Julep Oxygen Nail Treatment

The oxygen nail treatment promises to complete nail care and make-up (Who knew!?) in one bottle. The treatment is composed of Hexanal that promises stronger, thicker, and smoother nails after one application. I applied a couple of coats once a week. The sheer pink treatment went on a bit thicky and uneven. It took a bit also to dry but it gave nice French tip look. Overall, my nails did look better but by very much. I was mostly a fan of the sheer pink color.

BBW Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Body Wash

The eucalyptus and spearmint enriched body wash promises to promote stress relief. The foaming body is enriched with skin conditioners with a blend of essential oils to promote body, mind and mood wellness. The body wash has a soft and relaxing minty scent. The bottle recommends breathing in deeply and boy, it smell calm and relaxing. It felt like being in a spa but without the pricey cost.

Book Review - The Midwife’s Tale by Delia Parr

Photo Credit/Source - Amazon

I was recently given the opportunity to read "The Midwife's Tale" by Delia Parr and provide my honest opinion in exchange for an copy of the book.

The story begins with widow and midwife Martha Cade delivering a baby faraway from home. Upon her departure and excitement to join the rest of her family back in Trinity, she receives news from her brother about her daughter running away to join the circus (does anyone else think of Water for Elephants?).  At the time period the book represents, there is quite a "strict" family structure and code in place for the community. Daughters should be home until they are ready to be married and usually follow the career path steps of their mothers. The news, undoubtedly, shakes Martha to the core. She not only has to deal with a daughter whose whereabouts are not known but with being ostracize by the community.  To make matters worse, Martha depends on being a midwife to support herself. After, the old doctor from their community dies a new younger doctor comes and believes there is only room for one of them.

While, the book provide us insight into Martha's life as not only a mother, widower, a midwife, a community member but as a human who is simply trying to fit in and find a place for herself. The author does a good job creating believable but flawed characters. The book doesn't necessarily bills itself as a historical novel, but I wish it gave a bit more historic information on how lives of a midwife was like during that time period. The book does have little tidbits on how certain herbs cure ailments. The book was a bit a slow in the beginning but not painfully slow, although towards the end, there were so many twists and turns --- one should hold on! But, with that many twists and thrills at the end of the book, it made it feel rushed and that it should have been spread out more. Thankfully though, the book leaves no stone unturned and every question is answered.  A gem to be read once and then passed to others.

Women’s Health September 2014

Making Faces

Eye Shadow  - put your chin up and look down your nose at yourself [ like a mean girl ], eyebrows slightly lifted. Use an eyeshadow brush to sweep color from the inner corner to the outer corner of each eye. This angle removes crease and crinkles from the eyelid, creating a flatter area for cream or powder shadow, so color goes on evenly.

Lipstick - smile as big and as tightly as you can, showing plenty of teeth. Use a lip brush to apply color to every bit of lips, including the corners. Opening your mouth into a broad, cheesy grin exposes the corners of lips, so you can get lipstick where you want it ( when corners are missed, it looks like your lips were cut off the sides ) - and not where you don’t (surrounding skin and teeth). Plus,  the lip skin is stretched smooth for an even application.

Eyeliner - many women lean in towards the mirror - but you shouldn’t. Instead, tilt your head back and lift your brow skin up with your finger so you can get right next to your lashes with the liner. Rest the pencil vertically so the tip lays flat against your lash line. If you tend to blink a lot while saying, “Aaah”. Your lashes will look thicker, and eyes will appear larger. Saying  “aaah” helps relax facial muscles so blinking slows.

Blush -  Practice the fake smile. Keep it close mouthed and a little rigid, just lifting the corners of your lips a bit. Apply blush right at the top of the apple - the part that sticks out most - the blend up and out toward your temples. For cream blush, use a stippling or Kabuki brush (which has short, dense bristles and a flat top). For powder color, a regular blush brush is fine. Color hits the apples of your cheeks in exactly the spot where you’d flush naturally.

Bronzer and Highlighter -  suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. Use an angled contour brush to apply matte bronzer that’s two shades darker than your skin to the area inside the hollow of your cheeks. Starting an inch from your lips, blend bronzer upward toward your ear. Then dab a cream or powder highlighter onto the cheekbones, moving upward toward your hairline. This play of light and dark defines the angles of your face, making cheekbones appear higher.

Ancient Secrets Modern Beauty

Body Work - in ayurveda, a warm oil body massage (called abhyanga) isn’t a monthly indulgence: it’s a daily 10 minute self care ritual believed not only to soften skin but also to help fight cellulite and keeps muscles supple.

