Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment

$22.50 for 0.15oz/4.3g

Love Love Love, oh yeah, Love Love Love!

I am flying high after last weeks bout with flaky, dry, cracking lips all because of this smooth, long lasting balm with a flush of rosy color that makes spring feel close enough to kiss. It has a fresh lemony scent and no waxy heaviness. This balm melts into skin quickly but clings on through meals even, lasting about 6-7 hours.

Basically, I'm hardcore in love with Fresh Sugar Rose and so is my friend who went to Sephora with me. To be honest, I'm having trouble not overusing this because I love the smell and feel of application. So worth it!

Lately, a lot more variations of this lip treatment have come up, including a Coral version that has me drooling for a swipe on my pucker!

Beauty Newb Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪ (you get about as much as a generous lipstick)
Available at Sephora stores and online; I've also noticed it on Birchbox.

Mask of the Month: Aveda Enbrightenment Massage Masque

A creamy, moisturizing mask that is activated by massaging into the skin. The idea is that with the increased circulation you bring to the surface, your skin gets a healing boost from the mask's formula encouraging faster desquamation (cell shedding). This is a great-smelling, smooth mask that gives you a little something to do while it sits--and since there is no strange color and it blends into skin, you won't scare anyone around the house while using it! Enbrightenment is meant to reduce and treat hyperpigmentation due to sun-damage of post-inflammatory trauma (blemishes), so I am a prime candidate for seeing results with this masque.

Coupled with regular exfoliation, using Aveda Enbrightenment Massage Masque twice a week at night before moisturizer gives my skin a glow and a great boost in hydration. I use a spot treatment on any places that might be vulnerable to breakouts with the added weight of moisture--no issues so far,--and I personally only use enough so that I don't need to remove any. If you feel as though there is still a layer on top of your skin after massaging it in for a few minutes, you can wipe off the excess (do not wash off the rest).

Hyperpigmentation is notoriously hard to get rid of or even see results with beyond natural healing, but my skin is less prone to becoming so sharply red in post-blemish areas with regular use of this masque. My skin also feels generally healthier and is healing faster anyway since I started Enbrightenment; I'd like to think that every little bit of natural goodness this is providing is a step towards clearer, beautiful skin!

Blitz Blogging: Birchbox April 2012

After most of the estheticians I work with started raving about being able to sample products every month with no effort of searching around stores or the web, I caved and forked over a $10.00 USD per month subscription to Birchbox. I am not disappointed! I get 5-6 samples of really great products, most of which I adore and usually one of which I could skip...but those are for gifting, yeh!

First off, my pass-product, Wonderstruck Perfum by Taylor Swift. What can I say I am not a fan of hers or her perfum; I hate the smell, so lets just leave it at that. (Find this product here.)

Moving on to the good stuff-- three amazing products from one ecocentric company. Pangea Organics  Egyptian Fennel with Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Lip Balm has blown my mind. I received a full-sized tube in my Birchbox, and full-size to Pangea is over-size, i.e. about twice as much as any other balm/lipstick/gloss will ever be! Now I want to try the other scents/flavors but will probably never finish the tube... dilemma... (Find this product here.)

Pangea Organics Turkish Rose and White Tea Eye Cream for all skin types is very smooth, hydrating, and very little goes a very long way. My tiny little sample pack actually lasted me over a week using it twice daily. Wonder how far a full-size tube will get me...and if you couldn't tell from the name, it smells fantastic! It also never caused even the slightest bit of irritation on my sensitive skin and eyes. (Find this product here.)

Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean and Cranberry Facial Scrub for all skin types is a thick but workable scrub that is lovely and smells very good, but I am not convinced it does more/better than any other scrub I own. That said, for any of you looking for a natural or organic way to polish your visage to a healthy glow, look no further because this is a treat to use. (Find this product here.)

Weleda Pomegranate Firming Day Cream was really the biggest surprise in my Birchbox this month. Since I have problems with oil and blemishes, I had to force myself to start using this even though I thought it might really mess with the tentative balance of my skin this spring. I was wrong--it works great even for my oily skin! After using it all week, my skin feels firmer and more evenly hydrated than before, and I don't seem to be creating as much oil throughout my long work days.  Tip of the hat to Weleda for this diamond in the rough. (Find this product here.)

Benta Berry G-1 Exfoliating Cleanser is again your more natural version of the average scrub, but I do find it a bit more drying than the Pangea formula I tested out. I also like the scent a little less; however, this is a less-expensive option for the natural scrub market and an excellent option for travel as it comes in a 1 oz/30 ml tube. (Find this product here.)

You can sign up to receive your very own Birchbox sent to your door at Birchbox.com!

Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Mango Juice

$18.00 USD for 0.24 oz

Readers who have read my other two reviews about Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze will know that whenever my lips are feeling dry and unloved, I use Lip Glaze to soothe them back into shape--within a single day! We're talking about lips on the verge of bleeding they are so chapped, and Lip Glaze makes them soft, hydrated, plump and healthy within 24 hours. Anyone else NEVER seen that before? I hadn't had chapped and cracking lips fixed faster than about three days since...birth, really, because no other formula can stick around over the thicker dead skin of flakes long enough to heal some of the skin beneath. Also, I may not know how they do it, but Lip Glazes seem to exfoliate off the flakes while it wears off, so there are no moments of "oh, I think I just eat a piece of my chapped lips"--gross! Has that ever happened to you? It won't happen anymore with Aveda Lip Glaze!

Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Mango Juice

Mango Juice is an iridescent coral with enough light reflection to distract people in a staring contest. It's dynamic but not overdone because the shine doesn't come from chunky glitter, just a shimmer that likes the light. I love how MLBB the pigmentation is, but how generally noticeable and unnoticeable Mango Juice is. Look at it this way--my lips don't become any darker or lighter, just prettier and luminous and fresh! Seriously, there's really nothing I don't like about these Lip Glazes...

Wearing Aveda Lip Glaze in Mango Juice

See two previously reviewed colors of this product: Cherry Blossom and Raspberry Tea!
Beauty Newb Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪ plus UNIVERSAL COLOR! (so six out of five stars....yes.)
Available at Aveda Salons and Spas internationally and online at Aveda.com.

Blitz Blogging--Products to Hunt Down: Aveda Lip Tint SPF 15 in 450 Peony

0.15oz/4.25g

I don't know why Aveda would choose to not keep this product on the market; I'm in love with the subtle shine and moisture-rich coating of this protective balm, but from my experience with the brand, they are reformulating Aveda Lip Tint SPF 15 to be better than ever and back soon (hint, hint)! Note: Found out that these are meant to be replaced with Uruku Color Gloss, so will review those soon! Obviously, from the name you can gleam that the pigmentation is sheer, a rosy glow with silvery micro-shimmer that turns to luscious sheen on the lips. Aveda Lip Saver is world famous for being comfortable and hydrating, and Lip Tint is no disappointing second! This is the real deal of super balm that is naturally formulated to keep your lips lovely. I don't know where I would be without it this fall!

Aveda Lip Tint SPF 15 in Peony

Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Cherry Blossom

Aveda Cherry Blossom Rehydrating Lip Glaze

$18.00 for 0.24oz/7g

I had previously tried Aveda Lip Glaze in a more neutral, safe color, but after falling in love with the formula, I thought I would try something a little bolder and brighter than my usual looks. I think the vibrancy of Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Cherry Blossom reminds me of the BB Rich Lip Color SPF 12 (reviewed here in Sweet Nectar); the colors may not be that close to one another, but the effect of drawing attention to a fashionable bold color statement without bringing focus to lip lines, dry flakes, or uneven pigmentation is still strong between the two products.


From my earlier review of the color Raspberry Tea, "Yes, it rehydrates, and better than any gloss or lipstick I've tried ever. I hadn't even noticed how frequently I was reaching for this until I found a tiny bit of transfer on almost all of cups and mugs I had to wash of this very color. And as little transfer as I ever saw from my glosses too! It's insane how quickly this gloss (or glaze, as it's called) is just my go-to without any effort. Supposedly this will thoroughly recondition your lips in eight weeks...but I'm pretty sure it's done that in less than two for me..."

Aveda Cherry Blossom Rehydrating Lip Glaze in daylight

I'm downright proud to say that my education had me recommending products like this lip glaze to customers everyday because this is a whole lot of bang for your buck: proven results, great pigmentation, and a fresh minty-boost to your breath! I just can't beat that with any other gloss I've tried and/or reviewed. While Cherry Blossom is not an everyday color for me and my makeup wardrobe, I do find myself reaching for the formula frequently to really hydrate my lips when regular balm just won't do the trick. I can't live without this stuff, and I won't because I still want it in Mango Juice and Agave Nectar!!! Woohoo!

Wearing Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation; Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Concealer, Black Brown Eye Pencil, Sparkling Sand Shimmer Cream; e.l.f. Complexion Perfection; Wet'n'Wild MegaLength Mascara; and Aveda Lip Glaze in Cherry Blossom

Beauty Newb Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪
Available at Aveda Salons and Spas internationally and online at Aveda.com.

We're all pitching in to clean up the new place since moving, including Sir-Sparks-A-Lot lending a helping paw!

