IT Cosmetics CC+ SPF 50 Review

If you know me, you'll know I have an obsession with foundations and I try out a new one every

months or so... Because I have less than perfect skin I use ALOT of foundation.
I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I do know a thing or two about good foundations for oily skin. 

I first heard about this product last year from Marissa Lace on YouTube and after 
months of putting it in my cart when I was online shopping then taking it out 
for one reason or another, I decided to just go for it!  

    

IT Cosmetics CC+ is a variation of a CC cream with SPF 50+ UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum,
which comes in 5 shades: from "fair" to"rich".  It costs $38 dollars and can be found at
Ulta Beauty. They claim the product is "Your skin but better" offers great coverage,
doesn't crease or crack, gives a healthy glow, is non-chemical , improves skin texture,
brightness and hydration, is anti-aging and gas a vitamin rich formula and of course
offers color-correcting benefits.

IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream comes in a cute tube packaging with a pump. The tube feels quite sleek and will fit into any normal or travel make-up bag. I love the fact that you can actually pump the product out instead of squeezing it, which is quite hygienic and mess-free as it won't leak. A small part of each tube is transparent, so you can always see the color of the product inside. 

This CC cream has a mousse-like texture, it is not runny nor thick but offers a comfortable feel and is quite full coverage which is a game changer when compared to the usual "barely there" BB or CC cream. A small pump is more than enough to cover your entire face, but I like to use 2 just on to be safe side.   

When it comes to application, you can either use a synthetic buffing brush or your fingers. I loved using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush  with this CC cream and it usually takes me about a minute or two to achieve a smooth, streakless application. Once applied IT Cosmetics CC+ feels great on the skin. It looks smooth and is very hydrating and comforting. It is lemon-scented but I find that the scent disappears after couple of minutes. 

 
Final thoughts; This is the best foundation I have ever used. I think it is actually helping my skin! If you are looking for a new foundation/ CC cream / something with SPF in it, get your hands on this product!

Until Next Time,

Bexs  
OTHER PLACES TO FINE ME! 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69ciSHbaybD-vM-qgAiGdA  
TWITTER : https://twitter.com/RebeccaAshBall
INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaashball
SNAPCHAT : @RebeccaAshBall

What I Learned in My First Months Of YouTube

I did something that for a while I thought I would never do, even though I’ve wanted to for so long and that was to start my YouTube channel. 

It’s been two month since I started YouTube! I’m am really proud that I’ve finally put myself out there.  While it’s not as easy as it seems, being on YouTube is totally worth it! I love watching the number of views I have increase and I love that people are watching even though I only have 17 subscribers.

I started my channel with the plan to weekly vlog and after a month I started with more traditional sit down videos, I have only done 2 but I hope to do more as the weeks go by! 

I have found that vlogging is a great way to reflect on your week/ month/ life. Before I started vlogging, I thought my life was really boring and plain but the more I vlog I realize most people’s lives are boring but it’s the moments in between that make it worth remembering. 

It can be very hard balancing my personal life/ work life and YouTube life but everyone I've spoken to says they've been there, so at least I know I'm not alone.

I have learned that I have to get better at capturing my day. I still forget to vlog a lot and I feel like I’ve missed some fun moments worth remembering. Another thing I learned is that not every video will be perfect, its hard to talk to a camera sometimes. Being active on social media is also super important when it comes to growing a channel. I don' think mine is growing very much now but I'm hoping that will change as I get better managing my time.

I know so many “big YouTuber” say this but, if being on YouTube is something you want to do, GO FOR IT. It is totally worth it. Some days it might take hours to film a single video, but that's Put yourself out there!  Now that I’m uploading I can’t ever see myself stopping. I’ll leave a link to my channel down below and I’d love it you all would watch!

Until Next Time,

Bexs

OTHER PLACES TO FINE ME! 
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69ciSHbaybD-vM-qgAiGdA
TWITTER : https://twitter.com/RebeccaAshBall
INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaashball

SNAPCHAT : @RebeccaAshBall

Enough is Enough: The start of change

Today has been a rough day, so I’ve decided to sit and gripe about it on the internet hoping to either reach someone who feels the same way or in the future to be able to look back on this time and smile cause it’s past me.

