I generally save bronzer for the summer months to give myself a sun-kissed glow, but about a month ago my complexion was looking a few shades lighter than pasty (thanks to the never-ending sunless days here in the wonderful Pacific Northwest), so I decided to sweep on my newly purchased Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer that I had bought for my March trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

I walked into work that day, and one of my favorite co-workers (Hi, Barb!) stopped me to compliment me on my glow…then she added, “are you pregnant?”.  No, no…sorry family, not pregnant, but I was very pleased that just a few sweeps of bronzer could give me that pregnancy…uh, I mean, sun-kissed glow.

There are endless reasons why I love Tarte’s Mineral Bronzer, so I’ll start listing them: 

• paraben free
• sulfate free
• free of synthetic fragrances
• free of Petro-Chemicals
• free of Phthalates
• cruelty free
• fragrance free
• talc free (talc=clogged pores)

And if all that wasn’t enough, it’s loaded with skin-loving ingredients such as:  minerals that soothe and soften, vitamin A for some antioxidant action (see ya, free radicals!), which also promotes collagen production that can aid in diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, vitamin C, which also prevents free radical damage and premature aging all while brightening skin, and it contains vitamin E, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps prevent free radicals.

If this all wasn’t enough, the bronzer also gives you a beautiful, sun-kissed glow, with the slightest bit of golden sheen (not to be confused with glitter).  The bronzer comes in two-shades:  Park Ave. Princess (light yellow gold) which is perfect for fair skin-to light/medium tones (this is the shade I selected), and it comes in Hotel Heiress (deep bronze), which works best for medium/olive/dark skin tones.

Park Ave Princess

Hotel Heiress

I am so happy I found this bronzer, not only does it give me a wonderful glow (which is what a bronzer should do…stay away from orange tones, people!!), but it also has good for your skin ingredients, and hello, it’s good for the environment as well.  In the beauty world, we call that a triple threat.

I’m pretty frugal when it comes to makeup brushes.  For eyeshadow brushes, I find that drugstore lines work just fine (my fav:  Sonia Kashuk for Target).  But, I have found that there are two brushes that I don’t mind spending some extra cash on…my eyeliner brush (I use this one) and powder brush.

For the last few years I have been using Bare Escentuals Flawless Application Face Brush, which I received in a starter kit from the line.  I’ve long abandoned the BE mineral powder (not a love, seemed to be on the orangey side), but I kept using the brush to apply my setting powder (which I LOVE, Physicians Formula Correcting Powder, read my review here).  But, the last few months the bristles have been looking a little haggard, so I decided to invest in a new brush.  I had no idea what brand of brush I wanted, but I knew it needed to do double duty for applying my powder and bronzer.

What I ended up with was, Too Faced Powder Pouf Brush.  After looking at countless brushes on Sephora, and reading the reviews, The TF brush seemed to be the best all around because it got great reviews, it was a good price at $32, and it was really, really cute.  I was intrigued with the “teddy bear” hair and the fact is was supposed to be cashmere soft…not to mention, cruelty-free. 

Buying the brush seemed like a no brainer, and I’m so glad that I did, because I’ m smitten with this brush.  Aesthetically this brush is super cute.  I love the pink handle and the black little bow (not sure how long I’ll manage to keep that on).  To the touch, the bristles feel amazingly soft, and the head of the brush is the perfect size for both all-over powder application and bronzer application.  But, what really wowed me was the first time I used it on my powder compact; I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a huge gigantic mess. 

When swiping the BE brush (or any other brush, for that matter) over my powder, powder fragments would get all over the compact, my hand/wrist, sink, and my clothes if I wasn’t careful.  I never liked this, but I just kind of accepted that it went along with the territory.  But, then I used the Too Faced brush and was shocked and amazed that it could pick up the powder without creating a mess.  What I realized was the bristles were so soft, compared to other brushes, that they didn’t cause as much friction on the powder, creating a huge mess.  So, not only are you not creating a mess, but you’re also not wasting as much powder.  Genius.

So, I feel really good about my new purchase (insert a pat, pat and a smug face).  I feel like a got a really excellent product and the price was really decent.  If you’re in the market for a new makeup brush, or if you’re reading this and realizing that your makeup brush might be a stinker like mine was, you might want to invest in this one by Too Faced.  If I wasn’t happy with the rest of my brushes, I would be more than tempted to splurge on the whole Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set.  Twist, twist (that’s my arm).

