Bath and Body Works Foam Burst

I have used Bath and Body Works off and on throughout the years. I tend to veer towards Philosophy 3 in 1's but after seeing this at my local B&BW outlet for $4 I decided to try it. Being a citrusy scent lover I chose the Mango Mandarin scent.

Mango Mandarin certainly lives up to its name. It smells absolutely wonderful with its delicious mango notes and burst of citrus. It is summer in a can.

The formula is rich and creamy and the dispensing of the product is as if you are using a can of shaving gel. You want to press the button quickly to avoid dispensing too much. A little goes a long way. The gel foams up to a luscious mountain of rich and creamy foam. It is moisturizing and leaves your skin feeling soft and silky. I also appreciate that the scent does not linger too much after you hop out of the shower so it won't interfere with your fragrance.

I highly recommend purchasing this product. For a few bucks you can't go wrong and if you don't like it B&BW will refund your money. So really what do you have to lose?

Urban Decay's Pocket Rocket

When I first heard about these new Urban Decay glosses I was shocked and put off by the lurid display on the gloss wand. But being the cosmetic junkie I am I couldn't resist swatching them on one of my many visits to Ulta. Urban Decay describes Timothy as a "creamy coral with a pink glow". After swatching I immediately loved the color and consistantcy. I could just imagine my husband's face when he saw my shameful purchase "But honey its just makeup" I would respond. I bit the bullet, hung my head in shame and decided to take Timothy home.

The gloss feels so creamy and smooth on my lips. Pocket Rocket is definitely not as sticky as your typical gloss and it lasts longer than most glosses I have tried. Urban Decay claims you can rub the tube and release pheromones. The things cosmetic companies come up with. The smell/flavor is described by Urban Decay as a creme brule scent. Personally I don't think it smells anything like creme brule. I wish they had flavored and scented the gloss with something more simple. I don't care for the strong odor but after wearing it for a while I don't notice it anymore.

As far as Timothy goes the color has enough pigmentation to wear alone. I find Timothy to be a perfect corally red with a bit of pink to tone it down. The perfect summer color. I did give Timothy some modesty once I brought him home though via a good wrapping of masking tape.

Sonia Kashuk Gel Liner

Today while shopping at Target I came across Sonia Kashuk's new gel liners. She had one in Indigo, one in Black and another in Cocoa. Not one for blue or black liner I chose Cocoa. I had tried a MAC fluid line not so long ago and wasn't as taken with it as everyone else seems to be. To me it seems to be more work then simply dragging a pencil across my eyes. I decided to give gel liners another go after seeing the low $8.99 price tag. When I got home I gave it a whirl using my Bare Escentuals thin liner brush and loved the way it just seemed to glide on. The liner is highly pigmented and goes on smooth and creamy. It was also smudgeable for a bit after application which I prefer because I don't really care for sharp lines. I am pretty impressed so far. It is comparable to MAC's fluid lines although the color range of Sonia Kashuk's liners are more limited. For those of you who are budget concious (who isn't nowdays?) this would be a good buy. Now the real test will be wearing this in the hot and humid Louisiana climate...I will update later on how that goes.

Bare Escentuals Foundation

I first discovered Bare Escentuals when watching an infomercial late one night several years ago. Suffering from blotchy rosacea ridden skin I was skeptical. How could essentially a "powder" even out my imperfect complexion? Being the total sucker I am for beauty products I bit and bought the kit. Anxiously I ripped open my package as soon as it arrived and went on to "swirl, tap and buff" myself to complexion perfection. I was mesmerized. The stuff really lived up to the infomerical hype. I was hooked. Seven years later here I am still hooked. I won't lie and say I have been dedicated and faithful all these years. I have jumped on the bandwagon of liquid, cream, powder and other mineral foundation sporadically through the years. But I always return to my "old faithful".


The secret of having perfection when using mineral foundation is good skincare. You have to exfoiliate pure and simple. Dry patches are just going to show when you use mineral foundation so a good exfoilator, moisturizer and optional primer are just the steps needed to get gorgeous skin when using mineral makeup. Another trick is to make sure you buff long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. You want to work the foundation in your skin and allow the warmth of your skin to meld the minerals into your skin. A little minerals goes a long way. You can build coverage as needed but start small. Using too much, too soon will result in a caked up mess and that ain't pretty.



You can score a sample from your local Sephora, Ulta or Bare Escentuals Boutique. Be sure to be color matched so you get the best look possible. Bare Escentuals Foundation is very forgiving but you don't want to be 2 shades darker or lighter. The large 9g jar is $25.00 and with proper use and application will last a very long time!

