BareMinerals Clear Radiance All Over Face Color

If you haven't yet ventured into the world of mineral make up, I highly recommend it. BareMinerals as a brand is pretty good overall.   There are some products that I would never use but that's true of any brand.   A lot of my most frequently used make up is from them.

The BareMinerals All Over Face Color in Clear Radiance is one of my favorite BareMinerals products.  The first time I wore it, I walked into work that night and my manager was like, "Oh my god, you're in LOVE!"  Haha.  I wasn't dating anyone at the time actually, but I was wearing Clear Radiance!  When I told her that she was like, "I need to get me some of that!"  Lol.

All over face color is just what it sounds like.  Color that you put all over your face.  It didn't actually particularly sound that good to me.  I was like why would I want to be pink all over my face?  But it's actually a very subtle effect.  It really just provides a soft glow, while evening out your skin tone, and makes me look so much better than pale uneven-ness.  Clear Radiance is a very very slight pink with a very very slight shimmer.  And it's not at all obvious.  I can't even really describe it.  You have to try it for yourself!

The Clear Radiance shade is perfect for me (being super pale), but there is a whole range of shades in the All Over Face Color that might be better for your tone.  You can walk into any Bare Escentuals store and have the professionals there help you choose and/or try out a shade that's perfect for your skin tone.  Happy shopping!  :)


Texture: 4.5 (Smooth and fabulous.)
Health: 4 (Mineral Make up is supposed to be better for you, but I don't remember why.)
Ethics: 4 (I've never heard anything bad or good about BareMinerals.)
Does what it says: 5 (Extremely lovely effect.)

Overall: 4.5 (Dreamy!)

LUSH Sugar Babe Shower Scrub

LUSH is my new obsession.  I love their stuff.  My friend got me into it by talking about all their wonderful products, and of course I was not hard to attract to a company who hand makes their products, cares about where their supply is coming from, is conscious about packaging their products, and puts mostly fabulous ingredients into them.  And their logo is bright and catchy too.  Yay!

Anyway, so their stuff is fabulous, and my friend and I started a monthly trip to LUSH for supplies.  This month is only the second trip, but we are excited.  I expect the tradition will live on.  It's definately a day out activity because there are only two stores in CT.  One is at the Danbury Fair Mall, and the other is at Mohegan Sun.  In bigger city areas, they are easier to come by.  Or you can always order online.  

So yes, about the Sugar Babe Shower Scrub.  When I think shower or body scrub I always think  liquid (well, cream or gel, really).  This is a solid scrub.  At first it weirds you out a little.  But I've figured out how to use it, and I LOVE it. 

What I do is break off a chunk to take into the shower or bath. Once the half ball is broken, the center is softer, and easier to use.  I place the chunk on the side well away from any water spray (it will fall apart if you get it fully wet) until I am ready to use it.  Once I am at that stage in my shower process, I step out of the spray, grab the chunk and use my fingers to take a little bit of it into my palm.  I rub that small amount on one part of my body, (i.e. thigh) and smooth around to exfoliate.  Then I continue using little bits on different body parts until I've covered all the body parts I wanted to. :)

The relatively small half sphere lasts longer then you'd expect.  It really depends on how much you use, and how many body areas you cover.  For me (and I cover most of my body when exfoliating) it lasts 5 or so showers.  That's really pretty decent.   It's less than $5, and though most scrubs may be bigger and last a little longer, they are also more expensive.

You do have to be careful with it, because it can crumble easily.  That's why I don't attempt to break off small pieces, but use big chunks and then just pull a little crumble off with my fingers.  And I also don't store it in the bath, but in the closet so it doesn't get wet and become mush.  Also by bringing in only a chunk, if it does get wet by dropping it or something I don't lose the whole thing. 

Sugar Babe is dreamy.  The smell is delicious, and it has a core of coconut oil, so not only are you smooth from exfoliating, you are also given an extra dose of moisture as well.  I exfoliate as my last step in the shower, and so I get that little boost of moisture at the end to prepare my skin for the day.   So you feel totally smooth and wonderful all day.  Who doesn't want that?  

