Le Metier De Beaute - Replenishing Daily Solution SPF 30

Photo Credit: Neiman Marcus

This creamy lotion is packed with vitamin E, C, Aloe, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiastica, Echinacea, squalane, shea butter, cucumber oil, avocado, hazelnut and jojoba.  Did anyone else get tired from reading that? The lotion promises to offer deep hydration, firm skin, soften, nourish, detoxify and soothe skin, while offering sunscreen to keep your skin looking healthy. This lotion promises to do it all and boy does it deliver! My skin felt smooth, soft and radiant. It keep my skin soft throughout the entire day. I bought this as a treat for my uber stressful week at work, now I am sad that it is almost finished. Looks like I am going to have start saving again and in 6 months, better skin here I come!

Basq Citrus Sugar Body Polish

Exfoliating gets rid of the dead cells on top while promoting cellular renewal on the lower levels. This body polish is packed with whipped shea butter, essentials oils, jojoba, rosehip, grapeseed, wheat germ, hazelnut oil and Illipe butter to hydrate, moisturize, nourish and exfoliate.  The citrus sugar scrub has scents of neroli but it was a bit overpowering  for me. The sugar scrub was liquidly which made it easy to scoop  up. I like how the scrub lathers and foams up when I rub it in. I love how soft, smooth, and moisturized it left my skin. I also like how softly the delicate scent was on my skin.

Julep Nail Polish - Nicolette

The 4 free nail polish was an opaque french white color. It was almost the color of white copier paper. The creme went on a bit stringy, thick and provided full coverage.  While applying the nail polish, I couldn't help but remember when I was little and used White Out as nail varnish. I do think this color would make a nice white for the classic french nail tips. Two things, I noticed that the white got discolored very easily and while it didn't chip for the first 2 days, it became a nightmare shortly after with the chips. Overall, I like the nail color but I think I am going to save it for my nail art.

Spa Technologies Marine Repair Cream

Photo Credit - Spa Technolgoies

This cream is packed with seaweed extracts, peptides, cellular DNA repairing enzymes and antioxidants to protect, nourish, firms and soften skin. The cream enhances collagen synthesis to improve “aging” skin. I love the fresh scent of the cream and even though it has a watery consistency, it has made my skin feeling soft, smooth and radiant.  As much as I like it, I don’t think I will spend another $100 to buy it again though, as cheaper moisturizer have similar results and this product doesn’t WOW me enough to justify the price tag.

Four Truffle Lime Basil Mandarin Body Butter

The rich whipped body butter has unisex scent of citrus and peppery undertones. The body butter is packed with shea butter, vitamin E, aloe vera juice and the oils of olive, argan and virgin coconut. According to the Four Truffle’s product description, the body butter promises “neutralize free radicals and infuse skin with essential fatty acids, iron, vitamins and intense nourishment”. I am not sure if the body butter actually neutralized the target, doesn’t  that sound very high tech? The rich body butter is thick and left my skin feeling greasy. Which why I tend to use this before bed and wake up with softer and smoother skin.

My Spa Life Forever Young Face Wrap - Avocado and Vitamin E

Something about putting a wet paper-thin cloth over my face makes me so relaxed. I was a bit hesitant to try this face mask as I am allergic to avocado. But since, I am glutton for punishment -- I went ahead and bought it. Avocado has long been touted as a superfood, by consuming it and also with skincare benefits. It has nourishing properties, soothe irritated skin, soften and hydrate skin. Avocados contain healthy fats and phytonutrients that pamper and protect the skin.  As being stuck inside the hotel room all day because of thunderstorms, I greedily tore the packet and applied the mask. The mask was thoroughly saturated with the serum and had a pleasant scent. I felt relaxed and my face felt cool. After 30 minutes, I removed the mask and my face was drenched with  the serum. I left it on for another 10 minutes to dry. My face did feel a bit tight, but it was soft and smooth afterwards. For $5 - $6 a mask, it is quite the bargain.

Julep Pomegranate Body Crème

This moisturizing cream is packed with pomegranate, papaya enzymes, shea butter, with jojoba, avocado, and kukui nut oils. I took two containers of this with me to Florida on a family reunion thinking the sun will dry out my skin leaving it scaly and dry. To my utter delight, this floral scented body crème kept my skin feeling soft and smooth the entire time. The creamy crème is a bit greasy if you apply too much but a little crème does go a long way. When opening the container the floral scent might be a bit overpowering to some but when rub on to the skin it leaves the skin delicately scented.

