All Things Beautiful XO

Stephanie Louise Telford & her guide on beauty, style, & glitter!

Birchbox September 2012 featuring Dr. Jart, Color Club, & More!

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PhotobucketI look forward to my Birchbox every month like crazy. I’ve had Birchbox for well over a year, they’ve always had standout customer service, & they continuously introduce me to new brands & products. This month I was kind of half & half: it isn’t a bad box but it also didn’t blow me away. Birchbox is $10 a month & always a great surprise…to see what I got this month keep reading!

So let me include the card that always comes with Birchbox so you can see what they have included & such. Below, I’ll review each one 🙂

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So now let’s look at my thoughts on the products & the box overall! This time there were 5 products & 2 bonus items. One of the bonus items (or by Birchbox Lingo “Lifestyle Extra”) is one of my favorites of the whole box! The 2nd is a  free music download for an artist that’s new to me.

I normally really like Boscia products but this one didn’t blow me away.  This sample, however, was a really generous size at 1.69 fl oz so that’s nice. At least I got to try enough of it to know it didn’t make me crazy. I think I just prefer something more feminine smelling while this has very little scent at all. The gel also feels a tad sticky.
This was definitely the color I wanted out of the 4 shades they came together to create! LOVE this shade in the bottle. I’ve swatched it on one finger over black & it wasn’t as impressive unfortunately. It looks much more silver & much less of a pink sheen. It did cover the black in one coat! I’ll be trying this out on its own & seeing if that helps! Either way, gorgeous shade.
Boo on the size of this sample! I only got to use it 2-3 times. Because it is supposed to be both an SPF & a moisturizer, I naturally use more. I want to protect & hydrate my skin. From what I can tell, I quite like the texture of this although it does have a bit of that sunscreen type scent. It covers pretty decently although not as well as some.
I tried one of these sheets & am saving the other for a flight. They are really refreshing & actually more fabric like than I expected. For me, I think it’s the scent that bums me out. The peppermint scent actually smells quite a bit like tea tree oil to me but in a really medicinal way. I think I would have liked them more had they been something like rosemary or floral. 
I love the lace detailing printed on this & I think it’s really cute. Now notice I said printed, so there’s no lace to get snagged & such.  I like this & I think it is much cuter than your standard rubber band or hair tie. I also love that it is purple!
This is the extra…& I’m calling it the best of the box!Freaking amazing. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten my hands on them before. Okay, they might not SEEM super exciting but after using them they’re pretty fabulous. They sent a nice trio of sizes so they fit over everything from my angled eyeliner brush to my powder brush…even my wonky (fabulous but wonky!) shaped Sonia brushes. 
I wasn’t sure when I first got my box (see the video!)but now I am quite happy with my box. I am so incredibly happy with the Brush Guard sample especially that I have already purchased some from Birchbox. I’m loving the variety here though, & no perfume samples! I always recommend Birchbox first whenever someone is looking to try a subscription beauty box. It’s only $10 a month, has a sweet rewards program (I spend my money there allll the time!), & they work with fab brands.
What did you get in your box? Liking mine? Have you signed up for Birchbox?
**Affiliate links have been used in this post. Using them helps to support this blog!

Face: Willa Naturals Face of the Day Tinted SPF 30 Swatches & Review

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About Willa:
For the past 3 ½ years we have been developing a skincare line for girls called willa™ . It all started when my mom and I looked for skincare products for me and we couldn’t find them – at least not natural products.
My mom always nagged me to wear sunblock, wash my face, moisturize – you know the drill. But even though I knew it was important to take care of my skin, I never enjoyed doing it…the products available just didn’t feel good–and believe me I tried everything.
willa consists of 17 products; each is special and different from other brands because they were developed by girls, for girls. My friends in NYC have been helping me test and tweak products and we made sure they look cool too.

Willa Products are:

Paraben free
Proplyene glycol free
Sulfate free
DEA free and phthalate free
Not tested on animals
Made lovingly in the USA

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About Will Naturals Face of the Day SPF 30 Tinted Face protection:
Face the Day is genius. It’s for all skin types. A lightweight, oil-free natural SPF 30 formulated with just enough tint to camouflage super white Zinc – nature’s most powerful defender against the sun’s damaging UVA/UVB rays. Anti-oxidant green tea fights free radicals as natural moisturizers keep skin feeling soft and healthy. With such silky-smooth and flawless absorption, you’ll reach for this SPF 30 every day, rain or shine.

