I Share My Insights On Men's Beauty Products and Trends: New York Post

I woke up today to find myself in the newspaper! I share to the New York Post my top men’s grooming products—Augustinus Bader The Cream, Erborian CC Creme, and the Jillian Dempsey Gold Bar—as well as insight on beauty trends reflective of modern society. 

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Buy or Bye? The Millennial Pink Beauty Products That Are Worth All The Hype

The holy grail of beauty products are the ones that you want on your vanity at all times - for the 'gram and for it's magical wonders it does for your skin. How does one distinguish the beauty product that does both? In the Instagram Era, you are never quite sure if the opinions on the product are authentic, especially when certain sought-after packaging traits and brand names often take the lead, instead of the consumer. After using these products for weeks, and some even a couple months, I'm dishing out which pretty products also make you look pretty. 

The Exfoliator

Totally dying over Drunk Elephant's T.L.C Sukari Baby Facial! Baby Facial has three of my essential ingredients when looking for a product that will get the job done; glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, and salicylic acids. This product is primarily glycolic acid as it peels your skin, killing dead skin cells, leaving your skin as soft as a baby... hence the name. The salicylic acid heals acne scars and destroys any remaining pimples, while the hyaluronic acid plumps the skin, giving it it's natural dewy glow. This product is a strong one, so incorporate it in your routine slowly, and know what ingredients do and don't work for your skin type. 

 

The Hydrators

Saturday Skin has been the latest brand I am obsessing over. Their sheet masks revive my skin after a long monotonous week of school, lack of sleep, and myriad of pizza consumption. I just throw on a brightening mask and chill out, and when I feel the mask getting a bit dry, I drench my face in their Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist - which is great to carry around for hydration all day. 

The Serum

Glossier's Super Glow serum gives me life... literally. The thing about this product that I love is that it give your skin instant gratification all while training your skin long term. The vitamin C brightens while the magnesium energizes, so to translate; you will look like the epitome of a Glossier ad. When Glossier sent me this serum, I was in love, and so were all of my friends and family. They all noticed a difference in my skin, complementing me on my skin's luminosity. You put this bad boy on before your moisturizer, then all your products glide on your face as the watery texture of the glow serum absorbs into your skin.

For extra dewiness, I love this rose oil, which smells heavenly, contains SPF 15, and is 50% off.

The Device

I Jade-roll so much that I can put it on my resume. This Mount Lai rose quartz facial roller is perfect, I like to put mine in the freezer and use it over a sheet mask, and also after I pile on all of my products. For those of you who don't know the many many benefits of jade-rolling; it reduces puffiness and inflammation, improves blood circulation, minimizes the look of pores, promotes lymphatic drainage, and relives facial and jaw tension.

The Lips

Chapsticks and lip moisturizers are a necessity for the cold Winter months. These are my three favorite that I keep in my bathroom, jacket pocket, and backpack at all times. (Left to Right) Glossier Balm Dot Com, C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve, Bliss Fabulips. 

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Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!

Mixing My Ellis Brooklyn Fragrances

In my previous blog post, I interviewed celebrated New York Times beauty columnist, Bee Shapiro, on her product line, Ellis Brooklyn, and now I am telling you about my favorite fragrances that I selected - and what I do with them. Ellis Brooklyn's products range from perfumes to candles to lotions, but what I really gravitated towards were their signature scent RIVES, and their newest addition, SCI-FI.

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All of their products are unisex, but as we all know, fragrances smell differently on different people. This is because the smell of a fragrance on someone is dependent on the PH level of their skin, and it's overall chemistry. When the perfume molecules react with the pulse points of our heart beat, the end result of the scent is determined by our hormones and our skin, this results in a particular diverse smell. No two people are the same, such that the chemical reaction that this gives off will never smell exactly the same to that of someone else.

