Have you ever had a product that you just can’t stop smelling? Like every time you walk past it, you have to stop, open it and give it a whiff? My nose loves a few and it seems to be all over the map these days. One day I’m into flowery smells and the next it does a 180 with mint. I don’t know what that’s all about but here are the ones that have come out on top.

1. LALICIOUS Extraordinary Whipped Sugar Scrub in Sugar Tiare Flower ($110/68oz, $34/16oz, $9.50/2oz @ dermstore.com) – this brand always nails it when it comes to great and unique scents. If you’ve never been to Hawaii or need to feel like you are there, this one delivers the vibe.

2. SWEET HARVEST FARMS Amore’ Artisan Soap ($6.98/7oz bar @ sweetharvestfarms.com) – I seem to be collecting soap these days. I mean I have so many that I don’t exactly use but just like to pick them up and smell them and this one currently falls in that category. It’s modeled after “Very Sexy for Men” by Victoria’s Secret.

3. L’OCCITANE Vitόria-Régia Day Flower Shower Gel ($20/8.4oz @ nordstrom.com) – this one is best described as aquatic floral and is infused with vitόria-régia extract from the Amazonian in Brazil. I’d never heard of this flower before and was delightfully surprised. And this one is so fitting for this time of year!

4. THYMES Rosewood Citron Whipped Body Cream ($30/6.5oz @ amazon.com) – I must always have a luxuriously feeling cream or butter on my dresser so depending on what mood I’m in, if self-care is on the menu, one like this fits the bill. I’ve never smelled rose and citrus together but it’s pretty nice! And this one is thick and rich.

5. AQUA SPA Bath Soak in Eucalyptus + Mint from the Soothe Collection ($9.99/10oz @ aquaspabath.com) – it’s not quite bath season for me but I have a friend who takes a bath each Saturday religiously, so I’ll be sharing this post with her. This combo of eucalyptus and mint really cleans the sinuses! Their whole line contains their Marine Mineral Complex that harnesses the power of sea minerals by including such ingredients like Antioxidant Zinc, copper, and iron among others.  

Have you mastered the liquid liner yet? Like applying false eyelashes, it really just takes practice. And thankfully you’re not just tied to straight up black anymore. STILA has some great color options they just added to their Spring 2014 Makeup Collection with their Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Brights ($20 @ dermstore.com, sephora.com) and bright makeup is so happenin’ right now! 

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It’s been a bit since I wrote about any MAC products so here is a nice colorful collection, the Moody Blooms Collection.

What It Is: Exotic, night-blooming flowers with a hint of danger inspire a hothouse of seductive shades. Sensual colours shroud eyes in earthy metallic. Eye Shadows and lips suggest hidden motives with deep blue plum and dark berry hues of Sheen Supreme Lipstick. Bronze Powder Blush provides a final adrenaline surge before these beauties dissolve into the night.

Click after pic to see more pictures and swatches!

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I had some friends over the weekend of the 4^th of July and one commented on, “that harsh brush thing for cleaning the face,” that was in my bathroom. And a few of the others in the room chimed in with agreement that they just looked like they would hurt. Unless you’ve tried one of these like the Clarisonic, then you too probably think that, but it’s so not true!

Take this PHILIPS PureRadiance Facial Cleansing System ($99 @ amazon.com). Like the aforementioned, it’s made to use on the face so it’s not going to be harsh and I think most of think our skin is more delicate than it is. This mechanism uses Sonic technology plus Advanced Dual Motion, which are rotations of the brush head, to clean the skin from makeup and dirt, much more effectively than from just manually cleaning your face and all it takes is 60 seconds. I mean, I have no way to tell if I've removed all the day's dirt and makeup when I use my trusty washcloth but with this one, I know I pretty much have. 

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There’s nothing better than catching a glimpse in a mirror to give myself a quick makeup check only to see that my lip color is still going strong. This got me thinking and concluding that I like when I can’t feel when I have a lippie on.

It seems that I’m having some luck when it comes to the weightlessness of a lip color with these liquid lip colors some of the brands are coming out with. I mean, the colors are nice and fresh, they don’t dry my lips out and the pigments are superb! But, not all liquid lipsticks are made the same and some formulas can bleed. So when it comes to weightlessness, which ones are my favorites? Here are 4 that are scoring big points from me. 

KAT VON D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick $19 @ sephora.com
Available in 12 shades and don’t look for any beiges or really light ones in this collection! One swipe of the wand across lips is pretty much all you will need but just know that these seem to set to a really(it) matte finish, so I would use a little bit of gloss on top but not too much as too much can start to break down the product on the lips.
Yes, these are matte but they don’t seem to dry lips out probably because they are made with vitamins A, C and E. And there are no parabens inside these. 

STILA Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick $22 @ stilacosmetics.com and ulta.com
10 colors available. Once these set, there’s no transfer and well, no heavy weight on lips! Yeah. No parabens, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals or phthalates inside but they do contain vitamin E and avocado oil for moisture. 

LIPSENSE BY SENEGENCE $25 @ sengence.com
As far as I know, this brand pretty much started the trend of long-wearing lip color. 69 shades strong – from light beiges to bright pinks and stark reds and there are sheers, mattes, sparkles and frosts finishes available. And to use this brand, it requires 3 coats allowing each coat to dry for 3 to 5 seconds before applying the next.
For the best results, I would also recommend dabbing on a little bit of gloss or balm as this one really dries to a matte finish. They also sell Ooops! Lip Color Remover ($10), if you make a mistake and need to remove some of it because once it’s on, it’s on for quite a few hours.

