Are you enjoying this never-ending winter? Here in the Midwest there is still a TON of snow on the ground, but at least we’re beginning to see the sun. Since it’s still dry outside I’ve been using face masks more frequently. Here are a couple of my current favorites.
BeautiControl Tierra Azul Thermal Fango Masque
This has to be one of my all-time favorite masks. With ingredients like marine mud, grapeseed oil, olive oil, and and fig extract, this mask draws the impurities from your skin and leaves it feeling amazing! Plus it’s a warming mask so it feels incredibly relaxing to apply. It doesn’t dry on the skin, forcing you to scrape and scrub in order to get it off. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated but not oily, which is important for a combination/oily girl like myself. At $24 USD for 5 oz this baby is definitely worth picking up! If you’re not sure where to order this in your area, you can find it here.
Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Treatment Mask
Filled with clary sage, this does as it says. It is incredibly hydrating, but again does not leave the skin feeling or looking oily. Very easy to apply, leave this on the skin for 5-10 minutes and then rub in or wipe off excess. This is also noncomedogenic and won the Allure 2013 Best of Beauty Award. The cost is $15 for 4oz of product and can be found at most drugstores or by clicking here.
I love the ingredients in these masks. You will find no parabens or dimethicone. The Burt’s Bees mask is 99% natural. While I have not found the fango mud mask rated on ewg.org/skindeep or goodguide.com, I know that the company seeks to keep products more natural and low-toxin while staying effective. Plus both masks also have anti-aging properties-bonus!
Interested in DIY face masks and scrubs? Below are a couple of recipes I posted on YouTube last year.
If you try these products let me know. What are your current favorite skincare products? Leave a comment below. Thanks for reading.
“Oh LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” Psalm 84:12
So I’ve finally gotten around to filming a requested makeup tutorial using the products I picked up from the MAC Magnetic Nudes collection. This is a very natural, everyday look and I absolutely love it. Hope you do, too!
Leave a comment below, thx for reading/watching!
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3
As you well may know, MAC’s beloved, cult-favorite mineralize skinfinish Stereo Rose is being repromoted yet again with the Fantasy of Flowers collection (releasing online January 30th, in store January 6 U.S.). There is so much hype surrounding this product (yes, I have a penchant for stating the obvious). But is the hype well-deserved?
I picked this beauty up last go-round. At my most pale I’m an NW 22ish, so I use SR as a blush rather than a highlight. It’s described as a “coral with golden bronze and a high frost, metallic finish.” Basically it’s a warm peachy color with gold shimmer and a very slight hint of pinky-rose tones (depending on the veining). The shimmer is definitely there but not disco. What’s great is that it will suit multiple skintones because the pigmentation is there. Due to the shimmer factor, you may want to avoid applying it on the apples of your cheeks if you have large pores. I think both warm and cool people can pull this off, although I think it flatters warm skintones better. But do I think it’s worth the hype? Not necessarily.
Perhaps it’s because I have a very cool skintone, but for me Stereo Rose is just okay. I like it. I’m glad I own it, and I use it with a fair amount of regularity. But I don’t love it, nor do I consider it holy grail. I gravitate more toward peachy-pink blushers than peachy-orangey ones. I prefer either matte or sheertone shimmer finishes to the metallic finish. Milani’s baked blush in Rose D’Oro is similar but not a dead on dupe (and it’s not as smooth). Stereo Rose can be a must-have for warmer or deeper skin, but I certainly wouldn’t overpay for it as some eBay sellers would have you do (I’ve seen this product listed for $100 USD!). Overall, I think there are many other fish in the proverbial sea; if you miss it, it’s not worth stressing about.
What do you think? Am I way off base? Or do you agree? Leave a comment below. Thanks for reading. p.s. it’s available and in stock right now on the Macy’s website if you want to get it early bird 🙂 click here
“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.” Isaiah 26:3
So I thought I would kick off the new year by getting rid of things I have lying around that are seldom used and gathering dust. Makeup, clothes, home decor, and toys were making their way into the “donate” pile. This quickly became an exercise in self reflection.
At first I felt the urge to justify keeping things, thinking, “Oh I’m sure I’ll use this soon.” But as my stack began to grow, the buzz of having more space and simplifying my home began to kick in. Before I knew it, I was happily tossing things in. I began to feel more energized, and it occurred to me just how long it had been since I felt that way.
I realized that not only did I need to declutter my house, I needed to declutter my life. It wasn’t just about “things” zapping my energy. Unhealthy habits, relationships, and priorities can throw everything off kilter. They steal our time, energy, and quality of life. And just like justifying the keeping of unnecessary things, we legitimize those habits by saying, “It’s not that big of a deal.” We defend unhealthy relationships with family, friends, and partners, thinking, “It will get better.” We excuse skewed priorities with, “I’ll get to it later.” But later never comes. Not that way.