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Top left is fresh out of the pump, top right is a very small amount lightly smoothed out. You can see its like a souffle. The bottom stripe is a tiny amount smoothed out. Check out how whipped it looks!

Overall:
I was excited about this foundation. The texture is pretty incredible. When I was a teenager with dry skin, there wasn’t really anyone catering to me. Dry skin products weren’t advertised to me & if they were, they were usually pretty heavy coverage. I so wish there had been something like this back in the day, especially available at my local Target. Now that my skin is so combo (& currently oily!) it wouldn’t work for everyday. This winter though, Willa Naturals will be my buddy. I’m always dry in the winter & foundation is SO not kind about it. I think this will make a great base. Although it is oil free, my currently oily skin broke it down while my joy areas looked great.

Some things to note, especially for teens,  is the SPF. I’m BIG on SPF & 30 is a great amount for a foundation, especially if it is all you’re slapping on. Teens often don’t need much more. Personally, this is on the sheer side but that’s absolutely what a teen needs. Many teens try to wear way too much foundation thinking that it will perfect their skin when in fact it can make it worse or look cakey. If I had a daughter, this is exactly what I would be looking for. Also not the pump which helps to keep the product sanitary & provides some sort of control over how much you use. Woo!

You can pick this up in select Targets & also on the Willa website for $14.50.

Product provided for review. These are always my honest opinions. If you have any questions, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Become Beauty Tinted Mineral Foundation Review & GIVEAWAY!

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From Become Beauty: (Click on the photos to enlarge!)
A fresh, natural multi-purpose makeup with 30 SPF UVB/UVA protection. Provides translucent coverage in a universal shade. Helps protect, firm and tone the skin with high-potency anti-aging ingredients.Check out more on their site by clicking here!
 
My Take:

The packaging on this is pretty standard: comes in a box & is contained in a tube. I like tubes just fine so that doesn’t sway me either way. Its sealed on the inside with a foil stopper, something I do really like & wish more companies did just so I would know I’m the first one to open it & get that gratification. This smells incredible which is, to my memory, something I’ve never said about a moisturizer before. It smells faintly of lemon & sugar with absolutely none of that sunblock smell I seriously hate. I really hate it, its right behind self-tanner stench.

I put two dots on my hand & lightly swiped one of them to see the texture. Its pretty dense which I wouldn’t expect from something marketed as a tinted product. As you can see, it does lean quite a bit yellow which had me rather concerned as I am quite light & cool toned. I didn’t want to come out of this looking sallow or ill.

The fact that there is only one shade of this product really bothers me, I wish there were at least 3. Or even 2: one warm & one cool? Although I do like it on me because it balances out my redness, it does take some buffing in around the hairline. This doesn’t bother me. I am really interested to see how it would do on darker skin tones. It doesn’t have tons of coverage but when my skin is less broken out & irritated it looks really nice!

Left- Only my eyes done Right- 10 minutes after application + lip gloss

What I DO like about this product very much is that it really performs well on oily skin. My skin is usually one extreme or the other but with the humidity, its definitely leaning oily. These still has a slight dewy effect at first but it totally keeps my oil in check. It REALLY clings to my skin which I was very impressed with since I kind of put tinted foundations in the moisturizer category. I don’t think I’ve ever placed a tinted face product on this blog & said it was better for oily skin! Rejoice! In winter my skin is dry so I may need to moisturize a bit before applying this to test it out.

Recap: Great for oily skin, yellow toned, SPF 30, anti-aging, & toning.
Want to win it? You’re in luck! Become was kind enough to supply me with a Tinted Mineral Foundation & they are sending one to a lucky reader as well!
Please wait to see the Rafflecopter Widget load if you can’t see it below already! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

June MyGlam Bag- featuring Philosophy, NYX, & More!

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I’ve had some choice words for MyGlam in the past, if you’ve read this blog before then you already know. This isn’t my favorite service & has definitely been close to getting booted off the list completely. This bag, however, I actually like!

Now before I dig into the bag, this card looks like porn. C’mon it can’t be just me…this card is…very late night.

Anyways! This bag only had 4 items, probably because the bag is different than usual. Personally…I don’t like the bag. It leaks glitter, is flimsy, & I have even less use for it than the zippered ones. Now onto the contents! I love Philosophy in an unnatural way so I am always happy to see them in any of my bags. I haven’t tried this gel moisturizer yet, but I am excited to slap it on.

