Tag Archives: sample

Tatcha Gold Camellia Beauty Oil + Lip Balm

September 10, 2013

The power of plant oils is well-documented on this blog. I use them to cleanse, moisturize my face and body and to tame my tresses. One oil than can do all of the above is camellia oil, which comes from a winter-blooming flower native to parts of Asia. Camellia oil is loaded up with essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B and E and absorbs into skin as quickly as water. If you look closely, you might see this ingredient cropping up in your skin care. And while we might just be catching on to Camellia, it’s been used for thousands of years in ancient Japanese culture.

Oh you know, just 24-karat gold leaf lip balm!

Tatcha dug into their archives filled with recipes and beauty secrets of Japanese geishas and found that these women would drench their skin in camellia oil as a post-bathing ritual. It inspired the creation of an opulent Camellia Beauty Oil and Lip Balm. Emphasis on the opulent. That’s actual gold you’re seeing. Have you slathered your lips in gold lately? Don’t you love how that gold leaf looks like its floating on top of nothing? Lemme tell you, spreading a blend of crushed gold camellia oil onto your lips makes you feel fancy. And watching the gold flakes percolate inside the glass bottle of the beauty oil is enthralling. Even better, is how many ways you can put that bottle to work. Try using a few drops as an a.m. moisturizer, pressing it on to your décolletage for shine or massaging it into the ends of your hair. Remember, it absorbs just as fast as a splash of regular old H2o. Tatcha created a duo that gives you a special feeling whenever you use it, like they’ve let us in on an old family secret. Which, in all truth, they sort of have.

Va-Va-Volumifique + Kérastase Giveaway!

August 23, 2013

After my big chop, I went through what I consider to be the standard set of emotions following any major hair change. It starts with the “new hair high” (usually lasts for days given the fresh salon blowout) and is followed by uncertainty with a varying degree of remorse that quickly evens out to acceptance. And, then, once you learn how to style it again you love it. You’ve got to know your hair and what works. I have extremely fine hair but a ton of it, which means that my default hair setting is flat and limp. Enter Kérastase Volumifique.

I headed to Maxine’s on Rush Street recently to visit with Kérastase stylist Adrianne and check out the newly revamped Volumifique line. When my hair was long, the Cristalliste line was my jam but this foray into volume-specific hair care seems to be a perfect match for my mass of fine hair. The four products — cleanser, conditioning rinse, spray and mousse — plump up hair (literally with polymers that absorb into your hair fibers) from root to ends without weighing it down. We’re talking major bounce.

The before. Not too much lift at the roots and my hair doesn’t have a lot of movement.

The after. a.k.a. the moment before I could not stop touching my hair constantly. It looks so much lighter!

Adrianne started with the Bain Volumifique cleanser and treated it with the Gelée Volumifique, which is a conditioner in the non-traditional sense. It’s translucent and almost fully absorbs during the 5-10 minutes you leave it in before rinsing. While it conditions, the polymers and cellulose powders are thickening hair and making it shiny and full. It is my favorite product in the entire line! When my hair was towel-dried, Adrianne used about 10 spritzes of the Spray Volumifique before blow drying, combing it out from roots to ends. To take advantage of the bounce and movement, we added in some loose waves once it was dry.

Usually, styling products build up (and you know I hate washing my hair too much!) but Volumifique is incredibly light.

Bain Volumifique, Mousse Volumifique and Gelée Volumifique

I’m so happy with my result that I’ve teamed with Kérastase to offer up a set to one of you guys! I’ve got one full range of Volumifique (all four products!) to give away. Are you interested in testing out? If so, leave me a comment on this post by Friday, August 30 and I’ll pick one at random*.

Kérastase covered my costs at Maxine’s and provided me with samples of the line. All opinions are mine!

*Continental U.S. only — sorry for anyone excluded!

UPDATE: Congrats to Suzy, the winner of the giveaway!

Chill Out, it’s National Relaxation Day

August 15, 2013

Bless you, creator of National Relaxation Day. I’m always up for a reminder to just CHILL. Ironically, today is going to be a busy one, but the weekend is near. After work, I’m stopping by the Birchbox Ann Taylor #ReadySetFinished event hosted by one of Chicago’s most fabulous bloggers, Nicole Pearl of The Beauty Girl. Hoping there is a small chance I’ll finally be able to snag these booties – though they are truly sold out everywhere. From there, it’s on home to squeeze in some relaxation. I’ve got to honor the day. Here’s what relaxation looks like for me!