Later is now. This moment is what we have to work with. Maybe “it” is that big of a deal. And how can things get better without correction? Ask yourself honestly what (or who) needs to go, needs to change. Even if the one who needs to change is you. Change is scary, but what scares you more? Changing…or staying the same?
What will you “declutter?” Leave a comment below. Thanks for reading.
MAC has been busy lately, launching multiple collections the day after Christmas. My favorite is the Magnetic Nudes collection. This collection is all about looking very natural and glowy. My favorite!
This extra dimension collection consists of 3 mineralize skinfinishes, 3 blushes, 5 eyeshadows, 3 fluidlines, 4 lipsticks, and 5 lip glasses. I love the extra dimension formula as it gives a beautiful sheen without being glittery, chunky, or emphasizing skin texture to the extreme. I didn’t grab any glosses (I need a new gloss like I need a hole in the head, you know?), although steel kiss looked very unique. Overall I love this versatile collection. I get so much use out of these everyday, wearable colors. Below are descriptions and pictures of what I picked up (for reference, I am currently an NW22). If you are more into a bold look then you may want to check out Punk Couture which released the same day. It has dramatic, vampy lippies and bright, 80’s style pigments.
MSF’s
Superb (a repromote) is described as a peachy nude with multidimensional shimmer. To me it looks like a gorgeous champagne color that would suit just about anyone. It is very pigmented and long lasting. One swipe on the cheekbone with a fan brush and you’ll be glowing all day as if you just stepped off Mount Olympus. It’s beautiful, and if you like highlighters you will enjoy this product.
Fairly Precious is described as a peach with green pearl. It’s a true, warm peach highlight. This would best suit lighter skin tones in my opinion. Like Superb, it has a smooth texture. There was also Magnetic Appeal, which is a warm coppery color that would look beautiful on deeper skin tones.
Autoerotique is described as a dirty coral rose. This is a warm, easy to blend blush. As with all extra dimension blushers, the color payoff is subtle but can be built up. This is a very pretty and unique color.
At Dusk (repromote) is a stunning blush described as a dirty cool pink but does not look grey on the cheek. This is very flattering on lighter skin tones. Again, it gives a light wash of color but can be built up.
Amorous Alloy is described as a deep terracotta copper color with a metallic finish. I had not intended on purchasing any extra dimension eyeshadow from this collection, but the girl at the counter sold me on this unique color. It’s warm but not so warm that cool people can’t pull it off. This is another product that will look great on an array of skin tones and eye colors. The other eyeshadow colors were very pretty but seemed quite dupable to me.
It’s Physical is described as a brown with purple pearl. This has a lot of purple shimmer in it, more than you can see in the pot. I prefer using this all over the lid rather than as a liner. It’s a really lovely color that would suit many eye colors. The other fluidline that caught my eye was Our Secret, a metallic brown with red pearl. This is another beautiful color that I had set out to purchase, but once swatched it reminded me of Constructivist paint pot. I swatched them side by side at the counter and they looked identical on my arm so I did not buy it.
Morning Rose is described as a soft, cool rose creamsheen. This is a very wearable, everyday dusty rose shade (again, suitable for multiple skin tones). The rest of the lipsticks were mostly nudes, and since I don’t need any more nude lipsticks I did not purchase any.
LUSH Collection and Storage. Photo by somethingtoconsiderblog.com
Hello Friends! I had a request to do a Lush storage video and decided to do also a collection video to make it a more interesting two-fer. I know some people like to use their Lush items as decor in bathrooms in vase-like containers. This can look very pretty. A caveat to that is being careful of using more than one kind of bath item in that way. The scents can get melded together as they absorb each others’ aroma. They can also get a bit messy if the items begin to crumble (unless you don’t care, then go ahead and throw caution to the wind! After all, these are just bath products we’re talking about). So if you are interested in seeing my current (ish, I recorded this in October) Lush collection, click on the video below. Many of the items were purchsed during the December 26 buy 1 get 1 free sale. As always, thanks for reading/watching!
Giveaway rules and details:
1. must subscribe to my channel
2. thumbs up this video
3. if you are under 18 years old, please ask your parents’ permission to give out your address/receive a package
4. leave 1 comment (ex. favorite lush items, future videos you would like to see, etc.)