The NYX lipstick is pretty shimmery but I do like it. My shade is “Georgia” which really had me thinking it would be a peach, no? Anyway, I like it but there are a lot of NYX shades I prefer. Living Proof puts out quality products, this styling cream will be put to use for sure. The brand Marbella is new to me, but maybe I need to look into it. This isn’t the blackest felt tipped eyeliner for sure, but it sure does last. In fact, it lasts & lasts. Plus, it is super fine at the tip & gets thicker so you can create pretty much any line you so wish. Swatched above & below the NYX lipstick in Georgia.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to MyGlam? I know a lot of people think these are a scam but this one was definitely worth the $10 for me this time!

DOVE Puts Your Photo in Times Square & a GIVEAWAY!

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 Let’s start off with this: Dove will put your photo in Times Square. Do I have your attention? All you have to do is take a qualifying picture (which is quite simple…just don’t be a perv or overly made up!) & submit it to Dove. They then e-mail you to let you know its approved (which happened that day for me) & then they e-mail you a snapshot of it in Times Square (the next day for me!) so you can squeal like me. I mean, I even called my mom.

My Info from Dove: 
It’s easy – women simply head to the Dove® Facebook tab (http://on.fb.me/DoveShowUsYourSkin) to submit a photo* showing off their skin. Every woman who submits a photo will appear in a Dove ad – including a billboard in the famous Times Square and online digital ads. Women will be emailed a snapshot of their “moment of fame” on the Times Square billboard, and can share that photo with family and friends. Women can also go to Dove.com/ShowUsYourSkin to view the online gallery of all photos.

The “Show Us Your Skin” campaign celebrates Dove Body Washes and Beauty Bars that give women soft, smooth skin they will want to show off!

*Photos must meet all requirements outlined in program rules

The Giveaway:

Dove® Body Washes and Beauty Bars give women beautifully soft and smooth skin they will want to show off, and only Dove® Body Washes contain NutriumMoisture™ technology that goes beyond moisturization to nourish skin deep down– so it won’t dry your skin like soap.

So I’ve had a love affair with Dove for many years. In winter, when my skin aches & feels too tight, Dove is there to rescue it. I mean seriously, check out how rich this body wash is. It smells fresh & slightly cucumber-y. I love that it makes my skin feel soft year round but not oily or slick. I HATE residue, especially in hotter months when I feel like it gets everywhere. I love the comfortable feeling left behind after a shower & if I don’t use lotion afterwards my skin isn’t lacking. That’s a big deal!

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! If you don’t see it, give it a moment to load, refresh your page, or contact me directly & I will try to help! Sorry this is US only & please refer to my disclosure policy which has a special section just for giveaways!

Good luck guys! & please feel free to e-mail me your photos & I will put them up on my blog! Enjoy your spotlight moment!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***This particular bottle of Dove Visible Care Body Wash was sent for review/giveaway but trust me when I say I’ve purchased loads of these myself!

Freeman Kiwi & Yogurt Facial Moisturizing Cleanser Review

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Nebraska hates my skin. No seriously, it does. This insane combo skin I have going on has been so hard to treat. My cheeks are very dry & sometimes even to the point of flaky. My T-zone is oily & breakout prone. My under-eyes have been getting hit with eczema. Is it any wonder I’m not digging this change? Going through acne cleansers, combo cleanser, & ultra-hydrating cleansers isn’t helping either. I mean, there’s a war going on between the dry & oily clans on my face. No one is a winner here folks.

What the Freeman website says about this product: This creamy, silky cream cleanser gently rids impurities without stripping the skin of its needed natural oils.  Clears skin without drying it out. Perfect for normal to dry skin.

Directions: dampen face with warm water and massage over skin. Rinse and pat dry.

Key Ingredients:
Kiwi Fruit Extract
Yogurt Extract
Aloe Leaf Juice

Normally I test skincare loner than 2 weeks, but I have to jump on this cleanser. This is the Freeman Kiwi & Yogurt Facial Moisturizing Cleanser & I am becoming rather obsessed. Not only does this come with a drugstore price tag, but it smells like fresh cut kiwis. Not kiwi strawberry drink mix, but the actual scent of kiwis. The yogurt addition is something kind of new to me for a cleanser. I love yogurt masks, but I’ve never used it as a main ingredient in a face wash before. That was my mistake clearly.

