Primer Wars: Laura Mercier vs. Julep

I've fallen in love with primers. They act like a base, helping your makeup last longer, and usually also help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and to minimize pores. I've recently been testing two-- one that makes my skin dewy, and the other mattifying in an effort to determine which one I like better, and frankly, I'm torn.

This weekend I tested them both out, leaving the rest of my makeup unchanged, so you can see the difference.

On the left, is Julep's Blank Canvas Mattifying Face Primer. Sulphate and paraben-free, this primer goes on matte, as advertised. It left my face feeling very silky- my makeup went on smooth, and stayed on all night. (I also slept in it-- bad beauty habits (ack!!!)-- and it was still there in the morning.)

On the right, is Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer. I can't tell if this is sulphate-free, but the ingredients list proplyparaben and methylparaben, so its safe to say, it definitely includes parabens. While this one is also very silky, it definitely goes on looking a little dewy. In fact, it almost looks like its not completely absorbed, even though it is. As you can see, it leaves your skin with a glow-- my coworkers even commented on how my skin looked luminous.

Neither Julep nor Laura Mercier test their products on animals, nor do they contract third-parties to test on animals.

Overall, this is a tough call, simply because I like both the matte and dewy looks, depending on the day. I guess it depends not only on which look you prefer, and how much you care about parabens in your skin products. I'm not sure how I feel about parabens-- on one hand, I'm not sure if it is harmful, and on the other, I question if its worth the risk, especially if its easy to find products that exclude them. In the mean time, I will continue to use both, and try and look for a paraben-free dewy alternative!

Do you use primers, and if so, which ones are your favorites?

CLE Shops: Pure Okwuma

One of the things I forgot about puppies are their razor sharp claws. And Webster's claws really are like little daggers! Needless to say, my arms and legs were getting really scratched up, until I started using the recently launched Pure Okwuma body butter. 

Made from shea butter and cocoa butter, this body butter is 98% paraben, phthalate and sulfate free. It is fragranced with botanicals like basil, green tea, and bergamot, and honestly smells like fresh cut grass with a hint of citrus-- its like the essence of spring in a jar! You might think that the shea and cocao butters make this greasy, but it absorbs into your skin very easily, and keeps it soft for an impressively long time. And most important to me, this product is not tested on animals! Oh, did I mention it is also vegan?

I had an opportunity to speak with founder and CEO Kaylyn Danielle to learn a little bit more about how she came up with this product. Upon graduation from college, Kaylyn became interested in heathy lifestyles, the environment and social responsibility, and found that she had a hard time finding natural products for her skin and hair. After tinkering with some homemade concoctions, she came up with the unique mix of ingredients that make up Pure Okwuma, and the rest is the beginning of a whole new beauty adventure, founded right here in Cleveland! 

Pure Okwuma believes that people should feel alive and empowered in their skin: As Kaylyn says "I wanted to show people that there are many ways to be comfortable; not only in our skin, but in our willingness to relax and let go of all of the stories, labels and judgments that we have placed upon ourselves." So go ahead and try this new product, and get a little more comfortable with how amazing your skin will look and feel!

Disclosure: I was sent a 2oz container of Pure Okwuma body butter to test and share my thoughts via Things I Luuuuurve. As always, all opinions are 100% my own! 

Subscription boxes: Julep

Last summer, I signed up for a nail polish subscription box-- Julep. Julep is famous for its 4-free colors and striking bottle shape, but back when I signed up, I was really not one for painting my own nails. In fact, I basically sucked at it.  But over 6 months of a subscription (and one Clean Slate Polish Corrector Pen later), I have shown tremendous improvement.

Now, you may be thinking-- how many polishes does one human need? What if I don't like the colors? I'm here to assure you that there is no need to worry. Not only can you customize each box for whatever colors you want, you can also switch it out for beauty products. Personally, I'm a fan of their lip colors, especially their lip crayons that are super hydrating, as well as the pedi creme. And, they usually send you a little gift in each box-- sometimes its candy, but this past month, it was a glitter top coat with tiny hearts in it!!!

Now for the cost: you can get a monthly box for $24.99 (+ tax)/month or you can sign up for 3 months at a time, and the cost per month drops to $19.99 (+ tax).  You can click here* to join!

*If you use the link above, I do get a referral fee (which is open to any Julep Maven who refers her friends to the service)

Winter Skin Survival

A few years ago, I did a little feature on beauty tips on Fox 8.

