Can I just take a moment to express my admiration for this brand? While I love high performing cosmetics, I love a high performing cosmetic that is cruelty free the most. While I strive to be 100% cruelty free, sometimes I fail due to my very sensitive skin.
While Hourglass isn’t the newest rage (at least not at the moment), I feel like the brand has made their stamp in the cosmetic world by being a tried and true brand with age defying formulas that work for all skin types no matter what your age is.
With that said, here are four GREAT starters into the Hourglass world.
Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Mineral Primer
Im not usually one for primers, to be honest, they don’t always perform well on my skin and usually do a great job of clogging my pores. The Veil Mineral Primer is fantastic! A lightweight, oil and fragrance free formula that really just feels like very lightweight moisturizer and works amazingly on my super oily skin at keeping my make up in place.
With oily skin, oil free foundation and other face products are a MUST. This foundation offers a light to medium coverage and worth the higher price point. Now unlike other Hourglass foundations, this formula will leave a dewy more natural finish.
Looking for a powder that wont make you feel like a frosted cake? This might be the one for you, too! Lightweight feeling and silky texture. Another product in their lineup that is so worth the price point!
I feel like the Ambient Lighting Powders are the holy grail products for SOOO many people, and I am late to jump on this train. Why do these three shades cause such a stir? Honestly, I feel like it is their natural shades without being too flashy. While I like to sparkle like a twilight vampire at night, during the day I am after something more settle, and this product delivers!
I feel Mario Badescu is very much an under rated skincare line. With todays market of ultra rich ingredients and multi product systems, sometimes you just need a detox and bring it back a notch or two. That is where I feel Mario Badescu has made a strong impact.
Mario Badescu is a seasoned line of products with a spa location in New York and products sold all over the Us. The plus side, they are cruelty free and affordable!
Just like any other skin care products, you need to identify your target issues, this is where I really love this brands easy of use. Even if you are walking into your local beauty supply or ordering online, Mario Badescu makes it easy to choose which products to pick out to fit your skin needs with out having to consult anyone at all. This makes it easy to try new products with confidence and not collect a grave yard of regretful purchases.
To jump start your journey with Mario Badescu, here are some of my favorites.
Dry, dehydrated skin is seriously uncomfortable. Now when you have dry, dehydrated sensitive skin, it can be pure torture. With soothing and nourishing aloe and rosewater, this spray is fantastic for day or night.
It is no secret that I love a good scrub and this scrub is a tried and true friend. Exfoliating away those dead skin cell, leaving your face feel smooth and fresh. What I really love, real kiwi seeds are used!
Vitamin C is the cup of coffee for your skin, leaving it feel awake and evenly hydrated making this moisturizer a perfect selection for any type of skin.
I know what you are thinking, an eye….gel? Yep. Now while I do favor a thick, rich eye cream, especially at night, under make up it doesn’t always work out. That is when I reach for this baby. This light weigh gel leaves your tender under eye area hydrated and supple.
If you have acne prone skin, you really do need a system. Some systems are really very harsh on your skin, leaving your skin tight and dry or a irritating rash to go along with your acne. This system helps dry out the pesky pimples without turning your face into the Sahara Desert.
If you suffer from dull skin, this is an excellent pair for the kiwi scrub. This cleanser helps with skin texture and brightness, leaving you with a nice clean slate you’ll be happy with.
If you are a Disney fan as well as a make up lover, start screaming now! In true ColourPop fashion, they came through with the new, ultra amazingly wicked ColourPop x Disney Villains collection.
If you have never purchased a ColourPop item before, let me tell you you will not be disappointed and the color pay off is simply amazing and their price point is fantastic. Let’s drill down through the products, shall we?
First let us start with the shadow palette “Misunderstood”.
This is a 15 pan rich color shimmer and matte shadow palette with names that reflect scenes, locations, characters and themes from various Disney movies. Devious, Sing, Jetsam, Facile and 101 really speak to me. Can you name which shadow goes with which movie and Villain? Leave a comment if you can!