5. make sure your activity is public so I can see you’ve done the above
For Additional Entries:
-follow me on instagram, leave a comment on a post with “enter me”
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-favorite this video & let me know you’ve done so
-giveaway will be open until the end of Christmas day, December 25 11:59pm EST
-giveaway is international
-i will message the winner and list here the week after Christmas (if winner does not reply after 1 week a new winner will be chosen)
-winner will be chosen using a random number generator
Good luck and thanks for participating!
“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.” 1 Chronicles 4:10
*This post is not sponsored or affiliated in any way (I wish! :p). Items can be purchased at www.lush.com
Since my last toxic makeup review was on a high-end brand (Urban Decay-to read it, click here), I thought I would review a popular drugstore brand next. Below is a quick rundown of some of Revlon’s best and worst rated makeup products. The ratings were obtained from the Skin Deep database by the Environmental Working Group (which can be found at www.ewg.org/skindeep). The rating scale is simple, ranging from 0-10 with 10 being the most toxic product score. As always, please keep in mind that formulations in cosmetics are constantly changing. Consequently, I encourage looking up product ratings before you buy them either on Skin Deep or www.goodguide.com (which also includes the company’s eco and social responsibility ratings). While Revlon has quite a few low-toxin products (168 out of the 1022 current products rated), overall most of their products were in the moderate or high toxin range. For the sake of brevity I did not list all 1022 products, but here are various examples of Revlon’s products and their ratings, starting from the worst scores.
10: Hair color. Do you really want this absorbed into your head?
9: Colorstay Mineral Blush in Roseberry, Colorstay Blemish Concealer, Silky Powder Bronzer in Sunkissed Bronze, Age Defying Makeup Foundation with Botafirm for Dry Skin
8: Certain Moondrops crème lipsticks
7: Some Super Lustrous Lip Glosses (ex. shade Nude Lustre 040), Photoready Powder, ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin
6: New Complexion One-Step Compact Makeup, Nail Care Liquid Quick Dry, Cream Blush in certain shades (ex. shade Rosy Glow)
5: Nearly Naked Makeup (ex. shade Warm Beige), PhotoReady BB Cream Skin Perfector, Illuminance Creme Eye Shadow (ex. shade 725 Va Va Va Bloom), Just Bitten Lip Stain & Balm (ex. shade Dawn), ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick (ex. shade Flashing Lights), Colorstay for Normal/Dry Skin Makeup with SoftFlex (ex. shade Sand Beige), ColorStay Liner For Lips
4: Matte Eye Shadow (ex. shade Vintage Lace), Colorstay 12-Hour Eye Shadow quads in certain shades, Luxurious Color Eye Line (ex. shade Black Velvet), Lip Butters (many hearts may be breaking over this, these are so popular!)
3: Certain shades of PhotoReady Concealer Makeup, PhotoReady Cream Blush (ex. shade Coral Reef), PhotoReady Mousse Makeup in certain shades, ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup in certain shades, Colorstay Aqua Mineral Finishing Powder-Translucent, ColorStay 16-Hour Eye Shadow Quad (ex. shade Bombshell), Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup, and nail polishes scored at least 3, at most 9
2: Super Lustrous Lipstick in many but not all shades, here’s a few: Sky Pink, Wine with Everything, Violet Frenzy, Peach Me, Smoky Rose, Coffee Bean, Apricot Fantasy, Sassy Mauve, Just Enough Buff, Cherries in the Snow; Photoready Kajal Intense Eye Liner & Brightener (ex. shade Purple Reign), Grow Luscious Waterproof Mascara, Custom Eyes Duo Shadow & Liner Palette (ex. shade Naturally Glamorous 020), Custom Eyes Mascara (ex. shade Blackened Brown 003), ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in many but not all shades, here’s a few: Nude, Perfect Peony, Premier Pink, Prized Plum, Stellar Sunrise, and more; PhotoReady Eye Primer & Brightener, PhotoReady Makeup foundation (all shades)
1: ColorBurst Lipstick in the following shades: True Red 090, Rosy Nude 065, Fuschia 030
0: Remover for Lash Adhesive, Color Allure Nails, Medium nail glue
Please note I did not include products considered by Skin Deep to have an old formula (more than 3 years old), and also that not all shades of the same product will have the same score. Approx. 16.4% of the products I viewed were low toxin, which is honestly more than I thought there would be. But Revlon can certainly do better! Poor scores resulted from toxic ingredients such as multiple parabens (linked to reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption), BHA (linked to cancer, organ toxicity, hormone disruption), methyl methacrylate (linked to developmental toxicity, for example, fetal exposure in utero, breastfeeding infants, direct application exposure while still developing), and many more. Good Guide (www.goodguide.com), which rates product health, social, and environmental responsibility 0-10 (but with 10 being the best, no-toxin score) gives Revlon the following overall ratings: Health 1.9 (extremely poor), Environmental 3.9 (poor), and Social 3.9 (poor). Visit their website for more information.
