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).

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.

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.

Special food review!

Just a quick food review (I have a food blog, What’s On My Plate?, but I wanted to post this on here since I’ve been maintaining and keeping up with this blog a bit better! — don’t know about you, but I love the convenience of fast food.  I just don’t always love the taste or the nutritional content that comes along with it.

I was fortunate to be able to try Wendy’s new natural-cut fries as part of a Foodbuzz promotion (I’m in the Tastemaker program for the website). Let me just say — these fries are amazing. They don’t taste like your average fast food french fry…they look and taste different. They’re sprinkled with sea salt and have the skins left on them, which I think adds to the flavor and makes them a bit heartier.

My camera battery needs to be charged, so I didn’t get a picture of the actual fries I tried, but take a look at the photo from the Wendy’s website…my fries looked exactly like that. Definitely enjoyed these fries, and I have to say that I hadn’t been to Wendy’s for fast food in several months before I was given the chance to review these. Wendy’s has really upped their game with the new fries, and I’m excited to see what else they might add or change on their menu!

Note – I received a gift card from Foodbuzz to try the new natural-cut fries from Wendy’s. This review is not sponsored, and I received no compensation for my review.

12 eyeshadows for $10? Yes, please!

One really awesome thing about the holiday season (besides the fact that it’s the best time of the year!) is that beauty and cosmetic companies usually release limited edition products at crazy amazing prices in November and December. One of the best deals I’ve seen is the Pixi by Petra Winter Wakeup Eyes Makeup Palette, which I received to try in shade No. 1, Light and Bright. This is at Target for only $9.99 (and if you buy online, it ships for free)!

I love the variety in shades in this palette. You’ve got three sets of four colors that all complement each other really well and allow for a ton of different eye looks.

The first row is a good set of bright neutrals — you’ve got a basic white (good for highlighting inner corners and browbone, as well as an all over wash of bright color), a shimmery golden yellow, a light brown (which I like for the crease), and a pretty orange.

The second row is full of pretty purples, including a light shimmery lavender, a grape shade, a more muted taupe-y purple, and a deeper violet.

Love love love the blue colors in the third row. You can see by these swatches how vibrant they are — there’s seafoam aqua, turquoise, a deep blue and a lighter, more sheer shade.

I think this is a super buy. The only downsides I see are that even though you’re getting 12 shadows in the palette, the pans are somewhat small, so you’ll run out quickly (buy a backup if you’re in love with even one of the colors!), and you might be able to tell from my swatches, but some of the shadows are a bit chalky, nothing that can’t be fixed with a good primer or base. They all blend nicely.

Here are a couple looks I’ve come up with:

Here’s what I created with the neutral row…I love how I was able to give my eyes a brighter, more awake look without going overboard on color.

And this is a look with the bottom row, using mostly the lightest blue-green shade. I really love this palette and think it’s an awesome deal. The packaging is great, too — a really slim, lightweight palette with a nice sized mirror. Definitely a steal of a deal for yourself or a stocking stuffer!

2 reviews in 1 post! Pirri Elements and Moore Unique Skin Care

I received a box from KMR Communications with products from two lines to test out and review a couple of months ago, and I intended to post a quick first impression, but the time got away from me, so now I want to go ahead and give you a full review!

The first product line I got to test out was Pirri Elements, a haircare line inspired by the four basic elements of nature — water, fire, air and earth — and the beauty of Italy and the Mediterranean. Pictured here are the three items I tried, Earth’s Balance Daily Conditioner (symbolizing Earth), Mediterraneo Daily Shampoo (Water), and Nature’s Breeze Detangler & Leave-In Conditioner (Wind).

All the products in the Pirri Elements line contain Bergamot, an essential oil that comes from a fruit native to Calabria, Italy, the hometown of the two brothers who created the products. Bergamot oil has a number of benefits — it smells fresh and fantastic, and it helps to hydrate and cleanse your hair without stripping it of its natural oils.

I love the Mediterraneo Daily Shampoo because, unlike other shampoos I’ve used, there weren’t any issues with me using it every day if I wanted to. Most shampoos aren’t great to use on a daily basis because they make your hair look dull and lifeless after stripping out all the natural oils in your hair to cleanse it. But, this shampoo (because of the Bergamot oil) did a fantastic job cleansing while maintaining my hair’s natural bounce and shine.

The Earth’s Balance Daily Conditioner was a perfect complement to the Mediterraneo Daily Shampoo. It was thick and rich without weighing down my hair. It made my hair soft and smooth and easy to work with when blowdrying or using heat to style.

The Nature’s Breeze Detangler & Leave-In Conditioner was my favorite of all the Pirri products I tried. It’s a two-in-one product, which I love — it made my hair easier to work with after washing, and it also provided a leave-in treatment that made my hair soft and healthy. And the smell? Amazing! Sort of citrus-y and floral at the same time.

The Pirri website has price and ordering information on these products. The only downside I see is that they’re not really readily available for you to buy anywhere other than on their website, but I would definitely recommend trying them out, especially the Nature’s Breeze Detangler & Leave-In Conditioner. You get so much product for such a great price, comparable to what you’d pay at a salon but getting way more for your money.

I also got to test out these six products from the Moore Unique skincare line, which is awesome because it was developed by a Houston-based dermatologist who created these products after working with patients and determining the best ingredients and products for helping with their skincare problems.

These three products are the ones I tried out that are best used in the shower. The Bath-Body and Hair Oil is unlike anything I’ve ever used. I definitely suffer from dry skin and scalp, but I never thought to use an oil-based treatment (other than argan oil), especially on my skin. What I liked most about the oil was the glow it gave my skin. I applied it in the shower after washing, with the water turned off, and then I’d pat my body with a washcloth to remove any excess oil and dry a bit before getting dressed. I didn’t even have to use my regular body butter or lotion after showering because my skin felt hydrated and refreshed.

I also liked the Hydrate Facial & Body Wash, more for my body than my face. I used this in the shower in place of my regular body wash, and it provided a really gentle cleanse and helped with some of the redness on my upper arms. I used the Body Scrub Lotion on a less regular basis because it’s more of an exfoliating lotion that is designed to slough off dead, damaged layers of skin and to promote new skin cell growth. It was great to use when I had a big, ugly bruise on my leg that I wanted to get rid of!

The other three products I tried from Moore Unique were designed more specifically for facial skin issues. I really enjoyed the Facial Moisturizer because it is super rich and creamy, great for rehydrating my dry skin, and it also has collagen, which is amazing for helping to fight aging.

I don’t have a ton of acne, so I think the Clear Skin Acne Wash might make a bigger impression on someone who has problem acne, but I did like how gentle it was on my skin. But, since I have dry skin and this is formulated to dry up acne, it probably wasn’t the best combo for me.

The Toner Cream , though, was a good product for me because it addressed uneven skin tone and discoloration, which I suffer from. It did sting a bit when applying, but it left my skin looking more even and glowing.

Overall, I really liked the Moore Unique line of products, especially because they all seem to target exfoliating and rejuvenating skin, which is super important all the time, but definitely in these dry, cold months of fall and winter. Check out the Moore Unique website — it’s full of really useful skincare information and each product has got a full description page with tons of details on what they do and what you should use them for. Plus, these products are sold in Walgreens around the country, so keep your eyes peeled when you’re shopping there, too!