This upcoming launch from La Bella Figura, the Skin Aficianado Body Elixir. I tried a tiny sample of this and am hooked. It looks like sunshine in the bottle and has the most unique warm scent. After a steamy bath (relaxation 101 for me!), this is like a cozy blanket nuzzling me to sleep.

A nourishing lip treatment that tastes like honey! Osmia Organics Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair is a staple on my nightstand. I lather it on at night and wake up with the softest lips. I’ll stockpile this come January!

The smell of lavender in this pureelementnaturals Defend Argan Oil Moisturizer. Massaging this blend of argan oil and six other essential oils into clean skin is a ritual worth taking your time to complete. I love to layer it over this serum.

September issues! I’ve got Lucky, Glamour and InStyle just waiting to be devoured, page by page. I’ll be saving this for the weekend.

A candle that is channeling my current state of mind. Maybe it’s the cooler weather we’ve been having, but my mind is on fall. And, whatever, you know you want it, too! Just give me a few more beach days, and I’ll fully embrace it. Until then, Bath & Body Works fall candles – like Sweater Weather! – are giving my home the fall treatment.

Any plans for relaxation on your end?

La Bella Figura Modern Radiance Concentrate

August 14, 2013

Earlier this year, Victoria from La Bella Figura was excitedly telling me about this ingredient they were sourcing for an upcoming launch that was so high in vitamin C it was going to be major for anti-aging skincare. The end product was still in its very early stages of development, but I was already excited to get to testing. Fast forward nearly eight months and La Bella Figura Modern Radiance Concentrate is here! The ingredient that had team LBF so excited was the kakadu plum, which contains the world’s highest source of vitamin C. Which, in context, means that at a minimum, this fruit contains about 100 times the vitamin C concentration of an orange. And what La Bella Figura whipped up with this wonder is indeed major.

Among the benefits of continued use include, improved skin texture, even skin tone, reduced discoloration and more luminosity. There are so many antioxidants in this bottle that strengthen your skin and help it regenerate, it is mind-blowing. Skin naturally thins as we age and this formula gets deep into skin to help get some of that youthful elasticity back by toning the thinning skin. I think of this as the skincare version of my ballet barre class, minus the burn in my muscles. The gel cream consistency, which is in part from the cupuacu seed butter, feels cool and refreshing. LBF recommends to keep this in a cool, dark place to help preserve all that goodness. I’m savoring every pea-sized drop I use, because I have a feeling this is one that I will want to splurge on when my sample runs out!

P.S. Less than month to go until ‘A Night for Green Beauty!

The Curling Iron that Changed EVERYTHING

August 6, 2013

The curling iron that changed everything for me is the Sultra Bombshell. My sweet husband actually bought the 1-inch wand for me as a birthday gift last year. Turn 30, get good hair. It was just time. While my stick straight, no matter the weather, is annoying at times, I recognize that my curly-haired ladies deal with much worse. If my biggest challenge is holding a curl, I don’t have it that bad. Especially because there are tools like this to make my problems go away. I was completely intimidated by the clipless wand at first, but now can’t imagine using a clamp. It all seems so antiquated. I just got my mitts on the slightly bigger 1.5 inch Sultra Bombshell and declare this the key to sexy hair. This slightly bigger Bombshell gives my hair curls and volume. Believe me when I say it is ridiculously simple to use. Rather than just tell you, I wanted to show you…

See, super straight? And, actually not all that bad here. It’s definitely my new shampoo. These Darby Clips from Sarah Potempa make me feel like a pro. Sectioning hair off makes the process so much easier.

Wear the glove, always. It’s not something you’ll forget more than once. Been there, done that. With scars to prove it, sadly. Wear the glove on the same side you are curling. Use that hand to wrap the hair around the iron.

I let the hair curl for about 7-10 seconds and when it’s done I hold it in my hands for a few seconds. Helps set the curl even more.

Ta-da! To make it more relaxed, I run my fingers through the curls after they’ve cooled down. This entire process takes about 6-8 minutes. Like I said, the curling iron that changed everything!