Do what you wish with this material. Perhaps it will spur you on to changing your Revlon purchasing habits. If you feel inclined to take further action, there is a form letter on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website that you cane-mail to Revlon asking them to remove harmful chemicals from their products. They also have more information on the kinds of toxic ingredients in Revlon products as well as their linked health concerns (and much more). Here is the page: http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5500/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=15670
What did you think of Revlon’s ratings? Were you surprised? Please leave a comment below with your thoughts, questions, and requests for other brand reviews. Be good to one another and thanks for reading.
As Halloween rolls around again, LUSH has released some new limited edition goodies to celebrate the season. While they did not bring back Pumpkin soap or the Jacko bath bomb (such a bummer!), they have cooked up a new bubble bar and 2 new bath bombs that you are sure to enjoy if you are a fellow lushie.
Pumkin Bubble Bar is an adorable sudsy treat designed to fill your tub with the scent of ylang ylang oil and orange flower absolute. Pumkin is no spelling error as it was designed as a counterpart to the Mother’s Day Mumkin bubble bar. This 3.5 oz product is good for multiple baths, depending on the amount of suds you want, the size of your bathtub, and whether or not your tub has jets. Plus it’s just plain cute! And it shares its scent with Figs and Leaves soap-one of my favorites.
Pumkin bubble bar, photo by LUSH
Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb is a much spicier product chock-full of black pepper and patchouli. I did not pick this one up because I ordered online and this seemed like a gamble (I am not a bug patchouli fan). But this sounds like a good one for those who enjoy a small, warm scented ballistic.
Misrule bath bomb, photo by LUSH
Soot Ball Bath Bomb is derived from the soot gremlins of the Japanese animated film Spirited Away. I love this scent because it is simultaneously sweet and savory. Frankincense, tonka absolute, and burnt caramel make an excellent combination for relaxation on a chilly October evening! Don’t let the color fool you; instead of turning your bath water black as it may seem, this little guy turns your water a beautiful gold. Unfortunately this item is not available on the Lush North America website, but you can order it from across the pond at https://www.lush.co.uk/product/6354/Soot-Ball
Soot ball bath bomb, photo by LUSH
Lush is also promoting some of their Halloween-themed permanent items such as the Dragon’s Egg bath bomb and Buffy body butter, among many others. Limited edition Halloween items usually launch in North America in mid-October. They launch much earlier in the UK (September). I find this strange as they could potentially sell more items by releasing them earlier. And why wouldn’t they sell Soot Ball here? Nevertheless, I will put these items to good use as I always take more baths in autumn and winter.
Did you pick any of these up? What do you think about Lush’s decision not to bring back previous Halloween limited edition items? Leave a comment below, and as always thanks for reading.
My video featuring these items:
“But those who put their hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 31
MAC Center of Attention MSF. Divine Night Holiday Collection 2013. Photo by somethingtoconsiderblog.com
MAC Cosmetics has now launched their Divine Night Holiday color collection in the US. In this collection are three highlighting mineralize skinfinish powders. I picked up Centre of Attention (I’m so proud of my restraint!) and thought I would share my thoughts on whether or not this $33 beauty item is worth the dough.
This MSF is priced at $33 rather than the usual $30 due to the limited edition packaging. This includes lettering on the box as well as the pot in gold instead of the usual white. Is that really worth an extra $3? I’m not so sure. The design of the mineralize skinfinish itself is also unique as the usual veining was foregone. The base color is a soft peachy pink that is finely milled. Inside is a square filled with a 14-karat gold glitter.
The color payoff of this MSF is rather disappointing. I found both colors to be quite sheer, with the gold being a bit more prominent. Since the pink is so light and sheer I would think it is better suited for paler, cool-toned skin. At first it reminded me of MAC’s Play It Proper, but when swatched side by side PIP is much more pigmented and more of a true pink without the peachy pull. CoA is very powdery. The yellow gold applies much like a pressed pigment. It is very chunky glitter, and while I applied it to the tops of my cheeks it most certainly did not stay there. After a couple of hours the gold glitter was literally all over my face (perhaps my oily skin has something to do with that). I found it applied a bit better when using a wet brush and placed on my lids over a creamy eyeshadow base. Because the gold is so coarse and gritty, when swatching the two colors together it is much more pronounced. Maybe that is why I did not find the color of mixing the two to be very appealing (and they really didn’t blend). As you can see in the pictures and video below, swatching one or two layers of the product was hardly noticeable on my light skin. I considered adding more layers to the swatches but that seemed misleading. What you see in these pics is truly what you get.
