Discussions of health and beauty practices. Reviews of products.
Today I wanted to share with you a few items that I am close to finishing or ones where I have hit “pan.” If you are not familiar with the term, the pan is the metal tray base of pressed powders like eyeshadow, blush, or finishing powder. This even refers to products which don’t have a…
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One of the benefits of a subscription box like FabFitFun is the ability to “shop” their limited, add-on collections. A lot of high-end makeup and skin care companies offer special deals during these sales. During the winter box sale, Oribe offered two products from their new skin care line—The Balmessence Lip Treatment and the Oribe…
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I love getting new skincare products. I have my favorites—Bum Bum Cream by Sol de Janeiro, Smoothie Star by Soap & Glory, and Delectable by Cake Beauty—but I like to change and experiment as well. (Experimenting is how we find our favorites after all!) I purchased a gift set from the Body Shop to try…
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To end the week I thought I would share a post that updates products I mentioned in past blogs. These are favorites that I have used for months, if not years. When I blog about products, I try to review items that I have used for quite a while. Unless it is an unboxing style…
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If you are looking for a DIY present this year, a home-made lip sugar scrub might be just what you need. Most store-bought scrubs may taste sweet, but they contain ingredients that should not be ingested. This scrub combines simple ingredients that are entirely edible. I first thought of this scrub when I read the ingredients…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. This is the last Friday I will be featuring a gift set review for the Christmas holiday. I have something special planned for next Friday, so be sure to check…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Tis the season for the holiday gift set bonanza, not only at stores like Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, but also Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target. These items are available now and will most likely be sold out before the first snowflake falls. So each Friday I will be featuring holiday sets on my blog. I…
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Lip balms are designed to soothe dry or chapped lips and protect the delicate skin of your mouth. Organic lip balms can provide additional benefits because they contain no chemicals, pesticides, additives, or synthetic ingredients. This is terrific for both your body and the environment! Organic lip balms frequently contain fewer ingredients than other types,…
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Lips are a wonderful feature to highlight. Lipliners, lip stains, lip oils, lip glosses, and lipsticks–in liquid, sheer/satin, gloss, frosted, cream, and matte formulas–help draw attention to this area of a face. Sometimes, however, lips will get dry and chapped and the last thing we want to do is draw attention to them! Cold weather…
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Recently I tried the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. It is formulated with goji berry and haloxyl, which Maybelline explains helps to erase the appearance of dark circles and fine lines while visibly diminishing the appearance of puffiness around the eyes. The directions on the product are as follows: Step 1. Twist collar of the applicator…
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The temperature starts to change, the days grow shorter, and that means it’s fall subscription box time! (Actually it was 90 degrees here yesterday. We are having some strange weather this year in the Midwest. But I digress …) My FabFitFun box arrived this week, and it is jam-packed with fall goodies that I can’t…
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Hi everyone! I hope you are looking forward to Fall as much as I am. With the spectacular display of leaves, warm, snuggly sweaters and scarves, and, of course, Halloween–what more could a person ask for in a season? I purchased a few products to prepare for the change in the weather. I have tried…
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Is there anything coffee can’t do? I discovered Callyssee Cosmetics on HauteLook and decided to take a chance. I needed a new Micellar Water and the Buffing Beans Coffee scrub sounded interesting. I had a feeling that these products would smell divine (because of the coffee aspect) so I decided to order them. Coffee scrubs…
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When the seasons change it is a good time to go through your makeup and look for any items that are out of date or appear “iffy” with a texture change/ingredient separation. You can weed out any seasonal colors as well. Since the days are getting shorter and the first cool breezes of autumn have…
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Pixi Beauty, a drugstore beauty brand, recently launched a Rose Caviar Essence. True caviar, processed eggs from sturgeon, emerged as trendy ingredient in skin care products in the mid-2000s. In fact, lots of cosmetic companies incorporate the extract of this delicacy to various beauty-enhancing products because of its rich protein and antioxidant content. But beauty treatments…
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I first encountered the brand Sol de Janeiro after seeing it in multiple YouTube videos late last year. I purchased the original BRAZILIAN BUM BUM CREAM and have subsequently repurchased it several times. Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is infused with Guaraná, a native Amazonian plant whose fruit contains one of the most potent forms of…
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FabFitFun seasonally curates subscription boxes containing the latest trends in beauty, fashion, and wellness.
