Latest Beauty Products
Staying up to date with the beauty industry whether it’s makeup, skincare or haircare can be a chore. Lucky for our readers, we have a staff of guest bloggers dedicated to discovering the latest trends and styles taking shape in the beauty industry.
Perfekt Lash Perfection Gel
11 years ago
For the past few weeks I’ve been using Perfekt Lash Perfection Gel, a product that aims to replace traditional mascara, lash primer, lash treatment, conditioner and enhancer.
This multitasking formulation glides on effortlessly to prime, darken, lengthen, strengthen, and condition lashes. Enriched with a soft and delicate ester derived from olives that ensures a polished effect, you can guarantee your lovely lashes will be fully covered from root to tip. Smudge-resistant and clump-free, Lash Perfection Gel provides natural buildable coverage and leaves the lashes looking lustrous and curled to perfection all day long.
My eyelashes are small and straight and what Perfekt Lash Perfection Gel did was give them a thicker appearance. I had a little bit of trouble with clumping because the brush didn’t seem to cover the eyelashes properly and I would use the tip, thus adding too much gel on some parts and making them clump.
It is lightweight and even though its not waterproof I’ve had no problem with smudging even during the hottest days in August. For day time I really liked this gel, for night time when I wanted something more dramatic I would apply a little more Lash Perfection Gel, curl my eyelashes and add traditional mascara especially to the tips, the end result were curled and thick eyelashes, can’t say I noticed any visual increase in length.
I would recommend this Gel to anyone who wants a subtle effect on their eyelashes. I didn’t see any difference from a traditional mascara, but this is a product worth trying out.
Your Summer Beauty Checklist
11 years ago
Time to come out of your winter hibernation – summer is here! Revamp your habits and style to look your best for the remainder of summer with this simple summer beauty checklist.
WARDROBE ESSENTIALS
Show off those legs and sculpted arms with summer’s barely there wardrobe. Splurge on a few trends – the hot color this summer is mint green – but make sure you have the basics covered with these must haves;
- Sleeveless sun dress
- Flip flops in assorted colors
- Strappy dress sandals
- Stylish bikini, tankini or one-piece with a fun cover up
- Flattering fitness clothes
- Solid tank tops for layering
Makeup Makeover
Most of us won’t be using the exact same makeup products we use in the winter in the summer. Why? For one, your winter paleness probably requires another shade of foundation than the glorious summer
glow you’ll be sporting shortly. It’s also vital to make sure you have a foundation or moisturizer with SPF in it. Although it’s really best to do this year round (the sun can still get you in those dreary winter months!) it’s absolutely essential now that the sun is out. Summer is also a great time to buy a bright color of toe nail polish since your tootsies are likely more visible in flip flops and open-toed heels than in your cold weather boots.
Hair Removal Plan
Finding the right hair removal maintenance plan is crucial for summer, a time when your underarms, bare legs and bikini lines are most likely to be exposed to the masses. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a permanent hair removal solution and ditch your razor forever? Summer is a great time to consider laser hair removal, a procedure that works by sending light energy directly at hair follicle to disable them and prevent regrowth. Laser hair removal can be performed by a professional technician in an office appointment or even in your own bathroom with an at-home laser hair removal kit. Permanent hair removal for women (or men for that matter) can easily be achieved with this method. Most users report permanent hair removal results within six months of use.
Plan a Vacation
Make sure you take the time to really enjoy summer. Whether this means taking a two week cruise through the Caribbean (you lucky girl) or taking a long weekend to go camping with your buds, schedule
time to relax and get outdoors to take advantage of the nice weather. Even a few hours laying out at the community pool or in your backyard beats the cabin fever you had all winter. Scheduling veg time will help you relax and lower stress, which will make you both look and feel better.
Savor Seasonal Treats
Eating healthy in summer is easy with all the fresh fruits and vegetables readily available. Treat yourself to a wide variety of summer’s seasonal treats at your local farmer’s market and sample a few selections you’ve never tried before. Boysenberries anyone? And hey, since its summer, be sure to enjoy a few ice cream cones and backyard barbeques along the way.
Start Now
Begin your journey into summer feeling prepared by completing our checklist. Just think, when next summer rolls around, you’ll already have a jump on that too because you’ll be ready with the essentials– and possibly sporting smooth skin if you’ve opted for our suggested permanent hair removal strategy.
Sponsored content was created and provided by Tria Beauty.
False but oh so true!
11 years ago
Smoke & Mirrors often coined as deception or illusion. “Okay-Okay, perhaps there is an artful illusion when we apply faux lashes. But no runway, red carpet, music video set or the downtown streets is complete without a good pair of lashes.”
