Author: fortyflirtyfabulous

A Bevy of Cool Products From Soap and Glory

Do you love Target as much as I do? Then you have seen the retro cool Soap & Glory skincare, bath and body and makeup products there. These creatively packaged beauty items are the brain child of Marcia, the genius who founded the Bliss spa and beauty product lines.

I love so many of these products that it was hard for me to narrow it down to my usual 3 to review. So I have a couple in each category: skincare, makeup and bath and body.

Make Yourself Youthful Super Rejuvenating Face Serum ($19.99) — This is an interesting serum as it is more of a light cream than the usual liquid that make up most serums. It has a light citrusy scent that I love and soaks in so quickly. According to user trial reports, this product gives re-energized, smoother, healthier, firmer and younger looking skin.I use this before moisturizer on my face, neck and (don’t forget) the back of my hands. Soft and glowy skin is the result. 

I follow the serum with the Catch a Wrinkle in Time Age Avoiding Day Moisturiser ($15.99 USD). This makes my skin GLOW! The anti-aging complex “blends natural sun filters, high performance hydrators and clinically proven collagen stimulating tri-peptides, to smooth away wrinkles, rejuvenate, firm and protect your skin”, states the website. I love that after I use it my skin is soft and glowy and ready for makeup, since its sinks right in and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. The only thing I wish this had it is an SPF.  

Eye Maintenence Moisturizing Eye Gel ($12.99 USD) — The first thing I noticed about this eye gel is that it smells (and almost feels) like lemon merengue.  It claims to instantly firm and depuff (keep it cool in the fridge) the eye area. The website claims that , “by deploying our exclusive SWIFTLIFT™ technology, it reduces visible wrinkles almost immediately and fights fine lines long-term too.”  Cool,

Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme-Plump Collagen Lip Shine ($10.99 USD) — I think I am a masochist because I love this tingly, prickly lip plumper! I apply it and notice how great my lips look with the shimmery, shiny gloss. Then the tingles start and my lips plump up! It contains these ingredients: Lipswell™: natural plant oil infusion, Superfill®: Nanovectors and Visivolume™: immediate effect lip filler. I don’t know what all of that means, but I do know that I really love this gloss! 

Arch De Triumph Shaping And Highlighting Brow Crayon ($9.99 USD) — My favorite part of this product is the highlighter it is soft and blendable and I love to apply it in my inner corner of my eye, under my brows and especially used as a liner on the inside of my lower lid. It makes me look AWAKE! The brow pencil is nice, too, but a little hard at first. I warm it on my skin to get it soft enough to work.  

The Daily Smoothe Dry Skin Formula Body Butter ($14.99) — This skin-softening body butter is perfect for my dry, winter skin. It contains Rosehip Seed Oil and Cocoa Butter to soothe. It is scented with Mist You Madly’s™ notes of Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Magnolia, Freesia, Vanilla and Musk. It smells soft and fabulous!

Clean, Girls Skin Softening Creamy Body Wash ($9.99 USD) is also scented with Mist You Madly. It is pearly and very moisturizing. It works great for shaving, too. 

You can learn more about these products at www.soapandglory.com and purchase them at Target in the United States.

GIVEAWAY!!! CARGO EyeLighter in Gold!

EyeLighter in Gold

Announcing a CARGO giveaway! I have 5 — count them FIVE — CARGO EyeLighters in Gold ($20.00 USD) for 5 extremely lucky readers!

What’s an EyeLighter, you ask? Well its a cool little pen-like product that dispenses highlighting powder on both ends to brighten your peepers. The pointed tip lets you easily apply matte gold powder shadow to the outer corners of eyes, the lower lash line (instant awake!) and under the brows. The rounded tip applies a shimmering gold shadow to the inner corners and under the eyebrow, if you would like a more dramatic look. To use, twist of the cap where the product is kept, and it is automatically dispensed by a spring-loaded tip that gives the perfect amount of shadow. Very cool!

To win one, please leave a comment letting me know why you need to brighten up your eyes — kids won’t leave you alone, long hours at work, dog barks all night — and I will send on to the 5 most deserving ladies (or I’ll pick names from a hat if you all need it)!  I will notify the winners on Monday March 8th. Good Luck!   

To learn even more about this product and other cool items from CARGO, visit www.cargocosmetics.com. CARGO is also on Facebook and Twitter, so go and say hi!

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio

Looking for a fresh and sexy new scent? I was lucky to try a sample of the new Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio scent. This fragrance was inspired by the Ninfa Garden in Rome and Camille Goutal has created a beautiful, fresh, woody citrus with hints of lavender, fig, lemon, and bitter orange. 