No Spots: matte pure white Mongrels: metallic pinky ivory Diablo: metallic lime Devious: matte terracotta Tragic: matte soft warm beige Underworld: metallic bronzey copper Pain & Panic: metallic mid-tone gold with peachy pink flecks Forest of Thorns: metallic orchid Flotsam: metallic baby pink with blue glitter The Fates: matte deep blue Revenge: matte charcoal grey with silver glitter Sing: metallic dark brown with hot pink to gold duochrome flip Jetsam: metallic denim blue with teal duochrome flip Facile: metallic rich olive green with gold flecks 101: matte black
While everything is available separately, I feel to do this collection justice, they should be reviewed as their complete collections: Cruella, Dr. Facilier, Evil Queen, Hades, Maleficent and Ursula. Each collection retails for $25, that breaks down to $8.33 an item, which is a steal!
Cruella Collection
With its frosty feels and classic, yet striking, red lip stick. This collection most definitely screams Cruella de Vil.
Highlighter: You Idiots! You Fools! You Imbeciles! Is a silvery frosty pale peach with copper shift. ($10 if purchased separately) Crème Lux Lipstick: Cruella. Is a classic warm red lipstick on the yellow side. ($8 if purchased separately) Ultra Glossy Lip: Puppies!!! Is a clear gloss with gold flex that complement both the highlighter and lipstick. ($7 if purchased separately)
Dr. Facilier Collection
Dr. Facilier is my most FAVORITE Disney Villain to date. FAVORITE. So of course my expectations were high for this set and though it isn’t what I expected, I do think it is pretty awesome.
Highlighter: Meet Me on the Other Side. Is a golden tone pigment with a warm peach shift. Crème Lux Lipstick: Dr. Facilier. Is a is a warm dusty pink rose tone. Ultra Glossy Lip: Shadowman. Is a golden-crimson tone gloss that has SOMEWHAT of a green shift, but more on the gold side.
Evil Queen Collection
The red in this set is exactly what I was hoping for and though at first I was a bit underwhelmed by the highlighter, after scrolling through a few pieces of artwork, I think this is a very well thought out set.
Highlighter: Fairest of them All. This is a dark champagne with a brilliant gold shine. Crème Lux Lipstick: Evil Queen. Is a deeply rich cherry red pigment with a matte finish. Ultra Glossy Lip: Bad Apple is a very sheer cherry/apple red gloss.
Hades
One of my favorite gods and who better to play Hades then James Woods? Now this is probably the most underwhelming set of them all. These colors are very warm peachy nudes, while Hades is a cool colored character, at least until he looses his shit.
Highlighter: Everybody’s Got a Weakness is a peachy pink highlighter with a brilliant shine. Crème Lux Lipstick: Hades is your basic creamy peach nude lipstick. Ultra Glossy Lip: Hot Headed is pretty much the same color as the highlighter but in a gloss.
Maleficent
The Maleficent collection did not disappoint and feel this is a good representation of the dark queen, mixing cool tone with vibrant pinky reds and icy gloss and a light but cool highlighter. I have mixed feelings on the lipstick, I love how vibrant it is, but also Mally’s lips are always red and not pink.
Highlighter: Mistress of all Evil is a golden shimmer but on the cool side. Not as peach tone as the others. Crème Lux Lipstick: Maleficent is a deep rich pink, a few shades away from red. Ultra Glossy Lip: My Pet is a sheer icy lavender with pinky glitter shifts.
Ursula
Simply said, I love this set. A true villain’s set. Dark, cold, ominous just as you would expect.
Highlighter: Poor Unfortunate Souls is a wickedly lavender shimmer. I think this would make a lovely eye shadow. Crème Lux Lipstick: Ursula is a deep dark berry cream lipstick that just looks so amazing on darker skin tones. Ultra Glossy Lip: Sad But True is a opal blue speckled gloss that plays off the lipstick and highlighter beautifully.
Jelly Much Shadows
Jelly shadows provide a powerful pigment punch without the fallout of a press or loose pigment. These make excellent options for everyone of any skillset. These are sold as a single pot retailing for $8 each (not bad!)
From left to right, starting from the top:
Perfectly Wretched: Icy warm pink with a warm undertone Spindle: Silvery purple with a cool undertone Not Today: A metallic green with green shift and warm undertone I Own You: A peach – gold shift with a warm undertone Cursed: Gold as gold can be with a warm undertone Just Your Voice: A silvery marine blue with a purple shift and cool undertone
Glitterally Obsessed
These I need to get my paws on, the array of color shifts in these glitter jelly shadows.
From left to right:
Anomaly: a holographic teal and silver glitter with lavender specks. Do I Look Like I Care?: a beautiful rose gold and lavender glitter littered with blue specks.