I found that the scents I liked, RIVES and SCI-FI, smelled feminine on my skin (individually), although the ingredients in both, when mixed, complemented each other and alluded to a rather masculine aroma. RIVES's scent consists of neroli, lavender, and cedarwood, inspired by the French Rivera. SCI-FI is essentially the icing on the cake, figuratively and literally. The scent is similar to that of a whiff of vanilla cake, it is rather subtle yet sweet, making the mixture more lively and attractive. SCI-FI also includes bergamot and green tea. 

When these scents were mixed together, the leading characteristics of each fragrance created a prominent manly aroma, probably because of the natural nature-based ingredients which many associate with a robust figure, if you will. This mixture is the perfect combination for my skin's chemical makeup because of the perfect balance of masculinity with hints of delicate scents. The selection of Ellis fragrances offer a wide variety of natural unisex fragrances that are fun to mix and match, or wear exclusively on it's own. 

New YouTube Video: 5 Petroleum Jelly Beauty Hacks

Oil Is Not Counterintuitive When It Comes To Curing Acne / Oily Prone Skin

Acne has always been a battle of mine - despite it emerging rarely but always in the same stubborn vicinity of my T-zone. Sunday Riley sent the Ultra Clarifying Face Oil to me in the mail, and it has been such a lifesaver. These past two weeks my breakouts have been worse than ever, and my normal go-to products were not getting the job done. I always moisturize and dry-out my pimples, and the conflict is usually resolved within days. However, these couple of stubborn guys sitting on my forehead have not been bulging. With so many tests in school, my skin tends to mirror that of my stress level.

I had this unopened face oil on my desk for a little while now, and I had the perfect excuse to use my new goody. So I decided to breakout my Ultra Clarifying Face Oil from Sunday Riley (and yes, pun intended). I was a little skeptical at first, although, I heard great things about this product, I thought it was counterintuitive to apply oil on an area of my skin that was already oily. After I did my research, it actually trains the skin in producing less oil, causing your skin to breakout less!

When looking for a face oil make sure it is "non-comedogenic". Don't get scared by that big word - it simply means that the product wont clog your pores. This face oil specializes in getting rid of stubborn acne and blackheads by clearing congested pores with Salicylic Acid. Use this oil regularly about three times a week and allow yourself about three drops of the oil if you are using it on your whole face. And ladies - a cool tip that Sunday mentioned on the box is that you can incorporate it into your foundation.

When you pop open the oil it has a rustic plant-like scent and a green pigmentation. The green eventually melts into your skin, so don't be frightened by the pigmented color as it first hits your skin. This is all because there are a lot of organic ingredients within this oil, including, cucumber, black cumin, pomegranate, cranberry, apricot, licorice, eggplant, basil, turmeric, and  jojoba. By the way, I love jojoba oil because it resembles the oil that our own skin produces which helps maintain clear pores as I mentioned before.

After using this product - I highly recommend it. I thought I had my acne routine down but this was a total game changer in addition the drying and moisturizing of those little pimples. It turns out adding oil to breakouts isn't counterintuitive at all nor complicated to comprehend. Shop the product by clicking here!

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!

Spring Skincare Must-Haves

Hey guys! I think skincare is obviously important all year round, but as the seasons change, your skin does too. I think of Spring as the ultimate transitional period. The weather is really nice and calm, but can also fluctuate - today it was forty five degrees and on Sunday it was eighty three degrees. As a result, we have the tendency to breakout. If you were worrying about finding the perfect products, have no fear. The best SPF, moisturizer, face-mist, black-head remover, night cream, and more is included! Below I selected a bunch of different products that are great for Spring (and the Spring themed ones are my faves), that you can shop by simply clicking on the image of your selected must-have. I mean how cool are the floral printed nose strips from Bioré?!?!! 

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!