Stress can creep up on you when you least expect it…a deadline you forgot about, a bill you rather not have received, a social situation you wish you could cancel, or even a crowded elevator that makes it hard to breathe.

Luckily, the makers of Calmspace understand these stressors and that’s why they’ve created a lavender infused, essential oil fragrance for those times when your anxiety levels start to peak.

Calmspace is a patent-pending, proprietary therapeutic formula of 100% natural fragrance extracts that help you manage your anxiety levels and even claustrophobic situations (yes, even your commute home on that packed bus).  Calmspace not only offers you a natural ‘chill pill’, but it’s also housed in cute packaging that easily passes for a soothing fragrance…just pop it in your purse and it’s there anytime you need it.

I had the chance to try out Calmspace for myself and I really loved the soothing fragrance.  While I don’t suffer from claustrophobic situations (well, the mall, sometimes), I do tend to stress out about things and I’m not one to hit the pillow and fall directly in a blissful slumber.  I found Calmspace to be, well, calming, and soothing, and I found myself using it before bedtime to help relax me.

To find out more about Calmspace and to see if it might work for you, head over to their site, at www.calm-space.com!

To keep even more connected with Calmspace, check on their Facebook and Twitter pages!

(First off, yes, I know…it’s been awhile…don’t make things worse by making me feel guilty.)

As much as I love cosmetics, I have to say I’m pretty smitten with skincare.  I love researching new products, trying them out, discovering what works, and what I probably shouldn’t have wasted my money on.  Lately, I’ve been on a bit of a natural kick.  By no means do I buy all my skincare needs at Whole Foods, but I do try to use natural and less harsh ingredients when I can. 

One natural product that has been on my radar lately, is Argan Oil.  It first caught my attention after psudo-model, Josie Maran started her own natural cosmetic company, and used Argan oil as an ingredient in many of her  products.  The JM line even sells bottles of the stuff in pure form, which ranges from $14 for a 15 ml bottle all the way up to $96 for a 4 oz bottle.  But, it didn’t truly catch my attention until a few weeks ago when I went on a business trip with my husband to Long Beach.  Here we were, cozied up in our separate beds (wonderful room, very small double beds) watching Josie Maran on HSN selling her Argan oil and Argan Color Sticks to America.  While I feel I was more consumed watching Josie and her models  frequently rub the oil  all over their  lips, cheeks, elbows, hands, etc with the grace and movement of a Price Is Right model, my interest did peak about the product.  So, when I got home I started my investigation.

I started at her website, then quickly sashayed over to Sephora to find out what the people thought (Sephora has great reviews).  JM’s Aragan oil got almost all 5 stars with most people loving it.  I know a bunch of you might be reading this and thinking, “okay, okay, what the heck is so great about argan oil?”…well, you’re right, let me fill you in.  Argan oil is extracted from Argan trees which grow in Morocco and it’s basically supposed to be a beauty miracle worker, curing/helping/preventing such things as acne, wrinkles, stretch-marks, split ends, eczema, psoriasis, scars, etc.  People use it on their face, on dry skin, they put it on their hair for softness, and mix it into lotions, conditioners…I mean, the list really does go on.

Even with all the raving reviews, I was still very leery about the price tag, because a 1.7 oz bottle was going to set me back $48. ouch.  So, me being a bargainista, I started doing some research and it didn’t take me very long to find an equally wonderful product, with the same raving reviews, but for A LOT cheaper.  Josie Maran Argan Oil, meet Watts Moroccan Oil.  JM’s oil is: 100% argan oil, organic, cold-pressed, free of parabens, vegan, fair-trade, and is made by a women’s co-op in Morocco, which helps to build jobs for women.  Sounds, wonderful, right…the high price tag might be making more sense, but wait.  Watts oil is:  100% argan oil, organic, cold-pressed, free of parabens, vegan, fair-trade, and is made by a women’s co-op in Morocco, which helps to build jobs for women.  And, what’s more, the jumbo 4 oz bottle is only $36.45 compared to JM’s 4 oz bottle at $96.  Fancy model, higher price tag.  Not so fancy bottle, lower price tag.  I’ll take the not-so-fancy bottle, please.

