So, at 29 years old you would think that would mean that I’m well past my acne days.  The key words here are YOU WOULD THINK.

It seems that, while I never had issue with acne as a teen or young adult, as a woman in my late twenties (ouch, it hurts to say that) I’m suddenly looking in the mirror going “Where did THAT thing come from?” Or, worse “where did all of THOSE awful things come from?”

I’m incredibly vain.  I am fanatical about my skin.  Looking in the mirror and discovering that my face has been overtaken is not exactly fun – so I end up throwing myself on the bed and pouting, all while trying to hide my face from everyone I know and refusing to leave the house.

And yes, I really am that dramatic.  Please, pray for my poor fiance’.

To make a long story short, Mom Central recently reached out with a campaign for Proactiv 365.  It’s like they knew.  Maybe my fiance’ contacted them on the sly.  Who knows?  All I know is that when they did, I wrote them back and basically said “OMG YES I WILL DO IT!”  Just like that, I swear.

I’m sorry, but I don’t have any photos to share with you from my “before”.  I know all too well how google works and those awful photos of me would be on the internet for so long that my grandchildren’s grandchildren will be pretending like I wasn’t related to them.  But trust me when I say it was not good, my friends.

I started using Proactive at the end of September on a daily basis.  I used the Renewing Cleanser, the Revitalizing Toner, and then the Repairing Lotion.  In a week I saw a dramatic improvement.  In 3 weeks I had totally clear skin.  Every now and then a small blemish pops up, but if I’m being honest, that’s probably because I get overly excited sometimes and skip a day of use.  And then I pay for it.

Here is a photo of my daughter and I from yesterday at the Pumpkin Patch.  You can see – my skin looks great (you know, if I do say so myself).

I logged into Proactive 365 to talk to a personal skin care expert who recommended that I use the refining mask on stubborn trouble spots while I slept.  Going to bed with white dots on my face was not so pretty, but totally worked.  They also recommended the daily oil control, because I do have trouble staying “matte” throughout the day.  Something about my clean skin increases oil production it seems – but who cares – I can go makeup free if I so desire again!

I’m sure you’ve been hearing about Proactiv for years, but tell me, have you ever used it?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Proactiv and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

The secret to beating the clock in the morning, is to rely on products that serve more than one purpose.  If you have a few multi-tasking products on hand for those mornings when you feel extra frazzled and frantic, you can fool the masses into thinking you were cool, calm and collected all morning long.

All it takes is 5 minutes (even less once you get the hang of it) to go from frumps to fabulous.

Here’s how!

Step 1: Apply a tinted moisturizer.  Tinted moisturizers are AMAZING. They are a true triple threat cosmetic acting as a moisturizer, sunblock, and skin corrector all at once.  They are also super easy to apply!  Just smooth it on your face as you would your daily moisturizer, and you’ll have smooth, even skin that doesn’t look ‘made up’ – Perfect for every day use!  Have an extra minute?  Spot treat with concealer applying it under eyes and on on blemishes.

Step 2: Apply a lip and cheek stain. I like Benetint, but for those of you that desire something a little more subtle you may want to try out Posie Tint (Benetint’s softer and sweeter looking little sister).  The key to applying a liquid cheek stain is to draw 3 lines on the apple of your cheek and blend!  These stains also layer beautifully, so if you’ve got time you can do a few layers to achieve the desired flush.  Finally, sweep the applicator over lips, and smush together for a natural looking pout that lasts ALL DAY.  Have an extra minute?  Apply clear lip gloss over the lip stain for a sexy shine.

Step 3:  Finish off the look with a coat of mascara (2 if you can manage it).  Have an extra minute?  Don’t forget to coat your bottom lashes with any leftover product!

That’s it!  Those 3 little steps are easy to do, and I promise that they will help you to look put together in the morning.

As an added tip, I personally find that it’s helpful to keep these products on stand-by.  Since I do my makeup in the bathroom, I keep these 3 items right next to the sink at all times.  This way there isn’t any fussing or finding – I can just get down to business – Which also helps to save a ton of time in the morning.  So, maybe you want to keep this kit wherever you get yourself ready in the morning…Bathroom, nightstand, glove compartment (in case you have to do this routine in the car), are all great places to keep these items.