Serum Saturday: Aveda Enbrightenment Brightening Correcting Serum

$50.00 for 1.0 fl oz

It's been two weeks of lack-lustre serums for the blog, but hopefully we'll get out of the dumps soon, or at least as soon as I can get some samples to try some more. I'm really interested in trying the DiorSnow brightening products, but they are currently extremely far out of my price range (anywhere from $50-$125, YIKES!). One thing remains the same for Serum Saturday, however, and that is my never-ending quest for a hyper-pigmentation treatment that's worth its salt.

Enter Enbrightenment: a line specifically designed for reducing hyper-pigmentation and renewing that damaged skin to its natural healthy glow. Enbrightenment's key ingredient is naturally derived salicylic acid (a beta-hydroxy, if anyone's wondering) which increases the turnover of skin cells in the area of use. In layman's terms, it keeps your skin exfoliating itself so new skin comes to the surface. It's a very nice thought that such a natural product will do more to improve your skin than a synthetic form of the same ingredients, but my biggest problem with this serum is beyond ingredients--to get close to the results I wanted, I had to use the toner along with this serum.

That may not sound like a big deal, I mean, if you are looking for skincare that does something specific. Enbightenment Toner cost another $42 for 5.0 fl oz, which brings us to nearly $100 for results that aren't all that great for me. Yes, these products work, but I cannot afford that long-term of an investment at the moment. Because my skin is so oily and needs to be slowly transitioned to richer product (or richer products used only intermittently) my results will not be truly visible before I have to repurchase. It's just too costly for the time it takes.

One bottle of Aveda Enbrightenment Correcting Serum lasted me about three and a half months when used morning and night. Since my pigmentation comes from healing acne scars and I still break out, new pigment appears before I see significant healing or improvement of old hyper-pigmentation. The cycle makes the whole line necessary to really grab the pigment by the melanin, but the price makes it impractical for me.

Bottom line: worth the money for a more natural product that works, but not in my budget to use practically.
Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✪✪✩
Available at Aveda and partner salons and spas, and online at Aveda.com.

Aveda Uruku Bronzer in 104 Amazonia

$24.00 for 0.3oz/8.5g

Aveda Uruku Amazonia Bronzer is a blend of a neutral, luminous medium brown and a redder, rusty brown shimmer that really wakes up my face. For all of my foundations in winter, I am so pale that without a little contouring I look as though I am about 1.5 feet in the grave, so something that catches the light and places with the shadows a bit keeps me feeling more among the living. Even now at the very last days of summer I find myself looking in the mirror, saying "good lord, where is my bronzer? I can't go out like this." Yes, my non-existent summer tan is more obvious now that the sun shines a little less brightly and radiates just a little bit cooler light; I'm out of summer-skin-luck!

top: the neutral, medium brown half of Amazonia; bottom: the rusty-brown half with golden sheen

To be perfectly clear, I certainly don't need to really layer on the bronzer to achieve the look I am going for in my day-to-day appearance, but I am pleased to report that Uruku Bronzers (both Amazonia and Brazilian Sun) have buildable and blendable color payoff. As always, you don't have to think very hard about how I most likely apply this (and every other product save for corrective color)...sheerly. I'm predictable that way. I am also so ingrained with the shame of having once-too-often overdone color in my youth (younger youth, that is) as to be unable to overdo the application in photos and swatches on my skin. I seriously freak out if color looks like too much on my skin, and now that I don't have the luxury of the first month of blogging, where I was at home all day and no one was looking, I can't really just experiment with heavier color and certainly not regularly.

Aveda Petal Essence Face Accent in 181 Apricot Whisper

$24.00 for 0.3oz/8.5g

This blush from Aveda features three separate strips of powder that can be used separately or in unison. While apart the colors could be a highlighter (the golden yellow), a blush (the peach), and a contour (the rosy pink), I prefer the simple glow that comes from sweeping over all of the powder and blending along the cheekbones. "Whisper" was a  good addition to the name because, while there is very buildable coverage from this product, it goes on quite sheer at first. Knowing me though, you understand why this is a bonus. Control in color placement and depth is crucial for pale skin--when you over-do it even slightly, it is WAY over-done and extremely distracting to anyone trying to focus on what you are saying or doing.

Aveda Petal Essence Cheek Color in Apricot Whisper (left to right: contour, blush, and highlight)

The staying power of Petal Essence Apricot Whisper is on the higher end for such a sheer product, or application in my case, with mine usually lasting until mid afternoon (so 6-7 hours) before I notice that I am looking a little sallow and need a bit of color to wake my face back up. Sometimes I don't reapply this color in the afternoon and instead go for something a little rosier; however, now that I write about the product, I realize I could just focus the brush more on that darkest strip of color for a richer, afternoon pop on the cheeks. It's amazing what you think of when you just pause to think something through, duh!