But since that was over a year ago, I feel like I'm due for an update. Here's what I'm using the winter to keep my skin soft and hydrated:

From left to right:
Julep Mint Condition pedi creme: I walk around barefoot. Which is so terrible in the winter, but its what I do. This smells delightful, and works wonderfully for daily wear. I usually put it on before bed and before workouts-- I once read that the heat from a workout helps the lotion get absorbed into your feet. I'm not sure its actually true, but it certainly doesn't hurt! *cruelty free
Lush Sympathy for The Skin: I do not say this lightly-- this is THE BEST body lotion ever. It smells like vanilla (you can see the flecks) and dessert, and it leaves your skin ridiculously soft. I've even gotten comments on how soft my skin feels. Even better: this product is vegan and not tested on animals! *cruelty free
Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint: This stuff spells sweet relief for my dry lips, and enhances the natural color of my lips. It looks different on every person, adapting to your own lip color. *animal testing language vague.
Swell Skin Miraculous Multi-tasker: This sea buckthorn oil is magical. Keeps my skin clear and hydrated, wrinkle-free, and also helps with accidental flat-iron burns. This smells a little "earthy" and is made locally, and is not tested on animals. *cruelty free

So there you have it-- my winter skin rescue arsenal. What are some of the beauty products that you're loving this season?

A Little Tease

A few months ago, I happened to meet a very cool woman at R/S: like me, she was born in and grew up in a foreign country, like me she was in a relationship with a ginger, and like me she is mom to two boxers. I'm a great believer in destiny, and 3 coincidences just seems liked the universe was trying to tell me something. Turns out, she is a hair stylist: clearly, the universe was telling me it was time to do something different with my hair!!!

Carolina works at Tease in Lakewood, and I decided to go in for a blowout to give her a try! The salon is  super charming with its exposed brick and vintage dressers.

Carolina ended up doing my hair in a side-do that I absolutely LUUURRVVEEED! 

Needless to say, I was back the next week for haircut.

The results from the first haircut: She talked me out of bangs since it was still the beginning of summer, but I absolutely adored the curls and volume!

Over the past month, she put in the bangs (its almost fall after all) and touched up my ombre to make it look more natural (well, as natural as ombre is going to look on someone with SUPER dark hair)

Overall, I am more than pleased with all of my experiences with Carolina. She is extremely knowledgable and can turn a vague description into a real vision. That said, I ALWAYS recommend taking in pictures. Best of all, she will spend the time to show you HOW to style your hair and give you plenty of options to change up your look. So, if you're toying with the idea of a new stylist, I absolutely recommend Carolina at Tease!!!

Transformed by CHANEL

A few weeks ago, Suzanne invited me to join her (and Allison, Michelle, Molly and Jess) at a pampering session at Saks. Our evening began with a perfume sampling courtesy Bond No. 9. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about Bond No. 9- there are some scents that make me gag, but there are others that I'm completely obsessed with, particularly Chinatown, High Line, and Madison Square Park, but at $170+ for a small bottle, I'm going to have to be 100% sure that I absolutely LUUURVVEE the scent before I buy it.

After the sampling, we were invited to the Chanel counter to test out the Sublimage skin care system.

The skin care products are extremely luxurious, and while they did give us samples to take home, I haven't tested them out yet.  While there, they let us know of a makeup event with CHANEL National Makeup Artist Sterling Williams.

As someone who ABSOLUTELY ADORES makeovers, naturally, I signed up.

Saturday rolled around, and I walked into my CHANEL appointment looking like this (As you can tell, I have absolutely NO makeup up on).....

And walked out looking like this......

I cannot even tell you how much I LUUUUURRRVVVEEEEEEEE this look. I almost always do a smoky eye, so the bold lip was a big change for me. I felt so completely glamorous!!!

If you're curious, the products used on me were:
Vitalumiere Aqua Compact #50 --- I instantly fell in love with this product and bought it
Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Powder in Desert Spice
Poudre Signee de Chanel Illuminating Powder
Joues Contraste Blush in Rose Bronze
Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow in Spices
Stylo Yeux Eyeliner in Noir Intense
Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
and last, but certainly not least, the bold lip was achieved with Rouge Double Intesite in Ruby Lite-- obviously, as key to this look, I bought this one too.

With the man himself: Sterling Williams

I had such a FABULOUS time at my makeover which I carried into Girls Night with the Jenn's- AJP and JV!!

If you have the time, I highly recommend you take advantage of a makeover opportunity and try out a new look. Who knows, it may unlock an entirely new side of you!!! 

