Sunshine means sun safety time!

If you are like me- you grew up getting slathered with smelly thick white sunscreen. It would leave you sticky, slimey, smelly, and any other S thing you can think of. I hated it. I can honestly say that the mere mention of a product like that makes me question even putting anything on.

Well sun protection is too important not too. Welcome to the party Coppertone's new CLEARLYsheer sunscreen. This stuff is amazing!


I loved that when I put it on- it absorbed in almost instantly. It does not have that overpowering sunscreen, and best yet- it didn't make me greasy!

This product has been clinically tested on acne prone skin and is show to not clog pores or cause breakouts!


I received this as part of my bzzkit and I couldn't be happier with the first hand results I have seen!

I'll do a follow up in a few weeks on my thoughts for using this product over time.


Thanks for reading!

nail art- step 1

goodbye snow- hello color!

Springtime is one of my favorite seasons. Maybe Its since I live in a frozen snowfilled part or the country that by the time spring rolls around I am so sick of white white white!

I love the color, the smells of flowers- ahhh.....its heaven.

SO have you seen some of the new spring additions? They are beautiful and colorful and almost too pretty to use. Almost!

From Clinique to Guerlain and everyone i between this is the season of color. And I am so excited!

A taste of my springtime wishlist:

brightening the day- one eye at a time.

   
     Do you ever wake up, look in the mirror and think OMG- no amount of make up, cover up, or cucumbers will make these bags under my eyes better? I share your pain. I think my three boys make it a personal challenge to see who can get up the earliest and wake me up first. Rudeness all around.
    First off- yes, there are tricks you can do with make up to wake up and brighten the eye, but that's a whole different blog still yet to come. Fake it until you make it they say, but why not start off with a better canvas to begin with?  I'm not going to jabber on and on about how you should drink lots of water and hydrate your skin. We all know that, but did you know that what your morning coffee does for you- there is an equally amazing product for your eyes!
     Welcome to the party- Glamglow BRIGHTMUD eye treatment.
click here for glamglowmud.com

     I was given these as a sample on one of my visits and they are now a staple. One sample. That's literally all it took for convince me. I know that they are not an inexpensive product by far. These babies will run you $69.00 for 12 treatments. Would I use these every day- probably not. For a more occasional as needed/special occasion- absolutely! If a product can make me not look like I scratching my way out a shallow grave in 3 minutes- its a winner in my book. 

     They not only help with the dark circles and puffiness, they also are packed with nutrients and minerals and oodles of other goodies to help with the fine lines and leave your eyes super hydrated. You simple tap on the muddy goo ( yes it looks like goo, or maybe slime. ) and wipe off 3-5 minutes later. In the words of Emeril- BAM! Your eyes look considerably better. 

     Now the budget minded side of me must tell you that there is enough in each pod to do both eyes. That's right- 1 pod- 2 eyes. Making it less that $3.00 per treatment. Do I think that it's worth it- absolutely. I can't think of one lady out there that would disagree with me.

These are sold direct from Glamglow- link above and you can also find them at Sephora counters everywhere. Sephora- Glamglow BRIGHTMUD eye treatment

battle of the sparkles

     Every year when the holidays roll around- I hear and see everyone wanting a fun festive makeup eye to both flatter their chosen attire and not make them look like a 7 year old pixie. No offense towards 7 year old or pixies. How does one pull off the deceptively simple glitter eyeshadow without looking cheesey and comical? I really really believe that with this you get what you pay for, so if you are looking that sparkley, shimmery, glittery goodness- then these are my suggestions.


3D Liquid Lustre from LORAC.

Winner winner chicken dinner!
This stuff is amazing! I tried the original Diamond color  ( $16.00 )on a whim and WOW! I was so incredibly mad that I did not get the 4 piece holiday set. ( $28.00 ) As you can see- the set is a much better value. Go with the set. Seriously.

     I am also aware that the above can be intimidating to some. Maybe you are just the powder eyeshadow type- either way I have options there too!