Allure June 2013

Editors’ Favorites -

Peter Thomas Roth NeuroLoquid

Revlon Baby Sticks in Pink Passion

No7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

Acqua Di Parma Gelsomino Nobile Purse Spray

Color of the moment - Vivid Violet

MAC Lip Pencil in Heroine

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Strangefruit

Hard Candy All Glossed Up in Love Bite

Country Living June 2013

Just in time for the "summer" - new shaving creams to try -

EOS Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream

Pre De Provence Shave Cream

Klar Ladies’ Shaving Soap

Imperial Glycerin Face and Shave Soap

C.O. Bigelow Premium Shave Cream

March Empties!

Ah, April! How I wish you came sooner. March surprisingly went pretty fast for me, it could have been that I had 6 big projects at work and completely lost track of time [highly probable]. Well, I hope April brings with it, some much needed warm weather and I wouldn't mind a light shower here and there.

Have a great one!

March Empties-

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Sephora Tropical Jasmine Body Scrub

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Purple Potion

Julep Rock Star Hand Creme

TBS Strawberry Soap

Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm

St. Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Moisturizing Body Wash

Sephora Fragrance Sample

Julep Nail Polish - Aviva

Kleancolor Nail Polish - Gold Caviar

Calvin Klein Euphoria

Crazy Rumor Bee My Honey Lip Balm

Intelligent Beauty Labs Rescue Rapid Repair Hair Mask

REN Hydra Calm Global Protection Day Cream

Lumene Time Freeze Firming Day Cream

Eminence Organic Skin Care Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant

Garnier Skin Renew Daily Moisture Lotion Anti-Sun Damage

Jennifer Aniston Perfume

Maybelline FitMe Foundation Sample

ELF Cucumber Melon Nourishing Body Lotion

Maybelline The Falsies Volumin' Express Mascara

Paula's Choice Resist Ultra Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum

Murad Active Radiance Serum

CellCeuticals CellGensis Eye Serum

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

White Rain Ocean Mist Body Wash

Gold Shimmer Powder

Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Lengthening Mascara - Bark

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Perfume Sample

The Face Shop Cucumber Mask

Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Aveeno Nourish and Strengthen Shampoo and Conditioner

Thinking the “strong” Florida sun will do major damage to my hair I decided to take along this “gentle”  shampoo and conditioner duo hoping it will help. I had recently got a haircut cutting off not just the dead ends but at least 6 inches of hair. I hoped the shampoo/conditioner help protect my strands from breaking and keeping “I just came from the salon look”. The soft scented did leave my hair soft and manageable. Did it help strengthen my hair? Truly, I have no way of knowing but I did like how my hair look afterwards, so I am guessing even if it didn’t strengthen my hair it did strengthen my self confidence. Now, all is left is the massive acne breakout, that the Florida’s heat has blessed me with.

Exuviance Age Reverse BioActiv Wash

The creamy cleaner is packed with Polyhydroxy Acid blends, maltobionic Acid and a botanical extract cocktail of aloe, rose, chamomile, rosemary and cucumber. In all honesty, when I was using this product I didn’t even realize it had that many botanical extract ingredients, especially since it doesn’t have floral scent. The foamy wash promises to exfoliate and stimulate cell renewal. My favorite part of this wash is that it does clean my skin very well and the foam is so easy to use and apply.

** I lost the photos that I took :( **

LA Fresh Eco Beauty Natural Waterproof Makeup Remover

I love wipes, they are so easy and convenient to use. I tend to keep some by my bed, on my bathroom counter and in my desk at work. Because lets be honest who has time to wash their face when there is a DVR full of TV and over-demanding calendar. I was interested in using these wipes because they are all natural and packed with good for your ingredients [and being 100% biodegradable] and without the nasty parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals and dyes. The wipes is enriched with 6 blend oil of Olive, Jojoba, Sesame, Grapeseed, Vitamin E and Lavender. These wipes didn’t do a good job of wiping off my makeup. I had to rub the wipes really hard to get my makeup off and it still left with traces of makeup behind. Even though the wipes promises no greasy residue, it did make my face shiny and moisturized. I am guessing, its most likely because of the 6 oil blend cocktail. I tend to like my wipes to leave my skin matte and then follow up with moisturizer.