaving it feeling refreshed and prepped to receive the full benefits of the skincare ritual to follow.

THE PROOF*

• Scientifically proven to increase hydration by 46% for six hours after application
• 100% said it helped clear pollution particles and residual impurities
• 97% felt it softened and refreshed their skin
• 94% reported it left their skin smooth
• 90% felt it was soothing

Price: $44
Available: Fresh Or Sephora

Repair Your Dry Hands With One Of These Amazing Products!

The winter months wreak havoc on my my hands they get so dry, rough and start to get darker in the knuckles. I have tried everything in the market to see what helps and I'm often left unsatisfied. I wanted to share with you all the 5 products that I use to heal and repair my dry hands. 

•  The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector is the first hand cream I bought and wanna know the first thing I did? share with everyone!! I had all my family and friends buying it, the not so secret ingredient that makes this hand cream so healing and hydrating is Hemp seed oil. Its really the best at hydrating and repairing my hands!

Price: $10 Currently on sale for $6

Sold Here: The Body Shop

• Mary Kay Satin Hands Trio was probably my second purchase after The Body Shop, its a classic. The Mary Kay lady did a demo using this and somehow lured me in to hosting a Mary Kay party and joining her pyramid scheme..... Well that didn't end well, but I still to this day love it and use it. The 3-step routine works so good on cracked dry hands. 

Price: $36

Sold Here: Support Your Local Mary Kay Beauty Consultant! :)

• Karuna Age Defying + Hand Mask is such a treat! I love using it after a warm bath and let my hands soak in all the benefits of the mask. The mask targets more than just dryness, it also helps brighten age spots, and other signs of aging. 

Price: $9.50 

Sold Here: Sephora

• The multi-tasker of the group Aquaphor, its really a great product to always have in your home or bag. 

Price: Starts $4.49

Sold Here: Target

• So there I was, 9 months pregnant walking around Home Depot choosing tiles. When I come across O'Keeffe's Working Hand Cream. I was hesitant to try it but I'm glad I did, it works like magic! 

Price: $6.49

Sold Here: Amazon 

Scentbird Bath & Body Care Monthly Subscription!

There are two things that I love in this world, body care and perfumes. Scentbird now has this amazing addition to their monthly perfume subscription. Four body scrubs, and six hand creams to choose from. I got to try four of their hand and body products and I'm in love. 

The hand creams are rich but fast absorbing, leaving behind silky smooth hands and an unbelievable fragrance. My favorite of the two is the Rose & Prosecco with its notes of roses, champagne and pink musk I cant stop smelling my own hands. 

The body scrubs are amazing, different from others because I found them to be more moisturizing then actual exfoliation but when I washed it off my skin was silky smooth and with a beautiful scent. There should be no surprise that my favorite one is the Coconut & Sugar. 

Its easy, if already subscribed you can try one instead of the perfume or upgrade your subscription to keep receiving the perfume of your choice plus a skincare or hand cream of your choice! 

Original Scentbird Review HERE 

Product: Scentbird Bath & Body

Website: Scentbird.com 

Price: $14.95 

My Pursuit Of Eternal Youth With Nurse Fiona Featuring: Viva by Venus Versa With PRP Facial Review!

Aging is inevitable. Aging gracefully while for a very lucky few happens naturally, for most is a choice. A choice we can make everyday when we decide to put sunblock in the morning before heading out, the choice to wash our makeup off every night, the choice to invest in good skin care products, the choice to try some of the many DIY's out there to help your skin look its best. One of the most important routines for me in my hopes of aging gracefully is having a good facial every month. If you have been following for some time then you know I love Nurse Fiona and her staff. They stay up to date with the latest and best skincare treatments and they are just the most genuine and knowledgeable people to have looking out for my skin. 

Two weeks ago I went in to try the Venus Viva with PRP facial, a non surgical skin resurfacing that corrects signs of skin damage and improves the appearance of acne scars. It improves the appearance of enlarged pores, deep wrinkles, uneven skin texture, rosacea, scars and stretch marks. Adding your PRP to the Venus Viva is optional but its so worth it. 

