.:: CybeleSays ::.

Traveling With Trish McEvoy

Just because you’re away on vacation doesn’t mean you want to use those crappy hotel products! Just about every item out there comes in a smaller size for travel so you don’t have to compromise. TRiSH McEVOY Bath & Shower Gel and Body Polish Sugar Scrub in Mandarin & Ginger Lily are such a treat. I think or rather I’m pretty sure my nose is more aware of scents in the summertime and this is not too mandarin-y, too ginger-y or too lily-y. It’s just the right balance and it’s really nice. So layer these on in the shower and then top it off with the Body Cream upon exiting. No need for additional fragrance when you have these three on hand. $18/2oz each @ nordstrom.com

Rock On With Roc

I think what sold me on ROC’s Daily Microdermabrasion Cleaning Disks ($9.99/24 pads @ walgreens.com) is the fact that you have so much control by being able to slip a few fingers inside it. Let’s look at it from all sides, haha. This is a finger-pocket face cleaner. There’s the Crystal side, which contains their own ingredient Crystalex (micro-crystals that gently provide gentle microdermabrasion action) and the Diamond Side, which contains ridges that exude moisturizers while you cleanse. It claims a lot of anti-aging benefits but like I said above, the engineering of it and choice between sides is what fascinated me with this one. The size of the pad is nice at a little over 3” around but I wish these were reusable. It just seems like a waste to use such a nicely manufactured item one time only to be thrown in the trash. Although these were a treat to use, I don’t think I’ll be buying it again. Just too wasteful.

Meet M Lab. It Just Might Change Your Life

Here’s one making its US debut – Milbar Laboratories or M LAB. Hailing from the UK, this cosmeceutical line touts 45% to 70% clinically active ingredients in all of their anti-aging products. What does that mean? Well, the average luxury product line has anywhere from 10% to 20% active ingredients. Active ingredients are also called “performance” ingredients and these are the ones that do the work in a product (think worker-bees) to conquer whatever your concern is – increase firmness, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve texture, etc. Do the math and it almost sounds too good to be true. It reads quality but are the products really better than the ones you are probably using? I’ve been on the regime of the following for the past three weeks:

Anti-Aging Cleanser ($60/6oz)

Anti-Aging Toner ($60/6oz)

Anti-Aging Eye Cream ($170/.5oz)

Anti-Aging Treatment Cream ($260/2.4oz)

One thing I know for sure is the overall texture of my skin is fantastic. I didn’t know it was looking so sullen until now! As far as wrinkles, I thankfully don’t have many noticable ones but those I do have around my eyes definitely seemed smoothed out. So if you need a boost for your overall appearance, I can recommend these ones. On M Lab's website, they tell you what % of active ingredients each contain and I felt somewhat more educated about this cosmeceutical line after reading their material.

There are a few other face products in the line, a body cream and even a Travel Collection ($130/6-piece), which is a great way to try all the products without the huge $ commitment. I think we’ll be hearing more about this line in the coming months. All @ mlabonline.com

Face Atelier Fer Travel

With increasing restrictions when it comes to airline travel, every inch of space in your luggage counts. This one, along with your items you travel with, should be short and to the point. FACE ATELiER Essential Travel Kit ($65 @ faceatelier.com) contains, of course, all the essentials for on the road or at home – contour brush, powder, small eye shadow brush, angled shadow/brow brush, retractable lip or concealer brush. Don’t leave home without ‘em!

Roll On Scensoir Parfums

Why give all the major fragrance brands your business? There are some nice indie ones out there and I guess it’s our job to turn you on to them, right? So here’s one line you may want to consider.

The SCENSOiR Parfum de Reves line is made up of three roll-on fragrances that contain high concentrations of naturally derived notes infused with jojoba base, and not just any jojoba, 100% Certified Organic jojoba. Let’s address the “organic” claim with these. They stamp an organic symbol on the back of each box for the following reasons: each follows an 80:80 principal – 80% of each fragrance is formulated with at least 80% naturally derived ingredients, and 80% of which must be organic. So 80:80. Pretty easy to understand. From what I can gather, the organic symbol used on the packaging is created by them and not part of a bigger organization but the above is pretty straight forward and they don’t make any wild claims they can’t back up so that’s good enough for me.

The brand hopes to bet to 90:90 and higher in time. With regard to the other 20% of the ingredients, none of them fall into the category of this body scrub I came across recently. See their site for the “no’s” as in dyes, mineral oils etc. Mineral oil can be found in perfumes? Eeeks!

Anyway, let’s get to the actual scents. ce, em and el were each created for nighttime wear hence the collection name Parfum de Reves, which means “perfume of dreams.” And interestingly enough, these can be layered, something of which I am still have not done with any line, even one like this where it is suggested.