Today I want to highlight the genius lash brand: Smoke & Mirrors Beauty.
“The Smoke and Mirrors lash line is a custom selection of high quality, wearable lashes that brings a little of the red carpet glamour to every woman on any day.”
Sure there are tons of lash brands in today’s marketplace but we savvy beauties know, “not all are created equal.” An obvious example when you feel the difference between this brand and other unmentionables. Right away you can tell when lifting them out of their case. The strip is flexible to contour to your eye shape, the hair is 100% human (feels like silk), and the names will have you tickled.
Names like: Heart Lash | Miami Lash | Vegas Lash | Atlanta Lash | Nashville Lash | Chicago Lash | NYC Lash, all the major cosmopolitans are represented and being I’m a California gal, they had me at “Hollywood Lash“.
One Artist tip: Use ample glue, allow the glue to get tacky, then press the outer end of the strip to your eyelid moving to the inner end. Do not apply the lashes to the inner edge of your eye; remember faux lashes are meant for a little bit of trickery.
It girls love to have options and these lashes come in a variety of lengths, styles, and thicknesses – get into them….they may be false but their the truth!
GLO Teeth Whitening at Home
11 years ago
Received a sample of Everyday GLO Teeth Whitening Maintenance, a convenient portable pen-like brush designed to help teeth remain white and stain-free on the go.
Eating and drinking wine or coffee, can stain your teeth, Everyday GLO aims to prevent the stain from setting in. To use it, first you need to remove the cap, twist the base so a Hydrogen Peroxide gel reaches the plastic tip with soft nubs and scrub your teeth. The gel has a slight minty taste and your mouth will feel refreshed after the application. If used daily, the tube has enough gel for a month.
So far I haven’t noticed my teeth getting any whiter, this might be because this is a maintenance product, I would first need to get my teeth white using their complete system: GLO Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device.
This kit gives you professional quality teeth whitening results at home—up to eight shade changes-with an average of five shades in five days with no sensitivity. The GLO Device, when used with the GLO Brilliant™ Whitening Gels and GLO Brilliant™ Whitening Mouthpiece, uses the patented Guided Light Optics Technology and illuminates with a brilliant blue light as it gently warms up. The light and heat accelerate the GLO Brilliant™ Whitening Gel giving you faster, longer-lasting results.
Like all new products that have to do with whitening teeth, this one has its pros and cons. The pro is that it works when used as directed leaving no sensitivity on teeth. The main complaint, other than the price ($275 for intro kit), is the flawed design of the gel caps, most people have complained about wasting too much product because they can’t get it out of the small containers.
For people with already sensitive teeth, this might be the way to have white teeth. And for those of us who don’t want to spend too much on whitening our teeth, we can continue with whitening toothpaste! While I like using the Everyday GLO pen, it is no substitute for daily brushing and flossing.
Best Lip Balms
11 years ago
Lipsticks and lip glosses are great when it comes to giving our lips a little extra sexy bump. But sometimes when we’re outside in very cold, or very hot or dry or windy weather all we want is protection for our lips and that’s when the humble lip balm shines. Though Chapstick always has a special place in my heart because it’s been around since 1912, there are a few others that I carry around with me.
This product line has extended from the original Beeswax Lip Balm, but in all their new formulas either honey or beeswax is present, as well as vitamin E, peppermint and other ingredients. Now there a lip balm for every taste and need like the Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum Butter – 1 application = 4 hours of moisturizing – or Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Acai Berry. Burt’s Bees is the one I always have in my gym bag.
This is the one I carry on my cosmetics bag since it’s so slim. While this lip balm is offered in a variety of flavors like vanilla, cherry, wildberry, watermelon, and others, all you get is a hint of a scent, but not the flavor so you don’t end up eating the balm. It also has SPF 20 and is long lasting.
Eos
My favorite! Eos (evolution of smooth) comes in a weird package and shape for a lip balm, looks like a little kid’s toy and people not familiar with the brand always ask what it is. This is the one on my make-up counter, so I use it at home, when I go out for quick errands and sometimes I put it on, just because it’s so cute. This lip balm contains Shea butter and vitamin E, plus it comes in several different flavors. The smell is a bit waxy but it does have a tiny hint of flavor. I tend to glide it on in a twisting motion so the round shape of the balm is still round.
Origins No Puffery
11 years ago
A few weeks ago I reviewed Origins Age-Erasing Skin Care, during my research I came across Origins No Puffery -Cooling Mask for Puffy Eyes. Without a doubt best product ever!!
The very first time I used it was about a week ago, I had my sis and her hubby in town for the weekend. Friday night I went to sleep at 3 AM and woke up on Saturday at 7:30 AM, after that it was non-stop all day with my sis, it was fun but I was beyond tired by 2 PM, I desperately needed a nap.
