Early Summer 2014 - New Products

Through spring and early summer, I've been trying multiple new products.  A quick review of just a few:

Lush Shampoo Bar

My sister bought me one of these for my birthday, and I was really pleasantly surprised!  Lush's Shampoo Bars are preservative-free and environmentally friendly, with no harmful packaging (mine was a travel size so it came in the tin), and are made to last as long as three bottles of liquid shampoo.  They come in different formulas, but this "Squeaky Green" is made to deep cleanse scalp and hair.  It smells like tea tree oil and rosemary - very nice.  I'd definitely try the other versions of this - they make them for softening, oily hair, volume/shine, de-tangling, dandruff, thinning hair, etc.  $12

 Lancome's Rouge in Love Lipsticks

I don't wear many lipsticks - they generally feel too heavy on my lips. However, these new lip colors from Lancome are definitely cool.  They come in the very in-style bold shades, but they are a VERY lightweight matte finish, so they wear a bit more like a lip stain - and they are 6-hour wear! A light sweep of color gives me a good base shade for long wear, and I can pop a little gloss over it if I want more shine. They've been very popular at Macy's so far. $28.50

 Guerlain Lingerie De Peau - Invisible Skin Fusion Foundation

In my search for a light-weight foundation with a lovely finish, I found this on Sephora's website, with extremely high ratings. It has SPF 20, and is a light to medium coverage formula.  Goes on really smoothly.  The color is not a perfect match for me, but since I like the feel, I've been blending it with just a little foundation in another shade to add a bit of pink undertone.  Goes on well with a blending brush or a blending sponge.  At $61, it runs higher in price than some counter brands, but it's a little nicer, too.

Dirty Works Supreme Cream Body Butter

You all know about my love affair with body butters. I grabbed this one on the cheap at TJ Maxx - the brand is sold mostly overseas, but at $7, it seemed like a good buy.  It's more whipped-feeling than other body butters - more like a light cream.  It smells great (shea butter and sweet almond oil) and leaves the skin silky.  It's not a product I can grab at my local store, but I'd buy it again.  Plus...the retro packaging is a bit fun.

Murad T-Zone Pore Refining Serum

I've had this product for a couple of months and have been putting off blogging about it, because I simply can't tell if it's working or not.  I bought it at the recommendation of an aesthetician who gave me a facial.  I rarely break out, but occasionally get some trapped oil in the larger pores on my cheeks, or near my nose.  Even if they don't turn into actual breakouts, they annoy me. This serum is supposed to tighten pores, dissolve oil, and prevent excess oil production.  It doesn't smell bad, but doesn't smell good like some of my other serums.  I don't use it every night - maybe twice a week?  I will say I seem to have less trapped oil in pores, but I'm not sure if it's due to this serum.  It runs $42, and doesn't seem to hurt anything, but I'm just not certain what I can attribute to its use.

What about you, ladies?  Tried any new products this spring/summer?

Squeaky Clean! Cleansers: March 2014 Edition

In my search for all things ideal for my face, I've tried a lot of cleansers. Most seem to be usable, but aren't very exciting. Quick thoughts on just a few:

1. For the drugstore-brand price point, Biore's Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser does the trick. It doesn't leave my face feeling transformed, but it gets the dirt out for between $5 and $9.

2. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser: Got a deluxe trial of this from Sephora, and read the solid reviews - but I wasn't blown away. The smell is a bit odd, and it doesn't foam very much. It left my skin feeling fairly clean and not tight, but it's SO gentle, I wondered if it was effective enough. Not my pick, at $40.

3. Lancome Creme Radiance: One of the few Lancome products I would buy again! This milky/creamy cleanser turns into a great foam, cleans well, and leaves my skin bright and clear. At $25, it's affordable and worked well with my Clarisonic. A little seems to go a long way, making the tube last longer.

4. SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser: while I WILL fork out the dollars for SK-II's balancing essence/toner, I am not sure the cleanser is worth $70 unless you're REALLY sensitive, irritable, dry, delicate. It's a very gentle, natural, but effective cleanser - just a tad price prohibitive unless you really need this specific type of product.

5. Philosophy's Purity Made Simple: so far, this may still be my favorite cleanser. It's gentle, very lightly/pleasantly scented, and very effective - it removes every trace of makeup (even eye makeup).  It comes in 5 sizes, ranging in price from $10 to $52, but is around $23 for a standard-sized bottle, so it's affordable.  Little goes a long way with this one, as well...I would definitely recommend it.

Overall, I have a lot of cleansers to try, but so far, the Philosophy and Lancome options have been my best experiences. Anyone else tried/liked/hated them?

Stay clean!