Biore Skin Preservation

Biore has created a line of skin care products for women from the "Inbetween Nation", those that don't need blemish control but aren't really ready for anti-aging. These are products that are meant to help you hydrate and prevent (hence, the SPF 30 in the daily moisturizer), but they don't contain drying acne treatments or expensive anti-aging ingredients.

I've been using this line for the last month or so and have been pretty happy, despite not exactly fitting into their "Inbetween Nation" definition (I do need some acne control and while I'm still wrinkle free, at 31 I probably should be using more anti-aging products). My skin has been well hydrated and other than a typical pre-monthly blemish, relatively clear. All of the products are ones that I would recommend to a friend, and if I wasn't in need of more anti-aging (and didn't have a huge pile of skin care sitting here waiting for me to test it), I would be pretty happy to keep using these products.

Clean Things Up Cleanser
I really loved this cleanser, for me it is the stand out product of the line. It is pretty gentle, a light green gel that creates a light lather, removes everything very easily, rinses off quickly and that I can even use to remove my eye makeup. I have no after wash tightness or irritation, and I'm pretty sure that this is a cleanser I will purchase again to use between product testings.

Even Smoother Scrub
This is one of those rare facial scrubs that I actually like. I have tested dozens in both my pre- and post-blog life, and very few actually live up to what I think a facial scrub should be. I want small, uniform and not-sharp grit. I want enough of it to feel like I'm doing something. I want it to be easy to rinse off and I don't want to feel like I have to re-wash my face afterwards. The majority of scrubs do not live up to these requirements, especially those from stores such as Target or Walgreen's.

This scrub is pretty good. It has small, even grit. It is easy to use. It rinses off well. I felt like it actually did help me to exfoliate. Add this to the very short list of scrubs that I will recommend.

See The Future Eye Cream
If you don't need a heavy eye cream, this will be a good choice for you. This is a basic hydrating eye cream that does absorb easily and quickly, creating a great base for all but the most stubborn of make up (case in point: the new MAC concealer I recently tested, which needed a more hydrating eye cream than this in order to blend well and last all day without creasing. This cream didn't work with the MAC, but was great with all of my other concealers).

Hard Day's Night Nightly Moisturizer
This is a bit of a heavier lotion than the Daily Moisturizer, though I did wish it was even more hydrating. It absorbs after about 60 seconds and feels pretty good on my skin. It isn't so heavy that I couldn't apply makeup over it if needed (though, it isn't really meant for that). Overall, it is a pretty basic hydrator.

Dual Fusion SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer
This is a bit of an interesting daily moisturizer since it comes in a pump that gives you a white lotion and a light green lotion at once. It reminds me of Aquafresh. There must be some ingredients that aren't quite stable when combined but are fine once on your face. This is a light lotion that does absorb very quickly and easily into my skin. It is just hydrating enough to my skin to prepare it well for makeup, but not so heavy that I become an oily mess by mid-morning. There's basically no scent to this product (another bonus), and I love that rather than the typical SPF 15 it has SPF 30.


Biore Skin Preservation

Does Sulfate Free Make a Difference? L'Oreal's New Ever Pure

There's been an increasing buzz about Sulfates and shampoos. Honestly, all I really know about the whole things is that Sulfates are some of the detergents and they are said to dry out your hair and strip the color faster (my stylist Shannon is doing some more research into this and will be educating me and helping me write a post. Pray we get our act together before I move across the country this summer). You should avoid them now. But, I haven't really seen a lot of products on the market that are Sulfate-Free. So, finding one from a big brand like L'Oreal (meaning, should be easy to find) is a huge bonus!

I honestly would not have ever known that there was something "different" about the Ever Pure Moisture shampoo/conditioner duo if such a big deal hadn't been made about how it was sulfate free. They are creamy and have a great rosemary-herbal scent that I loved in my morning shower. The shampoo has a great lather and cleaned my hair without over stripping it. The conditioner was very hydrating and definitely helped my hair which is prone to dryness.

Perhaps the best part of this duo was what they did for my hair. It was shiny and healthy looking, easy to style and insanely soft. The only downside is that I did seem to require a larger than normal amount of product to acheive these results (I filled the center of my palm rather than going with an amount the size of a silver dollar).

L'Oreal's Ever Pure

Lip Balm Obsession: Quench from Your Best Face

I've written about Your Best Face Skincare before, they're the company that makes anti-aging products with Spin Traps, those amazing anti-oxidants. Recently I got an envelope in the mail from them, and I have to say I've been obsessed with what I found inside ever since. Their new Quench Lip Balm!

