Category: makeup

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Back to MAC

by Red Lips & Passports11 Comments on Back to MAC

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I was on the phone with my cousin a few days ago while rummaging through my empty makeup containers.  She couldn’t understand why I was working so hard to find what she considered to be garbage.  I asked her “Girl don’t you keep your empty MAC containers?” She quickly answered “Nah I throw them in the trash.” *FACE PALM AND FAINTS* I could not believe my ears!!!  How could she throw away free makeup??? Then I realized there must be other people out there that don’t know that empty MAC containers equal free lipstick! So, I feel its my duty as a product junkie to share this tid bit of information

Back-to-MAC is a recycling program that was implemented by MAC Cosmetics as a way to be committed to preserving our environment.  Consumers are encouraged to trade in their empty containers so that they can be recycled, and as an incentive they get a free lipstick in return (value of $18).  If you’re a bargainista like me, then free lipstick is right up your alley.

How Does it Work? 

It’s easy as 1-2-3.  Simply save your empty MAC containers (I usually put mine in a bin under my sink) once you get six, take the containers to your local MAC counter.  Trade the containers in for a lipstick of your choice (There may be stipulations that come along with limited release collections).  Some counters have even allowed me to trade my containers in for an eyeshadow, but I like lipstick better.

Note: Lipsticks received via the Back-to-MAC program cannot be returned or exchanged 

Save those containers guys and dolls!  Then let me know what color lipstick you end up with!

 

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Julep Maven Mini Review + Giveaway

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on Julep Maven Mini Review + Giveaway

I’ve been a Julep Maven for a few months now and I’m completely in love with it. 

The Julep Maven box is a monthly subscription that gives $40 worth of beauty products each month to their subscribers (mavens) for only $24.99 a month.  
Each subscriber is able to pick and choose what they do and do not want to go in their box each month.  If you would like to add more items to your box, you can do so but you will have to pay the extra cost (totally worth it).  I’ll do a full review on Julep soon but this post, is more about… MY LATEST GIVEAWAY!!!  

In an effort to spread my happiness with Julep to you guys, I’ve decided to give their September box away.  

This box has a $40 value and contains four Julep nail polishes in:

  • Delores
  • Julep
  • Zoey
  • Aubrey

Any nail polish created by Julep that is not red, is Vegan and none  of their products are tested on animals.

Here are the rules:

1. Follow @myproductaddiction on Instagram
2. Repost one of these two pictures
3. Use the hashtag #myproductaddiction
4. 3 entries per person
5. International shipping available at no cost to the follower
6. Spread the word!

GOOD LUCK!!! 

Until next time lovies…

Beauty, black girls rock, blackheads, comedones, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, makeup, natural, products, skin care

Silencing Blackheads

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on Silencing Blackheads

If I had to pick one thing that I hate about my skin its the blackheads that come along with having oily skin. I’ve always felt like having oily skin has been what has kept my skin to look youthful, but controling the blackheads the come along with  has always been a struggle for me.

Silencing Blackheads in My Bathroom

Since beginning my journey to obtaining flawless skin, I’ve gone through many products in order to find what works best for me when it comes to preventing and treating blackheads.


For some reason the volcanic eruptions known as blackheads love to pop up on my forehead and chin.  Anytime I see a mole like bump on my face, I know somehow a blackhead has snuck onto my soon to be flawless canvas.

To tackle this issue I do multiple things:

Change the Envirmonment

I’m not referring to Global Warming or anything like that, but what I am talking about it protecting your skin from items in your household that can cause blackheads to form.

