Saturday, December 7, 2013

REVIEW: Liz Earle's Skincare Line



About a month or so ago, one of the reps from Birchbox contacted me & asked if I'd review a few Liz Earle products for my blog. Having missed out on receiving the Cleanse & Polish in my box, I jumped at the chance! [Note: I did not pay for these products!]

I know the review is a little late, but I wanted to use the products for a while before I wrote my final opinion on them. I've been using Liz Earle exclusively for the last six weeks and I'm ready to share my results with you!

First, a look at the products. 

This is the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser & Muslin Cloth, which came in this cute little pouch. The cleanser acts as a two phase product. Phase one is cleansing, which cleans your skin and removes makeup, dirt, and what have you. Phase two is polishing, where you use the Muslin Cloth to remove the cleanser while exfoliating and revealing clean, soft skin. 


Next up, the Instant Boost Skin Tonic! This is for use after the Cleanse & Polish, and it helps to soothe & brighten the skin. 

Last but not least is the Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination.



The mightiest trio in skincare!


Now that I've sort of introduced the products, I want to quick run through my morning & evening routine. I used all three products twice per day: cleanse, tone, moisturize. 

First up is the cleanse. The Cleanse & Polish Cleanser has a pump. I used two pumps per wash. This type of cleanser was completely new to me before trying the Liz Earle as it is creamy and does not lather. Apply the cleanser to your face and neck. Then, take the Muslin Cloth and run it under hot water. Ring it out so it's damp, and then carefully use it to remove the cleanser from your face. Rinse the cloth and ring it out between each swipe! When you're all done, rinse your face with cold water. 

Next is the tonic. Soak a cotton ball in the tonic and use it to go over your entire face and neck area. The will help to soothe and brighten the skin, while adding a bit of moisture. I'd like to add that this tonic is pretty strongly scented. It's a really nice floral scent and I LOVED it, but if you're sensitive to scented products you may want to avoid this one. 


The last step is the moisturiser. I was worried at first that this was going to be way too thick to use on my skin, but it absorbs really nicely! You just need a little bit to cover your face and neck area and your skin will feel nice and soft all day!


As I mentioned, I've been using this for about six weeks and I am super impressed with the results. I've always had decent skin, but my t-zone does get oily and my cheeks get dry. I also have random breakouts occasionally. 

The first day or so that I used all of the products together, I DID have more breakouts than usual. However, after the third day my skin cleared up and it's stayed that way. My skin is completely clear and really, really soft. I would definitely recommend giving this routine a shot to anyone who's still searching for their holy grail skincare products. 

You can purchase all three of these products from Birchbox.com! :)

If you don't do anything else for your skin, cleanse, tone and

moisturise with our three daily essentials twice a day. 

-Liz Earle

SNEAK PEEK: Ipsy December 2013

December 7th, 2013

OOF. I'm behind on these spoilers, but I'll do my best to catch up here! :) 

Sneak Peek #1:

DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK #1: Multiple uses and multiple parties await this holiday!

Looks like we have 'The One Stick' from Be a Bombshell cosmetics. Product description from the Ipsy page: "An all-in-one multiple stick with a smooth texture. Apply to eyelids, cheeks or lips for the perfect pop of color anywhere!" We'll be receiving this in Flustered, Girl Crush, or Coral!


Sneak Peek #2:

DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK #2 We're looking forward to partying with one of these colorful trios!

It's the Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio from Pop Beauty! Will be available to us in 'Smokin Hot' or 'Naturally Bare.'

Sneak Peek #3:

DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK #3: Kick up the color and kick up your heels with one of many lovely lip shades!

This looks like it will be an 'or' product. Either the J. Cat Big Lip Pencil or NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick. 


The J. Cat Big Lip Pencil will come in either Red Rose or Caramel Mocha.


The NYX lipsticks will come in a variety of shades including B52, Sky Pink, Ceto, Iced Honey, Cream, Celene, Iris Sunflower, Goddess, Fusion, Hermes, Mute, Miracle, Hades, Muse, Rose, Hebe, Fortune Cookie, or Apollo.