Summer fragrance

One of my favorite things about international travel is Duty Free shops. Specifically, I love running around testing perfumes when I have nothing to do but kill time. This trip I tested a lot of perfumes I hadn't tested before, including a few Nina Ricci fragrances, the new Miss Dior fragrances, and then I finally settled on this- Burberry Body.

I'm really not qualified to go into the base notes, etc, but I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE it, and will be wearing it ALL summer!! Do you change your fragrance with the seasons? What are you wearing these days?

Product Testing: Clip in Hair Extensions

So around this time last year, I experimented with hair extensions. The extensions I used at that time were the Jessica Simpson wavy clip in extensions, and although they looked really pretty, there's pretty much NO WAY I could get them in unassisted. And, as much as I know N loves me, I also know with 100% certainty that there is NO WAY he's going to help me with this. In an effort to get more length, and the sort of luscious volume Hollywood promises (via extensions of course), I decided to take the plunge and go for the "real" thing. I did some research on bonded hair extensions- the kind that get glued to your hair- and quickly decided against it. For one, it really bothers me that there would be something stuck to my hair, and second, I've heard that the weight really damages your own hair. I've also been told they're a bit of a pain to take care of, in that you have to be very very careful when washing and styling your hair. All of this just sounded like too much hassle, and so I decided to investigate the next best thing- clip ins!

Now, you can go ahead and buy your own clip-in human hair extensions, but if you go this route, I recommend you have your stylist do your extensions for you. My fabulous stylist Michelle at J. Romer Salon created a set of 4 pieces just for me- they're even dyed to match my hair color. The pieces include one wide piece that is fastened with tiny clips in line with my ears, a second wide piece that goes under my real hair right around my crown, and then two thinner side pieces for volume. The first time I had them put in was Jump Back Ball, and Michelle put them in and styled my hair, which you can see here:

I absolutely loved the look, but the real test would be if I could put them in on my own at home. I gave it another try this past Friday, and although I don't have any pictures, I'm happy to say it was really easy to get them in!! Here are the tips that Michelle gave me that were really helpful:
1. Make sure your own hair is a little dirty (at least a day post-washing), and if not, make sure you use some mousse to help give it texture.
2. Make sure you tease your own hair right where your extensions need to go- it helps them stay secure
3. Take good care of your extensions. Since they're real human hair, you can style them just as you do your own, but be careful when washing (light gentle shampoo and conditioner) and let them air dry. I know its a little gross to have bits of hair hanging in your bathroom, but the hairdryer may cause flyways.

There you have it- an easy, no-commitment, relatively inexpensive (compared to the bonded extensions) way to change your hair up and give it some serious oomph factor!  And really, who doesn't love a little extra OOMPH!!!

Product Testing: Foundation Primers

So, a few months ago, I was shopping at Sephora, looking for some concealer, when I decided to do one of their mini-makeovers. The makeup artist started off by using a foundation primer- a product I was completely unfamiliar with. Turns out, if you're looking for your makeup to look flawless, and stay all day, then foundation primers are key! Essentially like a paint primer, the foundation primer smooths out your skin and creates a base for your makeup. Sounds pretty good, no? The makeover looked really nice, and I decided to pick up the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Then a little while ago, I received the Benefit Porefessional in my Birchbox, and so I decided it might be interesting to compare the two.

Smell: Neither one really has a smell to it

Texture: The Smashbox primer is a clear liquid. It feels a little tacky on your fingers, but goes on your face very easily. I was told to wait a minute or two after I put it on my face before I put on my foundation, so I do that with both primers. The Benefit primer is lightly tinted, although I'm not sure the tint really does much, at least not for my skin tone. It feels powdery, and almost feels like you've brushed mineral powder or pressed powder on your face.

Results: Honestly, I can't tell the difference between the two.

Price: The Smashbox product comes in a to-go version (0.5 oz) that ranges from $16-$17 and a full size version (1 oz) that's between $36-$42. The Benefit product is $29 for 0.75oz. There really isn't much different in the price per oz. Please note that all these prices are from Sephora. 

Animal Testing Policy: Smashbox explicitly states on their packaging that they do not test on animals. On their website, they go on to further state that they do not ask other to test on their behalf, except where required by law. Benefit does not state that on their packaging, but provides more information on their animal testing on their website. And no, they don't test on animals either although they cannot make the same claim for the raw materials used in the products.

My preference: At the end of the day, I personally prefer the Smashbox primer for two reasons: (1) It comes in a small enough package that I can slip into my purse-makeup bag, and (2) I prefer the texture over the somewhat powdery feeling Benefit product. Either way you choose, you won't go wrong!