This lip balm initially feels like most beeswax lip balms. But, once it melts a bit onto your lips it really starts to sink in and I have to say that it feels amazing on my lips, especially when they are parched! It contains peppermint oil, which imparts a bit of a cooling sensation that I've fallen in love with as well.

What is really unusual about this lip balm is that unlike most other lip balms on the market, it does contain anti-aging ingredients, most notably those spin traps the company is known for. Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Blueberry Seed Oil are also found in the formulation, packing a lot of anti-oxidants into one little tube!

I'm carrying it with me everywhere. So, if you see me sans-gloss, I'm likely wearing this.
Quench by Your Best Face

Clinique's Quick Blush

While I named this blog 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic (an ode to the time I spend on my hair and makeup each morning, I'm not a morning person and I refuse to wake up earlier), I don't focus very often on products that are fast. Instead, I tend to find myself focusing on products and how they work (or if they do at all). While I do want products to be great and to provide results, I still am watching for products that are fast and easy. Which is why I love this new Quick Blush from Clinique!

These blushes are a brush and blush in one. You simply twist the handle to advance the brush a bit (allow it to touch the inside of the lid), and then remove the lid, twisting the brush up the rest of the way. You'll have the perfect amount of blush ready for you to apply! All of the shades are flattering and easy to apply. I find that they are pigmented but easily blended and last all day. Personally I've been using Hurry Honey the most, but I also have Peach-In-A-Pinch, which I love as well.

They're also perfect for on the go, whether that is your daily makeup bag or your gym bag.

Clinique's Quick Blush

Is Being Jessica's Best Friend Enough? A Look at the Products of Ken Paves

I seem to be inundated with information about Ken Paves, his products, his exploits with bed friend Jessica Simps. Granted, the man does seem to have the golden touch with hair (Jessica's hair does look pretty amazing, unflattering camera angles not withstanding), but does that translate over to his new products? I tried a few items out. Turns out some are good, some not so good.

Hair Do
These are likely the best known of the Ken Paves products, if only because Jessica's been catching flack for this clip-in hair.

They come in a huge variety of colors, lengths and styles. You can buy them in real human hair or a high grade synthetic (which I tried). While I did find them easy to clip in, my box didn't contain enough hair and I felt I needed a second box (this may be because I have super thick hair to begin with, I'm not sure). The hair was super shiny, but too shiny to blend easily with my own hair. With more volume and the human hair this may have been a better product for me, but it just wasn't a good fit.

Color Drops
Paves calls these drops "color cosmetics for hair". Really, they are drops that you add to your daily conditioner to help boost the color, turning your favorite product into a color booster.

The drops come in six different shades and I tried out Honey. While my hair, as a light brown/dark blonde should have been a perfect fit for these drops, the drops were likely a tad too dark for me. But, they were very easy to use and I did think they added a touch of color to my hair with just one use. More regular use would have been more dramatic, and the color was nice. These would be nice to consider if you want a bit of extra color in between salon visits.

Healthy Hair Daily Shampoo
This is a great shampoo. It has a nice light scent, light lather and it rinses out easily without over stripping my hair. I didn't have the matching conditioner to try out as well, however I did think just switching out to this shampoo for a few weeks made my hair easy to manage and it definitely looked healthy!

Overall, I think the Shampoo was great, the Color Drops are a cool idea if you need something like that, and I'd recommend passing on the Synthetic version of the hair extensions.

Ken Paves

Global Goddess iDivine Eye Shadow

Regular readers likely know how much I already love Global Goddess (especially their Cairo Eye Liquid Eyeliner, which is probably my favorite liquid eyeliner). I haven't tried out their iDivine Shadows yet, but I had high expectations when I found it in my Beauty Fix shipment.

I wasn't disappointed! This shadow is well pigmented, blends easily and did last all day. My only complaint is the color range. They need to come out with more shadows! There are currently only 5 available on their site, and they are a bit pricey at $18 each.

Global Goddess iDivine Eye Shadow

Hair That Survives My Workday: The Zann Clip

I have a lot of craziness in my days. Sometimes I'm just running around like a crazy person, checking on patients and writing notes. Sometimes I'm leaning over patients doing things to them that you likely don't want me to describe here, and sometimes when I'm doing those things I get to wear the ever enchanting blue buffont netting cap that keeps my hair in. Or, it tries to keep my hair in.

I usually carry a large variety of hair clips and ponytail holders to work in my bag, and I'll pull them out depending on my needs. Recently I saw the Zann Clip on a few other beauty blogs and was excited to try it out for myself! Could it really hold up all of my hair, which is a few inches past my shoulders and so thick that my stylist Shannon has to thin it every other visit?

