Clear skin, naturally? HappyMe!

This year, one of my resolutions is to avoid chemicals and unnecessary additives in my skincare (and food, and haircare, and everywhere!) as much as possible. That can be difficult to do, especially if you’re looking for something to quickly get rid of a pimple. The things you can find in drugstores and even department stores usually do the trick, but they do so with chemical-based treatments, like benzoyl peroxide (check out this blog post for more info on why you don’t want to put that stuff on your face).

When I had the chance to try out an acne-treating product from a new line, HappyMe Skincare, I was excited to know that the company focuses not just on clearing skin but on making it healthier than ever, using natural ingredients (not chemicals) like aromatherapies and essential oils. I was sent their Overnight Pimple Eliminator to test out and review.

Overnight Pimple Eliminator, $8.99 (purchase or find retailers -www.happymeskincare.com)

This product contains sulfur and zinc oxide, along with tea tree oil and other natural essential oils, and is designed to be a spot treatment applied before you go to sleep. The applicator is a sort of stick/dropper and makes putting the product on pimples very easy.

Does it work? Absolutely. I don’t suffer from cystic or severe acne, so I can’t speak to if it would work for that need, but for the spots that seem to pop up randomly along my chin and nose, it was a miracle worker! I would apply the treatment before bed, and wake up with it instantly less intense. By the second application, the pimples would be gone, and I experienced no kind of irritation on my skin (because the ingredients are all natural, I’m sure!).

Any downsides? Make sure not to pick at the area once you’ve applied the treatment. It tends to flake a bit, and I did notice some residue on my pillowcase in the morning. But, if you don’t mind doing a load of laundry here and there (and you really should wash your pillowcases when you breakout, anyway), not a big deal.

I’d definitely recommend picking this up next time you need a quick “pimple be gone” treatment — your skin will thank you!

Quick first impression – Purelement Naturals review

I got the loveliest package in the mail today — a ton of goodies from Purelement Naturals, a new line of natural skincare products that includes organic body butters, organic Argan Oil, serums, scrubs, lip treatments, and body treatments.

apologies for the iPhone photo!

I can’t wait to give this stuff a whirl! I actually opened up the Gleam lip treatment immediately, and quick first impression — I love it! It was a bit stiff at first but after it warmed up from the heat on my lips, it became creamy and felt so moisturizing. A full review is coming soon!

Giveaway and review! Conair You Wrap and Wave

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but in the past year, I’ve really started to love curling my hair. I’d thought for the longest time that because I have naturally thick, straight hair, I couldn’t get it to hold a curl, and what’s the point of going through the effort of curling if it falls flat a minute after walking out the door?

I have learned that it’s all about the iron you use (and hairspray!), and that a good iron can curl just about anyone’s hair. I was recently sent the Conair You Wrap & Wave iron to test out and review, and I have to say that this is definitely up there on my list of “go to” curling irons. The other iron I use is a Conair (the Infiniti 1.5 inch professional tourmaline nano), so it makes sense that I like this one —- it’s part of the same line, so it also uses tourmaline technology, which helps to reduce frizz and static, so you’re left with really pretty, soft curls.

What I love about the You Wrap & Wave is the versatility you’re getting in one product — you can try all sorts of different configurations to wrap your hair around the barrels and get different shapes and sizes of curls.

It’s also clampless, so you don’t get those annoying clamp marks around the curls. It comes with a cute little half glove to keep you from burning your hand as you hold it around the barrel.

I’ve tried lots of different techniques with this curling iron —- figure 8′s around both barrels (resulting in curls that are “s” shaped, so you get a variation of bigger waves and smaller ones in the same curl), wrapping around the outside of both barrels, and just using the smaller barrel to get really tight curls. One of my favorite methods is mixing up the techniques in one hairdo, so I’m left with really wild curls all over.

Here’s a before shot of one of the first times I used the iron. My hair was curled with my regular Conair iron the day before, so it had some body to it.

We were going out that evening, so I wanted to try a style that had lots of movement and texture to it, so I used the combination method of techniques with the You Wrap and Wave to achieve a really fun look.

I definitely would recommend this iron. For the inexpensive price tag (under $50), you’re getting a tool that combines two or three different irons. And, I’m lucky to be able to offer a giveaway of one Conair You Wrap and Wave iron to a reader! (U.S. only)

All you have to do is comment below to tell me your favorite way to wear your hair — comment as often as you’d like to get extra entries. The giveaway will be open for a week, until Sun., Nov. 20, and I’ll use random.org to pick a winner. Conair will send the iron directly to you (again, U.S. only).

Tropical lips in fall?

