TotalBeauty offered to send me their TotalBeauty Collection for HSN to review before it was even available for purchase, so of course I giddily accepted. (I totally felt like one of the cool kids on the block...)
I love exfoliating scrubs, but even a big tub of it doesn't seem to last long for me, so it gets a little spendy. I contemplated making a DIY scrub but was worried the oil would make the tub too slippery and that the scrub would clog the drain. So when I was at Ulta looking for an inexpensive alternative product, and I found these $3 loofah pads, I was pretty excited. Earth Theraputics Loofah Bath Pad
$3.34 on Amazon.com (I found mine at Ulta, and I've seen similar items at my local grocery store in the Beauty/Cosmetics dept.) This loofah is my new favorite shower item! I get pretty bad red bumps after shaving, and my skin can look a little dull, especially on my legs. I knew exfoliating would probably help, but just hadn't found the right product until now. This loofah pad is cheap and long-lasting, and it works wonders on my body! Rub soap on it and then rub wherever you need some exfoliation. Apply more or less pressure, or scrub for more or less time--it's simple but effective. And it really has helped with my shaving bumps. I like that when it gets icky or worn out I can just toss it (the idea of a wet loofah growing germs and getting gross in the shower kind of skeeved out out initially, but it seems to be doing just fine after a month or so in the shower). There are fancier options out there but this one works just fine. I love this product so much that I might even give them as Christmas gifts (with a little handmade soap included with it!). My only complaint is that it isn't as exfoliating now after a month of using it every day, so I threw it away. They're supposed to last a few months, using it a couple of times a week, but I was using mine daily. And it probably would have still been scratchy enough for some people, but it's only $3 for a fresh one. I'm definitely going to keep repurchasing these. Lipgloss+Spandex rating: My mornings require two things: caffeine, and protein. The caffeine helps get me started, and the protein keeps me going until lunchtime. Without these two, things can get a little dicey. ;) And when I need a mid-day pick-me up, I reach for more caffeine, and more protein. I was pretty excited to hear about Chike's Iced High Protein Coffee drink. It's got both caffeine and protein, AND it's low in calories! Chike Iced Coffee Single Packet (1 full serving) $2.25 Description: Chike Iced Coffee is officially here! With 2 Espresso Shots, 20 grams of Whey Protein, 23 Vitamins & Minerals & only 2 grams of Sugar - it's the perfect drink to kickstart your day or fight the midday slump! The excuses for skipping breakfast are officially over! Caffeine: Each serving of Chike Iced Coffee is equivalent to a cup of the leading premium coffee. Chike Iced Coffee is a protein-packed, low-calorie, caffeinated iced coffee drink that tastes pretty good, is easy to mix, and inexpensive. I really can't ask for much more than that! It's a really great product for my lifestyle, since I don't have time to make myself breakfast every day, and I like to have shelf-stable products in my desk or at home so that they're available when hunger strikes! I've used 1-2 packets as a meal replacement, and it's kept me feeling pretty good til lunchtime. I've also had a Chike Iced Coffee after a workout, and as a midday snack, and it really hits the spot. I'm really pretty impressed with the taste--even when mixed with water, the flavor is tasty for a drink with such high protein content, and so few calories! I also tried mixing it with 40 calorie/serving soy milk, and it was even more delicious. Chike Blender Bottle
$8.95 Description: The perfect way to mix Chike! These bottles are virtually leak-proof and easy to clean (dishwasher safe). This shaker features the the popular "blender ball" - a wire whisk made of surgical grade stainless steel. Simply drop the blender ball in with your ingredients and shake. This BPA-free, 28 oz. bottle is great. It works well with protein powders of all types. It's perfect for on-the-go drinks too--put some protein powder inside, and then add the water when you're ready to drink it. If you don't own a Blender Bottle yet, and you drink protein shakes, you NEED TO BUY ONE! It's definitely one of my favorite products for living a healthy lifestyle. You can win one of three Chike Iced Coffee and blender bottle sets! MAC Fluidline in Local Wares (Limited Edition)
$15.00 for 0.1 oz Another great alternative to the usual black, brown or charcoal eyeliners. This subtle but gorgeous blackened olive has tons of teensy multi-colored microglitter (mostly gold). It's beautiful and would probably look good on all skin tones, and can easily go with simple workplace makeup, or a smoky eye. I love how this looks smudged out on my lower lashline. After Dark Diversion, I'd probably say it's one of my favorite eyeliner colors of all time. As with all Fluidlines, I find the formula to be excellent--very smooth. It wears all day long without smudging or flaking. I can wear it to the gym or during a marathon without hesitation, and can even wear it in my waterline without any irritation. The substantial glass jar keeps it from drying out (I've had some shades for a really long time, but they're still good!) The price is also quite reasonable. Definitely go check this out before it's gone! Lipgloss+Spandex rating: Disclaimer: This post is all about high calorie fattening food, and how I suck at cooking. I would not advise making this or doing what I do when it comes to baking. You have been warned! So a couple of months ago I decided that if I got to the lower end of my "goal weight" range, I could make myself delicious s'mores bars that I've seen on Pinterest. I've been obsessing over them the moment I saw them, because it's TWO TREATS IN ONE!!! But I figured this should be a one time treat, so I made it my reward for getting back in shape. Here are the delicious treats that inspired me (click to go to the link on Pinterest):
