Queen Helene Mint Julep: The Ultimate Facial Masque

I remember my mother using this masque when I was a little girl, and when I became a teen, she introduced me to it. Unfortunately I've been suffering from whiteheads on my nose ever since I can remember. Maybe when I hit puberty, but this masque works wonders. It firms, shrinks pores, makes your skin smooth, unclogs impurities from your pores and so much more. I've introduced this masque to almost everyone I know (if they weren't already using it) lol

There were times when I tried to find something better, but nothing can compare to this, and I've been using it for yeaaars.

On left is Queen Helene. Right: Freemans Clay Mask(Avocado and Oatmeal)

You can probably tell from the picture that Queen Helene is very thick, and you get better coverage with this masque, and it dries quickly while tightening skin. Freeman clay mask is a bit more softer and watery, and it takes way more time to dry, it also doesn't firm as great as Queen Helene. It's great to have as a back up though.

Both masques are very affordable and can be found at your local drugstores, Sallys and supermarkets. I paid under $2 bucks for each.

More about Queen Helene from the site:
Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment to help dry up pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores. Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck. As it firms and hardens within minutes, it draws out impurities from your pores. After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth. Even for individuals who are fortunate to be free of skin problems, Mint Julep Masque is a refreshing facial treatment that helps relax tired muscles and ease tension lines on the face and neck.

She has plenty other products such as lotions, scrubs and peel off masque, most of which I tried, but in my opinion, this is the ultimate facial masque. :-)

Eyeshadow bases: Tried and my favs

If you want your eyeshadow colors to pop and stick even better, eyeshadow bases come in very handy. You can use a primer alone, but using a base in the color family or the same as your eyeshadow color, makes for a rich and popping shadow look!

These are my favorite eyeshadow bases:

Nyx Jumbo Eye pencils

I apply these on top of my primer, and if I'm wearing a gold, brown or neutral look, I stick to a pencil in mocha, or gold.

I use green for green shadow looks, purple for purple...and you get the picture...lol
These bases go on very smooth, and blend very well, you can use as many colors as you want on your lid. I.e. Green for inner lid or black for outer v or crease, or a rainbow look. It all depends on what you like and what look you are trying to create.

These pencils come in a variety of colors, but Milk is the most popular, and usually very hard to find.

This color is very white, and can be used with almost any color. In my opinion, this makes any color extremely vibrant and it will definitely have your lids popping with color. It goes on smooth, and can be used as a shadow base, or as a brow highlight.

Another base I use is Nyx eyeshadow base:

These work pretty good and does the job, nude and white are the colors I have them in, and in my opinion they are similar to Mac paint pots, but I prefer the pencils over these.

Rimmel All over pencils are pretty good, and I have a gold, and champagne colored one that I use from time to time. They are not as smooth, but get the job done if you are in a rush, or if it's the first thing you grab. lol

I've also tried a variation of other shadow pencils, like Loreal shade sticks, and ones from L.A. Colors, and cream shadow bases from Avon, and this one that I got as a gift for Christmas from Maybelline:

I did a shadow look with this the other day, and it was oh so pretty. It made my purple and pink shadow pop so goood. Too bad I deleted the pic on accident. :-(
My shadow was so smooth and did not crease, I want to get these in the other colors available.

A base is not necessary if you don't want to use it, ( I don't use them all the time). However, it's always nice to experiment until you find one you like.

Nyx eyeshadow base

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils


You can pretty much find all others mentioned, in your local Walmart, drugstore, Target etc. The Nyx pencils and bases are also available at local beauty supply stores.