Makeup Artist's Choice (MUAC) Haul

On my journey to eliminate my acne scars I came across many skincare forums that recommended doing peels on a regular basis. Many people had show tremendous results in the lightening and elimination of their acne scars, so I was convinced! Most of the threads I read mentioned doing them at home for a fraction of the cost of a salon. Being a skincare junkie I immediately started searching where to buy these peels and how to use them. In my search I came across a company called Makeup Artist's Choice or MUAC for short. You can visit their website here:
http://www.makeupartistschoice.com/
I immediately started browsing their products and was looking mostly in the category for acne scars. There a cam across a plethora of peels! I was completely overwhelmed. So I started reading reviews and researching the types of peels they have available. Some of the peels they carry are Mandelic Acid, Salicylic, Glycolic, Lactic and TCA. Mandelic, Salicylic and Lactic are considered to be some of the lighter peels. Even though I've used Retin-a Micro for over a year I was still a little nervous about trying a chemical peel for the first time and especially at home. I didn't want to end up like this.....

After reading horror stories and seeing extremely frightening and disheartening pictures online, I decided to try one of the more gentle peels, Lactic Acid. MUAC carries two Lactic Acid peels. One is 40% and one is 55%. I opted for the 40% because it's the lowest they sell. I chose Lactic Acid because I wanted to start out slow and work my way up to a TCA peel. MUAC recommends using a peel for 5-8 weeks to prep your skin for another peel or if you've never done a peel at all. Other companies do carry lower percentages of Lactic Acid, but I was really intrigued by MUAC's philosophy. I really wanted to try their products and I liked the fact that I was supporting a local business since I live in Baltimore. MUAC also has exceptional customer service. I had many questions about the peel and the size that I was ordering and they answered every question I had. My products also came in record time and they always ship for free! Plus you can join their mailing list and get lots of great discounts!

I ordered the 0.5oz 40% Lactic Acid Peel and it came with a 0.5oz bottle of their PH Prep. It was $17.75 and I was told it would last at least 5 peels. But! as you will read in the review, it will last way beyond 5!

I also ordered their 1oz bottle of Argan Oil since it's supposed to be really great for your skin and also help heal after peels! It cost $10.00. I also received 15% off of my entire order because they were having a promotion at the time.

Reviews of both products to come!!

*I purchased all these products with my own money!*

Acne Scar Journey

*WARNING-ACNE SCAR PICTURES AHEAD*

In the past year my skin has suddenly changed from problem free to cystic acne, oily to dry to combination and has been total hell. The only change I made in my life was stop taking BC pills. I'm 22 now and I had been on them since I was 15 so apparently my hormones had a hard time adjusting after being on medication for so long. (I'm not in anyway advocating staying on BC just for your skin, overall I feel much healthier and less moody!) But, due to my skin freaking out after stopping the medication I had major cystic breakouts on my cheeks. They involved huge under the skin bumps that were red and painful. After dealing with it for a few months I finally went to a dermatologist. My dermatologist prescribed Benzaclin for spot treatment and Retin-A Micro as a nightly treatment. I had pretty good success with these products. My acne is now under control, maybe due to the products and maybe due to my hormones balancing out after a year and a half. I only get the occasional breakout.


Since the acne is cleared up I don't have much to worry about skin wise except for the fact that I have two cheeks full of raised, dark red scars. I find it almost impossible to cover the scars with concealer and foundation because of their dark, almost purple color. They are also still noticeable because of their raised texture. The scars make me feel extremely self conscious and take a toll on my self esteem. I feel embarrassed and am completely fed up. To make matters worse I'm getting married in 7 months. I absolutely refuse to have scars all over my face on my wedding day and in my wedding pictures, they definitely aren't something I want to remember for the rest of my life.


I began researching scars and visiting skincare forums and the wonderful site acne.org. I found out a lot about scars and decided to take action because I realized I didn't have to live with my scars. The first change I decided to make was absolutely wear sunscreen everyday because any hyper pigmentation you have will only darken with sun exposure and will be harder to get rid of in the long run. I also found the absolutely amazing company Makeup Artist's Choice or MUAC. I recently ordered some products from them that should dramatically lighten my scars and possibly get rid of them all together.

I wanted to share my journey of lightening my scars in the hopes of helping someone else get back their confidence and not be ashamed of their skin. These pictures are of the scars I have on both my cheeks and were taken in natural daylight. These pictures were taken before doing any treatment.