I use this in the morning since all my makeup is off & I just have to face off my night creams & that grime from sleeping. This face face doesn’t lather (much like sulfate-free shampoos which are currently all the rage!) which is probably one of the keys to why its so moisturizing. If you’ll notice, most moisturizing washes are cream based so that the lather doesn’t dry out your skin. It looks like a thin yogurt in the tube but it smooths out pretty clear. I have never used it to remove makeup so I can’t judge it on that front.

This leaves my skin with the perfect amount of moisture so that I can treat my oily areas & not worry about my dry ones. The scent is addicting as well as it isn’t too strong when I’m in my zombie morning state. The texture is much like a gel which is pretty different for me. I’m not used to something being that smooth on my skin & being a cleanser. This has me definitely rethinking some of my cleanser choices lately! Love it!

You can purchase this from the Freeman website for the bargain price of $3.99!
This product was sent by PR for review consideration. This in no way effects my opinion on the product.

Reviva Labs 5% Glycolic Acid Night/Day Cream Review

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I am the first person to yammer your ear off about how skincare containing beneficial acids have completely changed my skin. Firmer, more balanced, & most importantly, much less acne & skin imperfections overall. Do I still get bumps here & there? Yep but nothing like before I introduced these products into my skincare routine. I wholeheartedly believe in the benefits!
That being said, as I think it needs to be, this product is fabulous. Light, effective, & didn’t harm my skin at all. In fact, it made it even better. I normally use a 10% cream so I was worried this wouldn’t be as…combative as I want. Although I now want to try the 10% cream, the 5% definitely did an amazing job of keeping my skin supple, moisturized, & removing that grime acids have a way of removing that nothing else can. Oh acids, I don’t care how crazy it sounds, acids make my skin much prettier.
What Reviva Labs says: (5% Glycolic Acid) An advanced glycolic acid (from sugar cane) that has been acclaimed for action on sun damaged skin and for improving skin texture. 100% natural. With unique glycolic polymer, used by professionals.

What I Say: Keep in mind that if you haven’t tried a skincare regime with some sort of acid in it, you can’t start at 10% because your skin has to build up a kind of tolerance to it. Why go with Reviva Labs? This doesn’t have any of the sneaky fillers like many other I’ve tried. It is 100% natural which is very important with this type of skincare item for me. With acidic products they often douse them in fragrance because the smell isn’t great. Not strong, but not great. Well, fragrances are about the only thing that tend to make me break out & you never know what will set it off. Well, & extremely oily products but that’s another story!
You can pick up a jar of Reviva Labs 5% Glycolic Acid Night/Day Cream off their website here. You get 1.25 oz for only $25 which will last you a crazy long time. One thing I’ve noticed with all my acidic cremes is a little goes a long way as you only need a then coat. I prefer to use this at night.
 
In case you guys are interested, here are all the ingredients for this product: Purified water, 5% glycolic acid polymer (extracts of sugar & rhubarb), extracts of pumpkin, peach, sage, comfrey, chamomile, witch hazel, vitamins A, D, E, safflower oil, & sunflower oil.
I would LOVE to hear about what some of your favorite skincare items are! Have you tried anything like this? I am completely addicted! Moisturizing my combo skin while battling breakouts can be oh so tricky!
*This item was sent in consideration for review. For more information see my disclosure policy.

Luxury Beauty: 3LAB BB Perfect SPF 40/PA+++ Swatches & Review

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 What 3LAB says: Infused with 3LAB’s signature bio-engineered growth hormone and apple stem cell technology, PERFECT BB SPF 40 is a sheer tinted moisturizer designed to firm and lift the skin, regenerate new skin cells, brighten, moisturize, and protect. conveniently in three shades to match your skin tone.

My Take: This BB creme has a wonderful texture, super creamy! It pumps out dense but also velvety smooth. Its definitely a unique texture! I love a pump & this one has great control. Why do you care about that? Because this is pricey & a little really does go a long way. Here’s a a tiny bit & you can see how dense it is when smoothed out. This amount would cover a pretty big area which I wasn’t expecting! You don’t even need a full pump!

