Votre Vu Duette Luxe Lip Balm and Hand Creme

So, I love me some sweet smelling hand/body creme and I can never get enough lip products so I am  convinced that the Votre Vu Duette Luxe Lip Balm and Hand Creme was sent straight from heaven just for me. As you probably figured out from the name you get a hand creme and a lip balm in one package. The creme is in a tube with an extra compartment attached to the cap which holds the lip balm and a small mirror. It's small enough to throw into your purse which makes it super convenient all around. This tube has taken a real beating traveling in my purse and suitcases and it still looks and performs as good as new.

The "almond pie" hand creme has an incredibly soft and sweet scent that lasts for quite a while after application. It doesn't smell sickeningly sweet or fake at all and the formula is thick, rich and really moisturizes.  It's not greasy and absorbs pretty quickly into the skin. Bottom line, it ticks every box.

The lip balm is slightly less impressive. It goes on totally sheer and gives the lips a subtle satin finish with a super silky feel, but it's not as nourishing as I like my balms to be. It does the trick though and it's got a pleasant enough fruity scent.

This is my first Vorte Vu purchase and I loved it so much I've been scouring their site and building quite the wish list for myself! Their Love Me Deux looks especially good along with the Nouveau Glow Bilberry Bergamont Peel and .... oh who am I kidding I want it all!!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Review and Swatches

Crush and Honey

I stopped trying love lip stains a long time ago. I don't like having to apply balm every 15 minutes throughout the day and even when I do they always dry out my lips and accentuate any chappiness. But when Revlon came out with a "Balm Stain" my interest was definitely piqued. I've just repurchased two of them so it's time for a review!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain comes in crayon form in a plastic twistable tube. The product twists up and down with no problems.
It's got a minty scent that's fairly plasticy and fake to me, but it only lasts about a minute. It glides on really smooth and glossy and they actually moisturize the lips! Yep, I  said it.  A moisturizing stain! I no longer have to try to love lip stains. Revolon has me hooked with these.


Okay, so like I said, when you first apply them they look and feel super creamy, without feeling heavy.  Then over time as the color (which, by the way, is super pigmented) fades you are left with a really nice stained lip. They aren't sticky at all and because they are so creamy, if you want to start off which just a hint of color you can just dot a bit on your lips and blend it out. I usually do this with the shade "crush" since it's pretty dark if applied with a heavy hand.



Crush and Honey

The staying power varies by shade, with the more vibrant colors lasting much longer, but I've always gotten at least 4 hours of good wear out of them. Crush gives me a solid 8-10.



Farm House Fresh Splendid Dirt Face Mask

I picked up a pot of this a couple of months ago and  now that that Fall season, and all its pumpkin  flavored/scented goodness! is upon us I figured I should finally write a review for it.

Splendid Dirt  is an interesting product for sure. For about $20 you get 3.25 oz in a glass jar, which according to the website should last for 14-18 applications. It's paraben and sulfate free and 99.6% natural. My favorite thing about this mask is the scent. It seriously smells like pumpkin pie pudding. Not like a bath/body product infused with some fake pumpkin stuff, but real, sweet, yummy pumpkin pie!

They claim that this mask is for "Red, sensitive, blotchy, even oily, skin" I can't recommend this for sensitive skin, for reasons explained below.

The product is very smooth and feels luxurious to the touch. The directions say to apply and let it dry on the skin before washing it off with cool water. (I'll get to that cool water part) To be honest, I've never been able to leave it on long enough for it to dry. Why, you ask? Because it gets really warm, no, HOT on my face. It says "You'll feel Splendid Dirt working- a mild tingling sensation begins as oxygenation and circulation increases" In reality it actually numbs parts of my face! (namely the skin on my upper lip area)

It also claims " The feeling is temporary, and as the mask dries, skin is actually left calmed and soothed, decreasing everyday blotchiness and flushing, especially for sensitive, fragile and dehydrated skin types." I've never experienced this calmed and soothed feeling, since I have to wash this stuff off after about a minute. Here's where the cool water part comes into play. Using even luke warm water on my face after having this mask on burns! The mask makes my skin SO sensitive that the cool water is a major relief! My face is ridiculously red for a good 10-20  minutes afterward too. Doesn't seem too sensitive skin friendly to me.  However I have not noticed any long-term irritation or damage to my skin.

I won't repurchase this because I haven't seen the reduction in the appearance of pores, blotchiness and flushing or any boost in the radiance of my skin, as the company claims you will. But I won't be throwing this away. I like using a mask once a week and I do really love the pumpkin smell of this.

Smashbox Holiday Launch - WONDERVISION

Smashbox has launched its 2013 WONDERVISION 2013 Holiday products! Including an eye set, brush set and lip gloss set. These lip glosses look really pretty and very wearable. I might have to treat myself to an early Christmas!

Tarte Coupon Code - 15 % off

Use promo code SAVINGS today for 15%. Expires Sept 30 2013

Zoya Promo- Get the Color Lock System FREE with purchase

Check it out. Zoya is giving away their Color Lock System set for free when you buy 3 of their Fall or Pixie Dust Collection colors. I've got my eye on Sailor and Livingston.  And Chyna and Chita will be perfect for those holiday festivities that are fast approaching!

