Tag: Health

Glow This Holiday Season With Shimmery Makeup Finds

Sparkle is such a fun way to glam up your look for the holidays. It’s always fun to buy a little glamour for yourself or others this time of year. The following products and sets are a perfect way to update your makeup this season: 

Vincent Longo Diamond Body Spray ($44.00 USD) adds glamour to your beauty in a new experiential body spray with sensual and shimmering pleasure. Place this nostalgic perfume bottle on your vanity table and prepare for attracting attention of all eyes. Illuminate your skin with instant highlighted shoulders, décolleté, arms and hair with a gentle atomized ‘poof’ of radiant loose diamond-like powder. Choose either Gold or Silver depending on your preferred radiance. Enjoy the spotlight and sparkle into the night.

This is so much fun to use. You squeeze the atomizer and a puff of glitter is magically applied where ever you wish. Visit www.vincentlongo.com to learn more and to purchase this fun product! 

Love Nest Josie’s Argan Favorites ($25.00 USD, $55 Value) — A four-piece, travel-size gift set that includes Josie Maran’s favorite argan oil must-haves for the face, eyes, cheeks, lips, and hair. This is a limited-edition gift set is ideal for all ages and skintones. Known for its natural, skin-healing properties, argan oil is your answer to healthy, youthful, radiant, clear skin and hair.

This set contains:
-0.21 oz Argan Color Stick in Petal Pink
– 0.11 oz Gogo Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara
– 0.5 oz Argan Illuminizer
– 0.5 oz 100% Argan Oil

What else you need to know:
Argan Oil is produced from the argan tree in the semi-deserts of Morocco, and is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which have antiaging properties. Argan oil is an organic ingredient is known to help and prevent dehydration, inflammation, hyper pigmentation, and sebum production.

All four of these products are so fantastic because not only are they lovely beauty products, but the argan oil is so good for the skin! The mascara gives me long, thick lashes,  the color stick has a bit of shimmer and is a really pretty pink, the illuminizer is a very pearly, soft pink and the argan oil is great for nails, skin or hair. The price is exceptional for what you get! Visit www.sephora.com to purchase.   

Hard Candy Glow All The Way ($8.00 USD) – This pearly, luminizing highlighter illuminates all skin tones.  Apply to face or body for a luminous, sun-kissed bronze or pearlescent glow.  Infused with 24 Karat gold – and much more than a drop – this product will make you feel like a million bucks!  Available in bronze and pink. 

I’ve tried the bronze highlighter and it is so pretty! I like to use it on my arms and shoulders. In the summer it will look great on bare legs. You can purchase this at Walmart.

Enjoy!

Grooming Gift Ideas for the Men In Your Lives

Kerastase has just released their Capital Force collection for men that includes a Densifying line to help thinning hair and the Anti-oiliness collection delivers purifying ingredients that create a squeaky clean feeling that lasts. The products in each line include a shampoo, an activator, a hair gel and a styling paste. Very good ideas for gift giving to make your man’s hair look his best ($30 — $34 USD).

Tweezerman Pour Homme Three Piece Kit ($99 USD) — Simple, yet classy, the Three Piece Kit is the perfect luxury grooming set.

Kit contains:
Stainless Nail File
Stainless Folding Nail Clipper
Stainless Facial Hair Scissors
Housed in an elegant, high quality brown leather case.

Availability: Nordstrom, Nordstrom.com

Ona Men Signature Product Line from Ona Spa- Ona knows men like to take care of their skin too, and the products in this line are formulated specifically for the needs of mens’ skin. The line contains a Grapefruit Aloe Shave & Wash, Glycolic 10% After Wash, Soothing Day ~ Night Face Gel, and Cooling Eye Relief Gel. Retail price is $164 at Ona Spa in Los Angeles and online at https://shop.onaspa.com

So by your man some high-quality grooming products, you will love the results!

Fun Christmas Beauty Gift Ideas

Looking for a different beauty gift to give that fun-loving lady that you know? Below are some great choices. From fashionable beauty cases, to an awesome video game to a really cute hair straightener — Take a look at theses very cool gift ideas!

