Pretty In Bronze

Friday, February 03, 2017

My 2017 Beauty Resolutions

February 03, 2017 BY Amy Sousa 0 Comments

Hello! It's been quite a while since I've written a blog post and I truly apologize for that! I've had YouTube videos going up consistently, but I haven't actually had the time to sit down and blog. I pre-filmed a bunch of videos before Christmas, which is why all these videos are out. This latest video is the last one I had ready so I'm really going to have to learn how to manage my time.

I thought I'd make my first blog post of 2017 be about my resolutions. Mainly my beauty resolutions, but I'll also add in a few other ones! I've learned to make the resolutions/goals realistic and attainable so there are a lot!

Now onto the resolutions...

Skin Care (Face)

Prioritize skincare above makeup!
Find a pore-cleaning face mask/strips
Find a moisturizing face mask
Do nighttime skincare routine 6/7 days (try hard for 7)
Do full morning routine at least 4/7 days
Use up all of the skin care samples I've been procrastinating with

Makeup

Declutter all makeup that I do not use
Do well during project pan(s)
Throw out expired makeup that might break me out
Actually organize makeup efficiently

Skin Care (Body)

Moisturize after every shower
Use Egyptian Magic on scars
Try more of the Egyptian Magic Uses until most are crossed off the list
Exfoliate more
Actually use body wash every shower instead of soap

Hair

Coconut Oil treatments at least once a month
Frequent trims
Use Moroccan oil more (even though the price kills me)
NO LAST SECOND DECISION HAIRCUTS
Grow hair down to waist (It's possible with my hair)

That's it for beauty resolutions! Of course I have fitness, school, and work related goals, but those aren't as interesting (unless you want to know them!)

Let me know what your beauty related resolutions are! See you soon :)

Amy

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Egyptian Magic ~ Uses! (Will change occasionally)

January 25, 2017 BY Amy Sousa 0 Comments

Hello! Months ago I uploaded a video talking about the Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Skin Cream! At the time I had only used it for a few things, but on camera I tried a few things out for the first time. I said that I would put up a blog post with all of the uses that are listed on the website, along with an explanation on if I tried it or not as well as info on what happened if I did. It's a few months late, but here it is! I've also added my own uses at the very end (they'll be in a different colour). This blog post will change once in a while as I try it out for more of the uses or as my opinions change. I'll add the video to the bottom of this post, but here's an awkward picture of me holding the jar!

#1: Amazing moisturizer - Very true. I take a small amount and rub it between my fingers and apply it to wherever my skin feels a bit dry. This isn't my everyday moisturizer because I don't want to waste it, but when my skin is irritated from being dry this is my go to!

#2: Healing Burns - Thankfully I have not had to try this yet. Steven, however, is very clumsy and always burns himself so next time I'm going to try this on him!

#3: Treating Cuts and Scrapes - I have used this on cuts (my dog enjoys jumping on me and struggling when I'm cutting his nails) so this has come in handy. It definitely made the cut stop stinging. I did not see a scar, but I usually don't scar easily unless the cut is deep or if it's on my face (I'm looking at you acne scars!)

#4: Fading scars - I don't know why I haven't tried this yet. I think I'll start tonight on my face and my shoulder!

#5: Eczema & Psoriasis Relief - Yes yes yes! I have Eczema and this definitely gave me relief! Thankfully my eczema only lasts for three months out of the year so now I just have a few scars left that I will start working on tonight!

#6: Hair Conditioner - Again I have not tried this because I do not want to waste the product. I probably won't end up trying it for this, but let me know if you have!

#7: Lip Balm - This works pretty well as a lip balm! It's not my favourite because it fades off easily (I'm a lip biter), but as a lip mask over night it's quite nice!

#8: After shave - I completely forgot to get Steven to try this out. It'll be hard to convince him because he fears all things oil (he doesn't understand that it won't make his skin permanently oily)

#9: After Sun Lotion- Unfortunately it's still winter here and true sunlight is scarce. In the Spring and Summer I'll update this.

#10: Vaginal Moisturizer and Lubricant - Hahahahah yeah I tried it once. It works. That's all I'm going to say.

#11: Hand and Cuticle cream - Hand cream yes. Very nice and moisturizing and it doesn't stay oily for long so I can go back to typing and using my phone very quickly without any residue!

#12: Makeup remover - I have tried this one time, but I don't think I did it right (as I mentioned in the video review). I'm currently wearing a full face of makeup with a very hard to remove liquid lipstick so tonight I'll try this the proper way and I'll let you know how it goes!