  • Change your pillowcase at least twice a week.  Most people sweat in their sleep.  The sweat then is absorbed by our pillowcases and transfer back to our faces as dirt.  Many African American women do not wash their hair daily, so the dirts and oil from our hair is also absorbed by our pillows and transfers back to our faces.  This can play a huge role in the formation of blackheads
  • Clean your cell phone!  Our cell phones are dirt magnets!  We touch our phones daily with dirty hands, and when we talk on them the sweat and dirt from our faces 
Keep Your Hands to Yourself(off your face)

As stated in my previous post, our hands are dirty.  Blackheads are a mixture of oil and dirt that get clogged in our pores.  One way to prevent blackheads is to keep our hands clean and out of our faces

Develop a Good Routine
While it took a while, I’ve finally found a good product that helps me silence those ridiculous blackheads that like to hide on my chin, cheeks and nose. 
To get rid of my black heads I use two things: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay and Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar.  This is probably THE BEST face mask you will ever have and its all natural.  The jar of clay will run you about $8 but it will last you for years.  I’ve had my jar since 2013 and i have not even used half of it yet.  The Vinegar (depending on where you buy it) should be no more than $5 but it all depends on where you live.  You can buy any brand of vinegar as long as it is raw and unfiltered.


To make the mask, simply mix equal amounts of clay and vinegar together until a muddy consistencty is formed.  Then using a sponge, brush or your finger tips spread the mask on your face. 

Note: when mixing use a plastic spoon because using metal spoons will draw out all of the nutrients in the mask like magnet and then it becomes useless.


After successfully applying the mask, leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes.  You’ll know when the mask is ready to be removed because your face will feel really tight almost like a vaccuum and it will hurt to talk.  Rinse the mask off with a washcloth or Konjac sponge in warm water.  Your skin may be a bit red after, but that will go away in 30 minutes or less. For me, many of my blackheads are deep in my skin so the mask brings them to the surface but does not always remove them. So to get the difficult blackheads i use a blackhead extractor.  I got mine for .65 on amazon.com.   Wash your face with your normal cleanser (be sure to rinse with cold water to close pores) then tone and moisturize.  I like to use the the Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic as a toner because it is also made from clay and i feel it blocks me from attracting more blackheads.

Get into this Indian Healing Clay, I promise you won’t regret it.

Until next time lovies…



bblogger, Beauty, black girls rock, blogger, fashion, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, jacklyn hill, makeup, raven elyse, style, vicky logan, vlog, women of color

My YouTube Addiction

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on My YouTube Addiction
Last summer, one of my good girlfriends turned me on to Vlogs and Channels  on YouTube.  For those that don’t know, a Vlog is a Video Blog.  Its basically a way to follow every day people in their daily lives… kind of like Facebook but on video.  Anywho, since last summer I’ve pretty much been obsessed with them.  It started off with my just following one Channel and then that quickly turned me into a YouTube monster! I started of watching Vicky Logan because I loved her monthly favorite videos.  Then a few months ago she and her “YouTube Sisterhood” took a trip to LA for Generation Beauty  and they all did Vlogs documenting their trip.  So then of course I had to watch all of the Youtube Sisterhood LA Vlogs.  So of course I subscribed to them and then YouTube suggested more Channels and then my obsession grew even  more. 
My obsession  got so bad that I even stopped watching regular TV because I was too busy watching video after video on YouTube.  I felt like I had to watch every video each vlogger had (crazy  I know).  They all have so many good points and topics to discuss and I can’t help but watch EVERYTHING.
I decided to list my favorite YouTube channels for my subscribers because I have to share the wealth… I love these ladies and I think you guys will too.
 She’s a shopaholic just like me, so I love when she does her Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works and other shopping hauls.  She also has a series called “From House to Home” which shows the way she decorates the home she and her husband just purchased.  When it comes to home décor, I feel we have similar tastes so I got a lot of inspiration from her when it came to decorating my new apartment.  She is also a product junkie so I look forward to her monthly favorites and  GRWM (get ready with me) videos.
She’s a part of the YouTube Sisterhood I mentioned earlier.  Her weekly vlog “Ray’s Week” chronicles her weekly events.  She’s funny and extremely down to earth.  I feel like I never know what I’m going to get from her and she always keeps her subscribers on their toes.  I love her product reviews and her weave/wig videos make me wish I had hair!  Her sense of style is pretty cute too.

Out of everyone, she has to be my favorite.  Reason #1 is her faith, I love how much she adds her faith to her videos. For me, its a big deal because when it comes to my faith I’ve made some huge decisions that many young adults don’t understand.  So, its really inspiring when I find others that are on the same path as me. She does segments called “Vicky Vibes” where she discusses whats on her mind while she does her makeup for the day.  Everyone once in a while she’ll add a friend to the mix.  She does product reviews, shopping hauls and she and her husband have a cute vlog they post on Thursdays “Life with the Logan’s” its so cute watching their marriage grow.  They are newlyweds and they really inspire single people like me to wait for their perfect mate. Oh and she’s silly, just like me and who doesn’t love a silly girl!

