April Favorites 2012

 Wow, another month has flown by. So I'm once again having to find my April faves. These are the items that I used the most last month. This was a hard choice because I had been loving a lot of different products.

The face moisturizer that I've been using this month was from Pangea Organics it is their facial cream. Which contains Nigerian ginger with lavender & thyme. This is for normal to combination skin. The ginger is stimulating, restorative, and nutritive to the skin. The lavender is purifying, balancing, and soothing. This moisturizer balances and defends. Using select plant based ingredients to provide anti-aging and hydrating benefits to the skin. I will be doing a mini review on this later to let you know how this works out. This 1Fl oz is $16 and can be purchased at www.pangeaorganics.com

 I have been trying many different Pre-moistened facial wipes to see which ones I really like. So this month I was at Target and found these Giovanni Eco Chic Skin Care D:tox System wipes. These wipes are purifying & exfoliating. Even though the wipes have no texture to them at all. These towelettes contain Volcanic Ash & Super-Antioxidants Acai & Goji Berry. These wipes draw out toxins to revitalize tired-looking skin. Volcanic Ash gently exfoliates. Antioxidants help combat damaging free radicals. Ultra-soft to comfortably remove makeup and mascara. Won't clog pores or leave an oily residue. Ideal for all skin types.

• Hypoallergenic
• Dermatologist tested
• Clinically tested
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Non-Comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Alcohol-free
• Oil-free

On the packaging it says out with the bad, in with the good. Prepare to put your refreshed face forward. With these wipes you don't need to rinse your face. I really liked these the only draw back is that I didn't see a bigger package for sale only the 10 count travel/trial size. They smell very good and do take off makeup very well even mascara. I didn't try it with waterproof because I don't have any. The only drawback was they did leave a sticky kind of feel to the face. Which went away after a while. Plus you have to clean quite quickly as they tend to dry out fast. Overall I like these and will repurchase if I can find a larger pack. The pack of 10 towelettes was around $3 at Target.

This next product combines my two favorites sugar & bubble gum. The Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub is great. I really love the way it makes my lips feel afterwards. This was a fluke buy. I was told by a friend about Lush products. I have seen them at Macy's but, the really loud smell turned me away. I'm very cautious about heavy scents since they make me ill. I tend to have bad allergic reactions to heavily scented products or perfumes. So I stay away. Well I braved the smell to get this great scrub. I tend to have very dry to sometimes severe cracked and peeling lips. Chap stick works but, not too well. I got this scrub to help keep my lips soft and flake free. I was really happy to find out that they had this in a bubblegum flavor which is my all time favorite. This scrub contains natural ingredients and oils. All you do is gently rub a pea sized amount of this flavored sugar onto your lips to scrub them soft and smooth. You can either eat this off your lips or rinse off. It does come in other flavors. This jar is 0.8 oz. and was $8.95 at Macy's or www.lushusa.com

I have pretty large pores and several fine lines on my forehead. So when Benefit came out with the Porefessional PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores I was skeptical. I was given a trial-sized one with my Birchbox several months ago. Well I'm so loving it I went out and purchased the full-sized one. I still haven't finished the trial sized one. I really love the smooth texture it leaves on your skin. It says what it does it minimizes pores and it actually does fill in fine lines well at least mine. What I really love it for is that it makes my 2 small forehead lines disappear if only for the deration of the day but, hey it's better than nothing. You can apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skin tones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. I'm a believer and will never be without this product again. It's my HG skin filler. It also keeps me shine free. A full sized is 0.75 fl.oz for $29 it is so totally worth it. You can get this at where ever Benefit is sold or at www.benefitcosmetics.com.

Now on to the greatest lash primer well at least in my opinion. Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. This Serum instantly primes, plumps, and lengthens lashes with an ultra-light and quick-drying formula. The first "active serum" mascara primer also contains a unique cell-conditioning complex made up of hydrolyzed soy proteins that promote long-term lash growth, strength, and vitality. It also contains Hyluaronic spheres which helps to plump lashes. Well I have been using this since December and boy it does really work. At first I used to use this just as a mascara primer. Then I decided to try it at night as well like recommended. Well it really does work it has kept my lashes more supple and stronger. I have naturally long lashes which are somewhat full. I have been told all my life by MA and strangers that I have nice pretty lashes. Well this serum has made them less brittle and more softer. They hold a curl better and keep my non-waterproof mascara on all day without flaking or racooning. You do need to put your mascara on pretty quick since I find it goes on better if you don't let the primer dry then apply it. Either way it still works but, I find when it dries and you put the mascara it won't glide and coat as well. This mascara primer serum is .033 fl.oz. for $28. Which I think it's a steal for Dior. It can be found where ever Dior is sold or at www.dior.com.

So when I was deciding on what to pick as my April faves I was going to wait until next month to talk about this. Well I decided to include this as an extra fave as well. It is the Sonia Kashuk Duo-Fibre Fan Brush. This brush is new to her brush line at Target. It can be used for bronzer, highlighter, blush or face powder. Well I use it for face powder. It works like no other brush I own. I have so many powder brushes small and large and in between. All have made my face look cakey even with the smallest amount of product. This brush does the job and more. It makes my face look flawless using pressed powder or loose powder either way I'm in love. I have yet to try it with bronzer, blush, or highlighter. It can also be used to sweep off any shadow fall-out. I will have to get backups of this one. It is very well made hasn't shedded at all. The bristles are All Natural 100% cruelty-free goat hair and a synthetic nylon blend. It would be nice for all the Vegans out there to have a 100% synthetic brush like Urban Decay or Sigma Bunny Line. Maybe in the future she will make one. This brush is $7.99. It can be found at Target stores or www.target.com  or www.soniakashuk.com.