My 4 Favorite Carry-On Skincare Products

Tomorrow as I am flying to LA and packing my carry-on bag, I thought it might be cool to share with you guys my four favorite essentials to bring thirty thousand feet above the ground. First of all, when taking products they need to be less than eight ounces, so mini sized products are best! An important thing to remember when flying is that your skin can get super dehydrated and dry. So my favorite moisturizer and oil is a no-brainer. This moisturizer from Anita Celia MD is my favorite because it is light and gets the job done (bonus points because it makes my skin look extremely dewy). I love the rose stem cell oil from Peter Thomas Roth because of its smell, it smells like real roses and rose flavored pastries. Its extracted from six rose stems and contains SPF! I have talked about this oil countless times on Instagram and on my latest product haul video! But, before all of this I love to do a sheet mask. Sheet masks are so portable, easy to do, and clean - doing a clay mask on a plane is not smart at all. This pearl sheet mask from Tony Moly leaves your skin with a dewy glow! After all of these products, lets face it you are probably tired and you have the time to take a nap. I recently got a silk eye mask from Slip Silk Pillowcase. I love it so much - they are chic and soft. Silk is great for your skin, it allows antioxidants and amino acids to help repair skin cells, and condition your skin to keep it tight. If I have the energy and the time I also enjoy doing eye masks, nose strips, and/or a quick face mist. When you get off your plane you will look like you just got a facial! 

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!

Flawless Skin 101: The Product That Will Prevent Cancers and You Have It Sitting In Your Home

Hey guys! So as many of you know, I just uploaded my new YouTube video, where I did a huge skincare product haul. I briefly mentioned the importance of SPF, and I got a couple e-mails afterwards asking more in depth questions. I felt it was appropriate to make this blog post, since SPF is my number one secret to perfect skin.

Here on my blog, I am always talking about the latest skincare gadgets and coolest luxury face masks, but today I am sharing with you the most effective weapon of them all, and you all have it sitting in your closet or travel bag somewhere. It is SPF, or more commonly known as sunscreen. The power of sunscreen is often unappreciated by many. I am going to change your perception today in this blog post. 

Having said that, I have hated sunscreen for years. When I am on a vacation, my parents force me into smearing it all over my face, body, and especially my nose, to prevent sunburns and skin cancers (don't worry, sunscreen actually makes your tan last longer). Over the past six months, I reevaluated my perspective on the long term and also present effects of sunscreen. Consequently, SPF has been essential in my everyday skincare routine - even on cloudy and rainy days.

Here's why: UVB Rays from the sun are constantly damaging our skin. And with the ozone layer deteriorating, and with the lack of protection from harsh rays from the sun, our skin is mirroring that of the ozone layer. SPF is that extra layer of protection to help not only prevent skin cancers but even wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin tone, acne, oily skin, dry skin, and more! Whether you are a teen or an adult you want to prevent all of the above. Sunscreen or products infused with SPF are your secret weapon to keeping your skin flawless.

Even my favorite moisturizers and oils have SPF in them, and that is a plus for me! When shopping for daily products, a huge factor for deciding if I am interested in them, is if there is SPF in it. The Rose Stem Cell Oil by Peter Thomas Roth (which you can shop in my previous blog post or the "Shop My Favorites" section on my homepage) has SPF in it, and I love it because of that, the heavenly smell, and many more reasons! 

Anyways, there are different amounts of SPF in different sunscreens and products. SPF15 and SPF30 are most effective, and higher SPFs don't really work that well, even though any SPF is better than none. Also, fun fact, according to humantouchofchemistery.com, "...the founder of L'Oreal Company, chemist Eugene Schueller refined the invention and the first sunscreen made its debut in 1936."

I really wish that this post gave you a different outlook on sunscreen. This the first of many steps to achieving flawless skin. And when entering the battlefield, SPF is not your enemy. 

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!

New YouTube Video: Skincare Haul and Product Review

Recently, I visited Alison Brod Marketing and Communications's beauty closet, and received a ton of luxury skincare products! I selected my favorites out of the bunch that I got. Watch the video, and shop all the products in the carousel down below by clicking on the individual photo. 

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Let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below! Any feedback, suggestions, tips, and more. Hope you enjoyed this post. Stay Ruff!