beauty products

Products I Used Up?! January 2015 Empties! Part 1

January 5, 2015 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I have been saving all of my empty beauty and tolietries in a basket in my closet for awhile now so that I could share an empties post with you! I love reading these types of post and watching these types of videos because 1) It’s helpful to hear if people would repurchase or not and a quick mini review, and 2) Let’s be honest, isn’t everyone just a *tiny* bit nosy?! It’s fun to see!

Let’s get into it!

January Empties:

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Night Age Reversing Line/Wrinkle Cream:

Fabulous, thick, and luxurious night cream! This lasts because a small amount goes a long way. This has already been repurchased (by my momma for Christmas! Thank you!!) and will be for a long time! Love!

Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Cream with Broad Spectrum SPF:

Same as the above! I love this and it is my favorite moisturizer. It is PERFECT for my combo/oily skin.

Gillette Venus Spa 3 Blade Shave Gel Bars:

I have been using Venus razor blades forever! I love the build in gel bar because it saves me so much time!

Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Fine Fragrance Mist:

I don’t really like body sprays, I am definitely a perfume girl, but I like using a body spray in the evenings as part of my nighttime routine or sometimes when I’m just getting out of the shower or bath. I was glad to use this up and I won’t be repurchasing it, but not because there is anything bad about it.

Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Fine Fragrance Mist:

Same exact review as above!

Kleenex Hand Towels:

I use these to dry my face after cleansing because it is much more sanitary than using a towel. I love these and have already repurchased more.

Caress Evenly Gorgeous Burnt Brown Sugar & Karite Butter Exfoliating Body Wash:

I LOVE THIS! I will repurchase this over and over!! It smells amazing, exfoliates beautifully, and feels just as fabulous as a more expensive body wash. Awesome!

Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Nourishing Baby Oil:

I am SUPER pregnant (maybe when you read this I won’t be anymore?! maybe?!) and I like slathering this on my belly, breasts, butt…all the areas prone to dryness and strech marks. They make a Mama Bee Oil, which I also like, but this works just as well for me.

Lollia At Last Perfumed Shower Gel with White Petals & Rice Flower:

I got this in one of my PopSugar Must Have Boxes. I liked this, but I would not repurchase because I do not think that it was anything that special for the price point.

Dove Clinical Protection Clear Tone Deodorant Solid:

I love the clinical strength deodorants for the peace of mind, and will continue to purchase this.

Equate Sensitive Skin Feminine Wash in Soft Petal:

Using a special feminine wash or completely scent free soap is so important…gotta protect those lady bits! I have used both this brand, the Walmart brand, as well as the Summer’s Eve and like them equally.

Dr. Scholl’s For Her Rub Relief Gel Spots for Tartgeted Blister Protection:

I love these in my heels and flats! I have even put them in my husbands Sperry’s! These work so well!

Garnier Fructis Style Volumizing Anti-Humidity Hairspray:

I really like this hairspray for a light hold and daily use.

Philosophy Eye Hope Multitasking Eye Cream for Dark Circles, Puffiness & Lines:

I love this! I have not repurchased it yet, but I would in the future.

Benefit It’s Potent! Eye Cream:

I have been using this for a couple of years now as part of my morning routine. I really like this because I have VERY dark circles from a combination of genetics and mommyhood and this really helps.

Phew! That was a lot and that was only part 1! Thank you so much for reading : )

Arbonne Sea Salt Scrub Review and Giveaway!!!

August 6, 2014 & 25 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

ANNOUNCEMENT: I have been posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but will now be changing to a Monday and Wednesday schedule. I will still be blogging on the Pearls and Pastries Shop Blog biweekly on Friday’s. I want to focus on quality while still bringing you blog posts on a very dependable and consistent basis. I really appreciate all of your support as I work to improve my blog with every post, so please subscribe if you haven’t already!! Every one of you who has subscribed I am so grateful for! : )

Okay….onto today’s post!

I have been hearing little bits about Arbonne products more and more lately, but just a couple of weeks ago I was finally able to try something from the company. I am SO excited to share it with you!!

Arboone is all pure, safe, and maybe best of all, benefitial. All of the products are vegan, plant based, soy free, paraben free, and dairy free. One thing I found really awesome is that the products are formulated in Switzerland and are held to Swiss standards which are some of the highest, but made in the United States.

NOTE:****Be sure to read to the bottom of this post for your chance to win a full size of the Awaken Sea Salt Scrub!! Details are at the end of this post!!! : )****

Aromaessentials Awaken Sea Salt Scrub:

My Arbonne consultant, Kim, introduced me to this and I am in love! Before using this my go-to body scrub was the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Coconut Lime, but the Awaken Scrub blows that out of the water!! I was a little apprehensive about whether or not this would be anything different from scrubs I had used in the past, but the exfoliation combined with the oil is a total game-changer. I know having “me time” is important, but with two toddlers, work, appointments, life…..it is really low on my ~~to-do~~ survival list! I almost didn’t use this scrub when I first got it because I was in a rush (per usual!) and didn’t think I should spend the time, but I ended up using it anyways. Ahhhh! SO glad I did! It sounds so cheesy, but the smell was seriously uplifting!! I immediately felt relaxed, happy…that feeling you get after hours in the chair at the hair salon or after a fresh mani/pedi. I want to try some of the “unwind” products now because the “awaken” works wonderfully.