     Marc Jacobs recently expanded into the beauty market and his beauty line does not disappoint. For that added shimmery look- go with the Tonite Lights Glitter Dust. ( $32.00 )The texture and feel of this stuff so smooth and velvety its easy to see why its on the list. I would stick with the Stagelight ( bottom ) as it's the most universal of the options, but all are winners. This easily can be worn over other eyeshadows and for a more subtle effect can be worn alone too. Bonus- if you are like me- pulling out the cute little Marc Jacob's compact always makes me smile- duh- it's Marc Jacobs!

Loose Powdered Glitters: I would not suggest these for the novice as most require a stronger base on the than most are used to wearing. With that said- they are great. When applied correctly that last all day and have some pretty amazing options like TooFaced's Glamour Dust ( $17.00 ) or Make Up For Ever's Diamond powder. ( $25.00 ) I find that although I wouldn't describe the TooFaced as chunky glitter by any means- it not the smoothest of all the options. Redeeming factor are that it comes in 4 fab color options. Make Up For Ever offers 11 great shades. Who doesn't need 11 glitter options? 

No matter what- you can never have too much sparkle.  Never ever.

Little loves- big fun

I must confess, this blog will end up being an enabler to my already "bad" beauty addiction.It's not like the hubby isn't pro-Apple anything -so I say we are even. I do tend to do the majority of my shopping at Sephora, but in no way are they the only player in the beauty game. With the holiday's right upon us I must say that this is my favorite time of year. Not only are there cookies and hot cocoa and holiday cheer- there are some of the best gift sets, mini must haves, and limited edition sets you'll see all year.

First off:

Benefits Cosmetics Little Love Potions ( retails for $36.00 )

     I love this set. Seriously love it. You get 10 travel size minis at an amazing value. 

The badgal mascara retails for $10 alone. This mascara is a winner and is my go to of all mascaras. Don't you hate how a mascara tends to dry out and go bad long before you finish it. ME TOO!! Another reason I am a huge advocate for mascara mini's. You get your full $$ worth, get a fresh mascara ever 3 months and look amazing doing so. 

    

 You get 3 primers, ( 1 eyeshadow primer, 2 face primers )

That right- 2 different primers for the face to get 2 different bases to your look. 

1. The POREfessional is packed with vitamin E and gives the skin such a smooth and even start. I love this one. It smells great- like fresh squeezed oranges and reduces the appearance of pores in a flash.

2.The That Gal face primer has a pinky pearl shimmer to it and gives your face such a healthy looking glow- all while reducing pore size and creating a great base. Either of these two can easily be worn alone  as well.

The eye primer stay don't stray really does a great job of keeping the horrid eyeshadow creases away. 

     You also get two hightlighters- Highbeam and Watts Up.

Personally- I can't say enough about the Watts up. Its a more solid highlighter- texture wise similar to lipstick and gives the skin the most a-maze-ing soft highlights. You know how great your skin looks in candle-light. That's exactly what this does. The Highbeam is a liquid highlighter and gives the skin a soft pinky pearl look. When I want a soft- no make up look I have been know to use this as my eyeshadow alone. It's that versatile.

     There is a warm nude lip gloss called Hoola, and the matte bronzer Hoola to match. I personally think that a light dusting of bronzer makes just about everyone look a little more away and fresh. This one is prefect for that being a matte shade, you can contour, shade and do just about anything with this.

     The cheek color Posietint is a soft universal pink that blends in great. A little bit of this stuff really goes a long way. Remember Scarlet O'Hara pinching her cheeks for color- thats the look this will give you. Its soft and non intimidating. 

     Last but not least you get the It's Potent Eye Cream. Who does love a product that eliminates under eye puffy darkness? I can't think of anyone- and that's exactly what this does. Dark circles and fine lines- be gone!

All in all you get to try 10 different products that I am confident just about anyone would fall in love with- all for under $40.00. That in my book is a bargain. 

You can find it here:

http://www.sephora.com/little-love-potions-P381734

http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/little-love-potions

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod5900427

Sephora will allow you to get 3 free samples w/ any online order, but you would also be able to add a promo code - my current favorites are promo codes FIXIT, BLITZ, VIBSPREE, and MUFEARTIST

Benefits Cosmetics offers 2 samples w/ every order and Ulta offers Free Shipping for orders over $25.