Nail Art Contest!

FUN NEW NAIL ART CONTEST!!!!  Check it out!  I am amazed at how talented people are!  So cool! Details here:  http://www.momsthoughts.com/news/nail-art-contest-on-bloom-/

HELP!

I need your votes!  Can you go to my page and vote on my #SummerBlonde entries?

  http://www.bloom.com/beautybio/customer/view/id/25066#lookbook-14272 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! 

All you have to do is click on “LOOKS GOOD” under each photo!  (see example in photo)

MomsThoughts Joins WetPaint Moms!

I am excited to announce my first publication on WetPaint Moms!  WetPaint is known for their family of entertainment websites.  It’s a lot of fun to be included on their new site for Moms!  I hope you will visit WetPaint Moms and check out my first contribution! 

Read more: http://www.momsthoughts.com/news/wetpaint-moms/

Dry Shampoo: Is It For You?

I have tried a few dry shampoos.  The first time was when I was in the hospital and unable to shower.  But even in the hospital, I couldn’t stand having my hair look gross.  I also like to skip washing my hair from time to time when possible.  I highlight my hair and washing it can fade the color and dry out my hair.  

I recently saw Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo while out shopping so I had to give it a try.  According to their website, this product uses mineral clay and silk powder to absorb oil and refresh hair.  

Unlike other dry shampoos I have tried, this product didn’t leave my hair super dry and static-y.   I actually like the result and felt like it added extra texture!  I am able to revive the previous style and it feels clean and manageable.  I won’t go as far as to say it feels as if it was just washed but it definitely has a good result that I was impressed with.  I like to use this on days I don’t wash my hair or even when traveling or on vacation. There are days I just don’t want to invest a lot to time and effort into washing and styling my hair but still want to look presentable.  

It is definitely priced right to keep on hand! (I think I bought my two pack for around $5 at Target)   Have you tried dry shampoo yet?  

http://www.suave.com/products/Professionals/Dry-Shampoo-Conditioner/Dry-Shampoo-Spray.aspx

Nails

A new look for my Essie Bikini So Teeny.  Two coats Bikini So Teeny plus one coat Essie Luxe Effects Set In Stone!  Its a fun glittery/confetti look that is very forgiving.  The confetti sparkles, looks great and hides any little imperfections in the polish.  Visit http://www.bloom.com/invite/25066

***Essie Bikini So Tiny was provided to me by Klout.  No expectation of review or opinion was expressed or implied. 

TimeSeal Concealer

Is TimeSeal Concealer the miracle I have been waiting for??

(please note: UPDATE from TimeSeal at the end of my review)

When I first learned about TimeSeal Concealer, I was intrigued.  When they offered to send me one to review, I was elated!  

You see, TimeSeal boasts that its Anti-Aging, All-In-One Concealer has 7 unique anti-aging ingredients (including “BioFirm 7 Complex), improves under eye skin at the cellular level, it is lightweight and natural looking and its available in 4 colors!  Who wouldn’t be excited?  I have a unique situation in that under one eye I have a dark freckle plus I sustained an injury under the same eye years ago and that left the area under that eye slightly darker than the other. 

The Pros: The concealer goes on effortlessly.  It has a nice powdery finish.  It wears well for hours. It eliminates the need for wrinkle cream around the eyes.  The coverage is good.  It stays in place and is so simple to apply.  It didn’t get cakey looking.  It is oil free and long wearing. The compact is especially nice as it includes a little mirror for quick touchups on the go! 

The Cons:  I did not notice any significant difference in wrinkles.  I have only been using it for a week, so perhaps over time it will be more apparent.  I also didn’t get enough coverage.  This may be a problem all my own.  I have been on a quest to find a concealer that actually hides my dark under eye area.  I may be overly obsessed.  This gave good coverage but no better or worse than other good concealers I have tried.  Also, I used the lightest color available and it was a shade or two too dark for me.  