My product recommendations for this routine are:  Josie Maran  Tinted Moisturizer, Sephora Tinted Moisturizer, Benetint, Posie Tint, Badgal Mascara, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.

Do you have a great tip or trick to looking fabulous when time is the enemy?  Share them in the comment section!

Also, I’ve been a busy little bee working on lots of exciting photo shoots and projects lately.  Check out my blog for some of my recent work!

When Erika asked if I’d start contributing to CSC I was incredibly flattered, super excited and also a little bit nervous. I know I’ve been doing the make-up thing for a while now, and I’m definitely a bon-a-fide hustler making my name in my own scene, but its always slightly intimidating to be the new girl. Especially when you’re the new girl on a website maintained by a really fabulous young woman who seems to have this blogging thing down a lot more than I do in my own little corner of the internet.

I do my best on my own site, constantly trying to strike a balance between personal and professional, and product reviews and beauty tips. Trying to find the appropriate balance on my own site can be tough though, and it often means that I don’t get to let my readers in on as many great products and how-to’s as I might like. So when Erika asked if I’d share my tips with you, I couldn’t resist the opportunity! Here on CSC I’ll be able to give you all the tips I have, even the ones that might not have a home on my own blog because I’m busy blogging about a photoshoot or recent work.

I thought for my first post I would share my must have mascara’s and the best way to apply them. It is one of Erika’s make-up obsessions, and it is also one of mine…And I think it’s the perfect way to get things started. If you too share our passion for luscious lashes, then you will love the following two mascara’s: Benefit BADgal and Maybelline Great Lash.

Benefit BADgal is my favorite! It creates thick and full lashes that look incredibly sexy on any woman! However, some of my clients and friends have complained that the brush on this mascara is too big and they aren’t comfortable handling it. My suggestion is to bend the tip of the wand. You don’t have to bend it a lot – Just a slight bend will allow you greater control over the brush because you’ll be able to twist and turn it in more directions than if you leave the wand straight.

If BADgal doesn’t work for you, there is always Maybelline Great Lash! There’s a reason that this mascara has a cult following: It does not disappoint! It’s virtually fool proof, and in my opinion is one of the most consistent mascara’s on the market. When applying this mascara, I recommend TWO coats applied one right after the other. You don’t want this mascara to dry before applying a second coat otherwise you’ll end up with spider lashes; And seriously, who wants spider lashes?

Note: If you’re already devoted to a specific mascara, you can still try my tip for bending the tip of the mascara wand. No matter what mascara you use, you will get optimal control if you bend the tip which means you’ll be able to cover every inch of lash!  Trust me, maneuvering the wand will be easy breezy with this trick!

That’s all for this week, but please let me know what you might be interested in reading! I’m really excited to have a new network of girlfriends with a love of beauty, and I hope that you’ll share your own tips in the comment section and also leave questions there about anything beauty related that you might want to see covered in my posts.

You are also welcome to visit my blog – Your feedback is appreciated there as well!

I look forward to writing, and sharing my tips with all of you!

About a month ago I started thinking that I wanted to have a regular beauty column here on Chic Shopper Chick, and I immediately thought of Jillian.  I was very excited when she agreed, so starting this week she is going to be giving you great tricks and tips, as well as recommending great products for you to use to spice up your daily beauty routine!  As a professional make-up artist and beauty blogger herself, Jillian is on top of all of the newest trends in the beauty industry and so I’m majorly pumped to have her writing weekly here!  Her work encompasses a broad spectrum of clients and celebrities including: Verizon, Rogan, LRG, Interview Magazine, CBS, the CW Network, FOX; David Allen Grier, Levon Helm, Santogold, Jennifer Missoni, Zuleikha Robinson and Freddy Rodriguez, among others.  You can see that she is very accomplished, and we’re thrilled to have her on board!

To hold you over until she starts posting this week, you can check out Jillian’s blog or her website to see some of her work.  Don’t forget to give her a warm welcome – we’re thrilled to have her!

UPDATED:  Do you have a topic or trick or product that you want Jillian to talk about?  Let her know in the comments here and she will do her best to answer your questions!