Ratings:

 

Scent: 4.5 (Delicious but not too strong)
Texture: 3.5 (A great exfoliator, but falls apart easily.)
Health: 4.5 (I recognize most of the ingredients. No parabens, but it does contain sulfates.)
Ethics: 4.5 (Lush uses fair trade and fresh ingredients, seems great as far as I can tell.)
Does what it says: 4 (A great exfoliator but it falls apart easily so it can be a little hard to use.)

Overall: 4.25 (Very lovely!)

Some other fav LUSH products:

Zoya Natural Nail Polish - Erika

 

Zoya Natural Nail Polish was a great find.  I've worn nail polish almost constantly for years and years.  Senior year of High School I won a joke award, the "Sally Hansen" Award, because I was known for wearing polish at all times, usually at least 2 colors, and for changing frequently.  In recent years I haven't had time or patience to change it every couple days like I used to, but I still prefer to be polished rather than not.  

Anyway, as I've become more and more aware of what I'm putting into and onto my body I started to feel really guilty about the whole nail polish thing.  They put so much junk into that crap its AWFUL.  I decided to look for an organic alternative.

What I found out was that it's pretty much impossible to make a nail polish that is organic.  LOL.  Zoya, however, is formaldehyde, toulene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate free.  And they also make items such as polish remover, anchor coat, top coat, and quick dry drops that are also free of these agents.  I can feel pretty good about that. 

My first Zoya purchase was a set of fall colors and a set that included a top coat, anchor coat and drying drops.  They worked just as well as any other polish regimen.  I was hooked.  Why go back to using products that contain all kinds of horrible things when they can clearly be made a lot healthier, and work just as well?  Some colors don't wear as long as others, but I find that's true with all polish brands.  Nail polish always stays better you use a complete polish regimen, and Zoya is no exception.  These are decent across the board.   I've since enlarged my collection to about 20 colors.

The Erika color I picked out on a whim because I tend to stay away from girly colors.  When I found out it was named Erika, I thought it was perfect!  (Although I didn't understand why it wasn't yellow.  I had a friend named Erika who loooooooved yellow.)  It is really more peachy than pinky, I know the color swatch looks more pink (at least on my computer).  I wanted something subtle and girly for when I feel like being a little bit pretty.  Two coats is very nice: subtle, smooth, professional and decently long lasting.  Love it!

Ratings:

Texture: 4.5 (Very smooth, with a backgroud subtle orange sparkle.)

Health: 4.25 (It's still nail polish even though it is better than regular polishes.)
Does what it says: 4 (It is a pretty good nail polish in terms of length of wear.  Not the best, but good.)

Overall: 4.25 (Very nice!)

   



The Body Shop - Brazil Nut Body Scrub

The Brazil Nut Body Scrub from the Body Shop is a delightful experience.  I picked it up on a product smelling spree, and was very glad that I did so.  I don't like to eat nuts, so I tend to stay away from nut-scented items (although I do enjoy the smell half the time it's just an automatic aversion based on taste).  But I'm glad I didn't stay away from this one. 

The scent is very sweet and lovely.  I totally wanted to eat it.  (even thought I don't eat nuts!) The texture is very creamy, with little dark flecks.  Because the little flecks are not very concentrated I thought this may not be a good exfoliator, but it definately is.  There must be a sugar base for it.  No wonder it smells so sweet!  Yum!

I use this (or another exfoliator) daily to keep my rough areas (feet, knees, elbows, etc) smooth.  You can follow up with the Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter to lock in the scent and keep your skin smooth.  Although it doesn't smell quite as yummy as the scrub, it is a very close match. 

Overall it's fabulous!  Get some for yourself!  If you are allergic to nuts, the Body Shop has a whole line of Body Scrubs.

Ratings:

Scent: 5 (Delicious!)
Texture: 4.5 (Creamy and appealing, concentrated exfoliants.)
Health: 2.5 (The ingredients seem decent but it does contain parabens.)
Ethics: 4.5 (The Body Shop does not do animal testing and this product contains at least 3 fair trade ingredients)

Does what it says: 4 (It's an excellent exfoliator but it's not extremely rough, as may be needed on feet, etc.)

