Nivea Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs Shave Minimizing Tanner Review

While I was vacationing in South Carolina and then Virginia for a few days, I was in a lot of drug stores, snooping around, seeing if they had anything different in the way of beauty products that I don’t typically see here in Ohio. I found one that is in Ohio, but that I thought was an interesting concept in self tanning and hair removal or at least in minimizing shaving your legs that I bought. The product is by Nivea and it’s called Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs Shave Minimizing gradual self tanning moisturizer.  Quite a mouth full!

But that describes the product in a nutshell. It is supposed to help cut back on hair growth on your legs, and also gradually self tan them with a subtle self tanner. The bottle is ten bucks, and it is almost 7 ounces. If you use it on just your legs (I used it on my whole body the first time), it will last you quite a few tans.  It’s a white cream, which I  like because even though I do like the instant tan of a tinted self tanner and the instantly dewy look it gives your skin, I don’t like those types of self tanners when I’m planning on putting it on right before bed time.

It will stain your sheets, especially if they are lighter.  Here’s the kicker about this product thought. I do think it helped my leg hair, maybe it made it softer, but I don’t think it actually inhibited it’s growth. I think their selling point may be that since your legs are tanner, the hair is less noticeable, because they don’t specifically claim that there are any hair growth inhibiting ingredients in it on the back label.

It says that with daily use, your hair will look less noticeable and you’ll have a beautiful tan. But I did notice there was some sort of starch in the ingredients list, and I did notice that it had a different feel to the cream itself when I put it on my legs, so I wonder if that was somehow supposed to soften the hair that was there. I’m too impatient to put it on several days in a row, so I would skip a day or two in between, which may have defeated the purpose of the shave minimizing part.

It does give a nice, subtle tan though in a few uses, and it doesn’t get splotchy at all, so I’d recommend it for your legs. As far as the shave minimizing part, you may need to use it every day to enjoy those benefits a bit more.

Dr. Mercola Natural Sunscreen and Natural Tanning Oil Review

Dr. Mercola is a naturalopathic doctor who has a huge website online.  I subscribe to his newsletters, and I think, although I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says 100% of the time, he has some very valid points and also happens to have some excellent products that I’ve tried that are all natural.

I decided to try his natural sunscreen, an SPF 30, because I started reading the labels on store bought sunscreens with traditional labels like Coppertone, Banana Boat and other popular brands, and saw a bevy of preservatives that are known toxins to the skin and body, and other chemical names that I didn’t even recognize.

I started to think, in my quest to be healthier by shield my skin to damage UV rays, I might actually be doing more harm than good by slathering on chemicals that inevitably leach into your blood stream.  So, I bought two of his natural sun products actually. One, I bought the Mercola natural sunscreen, and two I bought the Natural Tanning oil. Both come with green tea, which I like, because green tea is a great antioxidant, and is good for the skin both internally and externally, helping to reverse and stave off free radical damage.

Both products are eco friendly and biodegradable, which is a good sign that they are also non toxic to apply to human skin.  I bought the tanning oil too, because I do occasionally like to enjoy short bouts in the sun without mega sunscreen, so I can ensure I get my daily dose of vitamin D, which is proving to be ever more important in the grand scheme of things.  I love the tanning oil. It has a ton of good for your skin ingredients.

You MUST shake it well before every use, to make sure the extract and oils all mix together so you get maximum benefit.  It’s made of sunflower oil, green tea extract, coconut oil, which is a great skin protector, almost oil, lanolin, vitamin E, eucalyptus oil, and vitamin C.  No unrecognizable chemical names – nice huh!?  I have never gotten burned using this oil, and it feels great going on. I feel like it’s also protecting my skin, and I’m not putting any toxic chemicals on, so I feel safe leaving it on all day after the sun too.

The Mercola sunscreen is great too.  This one you must shake well before each use also. It also contains green tea extract.  In addition to almost the same ingredients as the tanning oil, it contains only the natural sunscreens in it of zinc oxide, a natural compound, and titanium dioxide, another naturally occurring compound. No parabens or other potentially cancer linked chemicals – and it works great.

You do have to reapply after going in the water, but it’s totally non toxic and you don’t feel like it’s plugging every pore when you put it on.Even the smell isn’t all “chemically” like you’re used to smelling when you open a bottle of traditional sunscreen. I’m sold!