Aveda Inner Light Mineral Dual Foundation

$22.50 for 0.24oz/7g (shown center)

Take a wild guess which color I am, I dare you! That's right, the lightest, 01 Cream...

Aveda Inner Light Mineral Foundation is a shock in two ways; one, because it has buildable coverage that I have rarely seen within the brand, and two, because it can, and does, last all day when treated correctly. The powder compact's formula is lightweight and can be applied sheerly with a fluffy brush for a slightly skin-tone-even-ing glow or heavier with a sponge to get concealing coverage that is at least medium. While this powder blends very nicely with other powder products, I have been unsuccessful in finding a good way to keep it from rubbing off during the day. Inevitably, something gets smeared on my clothes from trying to get an itch without using my hands or simply from pulling my apron over my head.

without makeup

wearing Aveda Inner Light Dual Foundation in 01 Cream (single layer)

Aveda's "Earth Jam" Fashion Show and three days of makeup!

I hate to do this yet again after being silent for about three and half weeks, but guys, I'm tired! So I am just going to throw up some pictures of the stuff I've been doing recently, such as the following looks for the Earth Jam Fashion Show where I was a makeup artist for Team Jean Paul Gaultier. Believe me, this is really dark for my personal tastes, but it was fun to push myself out of the 'sheers and neutrals' comfort zone that I've been in the last several months.

At the very least, I know I can do it now, if the appropriate time arises...if, that is...because I won't do it otherwise!

Steph in what she dubbed "a dangerous Bo-Peep" do--I still think the top could have been a pillbox hat--and high eyes to reshape her face.

Erin rocking a KISS-inspired eye and a blue and gold pop on her lids.

Aveda Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color in 202 Sheer Mandarin

Part Eight for Build*A*Look #1: Backlit Beauty

Aveda Lip Color in Sheer Mandarin; $15.00 for 0.12oz/3.4g

Sometimes, people are really insincere when talking about how the products from a line they work for/with are, but in absolute honesty, I am impressed with Aveda. Because the line (the whole company) revolves around the active and majority plant and flower ingredients, some of the makeup/color line is limited by what those ingredients can do. For example, the wear-time takes a dive on some of the lip colors and eyeshadows. Here's how you fix the eyeshadow problem--wear a primer! It's that simple. Now to the lip colors.

Aveda Lip Color Sheer Mandarin in daylight

Oddly enough, I couldn't care less that Nourish-Mint Lip Color doesn't last over two hours because my lips have not felt this healthy in all the years I was a lip balm addict. That could be because none of the Aveda products contain petroleum or products thereof, so the natural goodness gives everything to my lips and takes nothing away. (So, to emphasize, this Sheer Mandarin is doing the same good stuff as Raspberry Tea Lip Glaze does.)

Aveda Petal Essence Eye Definer in 910 Sepia

Part Five for Build*A*Look #1: Backlit Beauty

$14.00 for 0.04 oz

Sepia is a medium grey-brown eyeliner that gives just a hint of thicker lashes to the upper lash line and slight definition to the lower lashes. This is a color particularly suited for light to fair skin tones as anyone with medium or darker skin will find it just doesn't show up at all. The formula, however, is worth a look.

Aveda Petal Essence Eye Definer in 910 Sepia

Aveda is a plant-based brand that is going to be in general more natural than most things you'll find on the market today. It's not organic, but I put it in that category because the idea behind the brand is to make products as naturally as possible but still have them be effective. I'm in love with the concept which is why I share that information when I can. That feels as though the whole industry should be just like that, but it's really not. Anyway, the liner is not as creamy as say the Pixi Endless liners I have (and used today), but the color payoff is nice and the application smooth. It's definitely a pencil and not a pencil posing as a liquid liner-type either. Just a pencil, done well with better-for-the-planet ingredients.

That just makes me happy.

Aveda Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Raspberry Tea

$18.00 for 0.24 oz.

Not a bad Tuesday, to be honest. I don't think taking a shower in the morning has felt so refreshing in a long while, meaning I was either too stinky for my own good or I got decent sleep last night. I'm hoping it was good sleep because otherwise my boy is way too nice on Valentine's Day. So what is the best thing I wore on V-Day--why it's this gloss right here!!

Aveda Nourish-Mint Lip Glaze in Raspberry Tea

Yes, it rehydrates, and better than any gloss or lipstick I've tried ever. I hadn't even noticed how frequently I was reaching for this until I found a tiny bit of transfer on almost all of cups and mugs I had to wash of this very color. And as little transfer as I ever saw from my glosses too! It's insane how quickly this gloss (or glaze, as it's called) is just my go-to without any effort. Supposedly this will thoroughly recondition your lips in eight weeks...but I'm pretty sure it's done that in less than two for me...