February 2012 Favorites

This February I discovered a couple amazing new (to me) products, and fell in love again with some classics:

1. Lush The Sacred Truth Fresh Face Mask - I have used this before and it's definitely my favorite mask from Lush. Although I can't vouch for its anti-aging benefits, this leaves my skin super soft, moisturized and smooth, not tight and dry. 

2. Gud by Burts Bees Hand Cream in Floral Cherrynova - I love how fast absorbing this cream is, yet it still manages to infuse a solid amount of moisture in my skin. When I use this at night I wake up with super soft hands. I love floral scents and this smells soooo fresh and floral, but there are other scents available too. My full review of this line is here. 

3. Sue Devitt Gel-to-Powder Blush in Marion Reef - This blush is AMAZING! It has a velvet feel to it and it applies like a gel/cream but sets on the face as a powder. It feels so silky and lasts ALL day on me. I normally layer powder blushes on top of cream blushes but I don't have to with this because it is so pigmented and long lasting. I will do a full review soon. 

 

4. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - This is such a popular product in the blogosphere so I just had to try it for myself. My verdict? It does live up to the hype! Nars has done a great job with the shade selection and the formula sets beautifully. Although it is called sheer glow, it has medium coverage and a natural finish. I will do an in-depth review of this product too, but so far I am loving it.

5. Kirkland Makeup Wipes - I have re-discovered my love for makeup wipes and these are by far my favorite. I love the thick texture, the moistness of each towelette, the fact that one towelette removes ALL my makeup (including mascara and gel eyeliner) and the price! Check out my full review here. 

Hope you all had a great February! I am glad it's over because that means we are one month closer to spring and warm weather! Oh, and in other news, the Too Faced Vintage Sale started today so check out the Too Faced Website for some great deals on soon-to-be-discontinuted products and sets.

This isn't just Good, it's Amazing! Gud by Burts Bees Body Care

By now you all know that I live in the arctic. Ok, well, it's Philadelphia, but for a girl who grew up in Southern California it feels like the arctic. With winter comes dry skin, and I since I have been using up on average one tub/bottle of creme a month, I am always searching for affordable, fragranced body cremes that provide a high level of moisture. 

I think I have met my new moisturizer love: Gud by Burts Bees Natural Body Care:

Gud is a new line that was introduced last month and all the products are natural, meaning they contain no parabens, no phthalates, and no petrochemicals. These products are also not tested on animals. I recently tried out 4 of the products: Body Lotion,  Body Butter, Hand Cream, and Body Spray.

The Body Lotion ($7 for 8oz) is by far my favorite of the bunch. It is extremely fast-absoring, so much so that after I apply on my body I don't have to wait at all before getting dressed. My favorite thing is how moisturizing it is! This lotion spreads easily, so you don't end up using a whole ton, and leaves my skin feeling like silk! It leaves my skin feeling soooo soft! Using this reminds me of that feeling you get when you shave/wax your legs and then wear pants afterwards...your legs feel so soft under the fabric. I tried this in the Orange Petalooza scent, a blood orange and floral fragrance, which is very citrusy. I really like it because it is very refreshing and awakening to use in the morning after my shower. I could still smell this on my skin 7 hours after application, but only when I put my nose to my skin. The fragrance is not so strong that it would conflict with a perfume. This is definitely a keeper! 

The Hand Cream ($8 for 3oz) was my second favorite product. I am a germophobe and obsessive-compulsive hand washer. That combined with winter means my hands and knuckles are in bad shape. The first time I used this creme was at bedtime and the next morning my hands looked like they belonged to someone else...they looked normal, not dry! This creme is fast-absorbing, non-greasy, and still very effective at adding and locking in moisture. I have been using a hand creme from a very well known body shop (oops, did that just give it away?) and this far surpasses that one. This fragrance, Floral Cherrynova, is a cherry blossom and almond milk scent, and is my favorite of all 4 scents. I love cherry blossom and this is floral, but not overwhelmingly so. 

The Body Butter ($12 for 6oz) was nice, but nothing spectacular. It is not as thick as other body butters, but it is still somewhat thick and slightly greasy. I have to wait a couple minutes after applying this before I can get dressed. It did moisturize very well, but I expect nothing less from a body butter. I also think that this would be better priced at $10. This scent Pearanormal Activity is a mixture of pear and acai berry, and I did not like this scent at all. I am not big on pear and the combo of acai berry was not pleasant to me.

Finally, I tried the Body Mist ($6 for 3oz). This is a nice, light mist that would be a great complement to any of the moisturizers. I really like vanilla so this scent Vanilla Flame, a rice milk and vanilla scent, was perfect for me. It lasted about 6 hours on me, which I think is pretty good. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the Gud line and will definitely repurchase the Body Lotion and Hand Cream. I may even try out the body wash and shampoo and conditioner. This line is currently available online at http://www.gudhappens.com, but can also be purchased in-store at Walgreens, Target, and ULTA. The fragrance Pearanormal Activity is available only at Target. Duane Reade should be getting them in the spring. I recommend buying in-store for the first time because the scents are very different and since scent is a very personal thing, it is better to try before you buy. Also, if you go to the website there is even a $1 off coupon!

Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided by PR for consideration. As always, the thoughts/reviews in this post reflect my honest opinion. 

Lip Balms - One Yay One Nay

Are you addicted to lip balms like I am? I find myself constantly reaching out for a lip balm or lip gloss, and kind of freak out when I can't find something and am left with dry pout. I know that the more you use them, the more you become addicted and the cells stop holding onto moisture, which makes lips even drier. But I can't help myself...I need my lip balm!

I used to like Burts Bees a few years ago, but ever since I discovered my passion for beauty products and have been able to try out new brands, I have learned that Burts Bees and I don't really see eye to eye. Take their Honey Lip Balm for example. It feels ok when you first apply it, but it doesn't last, and it does not leave me with soft, supple lips. Overall, this is a nay.

Kajal Couture Overall Rating: D

Kajal Couture Overall Opinion: Don't waste your time on this. I would rather use Vaseline or plain ol' chapstick.

Now this next one is something I find myself reaching for ALL day long! It is the Korres Lip Butter. The one below is Jasmine, and I like it because it is colorless when you apply it, so you can use it as a base without adding color, and then add your lip color over it. I like to use this at night too, and the fact that it is colorless is great because you won't end up with pink marks on your pillow or sheets. Overall, this is sooo creamy and moisturizing, and makes my lips feel sooo good that I just want it on all the time! The one thing that could be better is the lasting power. It lasts a couple hours, but not as long as lip gloss. I guess that is cuz glosses are sticky and so they stay on longer.

In the jar it looks light pink, but applies colorless.

Kajal Couture Overall Rating: A

Kajal Couture Overall Opinion: This will moisturize and soften your lips like no other! It definitely lives up to the hype! It's the equivalent of a good body butter for your lips. =)