Cosmopolitan June 2013

New collaborations to hit this month:

“1. Coach teams up with iconic French shirtmaker Saint James

2. Milly’s new collaboration with Banana Republic

3.Suno’s signature African - inspired prints are coming to Uniqlo”

Beauty Buys  -

 Photo Source - BeautyBay, Paul and Joe Blotting Papers

 Photo Source - Boots, Revlon Baby Stick in Sunset

Photo Source - Ulta, Organix Moroccan Surf Paste for Hair

“Your skin’s protective barrier is happiest at a slightly acidic 5.5”

Tips on protecting your skin -

“1. Watch out for water - water with its pH 7, make skin more alkaline. Moisturize right after washing to rebalance the barrier

2. Beware of Bar Soap - Most contain harsh detergents that grab on to grime and skin’s protective lipids. Avoid ingredients like sodium-stearate, -palmate, -tallowate, and -palimate

3. Be gentle - Overzealous washing and scrubbing can raise pH levels. Clarisonic cleansing brush because it cleanses and sloughs off dead skin cells gently, with the right amount of pressure

3. Easy on the acids - it’s tempting to OD on glow inducing glycolic peels, but doing so can send your pH plummeting. If you’re red or sensitive, give your skin a three to seven day break between applications

4. Slather on SPF - when skin is sunburned, water from  within your body rushes to calm it down. And in the process, raise the barrier’s pH. Within a spiked pH, your skin barrier loses its protective  and reparative powers.”

3 Free Zoya Colors

Zoya has a new promotion for the New Year. Get any 3 nail polishes for Free! But you have to pay the $12 for shipping and handling.

Let Zoya Color Your World in 2014 with 3 FREE Bottles of Any Zoya Nail Polish Colors.
Just Pay Promotional Shipping & Processing
Use Code: COLOR2014
See Full Details at www.zoya.com

This is what I got -

Happy New Years!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone has a great, peaceful and eventual year!

December 2013 Empties

Hello Readers, 

I decided to do a list at end of every month of my empties. I have seen  a lot of other blogs doing it and I really like seeing what other bloggers use daily. 

Here is what I have used and upcoming reviews -

• Sephora Guava Passion Body Butter
• The Soap Paper Factory Green Tea Shea Butter Soap
• Zoya Nail Polish -  Jules
• Pink Sugar Body Butter
• Airbrush Eye Cream
• Sephora Long Lasting Eye Liner - Black
• Tropez Exotic Eyes Liquid Eye Liner -Teal
• Sephora Fragrance Sampler
• White Rain Energizing Citrus Body Wash
• Dior One Essential Regenerating Skin Boosting Super Serum
• Nars New Lover Glossy Pencil
• Julep Nail Vernis - Cleopatra
• Philosophy Full of Promise for Eyes
• NYX Glitter Liner - Gold
• ELF Shimmer Gloss - Hope
• Stila Sheer Color SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer
• Olay Regenerist Micro - Sculpting Cream
• Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals Nutritive Cleanser
• Too Faced Metal Eyed Eyeliner - Purple
• VMV Hupoallergenics Illuminants +
• Smith's Rosebud Salve
• Iroha Q10 Collagen & Soy Cloth Mask
• Verve Organics Soul Sister Lavender Nut Sugar Scrub
• The Soap Paper Factory Jasmine Shea Butter Soap
• Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips
• No. 4 High Performance Hair Care Clarifying Shampoo
• Simple Pleasures Water Lily and Daisy Body Wash
• Sally Hansen Nail Polish - The Deepest of Violets
• Pop Beauty Nail Polish - Purple
• Essie Nail Polish - Bazooka
• Me Bath! Gotta Have it Pomegranate Body Wash

Let me know what you think!

Self January 2014

Fake a Vacation Glow-

1. Brighten your eyes - lots of R&R means less puff. To fake it, fill a sink with  cold water, 15 ice cubes and ⅓ cup witch hazel. Dunk your bare face five times, keeping eyes closed. It helps instantly firm under-eye skin.

2. Bronze up - a real tan has a red undertone, so choose a bronzer with a coppery tint. Blend it up to temples with a fluffy brush and dust a bit on eyelids.

3. Get flushed - nightly, massage a serum that contains stimulating ginseng or peppermint into bare skin. Both ingredients boost blood flow for a healthy, rest-looking face.

4. Go tanning - apply a tinted gradual self-tanner for body, then do an extra coat following contours of muscles to define. Layering the color makes your faux not look it.

5. Smooth your skin - mimic sand’s exfoliating effect by running a pad with glycolic acid over rough spots post - shower.

Glamour January 2014

DIY Body Scrub

This combination of exfoliating sugar and moisturizing honey will really smooth skin. Stir together 1 cup sugar, ½ coconut oil [or olive oil], the juice 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp honey.

Chella Night Cream Ultra Hydrator with Peptides

Photo Credit - Chella

According to the product’s website, this night cream promises to “maximizes your body’s own nighttime renewal process for powerful, visible results”.  The night cream is chocked full of lavender, chamomile, marigold, horse chestnut, peptides, Vitamin C, E and B-5. The potent night cream softens, refreshes, hydrates and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles. The cream goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. But with a hefty $100 price tag and packed to the brim with good-for-you ingredients, you would think I would be wowed with the results. I was using this night cream during the winter to make my skin less dry. Except my face got drier and rough and using this night cream didn’t make my skin feel or look any better. 

Philip B Katira Hair Masque

Photo Credit - Dermstore

The Philip B hair mask is packed with l-amino acid complex and Persian katira extract. The lightweight paraben free formula promises to leave your hair soft, silky, and shiny. The formula has Jello consistency and it was really hard to work into my hair and most of the product fell in clumps in the tub.  The first time I used the hair masque, my hair became really sticky, dull looking and unmanageable.  The second time I used the mask my hair felt soft, bouncy, and body. I had mixed in some of my regular conditioner to make the masque’s consistency a bit smoother and used a shower cap to keep the treatment in place. I am guessing I just got a bad batch or bottle. I did read somewhere  that with gel masque to coat wet or dry hair from roots to ends, leave on until it hardens, then rinse out.  I guess I will try the next time, if I decided to buy this mask again.

Julep Rock Candy Nail Glaze - Marie

I recently tried the different types of texture nail polishes and I thought I should try the Rock Candy Glazes.  I thought these would be like the jelly nail polishes but  Marie wasn't very jelly like. It was a sheer high glossy barely there lavender color. Even with multiple coats -- the color was still opaque. The nail polished dried hard and didn't have that "jelly" feeling but the annoying thing was that even after the polish dried it still left a mark when it got dinged. Overall, not my most favorite as it was syrupy to applied but I wouldn't mind trying the other colors in the Rock Candy collection.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a great and peaceful holiday! I wish you and your family an amazing time.