Pure Life Soap Co. Wild Indigo Shampoo

I never thought I’d try an all natural – and I do mean all natural- shampoo that I’d actually like, which gave me better results than any other expensive salon shampoo, including those brands that advertise as being natural. The shampoo that I’ve been using is by Pure Life Soap Company, a smaller operation that makes great all natural, organically grown self care and beauty products like body lotions, soap of course, and shampoos and conditioners. The only product I’ve tried so far of theirs is this Wild Indigo shampoo for all hair types, and I LOVE it.

I tried it out somewhat skeptically, because my sister bought it for me as part of my birthday gift. I thought for sure it would be disastrous when I squeezed it out and it was so thick I could barely get it out of the bottle, and it looked like a very thick clear jelly with a lot of stuff suspended in it. It’s hard too, because it doesn’t really lather up, but you have to believe me, this stuff gets your hair clean, and very clean, because then your conditioner soaks into your hair even better.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about this product. I have problems with dandruff, and wild indigo is supposed to be good for that, and I did notice less itchiness and dryness almost after the first wash with this shampoo. It has a wonderful light, natural fragrance with no chemical or artificial fragrances added, so this shampoo would be ideal to those that are allergic to a lot of different scents. Wild indigo has great antiseptic properties, which is probably why it helps keep your scalp healthy, but this shampoo also is a great, gentle cleanser that leaves your hair soft and silky instead of dried out.

It contains zero parabens, sulfates, petroleum, and artificial dyes and fragrances, so it should be totally hypoallergenic, and of course it’s vegan and also cruelty free. Oh, the bottle is also recyclable, and the product itself is biodegradable. I don’t think you can get any better than that! It leaves my hair feeling totally clean, and my scalp feeling very nourished and clean. I love reading the ingredients because it’s the most natural label I’ve ever seen, I can actually identify the ingredients on it. This is definitely the best all natural shampoo I’ve ever tried, and it totally fits into my new desire to go totally natural for a lot of my personal care products.

I’m going to be ordering more shortly (you can order their product on Amazon, which I’m ecstatic about since my sister bought this in a store in Humboldt county CA, and I live in Ohio), and I’m also going to try out their soaps and their body lotions as well.

Ardell Eyelash and Brow Growth Gel : Working!

Ok, so I think I’m slowly becoming somewhat of a believer in a very cost efficient product that is helping my eyelashes and eyebrows grow a bit thicker and more healthy called Ardell eyelash and eyebrow growth accelerator gel. I bought it for something like $4 a tube on Amazon, and thought I’d give it a shot, although truthfully I thought I had a shot in the dark of the stuff actually working for such a reasonable price. I really wouldn’t have been that disappointed spending that little money on something if it didn’t really work all that well, but it makes it all that much more exciting when something cheap really does seem to help.

That being said, I purchased this brow and lash growth accelerator gel because mostly I was concerned that a lot of the eyebrows that I had over tweezed in my zealous younger days when pencil thin brows were in, were beginning to thin even more and just stop growing back. This often happens when you over tweeze your eyebrows, especially after a certain age when your hair tends to not grow back as easily or regenerate as quickly.

So basically I had a few minor “bald spots” in my eyebrow arch that needed to be manually filled in with an eyebrow liner. Not a huge deal since I do have a brow liner that happens to match my real eyebrow color pretty well and it’s fairly undetectable, unless my skin is really pale, then it does show up a bit more. I’ve always had somewhat full eyelashes, especially after applying my mascara, so I figured I’d also use it on my lashes. After all, your eyelashes can never be too full or long, right? I figured anything that happened to my lashes would just be an added bonus as long as it helped along my faltering brow growth.

I really do think that eyebrows are important in your appearance. They can perfectly frame your face, and add that complementary symmetry that everyone is going for, so it’s important to me that I’m able to shape my brows, they’ve always been an important part of my routine. So, I’ve been using the stuff every night, and sometimes if I remember, I’ll also apply it in the morning and let it dry before I apply my mascara to my lashes, for about one month now.

I have noticed that my brows have started to fill in where they were once sparse, and I’ve definitely noticed that my eyelashes have grown in fuller and thicker, and they also seem to look a lot darker, without mascara. All this in one month, and I haven’t even gone through a fourth of the first tube I bought yet, so I thought I should share that with my readers if you’re in the market for an eyebrow and eyelash growth accelerator!

L’Oreal Liquid Liner : Telescopic Eyeliner Review

Well, I finally broke down and went out and bought a new (two) bottles of liquid eyeliner, after sucking the one I had for about two years dry finally.  I want to start using liquid liner a few days a week, the brown color I bought during the day for more emphasis on my eyes and something a little different from my ho hum brown eyeshadow and brown stick liner, and the black for a more dramatic, bold look in the evening or for special events.  I settled on the L’Oreal brand of liquid liner because I really love the way it glides on.

