Nu – Pore : Fresh Aloe Collagen Essence Mask

I love using a weekly facial mask. My friend raves about this mask and gave me one for Christmas. I can see why she loves it. The premoistened mask can be used three ways a] on a warm day, you can stick it in the fridge b] on cold day, you can submerge the packet in hot water c] or the lazy person way [I did it this way], by just opening the packet and using it.  When I first removed the mask, my face felt tight, but it slowly went away and my skin felt soft and smooth. The mask is packed with vitamin E, Collagen and aloe.

Folded

Unfolded. It was dripping wet.

Burt’s Bees – Watermelon Lip Shimmer

Photo Credit - Burt's Bees

As an avid fan of both Burt’s Bees and their lip balms, I couldn’t wait to try their much lauded lip shimmer. It is packed with vitamin E, beeswax, sunflower and coconut oil. The lip shimmer gave a pretty sheer wash of color and left a bit of shimmer behind. Although, it didn’t provide enough moisture and my lips felt dry after 15 minutes or so after application. I love the color and how it nicely brightens up my face with color but I might have to use a lip balm under this shimmer so my lip doesn’t dry up.

Essie Luxeffects Nail Polish top coat – Set in Stones

Photo Source - Ulta.com

I love doing my nails. I find it very relaxing and it’s a way to pamper myself without spending a fortune. I have tried many top coats, some with glitter and some without glitter but most of them don’t work very well.  This top coat added a nice multidimensional look when I wore it on top of another color and it looks great when I wear it by its own. I like how Essie formulates their nail polish without the use of DBP, toluene, and how it’s formaldehyde-free.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Cream Fortifying & Soothing 24Hr Hydrating Care

Photo Source - Vichy.com

My combination skin gets really dry during the changing of the seasons. I heard many good things about this brand and I wanted to try their moisturizer. This light weight cream went on like butter and left my skin buttery soft and smooth. The hydrating cream is packed with mineral rich thermal water and active hyaluronine, which help keep my skin moisturized throughout the day.  I also like how the formula was not greasy or sticky, free of paraben and doesn’t clog the pores.

Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash

Photo Credit - Weleda

After reading many stellar reviews about this company and my fondness of pomegranate, I could not wait to try this body wash.  I was not disappointed with this body wash. It provided adequate moisturizing lather and a soft lingering scent of pomegranate that lasted well into the day.  The body wash was packed with essential oils of vanilla, blood orange and neroli. I like how body wash is free of synthetic detergent and the organic, and was fair trade pomegranate oil.

Glytone – Retexturize Exfoliating Body Wash

Photo credit - Dermstore

I love this exfoliating body wash and it is a great alternative to sugar body scrubs.  It left my skin soft and smooth thanks to the exfoliating effects of glycolic acid. This product has strong medical scent [sadly] and thick consistency, which gives a nice fluffy lather. The body wash is gentle for everyday use and a lot easier to use than traditional body scrubs. I would recommend applying the lotion after showering to lock in the hydration. Also, do not use any other scrubs, while using this product as it might cause skin irritation.

Coco de Soleil Gloss | Moderne – High – Gloss Serum

Photo Credit - Folica

When I first saw this product, I thought it was made by the creators of Cirque du Soleil, turns out it is not.  After cutting my long hair because there wasn’t much I could do with it; I realized there isn’t much to do with short hair either, if you are lazy.  I decided try this serum out after reading some really good reviews about this product. After washing my hair, I smooth in some of the serum into my hair.  I love the piece-y texture and volume it gave my hair. I didn’t notice any added shine to my hair and it made my hair a bit sticky. While I would not use this product every day, I would use it once in a while and probably wash my hair the next day. I didn’t use any heat styling equipment, as recommended. I will probably try that the next time.

Boscia Oil Free Daily Hydration SPF 15

Photo Credit - Sephora

After putting off using sunscreen all of winter, I thought I might get into the habit before the summer started. I actually found this SPF while waiting on line at Sephora. I heard many good things about the Boscia brand and since I need a sunscreen, I thought I might as well kill two birds with one stone. The lotion scent was not very pleasant; it reminded me of freshly cut grass.  I do love the scent of flowers, nature and blah blah but just not on my face. The non-greasy lotion went on smoothly and had matte finish.  You might want to follow with a moisturizer as my skin felt dry afterwards. This natural product is paraben, phthalate, preservative sulfate, synthetic fragrance and dye free.

VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything Lotion

Photo Credit - VMV Hypoallergenics

My hands are constantly dry no matter how many inches of lotion I pile on. I read online that this lotion gives the skin the appearance of a post peel glow. I couldn’t wait to try it.  The thick lotion goes on smoothly and my skin does look dewy after application, but it did have a bit of a greasy feel.  My hands did remain soft and smooth throughout the day. The glycolic acid removes dead skin and kinetin growth factor speeds up cell renewal. The glycerin locks in the moisture and green tea and rice phytic has proven anti-aging effects.  An added bonus for anyone who is hypoallergenic, the lotion is fragrance, dye, phthalate, paraben and preservative free.  The lotion is quite pricy, $45 for a 6.3 oz bottle, so try it out first to see if you like it.

Zoya Nail Polish – Kristen

Spring is here and to celebrate this long awaited season we tend to wear pretty pastels. I never really like wearing pastel colored clothing or makeup. Don’t get me wrong, I like the candy colors during spring, but I just can’t pull it off. I really wanted to try the pastel trend so decided to start off small and used pastel colors on my nails. I decided to try Kristen, which is soft pale blue from Zoya Feel Collection.  I love how soft the color was and I can’t wait try the other pastel colors. I also liked how my polish lasted a whole week before it started chipping.

Indie Lee - Lemongrass Citrus Body Wash

Photo Credit - India Lee

In a never ending battle to make my skin care regime greener while keeping my skin healthy, I came across this widely recommended natural body wash. I liked the refreshing lemongrass and citrus scent and how it revitalized me during my morning shower.  Formulated without the icky parabens, phthalates and sulfate, it left my skin soft and lightly scented. However, I noticed it didn’t lather very well and I did have to use a lot more body wash to make sure everywhere was nice and clean. I also would recommend following up with a moisturizer as my skin felt a bit dry about an hour later.

Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp Care

Photo credit - Head and Shoulders

The warm scent of cinnamon and hot chocolate floating in the air makes me excited knowing winter is near. But Mother Nature is not the only one that has white flakes falling in the winter. The only thing I dread about winter is the harsh toll it takes my skin and scalp. When my scalp needs TLC, I always turn to Head and Shoulders and have never been disappointed. Not only is my hair soft, silky and shiny but my scalp no longer has those pesky white flakes. The scent of the shampoo is fresh so it can be for both genders.

LaLicious Moisturizing Body Scrub - Sugar Kiss

Photo Credit - Laliclious

 

As seasons change our skin need the occasional scrub down. Body scrubs is one of best way to remove dull skin. I was bit hesitant in trying LaLicious body scrub because the name sounds a bit childish, but now I am in love. But don’t be fooled by the name, this is one top notch product. The scrub made my skin silky smooth and soft.  My skin was hydrated and well moisturized. The scent was sweet and the soft scent lingers.  The only thing that was a bit disappointing was that the scrub was hard to rub into my skin. It took quite an effort to rub in the scrub into my skin. Other than that, I recommend taking a look at this body scrub.

Macadamia Natural Oil – Healing Oil Treatment

Photo Credit - Folica.com

It seems once, one company makes a hit product every company is trying to release their own version of that product. Five years ago, if you asked me if I used hair oil, I would have been mildly offended thinking you are asking if I use Rogaine or some “natural” remedy to cure my hair problems. Now, hair oil treatments are mainstream and the name no longer carries a negative meaning [well at least not for me anymore]. As much as I like the Moroccan oil, I wanted to see what else the market had to offer [a typical makeup lover that always want more J]. Like all the other oil treatments it promises to reduce drying time and improving hair quality. Along with providing UV protection and when added to hair dye prior to application it extends the life of the dye job [I haven’t tried this yet..I am giving my hair a break from the dye jobs]. My hair became soft and shiny. The only downside is that when I applied this oil to my newly washed hair it became really greasy.