Behind the Scenes In Angie’s World ~ April 2014

I was on vacation last week so I didn’t answer any questions or add new posts, so now it’s time to play catch up!

The coast and a lunch pavilion inside Xcaret (the Disney World of Mexico)!

I spent a wonderful and relaxing week in Mexico with my family and some friends at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya All-Inclusive. The resort was gorgeous and only about 40% occupied so we had the beaches and restaurants all to ourselves for the most part! We took side trips to the Mayan ruins at Tulum, swam with dolphins and visited a park called Xcaret.

Lounging on my Balinese Bed
(with butler service!)
Staying out of the hot mexican sun!!

In anticipation of having crazy frizzy hair on the trip, I had an Aveda Keratine Smoothing treatment. I couldn’t wash my hair for 4 days, and then I couldn’t get my hair wet (which was hard for me since I love to swim in the ocean)! The treatment cost $250 and included the sodium-free shampoo and conditioner that Aveda recommends using so the treatment lasts longer. It’s supposed to last for up to 3 months and help my hair to be less frizzy and easier to dry and style.

Me with stick-straight hair immediately after the treatment!
Not my favorite look, and torture to go un-washed for 4 days, so the start was a little bumpy…

I’ll do a full review on the treatment when I’ve had it a little longer and have fully adjusted to it…

New Products/Makeup:

Before I left I spent a lot of time shopping for clothes for the trip, between me and my daughters, I made 3 trips to the mall in one week ~ Yikes! Why is it that kids always wait until the day before to realize their clothes from last summer don’t fit and the bathing suits are all crunchy??

While the girls tried on shorts I couldn’t resist stopping by the makeup counters to browse and ended up doing a mini haul between Mac and Estee Lauder.

I was only planning on buying a MAC Paintpot and the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup, but ended up with 2 eyeshadows, a concealer and a mascara as well!

The Paintpot is in “Soft Ochre”, it’s a matte pale yellow cream eyeshadow that I’ll use as a primer. The eyeshadows are both satin finish (a diversion from all the matte shades I usually buy) in Era (a soft brown), and Shale (a grayish purple). I also decided to try the MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer since I’m currently without a favorite concealer, so we’ll see if it works for me.

The foundation was one of my winners in last year’s foundation testing, but I never bought it. I wanted to bring it on vacation with me because it’s as light and sheer as a BB cream and so easy to apply with just my fingers. The Double Wear Mascara got high marks on Paula’s Choice for it’s wear and easy removability so I got that too. Be on the lookout for reviews on all these products in the next few weeks!

Acne Report:

I saw a gadget in a magazine that was touted as a “breakthrough” product in the war on acne, and the price was good so I had to try it. It’s called IlluMask and it’s a light-therapy device for daily home use.

IlluMask Annti-Acne Light Therapy Mask

I got one at Walmart and started using it the week before the trip. I thought it was working so well that I didn’t want to interrupt the results so I packed it back into it’s box and took it to Mexico! My family was horrified to see me basking in the purple glow every evening but I was so happy to have it along. I usually break out as soon as I go to a hot, sunny, high spf cream location, and I’m happy to report, I was new-pimple free the entire trip!

The anti-acne mask delivers a combination of red and blue light. There’s also an anti-aging mask that uses only red light. Blue is anti-bacterial, and red is anti-inflammatory. The mask is pre-set to deliver 30 15-minute sessions and when the counter reaches 0 it’s time for another mask, so it’s not as inexpensive as I originally thought (plus that’s a lot of plastic to put in the land fill every month).

I hope you had a great week while I was away, and that it’s spring where you are!