PRP is short for Palette Rich Plasma it is obtained by drawing the patient's blood, spinning it down in a centrifuge, drawing off the layer of Platelet Rich Plasma (rich yellow liquid). Fiona Drew two vials, one to apply with the Venus Viva and one to inject directly into my skin. The benefits of PRP are when injected into the skin it helps repair, rejuvenate and remodel damaged tissue. All this means is more collagen production in the ares injected, which helps with fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture, enlarged pores and uneven skin tones. 

Before Your Treatment: 

Avoid products like Retin-A, scrubs, sun bathing, and salicylic acid for at least one week before treatment. 

The Process: 

The Esthetician will do a skin analysis to determine what strength is best for your skin concerns and skin type. Then the Esthetician starts by numbing a small area on the back of your neck where she will test the strength to make sure you are comfortable with it and your skin has no reaction. If you are adding the PRP Fiona would have drawn your blood around this time as well. 

The Venus Viva treatment on its own lasts around 45 minutes, with PRP about about one hour and a half. The whole treatment was very comfortable for me, I would rate the "pain" level to a 1. The best way to describe the feeling is like light pins on the skin. 

The second vial of PRP was then injectected by nurse Fiona, the pain level for this part was between a 3-5. The eye area surprisingly was the least painful, around the mouth was a very pinchy and burning sensation.

The After Care:

My skin was immediately red and as the numbing cream started to wear off I can start to feel the "burning" and discomfort one feels after a sunburn. It also felt dry and hard from the dried up plasma.

As always the aftercare is all up to you, the results will be more effective if you follow the recommendations given by your esthetician and nurse. The aftercare is very simple in my opinion; No sunscreen for 24-48 hours after treatment so stay indoors! Use a mild cleanser for the first week or two after your treatment and avoid scrubs, or any harsh products. 

I was given a post care product kit to use the cleanser, I washed my face the next day so I can have the plasma doing its thing overnight. My routine convicted of only two steps; Mild face wash (Ormedic By Image) and a light moisturizer. 

Overall I'm satisfied with the results so far, I have some breakouts which is very normal after any facial treatment. The only negative I would say is my skin was not back to normal as fast as I was expecting. On day 6 I could still see the squares the laser leaves behind but nothing makeup couldn't cover. The whole process of the Viva was painless and fast, the PRP was a little more uncomfortable but very bearable. I can notice a difference under my eyes and in the brightness of my skin. 

I would definitely get the treatment done again every few months to maintain a youthful complexion! 

The treatment can be done every 4 weeks if targeting major issues, for preventative treatment it is recommended every 3-6 months. 

Where: Nurse Fiona Medical Spa HERE

Treatment: Viva by Venus Versa

Price: $500 

Add PRP for $300

Mention @steffanyschoice at checkout and receive 20% off your spa treatments. 

For more information I might not be including here or a list of contradictions go to the Venus Viva website HERE. 

DIY Of The Week: Grow Longer Healthier Hair Fast With This Overnight Oil Treatment!

I shared this quick and easy DIY to grow longer and healthier hair while you sleep. These are all proven ingredients to helps boost your hair growth, add shine, and maintain a healthy hydrated scalp. I recommend you do this atleast every other weeks for longer and thicker hair. 

In an empty container (preferably like this one HERE) I like to mix a one month worth of use. I also recommend using a shower terry lined cap like this one HERE. Let me know if you try this DIY!

Please Note: Due to the peppermint Oil this recipe is not recommended for use in the face, or anywhere near eyes. As always do patch tests if fear of allergies, or sensitive skin. 

For The Smoothest Skin: fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish Review!

   Smooth skin is life and a good scrub will give you just that. A good scrub needs the best combination of exfoliation and hydration. A scrub with no hydrating ingredients can over exfoliate which irritate the skin, one with too much oils, soaps, or other add ons can be too hydrating but not aid in the skin turnover we want from a scrub. 

What I love the most about this scrub is how soft my skin feels, and not a super oily and tacky feeling that some leave behind. A baby smooth softness that very few scrubs give. The best part is that the feeling lasts for days. Moisturizing after is really not necessary at all! 

