Bzz Agent Review - Curel Intensive Healing Cream

As a BzzAgent I received this product free of charge for review



Cold, dry weather is setting in and that means it's time to pull out the heavy duty creams to help combat or maybe even prevent! the dry, itchy, irritated winter skin. That's Curel's cue!


This stuff means business,  I can tell you. The formula is thick and creamy, it absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn't feel greasy. And there is no fragrance! Thank goodness! I noticed an immediate improvement in the look and feel of my skin. It takes the itchiness out right away. Winter itch drives me crazy and I definitely think if I use this consistently I'll be able to prevent it all together.

Here are the ingredients:
Water, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Microcrystalline Wax, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Paraffin, Dimethicone, Cetyl PG Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Myristate, Magnesium Sulfate, Glyceryl Oleate, Ethoxydiglycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, Butylene Glycol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Propylparaben

Nothing too scary, nothing mind blowing. If you don't like using petroleum products (quite frankly I'm not a huge fan but I sometimes use them anyway) then you won't be wanting to buy this cream.

Overall I'm pleased with this product. I recommend it to anyone who wants to heal or just avoid super dry skin this Winter. I've been using this for a weeks and it has helped to keep my skin looking and feeling moisturized and well taken care of. At one point my hands were looking pretty ragged after some last minute gardening and DIY home projects and I was really glad to have this around. It's done a great job at moisturizing my dry and cracked cuticles as well. 

Revlon Lacquer and Matte Balms Review

Revlon recently added Colorburst Lacquers and Balms to their chubby lip pencil offerings. They look almost identical to the Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stains, but their performance is definitely different.

First, I should say that I could not find these anywhere! I paid a friend to mail me some. Yeah. That's how curious I was. I was really pleased with the Kissable Lip Stain formulas and excited that I might find a super shiny version in the Lacquers. I'm not really into matte lip colors, but I got one of those too for the sake of comparison.

They both smell identical to the Kissable Stains. Minty, with a hint of plastic. Pleasant enough. Both the Lacquer and the Matte feel smooth on the lip as they are applied but the pigmentation of the Matte, shade Mischievous, was uneven and patchy. I used my finger to smooth it out and that took some effort. Even then, it majorly accentuated the slightly dry patches I currently have. It's a lovely light peachy shade, so I hate that I don't think I will be able to wear it. It doesn't feel dry on the lips but unfortunately it make my lips look pretty bad.

I had better luck with the Lacquer Balm, but it's still not a home run for me. With a name like Lacquer I was hoping for and expecting something with high shine. This has a nice sheen, but nothing spectacular. The finish isn't much different from the Kissable Lip Stain. It glides on the lips, and feels a bit more silky than the Matte and it doesn't catch on any dryness.

Wear time on these is about 3 hours, if you don't eat anything.  Oh, and though the packaging is virtually identical, these are NOT stains.

Overall, I'm indifferent to these balms. There's hardly enough of a difference in these, from the Kissable Stains, to warrant a new launch. Those who prefer a matte lip will probably be really pleased with the addition. I wasn't impressed enough with them to rush out and purchase any more. Although, from what I'm seeing online, there are a few more lacquer shades that look fairly nice, so I might be eating my word in a few weeks.

.... If they ever show up here, that is.

I need the JuveRest Pillow!

Okay, so once I got passed the fact that it looks like some sort of New Age torture device, I have decided that I need this pillow.

I've known for a while that at least some of my fine lines are caused from shoving my face into my pillow. That's my favorite position, what can I say? I've tried adjusting my sleeping position and it just doesn't work.  So, I can only assume that these lines will keep getting deeper, until they become full on wrinkles!

This pillow looks like serious business though. Like it won't take "no" for an answer. Like it will FORCE you to sleep in the perfect Sleeping Beauty Pose.
It also looks like you might wake up with a huge crick in the neck! But, hey. I'd try it.

...probably not for $180 though.

**This has been a totally random rambling session**

Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream

BB Creams have got to be the most over-hyped beauty products of this decade. Honestly, I'm sick of hearing about them.

....But I'm going to review one anyway :)

I picked up a sample of Jane Iredale's Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream at a spa recently. I didn't want to like it.

While this isn't quite full coverage, it does give a solid medium coverage. Considering most BB Creams on the American market are watered down tinted moisturizers that's saying something! You could probably build it to full coverage but I wouldn't recommend it, since it would likely leave your skin feeling quite heavy.