Introducing SOHO Beauty Cases to organize all your beauty essentials.  Organize all of the cosmetics piled around the bathroom sink – or unmanageable makeup bag – in a chic hard cosmetic case. SOHO Beauty Cases are available in an assortment of shapes, colors and sizes and are equipped with pull out trays, multi-tier accordion shelving, and a fold-up handle for glamour on the go.

I  love the fun colors and prints this comes in. I have a cute little sheer black case with bright pink lips all over it. This would be perfect for an adult, teen or a tween. Very fun! 

Please visit www.sohobeautycases.com and check out all of the styles and sizes available.  Prices range from $9.99 – $29,99 and retail at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond. 

Redken’s Busy Scissors®, the new “life simulation” game allows consumers to perm, color, shampoo, cut, blow dry, and style hair!  Players earn reputation and advance their career in a Hollywood based salon by meeting the demands of their glamorous and eccentric clientele.  The game progresses as they help unlock each client’s inner potential by finding their unique outward style.  The game features over 25 hairstyles, 20 mini-games, 6 career levels, and 4 game modes, which provide a dynamic combination of realistic gameplay, humor, and entertainment.

This is so much Fun for everyone, but especially for the people who love experimenting with hairstyles. It is available for Nintendo Wii  or Nintendo DS ($19.99 each).

Zoe polkadot print design hair straightener ($29.99 USD).  This super-cute and effective straightener includes these features:

  • Tourmaline ceramic 1 inch plates that heat up quickly to 410 degrees fahrenheit to supply natural and infrared heat
  • Tangle free 360 degree 9 foot professional swivel cable
  • Thermal pouch included

This is a really good little straightener. It heats up quickly and straightens or curls hair fast, too. Teens and tweens will also enjoy the cute print. Very affordable, too.

You can purchase this at www.target.com, www.amazon.com and www.meijer.com

Stuff Your Stockings With New Lip Balm Collections

When thinking of stocking stuffers this year, lip balms are a great idea for all of the chapped lips on your list! Below are lip balm sets priced $9.99 — $14.99 — perfect to give to one person or to split up and drop one in each stocking you need to fill.

Eos, the innovative personal care brand, expands in the lip balm category and announces the launch of the 2010 Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Holiday Gift Bag ($9.99 USD) – a set of 3 organic, all natural lip balm spheres in a stylish, reusable cosmetic pouch. A delightful gift or stocking-stuffer, the Holiday Gift Bag contains full-size eos smooth sphere lip balms in Honeysuckle Honeydew, Sweet Mint and new limited edition Pomegranate Raspberry. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos™ lip balms keep lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth. Availability: Walgreens, www.evolutionofsmooth.com.
 
Burt’s Bees Lip balm Ornament ($9.99 USD) Burt’s Bees fans can stock up on their favorite lip balms and get a keepsake reusable and recyclable tin. Choose from the ‘Classic’ pack filled with four Beeswax Lip Balms or the ‘Mixed’ pack with a variety of favorite balms. Sets include:

Classic = 4 Original Peppermint Lip Balms .15 oz each
Mixed = 2 Original Peppermint Lip Balms .15 oz each, 1 – Pomegranate Lip Balm .15 oz, 1 – Honey Lip Balm .15 oz

Visit www.burtsbees.com or www.ulta.com to learn more or purchase.

MISSION Balmer Bundle Pack ($14.99 UAD) — These athlete-engineered Lip Balmers™ provide your lips with great-tasting, broad-spectrum sun protection and are vitamin and antioxidant enriched. They lock in moisture for up to 8 hours, making them perfect for the harshest conditions or everyday use. Can’t decide which is your favorite flavor? The MISSION Balmer Bundle Pack is perfect. Availability: missionskincare.com

Give a Little Bath and Shower Luxury This Christmas

Bath and body sets make fabulous Christmas gifts! The following are some of my favorites, but keep in mind that each company — The Body Shop, H2O Plus and Bodycology — have other fragrances and sets in various price ranges.

The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Shower Scrub & Soften Gift Set ($29.00 USD) — Description: Conjure up memories of Christmas past and treat someone special with this indulgent gift set with moisturizing Community Trade ingredients and fragrant vanilla extract.

