Monday, March 31, 2014

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers in Apricot & Grapefruit for Spring

Burt's Bees adds two new, neutral shades to their Lip Shimmer ($4.99; burtsbees.com) range for Spring. These 100% natural Lip Shimmers combine the feel of a lip balm with a hint of color and some shimmer. Apricot is a warm, neutral pink with barely there shimmer, while Grapefruit is a frosty, shimmery pale pink. Apricot is a more flattering color and a gorgeous, swipe and go neutral on my skintone. *Press Samples







Packaged in a super slim, twist up tube, these Lip Shimmers are definitely a nice product to have when you can't be bothered with heavy lipsticks or glosses. The color is quite sheer, but very buildable and very moisturizing. There's a slightly strong minty scent and tingle which I'm not a big fan of, but its not something that lingers around for a long time. While I love how neutral Apricot looks on me, Grapefruit is a lot more frosty and a little too shimmery, better suited for someone with lips not as pigmented as mine. Overall, they're a nice product to have -moisturizing, hint of color with quite a bit of shine and perfect if you aren't a fan of high maintenance, overlay pigmented lip products.




Wearing Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Apricot


Have you tried any of the Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers?

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Elizabeth Arden Summer Escape Limited Edition Color Collection

Elizabeth Arden's Spring/Summer '14 collection, Summer Escape features some limited edition pieces for eyes, face, lips and nails in brights, metallics and shimmery bronzes.The complete collection includes - Pure Finish Summer Escape Bronzing Powder, Pure Finish Cool Radianc Highllighter, Pure Finish Cream Eye Shadow, Beautiful Color Gloss Stick, Beautiful Color Define & Highlight Eyeliner Duo, Lenghtening Mascara and Beautiful Color High Gloss Nail Lacquer.  I have a few of the standout products from the collection with some quick thoughts and swatches. *Press Samples




Beautiful Color Gloss Stick ( $19.50; elizabetharden.com) comes in four gorgeous shades ranging from a nude pink to a bright coral, three of which I tried and absolutely love. Sea Breeze is a creamy, slightly metallic nude pink, Pink Sky is a light, mauve pink and Sunrise is a slightly bright, glossy pink. These gloss sticks have more of a sheen than an ultra glossy finish. Sunrise is a tad more glossy than the other two, although all of them have a satin-like quality to them. They feel a lot like NARS' satin lip pencils to me, with a little more of a shine. My favorite is Sunrise, its a super wearable, yet bright pink that looks like it'd flatter a variety of skin tones. All of them are moderately pigmented and the color builds up nicely without feeling heavy. These do come with a sharpener included. As for how moisturizing they are, I think they are perfect for spring/summer when the weather isn't all that dry, otherwise, I would recommend a light layer of balm underneath. Slightly waxy on the first swipe, but it gets much better and glossier with use. Definitely worth checking out if you like quick & easy lip products.




Sea Breeze, Pink Sky, Sunrise










Pure Finish Cream Eye Shadow ($21; elizabetharden.com) comes in three shades, goes on sheer, with a buildable intensity. Sand Dollar is a shimmery champagne and Anchors Away is a metallic grey taupe. Both colors go on a tad sheer on the first swipe and have a gorgeous satin like sheen to them. The texture is super soft, almost like a mousse, bouncy to the touch and very forgiving on dry lids. I did notice that both shades seem to have been dried out a bit around the sides of the jar, but I din't have any issues with blendability or staying power. Sand Dollar especially is a tad more shimmery compared to Anchors Away, which is much more flattering against my skintone. These are quite long wearing as well and work nicely as bases or when used alone.




Sand Dollar, Anchors Away

Wearing Pure Finish Eye Shadow in Anchors Away and Beautiful Color Gloss Stick in Sunrise



Have you checked out anything from Elizabeth Arden's Summer Escape Collection yet?