Knock, knock. Let’s acknowledge the fact that I’ve been a terrible blogger —- “real life” got in the way of posting, but I’ve got a few things to share with you, so expect some posts with reviews and swatches in the next couple of days!

First things first, I need to let you know that I’m a bit of a lip product junkie. If I’m in a buying mood and in CVS or Target, I will probably pick up one (or seven) lip glosses or lipsticks. Usually, I end up getting variations of the same color family, lightish pink or peach. So, I have tons and tons of lip products that are all essentially the same.

This is just from randomly cleaning out my purse one day. I have probably 3x as many at home.

So, when I happened to be perusing the cosmetics aisles at Target last week, I most certainly did not need to buy any lip products. I resisted the urge to load up my cart but did snag one, which has quickly become my favorite fall lip color.

It’s Rimmel London Stay Glossy Long Lasting Lipgloss in the shade Treasure Island. It cost around $4 at Target. When you think “fall lip color,” you probably imagine deep, berry shades, but I like the unexpected tropical vibe this gives. It really brightens up my face, especially if I’m going lighter on the eyes and cheeks.

I haven’t really used many Rimmel products before, but this gloss has me itching to grab some more. The texture of it is perfect — it’s opaque and sticks to my lips without being super gooey. It doesn’t slide off and wears really well (although I’m not so sure about their claim of 6-hours of coverage).

Excuse the poor quality of this iPhone photo, but check out the applicator:

It’s not a brush exactly, more of a wand that dips in the center and flairs out at the end. The shape is really nice for hugging my lips and evenly applying the product.

(Don’t you love the steering wheel swatch? Don’t worry, I wasn’t in drive when I took this.) Such a pretty shade with the right amount of sparkle. Even though it might not be an expected color for fall, I think it’s perfect for the season and brightening up when you might otherwise be choosing deeper shades for the rest of your makeup.

Bruises, scratches and boo boos be gone! Boo-Boo Cover Up review

I have lots of things about myself that I love and think are super awesome, but there are a handful of things I’d give anything to change. One of those is how sensitive my skin is, especially how easily I bruise and get red marks. There are several reasons why my skin is sensitive, one being that I take a medication that makes my blood thinner, which means that every little tap and scratch can turn into an ugly boo-boo.

So, you’ll understand when I was incredibly excited to learn about a new product called Boo-Boo Cover Up, a concealer that heals skin imperfections while covering them up. It’s summertime, ya’ll — I want to wear short sleeves and shorts! Brandy, who created the product, calls it “first aid for the fashionista,” and after trying it…I totally agree! Love love love this product.

She sent me two tubes to test out and review. They’re both in shade Medium, which right now is the only one the product comes in, but there will be more options eventually. (Fortunately, Medium was a pretty darn good match for me, and according to the Boo-Boo Cover Up website, it’s formulated to work for most people.)

This is a body concealer, but it’s safe for the face. I really liked the consistency of this for my body, but probably wouldn’t use it on my face unless I had a really hardcore imperfection, maybe like a burn from the curling iron. That’s not to say this is a heavy concealer, though…it’s lightweight but provides amazing coverage and blends out amazingly.

I’ve tried this several times since receiving it, from bruises on my legs to scratches on my arm. (That sounds painful, but it was just the result of a frisky kitty!) Take a look at these before and after photos:

Ouch! Looks bad, right? (Seriously, my cat is almost 6 years old and just became incredibly playful all over again, at my expense!) I really didn’t want to go to work in short sleeves with all of these icky marks showing, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity to test out Boo-Boo Cover Up.

Like I said, the pigmentation in this stuff is pretty concentrated, so you don’t need more than a little dot for each imperfection. The best method to blend it out is to dab it until it’s sort of melted into your skin. Take a look at the “after” shot:

Yes, the scratches are still there, and if you get thisclose to my arm, you’d probably see them. But, they weren’t completely uncovered so that folks passing me by during the day would feel like they needed to ask “What the heck happened to your arm?!?!?” Perfect, and now I don’t have to wrestle my cat into wearing those Soft Paw things!

This product is more than just a concealer, though. It’s got great ingredients that promote healing (chamomile, aloe, Vitamin E, tea tree oil and green tea), so your wounds won’t stick around as long.

There’s a deal on Noblivity, an ecommerce marketplace for boutique stores and up-and-coming brands like Boo-Boo Cover Up, where you can try it out at cost! But, if the deal isn’t going when you check Noblivity, take a look at the Boo-Boo Cover Up website, where you can see all the online retailers that sell it (for around $20).

CVS haul – some deals!

