.:: CybeleSays ::.

Dancing Queen

It’s surprising how much dirt I pick up on my bare feet just walking around my apartment on the hardwood floors. Yes, I clean them regularly (floors and feet) so I can’t figure it out. It was with much delight that when SPA DiONiS’ new Foot Scrub and Foot Butter came across my desk, I instantly had to try them. Look for this frosty mint Foot Scrub to not only deodorize your soles but it uses walnut shell powder, botanicals and rich butters from Shea and mango to really get to the deep surface dirt.

I like putting the Foot Butter on my feet and then putting socks on. Better to dirty the socks than feet, right? This one uses beeswax, jojoba oil, and Shea butter to nourish your newfound layer of skin. Hello high heels…
$13.95/6oz each @ dionissoap.com

Getting To The Shea of Things - Part IV

Here we are at our last installment of awesomely Shea, Shea Butter products, so here are six more pleasing ones to sexify your skin.

1. TREAT BEAUTY Cacao Lip Scrub ($16/1oz @ treatbeauty.com)
2. HAMADI Shea Hair Cream ($24/4oz @ beauty.com)
3. LALiCiOUS Lily Mango Body Butter ($22/7.3oz @ lalicious.com)
4. EMiNENCE ORGANiCS Lip Trio Kit ($60 @ skin-one.com)
5. COLLECTiVE WELLBEiNG Hand Cream – Shea Butter/Chamomile ($11/3.5oz @ collectivewellbeing.com)
6. CLiNiQUE Deep Comfort Body Butter ($23.50/6.7oz @ clinique.com)

Winnie The Pooh Approved

Honey has to be one of my favorite scents on the planet and any product highlighting it takes front and center. Need a great quality scrub? LE COUVENT DES MiNiMES Honey Skin Softening Sugar Scrub ($28 @ lecouventdesminimes.us) is one that doesn’t disappoint. This 14.1oz glass jar contains a fine granulated sugar as a base and adds almond, apricot and grape seed oils to not only slough off that dead layer of skin, but also tantalize the nose in the process. And it even comes with it’s own wooden spoon to scoop the product out. Big recommendation.

Soul Patrol? Soap Patrol!

JELLY PONG PONG is branching out from cosmetics into bath and body. Please help me welcome Soap Popsicles! How cute and summery are these?? Each 2.5oz bar on a stick is made with kosher glycerin and the scents are just as pleasing: Watermelon (red, white and green and no seeds!), Neapolitan (pink white and brown scented of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry), Lolli-Choc (looks and smells like a real fudgesicle), The Love Stick (clear pink smells of raspberry) and Looney Lemon (clear and smells of lemonade)

$7 @ jellypongpong.com. 

Heavenly Nose Part … Four

What do you think when you smell a pleasing beauty product? I seem to assume that if it smells nice, it must work, right? Wrong! There are a lot of them out there that yes, they smell nice, but belong in the trash. Here’s our last installment of products that not only perform up to par but also smell heavenly.

1. C.O. BiGELOW new Body Wash in Wild Berry ($12/10oz @ cobigelow.com) from the Village Perfumer Body Care Collection
2. NOAH’S NATURALS Rosemary Mint Conditioner ($10.99/10oz @ noahsnaturals.com) from the Organic line
3. AROMAFLORiA Teakwood Foaming Body Wash ($20/8oz @ aromafloria.com)
4. BOOTH’S Shea Butter Cream Bath ($6.99/16oz @ drugstore.com)
5. LiNDEN LEAVES Ginseng and Orange Blossom Crème de la Crème Body Butter ($25.95/7oz @ lindenleaves.com)

Cream Yer Face, Cream Yer Body

 

ZiA NATURAL SKINCARE Nourishing Crème ($36.95/1oz @ uncommonscents.com)

• Contains eight cellular renewal ingredients
• Certified organic
• Priced right

BiOELEMENTS Vitalization Rich Intensity Body Crème ($49.50/8oz @ dermstore.com)

• Frosting-like texture
• Contains pure botanical oils
• Nose pleasing scent

Grown Up Cream

My motto has always been the more the better and I’m glad this next one has a lot of more! WEI EAST Natural Body Perfector Hand & Body Treatment ($50 @ weieast.com) is a huge 13.5oz so you can slather every inch of your hands and body. The pink formula has the tiniest hint of shimmer like more of a sheen or glow that’s groovy for us grown ups. We have to act our age, right? I have read a couple of reviews where the person using it broke out in a rash. I didn’t have this happen, obviously, but if your skin tends to be sensitive, make sure to do a spot test. Also available in a 8.81oz for $36.25.