Now before I sound completely doom and gloom, I would say that the peachy pink base color is beautiful and provides a very subtle, flattering sheen. If you do not have a pinky highlight then this might be worth the money for that alone. As for the gold, I can’t say that it is all bad just because it didn’t suit my skin tone and larger pores. If you can pull off very large, yellow gold then you may love this product.
I definitely recommend trying this product in person before buying if at all possible. Overall I did not find Centre of Attention to be impressive, which is shocking as I have an unnatural love for MAC’s skinfinishes and beauty powders. I wanted to love it! But there are much better permanent MSF’s, and the next great limited edition collection is always just around the corner.
For live swatches watch the short video below. What did you think of this product and the collection as a whole? Do you disagree and absolutely love it? Leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading.
Products are available at MAC stores, counters, and on-line at www.maccosmetics.com
This product was purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own.
“Search me, O god, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
MAC Centre of Attention MSF in Packaging. Photo by somethingtoconsiderblog.com
MAC Centre of Attention MSF Divine Night. Photo by somethingtoconsiderblog.com
MAC Centre of Attention MSF Divine Night. Photo by somethingtoconsiderblog.com
Pink 1 layer swatch
Pink 2 layers
Top: MAC Play it Proper, Bottom: COA (pink)
Top: CoA Gold, Bottom: Pink
Top to Bottom: CoA gold and pink swirled together, gold, pink
Up for your consideration are the Tinted Mineral Moisturizer and Refining Finishing Powder by Juice Beauty. I spotted these in Ulta awhile back, and since I’m always on the hunt for effective low-toxin products, I thought I would give theses a shot. Here’s a bit of background on Juice Beauty in case you are unfamiliar.
Founded in California, their goal was to create healthy and effectual personal care products. They have created antioxidant and vitamin-rich, organic, juice-based formulas that strive to be more effective than their high toxin-counterparts. Using juice as a base eliminates the need for petroleum derivatives that many other companies use, which suffocate the skin and frequently contain harmful chemicals. Juice Beauty is a certified organic brand, so you can purchase their genuinely natural ingredients with confidence. But enough chat about the company. How well do the products actually work?
The Gist
The tinted moisturizer has an SPF of 30, which is a bonus so no added sunscreen is necessary. Obviously the ingredients are a major plus. Not that all of my makeup is completely natural/organic, but I prefer anything that goes all over my entire face to be as natural and low-toxin as possible. It is very moisturizing, and since I am an oily girl, I do not use any supplementary moisturizer with it. This leaves the skin with a very dewy finish. For dry skin this is great; however, if like me you are more slippery, I would recommend using the refining powder to set it. The loose powder is very light and leaves the skin with a very natural finish (as in the middle ground between dry and oily). It does not look cakey, and for me it seems to last all day, even in the summer. Not everyone cares for loose powders, but they do not bother me if they perform well. I noticed it settled a bit into my smile lines throughout the day but not terribly. I saw no noticeable difference with how it looked when I used a primer underneath or not. The refining powder scores a 2 (low toxin) on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. The tinted moisturizer scores a 2 in the shade ivory, 3 in sand and tan (which puts them just into the moderate range). For more information on what these ratings mean, visit http://www.ewg.org/skindeep
Application
For the tinted moisturizer, I dot it all over my face with clean fingers and then massage into the skin. I usually then go over it with my Bare Minerals precision face brush just to even it out. I apply the refining powder with the Bare Minerals flawless face brush, tapping off any excess product into the cap.
Overall
If you’ve been burned by tinted moisturizers that lack any semblance of coverage, this will not disappoint you. However, if you are in search of a full coverage product, this (or any tinted moisturizer for that matter) is not the item for you. While the price point is a bit steep (the tinted moisturizer retails for $29 for 2 oz of product; the refining powder goes for $22 for .28 oz), you get plenty of product. Could the health score of the tinted moisturizer be better? Of course (in the darker shades that is). So if you are really uncomfortable using anything other than low-toxin products, you will want to pass on this. Overall I think you get what you pay for: high quality, natural products that do pretty much what they say they do. And if you purchase them from Ulta and are dissatisfied, you can return them for a full refund or store credit (at least here in The States).
Have you tried them? Leave a comment below with your thoughts and skin type. Of course I purchased these with my own money and these thoughts are my own. Thanks for reading.
Info on the company found at http://www.juicebeauty.com
Skin Deep database: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep
Interested in seeing how these products look on the skin? Watch my YouTube video:
Something to Consider 