DIY Sugar and Honey Face and Body Scrub

I love using scrubs. They come is such great scents and I always feel a little pampered when I'm done. But you don't have to buy a fancy scrub to get that freshly exfoliated, smooth skin. You can make it at home with ingredients you probably have sitting in your kitchen right now!

The most basic recipe only has two ingredients. Honey and Sugar. Yep that's it! Both of these
ingredients are found in beauty products already - Sugar for it's ability to exfoliate and Honey for it's naturally moisturizing and antimicrobial properties - But why waste the money when you can make your own?  You don't even have to measure things out. Just combine them until you get a consistency that you like. I usually add a little more honey than sugar. You don't want the scrub to be runny but you don't want it to be one big ball of sugar either. Just add and mix until you get something you like. If you're only using
it on your face you will only need about 1/4 cup of total scrub. If you're using it all over your body you should make 1/2-1 cup.

Wet your body in the shower, turn off the water, and rub that scrub all over using light pressure in circular motions. Rinse it all off and you'll find you have super smooth skin, ready for self-tanner, wax (wait a little while before waxing to avoid irritation) or to just show off to the world!

I use this on my body, face and even on my lips! Be sure, especially when you scrubbing your face, that you use a light touch. Sugar can be abrasive if you rub too hard.

If you want to get fancy you can add a little bit of your favorite oil too. I recommend virgin coconut oil, almond oil or extra virgin olive oil. Again, add as much or as little as you want. I recommend a teaspoon per cup of scrub. Oils will boost the moisturising factor and, depending on which oil you choose, may leave behind a nice natural scent when you're done.

You can also try using brown sugar for an especially fragrant sweet treat!

FREE Sample of Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum

This offer has come and gone before and I didn't get in in time but today I did!!!! So, I thought I'd give a heads up to those who want to try today.

Copy and paste this into your browser -  Murad.com/marieclaire8 - to get this offer.

Cover Girl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation

Cover Girl Natureluxe, a.k.a. my Holy Grail of drugstore foundations. Seriously, I have nothing but good things to say about this foundation. I reach for it when I need an inexpesive sure thing.

Let's start with the boring stuff - the packaging. It's perfect, as far as I'm concerned. It's a thin, lightweight, plastic tube housing 1 fl liquid oz. It's super squeezable which means you can easily control how much product you squirt out. And when you get down to those final drops, you can just snip off the top with some scissors and dip your finger in there so you don't waste any product. It's also great for traveling, since it's not clunky. 

Now the formula? It's a dream. This is a thin, silky liquid.  It's lightweight (I can't even feel it on my face) and it makes my skin feel super smooth to the touch. It looks good pretty much all day - It's a light coverage to begin with so if does fade you hardly notice. I've tried applying it with brushes and sponges but honestly I get the best results just using my fingers, which I love because it makes things that much easier.

L to R - Alabaster 305 and Flax 310

This is definitely a light coverage foundation. So, if you need or want a heavier coverage, just look elsewhere. This product is for those who want a naturally flawless look. It doesn't cover moles, freckles or any of that. It does a beautiful job of evening skin tone and giving you an overall smooth, healthy look. This looks like skin, not foundation.

When this foundation first came about a couple years ago it had SPF 10, but it seems that CoverGirl has taken that out. I liked the little bit of SPF. I'll take protection from the sun wherever I can get it, so I'm a bit disappointed about that.

It does contain fragrance, which in general I'm not a fan of, but this happens to be a relatively nice fragrance, so I don't let it get in the way of my love for the product. The formula contains cucumber water and jojoba extract and they definitely play up the former. The cucumber scent is kind of strong, but it's a fresh one and not perfumey in any way.

This retails for $11-$12 depending on where you live. Not bad for such a nice foundation!

FREE Sample - Origins

Just thought I'd pass this offer along. Origins is giving away free samples of their Plantscriptions Youth Renewing Night Cream and Face Oil.

Offer Expires Oct 31 2013
Available in stores (Macy's, Dillards, BonTon and Belk. NOT available at Sephora)

No purchase necessary.
You can also get a mini facial for free, but you can turn that down and still get the sample.

Cover Girl's Invisible Concealer

Straight to the point.