The formula is thick with an almost gel-like consistency and has a light, sweet, fresh scent. Like orange jello. Yum! It's dense and very pigmented so a little bit goes a long way. Apply it sparingly to begin with to avoid a cakey look. You can easily sheer it out some by mixing it with a moisturizer.

This BB Cream dries to a satin finish which only improves throughout the day. Seriously. Every time I looked in the mirror my skin looked better. I didn't want to wash this stuff off! It does a decent job of blurring my pores. It doesn't make them disappear or anything but it definitely makes them less noticeable. My skin looked healthier and I suppose a little glowy. (there is no shimmer)  I think this will be best for me in the summer, when my skin isn't screaming out for hydration! Glow Time isn't drying, but I don't think it's going to be moisturizing enough for me in the dead of Winter. We'll see.

I got shade BB3, which is the second lightest shade (They only have odd numbers)

Shade BB 3

BB3 was a little too light for my skin tone, which suprises me because I'm pretty light.

Other notable facts: It's got water resistant spf 25 AND it's vegan/cruelty free! That alone makes me a fan.

*Sigh* I really like this BB Cream. But at $48 I'm going to have to wait a while if I'm going to purchase it. Maybe I'll pay for it with my Christmas bonus. lol Christmas bonus! FAT CHANCE of getting one!

Glam Natural Cream Blush Review and Swatch

It's hard for me to get excited about blush. Really hard. So, I'm honestly not sure why I was interested in Glam Natural's Cream Blush, but I was and now .... well, I'm kind of excited. Kind of.

Let's start with the formula. It's called a cream but if I had to pick a word to describe this blush it would be gel. This is fantastically emollient, making it easy as pie to blend out and it gives those cheeks a fresh dewy finish. If you've got dull dry skin, this will do wonders for you! However if your skin is oily, this might turn into a big mess. It felt a big heavy on my skin at first, but after giving it time to soak in a bit that heaviness went away.

Shade Ashley, Ashley

I got this in the shade Ashley, Ashley and when I first swatched it on my hand I had a moment of "Oh, no! This is not going to be pretty" It looked way too Bleach Blonde Barbie for my taste. Luckily though, there was nothing artificial about my finished look. This cream/gel/whatever gave my cheeks a lovely, naturally youthful glow, with no shimmers! Yay!

I highly recommend this blush for anyone looking for a natural, dewy finish, especially those with dry skin.

NP Set Concealer Review and Swatches

This liquid concealer looks like a Sharpie marker from the outside a bit cheap looking for a $22 dollar product, if you ask me. Inside, the product is revealed in little dots on a fuzzy applicator by twisting the bottom. The formula is thin and smells like paint, but the scent goes away after application. It felt creamier than I expected from a liquid concealer and is easy to blend out.

(L to R) Look 1, 2 and 3

There are only three shades to choose from, but those with light to medium skin tones should be able to find a good match. Darker skin tones are out of luck.

These are light coverage concealers and unfortunately I need more coverage to conceal my dark circles. It also began to crease within 30 minutes of wear time. For these reasons I can't recommend this to anyone needing real coverage under their eyes or for anyone with any fine lines whatsoever. If you only have slight discoloration that needs concealing and if you're quite young (no fine lines!) then this might work well for you.

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Paul Mitchell's Extra Body Daily Boost Review

My hair tends to be a bit limp, especially up at the roots, so I'm always willing to try anything that will help give me some lift and volume. Paul Mitchell's Extra Body Daily Boost does just that.

This is a light weight root spray that also provides some protection again damage caused by heat styling - Which is a good thing, because to get the best results, you'll need to use a blow drier.

What I love about this product is that it gives a natural looking boost to the roots. You won't look like you just stepped out of an 80's rock music video, with super high and crunchy hair! The effect is a soft lift and it makes your hair smell great! And the best part about it is, it's not sticky or stiff.  I don't feel it in my hair at all.

For the best results, I towel try my hair, then spray 3-5 pumps into my roots (the sprayer on the bottle makes it really easy to access the roots) then I lightly massage it around my roots to help spread it out, flip my head over and blow dry. Be carefull not to apply too much or you will definitely be able to feel the product in your hair. If you have thinner hair you will probably only need 2-3 pumps.

I recommend this to anyone who has limp, lifeless hair and wants an easy fix.