Getting To The Shea Of Things - Part III

Here are some more products that max out the Shea Butter.

1. LA COMPAGNiE DE PROVENCE Hand Crème ($14/3.4oz @ lcdpmarseille.com)
2. SWEET GRASS FARM Shea Butter Lotion in Fresh White Lilac ($8.95/16.9oz @ sweetgrassonline.com)
3. MD SKiNCARE Powerful Sun Protection SPF 25 Lip Balm ($18/.25oz @ sephora.com)
4. L’OCCiTANE Shea Cotton Ultra Comforting Cream ($38/1oz @ beauty.com)
5. IN KRiSTiNE’S SHOWER Shea Butter Bathbombs ($2/1-2oz to $17.99/12-2oz-pack @ inkristinesshower.com) in scent picks Malibu Baby, Sunny Days and Girly Girl.
6. NATTY GiRL Body Sugar Scrub in Yuzu Peach ($26/13oz @ nattyproducts.com)

Spring On A Scrub

I can’t say anything bad about NAPOLEON PARDiS’ Smooth Over Body Scrub ($33/9.88oz @ sephora.com). It’s a salt-based scrub, contains a lot of bontanical ingredients like Calendula and Chamomile to sooth the skin as you exfoliate and it smells just like Lychee. So springtime!

Heavenly Nose Part Tres

We are quite obsessed with products that work and smell terrific so let’s focus on body parts this time. We clean them and moisturize them and these are some that will make your skin tingle and nose dance.

MiSTRAL Organic French Shea Butter Soap in Lilac of May ($7.50/7oz @ mistralsoap.com)

JUNE JACOBS Papaya Body Balm ($46/7oz @ junejacobs.com)

MOR COSMETiCS new Fruits of Cornucopia Body Bar ($19 @ @ morcosmetics.com)
PURE HAPA Haupia Orange Soufflé Body Cream ($24/3.2oz @ purehapa.com)

Get Yer Summer On

This next one is the biggest, fattest welcome product to get you from spring into summer. ESTEE LAUDER’s new Bronze Goddess Body Oil Spray ($29.50/4oz @ esteelauder.com) is at the top of my list on those days that are extra warm even though it’s only April. My nose detects a mix of bergamot, mandarin, Tahitian Gardenia and sandalwood. And their body oil sprays are some of the lightest I have ever tried. Never greasy and they sink into the skin quickly.

This scent also comes in an Eau Fraiche Skinscent and Body Lotion.

Getting To The Shea Of Things - Part II

In continuing our coverage of great Shea Butter products, I am really surprised at the number of ones that have the word Shea in the name of the product and then the ingredient is waaaaay down on the list. It seems like it was almost an after thought, “Oh we need to put some actual Shea Butter in there since it has it in the name.” Anyway, here are some more recommendations with the ingredient right at the top of the ingredient list.

• CAROL’S DAUGHTER Unscented Shea Body Butter ($20/8oz @ carolsdaughter.com)
• FREDERiC FEKKAI Shea Butter Hair Mask ($22.50/5oz, $32/9oz @ sephora.com)
• JERGENS Shea Butter Cream ($6.29/7.5oz @ drugstore.com)
• BATH BY BETTiJO 100% Pure Whipped Shea Butter ($16.50/2oz @ bathbybettijo.com)

Minerals .. Not Just For Face Anymore

Myohmyohmy, is this one good! SONYA DAKAR just came out with a body line and the Mineral Polish ($48/12oz @ sonyadakar.com) from it is a really nice treat. The main ingredient is Dead Sea Salt and we all know the rich minerals that are found in the Dead Sea. Other good things? Organic Omega-3 Complex, oils of almond, sunflower, apricot and vitamin E. Bad things it does not contain? Parabens, dyes or sulfates. I’ll keep you posted on the other products from the body line. Available in two scents: Cara Cara and Verbena Cypress.