Kim shared two of her favorite uses and I want to share them with you as well to give you some ideas!

1) Foot Soak and Scrub

Soak your tootsies in warm water and once they are soft, scrub your feet with one scoop of the scrub! My feet were SO soft after doing this method (but a tad slippery!).

2) Scrub Legs *Before* Shaving:

This way is my favorite use for this product so far! As much as I love the foot soak, finding the time just isn’t always going to happen, but using a scoop of this scrub in the shower on my legs and feet is easy to work into my routine. Simply scrub your legs with the scrub and then shave while the oil from the scrub is still fresh on your legs! SO luxurious and my legs looked amazing after doing this. It was way less of a hassle then shaving cream, and also much more relaxing.

I wanted to have other suggestions for you since the Arboone website is AWESOME but there is so much that it was a little daunting, so I picked Kim’s brain a bit and found some other great ideas.

FALL/WINTER ARBONNE PRODUCT FAVORITES:

1) Shea Butter Body Lotion

An Arbonne favorite in a pump bottle and great for all skin types!

2) FC5 Ultra-Hydrating Hand Creme

Kim told me that her husband carries this around with him in the winter, and to me if a guy is carrying around a prodcut like that it MUST be good! I hate dry winter hands, and I will definitely be trying this out asap because fall is approaching fast!

3) Baby Care Body Lotion and Baby Care Body Oil

This is for the little one’s in your life!! My little man has severe eczema and I love the idea of a natural product line to try out this winter. You can mix the two and apply to dry areas on your little lovess….again, can’t wait to try this!

4) Made in the Shade Self-Tanner Broad Spectrum SPF 15

I love the idea of a more natural, botanicaly based self-tanner to try to keep up a warm glow in the cooler months!! And you all know, I am ANTI-TANNING so wear your sunscreen and rock a sunless tanner, please ; )

OTHER FAVORITES:

1) Lip Saver Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen

I mentioned this in my July Favorites post. It is awesome and I have used it daily since I got it!!

2) Vanila Protein Shake Mix (Powder)

Kim suggested these, and I love that they are whey free, soy free, dairy free, and vegan! The protein is sourced from rice, pea plants, and cranberries. Awesome! I want to try this in my smoothies!!

If you are interested in any of these products mentioned above or any on the Arbonne website, you can email Kim: kim.porta3@gmail.com or enter the ID 13107319 at checkout on Arbonne.com!

Now, onto the giveaway : )

HOW TO WIN THE ARBONNE AWAKEN SEA SALT SCRUB:

1) Comment on this blog post and tell me your favorite way to pamper yourself!! Commenting is *easy* promise! Just click the link by the title of this post and you enter your first name, email, and comment : )

2) You *MUST* be subscribed to my blog! To subscribe enter your email into the subscription box on the right side of the page! You will then get an email that asks you to confirm that you subscribed and that’s it! You’ll just get emails when I post something new.

EXTRA ENTRY OPPORTUNITY:

If you’d like to gain extra enteries you can 1) Share this post on your Facebook, 2) Share this post on yourTwitter, or 3) Follow me on a social media platform you are not yet following me on and you will get an entry for each new like or follow (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Luvocracy, Pinterest).

RULES:

1) This giveaway is limited to those in the United States and Canada, but eventually giveaways will be opening up to subscribers everywhere!

2) If you are under 18 years old just ask permission from your parents to enter the giveaway!

3) A random selection website will determine the winner to keep things fair.

4) Once the winner is contacted by email they will have 48 hours to respond and after that I will select another winner.

5) This giveaway will end in two weeks!!

Good luck to all of you entering and I hope that this post was helpful! Have a wonderful rest of your week!!

APRIL 2014 BEAUTY HAUL!!

April 21, 2014 & 4 Comments

Hi There! Happy Monday!

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Easter for those who celebrate! Today I have a collective beauty haul from the past several weeks to share with you that is mostly drugstore with a few other random beauty related things tossed in. This haul is largely made up of concealers and lip products, but that’s really no surprise because those are two of my favorite beauty items to try and to shop for. I have created a Luvocracy collection with all of these items if you’d like more information or want to shop online, and once again all the titles below are also links! If you enjoy this haul, please subscribe to my blog by entering you email in the subscribe box on the right side of this page! Super easy! Okay, let’s get started…

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Brightener

I love the Maybelline Insant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Fair and wanted to try the brightener. The brightener is a pinky salmon color that is the perfect shade to wear underneath your under eye concealer to help really counteract the dark circles underneath your eyes. This product twists and you hear a click sound as it pushes product to the sponge applicator. I dot the product on but then blend with a brush or sometimes with my fingers. I don’t tend to get puffiness under my eyes, but I do battle bad dark circles (hellooo mom two of toddlers!) and love anything that can help to hide them!