The more I look, the more difficult it is to choose. Ahhhh!

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

LOVE IT!

First off, This isn't a mousse. It's a cream. A creamy cream, but a cream nonetheless.
Anyway, I like cream foundations  and I love Maybelline's Dream Smooth Mousse.  It gives me almost full coverage without looking like I'm wearing a ton of foundation. You can easily sheer it out by dampening your applicator of choice for a more natural, fresh skin look. But Beware! A little bit goes a long way, so start out light, blend it out and then add more if you must. It will look cakey if you smother your skin with it. Applied correctly and it gives me a VERY natural, yet flawless look. I didn't even know that was possible! This stuff seriously looks like my skin.

It comes in six shades, which means you might not be able to find one that matches you perfectly. I got Porcelain Ivory, the lightest shade, and it's a tad too dark and beige/pink to really match seamlessly in winter, but it warms up my super pale winter skin so I wear it anyway. You can see the product through the clear bottom of the package in the picture (yeah I hit pan a LONG time ago)

The packaging is a bit clunky but there's not a lot of product in this so don't be fooled. They gave a lot of real estate to the lid and chamber place that keeps the sponge. This doesn't bother me at all, just giving you a heads up.

It blends easily with a sponge or brush.I don't have to set this with anything, but if you've got oily skin you will probably need to.  It stays put all day. I imagine for those with really oily skin it might slip a bit but I'm not sure.

It's comfortable on my skin. It didn't give me a dewy finish but it wasn't matte either. Just even and natural. I will keep buying this until ..... forever!

Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask

Okay, so I get black heads. I get them on my nose mostly, but I get a few on my cheeks. And just like everyone else I HATE them. I've been using Neutrogena's Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask for longer than I can remember at this point and I've been taking it for granted! Recently I left it at home when I went on an extended vacation thinking "Oh, my skin looks great and I need to cut down what I take with me, so I'll leave this one behind"  Such a mistake! The black heads came back and I had nothing to combat them! Until I got home, of course,  and after using this just once I noticed an improvement. (for the record I WAS washing my face! The philosophy cleanser I was using just wasn't doing anything for my blackheads)

The active ingredient is benzoyl peroxide (3.5%) You can use it ever day as a cleanser or once a week as a mask. Isn't that awesome! If you've got really sensitive skin the mask might not be for you. At least you won't want to leave it on for the full 5 minutes that recommended. I usually only keep it on for about 2-4 minutes and my face is bright RED when I get out of the shower. I don't mind though, because it clears my skin right up. I use this 2-3 times a week and that's enough for me to keep those nasty suckers at bay.

It's only about $7 for 4.2 fl oz and you can get it anywhere.

L'Occitane En Provence Cuticle & Nail Cream

I get dry cuticles and hangnails year around. My hands can look smooth and moisturised and STILL the area around my nails look crusty and gross. So, I picked up a tube of L'Occitane's Cuticle & Nail Cream  (0.5oz for $18) to try it out. I was getting a little tired of all the lemon cuticle butters out there. A lot of them work well, but I would rather my hands not smell of Lemon Pledge.

This comes in an easy to squeeze tube (I can tell I'll be able to get every last bit of product out without resorting to cutting the packaging apart) with a tiny opening for the product to come out of so it's super easy to control how much you get out. The cream itself is not greasy at all and has a beautiful soft scent. It's similar to baby powder without actually smelling like baby powder. It definitely smells grown up.

It absorbs pretty quickly so you can apply it before going out or going to bed without worried about smudging it all over everything you touch. Most importantly, it works almost immediately. My cuticles look better right after application and they're basically perfect after 2-
3 days of use. It's supposed to make nails stronger and less brittle, but my nails aren't usually brittle to begin with so I can't say if it works on that front. It definitely does its job on those cuticles though.

It contains shea butter, honey, apricot oil, sunflower seed oil, rosemary leaf extract, myrrh oil and bunch of other stuff.

Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream

I get dry skin in the winter making my face look terribly blah and wearing any makeup on my face difficult. Hello dry patches!!! I've tried so many different moisturizers and a lot of them made my skin feel pretty good, but none of them were this luxurious and just .... PERFECT!

I picked up some of Niveas's Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream for £2 at ASDA when I was in the UK. I got it because it was cheap and I wasn't really hunting for the perfect moisturizer - just one that would work enough until I could afford something great. Little did I know this would end up being my favorite moisturiser EVAH! And not only because it was so inexpensive, although that doesn't hurt. A little bit goes a long way, and when I wake up in the morning my skin looks well taken care of and feels divine! Seriously, it feels super smooth, firm and soft. I've tried other night creams that claim to do just that but none have ever delivered quite like this.
This is an essential part of my skin prep, especially if I'm going to wear foundation. Without this foundation ends up accentuating dry, flaky skin that I didn't even know was there!

You get 50ml in a sturdy jar. It's a really thick cream with that familiar Nivea scent.
Unfortunately I don't know if this is available in the U.S. Nivea has HUGE range of skin care products in other countries, but not so much in America.

I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with dry skin.