LIME CRIME Velvetines $20 @ amazon.com
7 shades available with most selling out quickly so if you see the one you want in stock, don’t wait! These are a little different than the above ones in that I don’t think I would put them in the category of a liquid lipstick. I mean, they are closer to a liquid lipstick than not but what they are exactly still alludes me! I just know I like the 2 I’ve tried.
These too dry down to a matte finish but it’s a velvety finish and I don’t find I need to apply anything on top when wearing them. 

It’s as humid has humid can be out here in SoCal and strands are just not behaving but who wants to wear their hair up all the time? Yes, it feels good on the neck but I just got a cute new cut that I want to show off so a serious defrizz product is in order! Check out the below recommendations to rock you do to the fullest this month.

YES TO COCONUTS Curl Defining Hair Smoother ($7.99/3.8oz @ target.com) – choose this one because it has nourishing avocado and coconut oil plus Cupuacu Butter.

HERBAL ESSENCES Moroccan Me a Miracle 7-in-1 Serum ($4.49/1.7oz @ bedbathandbeyond.com) – this one is the case of, “if it smells good, it must be good,” and in this case, it’s true.

L’OREAL EverSleek Sulfate-Free Smoothing System Frizz Taming Crème Serum ($8.99/1.9oz @ lorealparis.com, walgreens.com and drugstores nationwide) – I’ve never heard of sulfates inside a frizz-taming serum but as we all know, ingredients can disguise  themselves under other loooong names.

SALLY HERSHBERGER Hyper Hydration Spray Serum ($12.99/1.7oz @ drugstore.com) – this is the only one outta the bunch that you use after hair is dry. It uses SMART Keratin to give hair shine with no, and I mean none what-so-ever, greasy look or feel.

KARECO Large Thermal Brush ($22.50 @ kareco.com) – yes believe it or not the right brush can also help cut the frizz. This one is made with Ionic Tourmaline technology so this one coupled with one of these serums will leave your hair smooth as a baby’s bottom!

Or, if you’re like me and just tend to wash your hair less in the summertime so I don’t have to whip out the hot dryer, so these two from REDKEN have been my go to ones lately:

Pillow Proof Blow Dry Two Day Extender ($18/3.4oz) and Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer ($22/4.7oz). Both @ drugstore.com.

Summer Handbags

MAYBELLINE is just coming out with a new shadow collection, and it’s a mouthful, the Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream-Gel Shadow Leathers Collection.

What I find funny is that I don’t think the brand thought of us collectors of beauty products or if someone should buy more than one shadow as the color of the shade is only listed on the top cap and not on the bottom! When I shot these photos I had to make sure I kept each cap near its bottom so I wouldn’t get confused! 

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DOLCE & GABBANA just added some new Classic Cream Lipstick colors as part of the Spring 2014 collection and I’ve got two for you to see! Bonbon (pale pink) and Bellissima (orange-based pink).

The quality of the shiny gold tube, embossed with the Dolce&Gabbana logo, and rose scent of the actual lipstick is classy and makes me feel like a true woman. And the cap makes a “click” when it closes, which was specially designed to evoke the sound made by lipstick tubes in the fifties. I guess I never really noticed that most lipstick tubes don’t make this noise anymore. Will have to pay attention more!

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Each summer a ton of different moisturizers find their way to the top of my dressing table but only a handful are used over and over. Here are the ones that I’m starting to run low on. And be sure to check these out as a couple of them do more than double-duty. 

1. MAYBELLINE Baby Lips Crystal in Pink Quartz - $3.99 @ ulta.com and drugstores nationwide

2. HEAVEN + URTH Beelieve Hydration Balm - $39/2oz, $73/4oz @ heavenandurth.com

3. TEADORA Nourishing Lip Butter in Rainforest at Dawn - $15/.5oz @ teadorabeauty.com

4. AROMATHERAPHY ASSOCIATES 'Relax' Massage & Body Oil - $69/3.4oz @ aromatheraphyassociates.com

5. PHARMAGEL Hand Therapé Sanitizer - $56/16.9oz, $24/6oz, $13/3oz @ walgreens.com

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

Summer Beauty Products

Do yourself a favor this week and give your makeup brushes the once over. Do you have the ones you need? Do you like them? Are there ones you need to toss? If you need to pick up some new ones, I recommend giving the new Heavenly Luxe Brushes that just came out from IT COSMETICS a visit.

Made from synthetic hair, the brand really seems to have looked at what kind of brushes we women need or what’s missing in the market place. Here are my favorites from the collection:

1. Dual Airbrush Concealer Brush ($24) – this is a great one for the purse as it comes in its own case. One side is fluff for buffing color on lids and the other can also be used for shadows but as the name states, also concealer under the eyes (they could have done better with the cap on this side though. It catches some of the bristles and bends them when I put it on).

2. Mega Fan Brush ($48) – for applying bronzer under the jaw or for using powders. Still getting used to wielding this one!

3. Wand Ball Powder Brush ($48) – this one’s fibers measure 2” long at their longest and is so soft! You’ll get a nice application of face powder with this one.

4. Pointed Precision Complexion Brush ($38) – get into any creases and harder to reach areas like around the nose with this pointed baby.

5. Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush ($48) – I can’t resist a flat-top brush as I feel like I have the most control with one.

6. No Tug Dual Eyeshadow Brush ($24) – the longer bristled-side will become your go to eye shadow brush! It’s the perfect size and everything. The shorter side is great for smudging.

7. Tightliner 10-in-1 Dual-Ended Brush ($24) – one side is an angled brush to help get color in between lashes and the other side is for lining the water line with color.

8. Jumbo Powder Brush ($58) – they say the bigger the brush, the closer to … ok, wait, that’s heels, but if you like a big luxurious brush, this is your answer.

So tell me, now that you’ve looked at your brushes, will you be picking any of these up?

All @ ulta.com.