Eye Palming - relieving eye strain relaxes those muscles around the eyes that can cause fine lines and wrinkles. Warm your hands by rubbing them together. Close your eyes and press the heel of each palm on the corresponding cheekbone, then cup your fingers over the eyelid. Breathe deeply and slowly in this position for five minutes.

Oil pulling  - an inflammatory response in the mouth like gum disease could lead to having inflammatory responses such as heart diseases or diabetes. A healthy mouth can be a pathway to healthy body. High levels of bacterias can accumulate in the mouth overnight. Swish one tablespoon of organic oil around in your mouth for 10 minutes for the a.m. before brushing your teeth; spit into a toilet.

Tongue Scraping - by unclogging the pores on the tongue, you may taste your food more and feel more satisfied, possibly curbing your appetite.  Use a metal scraper spans the width of the tongue. Before brushing your teeth, but after oil pulling, gently glide the  scraper from the back of the tongue to the tip, then along the sides, repeat a few times. Make sure to rinse the scrap between each swipe.

Foot Massage - Ayurvedic practitioners believe that four major nerves in the feet connect directly to the eyes, so massaging feet in this manner is thought to help reduce stress from chronic headaches. Before bed, clean your feet with warm water. While sitting down, rest one foot on the opposite thigh. Using brisk strokes, start massaging from the top of the foot; when you get to the toes, bend them back up and down with your hand. Then firmly massage the bottom of the feet with your thumbs and the heel of your hand, using stronger pressure on the toes [many of the nerve endings in the foot are there]. Focus the flow toward the toes, using circular motions.

Better Homes and Garden October 2014

Create a fall window box

1. Ornamental kale - position 1 - 2 large ornamental kale or cabbage plants toward the front of the planter.
2. Mums - place 2 - 3 mums behind the kale. Add potting soil around the mums and kale to secure the plants. Position sheet moss around the planter for a polished look.
3. Pumpkins and gourd for the finishing touch, nestle an assortment of small pumpkins and gourds on each end.

Maximize your eyes for your type

Deep set - blend a shimmery taupe shadow onto lids and inner corners. To bring eyes forward, draw eyeliner just above the roots of your lashes.

Wide set - make sure your shadow color is as intense on the center of your lids as it is on the outer corners, and concentrate extra coats of mascara on the center of your lashes.

Closet set -  start your liner near the center of your eye (instead of the inner corner) and gradually widen the line until you reach the outer corner. Blend highlighter onto the unlined part of your lash line.

Downturned -  apply liner across the entire length of the lash line, then flick the end of the line upward, cat-eye style. Smudge shadow up and out toward the tail end of your brow.

Lucky November 2014

Master Class - French Girl Cool

1. Be a little boyish
2. Keep it simple
3. Take denim seriously
4. Less is more at night

Elle February 2014

Two’s Company

Thicker Lashes  - After two coats of black Lancome Definicils Mascara, she uses a brush to paint the tops of eyelashes with metallic  L’Oreal Paris Infalliable never fail lacquer line 24H in Bronze.

The happiest red lip - start with a layer of the sheer pink lip smacker Dr. Pepper lip balm, then use your finger to press an intense red coal red eyeshadow on the center of the mouth.

The longest lasting blush  -  Apply a cream blush and then use a blotting papers to pat against the cream blush. The sheets will remove the sheen, dewy finish but leave behind a natural looking flush.

Lucky October 2014

Master Class : Tomboy Style

1. Choose a well cut blazer - go for clean styles that aren’t nipped in at the waist and that have a defined line between the shoulder and the front of the lapel.
2. When it comes to boyfriend jeans, be picky - a truly straight cut and a natural - looking wash are key
3. Add a personal touch - something that adds a personal touch to your clothes, your initials
4. Visit the men’s section - wear a menswear suit with heels or chunky oversize sweater with a little short skirt.

Self September 2014

How to wear the bomber jacket

Keep it  casual - play up the jacket’s athletic feel with track pants in an unexpected materials like leather or silk, plus a simple V-neck tee and classic sneakers.

Dress it up - elevate the look with a pencil skirt or a fitted, knee length dress in a solid color, plus stilettos. For jewelry, try something sleek and modern, like a brushed silver ring.

Fresh for Fall

Bold Brows-

The trend - brows are filled in and thick but natural - creating a polished look that’s perfect for work. Your brow hair already has a bit of sheen to it. New formula contains mica particles that add just enough shine.