#13: Eye Cream - I've tried this once, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. It might work ok for you if you don't currently have an eye cream that you enjoy. I actually have one that I absolutely love so that's probably why this wasn't my favourite.

#14: Massage Balm - Would you believe that Steven still hasn't tried this out on me? I think it's time to talk him into a nice massage.

#15: Tattoo Aftercare - I'm hoping to get my next tattoo in the spring or summer so I'll update you then!

#16: Diaper Rash - Unfortunately there are no babies to try this out on. I mean, there are babies, but we rarely see them so I'd feel awkward bringing my little tub and saying: "Does little ____ have a diaper rash? Let me know and you can try this out!" I'm sure I'll be able to try this out one day, but not in the near future. Probably not with the same tub.

#17: During and After Pregnancy - Again, I won't be able to try this out for a few years, but if this blog still exists I'll update it during my future pregnancy! I'm sure I'll be filming videos throughout since those are some of my favourites to watch! I'm weird, I know.

#18: Makeup Primer - I have not, and likely will not try it just because this doesn't work too well with my morning face care, and it would use up the product way too quickly. But I can see this being really nice for a natural day when you're only using powder foundation and a few other things!

#19: Hydrating Face Mask - I do want to try this, but so far my skin hasn't completely freaked out on me so I don't feel like using the amount required for this until then. Man I really haven't tried most of these!

#20: Cracked Heels and Elbows - This works well! I put this on my feet and immediately put on fluffy socks (I feel like those help with this) and at the end of the day my heels are much softer!

#21: Highlighter! - I tried this out on camera and was very pleasantly surprised by how pretty it looks! I wouldn't wear this on top of foundation as it may break it down, but on a no makeup day this will give such a nice glow! Recently I've been wearing makeup maybe twice a week so this makes me look like I'm actually alive.

#22: Brow Gel - I also tried this on camera and it worked pretty well! Again, I probably wouldn't wear this with brow makeup underneath, but if I just want to tame my brows a bit this works amazingly!

#23: Natural Mascara - Another use that I tried out on camera. This worked ok, but I don't know if it was noticeable enough to be worth it. You can be the judge of that based on my video below! You can skip to the last third of the video and see it somewhere near there.

#24: Dry/Cracking Dog Paws - Chewy doesn't usually get dry paws, but when he does I put this on. Most of our living space is covered in carpet so it doesn't leave any paw prints, but it does make a difference. I also put this on his nails after I file them so they aren't so sharp and it gives his cuticles a bit of a condition.

#25: Raw nose from having a cold - This past week I've been so sick. I've gone through two entire tissue boxes as well as one entire toilet paper role. This has caused my nose to become raw on the sides and it is painful. I decided to try this out last night as I don't wake up to blow my nose so there's healing time. This was so good! Anything that I would put on—including water—would burn. This didn't burn one bit and immediately soothed the slightly raw skin. I highly recommend trying this out if you get runny noses frequently. Especially if you live in Canada!

Here's the video! I don't have a speck of makeup on so you can truly see what it looks like :) All opinions are 100% my own. Just because I get something for free doesn't mean that I'll automatically lie about it. I didn't get paid to make the video or this post... or at all for that matter :D

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

hair reviews

Chorus Supernatural Shampoo and Conditioner Review ~ Canadian Company!

December 07, 2016 BY Amy Sousa 0 Comments

Hello!

I have another exciting review today! I'm especially excited because this is a Canadian company. I really want to talk about more Canadian companies on here and on my YouTube channel because I find that they're really hard to find and usually don't get talked about (even by the few Canadian YouTubers that I follow).

Chorus originally reached out to me about skincare, but since I have a good routine going on right now, I inquired about other products that they have. They were super nice and sent me a "sample" of their shampoo and conditioner. I was expecting the "sample" to be in mini bottles to use once or twice, but they're full size! I'm not being paid for this post and all of my opinions are honest, as usual. Even if I were being paid they'd be honest otherwise I wouldn't accept it! I just enjoy trying out new things and reviewing them so people will be able to do research before buying products :D

History

My hair is naturally SUPER curly. Like full on doll ringlets curly. Most would think that it's super rough in texture, but they're soft ringlets (that used to be golden, but as I got older it turned brown.) I no longer have that hair since I get Japanese Permanent Straightening done every year (which will turn into twice a year once I graduate and pay off my student loans). That surprisingly doesn't absolutely destroy my hair, but last year I went blonde. I started out with highlights and the second time around I was 100% platinum because my hair apparently turns white when bleached. The bleach ruined my hair so even though I'm back to brunette, it's not going to be healthy again for a few years.