Fortunately, we went to a shopping mall with a Sephora store in it, and I bought Origins No Puffery. As soon as I got out of the store I put on half a drop on each eye and within five minutes my eyes felt so refreshed, my sister said the change in my eyes was very noticeable and I actually felt more energy and we continued with our shopping that day!
There are two ways to use this product, which is a lightweight fresh gel with no perfumes added. Before applying your make-up apply a drop under each eye, lie down and relax for 10 minutes, then take the excess off with a tissue. The other way is by applying it several times a day, only a very small amount, about half a drop under each eye will do. And for an added kick, you can chill it!
I have all the bad habits that result in puffy eyes and I’ve tried almost all the rollers out there, frozen spoons and chamomile tea bags….nothing has worked as well as this product. I love it!!
Summer Nail Trends
11 years ago
This summer’s nail trends are all about interesting designs, easy to do at home and bold neon colors. There’s a little something for every budget and taste.
Neons
Most nail polish brands are offering awesome neon colors, like Julep’s Leah, Sephora by OPI Neon Lights, SPARitual’s Dreamsicle, Sally Hansen’s Xtreme Wear, and so many others. What makes neon look trendier now than how it was back in the 80’s is color blocking: combining different shades to make cubist-type designs.
Not long ago Nails, Inc. introduced Magnetic Nail Polish, a very unique way to create nail art by using a specially designed magnet. To make it even more unique, the new polish and magnet creates a fishnet effect. I bought the polish a few days ago and today I noticed it was missing the magnet (ugghh) will exchange it tomorrow, can’t wait to use it!
Sephora by OPI – It’s Real 18K Gold Top Coat
I may be a nail polish junkie, but in this case I can’t see myself buying this top coat. The polish contains real gold that will make any nail color pop. At $30 each, I think I’ll pass. But if any reader buys it, please let us know what you think!!
Gelshine At-Home Gel Colour System
If you wanted to get a gel manicure, the only option was to go to the nail salon, now you can do it at home! This is a great product for women who have little time to change nail polish colors or go to the nail saloon since the polish is supposed to last up to two weeks without chipping.
This can be a pricey option since the starter kit costs $159, plus the nail polish colors are $17.50 each. And then supplies will need to re-stocked. For some women gelshine at home will make sense because of the convenience, in my case, I change my polish twice a week so it would be a waste of a great product. The good thing is that this product is now available to us!
Origins Age-Erasing Skin Care
11 years ago
My skin is going through a transition, slowly going from combination to dry with fine lines, but it’s not quite there yet so it’s been hard to find a skin care regimen that suits me. Not long ago I tried The Three Little Wonders by Ole Henriksen and was very impressed, but before I commited to that brand I wanted to give Origins a try. I bought Origins Age Erasing Kit.
I’ve been using it for the last two weeks and so far I have mixed feelings about it, so let me go through each one of the products in the kit.
Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
The face wash is awesome, feels very rich and lathery, smells wonderful and doesn’t dry my face. I don’t use it as much as I should since I prefer towelettes to take off my make-up, but this product is great!
Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum
Although it’s not a prescription, in just four weeks the natural plant ingredients in this serum noticeably reduce wrinkle length and depth without the irritation. It visibly helps repair the vertical fret lines between your eyes, the stubborn furrows across your forehead, and the deepening frownies that frame your mouth. Youthful bounce is revived. Skin is firmer, smoother, more lifted-looking. And with continued use, results improve.
I’ve been using it for two weeks and I can say it’s all true! My frown lines are slowly disapearing, it’s great! I couldn’t be happier with this serum, this will help keep Botox away from my face for a few more years.
Starting Over Age-Erasing Moisturizer with Mimosa
A moisturizer that helps to rebuild collagen, repair visible lines, and improve skin texture and tone.
This is where the mixed reviews begin, while the cream is very light-weight, smells nice and absorbs very quickly, I haven’t noticed a difference on my skin yet. While it doesn’t feel dry it’s not soft either. Then again, if it’s rebuilding my collagen it might take a little bit of time before I feel a difference.
Starting Over Age-Erasing Eye Cream with Mimosa
While this product was not on the starter kit, I used 100 of my Sephora points to get the sample and be able to use all of them at the same time. This is an anti-aging eye cream that helps reduce the appearance of eye area wrinkles. So far I haven’t seen any improvements, then again my eye area problems have to do more with puffiness than with wrinkles, so I might try No Puffery Cooling Mask For Puffy Eyes, an eye mask that de-puffs eye bags as it brightens and lightens dark circles.