Includes:

  • 8.4 fl oz Spiced Vanilla Shower Gel
  • 1.7 oz Spiced Vanilla Body Butter
  • 1.7 oz Spiced Vanilla Body Scrub
  • 3.5 oz Spiced Vanilla Soap
  • Octagonal card box with PET window and red ribbon

The Body Shop also has a lovely cranberry and a zesty orange fragrances for the holiday, but my favorite is the Spiced Vanilla set. This would be an affordable and very welcome gift for anyone on your list

Available at The Body Shop stores and www.thebodyshop-usa.com

Sea Salt Spa Collection ($45.00 USD) — This mineral-rich gift set features our best-selling Sea Salt spa luxuries to gently polish, purify and restore skin’s natural glow. The set features:
 
  • European sea salts draw out impurities and replenish essential nutrients, leaving skin healthy and luminous
  • Rich shea butter, jojoba and coconut oils rapidly absorb into the skin, leaving it luxuriously soft
  • Moisture-rich marine botanicals, including provide deep hydration for visibly smooth, radiant skin
  • Imparts an invigorating oceanside fragrance, infused with notes of green tea
  • Presented in custom designed gift box

Gift Includes: Sea Salt Body Wash (12.5 fl oz / 370mL), Sea Salt Skin Smoother (12 fl oz / 340g), Spa Hydrating Body Gloss (1.9 fl oz / 56mL), Sea Salt Hydrating Body Butter (6 fl oz / 180mL), and hand-held wood bath brush with strap.

This scent is so fantastically addicting! It is soft and neutral so it would be good for men or women. H2O has a ton of other gift sets to choose from, too. Visit www.h2oplus.com to purchase.

Bodycology 6-Piece Gift Set(15.00 USD) :  Available in classic scents, Sweet Petals and Brown Sugar Vanilla, this deluxe gift set boats a mixture of full-size and trail size products including Bath Gel, Body Lotion, Body Cream, Body Butter, Body Mist and Hand Soap. You can purchase these at Walmart.

Enjoy!

 

U Color by Umberto Beverly Hills

Yes, I am very cheap. Ever since I moved to Kansas City from Portland, OR (and left my friend and hair stylist), I have been coloring my own hair. I realized fast that without my half-off friend discount, salon color and highlights are very expensive. So I am always looking for an effective way to color my grays.

Umberto Beverly Hills U Color Italian Demi Color ($12.00) is the all-in-one color, developer and equalizer in a sachet packet system ready-to-apply directly to hair. Available in 12 hair color shades.
Kit includes:

  • 2 Sachet Packets, each with Color, Developer and Equalizer
  • Latex Gloves
  • Mini Detail Brush
  • Illustrated InstructionsThis hair color is so easy to use. Fold the packet so that color is sandwiched between the developer and equalizer. SNIP (cut along the dotted line), SQUEEZE (directly onto dry hair), SMOOSH (as if you were shampooing)! Distribute evenly through hair, process for 25 minutes. Rinse, shampoo, and condition as usual. You can also use the traditional bottle or bowl methods.
    • What I think: The shades seem to come out a bit darker than what’s in the package. I tried the Light Chestnut Brown which matched my dark brown hair well and my teenage daughter colored her strawberry blond hair Light Copper Gold and it turned out a bright Auburn. It is a very pretty color that is even all over.
     
    I think that this is a great bargain for the quality. Try it, your hair will look gorgeous!

    Target Beauty Brings Great Holiday Makeup Kits

    I think it is fabulous that Target brings quality makeup from touted makeup artists at such an affordable price. You can purchase beautiful gifts for as low as $9.99.

    Here are the latest holiday offerings by Pixi, NP Set and JK Jemma Kidd:

    INSTANTLY BRIGHTEN YOUR LOOK WITH PIXI:    
    Get glowing in an instant with skin nourishing, shimmering shades from the guru of the flawless, dewy glow – Petra Strand.  Winter Wakeup Eyes sets deliver an eye-catching variety of shadow shades, while Pixi Essentials delivers all of the Pixi favorites in a party-ready clutch.  Winter Wakeup Eyes available in No 1 Bright and Light and No 2 Shade and Shape ($9.99 each) Pixi Essentials ($28).

