Posts from — March 2008

The Diana B Lotion and Body Wash contest will be ending tonight at midnight Eastern Time (ET).

If you still have not entered, simply leave me a comment on the giveaway article telling me how you indulge in a little “at home spa-time”. Or if you don’t indulge, how would you if you had the chance?

Remember to read the rules. I will be picking the two winners this weekend (using Random.org) from all the entrants. You’ll be notified by email and the winners will also be congratulated here at Bionic Beauty. Best of luck!

Yippee! Neutrogena’s new Acne Stress Control Power Clear Scrub is up for a free sample on their website. Simply register with Neutrogena (you can opt-out of emails) and your skincare scrub sample will be on its way.

When I just registered, there were over 61,000 samples left. Don’t dawdle, but supplies are limited.

Enjoy!

Bubble baths are FUN! And they are even more fun, and not to mention luxurious with Lush’s Bubble Bar. I tested out the “flavor” Ma Bar. Lush’s description is thus: “If chocolate is your pleasure, you’ll love bathing in the toffee and orange of Ma Bar. Brown sugar-topped for the ultimate in blissful bathing, this bar’s sweetness will satisfy every pore on your body.”

The scent is heavenly and actually pretty darn close to their Honey I Washed the Kids soap. Crumble the bar under your running bath water. The water felt softer and the bubbles were long lasting. I will warn you… the bath water turns pretty murky from the ingredients in the bubble bar.

I would recommend slicing your bar in half. This will save you a bit of money and should still give you plenty of bubbles. I used half a bar in a giant spa-type tub and the bubbles were piled up. Adjust accordingly.

All in all, a nice treat for a relaxing bath.

Ingredients List: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Cocoa Powder (Theobroma cacao), Cocamide DEA, Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Sugar Cube (Saccharum officinarum).

Bubble bars can be purchased from Lush stores and at Lush’s website. A Ma Bar runs $7.65.

On Friday March 14th from 9pm-10pm EST, Loose Lips New York is hosting their first on-line shopping party.  You won’t even have to leave your home!  Sherry from Loose Lips (and all of you who join in) can chat about up coming trends, new products and do’s and don’ts.  Ask all the questions you like before you decide to purchase a new item.  Special promos and giveaways for those people who attend.  All you have to do is log in at 9pm!

http://www.looselipsny.com/chatroom.html

I recommend having a look through the Loose Lips website to check for any products you might have questions on. And hopefully we can all dish about spring’s trends (I’ve seen some wacky ones for nail polishes…more on that later), tips and the like.

P.S. I love love love their gel eyeliners. To use an 80’s word… they are RAD!

I hope some Bionic readers can *virtually* attend! 

Over the past few months, I have been testing (in between other products), Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. I’ve really put this product through the ringer!

For a little background, my husband and I are big on the DIY (Do It Yourself) projects around our home. We (well, mostly him) are finishing our basement into a movie theater, woo hoo! Between all the painting, sanding, and staining- we’ve both used this lotion before heading to work and it performed quite well for us. I found that using it before painting and staining, the paints/stains washed off my skin much easier and did not dry out my skin nearly as much as normal. Here’s a quote from my husband (from last night actually) “I love this lotion. It’s slippery but not greasy and gooey.” So there you have it. It passes muster with the dudes.

In my opinion, one thing that helps with guys is that this lotion does not have a typical “buttery” feel and it doesn’t smell like flowers or fruit. It’s just a pleasant “unscented” scent (if that makes any sense).

For another test, I regularly dye my hair, and usually coat my hairline, neck and ears with petroleum jelly (i.e. Vaseline) before dyeing. This prevents stains from seeping onto your face and ears. Instead of my normal Vaseline slathering, I applied Skin MD’s lotion to my entire face, ears, neck, and hairline. I admit, I was doubtful (I get dye everywhere normally and I am always changing colors- blonde, brunette, red, you name it)- but it did keep the hair dye from latching onto my skin.

The only caution I want to present, is to not over apply this lotion. Start using it a few times a day (twice is a good amount) and let your hands settle into the new care routine. I made the mistake of applying it over 6 times (even though the Skin MD people had warned me not to) a day for a few days and my hands got a little rough. Once I scaled back to twice a day, I was fine. Now I can use it as much as I like.

Continue reading the rest of my review…

[Read more →]

The Product: NARS Makeup Primer lotion with SPF

Bionic’s Review: I applied a pea size amount underneath my makeup each day for two weeks. The lotion sunk into my skin and smoothed the appearance of enlarged pores. Plus, I love the SPF 20 (can’t have too much of that these days!). My mineral makeup blended out more easily with this product; and even with Tinted Moisturizer overtop of the primer, I did not get greasy or over moisturized.

I did notice that my makeup seemed to stay put for the day (no wandering off now!). I have never used a makeup primer before this product (just standard face lotion), and hence, never really understood what all the fuss was about. Now I understand. I can use a little less of my makeup product since the primer allows for improved and even coverage.

The NARS primer is also available in a non-SPF formula (white tube). Both are packed in a modern “rubberized” tube which makes it nice and grippy. The twist top tube is sanitary and helps keep out contaminants.

One other note, when I opened the NARS tube, I immediately feel in love with the slight creamsicle scent of this primer. It’s fresh, fruity, and perks me right up in the mornings. I will certainly be keeping this product around for everyday use and plan to repurchase.

Purchase: You can buy NARS Makeup Primer With SPF 20 & PA++ at Beauty.com, $33 for a 1.7 oz tube.

Any readers out there who have tried the NARS Primers or another brand? Do you find them beneficial?

FreeRice.com is a website that will donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program to assist in ending world hunger. What do you have to do? Just click on the meanings for the vocabulary words.

Here’s an Example
diminish means:

1. investigate
2. lessen
3. nauseate
4. merge

The correct answer is 2. lessen. If you get the question right, 20 grains of rice are donated. It is really that simple. No fees, no forms, you do not even have to register. I’ve been playing an hour a week for the past two months, and I’ve started to remember some of those vocab words from the SATs.

FreeRice has two goals:
Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Be bionically beautiful inside and out!