paraben free – Page 2

One of my favorite little things: Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens

August 25, 2010

Life is all about enjoying the little things. I apply this philosophy to my life in all aspects and my beauty routine is no different. I’ve mentioned a time or twenty that I have very oily skin so I keep that in mind whenever I buy products for my face. So as you can imagine blotting sheets and I are BFFs. Blotting sheets remove that excess oil that pops up during the day that can ruin an otherwise flawless makeup application. I’ve tried several brands of blotting sheets but some of them contain ingredients like mineral oil which is not good for the skin. Yuck! Well that was before I cam across Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens. Ahhhhh….Nirvana.

These blotting linens have been my saving grace for a shiny face! It’s pretty amazing that one little product can really improve your appearance in such a big way and that’s why I carry them in my makeup bag. Boscia offers a variety of scent infused linens for your blotting needs. Should you desire something with no scent you can opt for the “Fresh” (essence free) option. If you enjoy a little scent play then you can choose from: Green Tea, Vanilla, Lavender, Rose, California Orange or Peppermint. Boscia Blotting Linens are natural; they’re made from fibers of the Abaca Tree Plant. The best part is that there are no artificial ingredients and the blotting sheet is powder free so no unpleasant powdery residue to be left behind. Yes, these blotting sheets are simple yet effective and that’s why they’re one of my favorite little things. What’s one of your favorite little (beauty) things?

Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens are $10 for 100 sheets

Review: Lavanila Healthy Deodorant

July 20, 2010

I’ll admit that I was a bit hesitant to try out an all natural deodorant. With weather reaching well into the 90 degree mark I didn’t want to be the stinky hot mess on the subway. But being the brave beauty aficionado that I am I decided to take one for the team and give it a try. I applied my Lavanila Healthy Deodorant and hoped for the best as I walked out the door. Well at the end of the day I can say that I was not disappointed, no wet spots and no stinky underarm odor – score!

Lavanila created a deodorant that is 100% natural so it’s aluminum free and paraben free. Some of the healthy ingredients are Goji Berry which is a powerful anti-oxidant, Japanese Honeysuckle which is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent and aloe which soothes and hydrates the skin. With all of these healthful ingredients I knew that my skin would be pampered and nourished.

Lavanila comes in 4 scents: Vanilla Lavender, Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Grapefruit and Vanilla Coconut. I tried the Pure Vanilla scent and I must say that honestly it didn’t smell like vanilla which was a bit disappointing. The deodorant has a clean scent to it but even after application and when I checked later in the day I could not detect any vanilla scent at all.

Lavanila Healthy Deodorant retails for $18 and can be found at Sephora.

Disclaimer: The product mentioned in this post was provided for editorial consideration by a PR company.

Brow Doctor to the rescue!

July 12, 2010

One of my new favorite beauty items is Brow Doctor by Beauty Society. Brow Doctor is a clear formula that you can use to tame your unruly brows into beautiful submission. The best part is that in about 4 weeks Brow Doctor enhances your eyebrows! In my early 20s my brows were plucked and waxed within an inch of their lives all for the sake of trendiness *sigh* and ever since they have not been as lush as they once used to be. Now with the help of amino acids, peptides and conditioners Brow Doctor coaxes your brows to reach their full potential without using harmful parabens or prostaglandins.

What I love about this product is that it did not leave my browns stiff or unnatural looking. Each hair was carefully laid down and groomed to perfection. This is my first week trying the product so I am anxious to see what the results will be like. I’m crossing my fingers for fuller sexy brows.

Brow Doctor by Beauty Society retails for $28 and can be purchased at www.beautysociety.com

Foiled again with bareMinerals!

April 26, 2010

While at my favorite makeup store I saw a kit by bareMinerals and decided to try it out. As I’m sure you’re aware of by now, I’m a little OCD about palettes and kits because their just easy and included everything you need. I snapped up this little gem on my way to the register so I really didn’t even look at it to see what was included in it. But since it was a kit I figured that it would have all that I needed for a new look. On the cover the kit reads: “Learn the lessons they didn’t teach you in school. Tutorials: Foiled Eye”

On the inside flap of the kit is the “tutorial” or rather instructions on how and where to apply the shadow. I was kind of hoping for something a little more in depth. Take a look:

The kit includes two mineral shadows and a double-ended brush.

The two shades are Night Owl and Disco Glimmer – cute names huh? Night Owl is a translucent steel amethyst shade and Disco Glimmer is a lilac pearl shade. Both shades can be worn wet or dry depending on the effect that you are looking to achieve.

Bare Minerals eyeshadow disco glimmer — Disco Glimmer

The shadows are pretty pigmented dry on skin, here are the swatches:

Bare Minerals Swatch — Night Owl (l), Disco Glimmer (r)

I love these shades for the evening, I don’t know if I would wear them during the day. I also found the loose shadows a bit messy so it’s going to take me a while to get used to using them.

Overall the kit was worth the price because it includes two shadows and a double sided eye shadow brush.

The foiled eye kit retails at $32 and can be purchased at Sephora.

Review: High Definition Beauty with MAKE UP FOR EVER blush

April 13, 2010

I like blush, in fact I like it almost as much as I like bronzer. For me blush is the perfect way to brighten up my face when I want a nice and healthy glow. Some days I’m just not into the whole primer, foundation, powder bit, you know? On those days I wear a little blush, gloss and mascara; it’s quick and easy and I’m out the door (especially when I’m running late). I decided to go to my favorite beauty haunt and see what was in stock that I haven’t tried before. – no easy task. 🙂 I asked one of the sales ladies if she could recommend a new product to try and she suggested MAKE UP FOR EVER High Definition Blush. I took a look at the bottle and thought that it was a bit small and that I would not get much out of it but I quickly saw that one pump would go a long way. In fact I only needed half a pump for both cheeks!

This blush is highly pigmented so you only need very little but unfortunately the container is going to pump out more than you are probably going to need…so press lightly. This formula is creamy as very easy to apply with a brush or your fingertips. When it dries it leaves quite a luminous finish and it stays on for hours, yes hours. I didn’t need to reapply while at work, the color stayed true throughout the day.

The blush comes in 14 colors, most of which were sold out when I was at the store (not surprising). I was able to try out the shades that were there and I opted for #9 – In the Spotlight. This color is supposed to be a nude but it’s pretty intense, more like a light/medium brown. Either way, I liked how it looked on my complexion so I decided to purchase it. The little bottle will last me quite a long time so it’s worth the price especially since I adore the rich colors and easy application. The only thing that I would change is the pump, less product needs to come out or allow for more control in dispensing the product. Overall this is a good buy if you love blush and want something with a lot of staying power (this blush delivers).

make up for ever HD blush swatch — #9 - "In the Spotlight" swatch

This blush is sold exclusively at Sephora and retails for $25 for a 0.33 oz bottle.