I love her!  She posts all kinds of things from how to decorate your Erin Condren planner and how to budget for school to GRWM and favorite products.  She’s the reason I spent $40 on a freaking life planner… so worth it though. She does “Honeybee Hangouts” where she answers questions and gives advice on how to do things and handle certain situations which is always a plus.  She is the person that turned me onto doing surveys for extra cash on www.opinionoutpost.com (I’ll do an in depth post about it at a later date)

This chick is hilarious! I’m not just saying that because I’ve known her for more than half of my life. Unlike the rest of my favorites she doesn’t really talk about her favorite products or anything like that but, she chronicles her life and silly decisions in short videos.  Her most recent post about eating three donuts while she’s on a diet will leave you in tears.  The in your face approach she uses will have you cracking up for hours!
If I could be any youtuber I would probably be her (I’d keep my brown skin though).  I love her sense of style, her apartment, her dogs, her makeup collection, her closet… ok I just love everything.  She’s so super down to Earth and so funny.  She’s not afraid to be super weird and silly on camera and I love that.  I feel like so many of vloggers of the YouTube don’t show their real personalities so its refreshing when I find people that do.  I feel like many of the products she uses can be used on all skin shades so I don’t mind at all that she’s not a person of color.  
If you all happen to check them out, let me know what you think.   
Until next time lovies….
bblogger, Beauty, beauty blogger, clean eating, coconut oil, fashion, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, lifestyle change, makeup, marshalls, organic, shopping, skin care, tjmaxx, trends

Bargainista Chronicles: Coconut Oil Wonders

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on Bargainista Chronicles: Coconut Oil Wonders

During one of my weekly trips to TJ Maxx… 


Wait before I start, let me just say how funny it is how our tastes change as we mature and get older.  When I was a kid, my mother would drag me to TJ Maxx EVERY SINGLE THURSDAY because that was when the one near our house got their weekly shipment.   I absolutely hated that store because it smelled like leather, and for some reason I hated the way leather smelled when I was a kid. 

Ok now back to my story.  So about a week a go I went to TJ Maxx… like I do every week.  I went looking for a birthday gift for someone but I stumbled up this beauty…
Sonoma Harvest Organic Coconut Oil from TJMaxx only $6

Ok so when I tell you I SCREAMED when I saw this!  Because not only is it probably the biggest jar of organic coconut oil I’ve ever seen, but it was also only $6!!!  Now granted it was on the clearance rack but who the heck cares a bargain is a bargain.  So me being the obsessive compulsive person that I am when it comes to products, I immediately (well not immediately about a week later) went to the TJ Maxx near my job to see if they had any and guess what!  I found two more jars of this same brand for $6.  But that wasn’t enough.. So I walked down the street to Marshall’s (TJ Maxx affilate) to see if they had it, and guess what they did!  But listen to this… it wasn’t on clearance It was $9.99  #byefelicia  so i left it right there on the shelf.  Hmph *flips imaginary Brazilian body wave*


Ok back to the product on hand… So i use coconut oil for many many many reasons. 
  • Cooking: Mainly because its a lot healthier than olive oil and I’ve really been attempting to change my lifestyle and my eating habits.  
  • Hair Care:preshampoo, condition and oil these locks (lets pretend my hair is as long asAfrica Miranda)
  • Skin Care: When it comes to skin… OMG coconut oil is the beezneez you hear me? I use it for my dry hands and feet, as an all over body moisturizer, I add sugar to it sometimes for a good scrub (so great for lip scrubs), to remove my eye makeup, shaving, and to cleanse my skin! 

One of the things I love most about coconut oil is that a little goes a long way and this jar should last me about six months!  Coconut oil  has a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years so you don’t have to worry about having to use it up before it goes bad.

