Rosanna's Favorite Suncreens for the Face ~

Hello darlings, 

Today, let's talk sunscreen. 

Sunscreen, ah, sunscreen... the most powerful tool in fighting to good fight against wrinkly, hyperpigmentated skin, is not always utilized or appreciated by many people. As I love to talk about skincare, I'm always surprised when a friend reveals to me they do not use sunscreen. It's shocking to me! 

How I feel about not using sunscreen, is how I feel about smokers. You read in all the magazines that smoking is bad for you, yet people still do it because smoking feels good. Same goes for sunscreen. Beauty magazines are always stressing the importance of using sunscreen on a daily basis, yet some people still choose not to, because a sunscreen-less face feels better. Let's admit it, some sunscreens can leave your face feeling like a grease ball for the whole day. Every product with SPF in it, FEELS like there's SPF in it! There's a distinct smell, and chalky feel to sunscreens. I used to hate wearing sunscreen. 

That is... until I found a new breed of sunscreen. 

Meet CoTZ

And this is Willa

CoTZ (bottom) Willa (top)

From the moment I first squeezed out my first droplet of CoTZ sunscreen, I knew my sunscreen game would be changed forever. The texture was nothing like I've experienced before. CoTZ is airy, light, fluffy... goes onto your skin like a cloud, and does not leave a trace of shine. 

Willa is similar to CoTZ. My sister gave me my first bottle of Willa sunscreen, telling me how amazing it was. When I first pumped it out, the texture was very similar to CoTZ, which surprised me. It was as if I had spent my 24 years of existence having never met any unicorns, only hearing of their existence from movies and books... and then suddenly meeting two unicorns at once! It was a miracle. 

Texture

As I was saying, the Willa sunscreen (top) used to be very similar to the CoTZ (bottom) in texture, until I took it on the airplane and the texture changed. Once airy and fluffy, the texture of Willa has evolved into a lotion-like texture. I was confused about this for a while, so I asked my sister if she had experienced the same with her Willa sunscreen. As it turns out, she also had the same issue with her Willa sunscreen. The sunscreen curiously turned more lotion-like and less fluffy after air travel. 

CoTZ more airy, Willa more creamy

In this photograph, I smeared the sunscreens a little so you can see the textures better.

After blending

The Willa is lighter than CoTZ.. and more runny after air travel, but still works well as it is not greasy. 

Fully blended

After the two sunscreens are blended, you cannot see their color at all. They don't leave a greasy feeling on your skin afterward.

Love.

Conclusion: Both sunscreens are great! However, if you travel a lot, I would go with the CoTZ. CoTZ and I have traveled to many countries together, and it still manages to stay the same texture, same performance. Willa started out great for me, but the texture does not hold up after air travel. You can get CoTZ from Ulta, and Willa from Target!

Both sunscreens are all-natural without chemicals.

Remember to wear your sunscreen!! Now that I have shown you these amazing sunscreens that feel great on your skin... you have no excuse not to. 

Til next time! 

Xoxo, 

Rosanna Wang

P.S., 

In case you need more motivation to develop this sunscreen habit I am championing, here is a motivational video to get you started.

Here is a photo of a truck driver, whose left side of his face was constantly exposed to the sun.

Charlotte Tilbury Skincare Magic

Hello!


Today I'm going to review Charlotte Tilbury's new Magic Cream and Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser!!!

I first learned of Charlotte Tilbury in the August issue of Vogue with Blake Lively on the front cover~

This article had succeeded in making me very curious about this "Magic Cream" of hers. Charlotte Tilbury is an editorial makeup artist who has been whipping up her own cream concoction to prep the skin for makeup. Magic Cream contains rose-hip oil, frangipani, wild pansy, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins A, C and E.

"It got its name backstage and on shoots where frequent collaborators like Kate Moss and Mario Testino would inevitably ask, 'Where's the magic cream?'" -Sarah Harris, Vogue.

