How have I missed out on the SHEA TERRA ORGANICS line for this long? I think this scrub marks the closest I have ever gotten to an edible scrub! Seriously! And yes, I did taste it and I could have eaten it as a dessert, it tasted that good overall. But ok, I’ll use it as it’s supposed to be used.

The product is their Premium Dark Chocolate Sugar-Stone Exfoliating Cream ($22/9oz @ sheaterraorganics.com) and is 99.7% natural. What does that mean? Here are the ingredients: pure spring water, chocolate liquor, organic Shea Butter, natural emulsifying wax, organic sugar, pumice, all natural vanilla extract and a naturally-based preservative called glucono delta-lactone and sodium benzoate. That’s it! And you won’t find any sulfates, parabens or artificial fragrances or colors in this one any of their other products.

As you have probably heard, chocolate is full of antioxidants and can be good for the skin. And this stuff is thick with not much run off (not watery) so know that a little goes a long way.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I’ve just been settling for some sunscreens for the face lately that I don’t really like in hopes of just using them up – most leave white behind that just takes too long to absorb. But this DR. JART Premium BB Beauty Balm ($39/1.5oz @ sephora.com) is a whole new avenue for me! It’s a moisturizer, sunscreen (SPF 45), and treatment serum that contains brightening properties. All things I can use these days! The best part about this one is that it’s tinted and the tint is supposed to adjust to your skin tone, which it seems to do pretty well. I’m a light to medium olive skin tone and at first my face looked kind of chalky but that faded after 5 minutes or so and the coverage is pretty sheer, so perfect for just evening out the skin tone.

From what I understand, BB Creams are really big in Asia and they are just being made available stateside and I can see why. If they do all this multi-tasking, what’s not to like or love?

Will you be trying this from Dr.Jart+?

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I’m glad to see CLINIQUE getting in on the long-wearing cream eye shadow trend that’s occuring right now though the packaging is a little too close to this one for my liking. I’ll bet theirs was in the making when they saw the competitions release. Oh well. Anyway, the ones from Clinique are called Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour and hit stores/website in August for $19.50 each (press release did not say the exact day_. There are 12 shades available and I applied the Currant Affair on my lids and hit my boot camp workout. And I have to say, it lasted really well through the class. I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10.

The formula itself has vitamin E inside and extracts of broccoli, carrot, blueberry and spinach. Huh? And then also cucumber, aloe vera and caffeine. I get those but not the aforementioned! What I really like is the cooling silver tip applicator at the end of the tube’s top that is cooling when it touches the skin.

Know that these shades are pretty pigmented, wear sheer and the colors are really low key, which is expected, because the brand has never been known for bright only-some-people-will-like-them colors. I guess I’m so used to seeing over the top bright colors right now. Like most of their line, these shades are work approved! $19.50 @ clinique.com. 

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

Overall, I’m on the fence when it comes to face and body products that are self-warming. Like you rub your hands together with some of the product in between and it warms up just like that. Self-warming products for face = a little creepy, but for feet I think I’m liking it. The latest one I tried is CRABTREE & EVELYN from their new La Source Foot Spa Collection, which just came out this month. I’m already a big fan of the La Source-scented line. It’s described as a light blend of sea accords and musk and it really does smell unisex.

The one I tried for my tootsies was their Warming Foot Smoother ($22/5.3oz @ crabtree-evelyn.com), which exfoliates with a blend of Tahitian sand, salt and pumice. The formula also works in macadamia nut oil and Shea Butter to help soften the skin. No need for a separate moisturizer afterward, really!

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

When I first laid eyes on BH COSMETICS’ 88 Color Palette of Standard Matte Eyeshadows, memories of being a teen on Christmas morning came rushing back. Waking up and racing to my stocking nailed to the living room mantel to see what was inside. I would plop on the floor to turn it over and dump out the contents excited at what I might find. Inside were usually various chocolates and candies, a pair of fun earrings, some shiny new pens for school and then the big stuff, a hair bow or some new barrettes, some Chapstick and the obligatory makeup palette. The palette was usually from Walgreens or some other drugstore and the quality was always “eh” at best. Yes, the thought was nice (thanks Santa!) but I was getting to an age where quality was what I was after, so you can probably understand my hesitation with this one from BH Cosmetics.

What I liked just looking at it: the black lacquered container, the sizable mirror inside with two applicator sponges, a ‘best before’ date stamped on the back (I know, how often do you see that on eye shadow?) and the size of each shadow. How many times have you actually used up a whole shadow color? It doesn’t happen that often so I like that they make each about the size of a dime to fit more colors inside.

So now the big reveal. How’s the quality? See for yourself on my fingertips in the picture. Nicely pigmented! So now when I’m looking at a tutorial on YouTube from gurus like JennisseMakeup, QueenofblendingMUA or MichellePhan, I don’t have to worry about not having a color similar to one they are using.

And the price? At $15.16, this is very purse-friendly. If you love makeup, you owe it to yourself to own every color in the rainbow! See this one and more of their palettes @ tillys.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I’m really into self-tanners right now and I kind of know what that girl on MTV’s “I’m Addicted to Tanning” feels like, well, only a little bit. But it’s true, everyone does look a little better with a little color so I’ve been trying quite a few out lately.