The Bottomline:  This is a quality concealer that does double duty to improve your under eye area.  The finish is lovely.  If you don’t require serious under eye coverage, this is a product worthy of a try! If you are fair skinned like me, the lightest color may be too dark.  Would I purchase this?  Yes, if I could get a lighter shade.  I love the soft powdery finish, I love that its oil-free and long wearing. I also like the benefit of anti-aging built in, even if it might take some time before I notice the effects.  

***UPDATE***

TimeSeal Cosmetics reached out to me to let me know they will be adding a lighter shade!  I can look forward to the new shade “Ivory” in about 6 months!  Now, I am officially excited.  I can’t wait to try it and share with all of you!  In the meantime, unless you are a very fair Irish Lassie like me, please visit their website, learn more about this innovative product and try it out for yourself! 

Please visit TimeSeal Concealer at http://timesealcosmetics.com/frontpage/

Image source: http://timesealcosmetics.com/frontpage/

Olay CC Cream – Total Effects Tone Correcting Moisturizer with Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Light-to-Medium

According to the Olay website:

“Olay’s CC Cream provides instant Coverage plus Correction to fight 7 signs of aging, including uneven tone, age spots, and wrinkles. This all-in-one triple stream formula combines a daily anti-aging moisturizer, SPF 15 sunscreen and sheer tint for younger-looking skin.”  

I have been using the Olay “CC” cream for about a month now and I love it!  It makes the morning process so much faster and easier.  This is really and all in one with just the right amount of coverage for every day use.  My skin feels soft and looks dewy and radiant.  I do not look or feel like I have a lot of make on, just enough to even skin tone a little and brighten things up. 

So what is a “CC” cream anyway?  It is the new and improved “BB” cream.  “BB” creams gained popularity about 2 years ago as an all in one product.  The “CC” stands for Color Control.  This all-in-one product takes “BB” creams to the next level by also including color. 

The Olay CC Cream comes in 3 shades: Fair-to-Light, Light-to-Medium, and Medium-to-Deep.  I use the Light-To-Medium.  The products retails for about $22-25.  I can assure you a little goes a long way, I barely use half a pump each day. 

I love this product for its  results, ease of use and price point. 

Babor Intensifier Refreshing Foam Mask

I have started using the Babor Foam Mask.  According to Babor:

• For all skin types needing extra moisture and a smoothness boost
• Intensively moisturizes the skin
• Energizes and stimulates the skin’s regenerative processes.

The fun part is that is is a FOAM mask!  It is dispensed like shaving cream.  You spread the foam all over your face (a little goes a long way!!)  And after about 10-15 the foam is all but gone!  You can just massage in any remaining foam and your skin feels super soft and moisturized.  It is especially great in the winter when my skin tends to get dried out.  I also like a mask that doesn’t require rinsing!  So easy to use! 

It is a bit pricey, retailing at $60, but it does deliver the moisture!

Bloom Box Review!

So many good products to review this month from Bloom!  This is box 1 with more to follow! 

Let’s start with my hair!  I tried the Glo-Essentials Firm Hold Hairspray and the Boost Root Volumizer.   I used the volumizer on just slightly damp hair, applied to the sections at the root, set each section with my big velcro rollers and then hit each section with the blowdryer.  After hair was set and styled, I used the firm hold aerosol spray and it is FIRM hold!  But it isn’t sticky or tacky or “helmet head” looking (at least I didn’t think so.) It was very “touchable”.   Because it is FIRM hold, you really don’t need a lot which is great too. My hair held up great all night with good volume and still looks pretty good the next morning.  It still doesn’t look dirty or flat which is always a problem with fine hair like mine.

EYE BROWS!  The years of over tweezing has taken its toll on my eyebrows, that and the few grey hairs that seem to be randomly popping up leave my eyebrows lacking in some areas!  My eyebrow routine has consisted of using a toothbrush with some hairspray to shape and an eye brow pencil and powder to fill in the gaps.  I don’t like the overly “fake” looking brow, I much prefer a more natural look.  Therefore, my goal is to just fill in some thin areas and help get a good shape.  I LOVED both of these products.  The mousse is more of gel with a wand similar to a mascara wand.  Great to shape the brow and hold it in shape.  The Stila brow pen is perfect!  Its a very very fine pen that allows you to make the gentlest, whispiest strokes to fill in.  The light color worked great for me.  I am so happy with the result of these two product.  Stila never disappoints me. 

