The past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about how all of you watching these videos don’t get to see my flaws because 1) the camera is very deceiving, and 2) I always have makeup on. I am so flattered by your comments, but I feel that you’re getting a one-sided look at me. I am not perfect by any means; I love makeup and the power it has to make all of us look and feel more beautiful, and I do these videos to share that with all of you. But the truth is, behind the sexy cat eyes, bronzer, and red lipstick, I break out and have bad days just like anyone else!

So I decided to show you how I really look without anything on my face.

I also wanted to do a Quick & Dirty Review of Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which is AMAZING. If you can only buy one product for your face, this is the one you have to get!

If you have any of your own skincare tips, leave them below; we’re a community and we need to help each other out! And, as always, leave your suggestions for what you want to see on CC Beauty Live!!

The cool days are officially starting, and here at Syracuse that means the cold days are just around the corner.  I can just feel the winter depression setting in, and my skin feels the same way.  My hands are already dry and eczema is surfacing.  Yeah, I think that definitely makes someone wanna hold my hand…if that someone also happens to have winter lizardy skin.

As if losing your summer bronze glow isn’t bad enough, the cold wind and weather does some serious damageto your skin. And your precious face and dainty hands get the worst of it, as they most often feel the harshness of the cold air. So how can you protect your skin without staying in your room all day? (No, that isn’t an option; professors don’t care about your skin that much.)

Below are some suggestions to get your skin back to the baby’s-bottom-soft feel of summer. No more cracking, flaking or drying out this winter, women.

Hands: If your skin is only mildly dry or you just want to prevent it from happening, a thick cream will do the trick.  Try L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream or Bliss’ High Intensity Hand Cream. And keep that stuff with you wherever you go; skin dries out quickly in the winter-time and you want to be prepared.

If your hands are cracky or you have eczema, you know that Cortisone ointment can be helpful but sticky.  So try mixing together the ointment with an unscented lotion like Cetaphil.  If your hands are really bad, apply petroleum jelly before you go to bed under some white cotton gloves (this both traps in all that moisture…and prevents you from making a serious jelly mess all over your bed). When you wake up it will be worth the annoyance, because your skin will be way softer.  Read More »

We all know the benefits of using a facial scrub: it sloughs off dead skin cells letting your beautiful fresh face show through; and also gets really deep into your pores to get rid of oil, makeup and other gross build-up. I love all the good that a facial scrub can do, but I’m tired of rubbing my face with a sandy, painful scrub!

I have been looking high and low for a facial scrub that doesn’t feel like i just rubbed sandpaper all over my face. And I finally found it.

This is another Mario Badescu product (what can I say? Mario knows what he’s doing!) that works, smells great, and is affordable! Now we can all get the perfect skin without feeling like we’re scratching off our faces in the process.

So I’m taking a break from makeup and hair tips because I have a major idea block, and I wanted to add product reviews into our weekly meetings. I know what it’s like to see new products on store shelves and not want to waste money on something that could totally suck, so let me know what you’re looking for. I’ll tell you if it’s worth the money and, if not, what product is. So post ideas of tips, looks, and reviews that you want to see from me!

In the meantime, this week I’m reviewing one of my favorite products: Mario Badescu’s Whitening Mask. It’s totes amazing and will leave your skin looking faboosh! Yeah, I just said faboosh. It’s the only way to describe the miracle-worker that is Mario Badescu.