Liplicious Lip Gloss "Blush Glass"

I got this from Bath and Body Works when they were having a buy 2 get 1 free sale a few weeks ago. It said it was a stain and I was intrigued. The girl at the counter warned me to use less than I thought I would need because in her words "it turns neon pink". Eek.

 

So I got home, tried it and was kind of less than impressed. It's a very "wet" lipgloss. It just kind of sat on top of my lips...not very pleasant. It also has a very sweet fake berry scent and taste. It reminded me of how the Strawberry Shortcake dolls smelled when I was little. Fake plastic berry.

It does change color, but definitely not to "neon pink". It kind of warms up from a sheer pink to a solid medium pink and stains for a while. It does come off after about an hour, so not really a long term stain effect. But, fun all the same.

gloss when first applied

after about 3 minutes

gloss wiped off, stain remaining

Overall, you get what you pay for. I would't repurchase because I don't like the smell or the feel of this product personally. But, I do think that the color change and staining effect are pretty fun.

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve

Rose Salve. Sounds great, right? I was so disappointed to not love this.

I am a big fan of rose scented things, so long as it's realistic rose and not grandma rose. The packaging on this is adorable, so vintage looking and cute. It was only$5.99 at BBW so I grabbed it with a few lip glosses.

When I opened it it looked so pretty, a rosey tinted salve perfect for lips, elbows, cuticles. However, as soon as I touched it...blech. It's this sickly sweet scented pink vaseline like goo. It feels far too "oily" to be moisturizing. I've tried it a few times on my cuticles and it literally does nothing. It just makes my fingers greasy and doesn't soak in. It just rubs off on anything your fingers go near.

I think the idea behind this is great and if they worked on the scent and the formula a little more they could have something awesome. But this is just a fail for me as it is right now.

I think I'll stick to my Burts Bee's cuticle cream.

September Favorites

With little man starting first grade and my schedule at work changing to accomodate afternoon pick-ups, it was a crazy month. I did have a few things I used a lot of this month as we fell back into the school routine.

Happy October!

1. NYM Beach Babe sea salt texturizing spray. I've already done a full review of it here. Suffice it to say, a month of early mornings and my general laziness about my hair resulted in a complete codependency and obsession with this spray. It spent half of the month in my purse, that's how much I love it.



photo courtesy of amazon.com



2. Bath and Body Works "Twilight Woods" body spray. I've kind of been on a "use what you have before you buy more" kick with regards to perfumes and such lately. This was one I used a ton last fall and started using again last months. To me, it's just such an autumny scent. Deep without being heavy and one of the more "grown up" scents at BBW.

photo courtesy of bathandbodyworks.com

3. Revlon ColorStay foundation. We fell in love hard and fast and I haven't been using much else since. I find that this just wears so amazingly on my skin and gives me the full coverage I love without being cakey. I apply it with a stippling brush because it dries super fast. AMAZING drugstore foundation.

photo courtesy of revlon.com

4. Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Blackberry. Such a pretty eyeliner. It's got the long wearing quality of the ColorStay line in a much more wearable and appropriate for fall burgundy/berry color. It can look slightly purpley depending on how you wear it, but it's DARK and a great alternative to black. I usually layer Lancome eyeshadow in Click (an all time favorite!) over it for a total blackened berry eyeliner look. Super pretty!



photo courtesy of revlon.com

5. NYM Way to Grow Shampoo and Conditioner. Again, I've done a full review of these here. If the amazing scent doesn't get you, the condition it leaves your hair in will. I don't think I've ever used something from a drugstore that leaves my hair feeling so happy and strong, without feeling weighed down. Definitely a holy grail set here.

photo courtesy of amazon.com

-Erika



Favorite Self Tanners

I've said it before...I'm a sun worshipper. However, I do realize it's awful for my skin and have been really trying to knock it off at least where my face is concerned. I love to be tan in the summer time. We are outside a lot and live in the country and so a little color is inevitable even with SPF. But I always keep a good sunless tanner on hand for a little extra color if I need it.

Over the years, I've tried several different brands and formulations, here are a few of my all time favorites that I always keep on hand.

1. Jergens Natural Glow Face. Because sometimes my skin can be cranky, I've never felt comfortable using a sunless tanner lotion on my face. I've also been wary of the dreaded orange around my hairline and eyebrows. I've had nothing but awesome results with this product. It's subtle but effective and blends easily. It's never broken me out. I always keep a bottle of this around now.

2. Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Self Tanner. I actually bought this on accident. I thought I was getting the Jergens Natural Glow Spray. I was hesitant to use a foam as it just seems less dependable and harder to apply evenly. Suprisingly, this is my new favorite. It dries SO FAST and there is little to no "sunless tanner odor". It's a very mousse like consistency, pump out about 1/4 less than you think you'll need, a little goes a long way. It's a little slower to build the color, I'd say it takes about a week to get the full deep tan color but this lasts really long and is never streaky or orange. I was pleasantly surprised by this product!

3. The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Every Day Summer Body Lotion. This smells SO good! It is super moisturizing, easy to use and SLOWLY builds a nice color. Because it's so subtle you can use this every day as your daily moisturizer and also get a little color in the process. I really enjoy this product.

4. True Blue Spa Solar Power All Angle Professional Airbrush Tan. I got this at Bath and Body Works. THIS STUFF WORKS. Dries quickly, the nozzle will spray in any direction making hard to reach areas like the backs of your legs or your back very easy to reach. Applies super evenly and makes a gorgeous bronzey golden tan. This also gets you color quickly. I'd say you notice a difference after only one use. GREAT product.

5. Loreal Sublime Bronze Any Angle Self-Tanning Spray. If you can't get your hands on the True Blue spray, this is almost an exact drugstore dupe. A little different scents to them, but the results are almost identical. This also sprays in any angle and dries quickly.

Worth noting, I always buy sunless tanners in the "Medium to Dark" category. I find that the lighter versions turn an unpleasant orangey color while the Medium to Dark versions give a more realistic tan color.