Six AMAZING Drugstore Steals!

Not every beauty purchase has to drain your wallets of your precious dough. Here is a list of tried and true products that are holy grail worthy!

1. Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets - At a meer $4 bucks you can scoop these sheets into your basket and not think twice. They absorb the gunky oil that accumulates on your face without removing your makeup or caking more makeup on your face.

2. Nivea Creme - The Mexican or German versions of this cult classic is note worthy. This creme can be used all over your body. Some even swear it gives the same glowing complexion of Creme de la Mer. I can't support the complexion claims but my feet LOVE this stuff!

3. Nivea A Kiss of Rejuvenation Q10 Lip Care with SPF 4 - I am a total lip balm junkie and have been since I was in my early teens. I have always had problems with dry, chapped lips but not anymore. Since discovering this product a couple months ago my lips have been kissably soft. This is a product I hope they never discontinue.

4. Revlon Colorstay Lipliner in Nude - This has been a staple for me since I was a teenager and the "nude" look was the "new thing". This stuff lasts all day and applies creamy and blends well for the first 30 seconds after application. This color is flattering for all skintones and is buildable. After trying countless other nude and natural liners I always go back to this one.

5. Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure Detoxifying Wet Cleansing Towelettes - These oil free towelettes make removing makeup a dream. They have a pleasent green tea scent and leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.

6. St. Ives Apricot Scrub - I have used this product for years. I don't use it on my face however. I love using this on my body. It leaves my body super smooth and soft. I miss the huge vat that was sold way back when.

Nivea Creme...a classic at its best!

After scoring a sample of the cult classic Creme de la Mer I decided to do some research to see if there was another similar product out there at a more budget concious price. That is when I heard of Nivea Creme having the same ingredients. I thought to myself "no way" but I decided to spend a few bucks and buy a small vat of it. Not being brave enough to risk my already tempermental complexion I decided to use this on my feet first. Let me tell you when I say my feet are horrendous they are horrendous. I have the absolutely worst calloused heels imaginable. So much so when I go get a pedicure the pedicurist wants to run and hide. So after purchasing this cream I dug right in and slathered my poor feet with it. Immediately I noticed it soaking in to the parched skin of my feet. It felt pretty dang good. After religously using this creme every single night after my shower a week later my feet was markedly improved. Now a few months later I can honestly say I could be a spokesperson for this wonderous creme. My feet are no longer think and calloused. They no longer crack and bleed. I have nice feet now. This stuff is my little miracle. There are two versions of this creme. The mexican made version and the german version. Having tried both I do prefer the feel of the german made better. You can purchase a large 400ml tin for $15.50 from smallflower.com. I still have yet to use it on my face for fear of becoming a pepperoni face but maybe one day I will get up the nerve to try it.

Lavanila...not your typical Vanilla

I just had to write about how much I LOVE Lavanila! My favorite in the line is Pure Vanilla and Vanilla Grapefruit. They also make Vanilla Spice, Vanilla Coconut, Vanilla Blossom and their newest creation Vanilla Lavender. The company makes several products using all the different scents. You can choose from body wash, lip butter, lip shine, body butter fragrance and even a candle.

The company markets their products as being "healthy". By using all natural and organic ingrediants you can be rest assured that the product you are using is quality. The products are chocked full of rich antioxidants and essential oils.

Pure Vanilla is by far my favorite of the bunch. It is not your average "teeny bopper" drugstore vanilla that makes you smell like a bakery. This fragrance embodies notes of freesia, patchouli, heliotrope and Madagascar vanilla. It is a very elegant fragrance and much more complex than a simple vanilla fragrance. I would highly recommend trying this one out if you love vanilla!

My next favorite in the line is Vanilla Grapefruit. This has the same soothing vanilla notes but contains a zesty punch of citrus. It is classic summer in a bottle. Notes within the fragrance are grapefruit, bergamot, lime, patchouli, heliotrope and Madagascar vanilla. Again this is not your average run of the mill vanilla fragrance.

These fragrances are available at sephora.com and lavanila.com. The fragrances will set you back $56 bucks but are well worth it.

I haven't tried any of Lavanila's other products to date except yesterday while at Sephora I decided to purchase the Pure Vanilla Deodorant. The fragrance smells divine I do have to say. The fragrance makes me want to smell my pits all day...well not really. But it does have that same gloriously rich scent that I love! I have to admit though 20 hours later I am smelling a little muskier than I would like to be. For $18 I expected to be smelling freshly sweet all night and day. I may have to send this one back and return to my staple...handy dandy and simple $3 Dove deodorant.