Because of the state of my hair I'm super picky when it comes to shampoo and conditioner. I haven't used drugstore shampoos or conditioners in years. I'd always go for salon brands as they're a lot safer. When Chorus sent me their press release I was (and still am) super impressed! Their products are super safe with no harmful chemicals. They were also awarded the CertClean Safety Designation. Here's a chart that really shows how safe their products are

Impressive, right? Next up is my review. This was not love at first sight, but when I fell, I fell hard.

Review: Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner

The first time I used this I followed the direction on the back of both products. The morning before I wash my hair (usually in the afternoon) I load it up with coconut oil to help make it a bit healthier. I washed my hair once with the shampoo and followed the other directions on massaging the product in for a certain amount of time, and using the conditioner all over before rinsing. The back does say that you can repeat the shampoo, but I've never done this before so I just did my usual thing. This didn't work for me at all and I thought that it was just the product. My hair got greasy super quickly, but I know that sometimes it takes a little while for hair to get used to a new product.

The next week, since I wash my hair once a week, was a completely different experience! This time I washed my hair twice and applied the conditioner everywhere below ear level. This worked PERFECTLY for me! My hair did not get visibly oily until Friday, the day before I wash my hair (that's basically an entire week). The funny thing is that after straightening my hair it did feel oily, but that feeling was gone the next day and lasted until the Friday.

I dye my hair dark brown every month with box dye to keep it dark. With my last shampoo *cough Kevin Murphy cough* most of it would wash out by the third week. The Chorus Supernatural shampoo is super colour safe! My hair is still pretty dark and at this rate I feel like it'll last for at least two months. It's not as dark as when I dyed it, but that's because the first week after I dyed it I still hadn't received the Chorus shampoo and conditioner, so I was using my other shampoo.

Needless to say I'm really impressed with these! They are really gentle on your hair so it won't ruin it if you wash your hair several times a week (like most people do). My hair feels super soft and healthy (after straightening it) considering all of the damage that I've caused to it. If you have non-damaged hair this will make your hair extremely soft! I'm going to stick to washing once a week while I grow my hair out to reach mermaid status, but perhaps once I'm there I'll up it to twice a week.

Now for availability and prices.

The Chorus Supernatural "Gentle" Shampoo retails for $15.00 CAD. Much cheaper than my old shampoo and other high-end brands.

The Chorus Supernatural "Gentle" Conditioner retails for $19.90 CAD. Still much cheaper, and I run out of shampoo way quicker than conditioner. Weird, right? I probably use two shampoo bottles for every conditioner bottle, so when I run out I'll be buying it that way!

Overall I'm extremely impressed and will definitely be purchasing when I run out :) You can't beat that price, and in my experience with high end hair care, this is even better for what I'm looking for! Here's a picture of me from a few days ago. This was taken on Monday night, so a day and a half after washing my hair. I'm always on Snapchat and Instagram so you can see my hair there too. Snap is amysousa and Insta is beautybyamysousa (linked on the side--->) I'll also eventually (like several months from now) do a hair care routine so you'll see everything that I do to my hair from prep to styling to maintenance. But if you watch my videos in general you can see what my hair looks like there as well :) (Hint my next one was filmed with fourth day hair)

If you're interested in buying these products, check out Chorus' website down below! They are based out of British Columbia, but they do ship worldwide! They also sell their products in stores (in British Columbia) so you can check out their "store locater" page on their website. In general Chorus has been super friendly, which makes me love them even more! I'm a big fan of good customer support so this was a huge win for me! Here are the links to their website and social media profiles! And no, none of these links are affiliate links!

http://www.chorussupernatural.com/
https://www.facebook.com/chorussupernatural/
https://twitter.com/ChorusNatural
https://www.instagram.com/chorussupernatural/

Super Late Sephora Winter 20% Off VIB Haul ~ 2016

December 06, 2016 BY Amy Sousa 0 Comments

Hello everyone!

This blog post is obviously extremely late considering how long ago I uploaded the video... but I'm still going to post it! This isn't the most exciting blog post, but I wanted to give reviews a mini break (because I have two more coming) and bring in a makeup post! As most of you probably already know, the Sephora VIB sale just happened. I'm a regular VIB (one day I'll probably hit VIB Rouge) and I always wait to buy the more expensive items during these sales. I bought a few very exciting things that I've been wanting for a VERY long time so I'm going to show you all of it!

I'm just going to start with the most exciting item in my personal opinion. I finally bought the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation! I've been looking at this one for years. I've been through countless samples because I never knew my correct shade. Turns out I don't have a shade that matches me in the winter. Ceylan is the closest match for when I'm at my most pale, but it's still too light. I already have my Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in a light enough colour, so I bought my perfect match for the summer and fall: Stromboli.