So, I did get the wrong shade. This one is too dark for me unfortunately. I still used it though & hopefully it will be closer this summer! I’ve read some people say this is a matte finish while others say its dewy…I lean more to the dewy/glow side. Its not super dewy which is good because later on it looks oily. I love the rolling blender sponge though! It helped get into my hairline big time even though it looked pretty filthy after the first use! This has some high tech anti-aging ingredients which I am still too young to appreciate but it does make my skin appear firmer & have a better overall texture.

Here I am with absolutely no makeup & then here I am wearing 3LAB’s BB Perfect. Neither picture is retouched at all besides my blog name. I’m also not wearing blush or bronzer. Please don’t let my makeup-less face terrify you too much.

 I put this on before work so I did apply concealer to some problem areas. My skin has not been happy with me this week! M undereyes have been very purple & this was not going to cut it. I really like this finish & the only thing I set with powder was my undereye concealer. I loved being able to wear this to work because it has great SPF. Unfortunately my skin is still too combo to wear this without moisturizer & it looked a bit dry later on.

Where you can get it: 3LAB’s website for $95.00 for 1.5 oz.

Is it pricey? You bet! But I really like the coverage & feel on my skin as its not heavy at all but still have decent coverage. For my skin it isn’t a year round product though so I will have to keep looking for a great BB creme that will suit my combo skin.

How about you? Would you be interested in this product? How about the price tag?
* Product provided in consideration for review. For more information see my disclosure tab.

Rave Review: Reviva Labs Vitamin E Stick

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I’ll admit, I didn’t expect this to make it into my tight-knit beauty raves. I mean, its cool, really it is. Somethign you can use pretty much anywhere that’s natural & good for your skin? Cool. But is it exciting? Meh. WRONG! I was SO wrong! If you want to know why, keep reading!

 What Reviva Labs Says: Lip and under eye protection was never this convenient and effective! Reviva’s Vitamin E Stick–in its handy lipstick type tube–moisturizes, soothes and protects against dryness and sun or wind damage. Features SPF15 sun protection with vitamin E, allantoin.

My Take: So basically, this saved my face when I was sick. Like, no joke, SAVED my face. Here’s the lowdown! I had some kind of flu which developed into some kind of cold/cough/dying thing. Unpleasant to say the least. My eczema then began acting up like crazy around my eyes, probably from my eyes tearing up. Eczema always makes its rounds for me so it stinks, but its not uncommon every few months.
On top of that, a new issue. I guess this is kind of gross, but its something I would want to know about! So my nose got all dry & cracked from sneezing to the point where I was bleeding! OUCH! Then my Reviva Labs box arrived! I immediately started applying this Vitamin E Stick remembering back to winters in harsh wind where my mom & I would use something similar. It has a waxy feel, but its thin. I’m sure some people will mistake this as being greasy, but its not! My skin gets crazy oily when I’m sick & this didn’t break me out or add to oil production whatsoever.

Within 2 days, my nose was healed. Completely healed! No more cracks, no more dryness, & no more itchy skin! Granted, I applied this like a crazy person but it felt so good. I could FEEL it working! So then, within 3-4 days, my eczema cleared up! I was able to apply concealer comfortably over the product during the duration of me using it which was really important, normally my skin can’t get enough moisture for me to do that. I also applied it throughout the day lightly with my finger (as to not transfer makeup directly on the stick) & it looked fine. I have to say I’m not POSITIVE it cleared up my eczema, BUT it totally made that 110% more bearable than usual!

Overall, I’m crazy impressed. I don’t know how I lived without this product & I only wish I had a drawer full of them before winter had begun. I would’ve handled it so much better! It is pretty rare I label something a “RAVE” review, so this is a big deal. I love it & can’t wait to try it more ways like on really dry lips or maybe even scratches & such.

Where You Can Get It: At the time of this posting, these are on sale for only $4! You can pick them up by going to the Reviva Labs website.

So what do you think, would you like to try this product? How would you use it? PS how do you like my nails? I have a post coming soon, these are my St. Patrick’s Day manicure, well one of them. Kids loved them!
*Item(s) sent to me for review are featured in this post. This in no way guarantees coverage. All of my reviews and reactions are honest, I would never recommend something that didn’t deserve it. For more information, please see my disclosure policy in the top bar.*

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This blog at times uses affiliate links, sponsored material, & receives some products as samples in hopes of review. This in no way alters the articles/posts written & all opinions are my own or that of a guest writer. Please see my disclosure tab above header for more info.