Sneak Peek #4:

DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK #4: We're counting down to December's Glam Bag with two of these celebration-worthy products!

Lots going on here! Here are my best guesses for the items in the photo:

Andrea Strip Lash


Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural Strip Eyelashes


Ardell Natural Lash


Julie G Holiday Frosted Gumdrops in Sugar Plum Fairy


Starrily Nail Polish in Bzzz Bzzz


English Laundry Fragrance in Signature or Signature Pour Femme


Demeter Snow Roll-On Perfume Oil


Nicka K New York Nail Color in Classic Taupe or Ripe Apple


Mirabella Eye Blender Brush

Sneak Peek #5:

DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK #5: Pop the bubbly and cue the confetti! You're invited to a month-long celebration with us and the December "Celebrate!" Glam Bag!
----------------------

November 10th, 2013

Now that we've seen all the spoilers for November, I'd like to share a spoiler for December. Yep, December!

The following image was shared on Instagram last month by Starrily Nails:


"We have some exciting news!! We will be in the December Ipsy box! Bzzz Bzzz is the nail polish that will be featured! To celebrate, we are giving away a FREE full size bottle of Bzzz Bzzz to anyone who buys 3 regular priced full bottles! Message us with code "buzz" to get it!"



If you've never heard of Starrily, do yourself a favor & check them out! They have GORGEOUS polishes. Here is the aforementioned Bzzz Bzzz which some of us may be receiving next month:

Bzzz Bzzz

Interested in Ipsy?
Here's my referral link, if you would all be so kind: http://www.ipsy.com/r/10ka

Tarte Off The Cuff Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette

Up for review today is the absolutely stunning Tarte Off The Cuff Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette. I had actually never tried Tarte's blushes prior to receiving this, and thought the palette would be the perfect way to try out a few shades!


The palette itself is really gorgeous. It's a super glittery, shimmery gold fabric, and it comes with a faux leather cuff wrapped around it that can be removed and used as a bracelet. 

The palette contains four blushes and a bronzer. Tarte's full size blushes are 0.20 oz and each of these is 0.158, so it's actually a super good deal for only $42!


Here are the shades the palette contains: Crave (pink peach), Dazzled (soft rose), Darling (nude melon), Dollface (light pink), & Park Avenue Princess (matte bronzer). 


Swatches, no primer, no flash. Left to Right: Crave, Dazzled, Darling, Dollface, & Park Avenue Princess. 

Swatches, no primer, with flash. Left to Right: Crave, Dazzled, Darling, Dollface, & Park Avenue Princess. 

These are all super pigmented. You definitely only need a tiny bit to get decent color and they do last quite a while! I wouldn't say 12 hours as they claim, but probably 8-9. It's a great range of colors for all sorts of looks and seasons, and they could probably be layered to create more shades! 

Did any of you ladies pick this palette up, or do you have any other Tarte blushes? What do you think? Any recommendations for other colors? Let me know! :)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Soap & Glory's Bright & Bubbly Gift Set

Soap and Glory is one of those brands I've always been curious to try, but never actually ordered/purchased anything.  A friend of mine let me use her 'Hand Food' lotion a few weeks ago and I fell in love with it. Went to purchase my own and found this set instead, which includes the Hand Food as well as a few other products. They actually carry it at my local Target, but I purchased this 'Bright & Bubbly' gift set from Sephora.



Here's what's in the box:
 Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel
The Righteous  Butter Body Cream
The Scrub Of Your Life Body Buffer
Hand Food Hand Cream
Shower Puff




The Scrub Of Your Life Body Buffer: I always exfoliate first when I'm in the shower, especially my legs before I shave. I don't like SUPER abrasive scrubs, but I do like them to be gritty enough to feel like I'm really exfoliating my skin. This one is PERFECT. And, bonus, it smells fantastic! In fact, all of these products smell fantastic. 

Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel: The shower gel smells just as great as the scrub, and is definitely creamy as the description says! I can definitely feel the moisturizing effects, especially after I use the scrub. For testing purposes, I also used this shower gel to shave my legs and it worked wonderfully!

The Righteous  Butter Body Cream: Right after I get out of the shower, I've been lathering up in this stuff. It's definitely thick but that makes it perfect for Winter and dry skin! It really seems to last, too. If I use the scrub, the shower gel, and then this body butter, my skin seriously feels SO smooth and soft. This is going to become a daily routine for me!

Hand Food Hand Cream: THE best hand cream I've found yet. It's not greasy at all, but it's super hydrating. A little goes a long way, so even the mini tubes I have right now should last me a while!



Just for fun, I also wanted to share the 'Instructions for Use' from Soap & Glory's website: "Soap & Glory recommends applying products with happiness and abandon."



Do any of you have a favorite Soap & Glory product, or something you've been dying to try? Let me know in the comments! :)

REVIEW: GDE OTM November 2013

Shoot! I meant to post this yesterday when it was still November, but completely forgot. Would like to share the FABULOUS OTM that GlamourDoll Eyes sent out for the month of November. Ready? Here we go!



YES that is TWO eye shadow pots you're seeing! Plus an extra gift from Moon Rabbit Cosmetics and, as usual, CANDY. The Haribo Bears were gone within two minutes of opening this. :)


Here are this month's colors! The November OTM is called 'Cozy Sweater' and it's a semi matte orange with a yellowish green undertone. I know that seems like an odd color combination, but you'll see how gorgeous it is when we get to swatches!

In honor of GDE's five year anniversary this month, she also included an extra shadow called 'Surprise!' Surprise is a pearl base with multi colored sparkle. It's going to be perfect for a shimmery holiday look in December. :) 


Here are both pots of shadow, slightly out of focus so you can see the shimmery goodness!


Cozy Sweater & Surprise! You can definitely see the 'yellowish green' undertone they're talking about in the description of Cozy Sweater. It works though and I think it makes this a really wearable orange for just about anyone! Surprise is seriously gorgeous, too. It would look great in the corners of your eyes to brighten up a look!


As I mentioned earlier, there was also an extra this month from Moon Rabbit Cosmetics. It's a perfume oil sample in the scent 'Wigilia,' which is described as 'the distinctive smell of that fizzy pink ginger ale.' It's been years since I've had ginger ale, but I think I can kind of make out that scent! I really like it, and the stay power is fantastic. It fades a little bit on the skin so it's not overwhelming but lingers JUST right for the rest of the day. 

It looks like Moon Rabbit's Etsy page is currently closed, but I'll definitely be checking out some of their other perfume oils once it's open again!



Happy Anniversary, GDE! :) 


Monday, November 25, 2013

REVIEW: Starlooks October 2013

I know it seems like this is SUPER late, but since I signed up for the Starlooks Ambassador Program, I got my October box a little later than usual. But, without further ado, here she is!



First, we have this seriously beautiful blush palette! This is the '3B1' palette. I've tried Starlooks' blushes before and LOVED them and these are exactly the same quality as the single blushes. Super pigmented and powdery!


With flash. 

Without flash.

Swatches. No primer!


I think I've already raved about the gem liners, so I was pleased to receive another one this month in 'Mirage,' a lovely blue metallic! Swatches below. 



Another product I know I've talked about before..Tendergloss! The perfect lipstick/gloss combo. This color is 'Puzzy.' It's very sheer but has a beautiful peach shimmer. 


Mirage Gem Liner + Puzzy Tendergloss at an angle. 

Mirage Gem Liner + Puzzy Tendergloss from directly above!



This was a GREAT box and next month looks even better! Starlooks announced that the December box will be another 15 color eye shadow palette like last year, but in different colors. That's a $99 palette, ladies! Definitely sign up for December if you've been thinking about it. :)

As a reminder, you can get 40% off all Starlooks products until December 15th using 'ILOVESTARLOOKS.' Please choose 'friend/family' where it asks how you heard about Starlooks & enter 'AP-Allison' I would very much appreciate!