The Zann Clip is a spiral clip that at once grips and keeps your hair in place without crimping it. I tried out the medium clip, which with some stretching/pushing could hold all of my hair flipped up against the back of my head or was better sized for holding about half of my hair back. It does take a bit to get used to the motions required to put it in place, but once there it doesn't move. Like, at all. And, it doesn't hurt your head. It's actually pretty easy to forget it is there, unlike most hair clips. It stays put pretty much all day, and when I pull down my hair it doesn't have a ridge from the clip. Even with my crazy day.

You can find Zann Clips on-line or at Barneys.

Zann Clip

Jonathan Product Finish Control: Industrial Strength Control

I recently got this hair spray in my Beauty Fix shipment, which really surprised me. Why? Because this bottle of hairspray is actually rather huge. This hairspray promises strong, brushable hold that adds shine to your hair. I already am a big fan of the White Sands Hairspray, which provides quite a bit of control and is brushable. Would Jonathan measure up?

Actually, Jonathan measures up to the White Sands I love so much very well. Jonathan does have much smell to it, provides a fine mist and easy to use. It does add a bit of shine to your hair, but not so much that you need to worry about looking greasy. The hold from Jonathan is definitely very strong, more so than the White Sands. I would use this more for special occasions or going out rather than every day use. It can be combed through, I did notice that if I actually brushed my hair my style didn't bounce back quite as I wanted it to. However, this spray is flake free, lasts for about 12 hours (really), and I love that is contains thermal and UV filters to help protect my expensive highlights!

For me, this is a great option for times that I need extra hold. Just don't expect hair to be super brushable.

Jonathan Product Finish Control

A Collection I'm In Love With: MAC's Rose Romance

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting about every MAC collection release like I once did. Honestly, it isn't because they are sub-par (in fact, quite the opposite, I've been very impressed with some of their latest creations), rather it is because I could not keep up with them with my crazy work and then sell home/move suddenly schedule. I've decided to snap myself out of my lack of posting by telling you about their latest collection, which I'm quite in love with.

The newest collection is called "A Rose Romance" and it is just full of amazing products. As the name suggests there are a wide variety of products available here to create a lovely blush look, which I find particularly alluring for those faced with upcoming June Weddings. Here are a few of my picks from the collection.

See Thru Lipcolor
This light stain is a great gel that really does just lightly stain your lips. I have the 2 darker colors, and the images on the website do not do them justice. Secret Crush comes out as a mid-pink translucent color, which on me looks like I've just bitten my lips lightly. Tender Tryst is a bit darker but with a bit more of a purple/rose leaning, also very pretty.

The stains are easy to use and spread evenly, last for hours and are perfect under pretty much any lip glass.

Just a Pinch Gel Blush
This gel really is just what it sounds like, a highly pigmented blush that should be used sparingly, on bare skin (it is difficult to blend evenly is there is foundation involved), and lasts for forever. Just a small amount on the pad of my finger, which I then tap lightly over my cheekbone and then blend with fingertips is the perfect blush for summer. It can be easily layered for those that want a bit more color as well. I haven't tried it at the pool yet (I've been too busy at work), but it will likely hold up better with sunscreen and sunshine than the majority of cream and pretty much all powder blushes. It also seems to last most of the day.

Rose Romance Beauty Powder
This appears to just be a big blush, however it is actually a very translucent, rose tinted face powder. I've been applying mine with a big kabuki brush across my nose, temples and cheek bones to brighten my face.

Eye Shadows and Pigments
As usual these are well pigmented, easy to use and the colors are amazing!

My favorite shades are
-Et tu, Bouquet?, which is a light pink-gold tone with just the right amount of shimmer. It is fairly translucent but layers beautifully with other shades (I've been using it with greys).
-Creme de Violet, A light violet shade that has a bit of gold mixed in. This one I use with a semi-translucent white Bobbi Brown shadow and black eyeliner
-Circa Plum Pigment, I want everything in this shade! It is a dark plummy/purple with some grey to tone it down and silver shimmer. I've been using it primarily as an eyeshadow, however I plan to add it to some clear nail polish soon (a trick I learned from Michelle over at All Lacquered Up)

MAC A Rose Romance

Beauty Fix, Another Treat in My Mailbox

I am seriously in love with Beauty Fix now. This new program lets you sample some great new products every now and then, offers some great savings on those products, and they always come in these really great black travel bags. (Yes, they always come in these bags, not just the first one).