Found this on Women's Studies 240 group 

I have never been a person who has been in great shape. When I was “skinny” it was before puberty and ever since the boobies started showing my whole body started growing, except well my height cause I’ve been 5’2.5 since I was like 13… I’ve struggled with body image for as long as I can remember, sometimes it’s easier than others and right now I’m feel pretty terrible about myself and the way I look.

I want to start by holding myself accountable for the poor choices I make when I get hungry, or sad or bored or annoyed or anxious. I do eat “bad food” I don’t usually eat bad food constantly and even when I am on a heath kick I still manage to gain weight. I have been going to the gym more and doing more than cardio because I heard that helps. Now I don’t go that often, maybe like 2x a week. I really struggle with motivation when I still feel like a whale regardless of how hard I am trying.

Yesterday I bought Chinese food for dinner I only had a plate and I don’t see what’s so wrong about that. I don’t want to live my life on a diet.  But to feel comfortable in my own skin I’m starting to think I have to.

My mom has suggested seeing a doctor, maybe it is a thyroid problem and I am gaining weight because something is wrong. I also know water weight is a thing.  And I am a very dehydrated person so maybe my body really does hold in a lot of water and make me feel bloated. I honestly don’t know, I just feel hopeless.

Some days I feel like after I’ve worked out I feel “tighter” I feel like I’m making progress but on the scale I am heavier. It’s starting to scare me because I’m seeing numbers that horrify me. Maybe the scale is wrong and it’s gotten to my head. I know I’m not as fit as I should be so I am still going to work out. And once all the Chinese and junk is out of my house I’ll go to the store and buy a week’s worth of food, from frozen diet meals ( I know they contain a lot of sodium, so I promise to really up my water intake) to prepped dinners so I can’t just order out because “I have nothing to eat” I think convenience is a huge thing for me and dinner has been very inconvenient for me, which leads me to eating badly and at a time when I don’t know what’s wrong with my body I want to rule out bad diet being the reason why I can’t lose weight.

I feel like I should be honest with what I’ve eaten in a day and that will help hold me accountable for making a huge change and eating much better. I'm hoping that REALLLY changing my food intake will either help me lose weight or will rule out a poor diet being the reason I’m gaining.

I really just needed to moan, I know if I want to change I have to give it my all and not make any excuses but it’s easier said than done but I take control of my happiness regarding my body. Even if there are days I don’t eat as cleanly as I should. I’ll work out extra hard. This cycle unhappiness has to end and this post is the first step for me.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Until next time,

Bexs

What I Learned My First Week of Vlogging

I've done it! I picked up a camera, and started talk to in showing bits of my life to the world. Honestly I did it for me. I have been feeling creatively trapped lately, I have loads of drafted blog posts but none I've felt worthy enough to post. I've been feeling like my life was really boring and nothing ever happened, which isn't entirely false but I wanted to start filming bits of my day to day life to remember that I do things, they just might not seem so important right now. Who knows in a few years time I might be able to look back on these moments and smile. But enough rambling you came here to know what I've learned... Well here it is.

I learned;

1. Cameras are heavy! Holding a camera up and just heaving a chat is hard work.
2. Talking is hard. Sometimes you just have nothing to say or the words don't come out like you wanted them to. That's the beauty of editing.
3.Filming little moments of happiness make you realize your life isn't so mundane, for example, I went to the driving range yesterday with my boyfriend and his friend, while I was horrible at it and couldn't hit the golf ball to save my life, I still had fun watching them and it was nice to be off work and outside even if it was too cold for April.
4. I've got to do more after I get off of work. Granted this week I worked until 8 p.m. most nights I still need to make the most of my free time. I will have more to look back on if I get out there and live life.
and last but not least 5. I need to pick up my camera more. Somedays I didn't even vlog which is a huge problem if I ever decided to be a daily vlogger. I want to film almost everything I do so I can remember it in years to come and I'll certainly be working on that in the coming weeks.

I'm sure I have most lessons to learn when it comes to vlogging, and I am excited to learn them and get better at this whole thing.

Hope you will take this journey with me! Watch my first vlog here and leave me some tips if you have any and I'll catch up with you all soon!