The best way to describe the scent is "Sweet citrus" with a hint of peppermint, its smooth and not overpowering. I got a good 4 uses out of the 7oz size container and like to use it once a week, as the last step in my shower. I love it and recommend it to anyone wanting smother, healthier, and more vibrant skin.  

Heres The Description On Fresh.com: 

Brown Sugar Body Polish is the original, natural sugar exfoliant and the unrivaled treatment for supremely soft skin after just one use.

THE PROOF*

Proven to have a significant moisturizing effect for 24 hours

100% felt it left skin exfoliated, softened, supple, and healthy-looking while protecting against dryness

97% reported a hydrating, nourishing, and smoothing effect

94% said it softened skin after just one use and removed dry patches so skin is velvety and silky to the touch

Product: fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish 

Where To Buy: www.fresh.com

Price: $39 

Thanksgiving Giveaway!

I have been wanting to do a giveaway for you guys in a long time, because I cant think of any better way of thanking all of you for reading my blog, liking and commenting on my pictures on Instagram. 

As most of you know I love skincare, its definitely my number one love. I love it when my skin looks great and I don't need any makeup, not to mention that when my skin looks great it makes my makeup look airbrushed! So thats why I found it most appropriate to giveaway these amazing products to one of you. I took my time in selecting products I use and I can thank for my good skin days! 

• Dermaflash: Want to know how amazing this is? Check out my review HERE. 
• Dr. brandt microdermabrasion: Its one of my favorite products to prep my skin for makeup and I live using it before a mask as well. Find out more info about it HERE. 

• Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate: This eye cream works amazing at brightening my under eye circles. Find out more HERE. 
• Karuna Hydrating + Face Mask : Improves hydration by 40% and promotes elasticity. To find out more about this mask click HERE. 

• Cover FX Illuminating Setting Spray:This spray sets your makeup and also illuminates your face. I like using it alone when I'm not wearing any makeup for an extra glow. Find out more info HERE. 
• Lancome Dual Finish Highlighter Illuminating Powder: This highlighter is absolutely stunning. I will be giving the lucky winner which ever shade you want. For more info click HERE. 

I appreciate you all so much, and I want to take this opportunity to promise to always stay true to myself and to you. If you are reading it in my blog then its my honest opinion, wether they are paying me or no. I can not be bought and I will not talk about it if I don't genuinely and truly love it. 

To Enter: Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Like and tag your bff on the picture with the giveaway announcement. That's it! The giveaway begins 11/14 and Ends 11/23 Winner will be announced on Black Friday 11/24. 

The Sweetest Gift This Holiday Is At Fresh Beauty!

Shopping for the perfect holiday gifts can be overwhelming, there are budgets, taste, and so many details to consider. Well this post will make your decision making so much easier, Fresh Beauty has all your heart and wallet desires to give the most beautifully wrapped (Always Complimentary) gifts. 

If you follow my instagram or snapchat stories then you have seen me use and rave about their Seaberry Skin Nutrition Cleansing Oil and I have used some of their masks and Sugar lip treatments. So I was already familiar with some of their products, but nothing compares to shopping directly in their store. The smells, the decor, all the samples and they even offer a mini-facial!

The first thing my eyes were driven to was the beautiful packaging. The designs and color are the perfect blend of holiday glam and elegance. 

When shopping for gifts no matter what my budget is, I like it to have a great presentation. It also needs to look like it cost more then it actually did. 

The most important is that it needs to be a gift that will become a hit! I love it when I give someone a skincare recommendation, or introduce them to a brand and they love it. Its really why I love blogging and sharing! 

I got to pick out a few gift sets and thats when it got tough, I mean how can I choose from so many options! I think that the first one I put in my bag was this Body Care Besties set. It comes with their bodycare bestsellers: 
Brown Sugar Polish
Hesperides Grapefruit Shower Gel
And
Hesperides Grapefruit Body Lotion 

The brown sugar polish is like nothing I have tried before, my hands never felt smoother. What I loved about it is that I didn't even feel the need to moisturize after. Even after washing my hands a few times my hands still felt smooth! 