I ended up paying $18 total for my 1 oz bottle of Watts Moroccan oil, tax/shipping included in that price.  I’ve been using the product for a week now and so far I really like the product.  At night, I’ve been putting about 3-4 drops on my face and letting it sink in for a few hours before I apply my night-time retinol (Roc) at bedtime.  For the first time this weekend, I’ve applied it to my morning moisturizer and it gives my skin a nice glow (my husband even said my skin looked glowing without having to probe him first).  I’ve even applied it to my ends hoping my split ends might magically disappear.

Now, I can’t say that I will never have acne again, or that I will now forever look like a 28 year old.  But, I can say that my skin is very soft, I like the natural ingredients, and I do hope to see some long-term results.  I’m also pretty thrilled that I didn’t let Ms. Maran pull a fast one over me…and you shouldn’t either.

Since my days in junior high (15 years ago now…ouch) I have been a slave to Neutrogena’s Anti-Residue shampoo…odds are if you search this blog, you’ll find a review.  Once every week, I’d lather up with it to rinse away any product build-up or toxins that might have polleted my strands, then massage a huge glob of deep conditioner and I’d blow dry my hair, feeling pretty good about myself and how manageable my hair was that day. 

But, lately I’ve thought a lot more about the products I use on my hair and my skin.  For the last several months I’ve only used sulfate-free shampoos and since doing so, I’ve noticed a real change in the health of my hair…which got me thinking about my beloved anti-residue shampoo.  I’ll admit, I’ve always thought the smell was a little funky; my husband compared it to a house hold cleaner smell.  I just shrugged it off, thinking that it was doing the job (if it’s not broke…you know the rest).  But, when I went in the see my hair stylist this last time, she mentioned that my hair was unusually tangled and asked what I was using different.  I had to think about that one, because I really wasn’t using any different products since my last visit.  The only thing I could think of was that I used my ant-residue shampoo a few days before coming in (and I hadn’t washed my hair since coming in for my appointment).  As soon as I told her the brand and the shampoo, I got a big worried glance from her and she informed me that my anti-residue shampoo was probably the culprit to my tangled hair.  I then got a lecture about harsh chemicals, more damage than good, yadda yadda yadda.  As her lecture progressed all I could think about was how was I going to find a similar product in the same price range as Neutrogena’s anti-residue shampoo (I got the sales pitch for Pureology’s clarifying shampoo), and could I really break up with a product that I had been faithful to for 15 years?

While it was touch and go for awhile (I almost bought Pureology’s pricey version…I also decided to call it quits with Neutrogena, even though it still lives in my shower), I did luck out during the Sephora Friends and Family discount.  Since I had 20% off to play around with, I spent almost a whole two hours really scooping out the site…that’s when I found a sulfate-free/paraben free/petroleum free/mineral oil free/free of artificial coloring purifying shampoo, by Carol’s Daughter, a brand I have used and loved in the past.  Better yet, it was a Rosemary Mint purifying shampoo and it was only $12.50 for 12 oz…not too shabby at all. 

Since I had been on my Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo break, I used the Carol’s Daughter Rosemary Mint Purifying shampoo the very next day.  As soon as I squeezed the product out of the bottle, I was immediately uplifted by the scent.  Once on my head, I got this great tingling sensation and I was also very surprised with how well the shampoo lathered for being sulfate-free.  But, as I started to rinse the product out, my hair felt really dry.  I immediately started trying to remember what Sephora’s return policy was on used products, then I breathed a sigh of relief once I remembered they have an excellent return policy, even if the item is used (ah, the joys of being a worry wart).  I then added my deep-conditioner, let it seep in for about 10 minutes, and then started to rinse…and that’s when all my worries melted away.  My hair felt soft, manageable, there were not tangles, and all while sopping wet.  Once out of the shower, my damp hair combed through beautifully with not want snag or tangle.  At that moment, I had successful gotten over my break-up.

Not only had I gotten over my break-up, but I had gained a healthier product for my hair…and it didn’t even come close to breaking the bank.  To find out why I kicked Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo to the curb, or to find out which products you need to kick to the curb, check out skindeep.com, a fantastic cosmetic safety database.  Just enter in the product in the search bar and find out which products are safe and which ones are hazardous.  Love this site, both interesting and a bit scary.