I made a CVS trip recently (OK, this particular trip was a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to share my haul, since the deals were so good!) and got a few things from the last of the 50-75% off beauty clearance. Several times a year, CVS will run a 50-75% off certain beauty products that are either being discontinued or released with new packaging, and if you use coupons (including some coupons from the CVS Extra Care coupon machine in the store!), you can find some really awesome deals.

I got the last Coty Airspun powder that was marked 75% off. These are a staple in the beauty department of CVS, but they were clearanced during the most recent sale, and I thought about getting one each time I was in the store and finally did. I got this powder for about $1.75! A steal of a deal since it’s a tried-and-true favorite among makeup buffs, and it’s a fairly large size.

I also snagged this Rimmel Colour Rush Quad Eyeshadow in Smoky Noir, marked down to 75% off (can’t remember the final price, but it was in the $1-$2 range). Most of my eyeshadows are in neutral brown shades, but I’ve recently been loving a darker, black smoky eye and wanted to get some shadows that would help me create that type of look. It was fate that I found this quad for such a low price! The pigmentation isn’t bad at all, and it comes with a variety of blacks/grays that I can use for allover the lid, in the crease, and to darken the outer corners. Just wish that the pans themselves were larger so I got more product!

Even when CVS isn’t running its 50-75% off clearance sale, you can find some great deals in the store. These next two purchases from the same shopping trip are good examples of how you can find sort of spontaneous deals right in the store.

CVS is really great about marking down products and labeling them on the shelf with “don’t miss at this price” stickers! Sometimes, there’s a 25% markdown, but if you’re lucky, you can snag a great product, like this Burt’s Bees Radiance Healthy Glow Kit on clearance, sort of randomly! I found this kit for 75% off (not part of the great beauty clearance!), and paid around $3-$5 for it! That’s an amazing deal, since Burt’s Bees is a really great line of products that are all-natural and healthy for your skin, but usually a tad pricy. I love love love the Radiance line, since it does all of the great things that the main Burt’s Bees products do, but they add this touch of sparkle and glow to your skin. So gorgeous.

The other thing you need to make sure you do every single time you go into CVS is to visit the Extra Care Rewards Center, usually at the front of the store and often right next to the health/beauty/cosmetics section — easy, since you’re probably already there! You scan your CVS Extra Care card (and if you don’t have one, you need to get one! They’re free.) and the machine prints coupons for you right there in the store. I usually scan my card twice to make sure I’m getting all the coupons for the day. On this trip, I got an awesome deal — $8 off any Physicians Formula product!

I purchased this PF EyeBrightener in the shade Natural Eyelight, normally priced at $8.29, which means with my CSV coupon, it was just $0.29! This is a fantastic product, by the way…a great way to add a subtle shimmery highlight to your inner corner and brow area. Check out the swatch:

I love CVS, so if I need to visit a drugstore for health or beauty products, that’s usually where you’ll find me! On top of all the deals, if you have your CVS Extra Care card swiped every time you check out, you earn a percentage of your purchase back for quarterly ExtraBucks, which are like money to spend on anything in the store!

 

 

New obsession – Pink Sugar!

I’ve been shopping like a madwoman lately, but I’ve been bad about photographing what I’ve bought — by the time I get home, I just want to put things away and haven’t been documenting my purchases.

But, I did want to share my latest favorite purchase. It’s the best perfume ever, and it probably isn’t news to any of you, but I’m glad I finally got to try it…

It’s Aquolina Pink Sugar! I don’t have a super strong sense of smell, but this is strong enough that I definitely can sense it…it’s the best combination of really sweet (but not fake sweet) vanilla  and caramel. I almost always get compliments when I wear it — everything from “you smell really good!” to people wondering what the delicious, sweet smell in the air is. (The other day, someone said it smelled like gingerbread baking.)

You can purchase this at Sephora like I did, or you can look at places like Bed Bath & Beyond, where I saw it for about $7 cheaper (and BB&B regularly has 20% off coupons, so you could score a great deal if you buy it there). In addition to the eau de toilette spray, you can get body wash, lotion and more Pink Sugar-scented products. Yummmm.

What’s making me smile at the moment?

A couple of beauty-related things have been helping me kick my winter blues (seriously, when you’re past all the holidays, and it’s still crazy cold, and you just want it to be breezy and sunny, it’s easy to be in a funk!) — and I wanted to share with you all, so you can smile, too!

Curly hair! For as long as I can remember, my hair has been super straight, not a hint of bounce or wave. But in the past year or so, after cutting in some long layers, I’ve noticed that if I let it dry naturally, it always has some curl to it. Here’s the look I rocked today…I washed it yesterday before going to the movies, gave it a quick blowdry and put it up in a bun. When I took it down last night before bed, it was more than just wavy…it was curly! I helped it a bit today by using a curling iron to better define the curls, and I love the look I ended up with.