Jane Iredale’s Plumped Up Lips

July 31, 2013

Plumping lipsticks have never really been my thing. Conjures up bad memories of experimentation gone wrong. You know, the early formulas that just plain old made your lips sting? Ouch. I’m no Angelina, but I’ve always been fairly satisfied with my lip shape. But every now and then a product comes my way and totally changes my perspective. Enter Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper. The good news: it doesn’t sting or contain any sketch ingredients to make your lips blow up. Rather, it’s like a breath mint for your lips with spearmint and peppermint oils and ginger root extract which helps stimulate blood circulation — hence the natural plumping effect. But that’s not all. There is shea butter to moisturize, aloe vera to soften and essential oils of lemon and tangerine to get rid of the first sign of the dry lip flakies (the worst!) The best part is the sheer colors that make you feel pretty and polished. I’ve been wearing down my tube in the shade “LA” (you can see it on me here) and deem it the perfect summer lip. A universally flattering sheer peach with a hint of gold — I can never tire of that color combo.

Also, while perusing other colors on Beauty.com earlier (p.s. they carry so many new lines now!) I saw they have a pretty good beauty gift with purchase going on. I’m digging the leopard tote and I spy a sizeable sample of IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye, which I have been loving lately, along with a full-sized Stila Smudge Stick. Way to pull through in the GWP department, Beauty.com.

More Urban Decay Neutral Eyeshadows to Love

July 24, 2013

My world has been all sorts of crazy lately. Work is really busy, in an exciting yet completely exhausting way, and it’s totally wiping me out. In these moments, my beauty routine goes on auto pilot. Which is totally OK by me because I’m pretty fixated on my Kjaer Weis mascara (99.8% organic and majorly impressive/effective!) and these two Urban Decay eyeshadows. Easy Baked is the lighter gold sister of the brassy Half Baked, which is in both Urban Decay Naked palettes. I didn’t realize that shade could be improved on, but Easy Baked is major. Bronzy lids are a favorite look of mine during the summer and it just doesn’t get any easier than using this eyeshadow. As for the smoky grey Desperation, a shade previously only available in the Urban Decay Vice Palette, it is proving to be a perfect alternative to black liner. It brings out the blue in my eyes. I’ve been using it as a soft liner smudged along my lash line and to kick it up, I smoke it out onto the lids. When used with Easy Baked, there’s a cool mixed metal effect. One thing is for sure, Urban Decay is at its best with these shadows. They quietly launched this summer but are now part of the permanent collection. Just when you think you have your neutral bases covered with the Naked palettes, right?

The Must-Have Minimal Mineral Makeup Kit

July 19, 2013

I’ve been favoring a more natural makeup look lately. I’ve rediscovered this palette and have been wearing minimal makeup on the rest of my face. The Pür Minerals 5-Piece Start Now Kit, which just launched in the Birchbox shop this week, could not have come to me at a better time. Hello heat wave, goodbye full face. The five items in this kit – primer, Pür Minerals 4-in-1 pressed mineral makeup, mineral bronzer, mascara and the ‘chisel’ complexion brush – help you get that coveted “no makeup makeup” look. Which BTW, always seems to take more time than makeup makeup. But not in this case. I remember interviewing this Chicagoan for 312 Beauties and hearing her rave about this sample she got in her Birchbox that helped her even out her skin in a natural way. Finally, I get it! Admittedly, I don’t wear a lot of powder because it seems to just sit on my face. However, Pür Minerals 4-in-1 feels invisible, thankfully, but still provides enough coverage. All you, chisel brush. A few sweeps of the mineral bronzer on my cheeks and in the crease of my eyelid plus two coats of mascara and I am successfully out the door, when everything but my face proceeds to melt. The real test was during a 3pm meeting when a coworker said I looked matte (in a good way). Done and done. Seems like this would be a great way to spend those Birchbox points you’ve been hoarding (I can’t be the only one who does that!)

Six Reasons to Watch IT Cosmetics on QVC July 13

July 12, 2013

I’m having a moment with IT Cosmetics. And I cannot wait to get my fix of IT on QVC tomorrow, July 13. If you aren’t an avid Q watcher, TSV may not mean much to you. For me, it cues the TSV song… years of DVRing Friday Night Beauty will do that to a girl. It stands for Today’s Special Value and July 13, IT Cosmetics is introducing a major deal with some of its most popular products and a new launch! I do love new beauty, especially when it involves the perfect pink gloss that doubles as a lip stain. For those unfamiliar with IT (stands for “innovative technology”) it was developed to solve targeted beauty probs, like rosacea, sparse brows, hyperpigmentation. Founder Jamie Kern deals with all of those issues and works with plastic surgeons to develop her products.

The value is crazy and so are these products — in the best way possible. Six products, under $60. Here’s the skinny on what you’ll get:

One…Bye Bye Under Eye in a supersize! It’s a full coverage collagen treatment concealer that doubles as a foundation. It doesn’t crease or crack and I’m amazed by what it can do to brighten skin. The finish is natural, which is incredible considering how much it covers. That would be everything.

