Beauty Box 5 Unboxing & First Impressions

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I was recently invited to try out Beauty Box 5, which is a subscription sampling program similar to Birchbox/Beauty Army/Ipsy/*insert other box sample program name here*. Since I recently unsubbed from Ipsy I decided heck, why not!

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Avon Product of the Week: mark. Just Buffing Body Exfoliator

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This week’s Avon Product of the Week is another goodie from mark. – I started out as a mark. girl and I’m always interested in the new products from mark.!

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February Favorites

febfavesThis time when I say the month flew by, nobody can judge me because it’s February so it’s a short month – it really DOES fly by. ;) Also, nobody can judge me because that shit’s just mean. :(

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Bath & Body Works Fall Haul

Okay, y’all know I love me some Bath & Body Works, and the fall scents are usually my favorites. I stopped in today for one reason: Winter Candy Apple. [Read more…]

Body Drench Pomegranate Crush Body Lotion

This is just a run-by quickie review of a lotion in my goodie bag from Cosmoprof! Body Drench is one of the brands under AII Beauty group. You can get Body Drench from Sally Beauty, although I don’t see this particular product on their website.

This lotion is super moisturizing without being greasy, and it smells delicious. It’s fruity, with a tartness. The scent kind of reminds me of pixie sticks. Yum!! My skin is so soft…I’m really enjoying it so far. This product is from Body Drench’s Fruity Treats line, and it really is quite a treat! Give it a try!

Cosmoprof North America 2012

This year was my first COSMOPROF! I’ve attended lots of beauty-related tradeshows, but this was the first year I was able to attend Cosmoprof North America, which is held in Las Vegas.

What is Cosmoprof?

Cosmoprof is a business-to-business beauty trade show that covers hair, nails, skin care, private labeling, spa/wellness, packaging…you name it! It’s all at Cosmoprof. It’s not like IMATS or The Makeup Show as it’s more geared toward retail buyers, packaging decision-makers, etc. In fact, they aren’t allowed to do cash & carry sales! Talk about a difference! But it’s a great place to see what innovative fabulousness has just been released or will be released in the future!

Another thing that is great from Cosmoprof, but also a little frustrating as a beauty junkie, is seeing loads of awesome brands from other countries. These brands come to Cosmoprof hoping to find buyers to have their products sold in the US – but many of them aren’t yet available for “normals” for me to go out and buy! *pouts* But at least I was able to exchange information with them so when they DO come to America, I’ll be able to tell you all about it.

Highlights

Cosmoprof is huge. It’s pretty much the entire Mandalay Bay Convention Center, which is enormous. There are literally hundreds of booths. It makes IMATS look tiny. I was not able to see every single booth. Because it’s so huge, most of us press people made appointments to meet with the brands and see what they have going on. Since I was (and still consider myself to be) a Cosmoprof noob, I made very few appointments and just kind of wandered. Yikes! Going to plan it way better next time. But these things are a learning experience. :) There were a lot of awesome things that happened.

I went over to Jesse’s Girl and met with the fabulous Julie G. I don’t get starstruck over meeting gals from Youtube, but I gotta say meeting Julie was awesome. She’s a really nice person and took time to hang out and chit chat with me & Mr. Boyfriend as well as show us her line, talk about new things to come, and just generally what it’s like going from a girl with a hobby to having her own nail polish line sold in mass. I really enjoyed meeting her, and if you ever get the chance I suggest you do! She’s so sweet.

I also had a really fun time with the gals of AII Beauty. AII is the parent company for China Glaze, Seche, Ardell, and a ton of other brands. I saw all the current and upcoming collections – unfortunately some of which I’m not allowed to tell you about just yet. I saw Halloween ’12, Holiday ’12, and some spring & summer ’13 goodies. I wish I could tell you more! But they promised as soon as I can, they will give me all the details to pass on to you! The lovelies of Ardell also put some big ole’ false lashes on me! I don’t wear lashes usually so it was definitely an experience I had to get used to!

When experimenting with lashes in the future I probably won’t go with such big ones, but I figured hey – it’s Vegas! Go dramatic! After a while I got used to them and almost forgot they were there. I even fell asleep in them (not on purpose – I don’t recommend sleeping in lashes!!) but my eyes weren’t at all bothered. Taking them off was a simple and pain-free process too. Don’t be scared of lashes! I’m not anymore. And in fact, Ardell has some new lashes that are self-adhesive, which I’m very excited to try.

