Boscia Luminizing Black Mask Review ♡

I bought this mask for 100 points with my Sephora Beauty Rewards points back in December and as of now I've used it four times. I wasn't sure what to expect since I haven't really used any masks before, especially one that's $34 for the full size which is 2.8oz instead of 0.7oz. It claims to brighten, detoxify, and purify to reveal softer, less oily, brighter skin.

When I use this, I like to put a Biore pore strip on my nose instead of this mask since clogged pores are my nose's main issue rather than dark areas or acne scars.

| Application and Formula |

This mask is black, thick, and sticky. I always leave a wide berth around my eyes since the first time I applied it, my eyes watered continuously.

I apply an even layer (or as even as  I can, obviously it wasn't perfect) and let it sit for about 20 minutes, or until the thickest areas are dry. I remove my nose strip first then gently peel off the mask, starting from my cheeks and gently rolling while pulling away from my face so it doesn't yank on my skin too much. I read a few reviews recently and most of them commented on the removal being painful but I've never had problems with it.

| Results |

I've used this once a week or bi-weekly for a little over a month now and I definitely think it has improved my skin! I notice immediately after removing it that my skin is softer and more even but over time it has definitely helped my hyper-pigmentation and overall skin appearance. 

I wish this wasn't so expensive since it works so well! I'd rather buy the small one for $10 every few months than shell out $34 since the price is about the same but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Have you tried this mask or an equivalent?

Thanks for reading!

xo Hannah

P.S. Ada (from my February Julep unboxing) is on my nails in the bottle picture!

♡ Kitchen Beauty Care ♡ DIY Lemonade Scrub

I'm starting a new blog series! I make a lot of inexpensive, easy, DIY beauty treatments and products using things from my kitchen so I figured I would share with you guys! So for now, but depending on the post, I'm going to be calling it "Kitchen Skincare." I'm not sure how consecutive they'll be but I'd like to spread them out a little.

I have "normal" skin (whatever that actually implies) that can tend to have dry areas around my nose and hollows of my cheeks during the winter months. Even so, I get enough dry skin year round that I always use a scrub (I did a St. Ives scrub post back in June!) and what's nice about this DIY is that it has exfoliating, acne treating, and brightening properties. Since I have self-diagnosed myself with hyper pigmentation (my face scars from everything), this always helps quickly brighten my skin while minimizing active acne and smoothing out dry areas.  Woohoo!

This scrub is so simple- all you need is some white sugar, lemon juice, and a few cotton balls. You can use organic sugar or whatever type of sugar you want, I think brown sugar would be okay as well if you need something less abrasive since it's a finer granule. I use generic white sugar for mine every night and it still doesn't irritate my skin. Also,  rhinestone kitty ears to hold back stray hairs are recommended.

| Scrub |
To kick off the scrub, grab some cotton balls or rounds; I use cotton balls since they retain more liquid. Using a bowl or pouring from the lemon juice bottle itself, saturate the cotton ball without soaking it unless you want sugary lemon juice (or waterless lemonade) dripping down your chin. For a more abrasive scrub, add more sugar (or dip it several times) to get a much coarser grit.

After that, all you do is dip or pour some sugar on it and scrub your worries away. I use four cotton balls total: one for each cheek, one for my forehead, and one for my chin and nose area.

Rinse off with warm water and apply a moisturizer afterwards! I use the Yes To Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer to help soothe any redness. For convenience, you could probably mix this scrub together ahead of time and keep a supply of it in the fridge but the sugar might loose it's abrasiveness from absorbing the lemon juice.

That's all you've gotta do! So easy. Also, bonus, it happens to taste good if it gets in your mouth somehow. If you try this out, let me know!

Thanks for reading! xo