Heavenly Nose - Part Dos

In continuing our coverage of new products we’ve discovered that not only work but smell delightful, here are three more to add to your list:

NOODE & BOO Heavenly Honey Wash ($22/7oz @ noodleandboo.com)

KAZAM NATURAL BODY CARE Body Lotion in Sweet Orange Ginger ($15/8oz @ kazambodycare.com)
BAREX’s AETO line Bamboo & Wild Mango Fortifying Hair Mask ($26/8.5oz @ fourseasonsproducts.com)

Getting To The Shea Of Things

I have long been fascinated with the ingredient Shea Butter. The two words are luscious and how it is used in beauty products is very nourishing. So we decided to do a four-part feature on Shea Butter products that are out there and ones that are worth trying out.

A little history – the nut is indigenous to Africa and how they get the butter is by extracting the yellow to ivory-colored fat from the fruit from the Shea tree. This is achieved by either crushing it or boiling it. It has long been touted for its superior moisturizing traits as well as its ability to fade scars, heal rashes and even work magic on stretch marks.

I’m sure you are aware that the closer to the top an ingredient appears in an ingredient list on the back of any product, the more of that ingredient it contains. But what I find funny, well peculiar actually, is that a product with the word Shea in the name can sometimes have it listed far down the list. So check the back of your products when it comes to this awesome ingredient to see how concentrated it really is. It should be listed in the top three at least and these all below are list it second and will appear as either Shea Butter or Butyrospermum Parkii. Here are some with Shea right up at the top, where it should be.

LUSH Buffy ($10.75/3.3oz @ lush.com)
VON NATUR Grapefruit Whipped Butter ($42/5oz @ vonnatur.com)
BATH AND BODYWORKS 'Shea It Isn’t So' Shea Butter Foot Cream ($15/4oz @ bathandbodyworks.com)
MiSTRAL Shea Butter Hand Cream in Milk ($17.50/2.6oz @ mistralsoap.com)

Woke Up ... Fell Outta Bed ...

Can you believe today is the first day of Spring? This is my favorite season and here are some products I slathered on, lit up and spritzed about when I awoke to welcome it in.

LE COUVENT DES MiNiMES Eau de Toilette in Verbena & Lemon ($21/3.4oz @ dillards.com)

TiGI Bedhead Body Melon Head Body Butter ($15/7oz @ spiralhaircase.com)
PADDYWAX Fresh Ruby Grapefruit Soy Candle ($18/5.5oz @ paddywax.com) from the new Eco Collection.

Getting Skin In Shape

Balms, butters, salves -- if it’s thick and smells nice, I’m putting it on my skin. SPACE NK Stillness Body Balm ($30/6.7oz @ spacenk.com) is creamy like frosting and infused with Shea butter and cocoa butter. Surprisingly enough this Stillness fragrance’s first scent ingredient is lavender. If you’ve read Cybelesays for a while, you’ll remember that I don’t like lavender at all. But I guess if you mix it with other scents like incense and musk like this one does, then it's ok. Space NK's scents seem to be a hit or miss with me but this one has hit written all over it.

My Upset Skin

My skin is sure killing me these days because it’s so dry this time of year. I have a humidifier on every night and that won’t visibly help my skin, especially on my legs but C.O. BiGELOW’s Derma Remedy Intense Dry Skin Therapy Both Lotion ($18/6.7oz) will. This hypoallergenic concoction is for really dry, chapped and overall bummed out skin and claims to provide a moisture barrier for more than 24-hours. Got eczema or psoriasis? These will really help those conditions too. Part of the trio of products is the Derma Remedy Intense Dry Skin Therapy Medicated Treatment ($16/2oz), that will treat cracked skin, which thankfully is not quite mine, but it's good to know that it exists. Use either one of these with the Derma Remedy Intense Dry Skin Therapy Body Wash ($16/6.7oz) and really protect and heal your skin. Spring can’t come soon enough! All three @ bathandbodyworks.com

The Nose DOES Know

Let’s face it, the first thing any woman does when picking up a product is smell it. The better it smells, the more we think it works, before we even try it! Some products live up to it, some do not. One that smells absolutely superb and works fantastically is CREATiVE SCENTSATiONS Hand & Body Scrub in Black Currant & Fig ($16/7oz @ amazon.com). When reading the ingredients on the back, there are some big wordy-words that I don’t know the meaning of. All I know is that I really like the scent, texture and the moisturizing it does and in that order. Is that bad? Am I to break down every product by what’s inside of it? Isn’t that what the FDA is for? We never did that before but it seems quite the trend now to break everything down. Yes, you should know what you are using but I say if it doesn’t break me out or cause any other adverse reaction, I’ll use it. Who’s with me?