I will be uploading photos after I use the treatments I purchased from MUAC as well as, reviews and photos of the products.

YSL Rouge Volupte Collection + Swatches

So every girl has her own type of cosmetic that she just can't get enough of, whether it's eyeshadow, blush, bronzer etc. Every girl has the one she falls back on and probably hoards ungodly amounts of. For me that particular type of item is lipstick. I admit it, I absolutely love lipstick. I cannot go to a cosmetics counter without buying one and I usually don't leave the house without at least lipstick on! I feel like lipstick can completely change your look. You can go light and demure or bright and daring!
My particular favorite brand of lipstick is YSL. At first I did not believe the hype and one afternoon while shopping with my future mother in-law at Neiman Marcus I just mentioned in passing that YSL has this type of lipstick, Rouge Volupte, that gets absolutely rave reviews online and is apparently THE BEST lipstick money can buy. So we went over the YSL counter and tried a few colors on, and that was the moment that I knew I could never turn back. We each purchased a lipstick and over the past two years my collection has slowly grown. Now I don't wear YSL exclusively, I do indulge in MAC every now and then, but I tend to wear YSL the most. YSL has an amazing selection of reds, darks and brights and those are the colors I wear on a regular basis. I personally don't wear light pinks or nudes. The only two nudes that I own are from YSL.

YSL Rouge Volupte has distinct packaging that I'm sure everyone in the beauty world is familiar with. I'm not a sucker for packaging I strictly buy for quality, but Rouge Volupte does have a signature look that is quite striking. Rouge Volupte is packaged in shiny gold, previously with a mirror on the cap, and with a band of the lipstick shade and the YSL logo around the middle. The case itself is pretty sturdy and feels like its made of a thin metal, but unfortunately the YSL logo around the middle is made of plastic and can move around a bit, I have yet to have one break or fall off. Rouge Volupte comes in many different colors, from lights to darks, and there is a shade for every skin tone. The lipstick has a distinct smell that most describe as melon. It does have a soft, fruity scent that is not overpowering, although the smell does linger on the lips. The lipstick itself is extremely creamy, so much so that you can barely twist the lipstick up when applying it or it will break off. The lipstick is very easy to apply because of the creaminess and texture. Rouge Volupte lipsticks last ages because the texture is so smooth and blend-able that you barely need to swipe it across your lips to get the full color. Since the lipsticks are so creamy, they don't apply well if you have dry or cracked lips. The lipstick will settle in all the dry places and just emphasize your dryness. The texture can also make some of the lighter Rouge Volupte shades to look chalky and opaque. The staying quality is not very good unless you wear a gloss over them and the darker shades will stain your lips, which can be both an upside or a downside depending on how you look at it. YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks retail for $34 at most luxury department stores such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, but you can also order them online.

My YSL Rouge Volupte Collection consists of four lipsticks. From left to right: #112 Spellbinding Violet, #11 Rose Culte, #2 Sensual Silk and #7 Lingerie Pink. All photos were taken in natural daylight.

#112 Spellbinding Violet- is a Rouge Volupte Perle, so its not as opaque at the regular Rouge Volupte and has more of a chapstick feel on the lips. This color is very light on the lips and almost looks like a tinted lip conditioner. I personally like to intensify the color by filling in my lips with MAC Half Red lip liner and putting #112 over the top.

#11 Rose Culte is an almost neon pink and looks more hot pink than the swatch. The color on the lips is very true to how it looks in real life. This color is very high maintenance and stains your lips bright pink, which I personally like. You definitely have to use lip liner with this one and carefully apply it because it will also stain your skin.

#2 Sensual Silk is a nude shade that has hints of peach and pink in it. I have very fair skin and this is one of the only nudes that doesn't make me look ill. It can be extremely chalky if you apply too much, applying a gloss really helps smooth this color out.

#7 Lingerie Pink is probably my least favorite. It's an extremely bright, cotton candy pink. I purchased this lipstick when I had a tan and find that I can't use it when my skin was back to its normal color. This one is the chalkiest Rouge Volupte I've ever used and I always have a hard time making it look presentable. I tend to use it by mixing it with other colors. Again, like #2 a gloss really helps improve the appearance of this one.

*All of these products were purchased by me, with my own money!*