I tried the Jemma Kidd Firming I-Silk in Pearl Rose.  This is a creamy eye shadow that comes in a tube with a wand to apply.  The color was a lovely shimmery pink that I used over my entire lid.  I went back with some Stila shadows to contour and highlight.  I like the consistency and color a lot.  When given a choice, I will always choose anything that says “firming”!  It did get a little lumpy when first applied but I think that had more to do with the primer (I think I used too much)  The shadow brightened my eyes, had a nice shimmer but not overwhelming and lasted all evening.  The Jemma Kidd finishing power is finely milled, very soft and worked well.  I used the Fair color.  It does not offer a lot of coverage, which is fine since I really wanted this as a finishing powder to keep everything in place and to keep a matte finish without looking like I’m wearing “granny’s face powder”.  I did find it slightly difficult to actually shake the powder out in order to use it though.   That would be my only complaint.

Oh Peter Thomas Roth how I love thee, let me count the ways!  I am a true fan.  I love his resurfacing and retexurizer products which I use religiously.  I also love his FirmX line.  I am using the face and eye FirmX here and for the first time, I used the FirmX Contouring Color Stick!  It is full of great ingredients like Hyluranic acid that help plump and firm your skin.  It has a sheer pinkish bronzing color.  You can use this to contour cheeks and jaw line, to color and firm eyes, to color and soften lips, it does it all.  The color is buildable so add more or use lightly.  I think the results are subtle so you might need extra color if you want real dramatic contouring, but if you are looking for a fresh, sheer, firming, youthful glow, this can not be beat.  On most days, when I am home doing my Mommy thing, I don’t wear much makeup.  Maybe a quick brush of mineral powder, some concealer and bronzer.  I could definitely see this easily added to my every day routine as my go-to product!  I can honestly tell you I have been very impressed with all Peter Thomas Roth’s products.

Physician Formula Lip Plumping Potion in clear is a nice gloss!  Again, if it says “plumping”, I am in!  This is a high shine gloss which I loved.  I used a lip pencil first in a color very close to my own natural color and then added the gloss.  I really don’t know how plump my lips became but I loved the shine.  It does feel a little tacky after a couple hours - but it didn’t look tacky or sticky, it still looked shiny.  I did have to reapply a couple times over the course of the evening but that is to be expected especially since I was eating, drinking, talking, etc.  Definitely worth it for the affordable price.

L’oreal Color Correcting Primer in Green…no, I am not auditioning for Wicked!  Using a green primer helps correct the redness in my skin.  At first, it looked pretty strange, but once I applied my foundation over the green primer, the results were great in terms of color correcting.  My skin tone had a nice even appearance. My only complaint would be that I wish it did more to conceal pores.  A little goes a long way and you can’t beat the results for the price.

50% OFF AT BLOOM!

Its time to start shopping!!!  USE CODE HOLIDAY50  http://www.bloom.com/invite/25066

Megan Miller Collection Nail Polish!

Megan Miller nail polish is a nail polish collection with an eye for detail.  Every aspect of this line is thoughtfully executed from the hand-tied raffia to the natural cork top and the individually formulated colors.  For me, the most important aspect of the collection is the “3 Free”.  According to the Megan Miller website their polish collection is free of

• 1) Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
  2) Toluene
  3) Formaldehyde

These chemicals have been associated with cancer, kidney disease and birth defects. 

Ok, so this collection has a beautiful presentation and thoughtful formulation, but is it any good? 

Since I have gel polish on my nails right now, I was unable to try this polish in time for this review.  I offered it to my daughter who is currently a college student.  SHE LOVED IT.  I was just going to let her try it…but she loved it so much she wouldn’t return it! 

The color I received as a Bloom ambassador from Bloom.com is Framboise!  The Framboise polish is described on the Meagan Miller website as follows:

Like a wine glass in Venice the Framboise oozes a rich elegant coat which feels like a fine wine with a sweet finish.

I think it is a lovely, rich and flattering shade of red, perfect for the holiday season!