Revlon Colorstay Concealer in 01 Fair

I’ve heard great things about this concealer and heard that it compares to the Nars Creamy Concealer, so when I saw it on sale at my local grocery store, I decided to pick it up and give it a try. It comes out on a wand applicator, which I really like because I can dot it on and then use a makeup brush to blend it out. I love love love my Revlon Colorstay foundation, so I am hoping that I love this just as much.

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer with Concealer Pencil in Ultra Light

This is supposed to be a very heavy duty concealer that can cover anything! It comes in a tube and I can tell that it’ll last a long time because you only need a tiny tiny dab because it is so thick. I haven’t tried it for the under eye area yet, but I do think it’s a product where you’ll want to prime the under eye first and then gently set it with a brightening power. It also comes with a pencil which it says is to outline birth marks or tattoos before covering them, but I’m going to try to find some other uses for that as well.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 805 Kissable Pink

I picked this up because I wanted another everyday pink color in my collection. It is a bit more sheer than expected, but a very pretty neutral pink color with just enough shine, but no glitter. I thought it would be a little more buildable, but I don’t mind so far because it’s a great color to just toss into your bag and not have to worry too much when you apply it. This doesn’t seem to have any taste or scent. It is very moisturizing, so the color doesn’t last too long, but it feels great on the lips.

L’Oreal Colour Riche’ Caresse in 176 Sunset Angora

This is a sheer, moisturizing lip color that is in the same family as the Revlon Lip Butters or the Maybelline Color Whisper lip products. The color is very pretty, a very wearable coral-y, muted orange.

Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir in 005 Breathtaking Apricot

The packaging almost makes this look like a lipstick, but it’s actually a lipgloss! It has a short applicator with a doe-foot applicator. The formula seems pretty thick, so we will see how the wear goes. I am really excited to try this lip gloss, and I think that the color will be great for summer.

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 885 Vibrant Mandarin

I love the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks and really wanted to try out something in the orange color that is so on trend for spring and summer 2014. I wasn’t quite brave enough to try the Electric Orange color in the Vivids lineup, so I opted for this more coral-y orange color. It is very bright and I can’t wait to try it!

L’Oreal Limited Edition Collection Privee in 600 Doutzen’s Nude

I have been swooning over these lipsticks since I saw the pictures released online about a month ago. It is part of a collection of nude lipsticks and each lipstick shade is designed for one of their celebrity ambassadors. The matte black packaging with the pretty gold detailing looks very chic, and I love the touch of having the L’Oreal ambassadors signature printed on the lipstick tube. These do have the smell that some probably won’t like…it smells like an old-fashioned lipstick or very floral purfume you’d expect a grandmother to have in her handbag. This is a sheer, very light, cool toned baby pink with shimmer, and not like anything I have in my collection.

L’Oreal Limited Edition Collection Privee in 620 Julianne’s Nude

This is such a beautiful peachy toned neutral lipstick and it feels great on the lips! I have already worn this and know I’ll reach for it often.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I always use these along with an eye make-up remover before cleansing my face at night (shown in a picture above).

Essential Tools 12 Rainbow Applicators

I picked these up to have to use for my nails as shown in my Nail Polish Tutorial-How to Avoid Brush Strokes with Frost Formula Polish post (shown in a picture above).

Pack of Plastic Mascara Spoolies

I bought these on ebay but you can also get them at Sally’s Beauty Supply or another store like that. I use these for my eyebrows and also for combing through my eyelashes before and after I apply mascara. They are super cheap and great to have on hand (shown in a picture above).

First Aid…Made Fun! Me4kidz.com

These little kits came in my kiddos Citrus Lane boxes a month or so ago, and we love them! We also already had the Diaper Bag Buddy (not shown) that I keep in a bag my husband uses when he has the kids. The pink box came with a little nail kit that my daughter loves and I like because the polish is water based. The green kit came with a little first aid kit that is perfect to keep in your car or diaper bag.

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo

This was a gift from my mom and I can’t wait to try it out! I love dry shampoos and I am looking forward to trying out a more high end dry shampoo.

O•P•I Drip Dry Drops

These were another gift, given to me by a friend, and I am excited to give them a try! I hate waiting for nail polish to dry!

Okay, that was a long one! Thank you SO much if you read all of that and for all of your support! It means so much to me! If you want to see more information or a review on any of the products mentioned above, let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post!) or fine me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Also be sure to let me know if there are any new products that you think I should try or products that you swear by! If you’ve enjoyed this post, please subscribe and share with your friends! Again, thanks and have a fantastic start to your week!