beauty products – Page 12 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Fresh Soy Face Cream

I’m always looking for a quality face cream that will make me look youthful and dewy. When I received a sample of Fresh Soy Face Cream ($42.00 USD at Sephora), I thought this sounded like just the thing.

This moisturizer is “enriched with natural protective soy proteins, restorative rose water, soothing cucumber extract, nourishing meadowfoam, and jojoba seed oils that work together to provide moisture and promote collagen synthesis. It hydrates and renews the skin, creating supple, healthy, firm, radiant results.”

And guess what? It does all of that. My skin glows right after using and looks very smooth and young. The only thing is…the smell.

It has a very strong scent. Very strong. You can really smell the rose water and cucumber. With a natural product like this, you are going to smell the ingredients. It is not a bad fragrance at all, but if you are sensitive to scent, I wouldn’t invest in this product.

But, if you love all things natural and especially if you love rose; I would definitely recommend this cream. It is very a high quality product and will make your face look smooth and lovely almost immediately.

What else you need to know (from the Sephora Website):
Soy Face Cream has been scientifically proven to have significant, long-term moisturizing and restorative effects on the skin. A healthy dose of antioxidant-rich tea complex and an infusion of vitamins A, C, and E make this skin-smoothing formula exceptionally fortifying and beneficial. For best results, use it as a complement to the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser.

Brighten Your Look This Winter with Stila’s Convertible Color

I recently received some wonderful Stila products. Once of the standouts is Convertible Color ($25.00 USD), a creamy compact that can be used on cheeks and lips.

The colors look dark in the compact, but go on sheer and are very blendable. I think this product works well for winter because of its creamy texture. Also, it probably would be good for most seasons because it is not at all greasy.

The two shades that I own are Rose, a pinky-red that leaves a naturally rosy lip stain as well as a complexion brightening blush; and Camellia, a neutral beige color that looks wonderful on my pale skin.

If you visit Stila’s website (www.stilacosmetics.com) you will find a great variety of nine colors for sale. You can also find these products at Ulta and Sephora. The quality of Stila’s products are fantastic, so have fun trying out the brand!

Bye Bye Pores — Hello Fabulous Skincare from Dr. Brandt.

Dr. Frederic Brandt is the famous dermatologist behind the fantastic Dr. Brandt line of skincare. I haven’t tried a lot of these products, but the ones I have had made almost immediate improvements in my skin.

Getting older has made my skin less luminous and more ruddy with much larger pores. Yuck! So I am always on the lookout for help for my skin. A couple of cool products from Dr. Brandt that have helped are Pore Effect ($55.00 USD) and Microdermabrasion for face ($75.00 USD).

The Dr. Brandt website (www.drbrandtskincare.com) states that Pore Effect “contains salicylic acid, tea tree oil and botanicals, to refine and clarify skin. It helps sooth redness and irritation to prevent future breakouts.” When I apply this cream to clean skin, I feel a tightening, like using a toner. It almost immediately makes my pores appear smaller and my skin feels and looks smoother. Later on in the day, though, my pores begin to look large again.

I have only been using Pore Effect for about a week, so maybe my pores would gradually remain smaller with continued use.

The Micordermabrasion for Face includes, “pharmaceutical grade crystals that polish away dead skin cells leaving skin radiant. These diamond shaped crystals exfoliate evenly without scratching or irritating the skin while smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and improving the overall texture of the skin.”

I have used the Microdermabrasion for a while now. I like to use it a few times a month when my skin is getting flaky and dull. This automatically revives my skin and makes it glow for days after use. The salesperson at Sephora told me to use it once a week, and I agree. Too much use and you could damage your skin.

I intend to explore this brand more in 2009. Their Lineless products look really nice as I am beginning to see fine lines appear around my eyes!

Scrub Your Cares Away With Soap & Glory

Body scrubs are a luxurious necessity in the winter time. Scrubbing dry skin off (plus drinking lots of water) is a great way to have dewy skin when the weather is dry. And Kansas City is very dry and cold right now!

Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean Shower Gel ($9.99 USD at Target) makes your skin smooth and smells wonderful. My 9 year old daughter helped me identify what the scent reminds me of: peach ice tea. Yum!