End Thoughts?
While I do love these new items, I am a little disappointed to find there are so little green, blue, purple and black shades. When you think of villains your mind drifts to the darker realm of the color spectrum. But I do understand they have to make these products usable for everyday looks and that they hit it on the nail head. So overall, BRAVO! I really do love these sets and hope this launch does amazingly well.
I love finding indie brands for just about everything, but where I don’t usually expect to find indie beauty brands is Amazon! While a little snooping around for something new, something I haven’t seen spammed all over instagram, I surprisingly landed on Amazon. Not only did I land on Amazon, the first image to grab my attention was a banner saying “Indie Beauty”. and of course I clicked and clicked quickly.
Oh the goodies I found, so let me chat about my favorites.
With my desire to lessen my environmental impact and my love for all scrubs of every kind, I was disappointed to out most scrubs contain micro plastics. Thus a search for plastic free scrubs ensued. How happy I was to discover this little hidden gem! Bee Scrubbed Volcanic Micro-Polish Pumice replaces micro bead plastics with volcanic ash and pumice stone, which makes so much sense! This scrub also delivers a powerful punch of omegas, pineapple enzymes, argon oil and tea tree oil (to name a few). Perfect for scrubbing away dry skin and preventing acne and ingrown hairs. A+++++!
If you have sensitive skin like myself, inflammation can be a real pest. I am always on the look out for products to help reduce irritation and redness. This pink clay is fantastic at balancing and calming your angry skin. My favorite routine is to use this the night before a day where I don’t have to leave the house or apply make up, giving my skin a chance to really soak up the benefits. Also available in Activated Charcoal and Turmeric & Cranberry Seed.
Until this year, I had never heard of soapberries! Also known as soapnuts, these little guys foam up and lather exactly like soap while gentle on ALL skin types. One of the truest forms of hypoallergenic products. AND IT FOAMS!!! This face wash is not only amazing, it is fair trade, organic and Ph balanced. Do yourself a favor and try this asap!
Step up your natural skincare game with this serum! Hyaluronic Acid helps with fine lines and paired together with ferulic acid, add a hefty defense against the elements while helping the skin rejuvenate. Vitamin C is the skins wake up call, boosting your skins collagen cells. If you are looking for a serum to try and not looking to shell out the big bucks for it, this is the product for you! Huge bang for your dollars spent! Another A++++!
In your beauty care routine, one item you should never skimp on is your moisturizer. If you don’t use a serum, eye cream, you name it, make sure you are always using a moisturizer. What is so special about this day cream? THE GOLD I TELL YA! After the first few uses you will notice your skin is more radiant, firm and smooth. I love, love, love it! Amazon key ingredients and a luxury day cream that wont break the bank.
How long have you heard the words, Mary Kay? Joked about the pink Cadillacs top consultants poke around into their next pamper party? These days everyone is striving to discover the next new brand with the hottest new product, but sometimes, going back to the roots is a good path to take and rediscover tried and true products.
Recently a friend of mine because an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay and yeah, I chuckled a little at first and ran with it just to support her new endeavor. This is where the back to basics saying comes in. Mary Kay might be stereotyped as “old” makeup and beauty care, but they have come a long way from your mothers’ blue eyeshadow from the ’80s.
It wasn’t until I volunteered as practice tribute did I find out how much Mary Kay has really changed. So, let me share five of my favorites with you.
If you love a matte finish and a good 12 hour wear-time in 23 shades to choose from, you’ll love the timewise foundation. And it is sensitive skin friendly too!
If you have sensitive skin that flakes (even though your skin type is oily) then do your face a favor and invest in the timewise two step microdermabrasion set. It wont irritate your skin and leave your skin clam, clean and baby soft.
After a long day, your legs and dogs can howl. Specially if your job involves being on your feet all day. That is why I love this energizing lotion. Rub this mint bliss on tired feet and legs and you’ll find your second wind.
Make up wipes are all the rage, wasteful too. In a resolution to limit my waste and impact on the environment, I have been looking for a few good make up removers. This eye makeup remover does not disappoint. Grab your favorite super soft cloth this bad boy and you’ll say goodbye to the says mascara in just a few swipes.
I’m usually a brow shadow type of gal, but I have to say I love this brow pencil. Smooth formula and precision tip, this pencil is a everyday must have.
Madame morningstar 