I’ve previously used the L’Oreal liquid liner before, but this is in a new bottle and packaging and the brush is slight shorter.  It’s a felt brush, which sounds like it could be awkward to, but in fact the felt brush is ultra easy to use and virtually idiot proof to get a flawless, straight line on your upper lid every time.  I bought the dark black color of the Lineur Intense as well as a dark brown color.

I love both of them.  They are in tiny bottles, so I don’t know how long they’ll last, but at seven bucks each, it’s not a bad deal in the first place.  Plus, liquid liner shouldn’t be kept forever anyways – it loses it’s liquidiness (I should know, I kept mine for two years and then wondered why it didn’t go on as easy).

It will clump up and dry out easily, so it’s better that it comes in a small bottle.  If you want that more dramatic cat eye look, or just want more definition to your eye or a different look for a little while, try these L’Oreal liquid liners, they’re inexpensive and they really go on great.  They also wear well, but they’re not waterproof, so you can’t be going to any water parks or get caught in a downpour in these products.

I think L’Oreal, for being a drugstore brand of cosmetics, is a great product line and they offer some truly high quality and effective and boldly colored cosmetics for the price minded woman of today, and I’ll always be a loyal user of some of their eye products.

Artefill Permanent Wrinkle Filler a Good Idea?

I don’t know, call me crazy, but whenever I see the word “permanent” associated with any type of plastic surgery self improvement, I am filled with a sense of trepidation.  When I think of permanent, I think “not easily reversed” or “possibly disastrous”.  I can’t help it, I’ve seen too many of those bad face lifts, nose jobs, lip plumping injections with permanent fillers, cheek implants, and tummy tucks (ala Tara Reid’s botched belly job), that end up looking ten times worst than the person pre-surgery that I treat anything that is permanent with severe caution and would research it thoroughly if I were to even ever think about it.

Hence my skepticism on permanent injectable wrinkle fillers, like the newer Artefill wrinkle filler that’s been approved by the FDA.  Even many plastic surgeons and dermatologists won’t use permanent fillers because of their higher likelihood of being botched, migrating to other areas and creating a deformed look that requires surgeries to fix them and also serious pshychological issues in those that a botched job afflicts.  You may have seen some bad jobs on celebrities, whose lips suddenly look inflated and uneven, or maybe they have facial features that don’t look quite symmetrical, perhaps because of a migration of the inejctable filler, a lot of these may be due to permanent fillers since they are more difficult to reverse.

Artefill is one that is injected into wrinkles and other areas like the lips that fills them out and rounds out wrinkles.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of temporary fillers like Juvederm and Restylane, but it’s because those are harmlessly absorbed into the skin, and they are actual collagen derivatives, so they actually may also improve skin over time.  Fillers that are permanent are made to stick around for good, which means higher risk for them moving around to where they are not supposed to be. Read our Revitol reviews for more information on an excellent at home wrinkle treatment regimen that works wonders.
However, Artefill, which was recently approved in 2007 (yes, that’s not that long ago in my book), uses an interesting technology whereby particles of a certain filler chemical are suspended in bovine (cow derived) collagen and then injected into the body, but not enough to actually intantly fill out the area.  Instead, what happens is that gradually over time, new collagen is produced by your body, encapsulating what is leftover of the formula, so you are essentially filling in the rest of the wrinkle with your own collagen.

Very cool!  However, I couldn’t find much about the safety and the effectiveness of this product, so I would do some prudent research of your own on this aspect – try RealSelf.com for personal sories and experiences with this filler, it does sound like it may have a risk of migration that causes problems.  I have to say, it is a very novel concept though, and if it could be perfected, it could be the beginning of a new wave in permanent fillers, but I’d wait for a better alternative to come along, which there inevitably will be.

Harajuku Lovers Perfumes (Gwen Stefani’s Line) Review

My boyfriend got me a few of the Harajuku Lovers line of perfumes, which is a catchy, sort of trendy perfume line that is the brainchild of Gwen Stefani, who seems to have turned herself into somewhat of a brand over the last few years. She’s a musician, markets lots of beauty products, and even has her own clothing line. And she’s married to the super hot Gavin Rossdale and has two cute kids with him. How much better does life get?