This scrub contains peach extract, pineapple extract, grapeseed powder, buffing beads and fruit acid smoothers. Its a gel consistency with the beads for exfoliation so it is not harsh at all. The directions say to use once or twice a week, but I’ve been using it every other day and my skin is very soft!

Don’t forget to exfoliate this winter! And maybe try this great scrub, too.

Eye Poppin’ Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Mascara

Reading about Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Eye-brightening Mascara (8.49 USD), I was really intrigued. It claims to make the eyes 4 times brighter than without wearing mascara. It’s available in four shades to match eye color: Black Pearl for brown eyes, Black Sapphire for blue eyes, Black Ruby for greens eyes and Black Gold for hazel eyes.

Each shade has a metallic sheen and a bit of a color to it. I purchased the Black Pearl, hoping to enhance my dark brown eyes. When you swipe this shade on a tissue, it is a metallic black.

On my eyes, you can’t really see the metallic, but it is very dark and really does make my eyes pop. I don’t know if they are brighter, but the thickening and lengthening mascara brings attention to my eyes. This mascara separates my lashes nicely and doesn’t clump. This is a great product.

I kind of wish my eyes were a different color, so I could try the shades that are tinted. Oh well, since the price is reasonable, maybe I will try the others, too !

Lots of Looks in a Little Package — Too Faced Glamour To Go

I treated myself to this wonderful little makeup kit with a gift card I received for Christmas. It is always fun to try out new makeup colors. I have been using this palette all week and have been creating great eyeshadow and lip gloss combinations.

The Too Faced Glamour to Go kit ($19.50 USD) includes 8 eye shadows, four lip colors and a blush. It comes in a little mirrored compact with the eye shadows on top, and the blush and glosses sliding out on the bottom.

The eye shadows contain shimmer, but aren’t too glittery which is perfect for me. Their pigments are okay, but not the most concentrated. I find if I use an eye shadow base or concealer under it, then layer the shadow, it will last me all day. The colors come in cool grays and pinks and warm golds and browns for a variety of looks.

The blush is a lovely peachy-pink with just a hint of shimmer. I only need a little of this because it is a bit bright on my pale winter skin. I really like it, though because the shade matches the cool and warm eye and lip looks.

The lip glosses are almost the consistency of a soft lipstick. They are a little sticky, but not too bad. They are very shiny and shimmery, so it might be more of an evening look if you work in a conservative office. I work in a non-profit, so a little glitz is fine!

The best part of Glamour to Go is that it is so small. I do my face in the morning, then toss it in my purse. I then have it on hand for touch ups at work. It does not come with applicators, so I just use my fingers or bring a brush or two along. Fun!

Polish Your Look on New Year’s Eve With a New Lip Plumper

I was skeptical of lip plumpers for a long time. I have decent lips, why would I need to make them fat. Even worse is the fact that many lip plumpers contain irritants and make your lips sting. Ouch!

Now that they are more popular (and much less ouchier), I have been hearing very good things about some plumpers. One of the claims is that they smooth out fine lines in your lips and make your lips appear smoother.

So I began my research with the queen of all lip plumpers — LipFusion Lip Plumper ($38.00 USD). This lip plumping color shine is formulated with marine collagen micro-spheres that are absorbed by lips and then absorb moisture causing mild-swelling which gives lip a full, plump look. They say results can last for up to 48 hours. I don’t know about that but it did instantly plump and smooth my lips and didn’t sting at all. It left me with a little numbness, but it wasn’t unpleasant, and there are many shades to choose from. If you have $38.00 for lip gloss, I’ll be your friend! And try this gloss, it does live up to the hype!

Another great gloss is bareMinerals Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polish ($18.00 USD). Sephora’s site states, “This mineral-infused polish imparts a luminous high shine with no sticky or tacky feeling. A deep infusion of antioxidant vitamins A and E help keep lips soft, smooth, and protected, while the tingly and cooling sensation reminds you that your lips are getting an immediate increase in fullness.” This does tingle but doesn’t sting (thank goodness). There are about eleven soft shades of this gloss and half the price of the LipFusion, its a pretty good buy.

But if you aren’t quite convinced about this lip plumping craze, try a drugstore brand. A really good one is the Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Lip Plumper ($8.99 USD). This one touts, “Make your lips up to 30% bigger with Maybelline Volume Seduction Lip Plumper. Feel a tingling effect as active amplifiers instantly plump lips for a visibly fuller pout. Available in 10 seductive shades. Not recommended for sensitive lips.” I guess my lips aren’t too sensitive, because it does tingle, but doesn’t sting me. Definitely a good gloss for plumping beginners.