Until next time,
Bexs

40 Beauty Questions TAG!

SKINCARE

-How many times do you wash your face daily? I wash my face at least twice a day. 
-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo) I have combo skin but typically leaning towards more of the oily side.
-What is your current facial wash? I use the Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Cleansing Foam 
-Do you exfoliate? I try to exfoliate every time I shower
-What brand do you use? Right now I am using a Neutrogena one
-What moisturizer do you use? I don't always but for my 2 favorite moisturizers check out my Skincare post!
-Do you have freckles? I have some on my nose but not a lot
-Do you use eye cream?I have been trying to get into them but I'm not the best at making sure I use all the skincare products I have
-Do you or did you have acne prone skin? YES at 24, I still struggle with breakouts
-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? Of course. It usually clears my face up but the second I stop using it and go back to a normal cleanser the acne came back!

MAKE-UP

-What foundation do you use? Tarte Rainforest of the Sea
-How about concealer? Maybelline Fit Me
-Do you know your undertone color? no
-What do you think of fake eyelashes? I would love to get into them!
-Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months? I do know that but I am guilty of keeping them a bit longer
-What brand of mascara do you use? I love the Two Faced Better than Sex
-Sephora or MAC? Sephora
-Do you have a MAC Pro-card? No
-What makeup tools do you use in make up application? I use a beauty blender or a face brush
-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? yes
-For the face? yes
-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)? golden or brown shades are my fav
-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? pencil
-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? hardly ever
-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? Pretty but I don't think I can rock pigments
-Do you use mineral makeup? I have before but I don't currently
-What is your favorite lipstick? Rimmel Kate Moss 107
-How about lipgloss? I don't really wear a lot of lipgloss
-What is your favorite blush to use? Becca Sweetpea
-Do you buy your makeup on eBay? No
-Do you like drugstore makeup? Yes, I don't wear as much drugstore make as I used to but I still love them
-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets) No
-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? YouTube is my makeup class
-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? I am a bit shaky as a person so sometimes I can get a bit clumsy
-Name a makeup crime that you hate? Not applying mascara
-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? neutral ones typically 
-Which celebrity always has great make up?
-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use? eyeliner
-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on? I do it all the time these days. I try to let my skin breath and honestly who always has time for a full face of glam
-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? no I don't
-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line? Tarte has great items in all of their ranges. I don't own a lot from any particular makeup line but if I had to pick one line to shop from I know I would be set.
-What do you think of Makeup? Its a great way to express yourself. Its addicting to collect and a lot of fun!

Wishes for 2016

I can’t believe the first week of 2016 is almost over! 2015 wasn’t a great year for me, I made some mistakes, but I learned a lot along the way. Life is funny that way when you think you’ve got a portion of your life all figured out… BAM a lesson in disguise comes you way and knows you on your butt.  Honestly only a few months of 2015 were terrible.. the rest were so, so.

At 23 (24 on Monday) I learned you don’t have to have your whole life mapped out right after college, it takes some people years to figure out what makes them happy and after thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life since I was about 13, I learned I might not know what I REALLY want out of life. That’s part of the reason I started this blog, so I could write down my life experiences, talk about things I enjoy and document things that make me happy so that I can look back on 2016 and smile.

Now enough of my ramblings on life thus far and on to the future.  Here are my wishes for 2016

·         Love my job- I started a new job this week and I don’t want to go into it with an end goal like I usually do. I want to work hard, learn, do well and enjoy my day to day work life.

·         Be a great girlfriend- my boyfriend has put up with a lot over the years and this year I don’t want to be difficult. I want to be able to just enjoy each other, go on trips, dates and makes really great memories. He’s my best friend and I need to treat him the best I can because he deserves it.

·         Get healthy- now I know this is as cliché as they come but I honestly have to get a grip this year. After months for stress eating and being a sloth, I’ve vowed to finally get my body to a place where I am comfortable in a bathing suit, wearing tank and being in full body photos.

·         Make friends- I have lost touch with most of the people I was once close with, between schedules distance or what have you I have left myself pretty isolated. It’s harder to find friends once school is over… I need to make an effort to be sociable!

·         Try to be more organized- those who know me say I’m a messy person and I want that to change because though it usually doesn’t bother me when things are in my controlled chaos, I do hit a breaking point and have a cleaning meltdown. I’d like to avoid some of those this year with a little more efforts to tidy up!

·         Be better at make-up- the addiction to beauty is stronger than ever and with my ever-growing collection I want to be able to do make-up at a higher level.