The website creatively describes the scent as:  

Lively and vivacious, Ninfeo Mio opens with a breathtaking vapor of Italian lemon and citron. The bitter orange tree unveils its leaves (essence of petitgrain), and its fruits (essence of bitter orange). Gradually, the scene begins to unfurl. Galbanum extract and lentisque absolute deliver a sassy verdure full of life. A faintly aromatic undertone places the scene in a landscape garden, in which conifers thrive alongside lavender, and then the warmth and milky softness of the fig leaf rises up, as if brought by a cool breeze to the nose. The tempo slows down, and gently comes to rest on the skin. The woody accord of the lemon tree, just as milky as the fig, then knits a reassuring blanket, capturing the freshness of the citrus fruit in a downy cocoon. 

I LOVE this fragrance it is fresh and sexy and very different! You know how a single note in a perfume can grab you? I really can smell the fig in this scent. It gives all of the fresh citrus and lavender a sexy base that elevates the whole fragrance. I love wearing it on my pulse points, but also in my hair so I can get a hint of the scent when I move around. So wonderful!  

Available in April at Saks for $80.00, 1.7 oz and $115.00, 3.4 oz, I highly recommend this scent. This fragrance is simply fabulous!

Try the New and Revolutionary Cosmetics Company Ellis Faas

Cool new makeup company alert!  Ellis Faas brand was created by famous Dutch makeup artist Ellis Faas. She has worked for influential cosmetics companies such as Clinique, Lancome and MAC. In 2007 Ellis began working on her own makeup company, and its revolutionary cosmetic holder.

The Ellis Holder is really cool. Here’s a great description of the holder from the Ellis Faas website:

“The Holder is a lightweight container that fits a maximum of eight Ellis Faas products – and it is completely up to you to decide which ones you want to carry around. You simply “load” the Holder, placing the Skin Veil foundation in the middle and six pens around it. The indicators on the back of the pens show you which product is what, and by turning the base of the Holder, the pens come up and down individually to make it easy to take them out. The lid contains a mirror and holds a space to put the compact powder and sponge, or your shopping list, your pills, or whatever.”

When closed, the container looks like a bullet thermos and the pens itself look like silver bullets. They are so cool and very easy to use. I have tried the Creamy Lips liquid lipstick, Creamy Eyes, and the Blush. The Creamy Eyes and Lips have a brush applicator and the Blush has a little sponge. They are all easy to apply and can be blended with a brush or fingers for a soft look. All of the products are fairly long-lasting, too. And the eye shadow doesn’t crease, which is a plus!   

Check out the website to learn more about the products at www.ellisfaas.com. To purchase in the United States, you can visit Bergdorf Goodman.

Got Something to Conceal? Try These New Products from the CoverGirl Simply Ageless line!

CoverGirl and Olay Simply Ageless Corrector

Looking for products that will make your eye area look flawless. Look to CoverGirl! The CoverGirl Simply Ageless line has done it again with two new products infused with Olay Regenerist Serum, The Simply Ageless Concealer and the Simply Ageless Corrector ($10.99 USD each). Alone, they cover wonderfully, but together…fabulous, smooth and dewy skin is yours for the buying!   

To make your eyes look perfect no matter what you’re age, start with the Simply Ageless Corrector. This product contains specially blended pigments that can cover even extreme dark circles. It comes in one shade that works for everyone and has a soft, creamy texture that make it easy to blend. I dab it underneath my eyes to cover and on my upper eyelids as an eyeshadow base. I also use it for red areas on my chin and around my nose as it is very effective.   

I use the Simply Ageless Concealer over the Corrector for a flawless finish. This has more of a cream to liquid formula and it covers imperfections, conceals under-eye circles and visibly brightens skin. Available in four colors: Very Light, Light, Light/Medium, Medium/Dark.

 I highly recommend these products. This is probably my favorite concealer now! Visit www.covergirl.com to learn more about these products. They are also available in drugstores around the country.

Experience the Organic Luxury Beauty of red flower

I have recently tried a line of bath and body products called red flower. This is a cool, different sort of beauty company. The website touts:  

“red flower was founded by yael alkalay who was inspired to create a kind of beauty that is not easily bottled, one that focuses both on the internal and the external. always looking and trying to find, yael believes that true indulgence is personal and takes a lifetime. red flower’s inspiration finds its roots in yael’s cultural heritage, her grandfather was the first dermatologist in bulgaria, she descends from eight generations of turkish grand rabbis, kiev musicians and farmers from the pampas of argentina. traveling extensively to maintain family ties and traditions, she lives with deep medical, spiritual and agricultural sensitivity, rich household customs and everyday sensual moments.  the line continues to evolve and grow with over a hundred products, each with the generosity of scent, health and environmental consciousness, performance and integrity which make red flower so innovative”.

I really love the indian jasmine organic bath, body & massage oil ($18.00 USD) — This multi-purpose oil contains a blend of certified organic fruit oil, jojoba oil, jasmine flowers, jasmine sambac, tangerine, neroli and ylang- ylang. Packaged in recycled dark glass bottles, this luxurious oil is quite a treat. I like to put a few drops in my bath then rub some all over after bathing. The scent is divine! It reminds my of a jasmine bush that I had on my porch at a house  I really loved. Since jasmine blooms at night, I would go out on a warm summer day and deeply breathe in the fragrance. 

italian blood orange cleansing hair wash ($28.00 USD)  is a nice light shampoo that scents the hair with pure flower extracts, vegetable proteins and fruit oils of orange blossom, grapefruit, lime and orange rind. This is a fresh fragrance that my daughters (and myself) really loved.