The skincare solutions was a must try for me, its their age defying best sellers. Who doesn't want younger looking skin? Inside; Soy Face Cleanser, Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, Black Tea Firming Corset Cream and Sugar lip treatment.  

The no brainer for me? A Mask Wardrobe!! I get to try their top sellers and decide which one my skin likes the best. The beautiful thing about them is you can also mix them and make them fit all your needs! The set comes with a Sugar Face Polish, Rose Face Mask, Black Tea, and Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy Boosting Mask!

   

 Last but not least Fresh Sugar Lip Lovelies, first of all the packaging is just too adorable. Its the perfect stocking filler, and whats inside makes it even better. A sugar lip polish, Sugar nourishing lip balm, and Sugar rose tinted lip treatment. 

I had the most amazing time and will definitely visit the store instead of shopping online from now on. The customer service was excellent, and they are so knowledgeable! I will be using and reviewing all the products one by one so stay tuned! 

Note: This is a Sponsored post, however the opinions are my own, I only share products that I actually use and give always my honest opinion. 

I Use Dermaflash To Shave My Skin And This Why You Should Too!

I remember the first time I tried shaving it did not go as "smooth" as I planned it in my head. I used a BIC three blade razor and well my skin did not react so well. I broke out, I even cut my skin (ouch) and took half of my brow off. Fast forward a couple of years later, I tried waxing the hairs off and this time it went really bad for my skin. I broke out like I had never broken out before and it took months for my skin to clear out. I was left with no desire to remove my little vellus hair, until one day years later my esthetician asked me if I wanted to add dermaplaning to my facial. I went on to tell her my past experiences and she laughed and said girl I got you. 

Turns out the reason I was breaking out before was very obvious, I was over exfoliating by using three blades. I also irritated my skin by using hot wax to my sensitive thin skin. 

I was hesitant but decided to try dermaplaning the fancy name for shaving. It was amazing, my skin looked radiant, smooth, more even tone, my makeup went on more effortless, I needed less product. The only downside was the price tag. It added a whopping $75 to my already expensive monthly facial.

I was shopping for skincare products one day and came across Dermaflash and well it made perfect sense to own this little tool. I can do my own dermaplanning at home whenever I want to and save money! I achieved the same awesome benefits as the professional dermaplaning at a fraction of the price. 

Dermaflash is easy to use, its a three-step system: Prep, Edge, Soothe. First, you prep the face with the included cleanser. Then, insert a new Edge into the device and using short feathery strokes, use the device on the face to remove built debris, dead skin cells, and peach fuzz. Lastly,  soothe the skin with the Hydrating Moisturizer

Here are some more tips to follow, for how to use your dermaflash and have the best experience with it: 

-Use DERMAFLASH one time per week for maximum benefits. 

-DERMAFLASH is for use on a woman’s face only.  

-Follow the three-step method: Prep, Edge, Soothe 

-Charge device overnight before use. Device will not charge with Edge in place.

-Insert a new Edge prior to each treatment.

The last one is the most important to follow, don't reuse the blades. This is how you can cause irritation and breakouts, the secret to dermaplanning success is always making sure you use a brand new blade and use awesome products for your skin to absorb and benefit from. Below is a video of how I use my dermaflash! 

I want to note that Dermaflash sent me a devise for me to try and give my honest opinion. I only review products I love and use. 

I Added Origins GinZing To My Morning Routine And Here Is What Happened!

 When Influencer notified me that I was one of the lucky ones to be chosen for a Origins Vobox I was pretty excited. As nice as it is to receive free products to try, its even nicer to receive brands you already love and trust. Origins make some of my favorite skin care products and I was very happy to try these ones out. 

They sent me three full size products to try from their GinZing line, a refreshing scrub cleanser, a energy boosting gel moisturizer and theirs refreshing eye cream.

Heres the description of the products from their website;

Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser $20.50 2 in 1 scrubby cleanser fortified with radiance-boosting Panax Ginseng and energizing Coffee Beans. Natural Jojoba and Carnauba Wax gently exfoliate to help unclog pores. Skin looks smoother, brighter. Feels perfectly refreshed. Plus, uplifting aroma of Grapefruit, Lemon and Spearmint perks you up so you're ready to face the day!