Scensoir ce: overall this is a citrus-floral
Top notes: lemon, orange & petitgrain
Middle notes: Egyptian chamomile and lavender
Base notes: sage, thyme and a sheer musk

Scensoir em: overall this Herbaceous-floral is “Delicate yet complex” hmmmm

Top notes: bergamot, grapefruit, mandarin, petitgrain and cedarlear

Middle notes: marjoram, clary sage, juniperberry and neroli

Bottom notes: ginger, black pepper, cedarwood and patchouli

Scensoir el: over all described as a clean woody-floriental

Top notes: chamomile and bergamot

Middle notes: jasmine, lavender, tuberose

Bottom notes: cedarwood, sanadalwood, vanilla and musk

Each roll on bottle can be purchased separately for $28/.33oz or in the Trio Set of perfume oil rollers for $69. I have gone back and forth as to which is my favorite but know that all of them seem to last on the skin for quite a long time, even in this hot sticky weather. Find them @ scensoir.com

Take Lisa Hoffman On Vacation

I don’t have another trip planned until next month when me and the SO are driving to upper (no one calls it upstate, like New York…hmmmm) California to visit some friends. One I will be packing is LiSA HOFFMAN Spa Facial Packette ($35 @ lisahoffman.com). For some reason I just don’t feel like I am using the real thing if a product comes in a small bottle or container. Maybe these small ampoules are ok with me because I’ve seen the overall cool zip bag they came in? Or because each says Lisa Hoffman and the product name right on each and it’s not a peel and stick label? I don’t know but I like them. Each is airtight so the formula is guaranteed fresh when you open it. I’m not really green but I’m not really about travel sizes anymore because of the waste they leave behind so I had to question that aspect. The packaging is made with recycled materials.

So what do you get? All 10 of their face products! Here’s what you get:

• Anti-Aging Serum
• Clay Mask
• Exfoliating Cleanser
• Eye Treatment
• Hydrating Booster
• Hydrating Mask
• Lip Moisturizer
• Lip Polisher
• Moisture Seal Cream
• Purifying Toner

Each is .06oz in size and there’s a detailed insert explaining each of the products so while you have your Hydrating Mask on you can peruse the info. Such a great way to try out the line without committing to a full size.

It's All In The Stick

We’re pretty fascinated with packaging and always pay special attention to it when trying out a product as presentation is everything. A few years ago, I remember being quite taken with this kind of self-dispensing brush that SUSAN POSNiCK’s Colorflo Mineral Foundation ($64 @ beauty.com) comes in. I can’t recall the first one I used but it is great for on the go. And this one is also refillable, which I never knew they could be. Or maybe just hers is? At first, I couldn’t quite figure out how to refill it but I found it. The bottom unscrews and it’s easy to get powder inside. Halleluiah! It comes in 15 different shades (even those with a really dark skin tones) and even a shimmer and a bronzer. So at least pick one of these up and you can change the powder out as needed. Now if they just sold refills for the brush part, I could use this for the rest of my makeup wearing life.

Make Time To Smile More

It’s nice to treat yourself when you are out of town on a trip. One way is to take a toothpaste from GoSMiLE’s 5 Senses Toothpaste Kit ($25 @ sephora.com) on the plane. Each box contains 5 different 1oz flavors of whitening fluoride toothpaste (and a travel toothbrush) that contain aromatherapy essential oils. So which will you be in the mood for? Mango Paradise Smile, Ginger Cookie Smile, Lemonade Smile, Peppermint Smile, which we love last Christmas, and Aloha Tropical Smile.

Another suggestion - next time you have company in town, put a few of these in the guest’s bathroom.

The 6" Powerhouse

Let’s talk tools. This is a topic I like and know quite well. I recently tried T-PRO’s Slik Stik Mini ($19.99 @ amazon.com) with tourmaline nano ceramic technology. This little straightening iron heats up to 400 degrees in three minutes. It even comes with a glove to protect your hand from the heat and a storage pouch. How does it work? Flawlessly. It straightens just as well as its big sister but what I like most about is that it’s really light and easy to maneuver. I love this baby! As far as hair types it will work well on, it gets pretty hot so those with thick or curly hair will probably fair well with this one. Since there is no way to control how hot it gets, you might want to opt out of this one if you have fine hair.

Quick Pick Face - Clinique

A favorite new face finisher-offer this spring is CLiNIQUE’s Blended Face Powder and Brush ($18.50 @ nordstrom.com) in new Invisible Blend. It helps set makeup and the travel brush is totally totable. And because the brush has a cap on it, they even recommend loading one application into the brush and take it with you in your evening purse for a "out on the town" touch up.