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Tarte Frxxxtion Stick 3-In-1 Exfoliating Cleanser I originally received a travel-sized version of the Tarte frxxxtion stick 3-in-1 exfoliating cleanser in an Ipsy bag. It quickly became one of my favorite exfoliating products and I use it at least once a week. It contains diatomaceous earth microexfoliants: fossilized sea algae that absorb surface oil and toxins…
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What high-end skincare products do you use? Which ones are “worth the splurge?” What low-end products/tools do you use? Let me know in the comments below.
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This is my first Rainforest of the Sea Eye Shadow Palette and I have been enjoying it a great deal. The colors are beautiful, but I restrained myself long enough to snap photos before trying it!
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In honor of National Lipstick Day this Saturday, July 29, MAC is giving away one free, full-sized lipstick to every customer.
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It’s no secret to readers of this blog that I enjoy receiving subscription boxes. I think they’re a good value and they offer an opportunity to try products or brands that I might not have found on my own. Let’s face it – the world is filled to the brim with different health and beauty…
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I was excited to try two new products from Physicians Formula. One really exceeded my expectations and one didn’t work for me, but made a nice gift for a friend with a slightly darker skin tone. I have a very fair/light complexion. Many times products simply are too dark for me. Even those that are…
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Steam distillation, one of the most common methods to preserve the fragrance, has been used for hundreds of years to extract attar of roses (rose oil). The advantage of distillation is that the volatile components can be distilled at temperatures lower than the boiling points of their individual constituents and are easily separated from the…
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Warm weather and bright sunlight are especially tempting this time of year. Their siren call leads me away from my computer and into my backyard garden. I have yet to find a good way to write on my Macbook or iPad outside in the sunlight. So to keep myself indoors and locked to the screen for enough time to be productive, I make my writing area as comfortable as possible and pack it with a few essentials to keep my motivation level high.
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I have to admit that I love getting subscription boxes. I like trying new products and brands that I might never have tried on my own. Most of the ones that I get are makeup or beauty product related. But FabFitFun, which is a seasonal box, has more than beauty items. They also have fashion items, fitness products, and items for cooking, art, travel, and so forth. As one of my family members said–“It’s nice to see you get something besides makeup.”
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Sun protection is an essential step for anyone who loves makeup. Our skin is the base that lets all of the other products shine. If the skin is sunburnt, irritated, red, or flakey, it will affect the way primer, foundation, and any other powder or cream products work. Not to mention that these conditions are uncomfortable!
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Water keeps your body working properly. Humans lose water throughout the day in a variety of ways. If the weather is hot, people lose fluids even more quickly. How much water a body needs on a daily basis depends on many different factors. The best advice is to talk to your doctor if you have…
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Looking for a natural eye shadow palette this summer? The matte shadows in Tarte’s Don’t Quit Your Daydream are wonderful for a natural summer look that you can also “glam up” with the shimmer shades.
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Have you taken the plunge on this new style of makeup brush? Read on to learn about the Pros and Cons of the Royal & Langnickel Mode Prismatic Pro Makeup Brushes.
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I really love the look of bright red lipstick–on other people. Historically when I would purchase red lipstick I only liked it when I blotted it off my lips, leaving just a hint of color/stain. I was then free to add lip balm to my heart’s content and not worry about my lips being too bright or the color smearing.
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I enjoy getting subscription boxes. I like to try a lot of different products without having to spend a lot of money in the process. And I get to try brands that I might never have heard about any other way.
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Yes—it is an e.l.f. haul! But everything pictured here, purchased during the recent online sale (50% or more off) was under $30 total and shipping was free. Even though the line is inexpensive, I have always found the products to be high quality. I have very sensitive skin, and e.l.f. is one of the brands that has never bothered me.
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I first came upon e.l.f. when I purchased a brush set through Amazon. And really—that name! I know it stands for Eyes Lip Face, but I prefer to imagine the company owners are Tolkien fans. They have many excellent makeup tools and makeup products. I was excited, then, when e.l.f. started offering a hydrating line of skin care.
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