Visit www.redflower.com to learn more about these very fab bath and body products. Enjoy!

Belle De Jour Angel Eyes by Kenzo

Belle De Jour Angel Eyes

Let’s face it: as we age our eyes are one of the first places to show it. Our lids get droopy, crepey and then there are those dreaded crows feet. Yuck! But luckily, there are many eye lotus and creams to help lessen the wrinkly eye burden that we all must eventually face. My favorite new eye creme is Belle De Jour Angel Eyes ($70.00 USD). It claims to repair and revive skin around the eye contour. The key ingredient, white lotus reduces the stress-inducing hormone cortisol and protects skin from free radicals. All in all, Angel Eyes claims to “enhance the natural beauty of the eyes by restoring natural balance to the skin. The eye contour is left smoothed and regenerated, erasing dark circles and bags beneath the eyes.” 

Wow, really? Wow indeed. I LOVE this eye cream. First, there’s the wonderful ritual of application. I place a pump of the eye cream on the tip of the included brush and dab it under on my eyes and on my upper lid. I then flip over the brush and gently sweep the cream outwards until it is blended in. Right away, I see a difference. My eyes look more awake and well rested. I don’t have many line, but my upper lids are getting a little crepey and my lids are drooping a bit. Sweeping the cream up and out opens my eyes right up. I have been using it morning and night and I really see a difference.   

You can learn more and purchase this fantastic cream at www.kenzousa.com. Enjoy!   

   

FACE Stockholm Chrystal Deodorant

FACE Stockholm Chrystal Deodorant

Are you a fan of natural deodorant? I love the idea, expecially if it is good for your skin. But normally I go for the extreme, keep-you-dry, almost-prescriptive deodorants. I am sadly a sweaty girl. But I do like the idea of natural deodorant. 

So, with some trepidation, I tried FACE Stockholm Chrystal Deodorant ($9.00 USD). The website describes it as: 

“Free of harmful aluminums, parabens, and chlorohydrate, our all-natural crystal deodorant combines pure mineral salts with Chamomile to provide gentle, soothing, 24-hour protection. Fragrance free and hypoallergenic, our formula neutralizes bacteria to prevent odor, not cover it. Clean, non-staining and never sticky it dries quickly leaving no residue. A healthy, effective alternative for you and the environment.” 

What I thought: 

I like this for an everyday, just-out-of-the-shower deodorant. What I mean is that if I’m not doing anything strenuous, I will apply this after I take a morning shower. But it doesn’t work for me to apply in the afternoon or evening before going out and definitely not if I am going to the gym. I like that it doesn’t have a scent that conflicts with perfumes or lotions, but it isn’t too effective in covering my natural odor if I sweat. I do think this is great for taking a break from my stronger deodorants, and I also like that it doesn’t leave white marks on my clothes. 

If you don’t sweat heavily, take a chance and try this deodorant. It is good for you and the environment! Visit www.facestockholm.com to learn more and to purchase.

Have You Tried Pixi Yet?

You should! Makeup artist Petra Strand has over 20 years experience and created the Pixi brand over 10 years ago.  Pixi’s fresh makeup was made to enhance a woman’s natural beauty.  

Some of the most recent Pixi products I’ve tried are:

Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal ($35.00 USD) This is a nice tube of tinted moisturizer with matching concealer in the cap. The tinted moisturizer also contains and SPF 20 to protect and luminates to give you a pretty glow. With the full coverage concealer this is the perfect product when you need to leave the house quickly. It will also be great for summer.

This product is also good for your skin. The tinted moisturizer contains ginseng root extract, ginko biloba extract, Vitamin C, Lysine, titanium and zinc dioxide to revitalize and protect skin. The concealer contains  Vitamins E and A, Aloe Vera and Vitamin C for anti-aging. This is very impressive for cosmetics!

Last Booster ($19.00 USD) is a lash defining, lengthening and thickening water-resistant mascara that coats lashes with carbon for long-lasting color. The cone-shaped brush is claimed to coat each lash evenly for the ultimate smudge free lashes.

I like this mascara, because it thickens and makes my lashes darker, but it didn’t lengthen them. And since my lashes are so short, I do need some lengthening.

Lip Booster ($18.00 USD) I love this maximizing lip gloss. It is touted to “provide maximum hydration and help restore collagen, adding volume to improve lip contour. Improves lip fullness 40%, decreases lines 30% and improves lip moisture 60%”.

This does make my lips look fuller, but does not sting, which is a big plus. It comes in many gorgeous shades. I have #5 Trixie, which is a pretty peach. I definitely recommend this non-sticky gloss!

Visit www.pixibeauty.com or www.target.com to purchase these fab products and many more from Pixi.