June Birchbox 2012

I was so thrilled to get this months Birchbox. It was awesome and I was so surprised to see a full-sized product. Well anyways let get into the box. This months box was themed Jet Set. It was a box that was devoted to products that would indulge your inner jet setter. As for me I really don't travel that much & if I do go anywhere it's maybe a day trip and I rarely stay the night. Unless I go and see my parents then that will involve a longer visit. I do fly there so some of these items will be handy.

So In my Jet setting box is the following: Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive Towelettes 2 pack of them which is great. So who needs the sun when you can tan safe. This is a build able, and natural-looking tan which won't make you orange. They are Europe's bestselling towelettes. I normally don't like tanning at all. I tend to stay pale. So I may try these on my legs just to see how they work. It says one towelette will work on the whole body. I must be sure to exfoliate well so that I won't get any weird patches. Sample value is $2.25 each

From Masquelogy a Pore Minimizing Mask which is a sheet mask. This mask targets visible pores and shrinks them. While amping up your skins moisture levels. Use it daily and if your brave- during your flight. Sample value $8.00

Now this was the product that made my day and June's box. It was the Stila One Step Bronze. This says fake an island glow with this three-in-one bronzer, primer, and serum. It also keeps your skin's oil production in check. So with that I think this will be interesting to try. I have used powdered bronzers in the past & never liked the way they looked on me. So this should be nice. I will indeed use this. This sample was full-sized so its value $36

The last item was from The Balm. It is there Stainiac in Beauty Queen. I already own this and really like it. So I was happy to get a sample sized one for my purse and travel. This two-in-one lip and cheek stain is a sheer gel formula that delivers a subtle, long-wearing flush. Sample value $2.27

So as a lifestyle extra I did get what you would call a pretty zip-lock bag. This bag is from Tili. You can breeze through airport security with these too-cute plastic bags. They're perfectly sized for storing all your travel essentials(and beauty samples). I sure you could use them for snacks or a sandwich as well. Sample value $0.94

So the last item was for Birchbox Man which is a $20 monthly service. It was a sample of a cologne from John Varvatos Star USA. So in honor of Father's Day they included this dapper cologne, a blend of ginger, juniper, berries, and vetiver. I will give this to my husband to try. Maybe he will like it. Sample value $1.63

Like I said, earlier this box is fantastic. I really loved everything inside this box. The value of the box was $53.34. With that being said you can join birchbox for only $10 a month. If you have any questions or want me to review in depth any of these items let me know. Thanks.

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.

Clarins Skincare Review

I have over the years been using many different skincare products as I age. Some I really liked and others I didn't. So far I have been liking my latest find. These products have been working really well on my skin. I haven't had any reactions and so far they do what they say. Which is control oil. I have very oily skin and that hasn't changed yet. I seems as I get older the more oil I produce. Weird. Well any way this is a review on the products that I bought that have worked wonders for me so far.

 I have really oily skin with few breakouts. Just the occasional white or blackhead. I had been blessed all my life so far. Knock on wood. With pimple free skin. I do however have rosacea, large pores and uneven skin tone.With some hyperpigmentation just under my lip on my chin. So with that being my skin issues. I decided to try Clarin's skin care products. I had been a die hard user of Clinique products in my 20's. Then in my early 30's I changed brands. That was because my skin had changed as well. Clinique wasn't working like it used to. So I began using the Philosophy brand of skin care. This was a brand that I knew of well but, had never tried. Until my sister turned me on to the brand. She was and had been using their products for quite some time and liked them. So I started using them for the first half of my thirties. Then upon my mid-thirties I was just using anything new to find a Holy Grail product since I'm getting older and still just as oily.


On my latest shopping trip earlier last month. I found myself at Macy's and passing by the Clarins counter. The lady there politely asked me if I had used Clarins before. I had told her yes but, only their Soothing face primer and their lipsticks. I had never used their skin care before. So she showed me what I needed to do to get my skin back in shape. I purchased the items she recommended. I only got the three that I thought I needed right away. I was going to wait on the facial creams. Particularly the day and the night moisturizers because I want to finish my current ones. Plus I like to research those before I buy them since they are so expensive. 

The items I purchased were their Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Tamarind and Micro-Pearls for Combination or Oily Skin. 4.4 oz for $21.

Toning Lotion Alcohol-Free with Iris (aka Toner) for Combination or Oily Skin. 6.8 Fl.Oz. for $21

Pore Minimizing Serum that refines and smooths skin texture. 1Fl.Oz. for $49.

When used all together they really work. I have had my oil production almost cut in half since I've been using these. My skin looks great and more even and my pores seem somewhat smaller. Since using the serum. Only time will tell since I've been using these three products for over a month. The toner and the cleanser work well I love the way they smell and feel on the skin. I really think that I may have found my HG face trio. If you want more information on these or any other products go to www.clarins.com