Another highlight was meeting a brand new to me, Hola Lola! Hola Lola hails from Colombia. They have bath products, and underwear! But everything is beautifully packaged, stunningly presented, and smells amazing. Okay, so I don’t know how the undies smell. But that’d be weird. I’m going to assume it’s just fine. The bath products and perfumes smelled fantabulous. The first thing they did was tie a ribbon around my wrist that was fragranced. I’m. Obsessed. With. It. It lives in my purse now, scenting it. The fragrance is Lychee Rose, but to me it smells strikingly similar to Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple, which is my favorite (but discontinued) B&BW scent. The products don’t seem to be sold stateside just yet but mark my words I will get my paws on the Lychee Rose body splash so that I can bathe in it every day. I need that fragrance in my life. Seriously. And they were SO nice – they even gave me a gift! It’s a zebra print shower cap. I’m excited, because honestly does anyone look good in a shower cap? No. But now that the shower cap is zebra print? YES!

How flipping cute is this???

This blog entry is getting soooooooo long. SO! I’m ending it now, but there were over 800 booths…so there is much, much more to talk about. :) Stay tuned!

Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox Update

A couple weeks ago I posted all about all the goodies that arrived in my Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox! Here is an update on the products I’ve been able to form an opinion on so far…

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash
I’m not really a Randy Jackson fan, but I love to quote Randyisms. This one falls under “it was just okay for me, dog”. It has a light, pleasant smell, it… washes… my body? But other than that I’m not seeing anything special here. It didn’t make me break out in hives or burst into flames or anything, but the moisturizing effect wasn’t all that apparent either. It was just kind of there. See why I don’t like writing reviews of products that are just “whatever”? They’re boring, because what can I say about it? Whatever!

ChapStick Lip Shield 365
Now with this product, it’s weird. First off, it has a very strong lemon scent. I couldn’t find this indicated anywhere on the packaging so if you are sensitive to fragrances, take note. I like the lemon scent a lot actually, but I think it’s crummy they don’t indicate it on the package! Going on, it feels very moisturizing, but it absorbs really fast and then disappears. By really fast, I mean I apply it in the car at 8:15, and by 8:30 I can feel it’s mostly absorbed/gone. If you’re a person who likes to be able to “feel” her lip balm on, it’s disconcerting. If you’re someone who is putting it on more for sun protection and doesn’t give a hoot about feeling it, you’ll like it. It does moisturize, it’s just weird. Sorry I can’t be more helpful other than “weird”.  This chapstick also strikes me as very man-friendly because any shine goes away quickly.

Sheer Cover Concealer Duo in Light/Medium
Yeah, I can’t use this at all. It’s comically too dark for me. Not even close to a shade I can use. The texture is creamy, but almost too creamy. And it’s, well… orange. When I held up my hand with these swatches on it to my boyfriend, the first words out of his mouth were “it’s orange!” and then softly “…you are not orange.” lol… very good, Mr. Boyfriend.

If you’re quite a bit darker than I am (which wouldn’t be too hard) and want something more orangey to counteract blue-toned dark circles, you might actually like this and let me know, because I’ll gladly give it to you. But for me it just was a good laugh.

 Those are all my Influenster updates so far. I’ll have more to share later as I keep trying new stuff!

