by Alyssa on May 16, 2012
Transitioning from winter to summer can leave you skin looking lackluster and dull. That is not going to fly in the summer time, when you should be looking like a bright, glowing goddess! If you’re looking for a way to brighten your complexion and slough off those dead skin cells then you’re going to need to purchase St. Ives Scrub Free Exfoliating Pads.
The pads have no scrubbies on them at all, they’re a soft, almost felt like material and the smell phenomenal. My skin has become very acne prone as of late so I have to be extra careful which products I use to avoid looking like a pre-pubescent teenager the next day. These pads are perfect for my skin. I use them twice a day – morning and night – and my skin is glowing! It absorbs super quick and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry at all. They’re amazing!!!
These first to mass-market non-abrasive exfoliating pads contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) to reveal a smoother, fresh-looking complexion. They’re already pre-moistened so no water is necessary.
Each tub holds 60 pads and retails for $5 at drugstore nationwide. Get yours here!
by Alyssa on May 15, 2012
- Senna – Medallion and Cloud 9 shadow trios
Like these? Love these? Want to win these?
Senna Cosmetics is giving away 20 of these goreous eyeshadow trios right now! Their Mineral Eyes Shadow Trios are ultra-soft, easy to blend, highly pigmented, and long lasting.
Head over to Beauty Undercover to enter for your chance to win!!
by Alyssa on May 14, 2012
UGH! This was so frustrating for me! I have seen pins and other bloggers than have been able to do the sponge ombre mani perfectly! Even after watching a few tutorials I thought, “how hard can it be?!”. Well, it’s really hard. And very messy.
I first attempted a with a white base and a dark brown/grey ombre fading to almost a silvery color. This was the biggest fail ever, it just look like I had been digging in dirt and that my nails were filthy. So bad. Then the next day, I tried again with some more aesthetically appealing colors – purple and lavender. I started with a lavender base and used a dark purple then faded to the lavender. I used a make-up sponge that I soaked in water for a little while and wrung out completely. I heard that this would help the polish from soaking up too quickly. I used 3 different shades of purple: OPI Lincoln Park At Midnight, Zoya Tru and Zoya Lotus. I used Sinful Colors Beverly Hills as the base color. Here are my results….
1st attempt - no glitter
I still kind of hate it. It wasn’t smooth and you could see the sponge marks very easily. I even blotted quite a few times on a piece of paper to blend, and also on the actual nail. Clearly, my efforts were fruitless. Since it was so dotty looking I thought that maybe doing a topcoat of glitter would make it look a little more uniform.
I was so wrong.
Because I’m not a quitter, I’m going to do this again and again until I get it right!!!!
Have you guys ever attempted the ombre sponge? Did you have the same issue as me?!
by Alyssa on May 10, 2012
I have a soft spot in my heart for anything that hails from New England. Including this soap.
Vermont Soap sent me their Certified Organic Tea Tree Mint Foaming Soap. And now I’m hooked. It’s a rich lather and it smells AMAZING. I love anything mint scented when it comes to beauty products, shampoo, lip gloss, lotion and soap. Love it all. And to make this soap even better, it is also completely natural and free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives, and animal by-products.
While killing germs, a lot of soaps can leave your hand super dry and craving moisturizer right after you wash. But not this soap! It’s not harsh at all so you don’t need to slap on your hand cream right after – you can enjoy the mint scent and your soft hands!
New Tea Tree Foaming Hand Soap is made from renewable vegetable and botanical sources: saponified organic coconut, olive and jojoba oils, glycerin, natural mint tea tree essential oil blend with lavender oil, organic aloe vera and organic rosemary extract. It has a refreshing scent, a remarkably soft vegetable oil soap feel and is extraordinarily mild and hypoallergenic.
For the 7-ounce bottle, it retails at $7.78, the 16-ounce refill for $9.89, and the 1-gallon refill for $39.98. I’ll tell you what, I will be keeping this pump and refilling it over and over again.
Mint Mani
Don’t mind the cuticle oil sheen!
As usual, I chose to make my accent nail a little sassy with some glitter. The base is Essie Mint Candy Apple, courtesy of Miss Jaime who let me borrow it. The glitter is Zoya Fleck Glaze in Maisie and Opal and also NYC White Lights Glitter. I am now completely in love with this color and have it not only on my hands, but on my toes, too. This color has been such a staple this Spring, and to be honest, I don’t see it dissipating into the summer. I’m pretty sure it’s here to stay!