So have fun with your gloss on New Year’s Eve! Go ahead and try something new.

Eye Stand Out on New Years Eve! — Flashy Eye Looks to Try

New Year’s Eve is a great time to try out a sparkly look that we wouldn’t wear everyday. As a 40 year old (yes, I own it) I usually don’t wear glitter, I leave that to my 13 year old daughter. But I am drawn to the sparkly around party time!

There are a lot of fun products to try at stores like Sephora and Ulta. The Sephora brand itself has a lot of party options that are fairly affordable. I really like the sparkly Sephora Glitter Eyeliner ($12.00 USD). The eyeliner is just the right amount of glam. Applied to the upper lid over a neutral shadow, you can get away with almost any of the seven shades if comes in; Gold, Silver, Opal, Black, Teal, Purple and Blue.

Make Up For ever is another fun brand found at Sephora. Their false eyelashes ($14.00 USD) come in many varieties. From different textures and colors to the one above with glitter at the base, you can find the look you want to achieve. Talk about instant glamour!

Another bold choice is Max Factor’s Vivid Impact Highlighting Mascara ($9.99 USD). This is a dual color mascara that combines a traditional solid color base coat with an iridescent highlighting top coat to add a hint of color to lashes.

Remember if you do decide to go glitzy on the eyes, keep the rest of your look neutral. Maybe a nice nude or pink plumping lip gloss? Have fun!

Ready For Your New Year’s Kiss? — Try a New Red Lipstick

The perfect red lipstick is extremely difficult to find. The reason being is there are so many shades of the color. Warm reds, cherry reds, blue reds, fire engine reds. The mind boggles.

I’ve decided to begin my search for the perfect red lipstick, which is a wonderful item to have for a New Year Eve Party. I started my search at Sephora and have found a few good ones. Brands like Urban Decay, Stila, Dior, Nars, and Cargo all have various shades of red to choose from.

Surprisingly to me, the one that looked the best was by Urban Decay ($22.00 USD). The shade is Revolution, a warm classic red. My coloring is light olive skin with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. I alway thought that cooler colors looked better on me ( I like purples and maroon’s), but Revolution looked very pretty on.

PlantLove Botanical Lipstick - Cherry Bliss - The shade in the center

I also realized what doesn’t look nice on me. That is a cherry red. I tried on Cargo’s PlantLove Botanical Lipstick ($20.00) in Cherry Bliss. This is a very pretty color, but is too bright for my face. I also tried on other cherry and blue red’s but they made me look like a little girl trying on my mother’s lipstick!

I recommend both Urban Decay and Cargo’s lipsticks if you are looking for quality. They both feel great and are good for you. The Urban Decay Lipstick has vitamins A, C, and E and is infused with a crème-caramel scent and flavor. Hyaluronic spheres (found naturally in the body) are added to stimulate cellular function, prevent dehydration, and fill in lines and wrinkles.
PlantLoves’s packaging is biodegradable and the lipstick is Paraben and Sulfate free. What’s even better is that CARGO is donating two dollars from the sale of every shade to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

If you are looking for a red lipstick you are a bold lady! I recommend that you take your time and search for the perfect shade for you. I am not done looking yet. Maybe I will continue my search around Valentine’s Day…

L’Oreal Double Extend Lash Extention Mascara — Longer Lashes, Little Price

L'Oreak Double Extend Lash Estension Effect Mascare — L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Extension Effect Mascara

I hope every one is enjoying a fabulous holiday season. I know I am. And I know the parties aren’t over yet…New Year’s Eve is just around the corner.

Are you looking for lush lashes but are all tapped out? A good choice is L’Oreal’s Double Extend Lash Extension Effect Mascara ($9.49 US).

This intriguing little product is a two step process. First you apply the white primer that conditions your lashes. Next, apply the mascara which forms tubes around your lashes, making them much longer.

This is definitely a lengthening mascara; it does not thicken much. The cool thing about it is the tubes are very easy to remove. Splash lots of water on your lashes then gently pull the tubes off. If you are too rough, your lashes will come out, too. Be careful!

I think this mascara is fascinating and fun to use. Try it for your New Year’s Eve soiree!