Birchbox! If you haven’t heard of Birchbox, check out the website. It’s sort of like a magazine subscription, where you pay each month ($10) or can buy a yearly subscription, and at the beginning of each month, you get a box of goodies in the mail! You fill out a survey when you join so they can get an idea of what your skin/hair/cosmetics likes and needs are, and they send you a box of deluxe samples (in high end brands) tailored to your profile! I got my first Birchbox in January, and I intend to keep it going on a month-to-month basis. Love getting mail, love trying out new products, what’s not to love?

Another current love that I don’t have photos of…Victoria’s Secret PINK loungewear! I definitely made a couple trips to their Semi-Annual Sale last month, and I scored on sweatpants, sweatshirts, and yoga pants. When I’m not at work, wearing business attire, I’m at home, lounging in these comfy, casual clothes. Love love love.

Getting my hair under control with MopTop! Review and giveaway!

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you know that I’ve got a thick head of hair that falls way past my shoulders, and I’m always on the hunt for the best products to keep it in control. When I heard about MopTop Unruly Haircare, a company that focuses on hair products to help tame dry, frizzy, unruly, color treated and/or chemical treated hair (and is free of silicone, waxes and sulfates!), I knew I wanted to give it a try.

I was sent this travel kit, which retails on their website for $23 and includes mini, 2 oz. bottles of their Gentle Shampoo, Daily Conditioner, Detangler & Refresher Spray and Light Hold Anti-Frizz Gel. I’ve been using all the products for the past week, and I have to say that I’m definitely a fan!

What I love about all of the products in the travel kit is that they are hardcore, in the sense that they really have tamed my hair, which has recently been super dry and unmanageable, but they somehow remain really gentle and light on my hair. I’ve used the shampoo to wash my hair two days in a row, normally something I can’t do with other shampoos because it makes my hair dull and flat, stripping its moisture. Using the MopTop shampoo and conditioner combo, my hair is light, shiny and soft!

I’ve sprayed the Detangler & Refresher Spray after each wash, and it really smoothes out my wet hair when I run a comb through it. I’ve used the Light Hold Anti-Frizz Gel when I want to blowdry my hair after washing, and it does a fantastic job of smoothing the hair out and keeping it straight as it’s drying.

I love all these products because they do the trick, and on top of that, they smell good and don’t burn my eyes when I’m using them, which must be because they don’t include any of the “junk” that’s in most commercial hair care products (sulfates, parabens, wax).

Now, I’m sure you saw the word “giveaway” in the title of this post, eh? The folks at MopTop are awesome, not just because they have an amazing line of products, but because they’re sponsoring a giveaway of the same travel kit that I received to try!

Here’s all you have to do…add a comment to this post, telling me the hair problem you think the MopTop travel kit can help you with! After a week, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments and give your info to MopTop so they can send a kit to you! The contest will end at midnight CST on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

OOTD – warmin’ up with Maggie’s Organics

I talked a little bit about Maggie’s Organics in my Holiday Gift Guide post a few weeks ago, but I wanted to show you what the scarf and knee highs they sent me look like on, so here’s a quick outfit of the day, taking advantage of the cold weather here before it gets crazy hot again!

I was sent their printed scarf in the maroon “peace print” and a pair of patterned knee-highs in the “maroon stars” print. The premise behind Maggie’s Organics is that they offer fair trade organic cotton apparel — I think it’s pretty widely known that fair trade organic food is important, but I definitely agree with the company that knowing where your clothes come from and having confidence that they were made in an ethical way is equally important.

In addition to being a socially responsible company, Maggie’s also offers really fashionable items, which I found super easy to integrate into my existing wardrobe.

Check out the close-up print on the scarf! I love that it says “peace” in all sort of languages. I wore this throughout the holiday seasons, to different family gatherings and celebrations, and I got a ton of compliments. It really feels like the perfect holiday scarf!

You can see in this picture how long the scarf is — 15” wide by 87” long. You can also see the adorable knee-highs, which I wore with jeans and my favorite tan moccasins (which I think I bought last year at Payless, if you’re wondering). Both the scarf and the socks are the same maroon color, so they really pulled the outfit together and felt festive.

I paired these with a simple black top, which you can’t see under my coat, a sweet zip-up peacoat from Old Navy. I think the combo of the muted basics (jeans, black top, gray coat) with my makeup (a bright brown-based red lip and light eyeshadow) and the festive scarf and socks from Maggie’s really suited the holiday celebration I was going to.