How To Achieve Supermodel Legs

Whether you’re just looking to tone the thighs or trim down on the hair, getting supermodel legs is hot on the agenda for most women in the run up towards the summer. Going out with bare legs doesn’t take bravery; there are a few simple steps that you can take to ensure body confidence is restored and lovely legs are not hidden away.
Exercise
Unfortunately for many, legs don’t just tone themselves. Exercise and lots of it is the key to slimming down and toning.  There are thousands of different workouts and exercises, which target the specific muscles you would like to tone up. Your local gym may also have a number of machines, which work to target certain muscles in your body. When considering what regime you would like to undergo to improve your legs, it would be worth seeking professional advice from a personal trainer, who will be able to guide and direct you into getting those luscious legs just in time for summer. Drink lots of water per day to intensify cardio workouts and herbal teas help to speed up the digestion process.
Supermodel Smooth Legs
Whilst personal trainers can help craft great calves, they cannot keep them well maintained. A healthy diet combined with regular exercise will have you well on your way to achieving supermodel legs.  To really get the supermodel look you need silky smooth legs. Supermodels will often have their long legs on show and just like other women, need to remove unwanted hair. Going through the motions of shaving and waxing can be time consuming for a lady on the go; many models might opt for laser hair removal as a result. Yet, you don’t have to be a supermodel to benefit from laser hair removal! Thousands of women regularly ditch the shavers and pick lasers for a permanent hair removal system that works. Not only are lasers less painful than some methods of hair removal, the results are permanent.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
It’s cost effective in the long run for women to turn to lasers to remove their unwanted hair instead of splashing the cash on expensive razors, blades, and waxing.  There are several different options for women who are considering laser hair removal. Firstly, you could go to a professional or beauty clinic for a series of sessions over a period of months to get the hair removed.  Secondly, you could buy a laser hair removal device to use at home. This means that you can laser hairs  at your own convenience and in the privacy of your own home. As TRIA laser hair removal reviews that you can read online show, another benefit is that it is a permanent hair removal method. This means that hair is removed permanently and will not grow back. The laser device permanently removes the treated hairs.





This has been a sponsored post. Compensation was received for posting.

Lush Chou Chou I Love You Review

I’ve been meaning to review these for a while now but work has been suuuuuuuuuuper busy so basically all I wanna do when I get home is eat dinner, veg out for a little while, and pass the f out. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I jumped at the chance to try these because Toothy Tabs are such a unique product. They’re little ‘tabs’ that are about the same size and shape as Smarties candy. You crunch up the tab between your front teeth and it foams up like crazy, giving you a lathery toothpaste. Then it’s time to grab your toothbrush and do yo’ thang. You do have to spit and/or rinse; the toothpaste is just that– toothpaste. They emphasize that these are not breath mints that you would crunch up and swallow.
LUSH Toothy Tabs come in several different varieties with different flavors. Chou Chou…I Love You Toothy Tabs are rose/lemon flavored. I often think standard mint toothpastes can be too strong (and forget cinnamon! ack!) so I was intrigued to try something lemon/rose flavored. The lemon though is pretty darn bitter. It’s not awful, but it’s not particularly to my liking either. Should’ve stuck with mint, lol. If I were to try another flavor I’d probably go for the Dirty tabs. The after-effect is pretty cool. My teeth feel squeaky clean, just like with my regular toothpaste.
The little box is about the size of a pack of gum and holds 40 tabs, and costs $4.95. As is often the case with products like this, quality costs more. But if you travel a lot these are great to toss into a purse or carry-on. You could even keep them in your desk at work…hmm… ;)
Product sent for editorial consideration.
Compensation: Fresh breath.

Lush The Ex Factor Bath Bomb

As some of you already know, I was in a minor car accident on Friday morning. I’m relatively okay, car will need repairs, and you know what a joy that is! But what I really needed was a nice relaxing bath. And oh, what do you know, I happened to have one of these little guys hanging around waiting for a chance to make me feel good.
The Ex-Factor is limited edition for Valentine’s Day, or rather for Singles Awareness Day ;) this little guy is intended to be a bit of therapeutic voodoo for anyone who maybe isn’t the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. After all, you can break off his limbs and dissolve them! Who hasn’t known a guy they wanted to do that to? I may or may not have pretended it was the guy who ran into me. 
The scent is described as a musky vanilla, which kinda scared me at first but the smell is divine. It’s vanilla, but not buttery sweet sugar vanilla (like B&BW Warm Vanilla Sugar). It’s a grown-up, sophisticated vanilla. And extremely relaxing. The scent is not overpowering and didn’t really linger much on my skin after the bath, but a dusting with Vanilla Puff body powder can help layer and extend the fragrance if you choose. 
The happiest part of this experience for me?
He turns the water BRIGHT BLUE! It’s such a beautiful color and it made me so happy to lounge around in blue water. I don’t know why, but the color just really cheered me up and made me feel good. And also made me wish I had a bigger bathtub. I was kinda cramped. :P 
Ex Factor is $4.95, 3.5 oz, and you can easily break him up into pieces for multiple baths. Personally, I broke him in half for my bath. I definitely plan on shufflin’ over to the newly opened Fashion Island LUSH location in Newport Beach to pick up more of these little guys, and I suggest you do too! Even if you don’t have any need for voodoo, blue water + vanilla = a good time in the tub for anyone.
Sample provided for editorial purposes.