Two…Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Luminizer. Don’t call it a highlighter, it’s more of an eraser (of YEARS!) IT brought it with this one: peptides, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed collagen, silk, vitamins A, C & E.

Three and Four…Two brushes. And I would seriously pay $60 for both of these brushes. A dual foundation/concealer that makes all makeup look airbrushed and a pointed complexion brush to use with the Hello Light.

Five…YBBB…Your Brows But Better Pencil. I love this one, and you really need to watch IT’s Jamie Kern demo this on air. She has virtually no brows and the transformation when she applies is unbelievable. The pencil adheres to skin and mimics the look of real hair.

Six…Brand new launch of Vitality Lip Blush Hydrating Gloss Stain. It’s like a serum for your lips! Plumps them up just so (with no sting) and delivers the prettiest pink. When the gloss disappears, lips are left stained. The gloss is a little bolder but the stain is soft and subtle.

And the best part of the TSV is that there will be tons of on-air demos of IT’s entire line. I am so curious about this mascara that tightlines your eyes! All kicks off tonight at midnight.

Happy weekend!

Keep it Simple Skincare: TAY

July 11, 2013

Last month, at the Hotel Lincoln over green tea and the most delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever, I talked with Sarah Tay, founder and creative director of TAY Skincare. I’ve been a total TAY fan girl since discovering the line last year. TAY All-Purpose Shea Butter is one of my favorite hand moisturizers (the sole reason my cuticles no longer appear dry!) and the etched bamboo packaging is one to really appreciate. It’s the small details that Sarah meticulously controlled when she launched the initial TAY collection geared towards covering only the essential skin care steps, cleansing and moisturizing. You won’t find a lot of frills here, but a carefully edited line using only pure and organic ingredients like green tea extracts, avocado oils, shea butter and plant botanicals.

The design is striking, and Sarah explained to me how she trialed nearly 80 different packaging options before settling on bamboo. Beyond appearance, the bamboo helps to naturally preserve the ingredients and also has natural anti-microbial properties.

Sarah recently reformulated the Youthful Eye Treatment, which has a long list of ingredients all working for you. Notably, a higher concentration of apricot kernel oil, a touch of peppermint oil which instantly cools on contact and a neroli essence which makes it smell incredible. I’ve been weaving it in to my routine and find it comforts puffy eyes on sleep-deprived mornings quite well.

If you seek a simple but luxurious approach to skincare, TAY can help you channel that back to basics routine. Word is TAY will also be expanding further into body care later this summer. Sarah shared the news of an impending Body Butter launch. I already have dreams of how stunning a tub of that will look in my bathroom!

Scents of Summer: Tilly by Rosie Jane

July 9, 2013

This past weekend was epic. I’d been planning my July 6 since February. You see, I’m a major (total, beyond crazy, borderline nuts) John Mayer fan(atic) and he kicked off his latest tour – the one that’s been two years in the making while he underwent throat surgery and recovery – July 6 in Milwaukee. The things that man does with a guitar is insane. And when he dedicated his last song to “my Katy” I practically melted. Mark my words, you will all be obsessed with Wildfire, the first song on his forthcoming album, in a matter of months.

It was the perfect summer night on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Live music, Summer Shandy (I’m so predictable) and a warm lake breeze. The kind of evening I’d recreate every weekend if I could. You know how scent has a way of connecting you back to moments? For me, Tilly by Rosie Jane will be the scent that reminds me of this concert, and this summer. I’ve been wearing it every day since I got it and I even layer it on at night before hopping into bed. It captures everything I love about summer in a tiny little rollerball — it’s floral, fruity and beachy without being too strong in any direction. Grapefruit, gardenia and pineapple mixed with coconut. It has a romantic feel to it, with the final notes settling to a warm and sexy aroma (hence why I love to wear it to bed!) Because it’s a perfume oil, the fragrance latches on to skin more intensely and has stronger staying power. And the absolute best part is that is under $40! This isn’t celebrity makeup artist Rosie Jane’s first rodeo — she created Leila Lou as well, probably one of my favorite scents ever.

If you happen to share my JM fanaticism, you should probably check out this Pinterest board.

As for the Tilly, she’s available at b-glowing.com for $39.