The trick - using light stroke, fill in brows with a brow pencil and cream, starting at the arch. Deposit color there first, because that’s where brows are most dense and dark.

Flushed Cheeks -

The trend - a brown contouring shade enhances bone structure; peach (if you have cool undertone) or hot pink (for warm undertones) mimics natural rosiness. Brown creates a shadow, which makes your cheekbones look more prominent.

The trick - blend brown brush from your cheek to your ear to create a shadow effect just below your cheekbones.  Use a fan brush because it deposits a thin veil of color. Dust peach blush on cheekbones or pink on apples of cheeks.

Berry Lips

The trend - Apply matte raspberry or blackberry lipstick, applied with a light touch.

The trick - apply the lipstick with your ring finger. Rub finger on lipstick, then pat into your lips, starting at the center and working your way to the corners.  Concentrating color in the middle creates the illusion of fuller lips. And working it in with your finger helps the pigment sink in.

Stila Lip Glaze - Joy

I found this after doing Spring cleaning. I really need to go through my stash more often! I believe this was from Stila's 2014 Winter collection. The sheer bright bubble gum looks very Barbie like. I think I had mines a bit too long as the color started separating. Either way, it wasn't very sticky and while the color is sheer, it still makes a good clear  lip gloss.

Barbie like bubble gum pink

L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

Photo Credit - L'Occitane

The rich cream is packed with 25% concentration of shea butter with a sweet scent of Jasmine. The whipped cream is packed with extracts of linseed, mallow, sweet almond and honey along with apricot oil and Vitamin E. The body cream is thick [perfect for the winter] but still light enough for the summer. It made my skin, soft, smooth and left a soft delicate scent on my skin. I love applying this after exfoliating [with Sundari Gotu Kola and Walnut Body Exfoliator] and then going to bed and waking to super soft skin.

Koh Gen Do Oriental Plants Emollient Cream

Photo Source - Sephora

I LOVE THIS CREAM! This cream is packed with 36 botanical extracts and vitamin A. This cream combined ancient botanical formulas with advance technology to create a cream that combines the tried and true with cutting edge technology. The emollient cream left my skin feeling rich, nourished, smooth and looking absolutely radiant. I love this cream but I am really sad that this cream is so expensive and my makeup addiction is leaving me so poor.  :(

ELF Cucumber Melon Moisturizing Body Cream

I found this while going through my inventory and I decided since I no longer see on ELF’s webpage it is high time I used it up. The hand cream is packed with shea butter, aloe vera gel, hemp seed oil and vitamin b5. The creamy body cream does have a fresh crisp cucumber scent that reminds me being at the spa. It leaves my body smooth and soft but I noticed it doesn’t last through washing my hands. Overall, it was a decent  cream for the price.

Acure Cell Stimulating Body Wash Moroccan Argan Stem Cell + Argan Oil

This fresh scented body is packed with fair trade certified ingredients such  moroccan argan stem cells, CoQ10, organic argan, sea buckthorn and pumpkin seed oil. The 100% biodegradable promises to feed and restore cells. The formula is also vegan, paraben, gluten synthetic fragrance, silicone and phthalate free. The body wash gave a generous lather and left my skin feel smooth and soft. Overall, my favorite part of this product was the scent and my skin felt tingly like my cells were getting “stimulated” but that sounds so wrong.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw

The creamy full coverage bright brick red lipstick goes on smoothly. It leaves a nice matte finish and stains lips to give it an everlasting last.  The lipstick is fortified with vitamins A, C, and E to provide hydration to lips. I didn't notice any hydration benefit, though. I love the color but the stain didn't last very on me but the remnants of the color still looks pretty when topped with gloss.

One Bath and Body Natural Body Soap in Blast from the Past

I bought this sweet scented soap on sale at this discounted beauty market. The sweet scent immediately made me want..no..need this in my life. The soap provided a generous lather and left my skin super soft and smooth. The only thing I didn't like is that the paper that the soap came in stuck to the soap. It took a bit before I could get half of it off. Granted, this could have been an issue with the place I bought the soap from. I would definitely get this again but in a different store.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

The purifying cleansing foam has a creamy lather that purifies the complexion to bring out the radiance of your skin. The cleanser is formulated with multi-action brightening system that targets spots and improve clarity and luminosity in skin. I used a bit of this with my Clarisonic brush and it left my skin a bit tight at first. After following up with moisturizer my skin felt and look radiant. My skin look more bright and luminous but my dark spots didn’t completely vanish..sadly.