Garnier Fructis Surf Hair Texture Paste Review

I'm always looking for easy ways to style my hair. Something you can just put in your hair and go, for those hectic days when you just don't have the time. I love that easy, textured, beachy look that doesn't seem to be going out of style any time soon, so on a whim I picked up a tub of Garnier Fructis' Surf Hair Texture Paste. It was less than 5 bucks for a decent amount of product at Walmart, so I figured I had little to lose.

Turns out I did lose that $5, as this was  big dud for me.
This Texture Paste is thick and creamy, but it's also really sticky. My hair was all but glued to my palms as I applied it, making it difficult to style. It did add texture to my hair, but it also really weighed it down after about 15 minutes. It looked great at first - even more volumious than I expected and I was willing to forgive the sticky formula, but then everything went flat. It also made my hair feel a bit crunchy which is something I really try to avoid.

It has that familiar Garnier frangrance, but it seemed much stronger than most of their products. My fiance even noticed it and said it smell strongly of chemicals. Ouch!

Those with short hair might have better luck with this product, if the smell and stickiness doesn't bother you,  but I can't recommend it to anyone with medium to long hair. It will leave your hair looking dull, flat and unmanagable.

Giovanni Shine of the Times Finishing Hair Mist

I'm a natural medium -blonde,  and while I love my hair, it lacks that shine and luster that darker hair colors achieve. So I picked up some of Giovanni's Shine of the Times Finishing Hair Mist to see if I could get that glossy look that I secretly envy.

Shine of the Times is a silicone misting spray, several certified organic ingredients including rosemary leaf extract, soyben protein, wild beramot extract, poppy and rose hip extract. This product claims to give hair a smooth and shiny finish. The directions say to apply it to your hair, by walking underneath a veil of mist, after you have finished styling. I like that you can apply it as sort of an afterthought, when you're just about ready to walk out the door. There's not much skill involved here.

My hair was instantly shiny after application. It wasn't just-stepped-off-the-pages-of-a-magazine-shiny, but I definitely noticed a difference. It also brought out the golden tones in my hair which was an awesome and unexpected bonus! The shine factor did wear off after a few hours, but you can reapply as needed, although the bottle isn't exactly convenient to throw in your purse.

There is a very strong fragrance when I first apply this, which I could personally do without, but it begins to dissipate fairly quickly, so it doesn't put me off the product.

Overall I like this product. I picked mine up for about $8 and you get a full 4 fl oz, which should last quite a while.

Simply Vera Vera Wang Naturally Radiant Hydrating Makeup Review and Swatches

We all know Vera Wang for her beautiful wedding dresses, but it turns out her makeup line at Kohl's is pretty fab too! So, now we can grab some designer makeup when we hit up one of the never-ending Kohl's super sales.  I recently picked up a couple tubes of the Naturally Radiant Hydrating Makeup and I'm really excited by the results. Is it for you? Read on :)

Let's get right to it.
This is a liquid foundation, with a thick, yet luxurious and velvety consistency and  it blends out beautifully to a light-medium coverage. The formula is emollient which makes is perfect for drier skin and the finish is natural, fresh and really gives the skin a radiant glow.  There is some shimmer hidden within this foundation. I say "hidden" because the shimmer is super fine and I didn't even notice it until about halfway through the day when I was examining the foundation's performance in a different light. I'm usually hesitant to wear shimmery foundation but Vera has managed to incorporate it perfectly into this formula.  The wear time is 8 hours +.
I haven't noticed any weird fading.

This foundation is available in 10 shades. The first three, 101, 102 and 103 are very similar. This is awesome for those with lighter skin tones beacause it means you're pretty much guaranteed to find a perfect match. To test things out I wore 101 on one side of my face and 103 (I skipped shade 102) and I loved the way both looked! I'm thinking I'll either wear 101 in Winter and 103 in Summer. Or I'll just go get 102 and wear it all year.  Once you get into the darker shades, there are some gaps but nothing outrageous. I think most people will be able to find a shade that works for them.

(L to R) 101, 103, 105, 107

This is a great product for those dull-skin days, when you really need a boost of radiance. You'll love this if you want a moisturizing foundation with a natural finish. If you're totally against shimmer or you need a full coverage foundation this might not be for you.

It retails for $39.50 for a 1 oz tube of product. So, while I'll probably never have my very own Vera Wang wedding dress, I can indulge in some designer foundation every day :)