Let's Talk Feet

Keep toes and feet in shape with the foot care collection from Swedish line, NORDiC CARE. In the winter, the skin on my feet seems to get extra dry from being trapped in shoes all days. So three times a week I slathering on their Foot Care Cream ($12.10/2oz, 19.80/5.9oz @ nordiccare.com) before bedtime. Eucalyptus and Glycerin get my skin back in shape and the Lactic Acid and Urea soften and keep the skin healthy. Sandal season? My feet will be so ready.

It's Always Worth The Time

Here’s a strange confession - I’m not always in the mood for a Body Butter. Lotions and creams seem easier to use, in every way. A Body Butter takes some time to work in. Ok, not that much extra time but still. I don’t exfoliate every shower but if I do, I make sure to take the time to rub in a good butter afterward so my skin will really reap the rewards. One I’m loving right now is SEPHORA’s Body Butter ($16/6.7oz @ sephora.com). Each is lushly spiked with Shea Butter and beeswax. And this Citrus Sage one totally gets me excited for spring!

Valentine’s Day Picks

I’m pretty easy. Give me a gift of beauty and I’ll love you forever! Here’s a few I’ll be wearing tonight…

NARS new Dolce Vita Set ($50 @ sephora.com) – Blush Duo contains Albatross and Lovejoy for defining and sculpting. Round out a sexy pout with the mauvy Dolce Vita gloss.

LUSH new Play Your Cards Right ($8.95/2.8oz @ lush.com) – it’s no secret that I an obsessed with their massage bars and this one in the Sex Bomb scent is the latest addition.
SHU UEMURA False Eyelashes ($18-$50 @ shuuemura.com) – I still need a lot of practice at applying but once they’re on, wow, sexy!

 

Quick Pick Body

Dry skin got you down? SANCTUARY Body Moisture Spray from UK’s BOOTS is a really light oil infused with vitamin E, jojoba oil and almond oil. In the depths of winter, it’s nice to apply a light moisturizer and still reap the benefits of a heavy one. $9.99/8.4oz @ cvs.com

Take A World Tour

TACT BEAUTY CARE invites you to “Discover the World” through each of their four bath and body collections highlighting different regions in the world. The Brazil collection uses the ingredient Cocoa, the France collection all contain Lavender, the India Collection is just what you would guess, Ginger & Spices. And the forth collection is what I’m focusing on here, the Greek line, which focuses on their number 1 export, Olive Oil. We all know it’s good for your insides but did you know how good it is for the outside? These Olive Tree products contain organic extra virgin olive oil and powerful plant extracts and anti-oxidants. We loved their Shower Gel a few months ago and just got a chance to try some of the others in this group. Really liking the Body Cleanser ($14/10.14oz) and the sister Body & Hands Moisturizer ($16/10.14oz). Also check out their hair care line and there’s even a Hair Mask ($28/6.76oz). Gotta try that one out! All @ tactbodycareusa.com

Vroom, Vroom ...

This BiG BAD MAMA BiKER BODY WORKS line is hardcore! At least the packaging is. Each of their products comes in a 12oz beer bottle! Cool! There’s Biker Body Wash ($12.99), Biker Slick Chic Edible Massage Oil ($16.99), Biker Mojo Mist ($16.99), Biker Groove Lube Lotion ($14.99) and Bath Fizzzz ($12.99). And the scent names are just a hoot. Pick from scents like Beer, Weed, Herb, Jailbait, Born2bwild, Smokin’ Citrus and the Massage Oils also come in Ragin Razzberry, Devil’s Food and more. I played it safe when I tried the Body Wash and went with the Jailbait since I am a big cherry fan. The formula is a little on the thin side but it still lathers nicely to cleanse your whole body and the scent is right on. All @ bigbadmamabikerbodyworks.com <--say that five times fast!

Shedding Winter Skin

Scrub your way to smoother skin because before you know it, Spring will be here! Here are two that smooth every body bump and blemish out.

BATH DESSERTS Hemp Seed Butter Infused Tangerine Sage Sorbet Sugar Scrub ($35/18oz  @ bath-desserts.com) - pure sugar deflakes and smooths the skin and the hemp seed moisturizes so no need to apply any after getting out of the tub.

PURE HAPA Hanalei Sugarcane Body Scrub ($24/3.2oz @ purehapa.com) - new vivid packaging and same quality we've come to expect from this Hawaiian-based line. The brown sugar and macadamia nut oil really pamper every inch of my skin.