I've got dark circles under my eyes. Bad ones. So I'm always on a quest for the perfect concealer. This quest has lead me to purchase more concealer than any one woman could use in a lifetime, in the hopes that I will one day find THE ONE. And so a few weeks ago, while perusing the make up aisle at target, I decided on a whim to pick up Cover Girls's Invisible Concealer.

... and yet again I was disappointed.

When I first dotted the concealer on, I felt upbeat. The light beige tone is perfect for those days when you want minimal and natural looking makeup without that "tah dah!" look that many brightening concealers give. (I love brightening concealers but sometime they're just too much) Then I started blending those dots out and in doing so ended my upbeat mood.

Fair - 115

When applying concealer I like to dab my finger back and forth around my under eye area. Sweeping or rubbing it in usually just pushes the product around. But as I dabbed, it started looking really cakey, and it kept getting worse! So I had to start sweeping. This definitely helped eliminate the cakey look or the finish, but it totally sheered the concealer out to a light, at best, coverage, and light coverage just won't cut if for my dark circles. Also, the thick formula really tugged at that delicate under eye skin. Cover Girl says that this is a light cream formula, but it was a little to too thick for my liking, especially for under the eye.


So, I tried it on a red spot left over from a nasty pimple a couple weeks ago and got similar results. It was quite cakey at first and was difficult to blend out to a seamless look without completely sheering it out and if it's sheer, it's not concealing.

I tend to really like liquid and cream concealers so I had high hopes for this one. The packaging looks nice, the doe foot applicator is ideal and the price is right. Unfortunately the formula just doesn't work for me. I won't be throwing it out or anything. It's usable, if I work with it (and I'm planing on wearing my glasses for the day) but it's certainly not the end all be all of concealers I'm looking for.

For now I'm still liking ELF's concealer end of the Studio conceaing and highlighter duo.  So, I'll be sticking with it while I continue my quest.


More concealer reviews
Elf's Professional Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter
Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer


 

Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Anti-Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Serum Review

I had been in the market for something with retinol in it for a while. It's an ingredient that's hyped heavily, but it's actually got some science behind it. Anyway, I decided on Neutrogena's Ageless Intensives Anti-Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Serum (Whew! what a name!) While I don't have any deep wrinkles I do have fine lines and this product claims to "reduced appearance of wrinkles such as crows feet, under eye and laugh lines." Did it deliver? Read on :)


This product comes in a sturdy container with a pump (that actually works), contains 1 fl oz and retails for about $19. The directions say to apply one drop, once a day,  onto finger tips and massage it into the skin. I use more than that though, to thoroughly cover my entire face. I usually use a full pump. This thick yellow serum has a slippery consistency and takes a while to absorb so I only use it before bed. It has an odd smell too. I can't quite describe it. It's not horrible, but a bit medicinal.

I didn't keep track of exactly how long I had been using it before I saw results, but I did and still do see results. My skin looks more even, bright and just overall healthier. The fine crows feet I had just begun to notice seem to have disappeared as well, which seems way too good to be true even though I'm seeing it with my own eyes. I don't apply it under my eyes, since that area is so delicate, but I do put some on the sides of my eyes, where those crows feet appear.

If you have really sensitive skin it suggests (as all retinol products do) that you only use it once every other day for a week or two to build up your skins tolerance level to it, then start using it daily. I felt some tingly stuff going on the first few times I used it, but never had any redness or irritation from it.

I've been really impressed with the results from this product. So many anti-aging products don't even come close to living up to their claims, but this one really delivers.

I recommend this product to just about anyone, because who doesn't want better looking skin?

The gradient lip. Yea or Nay?

The gradient lip is another beauty trend from Korea that will likely (according to some) be catching on in the western world soon enough. Or maybe it's already hit your town. I haven't actually seen it worn by anyone in the real world. I have read plenty of hype about it online though.

You can achieve the look in a few different ways. You can apply any shade of lip color that's darker than your natural shade to the innermost area of your lips and lightly blend out. You can use two different shades of lip product, with the lighter shade on the outside blending into the darker near the opening of the mouth. You can even go for a more extreme effect and use concealer around the borders of the lips and apply a cherry-esque shade in the inner middle. And you aren't limited to the type of lip product either. Lipsticks, tinted balms, glosses, stains ... anything that provides color will work.

