Best of 2012 Roundup - Body Care, Hair Care, Etc.

Hello, We already talked about my 2012 picks on skincare and makeup in the previous posts here and here.  This is the last (but not least) installment of the Best of 2012 Roundup, let's get on with it...

Body Care

It looks like soap, but it isn't!  Lush Body Butter in King of Skin is a skin conditioner that is meant to be used after cleansing on wet skin in the shower.  Be sure to keep it in a closed container or you will lose product if it is in contact with water.  It is so convenient to use, I can even skip lotion if I use this.  It is very moisturizing and nourishing.  There are five types of body butters available online at Lushusa.com.  I was informed in store that King of Skin is the most hydrating.  It smells creamy and really good!  Some of the ingredients are avocados and bananas, good enough to eat.  I highly recommend it!

Caudaline Divine Oil was my favorite all-purpose dry oil in 2012.  Read more about it here. Try it!

Hair Care 

When it comes to hair, it was year of Oribe for me!  My hair is thick, dry, and chemically treated constantly.  The Oribe products really keep my hair in tip top shape, my hair has become better conditioned and more shiny.  If you have similar hair to mine, you should consider trying Oribe Masque for Beautiful Color, a deep treatment for colored hair.  Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream is a leave-in conditioner that will tame and add shine to your hair.  Lastly, I am on my second mini bottle of Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray, still loving it!

Also, Ombre is still my favorite hair color look.  I like it because you can always tweak and customize your own look.  I am inspired by Song of Style, her hair is always beautiful...

Image via Song of Style

Etc...

Gel nails has been on my radar in the last few years, but I actually started getting gel nails in 2012.  Do I love it?  Yes and no.  I love that the polish is super shiny and it can remain chip free for two weeks, but it is very drying for the nails and can look artificial.  

From my experience when I am wearing gel polish, it helps to use cuticle oil or any emollient oil on the entire nail and skin around the nail every day.  And if you can find nail salons that use non-toxic gel polish removers instead of Acetone, that will save your nails from becoming further dried out and damaged.  If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out Nova Nail Spa.

Thanks for reading, until next post......

Gelish after one day

Gelish after two plus weeks

OPI Gel

Best of October Roundup - Cellbone Technology, Sunday Riley, Natura Bisse, Lush, Caudalie

Hello, Every year in October, I find myself switching skincare and makeup in time for the new season and in hopes to improve my skin and overall appearance before my birthday.  I admit vanity gets the best of me as my birthday approaches each year.

Let's get started with what I have been loving lately...

Skincare - Cellbone Technology, Sunday Riley, Natura Bisse

Left to right:

Cellbone Technology is a lesser known skincare line from the US.  I buy their products directly from their website.  Cellbone offers pharmaceutical quality products using pure ingredients.  Some of the core ingredients in their products include Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen, Acetyl Hexapeptide 3, Idebenone, L-Ascorbic Acid, and vital nutritive botanicals.

I first learned about Cellbone from a Hong Kong blogger, BeautyQQ aka Queenie Chan, about two years ago (see one of her videos below, it is in English and Chinese with caption in English).  This line is apparently very popular in Hong Kong, a very beauty conscious country.  

I have been using various Cellbone products over the past two years and these are some products that I have been using over the past two months:

C23 High Potency C-Serum (Day)

Hydra Repair Skin Repair Gel (Day)

Super AOX Antioxidant Firm Moisturizer Cream - (Day and Night) a Must Have antiaging treatment!

Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream - (Day and Night) also mentioned here

Natura Bisse Diamond Mist - (Day and Night)

Natura Bisse Diamond Extreme - (Day and Night)

Natura Bisse Diamond Drops - (Day) 

Both Sunday Riley and Natura Bisse products are expensive, but these products are worth every penny and they do last for many months.  I have tried both lines in the past and saw changes in my skin, therefore I am not opposed to repurchasing these brands from time to time.

Makeup - Lush Emotional Brilliance in Intuitive and Perspective

I want to finish where I left off last time when I talked about Lush Emotional Brilliance.  Today I will share with you the other two colors that I acquired, Intuitive and Perspective.

Intuitive comes off as an electric neon green color for the eyes, it is surprisingly wearable and fun.  I use it all over the lid alone or sometime with a darker green color on the outer corners for depth.

Perspective is a mauve pink. It is not the most flattering pink for my lips, but it is a good one if you prefer pinks with mauve undertones.  It is a nice color for Fall if you are not into reds or the darker colors and prefer something more subtle.  I love using it as a cream blusher, it is so easy to blend out and it lasts all day.  

As I mentioned before, I like these bottles of cream colors from Lush.  They are fabulous to play with and they are available at Lush and Lushusa.com.

Body Care - Caudalie Divine Oil

What can I say?  Housed in an elegant amber colored glass bottle, Caudalie Divine Oil is simply Divine!  I use it all over from head to toe.  The main ingredients include the oils from argan, sesame, hibiscus, grape seed, and shea butter.  It is a dry oil, but it is slightly heavier than other dry oils that I have tried.  It is not greasy by any means and it is easily absorbed into the skin.  The scent is a wonderful warm floral, a perfect treat for Fall!

Thanks for reading!  Have a good weekend!  Until next post......