Here's a little story on my shade. I ALWAYS thought I was a lot lighter than I really am. I watch a ton of light skinned YouTubers that fake tan and always thought I was the same shade as them. Wrong. Not only am I super yellow toned (most of the ones I watch are neutral or pink), but my Brazilian blood hasn't failed me in the tanning department. I always bought foundations that are way too light and end up looking like a ghost. I always had to pile on the bronzer. This past summer I was watching a video by Teni Panosian and she used the NARS foundation in Stromboli. Steven thinks I look a bit like her and mentioned that we're the same colour. I was like: "You're crazy. She's SO much darker than me." Steven made me look in a mirror while in natural light and that's when it kicked in. I am the same colour. My neck just happens to not tan properly, but my entire body is pretty tanned.

So I finally bought a foundation that matches me for a majority of the year. There's no perfect shade for the awkward in-between periods, but I can always mix my MUFE foundation with the NARS for a perfect colour. That or I can look at colour adjusting drops since they seem to be on the rise.

Next up I have an Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade. I've already owned one before and it's currently pretty much all out. I had the blonde shade from last year when I was completely blonde (never again) and I've been using it since. It surprisingly worked pretty well because I used the right shade for a brow gel, but now that it's gone I've purchased my shade for my natural hair. On my birthday I went into a Sephora and swatched all of the brown shades and decided that I would order Medium Brown. I'll be using this in tutorials coming soon as well as several of the other products :)

I bought something that I've never swatched! I'm really impressed with myself for doing it, but I've heard such amazing reviews that I couldn't help it with the limited edition packaging (and lower price). I purchased the Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in White Russian. I've heard again and again that Buxom's lip creams are the best lip glosses on the market, but I've specifically heard that this shade is the best. When I saw that the pretty packaging was also cheaper (for the same amount of product) I couldn't help it and added it into my cart. Here's a look at the awesome packaging and product.

Last but not least, I made a last second decision to buy a little set from Kat Von D. I bought the Bow n Arrow set that comes with a deluxe mini liquid lipstick and a deluxe KVD tattoo liner (my fave). I've been wanting to purchase Bow n Arrow for a long time and having a backup of the liner is always a good idea. Especially when I can get it at a sale. I've already used the lipstick once and it's hands down my favourite KVD liquid lipstick so far. The formula is much nicer (not as drying) and the colour is to die for. Needless to say I'm very pleased with my decision.

I bought a Glam Glow mask for my friend Bianca since she wasn't a VIB member yet, which put me closer to becoming a VIB again (she paid me for it). I only need to spend $72 to be a VIB again next year, so we all know I'll be doing that after christmas (if I get gift cards). I already have a few ideas, but please let me know what would be worth getting for that price! Otherwise I might not be VIB in 2017 until later in the year.

I hope you enjoyed this haul! Let me know what type of posts you'd like to see. I'll be back sometime at the start of December (After all of my assignments are handed in) probably with a review. See you then <3

Amy

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

reviews skincare

iQ Natural Skincare ~ Eye Gel and Acne Serum Review

November 02, 2016 BY Amy Sousa 0 Comments

I'm back again with another skin care review! iQ Natural Skincare reached out to me to test out some of their products. Because I already have a bunch of skin care in my routine I chose what I was missing and wanted for a while. I've always wanted an undereye cream or gel, but I never got around to purchasing one (mainly because they're usually super expensive). I also have hormonal acne that takes forever to go away so I mentioned that as well. iQ Natural was awesome enough to send me their Rested Eye Brightener Gel AND their 2% Salicylic Gel. They also gave me an affiliate link that will save you money if you decide to buy from their website! I'll talk more about that later in the post.

Here is a snippet about the company that I got on their website:

"iQ Natural's focus on certified Organic, high concentration active-naturals and holistic plant based ingredients has given clients both professional and personal use, a product with highly effective and health driven results for over 14 years. Results that can be summed up in the vibrant, beautiful, glowing and youthful appearance your nourished skin will emanate."

I love that the ingredients are super natural and once again there's no tea tree oil! Yay for Amy not breaking out into massive rashes! iQ Natural is also pretty affordable for the quality of the products. The packaging is pretty simple and doesn't feel luxurious by any means, but it's what's inside that counts.

The Rested Eyes gel is so nice! I apply this every single night (and sometimes in the morning if I didn't get enough sleep) and it absorbs really nicely. You only need the smallest amount ever so this will last you forever basically. I'm still only using what is in the cap and I've had it for over a month.