Mac Limited Edition Eyeshadow Duo Review

Ugh, I really must say that I love MAC cosmetics.  Ever since a good friend of mine got me hooked on certain products, like their Lip Plush and Lip Glass lipgloss, which I swear is the longest lasting lip gloss I’ve ever worn, I feel like I’ve been converted.  The only product I’m holding out on trying of theirs is the mascara since I still like my drugstore brand L’Oreal Lash Out, and feel that it does the best job on lengthening, darkening and enlarging my eyelashes, and I’ve tried a lot of other expensieve brands too.

My friend, the same one who started my MAC eye opening, got me a limited edition eyeshadow duo that consists of a light off white color ( a yellowish tan) and a deeper brown.  Since I’m a brunette with a fair but not necessarily red complexion, browns are one my favorite colors for my eyes. 

The eyeshadows also have a tad bit of sparkle to them, making them a bit more festive and reflective when you put them on.  The only thing with sparkly eyeshadows that are powder is that you have to be careful to wipe underneath your eyes after application since the sparkles inevitably fall underneath the hollows of your eyes, but that’s minimal with the MAC ones since they don’t go crazy on the sparkle. 

The eyeshadow, as with all their other products, goes on smoothly and effortlessly, and it’s deeply pigmented so you don’t find that you’re swiping over and over to get the desired depth to your color, which can be a pain with other eyeshadows that are chinsy on the pigmentation.  MAC colors always seem to be a much richer tone as well, and more universally flattering, because I swear I could put this exact same color on made by someone else and it would not look as rich and flattering. 

Vaseline for Men Review

OK, so this isn’t actually me that this review is from, but from my boyfriend, who just bought the new Vaseline for Men.  It’s a lotion that is supposedly formulated more tailored for men’s skin and the unique problems and characteristics that  man’s skin has.  For example, did you know that men naturally  have tougher, thicker skin than women do?  It’s true!  That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll age a whole lot better in the face than women, but sometimes it does explain the number of men who outnumber the women who look much younger than their age.

My boyfriend is almost thirty years old, and doesn’t realy have a wrinkle to count on his young face yet, but he does get dry and irritated a lot, especially where his goatee is.  He is prone to getting splotches of red around that area, and his skin gets abnormally dry in the winter months when humidity is hard to come by unless you take a steam shower. 

Vaseline for Men is in a large dispenser, sort of like a woman’s body cream would be. This just goes to show that men don’t need all the fancy, smaller packing for something to work.  It’s also very reasonable, considering this product will probably last him two years if he continues to only use it on his face.  It only costs around six dollars. 

He says that he likes it, it’s definitely doing the job it needs to and is keeping the red spotchies away while soothing his skin after he shaves without irritation bumps, so it was a good buy. 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara Review

Let me begin this review of Lash Blast by Cover Girl, a new mascara that they have apparently spent loads of money on advertising with Drew Barrymore as their spokesperson, that I am still and will always be a die hard user of L’Oreal’s Lash Out mascara.  That said, I wanted to buy this mascara and try it out because I have to admit I was intrigued by the commercials and thought that maybe it might finally bump me onto something new as far as mascara was concerned at least. 

Now, the first thing I noticed about Lash Blast was that it is in a ridiculously large tube.  That I do not like, because the wand part that you hold with your hand is so big that I find it difficult to work with.  Then again, to be fair, I’ve used Lash Out for so long that I’m used to it’s slender, ribbed wand and find that to be easier to use.  Some people may find the larger wand grasp fine, and even prefer it though.  The packaging for Lash Blast is also pretty flashy and I have to hand it to them for marketing here, it does get your attention when you’re browsing down the makeup aisle!

Now, onto the review of how this mascara actually works.  Lash Blast has a large lash wand too, the part with the brush is much thicker in diameter than most mascaras, and I think that’s part of the design to get more plumping power, so I recognize the effort.  It also does have several small bristles which helps lend to the thickening, lengthening and separating aspect of mascara application that makes it look good and makes you lashes really stand out.  Another good point for this mascara!

Althought the brush design may be good, I felt like I had to apply this many times over each time I used it (I used it about five times so far, accounting for the fact that mascara usually requires some loosening up when you first buy it, just like Lash Out does too, you have to give it time to build up on your brush in other words).  

I didn’t like the fact that the formula didn’t seem to want to adhere to my lashes very well and that I had to keep wiggling it up the base of my lashes several times to even get any kind of definition.  Therein lies the problem with Lash Blast – I think it’s the actual formula that is sort of weak on this product, not the package design or brush.  All in all, you can get defined lashes by using it, it’s just time consuming if you’re impatient.  I still am a staunch follower of L’Oreal!