Beauty Army June Box

So by now, you all know I love me some Beauty Army, some months I have had to skip because I just wasn't in love with the products, but the months I do pick...WOW! I've gotten some amazing HUGE (a lot of the times full sized) samples! 

I honestly wasn't impressed with my June selections at all but I REALLY wanted to try the Ruddy Water Fragrance Towelette as well as the EyeCandy Coolers.  After 2 days, I decided to order.  

These are the 6 items I chose for my June box.  

EyeCandy Eye Coolers - 1 Full Sized Pack (WOOT WOOT!)

Youngblood Mineral Primer - .1 oz

Pssssst! Dry Shampoo - 1.76oz

Ruddy Water Blushed Fragrance Towelette - 1 Towelette

Atopalm Intensive Moisturizing Cream - .25oz

Besame Cosmetics Crimson Cream Rouge

My EyeCandy Coolers are ADORABLE! They look like little cucumbers and after a day of work like yesterday, they sure were nice to unwind and relax with! 

I haven't tried my Youngblood Primer yet, I see AMAZING reviews on it, but to me it seems like just another silicone based primer to me. They usually make my makeup slide off within a few hours.  I'm planning on trying it on a day off. Fingers crossed!

The Psssssst! Dry Shampoo is sooo awesome! I've tried them all when it comes to dry shampoos, lately I've been using the Suave Keratin Dry Shampoo, it smells good but leaves a funky residue. This Psssssst! one is everything a dry shampoo SHOULD be! Gives my hair extra volume, soaks up the greasies (ew) and doesn't live my scalp feeling coated with mess! I will definitely be purchasing some full sized ones!

Unfortunately, I haven't used my Ruddy Water Towelette yet...I really want to but I feel like I'm just going to be so sad after I use it up! My good friend Steph from StephsBeautyYT raved about it.  I'm going out for a girls night tonight, maybe I'll use it then. 

Atopalm was picked for my mom, she has very dry skin so I thought this would be great for her.  So as of now, I can't really comment on its effectiveness. 

Disaster Alert! So I don't know what came over me, but for some (blonde) reason I used this OVER my setting powder on my cheeks! What a mess! Thank goodness I wasn't going anywhere else.  I then tried it on my lips and it turned them a beautiful red...my lips didn't feel dried out at all either (SCORE!) I will use this with just liquid foundation next time I'm going out in the sun :)

So all in all, I'm not wow'd by this months selection, but I am excited to discover some new brands.  

You can sign up for your Beauty Army Kit by clicking here 

Pictures of samples are from the Beauty Army website.

This item was purchased by me, with my own money.

Until next time,

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Video Review of Simple Skin Care

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Artisan Naturals Skin Care Video Review

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Acure Organics - Oil Control Day Cream Review

Happy Sunday, beauties! I was sent a product from Acure Organics to review for you all & I have fallen in love! It's the Oil Control Day Cream...amazing! I have super oily/acne prone skin (sexy, right?) and this has been really great, my skin is loving it.  I have been using this for well over a week to make sure I can get a good idea about how my skin reacts with the product.  

The Acure Organics website described this product as:

This easily absorbed blend of organic botanicals improves texture and tone while minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. The powerhouse combo of Co-enzyme Q10 and organic rosehips pack a serious antioxidant punch to moisturize and protect. Helps control sebum production while dealing with underlying dryness issues with an ultra-light moisturizer. Most people with oily skin don't realize that it can be from an underlying dryness issues causing the skin to overproduce sebum. Problem solved! 1% Chlorella Growth Factor

Awesome! $1 from each bottle is donated to BeBrightPink.org
a non-profit breast cancer organization!

This has a spearmint scent that is amazing, it makes my skin feel cool and refreshed, PERFECT for these upcoming hot summer days!  I have noticed my skin has had so much less oil after a few hours than normal.  I haven't noticed any breakouts & in fact, my skin looks so much better! My makeup has stayed in place and isn't slipping off my oily spots.  I usually have had problems with "creams" in the past as they seem to be too heavy for my oily skin, but not this one.  My skin felt so hydrated without being greasy! 

My one complaint would have to be the bottle...I love the pump but I'm not a fan of the glass bottle. This makes traveling that much more difficult (AND heavier!) I wish the bottle was in a different package :(

Overall, I am so happy with this product, this has been a lifesaver for my oily skin.  I will definitely keep this in rotation with my skin care routine.  I also love how affordable it is! $18.99...compared to other organic brands & just other moisturizers in general, this is a very good price, I was expecting this to cost so much more.

This, along with many other great organic face & body products can be purchased at the Acure Organics website by clicking here.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Comments make me smile!

Until next time,

Marina - mCubedMakeup

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Gud by Burt's Bees Review!

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Five-Faves-Friday Vol 7

Whoa! WHAT. A. WEEK! I completely over-exfoliated my face to the point where it was raw! Horrible! I was in so much pain and NOTHING seemed to help! I spent all weekend miserable.  I finally did some researching online and have been able to get my face looking semi-normal again.  The following items are what have really helped my face this week...I don't think I'd be going out in public if it wasn't for them! 