Lush Emotional Brilliance in Sophisticated and Control

Hello, It did not take me long to jump on the Lush Emotional Brilliance band wagon shortly after its launch in July.  Emotional Brilliance is Lush's color cosmetic line with 30 colors in the range for eyes, face, and lips.

After playing with the color wheel and testing out many of the colors at the store, I decided to go with two safe colors for eyes for my first purchase.

Let's begin with my favorite, Sophisticated (shown on left above).  It is a cream eyeshadow in cool taupe with silver sheen.  All the hand made colors are packaged in small glass bottles.  This cream eyeshadow comes with a doe foot applicator.  I would dot on the product with the applicator on my lid and blend it out with my finger, so easy.  It blends effortlessly and beautifully.  Use the product sparingly, a little goes a long way.  The color is highly pigmented and lasts all day.   This is a good neutral for everyday looks, but it is not a problem to layer and build up color for more dramatic looks. 

I really like blue eyeliners, so I chose Control (shown on right above).  It is a vibrant cobalt blue liquid eyeliner.  It comes with a fine tip brush which is adequate.  I find that I must brush on a few layers to get the desired intensity or the line will look splotchy.  I am not sure if it is the fault of the brush or the product itself.  I was excited about the color, but I was a little disappointed with how I have to make it work for me.

The products mentioned can be used as eyeshadow or liner interchangeably.  Overall, I like Sophisticated so much that I went back for more.  I went back to get Intuitive, a fun bright green and a neutral pink lip color in Perspective.  Let me know if you are interested in seeing these colors.

Emotional Brilliance eye products are made with a base of rose petal infusion, almond oil, and jojoba oil.  Products mentioned are available at Lush and Lushusa.com

Do you own any Emotional Brilliance colors?  Which ones do you love?

I leave you with a video about Lush, it provides good insights on the company and the employees.  A word of warning, it is a lengthy video.

Thanks for looking.  Until next post......

Best of August Roundup - Lush, Pacifica, Aveda

Hello, We had just a few warm days to speak of this summer, such is life in the Bay Area!  I was in search of the sun, so I went to Southern California twice in this summer.  And I found ample sun to no end, love So Cal! 

Let's get started with some of my August favorite products:

Skincare - Lush Eau Roma Water

I am a BIG fan of Lush products, the company completely deserves their large cult following.  The Lush's concept and products draw me in from the beginning.  I remember making my very first Lush purchase when I was traveling in London.  I have fallen back in love with Lush again, especially with their brilliant new color line, Emotional Brilliance.  When I get a chance to try out the two products I got, I will do a write up on them.  I love them so far!

Lush Eau Roma Water was an essential item in my bag this past month.  The name is lovely, isn't it?  It is a toner, but I use it more as a pick-me-up facial mist and it gets used throughout the day.  The scent is a gorgeous blend of rose and lavender, the rose is definitely more prominent.  It is a great product for setting makeup.  It is not particularly moisturizing, but it is not drying either.  It is very soothing and refreshing.  Good to use in any season.

Makeup - Pacifica Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tint

I haven't loved a lip tint this much since I used up my Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms.  I bought a set of three Pacifica Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tints from Sephora a good few months ago.  I did not get to photograph the first color I used up, Blood Orange, my favorite of the three colors.

According to Sephora's website:

What it does:
It's the ultimate lip product, the Pacifica way. This lip tint provides major moisture, adds sheer, universally gorgeous color, and imparts a hint of sophisticated flavor. It thoroughly soothes and satisfies lips with avocado and coconut oils, both superfoods rich in amazing essential fatty acids. Nourishing and natural, this fool-proof product goes anywhere for touch-ups anytime, no mirror needed. 

Coconut Nectar - Pale shimmer champagne color.  This is the least pigmented out of the three colors and it is too pale for me to wear on its own.  This color looks pretty over a darker or vibrant lip color. 

Guava Berry - Berry shimmer color.  The shimmer is very subtle in all the colors.  I often wore this alone without lipstick because the color payoff is quite good. 

Overall, I love these and I will definitely re-purchase.  These lip tints are natural and very hydrating, but you do need to re-apply throughout the day as with any other lip treatment products.  The scent or taste of the lip tint goes according to the name of the color.  They are now on sale at Sephora.com, grab them while they last.  I highly recommend these for anyone who wants a quality natural lip balm with a wash of color. 

Hair Care - Aveda Beautifying Composition

In the July Roundup post, I mentioned that I have been using an oil treatment for my hair and this is it, Aveda Beautifying Composition.  This is a re-purchase for me as I have using this oil on an off for years.  It is a rich blend of jojoba oil with rosemary and bergamot, for hair, scalp, and body.

I keep my bottle in the shower because I like using it as a scalp and hair treatment.  On wet hair, I massage in about ten drops focusing on my scalp and the ends of my hair and leave on for at least five minutes.  As I mentioned, it is a very rich oil.  So for the body, I would massage it on my skin in the shower and rinse off.  It leaves a protective barrier on my skin after the rinse and  I can even skip lotion or dry oil if I use this product in the shower.  The aroma is the signature Aveda scent, it smells like a concoction of floral and ylang ylang.

I am always interested in oil treatment for face, hair, and body, so I would love to know what works for you.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!  Until next post......