The result is that of a mouth that's just sucked on a red lollipop. It also gives a fairly youthful, almost childlike appearance. That second part is why I'm not quite sold on this "trend."  Certain applications can provide a nice natural look but many examples I'm seeing online skew a little too close to "child seductress" for my liking. 

Please follow and leave a comment with your thoughts :)

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Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick Review and Swatches

I usually don't go for stick foundations. The whole stick factor makes it hard for me to believe that they will be even the slightest bit blendable. But there's something about Maybelline's Fit Me line that keeps pulling me in, so when they came out with the Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick I had to check it out.


L to R - 120 Porcelain, 220 Natural Beige, 355 Coconut



There are 12 shades in this line and they come is chubby twisty tubes with 0.32 oz of product.  The "powder core" is supposed to eliminate shine and is surrounded by a gel foundation. This makes for fairly unique results.
Now when I hear something is meant to eliminate shine I immediately worry that it will be really drying and accentuate any flakiness, so I was pleasantly surprised at how creamy and blendable the foundation is. Having said that, right after application it looks more like a powder. So it basically provides the best of both worlds.

This is a sheer coverage foundation that is somewhat buildable up to light-meduim, but I try to avoid building foundation, as it usually results in a more cakey look. So if you've got scars, pimples and whatnots that you want to hide you will need to use a concealer. It does even out skin quite nicely and covered the slight redness on and around my nose.

This goes on soft and matte and it blurred some fine lines on my forehead and a few pores as well! That's a huge plus in any foundation. My face just looked .... perfected.  This formula is creamy enough to not catch on patches of dry skin, but powdery enough to keep things from slipping off. If you've got really oily skin you will probably need to finish off with a setting powder though.

Wear time for me, without any additional products to set it,  was about 5 hours. At that point it had begun to fade a bit and slip. The simple packaging makes it eady to throw into your purse and the super blendability makes it super easy to touch-up throughout the day.

I remcommend this to anyone who loves a light-medium foundation that provides a naturally perfect skin look.

Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream

Like everyone I know I love Burt's Bees lip balms. I always have one within reach. I've even turned
my boyfriend on to the original, minty one! But Burt's got a lot of other great products as well and this is one of them.

The Sensitive Daily Moisturising Cream is a lightweight, thin moisturiser that hydrates the skin like crazy, without greasiness! The first time I used it, I thought it felt like I was just rubbing water into my skin, but after a few seconds of lightly massaging it in, it suddenly absorbed and my skin felt firm with moisture. I know that sounds weird but it's the only way I can think of to describe it at the moment. It was like my skin just sucked it all up and felt really happy about it! The texture of my skin felt smoother as well.

My favorite thing about it is that it is really lightweight but still does its job, which makes it perfect for Summer. I have a really hard time finding the right moisturizer for the humid Summers here, since some days are so hot and humid that the thought of slathering anything on my face just seems icky. But we all know that we must moisturize! and now I can without worrying about how my makeup will apply on top of it.

It apparently contains cotton extract. Is cotton good for your skin? Burt says it is. All I know is that the products in this line have a distinctly cottonesque scent. It doesn't last after application though.
Also, it should be noted, considering the name of the product, I have experience no irritation, redness or breakouts while using this product. Oh, and it comes with a pump that is really easy to control, which is great.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a hydrating yet lightweight moisturizer.

There's a whole line of Sensitive products including this Daily Moisturizing Cream, Facial Cleanser, Eye Cream, Night Cream and Cleansing Towelettes.

Giovanni Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub

I got the Giovanni Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub for Christmas last year and promtly fell in love.
It comes in a pretty good sized (9oz) frosted plastic tub.

It smells like real, rich hot chocolate and it actually warms up your skin on contact! Perfect for those cold winter days.
The sugar isn't ground so finely that it dissolves before you are able to exfoliate anything, but the granules are smooth enough that it's not too rough on the skin. It buffs and smooths the skin without irritating it and it leaves your skin with a hint of that chocolatey scent :)
The formula has stayed thick and sugary every since I opened it. A lot of scrubs I've tried end up getting watery and before I know it all the sugar granules are gone! But not this one.

Overall I absolutely LOVE this. I have no complaints at all and it's a great gift!


I think I'll be trying their Cool Mint Lemonade Salt Scrub once Summer roles around again.