    ACHIEVE ON THE GO GLAM WITH JK JEMMA KIDD: Makeup maven Jemma Kidd knows how to look runway-ready without breaking the bank.  Kick off the party season in true JK style with pocket-sized versions of her makeup must-haves that are ideal for stuffing fashionable stockings. Kits include Air Kiss Duo ($9.99), Signature Shadows Palette ($9.99) and Signature Kit ($26).

    DAZZLE AND SPARKLE WITH NP SET:
    No matter the holiday look, Australian makeup maestro Napoleon Perdis has eyes covered, with two palettes packed with gorgeous shades to deliver looks from subtly sweet to dramatic and sultry. Palettes include Smoke Signal Palette ($9.99) and New Neutrals Palette ($9.99).

    Visit Target stores and www.target.com to purchase. Enjoy!

    Give the Gift of Beautiful Skin This Holiday Season

     

     

    Looking to give a little bit of luxury for the holiday season? Skincare for the face or body make fantastic gifts for ladies (or genetlemen) who love their skin. Try one of the following from the great skin care companies Liz Earle, Weleda and Juara, or visit their websites and choose a different gift. Enjoy!

    Liz Earle Superskin Try-Me Kit ($47.50) — includes:

    Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, Superskin Moisturiser, Superskin Concentrate, and Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment.

    Liz Earle creates natural skincare that is so good for your skin and leaves it glowing. This is especially good for aging skin, it will definately help your skin look younger!

    Visit www.us.lizearle.com to learn more and to purchase this and many other holiday skincare kits from Liz Earle.

    Another great Liz Earle gift is her new book, Skin Care Secrets: How to have Healthy Beautiful Skin Naturally ($24.95 USD Paperback, Firefly books). This give an age-to-age guide on beuatiful, natural skin. This is availaible at www.fireflybooks.com or bookstores everywhere.

    Weleda Pomegranate Body Care Travel Kit ($9.99 USD) has everything that aging skin needs to be completely renewed, revitalized and protected. It’s a conveniently sized sampling of our Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care line to get you started turning back the clock on your skin’s natural beauty.

    CONTENTS:
    Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil 0.32 fl OZ (10ml)
    Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream 0.3 fl OZ (10g)
    Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash 0.72 OZ (20g)

    Juara has a couple of beautiful tropical skin care sets that will take you away this holiday season they are:

    The Beyond Paradise Holiday Set ($45.00 USD — a $53.00 value) — includes the Candlenut Hydrating Shower Gel and Candlenut Hand & Body Balm.

    The Escape to Bali Holiday Set ($28.oo USD — a $38.00 value) —  includes the Candlenut Perfume Oil and travel size Candlenut Hand & Body Balm together for $28 (a $38 value).

    Visit www.juaraskincare.com to learn more and to purchase.

    Scrubs, Peels and Masks — Oh My!

    Cold weather starting to make your skin look dull? Try exfoliating or treating your skin with a rejuvenating peel or mask. The three below are luxury products that may completely change the texture of your skin. Give one a try!

    Ona Spa Rejuvenating Pumpkin Peel ($60.00 USD) This mask is described as, “A highly effective, deliciously scented exfoliation treatment to dramatically improve clarity and texture of all skin types, diminish fine lines, and reveal silky, smoother, more radiant skin.”

    The ingredients are Pumpkin Pulp extract, water, sunflower oil, avocado oil, corn meal, corn starch, C12-C15 alkyl benzoates, glycerine, glycolic acid, bromelain enzyme, papain enzyme, asafetida extract, phytohyaluronate, phytocollagen, willowbark extract, calendula extract, green tea extract, lavender extract, allantoin, panthenol, carrot tissue extract, vitamin E acetate, liquapar optima, essential oils of orange and frankincense.