One that I’m loving on me bod right now is BEAUTISOL’s Summer Glow Dark Self-Tanning Lotion ($38.95/6oz). It really does look as realistic as it gets! I’ve applied some of this about 6 times now and it really blends nicely and lasts a few days. Like this one, it too contains their Pure Scent odor eliminating fragrance technology, which is supposed to reduce the typical odor by 80%. So while it doesn’t eliminate it altogether and I can still smell it for the first 24-hours, it is worth it for the color it leaves behind.

As a reminder, to get the best out of a self-tanner, you should exfoliate first and the line has a nice one called Go Slough Yourself ($19/4oz), which uses polyethylene beads to do the exfoliating.

Overall, when it comes to self-tanners, using rubber gloves is a no-no. I find I simply can’t blend the color into my skin good enough when I’m wearing them. I know, I know, tanner under nails is not sexy but I just make sure I only use my palms when applying. I mean do people really treat tanner like a hand lotion and get it all over when applying? If you do or don’t, just make sure you use a really coarse salt or sugar scrub immediately after applying the tanner with your hands. Have you even had a problem with rubber gloves? Get both products @ dermstore.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Are you looking for a new candle line these days? I have one you might want to investigate. The sexy INFUSION ORGANIQUE’s Soy Blend Candle in Indochine is simply rocking my world right now. This one combines organic extracts and oils of kumquat (the word kumquat is Chinese for golden orange. Didn’t know that!), peach, water lily, muguet and vanilla. The blend then dances with certified organic grapefruit extract, orange, and ylang-ylang essential oils. And the scent throw – it fills up the whole room with the subtle notes but not in an overpowering way.

And what I like about this line overall is that it combines two of what I truly have come to believe is the best after trying out products for the past 10+ years here on the site – organic materials + science = fantastic. $38/65 hours burn time @ infusionorganique.com.

MAC just put out the Semi Precious Collection and it’s broken down into three overall collections – Semi Precious Colour (lippies, blush, skinfinish), Semi Precious Skin (foundation, a charged water and a face+body lotion) and Semi Precious Eyes (shadows and mascara). Why they are breaking it down like this? No idea but it’s quite confusing I think. Anyway, I’ve decided I’m just not down with these Mineralize Eyeshadows or Mineralize Blushes. They look so amazing in the packaging and perfect for my Product as Art feature but what it looks like in the packaging and what it swatches as is just too different and it disappoints me. What would be cool with these is if I could somehow pick up the design in the pan and apply that to the lid like these. What a great effect that would be! All @ ulta.com!

So let’s look at what I did like about the collection, and that would be the lippies in the Semi Precious Colour! Quite a few keepers. The Lustre Lipstick in Gem of Roses (midtone strawberry pink) and One of a Kind (midtone rosy neutral), and the Cremesheen Glass in Natural Flare (light caramel nude) and Geo Pink (strawberry pink ).

I also really liked the Mineralized Skinfinish in Semi Precious Pearl from the same collection. The outside is a beige champagne and the inner color is a combination of white, plum and bronzer, which is nice for contouring or a little blush. A nice two-in-one product!

When I first received ORIGINS new Super Spot Remover acne treatment gel, I thought, great, I don’t have anyone to try this out since I don’t get a lot of blemishes. But then, lo and behold, it’s like my skin heard me and cropped a few up just so I could try it out. And then a few more appeared shortly thereafter. Ok, acne Gods, I hear you. Trying it…

This one was funny – this treatment gel helped speed of the healing of two of them and on three of them, a week later, it didn’t seem to do a thing. It’s formulated with 1.5% Salicylic Acid to heal and caffeine and Red Algae to get rid of the “hello world, I have a pimple” redness. For $13.50/.3oz you really can’t go wrong and you dab a little on twice a day. This one also comes as Spot Remover Acne Treatment Pads ($26.50/60 pads) also with 1.5% Salicylic Acid, so if you want to give your skin an overall coating of SA, that might be one for you to pick up. Both @ dillards.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

When I say CAROL’S DAUGHTER Monoi Repairing Hair Mask ($29/7oz) is good, I mean it’s gooooood! Since coming off of this system, I’ve been a tad backed up with trying out hair products and I was really curious about these new Monoi hair products they recently put out. The collection was created for those who have problems with hair breakage, which is common with African-American hair. From what I’ve gathered, Monoi oil is made from soaking the petals of Tahitian gardenias in a semi-wax of coconut oil and it’s used as a hair softener among French Polynesians.

Now I’m not sure how far down a list an ingredient can be if it is to be the focus of a product (Monoi is the 9 ingredient in) but maybe you don’t need a lot of the ingredient to benefit?  I guess we’ll just have to take their word for it. Also in it is pro-vitamin B5, sunflower seed extract and Shea Butter so I think no matter what your hair type is, it will benefit from this. I’m so glad I gave this one a spin because it really made my hair feel so silky and soft. Also available, Monoi Repairing Shampoo ($18/8.4oz) and Monoi Repairing Conditioner ($20/8.4oz) @ ulta.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.