Posts from — April 2008

Walmart.com is now offering free samples of Maybelline’s new foray into the mineral makeup line- their Mineral Power liquid makeup. For those with dry skin, this might be something to try. When I get flaky, I dislike accenting the dryness by applying powder overtop since it does nothing but draw further attention to the problem.

Give it a shot. It’s free. What have ya got to lose!

International Orange is a well known spa and yoga lounge based in San Francisco, California. In addition to their lovely spa services, IO has an award winning lineup of body and hair care. And yours truly got a chance to test out some samples.

These products are all-natural. The ingredients are all easy to pronounce (grin) and are placed in each product to contribute. Meaning- there are not any fluff ingredients in here!

Here are my thoughts by product-

• Enrich, A Body Lotion: Super! I can’t really say enough about this lotion. It’s creamy, performs wonderfully, softens my skin without creating an oily surface. Works well on my legs, arms, neck and hands. Hubby and I both loved the scent which features White lotus, Bergamot peel and Tuberose petal.
• Cleanse, A Body Wash: Sulfate free and glycerin is the last product in the ingredient list. Even without the sulfates, this body wash produces good foam and melts dirt and the grime of day away. The scent really perks me up and lingers softly after exiting the shower. Scented with Lavender flower, Bergamot peel, and Calendula blossom.
  
• Anoint, A Body Oil: Great product to help ease the stresses of the day and when you are not in the mood for a typical perfume fragrance. This is now my everyday “go-to” fragrance. It blends nicely and wears well through the day. Perks your nose up with White lotus, Jasmine flower, and Green tea (yum!).
• Balance, A Deodorant: This product was a bit of a let-down compared to the rest of the line. I typically “run-hot” and start sweating with even mild activity, so the trials on this deodorant did not work for me. However, if you are a light activity person, or someone who doesn’t sweat much, this could work for you. I am using my up as a light body mist for bursts of fragrance through the day. The spray does not leave any sticky residue and is scented with Lavender flower, Echinacea root, and Comfrey leaf. I will say that this combo of fragrances is my favorite of the entire line (hence why I am still using it as a body mist, love love love this scent!).
• Bathe, A Bath Soak: Lovely salts with epsom to help with detox and deep cleansing your skin. My husband even tried them out and reported a nice relaxation. It certainly helped me with my sore muscles after a long day of gardening.
• Restore, A Hair Wash: I packed this and the following Hair Cream for a recent trip. This shampoo is sulfate free, yet sudses nicely. My hair and scalp felt clean and smelled grand! It was also super gentle to my color treated hair and did not strip my color. You’ll find notes of Bergamot peel, Geranium flower, and Seaweed extract.
• Nourish, A Hair Cream: This is a performance conditioner. It provided plenty of moisture for my fine, colored hair. While there was enough moisture, I didn’t end up looking like I had an encounter with a butter truck at the end of the day. As Goldilocks said “Just right!”. The conditioner is scented with Jasmine blossom, Tuberose petal, and Golden Jojoba (excellent for nourishing your hair!).

Overall, this products are just splendid. I’m so glad I discovered them. They are a bit pricey, but if you choose the ones you want, you might be able to justify it. And once you try them, I think you’ll be hooked. Hubby and I are having a hard time figuring out how we could consider going without this shampoo and conditioner.

To order International Orange’s products, visit the IO web shop.

Flowery Professional markets disposable manicure and pedicure kits. Even though I’m not a nail professional, nor do I play one on TV (or the internet, for that matter), I thought these kits would be nice ways to get everything you need for a home mani/pedi.

The Natural Nail Manicure kit comes packaged with:

• Cushioned 180/400 grit nail file
• 4-way Buffer and Shiner (my favorite product in this kit)
• Plastic cuticle pusher
• Manicure stick
• Nail brush (my runner up, especially since spring has sprung and gardening is in work at my home)

The nail file worked fine, no rips or tears in my soft nails and the 4-way buffer and shiner really did an outstanding job. It was easy to buff my nails up to a high gloss shine and I didn’t have to worry about applying any clear polish! Beautiful. The plastic cuticle stick was also gentle on taming my cuticles into shape. And the nail brush is sturdy enough to get out gardening dirt and grime from nail corners, beneath nails, etc.

With my once weekly use, all the items are still going strong and performing quite well. It’s a great little package and I love not having to buy everything individually.

Flowery’s kits are available in Sally Beauty stores (yeah!), or search the Flowery directory for an online store or a retail store near you.

News from Bionic… Loose Lips NY and Fusion Boutique have paired up to bring makeup fans two new offerings, in honor of spring! You can choose from “Grass” or “Floral” gift packs- each complete with makeup and a cute tote for makeup or around town. Purchase online at Loose Lips NY.