    What I think: My skin is becoming more sensitive the older I get. The instructions on this mask say to leave on for 10 minutes (which I did) and it may tingle for the first few minutes and then stop. Well. this tingled the whole time and even stung a bit after a while. When I rinsed it off, my skin was very red and my pores were irritated. The next day, the redness was gone and my skin looked fine, but I didn’t notice much of a difference in the texture or my pores. I do think that this mask smells fantastic and if your skin is not sensitive, give it a try.   

    The Indige Skincare Anti-aging and Deep Cleansing Salicylic masks ($100 for 4 masks) are like a salon facial at home. They are weekly micro-peels with a natural botanical alpha-hydroxy acid that causes the dead skin cells to exfoliate. The mask’s function is two-fold: To deliver medicinals to the skin for repair and revitalization and to loosen and remove dead skin cells in order to stimulate the rejuvenation process.

    The Anti-Aging Mask uses a combination of AHA’s and botanicals to reduce fine
    lines, rehydrate your skin and even out complexion tones, a gentle micro-peel at
    an affordable price. The Deep Cleansing Mask helps treat problem skin such as
    blemishes, blackheads and pimples through a combination of salicylic acid and
    botanicals, exfoliating dead skin which holds bacteria. Simply apply the masks to your face for 30-45 minutes once a week and you’ll have that glow which comes from healthy, well-moisturized skin.

    Indige Anti-Aging mask lightens and brightens skin, improving radiance and
    balancing pigmentation, increases the appearance of firmness and elasticity and
    reduces skin roughness and texture with a powerful micropeel. The mask is
    activated when is comes into contact with wet skin.

    What I think: This was difficult to apply as your face needs to be wet and has to stay damp for part of the application. When I did figure out how to correctly apply the mask, I really like the results I received. My skin glowed and looked smooth and was very gentle on my sensitive skin.

    Visit www.indigeskincare.com to learn more and you can purchase these masks at your dermatologist’s office.

    Kate Somerville ExfoliKate ($85.00 USD) — This is my favorite of the three products that I tried. This intensive exfoliation can be done twice a week for glowing skin with minimal irritation.

    visit www.katesomerville.com to purchase and learn more. Enjoy your beautiful skin!

    More about ExfoliKate:

    • Fruit enzymes clarify skin by removing dead cells & eliminating bacteria
    • Highly effective in combating acne, including stubborn blackheads
    • Polishes skin, revealing a smooth, glowing complexion
    • Healthy skin, healthy glow, healthy you!

    What I think: I love this product! It makes my skin instantly glowy and clear.

    Support Breast Cancer Awareness With The Sephora BCA Collection

    Celebrate a fab Breast Cancer Awareness month by treating yourself or a loved one to one of the following products from the Sephora BCA collection. Plus, Sephora will donate $1 from the sale of this product to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.bcrfcure.org.

    BCA Pink Eyelash Curler ($16.00 USD) — Get a pretty wink from a curler that’s pink. This eyelash curler is engineered and tailor-made exclusively for Sephora. Its 29 parts fit together meticulously to deliver a professional feel and the ultimate curl. The high quality, stainless steel frame comes to a head at the mushroom-shaped curling mechanism. This shape, and the non-slip silicone lash pads that cover it, grip without pinching, delivering an accurate, beautiful, and long-lasting curl.

    Makeup Palette To Go – BCA Edition ($15.00 USD, $50 Value) — Show off your commitment to a cure for breast cancer with this limited edition variety of colors from the Sephora Collection. This pink-hued compact is small enough to go anywhere and big enough to hold a range of beautiful shades. Gorgeous colors like shimmery pink, rich violet, and cool gray fill this versatile palette. Hot colors can be played down during the day or pumped up for an eye-catching evening look. Four glosses and one blush slide neatly into separate compartments on opposite sides of the compact.

    This set contains:
    – Eight eye shadows
    – Four lip glosses
    – Blush

    BCA Pop-Up Brush ($8.00 USD) — It’s a hairbrush for your purse—and a good cause. Sephora’s well-known popup travel brush is available for a limited time in a pretty pink color with a ribbon signifying support for breast cancer awareness. It folds shut into a compact size, perfect for your purse or travel. Open to reveal the brush and mirror.

    To purchase these products visit www.sephora.com. Enjoy!