Claims: The website claims that this will brighten, get rid of bags and fine lines, cure sagging and even firm.

Results: This definitely made a few creases disappear. I don't know if they vanished, but I do feel like my undereye is less sunken in. It's like they've plumped up a bit, which is super nice because I look way less tired and those no makeup days aren't as weird to me! I also feel like this brightens the area a little bit, which is a plus because that means less concealer!

Ingredients: This is copy and pasted directly from the website so credits to iQ Natural for it!

Organic Herbal Infusion, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf (Aloe), Matrixyl 3000, Palmitoyl Triepeptide-3, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Globularia Cordifolia Callus Culture Extract (Plant Stem Cells), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber Hydrosol), Organic Simmondsis Chinensis (Jojoba Oil), Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide (botanical hyaluronic acid), Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Carrageenan Gum, Silk Amino Acid Blend (Sodium L-Pyrrolidone Carboxylate, Sodium Lactate, L’Arginine, L-Aspartic Acid, L-Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid, Glycine, L-Alanine, L-Serine, L-Valine, L-Proline, L-threonine, L-Isoleucine, L-Histidine, L-Phenylalanine), Wildcrafted Vinca Major (Periwinkle), Organic Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice), Wildcrafted Euphrasia Officinalis (Eye Bright), Wildcrafted Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi), Organic Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola), Boswellia Serrata (Frankincense), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin.

Packaging: The packaging on this is totally fine. It has a twist off top so everything stays fresh inside.

The gel itself is clear and has a light scent, but not anything that would bother anyone. All in all this is great and you should try it! This goes for $34.00 which is a steal! The time I came close to buying an eye cream it was for the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream. Do you know how much that stuff is? I was thinking $30.... NOPE. IT'S $66.00 and in my opinion does the exact same thing! So please, if you're looking for an eye cream consider this or something that isn't ridiculously priced because something being expensive doesn't mean it's going to work any better and I definitely learned this while using this eye gel.

This works perfectly fine under makeup! At first I was worried because this applies a bit sticky, but if you let it sink in along with your regular moisturizer it will be fine underneath stuff like primer, foundation, and concealer.

Here's a pic of the eye gel.

Now onto the 2% Salicylic gel serum. This is listed at $34.00 on the site as well. While this may seem a bit steep, there's quite a bit of product in there. The Salicylic acid that I was using before only had 22mL of product in it and it was $12. This has 33mL, but the ingredients are much better and way more natural. While Salicylic acid is the star of the show, there is also Hyaluronic acid and Pro-vitamineB5. For me this is worth trying just because I don't have terrible acne, but I do get spots when it's that time of moth.

Claims: This will help shrink and clean out skin pores that cause acne.

Results: This acne serum is BOMB. This will sound really weird, but I love that I can actually feel it working. When I apply this to any active zits I can feel it burn and it's so satisfying! I noticed that the zit was much smaller the next morning so it definitely helps shrink the zits. I can't really speak for the science behind Salicylic acid, but it definitely works. I also feel like this doesn't leave scars behind like my other Salicylic acid did. And I scar badly so it's a big deal for me.

I wouldn't recommend putting this on underneath makeup because anything with Salicylic acid in it tends to create a little layer of peely stuff (I really have no other way of explaining it) that won't stay put under makeup. I put this on every night after all of my other skin care is on. This is recommended to put on once a day either way and I feel like everything is more effective while sleeping.

Ingredients: These are once again taken directly from the website!

Water, witch hazel, denatured alcohol, willow bark extract, methylcellulose, aloe vera whole leaf juice, vegetable glycerin, salicylic acid, silver dihydrogen citrate, citric acid, potassium sorbate. - See more at: http://www.iqnatural.com/skin-concerns/acne-oil-control/salicylic-gel-clear.html#sthash.ARhZWWvr.dpuf

Packaging: The packaging is the only thing that I don't like about this product. The pump is difficult to control so it's all or nothing. By that I mean the product is either shooting out at high speed (beware the first time) or you're pressing too lightly and nothing will happen. This might be a one off, but I thought I should mention it!

Final Thoughts

I'm really impressed with the two products I received. I'm really intrigued now because iQ doesn't only have skin care products, but makeup as well! I highly recommend checking them out!

If you're interested, please check out the website with this link that will give you a discount of 10%. It is an affiliate link so if you dislike me, but want to buy something just google them!

I will be posting a face skin care routine next on my channel using these products and all of my other skin care products so keep an eye out! I'm hoping for either Saturday or Sunday!

Thank you so much for reading and Thank you iQ Natural for reaching out! :D

Amy