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Laura Mercier New Lip Glace Shades for Spring 2014 - Daiquiri, Cosmic & Garnet

Laura Mercier's Lip Glaces ($24; lauramercier.com) are among the nicest lip glosses I've tried and as part of their Spring launch, there are 13 new bright, bold shades. I tried out a few of the newer ones - Cosmic, a shimmery, iridescent topper, Daiquiri, a mid tone creamy pink and Garnet, a brownish berry. *Press Samples



Texture wise, these go on smooth, feel moisturizing and are completely non-sticky. Its one of the most comfortable feeling glosses out there that can be worn sheer or layered on without the heavy feel. My favorite among the three has got to be Daiquiri. Its a gorgeous rosy pink that I could just swipe and go effortlessly. Cosmic is great when topped off over any lipstick. There's quite a bit of eye catching shimmer that adds a lot of dimension. Garnet, although a tad patchy at first, is still a beautiful deep berry with a hint of brown. Great for fall and lovely on most medium/dark skin tones. These Lip Glaces have the same caramel scent/taste like the rest of the ones in the core line and the wand, although just a regular lip gloss wand, works really well with the texture of this product. Overall, definitely a must try, especially if you've never ventured much into the Lip Glace territory.


Cosmic

Daiquiri

Garnet



What are your thoughts on Laura Mercier's Lip Glace?

Friday, March 28, 2014

gud from Burt's Bees Natural Cleansing Wipes

gud from Burt's Bees Natural Cleansing Wipes ($2.99 for 10 wipes; target.com) are a fairly new launch that come in three fun scents - Pearnormal Activity, Orange Petalooza and Red Ruby Groovy. I absolutely love the scents gud comes out with - always amazing, super zesty and refreshing to use. Each pack comes with ten towelettes and is small enough to throw into your bag for a mid day touch up, after a long flight or post workout. *Press Sample






These aren't very big in size though, but good enough to use for face and neck. They are moderately saturated and get the job done well without leaving any sort of sticky residue behind. While not the best with waterproof makeup, these do get light, everyday makeup off pretty well. I wouldn't rely on these as a one step cleansing tool though - more like a refreshing wipe before cleansing or when you don't have much makeup at all.  The scents aren't overpowering, but they do linger around for a few minutes after use. For the price though, these are amazing and perfect to travel with. Red Ruby Groovy is my favorite of the three!





Have you checked out gud's new Natural Cleansing Wipes?

L'occitane Rose Heart Ultra Soft Cream

L'occitane's Ultra Soft Creams ($24; usa.loccitane.com) come packaged in adorable, colorful tins featuring three variants - Vanilla Bouquet, Rose Heart and Zesty Lime. These Ultra Soft creams contain 10% Shea Butter and help nourish super dry, dehydrated skin. I tried out Rose Heart - it comes packaged in a beautiful pink tin, smells like a rose bouquet - luxurious, feminine and very comforting. *Press Sample



L'Occitane makes some fantastic body moisturizers and this one's no exception. The texture feels super soft, almost whipped, and does a fabulous job of keeping my dry skin soft and moisturized. The scent is something I love - it lingers around for quite sometime, but isn't overpowering or too strong. A little goes a long way and for something that is quite moisturizing, it is surprisingly fast absorbing and residue free. The tin isn't too big, is great to travel with and the cream itself doubles up as an amazing hand cream. I can't speak for Zesty Lime or Vanilla Bouquet, but Rose Heart is something I absolutely recommend if you like rose based scents and are looking for a quick absorbing, intense body moisturizer.



Have you tried any of L'Occitane's Ultra Soft Creams? 

Friday, March 21, 2014

Laura Mercier New Attitude Collection for Summer 2014

The Inspiration:
·         It's time to step outside your own boundaries. Leave your comfort zone. Take risks, be brave.
·         Have fun with this adventurous colour collection where lips are vibrantly colourful.  Nails get daring. Eyes have attitude.
·         Surprise yourself with bold blues, playful teals and on-trend purple.
·         Take chances, be impulsive and express the true you.





Baked Eye Color Quad in Rendezvous in Monte Carlo and  Summer in St. Tropez  ($44; New, Limited Edition) 



Gel Lip Color in Heartbreaker, Tempation, Clementine, Flushed ($23; New, Limited Edition)





Nail Lacquer in Restless, Attitude ($18; New, Limited Edition)



Sheer Creme Color in Golden Pink ( $35; New, Limited Edition)

Longwear Creme Eye Pencil in Teal ($24; New, Limited Edition) , Violet (Re-promote)




Faux Lash Mascara in Black ($24; Repromote)


See anything you like?