·         Grow my blog- I have loved working on this for the past few months and I hope to continue to grow talk with other bloggers and make something out of this little “passion project.” Now that I am working I’ve decided that rather than rush content I am going to scale back my posting to once a week on Friday's.

That’s everything I wish for this year. Let me know in the comments what some of your wishes for 2016 are! Hope you’re having a great new year!

Until next time,

Bexs

Follow me on Instagram & Twitter @RebeccaAshBall

The Christmas Tag

It’s almost Christmas!

Today I really wanted to do the Christmas tag, 1. because I'm trying to get into the festive spirit and 2. because the post I planned isn't turing out so great because the lighting for my photos is rubbish because its gray outside. So with less than 10 days till Christmas, let’s get started!

1. What is your favorite Christmas film?

The Santa Clause is probably my favorite movie. Tim Allen is the perfect Santa to me. And something about it and the idea of believing in someone so much regardless of what others may say really warms my heart! 

2. Have you ever had a White Christmas?

I was born in Upstate NY so yes I have had a White Christmas before :) When we moved to South Carolina I think I lost a little bit of the Christmas spirit because to me part of the wonder of Christmas come from snow and cold weather! 

3. Where do you usually spend your holiday?

I spend Christmas at my mom'shouse, then usually go to my boyfriend's parents in the afternoon. But this year they won't be home so we are going to my sister's family's house and my whole family will be there which is strange because I haven't spent a Christmas with my mom, dad and 

 all together for like 10 years! 

4. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Where Are You Christmas? By Cindi Lou Who or Faith Hill either version is GREAT.

5. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

My mom usually buys us all matching Christmas PJ's but I think as our family grows it gets harder so this year she's skipping it and giving us shirts to take a family photo with instead. 

6. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

In no order.... Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid Donner, Vixen, Blitzen and Rudolph

7. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

Giving everyone their gifts! I love seeing what everyone got and seeing how excited they are for their new things!

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake :(

9. What is your all-time favorite holiday sweet treat?

Peanut Butter Blossoms! This year my boyfriend made them instead of his mom and they were TERRRRRIBLE but usually those are my favorite treats. 

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

Giving, I love shopping for things so I really like buying presents for people but also because I hate being surprised with gifts. I hype up possible gifts in my head too much and am usually disappointed when I don't get some of the things I think I am going to get. I know sounds really Bratty but you said to be honest.

11. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

My first ever necklace from Tiffany's from my boyfriend. If you know me well you'll know I love Tiffany and Co (I hate surprises like I said so I picked my gift out!)  I am horrible at losing jewelry but I actually do still have the charm part of the necklace, the chain got caught in something and broke a few years ago and I have yet to replace it with a long enough chain to wear it. I should get on that!

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

New York. I love the lights and the sparkle of the city! Plus it's cold and like I said that makes me feel super Christmassy! 

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I wouldn't say I am a pro but I do a better job than my mother who just puts everything in gift bags!

14. Most memorable Holiday moment?

I'm not sure I have one. I enjoy the holidays for the whole experience not a single moment really stands out to me as being the most memorable! 

15. What made you realize the truth about Santa?

When I was 6 or 7, I overheard my mom on the phone talking to my Grandma. I rudely then ruined it for my older sister. She wouldn't believe me at first so I told her to sleep in my room on Christmas Eve and I'd show her... We then waited until we were supposed to be asleep and heard movement at the other end of the house... we snuck down the long haul where at the end of it were our parents putting all the gifts under the tree... I should have known after seeing my first Christmas film though since in the movies santa wraps presents and at my house they were in gift bags haha.

16. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Yes. Most of the time I forget about them and don't follow through. I had a rubbish 2015 so this time around I am making it my goal to make some good resolutions and change my life for the better in 2016! 

17. What makes the holidays special for you?

Being able to get away from all the stress life and concentrate on the people I love. I also enjoy this time of year because it can be the start of a change.. with new things like presents and new goals with resolutions the holidays can be magical if you let them be.

That is my Christmas tag! If you want to answer them too, either reply in the comments or if you have your own blog, post them and put the link in the comments or if you are on YouTube, post a video and put the link in the comments. I want to know more about you!

Until Next time,

Bexs

Follow me on Twitter & Instagram @RebeccaAshBall