Until next time lovies…


bbloger, Beauty, beauty blogger, blogging, dirt, diy, makeup, oily skin, sebaceous gland, skin care

Look Ma, No Hands

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on Look Ma, No Hands

One of the hardest things for me to do is to not touch my face.  For years my mother has told me to keep my hands out of my face, but I’ve never been able to master that concept.

Our hands are one of the most germ infested parts of our body.  We touch EVERYTHING.  When you stop and really think about how many times you touched a door that someone else touched right after they sneezed.  Or what about when you drop a book on the ground, have you ever thought about how many times someone may have peed in that very same spot???  Lets face it,whether we mean to or not, we touch a lot of unsanitary things throughout the day.

When you think about the amount of germs that reach our hands daily you can understand why its important to keep our faces hands free!

I’ve listed a few fun facts (or gross facts) about touching your face:

Bumpy Roads:
 While touching your face doesn’t cause Acne, it certainly does not help it.  Our hands are dirty, dirty hands equal bacteria.  Bacteria from your hands can cause the bumps on your skin to become infected which could lead to the acne spreading and causing serious skin damage.

                  
Oil or Sweat?
The oil in our skin is produced by the sebaceous gland.  The sebaceous gland resides in a pore that contains a hair follicle.  Now, to the naked eye that hair can’t be seen but trust me its there.  People that tend to have more oily skin tend to sweat a bit more.  Since our hands dont have sebaceous glands, what we percieve to be oil on our hands is actually… sweat!  Touching your face with sweaty hands can actually cause further breakouts and cause your skin to feel much more oily than it really is.

Picky Picky

Touching your face usually leads to picking at your face.  Picking is probably one of the worst habits to have and to break.  As stated in my previous post i used to be obsessed with picking blackheads and popping pimples.  This nasty habit can lead to skin infections, acne scarring and other skin conditions like cystic acne and sometimes the damage caused by picking cannot be reversed.

Bad Habits Are Hard to Break!
Touching your face is an extremely hard habit to break,  even as I’m typing this I’ve touched my face a few times.  If you can’t break the habit then try to keep your hands clean.  Keep antibacterial gels like Purell close by.  I keep Wet Ones in my purse.  Wash your hands to at least 20 seconds before and after you use the restroom.   Keep your cell phone clean, our hands are dirty and we touch our cell phones a million times a day.  Many of our breakouts are caused by the oil that is transferred from our hands to our phones and then to our faces.   Also,  keep those pillow cases clean!  Change your pillow case every few days. I’ve heard a lot about acne fighting pillow cases but… I can’t recommend anything I have not reviewed myself.

What are your methods for breaking bad habits?

acne, bblogger, Beauty, beauty blogger, blogger, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, instagram, makeup, product junkie, skin care, social media

Creation of a Product Junkie

by Red Lips & PassportsLeave a Comment on Creation of a Product Junkie
Hi I’m Jennifer, a self proclaimed product junkie and acne has plagued my skin since I was 14 and I got my first pimple. I will never forget it was a HUGE monster that sat right on the tip of my nose. Of all places to pop up it appeared on the most sensitive part of my face.   I didn’t know what to do so I just let it sit there. And then, one day someone taught me something that would scar me for years to come… How to POP a pimple.   From then on anytime I had a pimple or a blackhead I used the disgusting technique of popping my pimples to get rid of the disgusting comedones that appeared on my skin. I had no idea of the damage it would cause me. I spent the next 15 years plagued by acne scarring and not knowing how to handle or treat my condition.   Once I turned 29 I embarked on a journey of obtaining flawless skin. I feel like beauty bloggers mostly teach their readers how to cover things up. But I want to teach how to treat and correct and THEN if you choose to, you can cover your newly flawless skin up.   I’m by far nowhere near where I want to be when it comes to flaweless skin but I’m definitely on the right path. On my journey I have developed a knack, well an addiction to products in an effort to find what works best for me. Since starting, I’ve picked up more than 80 lipsticks, multiple bottles of skin toner, skin scrubs and an obsession with picking up beauty products that I don’t need. Thus, My Product Addiction was born. I want this blog to be a platform for all of my addictions: food, fashion, bargain shopping, traveling and of course BEAUTY PRODUCTS.