I made a series of poor choices that led to me wasting eight bucks and getting breakouts. I ran out of my favorite face primer (MAC Prep+Prime Skin), but decided to go cheap instead of just repurchasing my old standby. I'd read some pretty positive reviews about Hard Candy's Sheer Envy primer, but when I went to my local (shady/gross) Walmart, there was only one tube left, and it had been tampered with. I figured the Sheer Envy Perfecting Primer was probably practically the same thing, and it was only eight bucks. Whether it is or not, the product I bought is crap. Here's the rundown:
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer $8.00 for 1.3 oz The product looks like a very thick silicone based primer (which it is). It doesn't really have a scent to it. I squeezed out a small amount and tried to spread it on my clean face using my fingers, but it wouldn't apply smoothly. There were clumps of it all over my face. SUPER GROSS LOOKING. I wiped off the clumps and decided to leave the remaining product on my skin, just for review purposes (and since I wasn't leaving the house again that day). What was left of it on my skin felt fairly light and smooth. It did seem to help my makeup apply a tiny bit easier, but not enough to make the mess and effort of application worthwhile. I also ended up with some breakouts. The Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer really was pretty awful. There's not much redeeming about it besides the price, and the convenient squeeze bottle packaging. But you couldn't pay me to put this on my skin again. Maybe I got a bad batch or something. It's possible. But I'm not about to waste another eight bucks (that's TWO STARBUCKS DRINKS!) to find out. Lipgloss+Spandex rating: I love collaborations between musicians, punk rock covers, and music mashups. Check out this collaboration between Steve Aoki and Duran Duran on "Hungry Like the Wolf": Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Trident. Here are some of my favorite collaborations/mashups (click to go to the youtube page):
Do you have a favorite mashup/collaboration? Disclosure: For participating in the Trident Influencer Network, I received an Amazon giftcard and some Trident gum.
MAC Eyeshadow Duo in Marche Aux Puces (Limited Edition) $27.50 for 1.0 oz The first shade (Chessa) is a warm light orange with a beautiful golden sheen to it. It's sheer but buildable an good for layering over other shades. I don't think there's really any other shade that's just like it--Temptalia has some good matches--but I'd say it's pretty unique. The second shade (Indie Spirit) is a matte warm burnt sienna. The pigmentation on this one isn't great--it takes a little work to get it to really show up. Its not an amazing or terribly unique color, but I feel that the colors compliment each other well. The two colors are both quite warm toned. Two of the makeup artists at the MAC store were wearing it--a very fair cool toned gal, and an African American lady with dark brown skin and I thought it looked amazing on both of them, and found it also looked good on my medium NC37-40 skin tone. I like to add a little warm-toned deep plum shadow in the outer v to complete the look. This duo is already sold out on MAC's website, but I'd try and pick it up at your local counter! Lipgloss+Spandex rating: MAC Cluidline in Dark Diversion (Limited Edition)
$15.00 for 0.1 oz Dark Diversion Fluidline is one of my favorite products of all time, and I'm very sad it's limited edition. I actually got this liner when it came out in an earlier collection, and am thrilled to see it repromoted. I would describe it as a warm brown-toned plum shade with the teensiest bit of shimmer. It's not 100% opaque on the first swipe, but I kind of like that it can be worn more sheerly an also be layered on for more intense color. The color is subtle enough for everyday wear--even to a conservative workplace--but bold and complex enough to be interesting. Its a great alternative to your regular black, brown and charcoal eyeliners. As with all Fluidlines, I find the formula to be very smooth. It wears all day long without smudging or flaking. I can even wear it to the gym or during a marathon without hesitation, and I can wear it in my waterline without irritation. The substantial glass jar keeps it from drying out (I've had some shades for a really long time, but they're still good!) The price is also quite reasonable. If you don't have this product already, BUY IT NOW!!! I'm probably going to buy a backup jar. Lipgloss+Spandex rating: Real conversation:
Fiance (looking over my shoulder at my laptop screen): "Are you online shopping for makeup AGAIN?" Me: "Yeah, but I'm out of makeup primer. I NEED more makeup primer." 3 year old: "Emmie, did you runned out of makeup? Do you need more makeup?" Me: "Yes, I did runned out of some makeup." 3 year old: "Daddy, Emmie runned out of makeup!!! You need to buy her MORE." Yep. I was gonna buy my own makeup primer, but y'know, the kiddo thinks the fiance should buy it. I'm just going to go along with it. ;) |