With a description like that, who wouldn't be curious? So on a fateful Saturday afternoon spent shopping around The Grove, my friend Monica and I found ourselves in front of the Nordstrom x Charlotte Tilbury launch event. Monica was hungry, but I, having read the afore-mentioned article, insisted we go inside and check it out. Here is some photo evidence: 

Rosanna and Monica

Monica at the fairgrounds! 

Stage where they teach you makeup tricks

I loved the gold stars sprinkled on the ground

Quote I agree with

Super cute right?! The event was soooo adorable! They went with a magical fair theme. I would have taken more photos if my iPhone 5 didn't have to die on me :( Time for the 6 soon! 

Anyway, I came home with 2 sets of Magic Cream + Multi Miracle Glow Cleanser, for myself and my mom!

Okay so first up for review- the cleanser. 

Multi-Miracle Glow

Smooooooth as buttah

Beautiful blush pink color

So as you can see in these photos, this cleanser is a creamy balm. It may look like a gel, but it is indeed a creamy balm. The good people at Charlotte Tilbury describe this as "cashmere soft". I am in love with this cleanser. First of all, it smells AMAZING. It smells like jasmine. Not a cheap-y jasmine either. This smells like you just walked into a garden at midnight with full moon above head and there are christmas lights sparkling along the hedges. Just-bloomed jasmines, that's what this smells like. This cleanser is dubbed "Multi- Miracle Glow" because it can be used 3 ways. 

1. Deep-Cleansing Anti-Wrinkle Wash

2. Overnight Regenerating Facial Mask

3. Body Of An Angel Balm

So far, I've only used it as a cleanser and I really love it. It leaves your skin feeling supple and clean~ (After washing, I still go over with Bioderma Micellar Water just to remove any remaining oil because I'm afraid of blackheads...but my skin still feels well hydrated afterward). I can see how this product is great for anti-wrinkle since it smooths onto your skin like butter and really cleanses without causing any dryness of the skin and keeps your skin well-lubricated throughout the whole process. The whole experience of this cleanser is soooo luxurious~ Everything from the packaging, to the "cashmere" texture, to the rich jasmine smell. I love it! 

This is even better than the oil cleansers I have! I am no longer attracted to my Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil or my Camellia Cleansing Oil from Tatcha. Sometimes when I use those cleansing oils around my eyes, they tend to find their way into my eyes, no matter how hard I keep my eyes shut! My eyeballs become blurry afterward. Since the consistency of this balm is heavier, it doesn't run wherever it feels like it. It will stay on the outside of your eyelids, just working on taking off the mascara like it's supposed to be doing! You are supposed to massage this into your dry skin with Tilbury's PRO-COLLAGEN WONDER WORKOUT, until it turns more oily in texture, and then rinse it off. The massage technique is supposed to stimulate lymphatic drainage and de-puffs the skin.

(You can watch how the pro-collagen wonder workout is done here)

Next up- MAGIC CREAM!

Pretty packaging~ 

Miracle Cream! 

"Cashmere Soft"

Not oily

So I really really love this cream as well. Usually I am afraid of creams because most creams I've encountered are very rich and oily, which is too much for my combination skin type. I don't like heavy creams because they tend to feel like they are sitting on top of my skin, and not really providing moisture into my skin. This cream is different because of the hyaluronic acid in it. The hyaluronic acid moisturizes by delivering water to the skin, so your skin feels hydrated and bouncy afterward.

Now, I already use and LOVE my A.H.C Hydra B5 Smoother Serum, which has hyaluronic acid as a main ingredient. The only problem I have with my current skin routine is that when I come to California, my skin feels a bit dry halfway through the day due to the drier climate and constant sun exposure. After using this cream, my skin stays moisturized for the entire day. The hyaluronic acid moisturizes deeply into the skin, while the other oils seal the moisture in. So now, after a year of silent struggles.... I've finally found a solution to my California dry skin problem!  

All in all, you can call me a very happy girl. Completely satisfied customer. Charlotte Tilbury scores an A+ on her skincare line. I am a fan.  You need to try this stuff out. Life is too short to be stuck using oil cleansers that get your eyeballs blurry or lotions that don't last the whole day. 

Okay, until next time! 

xoxo, 

Rosanna