In this Beauty Fix I got:
- 3 Lab "M" Cream
- Bella Bronze Self Tanner
- Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque
- Glowelle 7-Day Powder Stick Pack
- Global Goddess Eye Shadow
- Jonathan Product Finish Control
- Kerstin Florian Aromatherapy Neroli Water
- Lisa Hoffman Vitamin A & C Serum

I'm trying stuff out now, so watch for some reviews coming soon!

Beauty Fix

In Search of a Smoother Summer

Every now and then I want a new routine. Yes, I am notorious for wanting to try out new products. However, there are some items that I’ve been loyal to for years, changing my purchases only when the item in question was updated by the manufacturer. Case in point? My Gillette razor and Skintimate Shave Gel. I love them both. I change shave gel scents, and I did change over to the new Venus Embrace, but these changes were mostly because I was forced to change. As summer approaches (and as I've moved recently and now have a view of a pool), I've been thinking about different methods of hair removal and thought I'd share!

Deborah Lippmann's Did I Shave My Legs for This?
Honestly, the name alone makes this product worth trying out! This is a shave cream containing their Ayurvedic Complex, which is "a blend of Green Coconut Water and Withania Root Extract exclusively selected in India, which is high in amino acids and vitamins to help restore, rehydrate and nourish skin." So, it contains stuff to help nourish and hydrate your skin. Sounds good to me!

This is a thick white cream, and it is similar in consistency and somewhat in smell to Noxema. Really, that is all I think of when I use it. It does spread easily on my legs and I like that it's a bit thicker than other shave products (like the Philosophy Shaving Cream), which makes it harder to accidentally rinse off in the shower. It does a great job of lubricating for the actual shave process, but I'm not sure that it does a better job of providing a close shave than my usual Skintimate Shave Gel. I've now tried using both on the same day many times and I can't tell the difference. What the Lippmann product does do better than my drugstore shave gel is hydrate. My legs are noticably more hydrated with this product, which I love!

There is one caveat to this product. Do not use it with a razor that includes moisturizing strips. I'm not sure that those little strips do much, but when combined with this product the result was a clogged razor. Over and over. Once I changed out to a blade without moisturizing strips there were no problems.

Gillette Venus
I already really liked my Gillete Venus Embrace Razor (link here), but recently another one showed up in my mailbox. Honestly, I'm not entirely certain what was different other than that they've made it purple (which I like). I've basically abandoned that other razor (link here to schick), primarily because the Venus has been much easier to repurchase and the Schick's heavier handle is sometime slippery and awkward in the shower.

The worst part of this razor honestly is the moisturizing strips. They interacted with that Lippmann Shave Cream, creating a goopy mess. I switched out to the other razor brand but quickly just resorted to scraping off the moisturizing strip so I could return to my Venus.

Sun Maita’s Threader Kit
A lot of women pay a salon to thread various areas of their body. The results are similar to waxing in terms of how long the hair removal lasts, but threading can more easily remove pretty much any hair you want (even those little blonde hairs that you can't laser off), and I've heard from friends who thread that they have fewer issues with ingrown hairs and redness. Having said all of that, the reason I've never tried threading is that I don't want to keep going back to the salon over and over. I don't have that kind of time. I'd love to learn how to do something like that at home (really? You just need some string? Sign me up!), except that the angles used by professionals are pretty hard to duplicate at home.

Until now.

You can buy this handy little kit ($150 gets you the threader, different lotions, chalk, 24 sets of replacement threads and an instruction book), and do it at home. You could thread every day without stepping foot in a salon! Replacement threads can be purchased as well. I haven't tried it out yet, but I have my eye on this product!

Silk’n SensEpil
I've been waiting years for a product like this to come out. Truly, I have. What is it? At home laser hair removal!

I believe there are a few products similar to this being released this year, but this is the only one that has been FDA approved. Apparently it has a sensor in it that ensures that you have the appropriate skin type for use, which basically means light skin and ideally that is paired with brown or black hair. The pigmentation difference is what really allows the hair to be targetted. The device requires multiple uses (similar to at the doctor's office, which does require multiple visits) and while there are 5 settings only the lowest setting is available to the consumer without being reset by a professional.

This will be available for $499 this spring only at Sephora. Which, is actually quite a bit less than most laser hair removal series in a physician's office. Let me know if you've tried it out!

I Want To Be Audrey Tautou

Have you seen this movie yet from Chanel staring Audrey Tautou? It's meant as an ad for Chanel No. 5 (think of the Nicole Kidman in Paris ad, similar in feeling), and on the 5th they released it on-line. I want to be her now. I'm watching this over and over and I've dug out my little vial of Chanel No. 5. Go watch it for yourself. You'll be wanting to book a European vacation soon, just like me!

Chanel No. 5