Overall: 4.25 (Pretty wonderful!)

Body Fantasies Signature Cotton Candy Body Spray

I have to say I fell in love with this body spray a while ago.  Several years ago (okay probably like 7 years ago)  I found a mini one in the travel size section at my local Walmart and decided to try it for traveling.   The smell is totally delicious.  Who doesn't want to smell like sweet cotton candy?  It is nice and sweet but not overwhelmingly so.  I do like to mix and match scents (I wear at least 2 if not more different perfumes/body sprays daily) so especially when mixing it is not overwhelming.

The price is cheap and the scent is great.  It lasts well on clothing, less well on skin.  Those are the good aspects.

I've really started to re-evaluate many aspects of my life in the last few years and one area is the things that are in what I put into and on my body.  I've been interested in naturals and organics for years but haven't yet taken the step towards exclusively using those types of products.

However, it may be time to at least give this product up.  Not only is Walmart the main retailer, but also as I read the ingredients for the first time probably ever, I find out that it contains BHT.  Which has been linked to cancer and also is in embalming fluid, among other things.   It doesn't sounds too healthy to use something on my body that they also use to help preserve dead bodies.  That's just creepy.

Too bad I have a full bottle left!  At least it's not a lot of money wasted.  I'll just have to go on a crusade to find something more natural that smells just as yummy.

Ratings:

Scent: 5 (Absolutely delicious!)
Health: 0 (Apparently not at all.)
Stay-ability: 3 (Lasts decently on skin and better on clothes)
Overall: 2.5 :(

Korres Guava Lip Butter

The Guava Lip Butter by Korres is a great product.  I bought it on a whim while standing in line at Sephora. I was wary of buying a guava flavored lip product, as I have an aversion to tropical flavors because of a childhood incident that I won't go into, but the texture is creamy and doesn't really have any strong taste or smell.  That is actually one of it's only downsides.  I really enjoy a yummy tasting or smelling product.  The guava is very subtle and really quite nice if you're looking for something that will do it's job and not just something that will be yummy.

Korres is a "natural products company" which means I'll assume you can feel good about applying this product to your lips.  A tag like that always makes me feel better, but sometimes if a product works well or is particularly yummy I'm willing to overlook it.   Also, since there are no international standards, you can never really be sure what anyone ever means by that.  Korres seems pretty legit though from what I've read about it.

The only other downside I've found is that it, like all lip butters I've ever tried, can leave your lips white if you use too much and don't rub it in fully.  But that's easily fixable by applying with a mirror or just using a small amount.  It does sink in well, and makes your lips soft and kissable.  I apply it every night before bed.

I like this product because it actually seems to cure skin dryness, for at least 12-24 hours anyway.  I've found most lip products that I use for dryness tend to feel good at first but don't really have any lasting effect and I have to re-apply frequently to feel relief.

It does come in other flavors that are supposed to provide a slight tint.  Because I liked it so much I also bought the Jasmine one because I was curious about how that type of scent would translate into something I wanted to put on my lips.  It is pink tinted in the tub but I haven't seen any tint on my lips.  It's also very subtle and nice though.

Anyway, in conclusion, I really like this product, and its one of the only lip products I've ever used enough to see the bottom of the tub.  (I usually have too many products to choose from to ever finish one!)

Ratings:

Texture: 5 (Creamy buttery loveliness.)
Taste/Smell: 4 (It's not strong and lovely, but its not repulsive either.)
Does What it Promises: 4.75 (Solves dryness wonderfully but I ain't seen no tint.)
Health: 5 (Korres is a natural products company.  This product is paraben and sulfate free.) 
Overall: 4.75 (Pretty wonderful product!)

By the way, if you'd like to purchase this product for yourself, it seems that Sephora may be the only retailer of this product.  Learn more about it here.

Welcome!

Hello kids!  Welcome to my blog.  I've decided that I'm going to essentially post item by item.  I will describe the item, it's use, my opinion and then rate it on various factors that pertain to the item on a scale of one to five, five being the best.  Hope you like!