GinZing Energy Boosting Gel Moisturizer $28.50 This lightweight, oil-free, energizing moisturizer instantly hydrates and revs up radiance. It's fortified with legendary skin-boosters like Panax Ginseng and Coffee Bean. Lackluster-looking skin is rapidly refreshed and revitalized to create a healthy, vibrant glow.

GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream $31 Late night? Long flight? Look tired all the time? Our clinically-proven morning-after eye cream instantly reduces dark circles. Unsightly bags and puffiness virtually disappear. It's formulated with Coffee Beans, Panax Ginseng, Magnolia Extract and natural optic brighteners. Rapidly wakes up, refreshes and restores radiance to tired eyes.

Heres What I Have To Say:

Absolutely loved every single one of these products so much that they have been used almost lately for the past month. 

The cleanser is used by my husband everyday, I only use it every other day. The cleanser smells and feels really nice on the skin and doesn't leave the skin feeling too dry. 

The moisturizer was great to substitute my heavier creams to in the hot days, but still  leaving my skin feeling supple and hydrated. 

The eye cream is a holy grail for dark circles!!! My under eyes are brighter and I dint need as much concealer when I use it to prime my eyes. 

Overall this is a great line, I will not use the moisturizer if you have dry skin as it may not provide the hydration you seek for. I loved how my skin feels and I actually see an improvement in my dark circles. These three Origins Ginzing  products gets a 10 from me. 

As mentioned in the top these products were sent to me to try, however these are my own personal opinions.

The Makeup Eraser Review!

I finally decide to try the Makeup Eraser and I'm SOLD! My hesitation was obvious, I thought it was another "trendy" product that popular bloggers where talking about that would eventually end up being another too good to be true product. Well I was walking in sephora completely uninspired and unmotivated to buy makeup, yes one of those very uncommon days..... I decided to pick this and another product. If you follow me on Snapchat you know I have been on a no makeup month and so this sat on my vanity for a few weeks. 

Today I took the dust off my makeup brushes and decided to look put together, and I finally got my chance to try this makeup eraser towel. I had a full face of makeup and after wiping my face a few times with the towel wet my makeup was completely off. I was impressed but not completely sold, it still had to pass the toner test. I could not believe it guys The cotton pad was completely clean!!! I swear even after washing my face with face wash a few times I never had pass the toner test. 

If you don't already make sure you follow me on Snapchat (steffschoice) so you can see makeup hauls, reviews, makkeup tutorials and so much more!

Purchased: Sephora

Price: $20

Glamglow Giftsexy Ultimate Anti-Aging And Clearing Skin Gift Set Review!

I took major advantage of Sephoras 20% off event last week to purchase some of the products I have been hesitant to buy but found over priced. I had my eyes on the Glamglow masks for some time, but I'm very picky when it comes to skincare products. My skin has been acting pretty good lately with the occasional little break out here or there, not complaining at all since I know it can be 10 times worst. 

This set contains:

- 1.7 oz Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment 

- 0.5 oz Supermud Clearing Treatment 

- 1 oz Youthcleanse Daily Exfoliating Cleanser 

- Dual-ended applicator brush 

This gifts set is amazingly priced at $69 and its worth every penny, I have been using the cleanser at night time to remove my makeup and it does a really good job at removing my makeup and exfoliating my skin but also super dry so I will not be using this everyday. The masks are really with all the hype, I tried the Youthmud first and my skin was glowing, like even my husband commented on how great my skin looked. 

Today I tried the Supermud clearing treatment and wow I LOVE it too, I could actually see it working on deep cleaning my pores. After 10 minutes I rinsed off and my skin looked so much brighter and clearer, I took a picture (below) right after to show you the results. The kit comes with a dual ended applicator brush and it helps you pick up the product from the jar and apply it effortlessly. 

Overall I am really happy with this purchase and will definitely be adding it to my beauty routine and even in my studio to use on clients! 

Remove after 10 minutes 

Right After Removing it!