The Grass Package includes:

• Green Loop Button Bag $19.99
• Ultimate Volumizing Mascara with Lash Extending Fibers $16
• Lip Plumping Gloss in Oxygen $15
• Mid Size Eye Shadow in Gold Digger $12
• Retail Value: $63 - Yours for $45.

The Floral Package includes:

• White Loop Button Bag $19.99
• Ultimate Volumizing Mascara with Lash Extending Fibers $16
• Lip Plumping Gloss in Fairy Tale $15
• Mid Size Eye Shadow in Goddess $12
• Retail value: $63 - Yours for $45.

I am looking to try some new sunless tanners, specifically for face. Can any Bionic Beauty readers suggest a few? Or do you just use bronzer to create a faux-glow?

My Lip Stuff appealed to me as soon as I found their website. Their tagline: “Skin, Earth, & Animal Friendly Products” is right in line with my desire to be a better earth-citizen while still enjoying my beauty products. I’d truly prefer to not load chemicals onto my skin whenever possible. Cutting down when possible is my new motto.

My Lip Stuff feeds my lip balm addiction. They have over 400 flavors (yes, you read that correctly- 400!!!) of balms, as well as other body and bath products. They have Charitabalms (be an activist), Vegan balms (Woo hoo! Leave our small n’ fuzzies for pets!), hilarious Mood Balms, and more. The packaging is simple, but the labels are what makes them really stand out. I kept getting compliments on the colorful labels, when I pulled one from my purse.

Every variety I tried was moisturizing, not waxy and did not give me any adverse reactions. I highly recommend checking out these lip balms!

I tried:

• Strawberry Dream Pie: Love the taste of this.
• Valentine’s Day Limited Edition: I passed this to my Bionic Mom to try. Her report: “I love the lip balm. Many are waxy and leave your lips feeling stiff. This balm smells very nice too! I do not use the lip balm your Dad (that’s Bionic Dad) because of how waxy feeling it is. So this was a welcome find!”
• Lip Tint: This is unscented and unflavored. It gave my lips a beautiful shine and just a pop of color. It looks dark in the tube, but goes on sheer and glossy but without all the goopy mess of most glosses. It’s moisturizing too. This is my perfect balm. I can go out and still look polished without wearing a ton of lip color.
• Cool Under Pressure (Vegan):
• Pancakes and Syrup: YUM! This balm is like IHOP for your lips.
• Rainbow Sherbet: Fruity and vanilla, I’ve been wearing this one on the warmer days since it evokes the mood of spring.

Most of the balms are $2.00 to $3 (great price!) and international shipping is available. Sticks and pots are available, as well as 6 pack and other special bundles.

A few online buddies tagged me to complete some fun things and surveys. Read on for random tidbits on yours truly.

My Top 5 Must *Not* Have Beauty Items. (tagged by The Daily Cookie)

1. Face cleansers and lotion loaded with glycerin. This one just baffles me. Glycerin breaks so many people out, yet when you real labels on the store shelves- the majority of face washes and lotions have glycerin the first few ingredients. Grrr.
2. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. I’m not a fan and never was a fan of this cult-fave mascara. It made me have blood spots in my eyes, swelled my lids shut and other nastiness. Plus it clumped, flaked, and smeared. Granted, it works for some, but not this kid.
3. C.O. Bigelow lip balm. I adore the taste and scent of this lip balm. Unfortunately, it dries my lips and rips the corners of my mouth.
4. St. Ives Apricot Scrub. We’ve covered this before.
5. Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Green Tea and Fennel Seed Shampoo. It’s sulfate-free which prompted me to try it, unfortunately it left my hair dry as straw, frizzy, and unmanageable.

Tagged by Shai Coggins for the 123 Book Tag. Here are the rules for the Book Tag:

1. Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

“Somehow I knew that if I spun around, I would catch a glimpse of the people who had spent their lives in the gloom. In my imagination, I could see the spotlight of the miner’s hat capturing a set of hardened eyes, a featureless face, or the twirl of a ghostly dress. I tried not to make too much of the images that flashed through my mind, but there was one thing I knew for certain.”

~Snippet from Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller.

By the way, if you have a ‘tween or teen daughter(s), I highly recommend this book. Great source of girl power! Heck, I read them at least twice a year. It’s a definite source of Bionic Beauty inspiration.

I’m not tagging anyone to complete these surveys/tags, but if you’d like to share the 5th sentence, page 123 of a book laying near you, or your 5 must-not-haves, please do so in the comments. Might be fun to see what we’re all reading.