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry, Sensitive Skin

Photo credit - amazon.com 

Since I have the worlds oiliest skin, I was really freaking out when my whole entire face was covered in dry flakey patches! It literally felt like sandpaper. UGH! There wasn't a drop of oil on my face...since all the products I own are for oily skin, I did some research for the best drug-store moisturizer for dry skin...good ol' Makeup Alley led me in the right direction.  This thing is HUGE! It will probably last me 19000 years...it's really thick and I had to dig in there to get product out.  This immediately soothed my skin and has helped me get some moisture back into my face. I've been using it for a week and today was the day I finally didn't need it, I have a few little dry flakes but I was finally able to go back to my oily skin items :) 

Drinking Water

Photo Credit - aimfree.org

 Water is my absolute favorite drink, I drink at least 8-10 glasses a day.  For some reason during this whole "face trauma" I stopped drinking it...bad move, buddy! This made my face even more dehydrated.  As soon as I jumped back on the water drinking wagon, my face started to change back.  It's amazing what water can do for your skin.  Yes, I still had some dry spots but my skin didn't feel so tight as if it was going to split open if I smiled.  It really helped bring moisture into my face. 

Merle Norman's Aqua Balance Foundation

Photo Credit - makeupalley.com

I will start by saying this, I DO NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT SOME FORM OF MAKEUP ON MY FACE! With all of these dry patches, it was sooo hard to put makeup on, everything looked horrible.  I decided to go through my foundation drawer and see if I could find my most moisturizing one of the bunch.  I picked up this little guy and mixed it with my next favorite (Strobe Cream) and I was finally able to put my face on!  This really gave me amazing coverage without being too drying or oily.  I forgot how much I love this stuff!

MAC's Strobe Cream

Photo Credit - maccosmetics.com

I use this for EVERY single one of my clients...I think it is one of my top HG's for my kit.  You can watch my video here of why I personally don't use it on myself...well in this case, I needed it.  This helped deflect the focus off of my flaky skin! It made me look moisturized, dewey & radiant! It was the macaroni to Merle Norman - Aqua Balance's cheese! They went perfect together. This helped hide all my imperfections with the foundation. LOVE!

Birthday Cake Flavored Oreo's

Photo Credit - forked.com 

 "Oreo's again?! But they were in your LAST Five-Faves-Friday!" Yes, yes, I know...the horror! Well since I had a horrid face week, these little guys helped cheer me riiight up! They taste like the Rainbow Chip icing tubs with cookies!! YUM! I may or may not of eaten the whole bag this week...

So my beautiful readers, tell me about your week! 

Until next time, 

Marina - mCubed Makeup

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Indie Lee - Blemish Be Gone Product Review

This item has been purchased by me, with my own money. 

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Welcome to the blogging world, mCubed Makeup! Let's talk about SKIN CARE!

For as long as I can remember I have been reading blogs, twitter updates, watching YouTube videos...it's about time I start my own!  


Trying new products is one of my passions in life!  It's like Christmas morning every time I open a new product to try out.  I love helping out others and giving them my personal opinions on products.   I get asked a lot about my skin care/makeup routine.  My skin care is something that became a problem for me about 4 years ago.  Growing up I was blessed with perfect skin, no pimples, no oily T-Zone, no dry patches, nada...just youthful glowing skin...up until 4 years ago. Enter *gasp* here___. *DUN DUN DUN* I started breaking out like there was no tomorrow and I was a greasy oil slick! From then on I've been on the search for the perfect skin care routine.  As of today (I say today because like I said before, I'm constantly on the search for that holy grail product) this is what my skin care routine looks like:

Morning

Merle Norman Clear Complexion Gel Cleanser

I wash my face every morning with Merle Norman's Clear Complexion Gel Cleanser.  This stuff is great! It doesn't over-dry but it doesn't leave me greasy feeling.

Merle Norman Luxiva AHA Toner for N/O Skin

I then use tone my face with Merle Norman's Luxiva AHA Toner for Normal/Oil Skin.  This helps relieve any tightness and just gives me a super fresh feeling.

NOW 100% Grapeseed Oil

I moisturize with a few tiny drops of NOW's Grapeseed Oil, it feels very greasy at first, but after a few minutes of letting it sit, it just disappears and leaves my face radiant! I was very hesitant about trying this product because I do have very oily skin, I did some research (thank you Makeup Alley!) and discovered that this is GREAT for oily skin. I purchased this at my local health food store for $9.99, I've been told that places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's & GNC carries this. It's HUGE and will probably last forever and ever. 

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk (white bottle)

After cleansing, toning, moisturizing...I use this Biore UV Perfect Face Milk (another amazing Makeup Alley find!) This does come from Japan, so I have to order it on eBay, it's about $16 with shipping.  This says it's a sunscreen but it's not like any sunscreen I've ever used before.  It's very liquid-y and runny, it instantly mattifies and leaves my face prepped for foundation. 

Nighttime

Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths for Combination/Oily

I use these to take off my makeup.  It takes off even the most stubborn mascara and foundation! These are always going on sale for Buy One Get One 1/2 Off at Walgreens, they are $7.99 and the box has 33 sheets.

Merle Norman Clear Complexion Toner

I always use toner on my face after cleansing, this one has Salicylic Acid which is great for helping with any current or future breakouts.  

DDF Acne Control Treatment

I got this as a 100 point perk at Sephora and fell in love.  This says it's a treatment but I use it as a light nighttime moisturizer. It's great! I don't wake up with a greasy face either.  This can be purchased at Sephora $44 for 1.7 oz

So! There you have it...my very first blog post...and now you know about my skin care routine.  I will do a basic makeup routine soon! 


Until next time,
Marina - mCubed Makeup




NOTE- Merle Norman products can be purchased at the studio nearest you, they do not sell products online so therefore I can't recommend a link.  

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