I will however, leave you with one warning about ALL primers: you HAVE to wash your face and remove your makeup before you go to bed if you're using a primer. By its nature, its supposed to block your pores, so lack of makeup removal will result in zits!!!

Do you use makeup primers? What's your favorite brand?

Product Testing: Aveda Invati

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I've waited almost three weeks to write this post- I had to make sure I gave the product enough time to live or not live up to its claims. The product in question is the Invati system by Aveda. The claim? To help reduce hair fall and to promote healthy hair growth using all natural ingredients. Now, I've been trying to grow my hair out since 2009, and while it has grown in length, it has lost a LOT of its volume. This seemed like the perfect product to help restore volume, and so I decided to try it out.

First off, I was advised that I need to use the whole system- the shampoo, conditioner AND scalp revitalizer, and the scalp revitalizer needs to be used twice a day.

photo credit 

The downside is the whole system together will cost you $108+ tax. I decided to bite the bullet in the name of science (and a good blog story).  So after three weeks of testing, here are my thoughts:

1. Smell: the whole system smells a little like an earthy eucalyptus. N did compliment me multiple times on how good my hair smelled. The bonus of the scalp revitalizer is that it does help mask food/smoke smells that may get in your hair.

2. Texture: You spray the scalp revitalizer straight onto your scalp, and it does leave a cool, tingly sensation. The shampoo is very liquid- its not like any shampoo I've tried before, so you have to be careful that you don't spill it everywhere. The conditioner is less thick that most others I've used, and doesn't leave your hair quite as slippery and slick as normal conditioner. That said, you have to be a little careful with tangles. Towel-dry GENTLY!

3. The claim: The most important part- does it live up to its claims? And I'm happy to say- YES!! My hair fall is much less, and my hair is definitely feeling a lot more full that in has in a long time. It does take about two weeks to really see results though, so don't get discouraged too soon.

Was it worth the $100+ price tag? I would say most definitely yes!! In addition to the fact that it works, its natural and isn't tested on animals!!

Have you tried this product or are you curious to try it?

Product Testing: John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight

So while I was in Chicago, I found out that my friend Aneesha has been doing the Brazilian hair straightening. Her hair looks AMAZING!!! She has naturally super curly hair, and now its straight (with a slight wave when she dries it but doesn't flat iron), glossy and so bouncy! Needless to say, its got me SERIOUSLY contemplating the same thing myself. I don't need it as much in the fall/winter, but the spring/summer humidity gives me some interesting hair days to say the least!!

Anyway, in the mean time, I've been testing the Frizz-Ease 3-day Straight (available at drugstores).

The claim: Transforms curly, frizzy hair into a straight, smooth style that lasts up to 3 days (or until your next shampoo).
The process: Spray 7-15 times into wet or damp hair. Comb through to spread evenly. Blow dry straight, and flat iron for best results. 


So, I tested this twice. Once over my rainy Chicago weekend, and then when I got back to rainy Cleveland. The first time, I sprayed about 15 times, which ended up feeling like 5 sprays too many. My hair felt very tacky (but didn't look greasy), and I think it might have been just too much product. BUT, it held its straightness really really well, through a Chi-town downpour (I was under an umbrella), so in retrospect, maybe it was the right amount. The second time I tried it, I sprayed only about 10 times, and while it didn't feel as heavy on my hair, it did start to wave a little when I walked the dogs (it had stopped raining, but you could definitely feel the moisture in the air). 


Conclusion: It works. You should try it a couple of times to figure out how much product is right for your hair. You may also need to re-straighten if your bangs get damp, or if you sweat around your face, but it stays pretty smooth, even in the midst of some crazy Midwest rain!! If you're not quite willing to go all the way with the Brazilian treatment, or if you like changing up your hair, I recommend trying this product!!!

Shellac

I am certainly not the first person to try this, but I am so FRICKING excited about this, I just haaaaaaaavvveeee to tell you about it. I first read about Shellac manicures at All Laquered Up and decided that I just absolutely had to try it myself. So two weeks ago, clefoodgoddess decided to test it out at Revelations Salon and Spa in Lakewood. It.was.everything.i.thought.it.would.be.

Seriously, it lasted two whole weeks without chipping, and besides the fact that my actual nail has grown, you can't tell it was done two weeks ago. It doesn't damage your actual nail, and is super easy to remove!! The only negative is that there's not a whole lot of colors to choose from, but the ladies doing our manicure told us that Revelations will soon be receiving a competing nail system that will have over 50 colors! Of course, at $37, the shellac manicures are almost double the price of a regular manicure, but given that it lasts two weeks, I'd say its worth every penny!!!!