Benefit Stay Flawless

June 26, 2013

A good hair day is empowering. A good makeup day, for me, gives me that same “conquer the world” (or at least my to-do list) attitude. There is nothing as defeating as walking into the bathroom and seeing a smudge of eyeliner or a less than flawless complexion. Especially when it looked so good in the morning! Fluorescent lights are the enemy. For all of the above reasons, I tend to wear a primer under my makeup. Remember this or that? Well, Benefit Stay Flawless is the other thing. It’s different than any other primer I’ve used. There’s the stick application – packaged up in the most adorable polka dot print, I’ll add – and the light cooling effect you feel immediately. Invisible to the eye but not to the touch, as there is a semi-sticky feel. It doesn’t feel weighty or heavy, rather that stickiness was by design so it would physically grab your makeup like a magnet.

I watched this video from Benefit’s Maggie Ford Danielson applying Stay Flawless under her foundation. My initial instinct was to blend the primer into my skin before applying makeup, but it is most effective to apply makeup directly on top of it without messing or blending first. Taking Maggie’s advice, I also focused this on my problem areas – around the sides of my nose and forehead (typical t-zone drama!) and found my makeup to stay pretty darn near flawless all day. You can shop it here!

Osmia Organics Milk Bath

June 25, 2013

I started my Sunday off with a trip to Colorado for a work event on Monday. And a fabulous event it was, but also a complete whirlwind of a day with lots of running around (in heels, my own fault) and sweating (90 degrees, wowza) followed up with a very late return flight home. I basically have no idea what day it is. Tonight I will reset my week the best way I know how: an indulgent bath. My penchant for a good old fashioned soak has only grown since trying Osmia Organics Milk Bath. So much fan-cier than bubbles or salt, and even Cleopatra was famous for taking milk baths. A few scoops of the milky powder – a blend of organic buttermilk power, organic oats, baking soda and essential oils – and you emerge from the tub with conditioned skin. The milk acids get rid of dead skin cells and the lingering scent is gentle and relaxing. Do it right before bed and you’ll sleep like a baby. It’s what I’m counting on tonight.

7 Days of Summer Beauty: Translucent Color

June 22, 2013

My usual flush of blush just doesn’t have the same appeal in the summer. It’s like the heat intensifies it somehow and I’m one degree away from clown cheeks. When that happens, I always feel a bit garish. I much prefer a healthy dose of bronzer (see here and here!) And for a little more color and sheen, I opt for a more translucent finish. Bobbi Brown Sheer Color Cheek Tints are that forgiving and flattering blend that delivers just the right amount of color to cheeks. While the shades come across bold and brassy in the tube, on the face they are dramatically less so. Rather than sitting atop cheeks, Bobbi made them so they glisten and reflect light. The darker “Nude Bronze” has a slight rosy hue which is my favorite under bronzer. The golden “Sunlit Nude” acts as more of a highlighter and the bright “Summer Pink” makes you look healthy and perky. No brush needed to apply and the pocket-sized tube is easy to stash in your purse for touch-ups. My trick? To dab the light golden shade and the pink on opposite fingers and then touch together before dabbing on cheeks for a custom sheer color. This trio is limited for summer, but fear not, I think we’ll see more Tints in future Bobbi beauty collections. Right now, you can still snag each for $26 apiece.

Catch the rest of 7 Days of Summer Beauty here!

7 Days of Summer Beauty: A Beach State of Mind

June 21, 2013

If the summer of my dreams was real, I’d be lounging beachside every day catching up on all of the books that have been on my to-read list forever. I would of course have someone nearby to make sure I stay hydrated with green juice and grapefruit LaCroix and refreshed with SPF, especially during that mid-day nap I’m able to fit in. What a life I lead! I guess you could say I need a few days of nothing but R&R to make me appreciate the hustle of my daily grind.

Helping me channel my beach state of mind is African Botanics Marula Neroli-Infused Oil. It’s an everything oil — I can drench myself in this from head to toe and instantly feel refreshed and relaxed. Marula Oil contains a ton of antioxidants and if I were a sun worshipper, it would most definitely help my skin overcome the inherent environmental damage that comes along with being a beach goddess. It’s good for the face and just about everywhere. But what sets this marula apart from the uninfused varietal is the intoxicating floral essence of neroli oil, which is distilled from a fresh bunch of orange blossoms from a small co-op in Tunisia. The benefits go far beyond aromatherapy – neroli is high in vitamin C and can assist in the release of skin toxins, which is why it is often used to aide relaxation. For $85, you get a surprising amount of product— more than 2 ounces. Which is how I want to roll with this one, as I’m not satisfied unless it’s drenching my entire body in that addictive neroli blend.

It’s a full week of summer beauty! Recap on days 1-4 here.